There are some people that leave a lasting impression on your life.  They aren’t all saints, high flyers or anything like that…I think of people that I’ve just had the utter privilege of being able to ‘sit in’ on their lives.  Let me tell you about a few (names changed). Jimmy – lived on the … More The Mark of People

Every now and again someone asks you a stonking question that gets you thinking.  Today, someone asked me to talk to them about my theology of mission…and having thought about it, I simply came back to the pattern I’ve been trying to live in these recent years.  My concept/idea of mission has been most inspired … More Mission Possible

The dust is settling, I think.  The dust of a very long period of intentionally disturbing my settled theology to see what can be unlearned and relearned.  It has been traumatic at times, an intentional emptying, a detox.  Its not that I plan to stop unlearning and relearning, but I have a sense of big … More Detox

There are few things more invigorating and inspirational than the opportunity my job gives to get alongside people and accompany them on their Jesus following.  The privilege of those moments when people come with open questions, ponderings, doubts, and expressions of faith beyond what I can even imagine! And what a privilege to be able … More Privilege

‘The Scheme’ was a recent BBC Scotland fly on the wall documentary about life on the Onthank council estate in Kilmarnock.  Having grown up in Dreghorn nearby, and having gone to school there and in Kilmarnock, although the levels of poverty and deprivation were a bit better where I lived, the culture was more or … More The Ayrshire Scheme

I can’t for the life of me remember where I picked up this piece of advice, but it has stuck with me:  ‘you have to say ‘no’ lots of small times to make room for a bigger yes.’ The idea is this….you take your life and all the stuff it presents you.  Find your priorities, … More Yes and No

The 17th October marks 18 years since I became a follower of Jesus…so, I’ve come of age…time to move on from the spiritual milk to the meat!  It is a day I remember like it was yesterday, but so much aware of the several yesterdays that have passed in between where God has never failed … More Faithful

The missiologist and writer Michael Frost posted the image below on his Facebook page the other day.  I found it to be a fascinating piece of research, whoever did it and wherever its based geographically.  I think it presents a fairly accurate picture of what one might experience at some point in the course of … More Great Expectations!

In the cut and thrust of busy ministry in a big church the weeks fly by like nothing else on earth. A steady stream of sermon prep, service prep, admin, conversations and meetings of all sorts – pastoral to administrative and everything in between. And then there are the bits and pieces I try to … More Passions

Its about 9 years or so since I started to blog, first at armyrenewal.com, and then at a few incarnations in my transition until establishing this website.  All my blogs are on this site and I’ll tell you….its amazing looking over the years of posts, remembering the journey and seeing God breaking in year by … More Blog Review!