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March 30, 2026

31 March 2026 Darton, Longman and Todd has just published a book to coincide with the enthronement of Archbishop Sarah Mullaly. She is the first female Archbishop of Canterbury and so her enthronement marks an important historical milestone for women, for the Church and for the world. The book begins with a brief biography of the Archbishop and is followed by ‘ten urgent challenges for the Church of England’. They have been written by ‘ten leading Anglican writers’. The list doesn’t sparkle for it is not surprising. Here are a few of the titles, ‘The Separation of Church and Hate – Spirituality and the Church of England’, ‘Sitting Outside Encountering Christ – The Church of England, LGBTQIA Inclusion and Same-Sex Marriage’, ‘Falling Among Thieves: Understanding and Responding to Church-related Abuse’ etc. At the very end of the book, there is an ‘Afterward’ written by Rowan Williams, a previous holder of this office. ‘If an archbishop has the freedom to listen and share g...

March 29, 2026

30 March 2026 Somethings have to be done once – breaking the four minute mile, climbing Everest, travelling to the moon. Once these things have been done, the way is open for others to follow. But the one who does it first has to have the courage to tackle what was regarded as impossible. On 25 January, Alex Honnold, an American rock-climber, attempted to climb the Taipei 101 building in Taipei, Taiwan. He was being filmed by Netflix and presumably was given a handsome fee for carrying our this extraordinary feat. The result was a documentary entitled, ‘Skyscraper Live’. What was most astonishing about this climb up a skyscraper of metal and glass was Honnold’s determination to complete the feat without any assistance whatsoever. The only prop which he carried with him was a little bag of white powder, chalk maybe, which he carried on his waist and continually placed his right hand into it to remove the moisture created by the climb. He had no rope, no safety harne...

March 28, 2026

29 March 2026 An elder expressed concern about the increase in ‘Giving to Grow’ payments. The increase was noticeable. ‘I think other congregations are facing the same situation of increased payments.’ I replied. ‘But that doesn’t make it good.’ he concluded. I said no more. But I did remember life in my first charge. In those days, we made a ‘Mission and Service’ payment to benefit central funds and the work of various departments – Education, Social Responsibility, Overseas Council etc. Like ‘Mission to Grow’, the sums increased year by year. It was my youthful perception that it was a source of pride that the congregation’s allocation increased for it meant something significant was happening – the congregation was increasing its weekly contribution to the offering plate. More significantly, Kirk Sessions and Congregational Boards were encouraged to add more to their annual payments. One of the most regular contributors was the Guild. In Forth:St. Paul’s this amounted ...

March 27, 2026

28 March 2026 – From My Diary 1996 Parish visiting is still dominated by the massacre at Dunblane. A son thought the tragedy speeded up his father’s demise. An old woman had difficulty sleeping. A child told me about soft toys in his classroom which came from across the globe. They were invited to choose one, cuddle it and think about those affected by the tragedy. I visited an older woman returned from hospital. ‘I will have more peace dead.’ she said. Another gave me £100 for the refurbishment of the organ. ‘Do you remember the hundred pounds which you gave me from the kirk fund when I needed it?’ she asked. I didn’t. ‘Well, I dinnae want to dee without payin’ it back. I’ve been saving up.’ An old man in hospital told me, ‘I’m the happiest I have ever been.’ It was surprising because of his failing health. ‘Why are you so happy?’ I asked. He replied with a rare simplicity, ‘Christ, my Saviour!’ He wrote hymns for personal devotion. Thirty people sat down a...

March 26, 2026

27 March 2026 ‘ O God, from my youth you have taught me and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and grey hairs, O God, so not forsake me until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come.’ I read these words from Psalm 71 at a recent funeral. The deceased was 101 years old – and when I last saw her she looked thirty years younger than her age. She loved to dance. I am sure that helped but she also loved to worship God. And did so from her youth. There is something very noble about someone who has quietly dedicated their life to God in simple things like regular attendance at her local parish church for she witnesses to a faithfulness which has nourished her inner life from youth to old age. There must be something very satisfying about reaching old age and grey hairs and sharing a faith which spans a century and more. For even in old age, the Psalmist has a ministry to proclaim God’s might to all the generations to com...

March 25, 2026

26 March 2026 Sophie Winkleman and David James have written a short article entitled, ‘Paper Chase’ with the subtitle, ‘Textbooks will always beat screens.’ Online learning certainly seems to be more immediately attractive with its vast range of resources and media. The authors share two studies with the reader. ‘Research has shown that students learning online spend as much as 39 minutes out of every hour off task.’ They don’t give us an equivalence for textbook students. But wasting two-thirds of your study time is a lot of time. The second relates to an experiment with 3,000 pupils who were involved in the PISA tests in maths, science and reading. Over three months, half did all their work on paper and half did all their work on computer. What happened? ‘At the end, the paper-based group scored 20 points higher than the one working on screens – the equivalent of half a year’s extra schooling.’ Somehow, the tactile nature of the book is attractive. It offe...