15 May 2026 In 2 Timothy, the writer gives a devastating critique of the world. ‘People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers … He goes on, ‘profligates, brutes, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the outward forms of goodliness but denying its power.’ What a catalogue! What a world! Our world? By contrast, the Christian has not been given ‘a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.’ He is not distracted by unimportant things. He lives by God’s law. He waits with patience for God to fulfil his purposes. He is single-minded and unashamed of the gospel. He has strength to endure whatever comes his way and to endure it with dignity. The gospel is described as a treasure – something rare and valuable and worth a great deal. The re...
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14 May 2026 1 Timothy is full of practical advice. Some of our best known quotations are to be found here. ‘Do not neglect the gift that is in you.’ the writer says to a youthful Timothy. ‘No longer drink only water,’ he says, ‘but take a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.’ With this explicit commendation, one wonders why the kirk had such a negative attitude towards alcohol. And most famously of all, ‘The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.’ And don’t we know it. Wealth has always been a threat to Christianity. This has been confirmed by history. However, money is amoral. The love of money is not. ‘No-one can serve two masters,’ says Jesus, ‘you cannot serve God and money.’ Right at the start of 1 Timothy, the author makes clear the purpose of his advice. ‘The aim of such instruction is love,’ he says, ‘love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience and sincere faith.’ If that is the outcome of reading this let...
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13 May 2026 We had family staying with us on Saturday. In the evening, we walked down to the East Sands via the Kinnessburn. At the bridge at the foot of the steep brae leading up to St. Andrews Episcopal Church, we stopped to look at a duck with her ducklings. She had six altogether. She was sitting on a stone beside the running water. Five of her offspring were sitting underneath her wings. The six was busy swimming in the burn, darting here, darting there, snatching lots of insects flying above the water. Underneath a nearby blossom tree sat the heron. She was awaiting her chance to gobble up the tiny duckling playing so innocently and cheerfully in the nearby waters. The mother kept quacking, trying to alert her sixth to come and enjoy the fulfilment of the Psalmist’s prayer, ‘Hide me under the shadow of your wings.’ But to no avail. Gradually a small crowd gathered on the bridge mesmerised by this tense triangulation of fear. It was better entert...
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12 May 2026 – From My Diary 1996 A father of the bride phoned. He was trying to write his father of the bride speech. ‘Have you any good jokes?’ he asked. Thank goodness for Jim Simpson’s book of jokes. I quoted two. The father of the bride was very happy. ‘That will do me nicely. ‘ he said. ‘You can have the rest of the night off!’ A young woman asked to speak to me about her faith. She was afraid that there would be nothing after life. She found some comfort in the realisation that before we were born or when we are asleep, we have no awareness of life and living, meaning and purpose. A neighbouring minister was indisposed. I was asked to take a funeral. The widower reported that the night before his wife died, he overheard her talking to a relative on the phone about him. ‘He really gets on my nerves.’ Because our last words have more power than any other, we should consider all our words to be our last. When I conducted the funeral service, I felt out of place....
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11 May 2026 Those who participate in an act of public worship in the Kirk are expected to play a significant part in the preaching of the Word. The task itself is generally entrusted to the parish minister but this is only the beginning. There is work for the congregation to do. They must remain ALERT! A is for anticipation. On the way to the kirk, we anticipate the work of the Holy Spirit in the reading of the Word and in the preaching of the Word of God. Whilst the words of the preacher are not necessarily the word of God, the Holy Spirit is working through them to enlighten the worshipping community. L is for listening. This is a skill which doesn’t come easily to us. It requires us to divest ourselves of self and to focus on the other. It requires us to consider the other of more worth than self at least for this moment in time. Listening to God requires the discipline of attentiveness and the humility to lead us there. E is for exploration. Our openness...
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10 May 2026 Sam Jackson is the Controller of BBC Radio 3. He was interviewed recently by Gerry Lynch. The result appeared in an article in the Church Times. The forty-five year old comes from Godalming. He was the first in his family to go to university and he became a Christian during his first term at the University of York. Interestingly, he is very much involved in his parish church. ‘I’ve always done a lot of volunteer youth and children’s work.’ he said. ‘Even though I love the day job, it’s a wonderful antidote.’ On Sunday morning, he works with a group of 4-7 year olds leading worship, telling Bible stories, playing games, doing craft work. Jackson was challenged by a fellow broadcaster to be more public about his faith. His response to the suggestion, ‘I’m always happy to talk about this part of my life.’ On his social media profile, he has quoted Philippians 4;13, ‘I can do all things through him who strengthens me.’ He is clearly passionate about music and its ...
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9 May 2026 Although May has been cold, the sun has not withdrawn its face and we have not been severely disadvantaged. This has been confirmed by sightings of four butterflies – the Red Admiral, the Peacock, the Orange Tip and the Speckled Wood, all industrious, colourful and cheerful. Following advice from the RSPB, we have stopped feeding sunflower seeds to our garden birds. This has reduced the number of sparrows, finches and tits which we have been used to seeing. Apparently, there is a disease which is reducing the numbers of greenfinches and is passed on at bird feeders. There is more risk of this happening during the summer and the autumn when birds can find their own food e.g. seeds and insects. One of the RSPB recommendations is to help the birds find their food. To this end, I have planted sixteen sunflower seeds in pots and will plant them in the garden shortly. Despite the loss of bird activity at the feeders, we still have the companionship of the wood...