Finding Elpis

Finding Elpis

Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.” As I mentioned in my last blog, in retirement I have been writing the history of my previous congregation, First Presbyterian Church, Armagh. After twenty-eight years of caring for...
Sovereignty & Love

Sovereignty & Love

A number of weeks ago I went to a prayer meeting that began, as almost all such gatherings do, with a time of praise and adoration of God. How we pray spontaneously – the language and the ‘personal liturgy’ that we use – tells us a great deal about who we...
A Theory of Everything?

A Theory of Everything?

Every summer in our church, we host Meet the Neighbours, a community engagement festival offering free hospitality and welcome to our local community. As this year’s event approached, we found ourselves facing one particular quandary. With summer rainfall levels the...
Despair, Faith and Determination

Despair, Faith and Determination

My wife and I have just enjoyed a short break, which included a two-night stay in Edinburgh, Scotland. Edinburgh is hilly and since suffering a stroke two years ago Hazel uses a wheelchair. To be honest I thought we were doing well when we found a disabled parking...

Reasons to be Hopeful

REASONS TO BE HOPEFUL  The news headlines over recent weeks have been as dispiriting as any recent period I can remember. The outworking of the climate emergency is increasingly apparent, unfolding on every continent and with the scale and frequency of extreme weather...