A Thieving Bird and Generous Ways of Finding Delight
This is the text of my Thought for the Day, broadcast on Tuesday, 3 September 2019 on BBC Radio Ulster’s…
Category: Formation
Preaching Public Theology in a Troubled Society
If you’re a regular church-goer here in Northern Ireland, here’s an article worth reading and reflecting on, especially if you’re…
The Sacredness of Trees
Most days I walk my dogs through the forest and gardens of Castle Park in Bangor. It’s a real treasure.…
Sole Searching: Murr-ma
It’s just a fragmentary memory from my childhood in our Co Wicklow town at the seaside. I’m knee deep in…
On the Genealogical Lists in the Bible and the Dangers of Strong Belonging
I’ve been thinking in recent weeks over what it means to belong. How we belong? Why we need to belong?…
Laurel or Yanny? A Word on Generosity to the Presbyterian Church
In our house we were evenly split between yanny and laurel.* Personally, I was a yanny man, but my wife heard laurel. I…
The Raw Materials of Faith: Body
Reflection 3 New Creation The first creation story in Genesis 1 tells us that God created humankind in God’s image.…
The Raw Materials of Faith: Body
Reflection 2 Jesus—the Second Incarnation There is a second incarnation, the one we’re more familiar with, when God himself steps down…
The Raw Materials of Faith: Body
Creation—The First Incarnation The word incarnation is one we tend to confine to one particular season of the year. It’s…
Church Tradition as Spiritual Endowment
Many of us, in difficult times, find comfort in the familiar and the habitual. I was thinking about this recently…