Well, I have just finished my first year of Ordination Training on the Yorkshire Ministry Course. The highlight, without one doubt, has been the people. The other students, the tutors, the brothers of the community. Fellow pilgrims on the journey of ministry and faith, with a particular emphasis on this rather peculiar and specific call […]

I’ve just got back from the YMC Easter School, which was a really good time. About the only thing I don’t like about the course is that you tend to only get information about things just before they happen! So I thought that I’d jot down some thoughts about the Easter School while they’re fresh […]

Well, 2014 was one heck of a year for us. I’m not too sad it’s over, to be honest. The two big hitters of the year were the death of my Mum back in April (and everything leading up to it, and following it), and being recommended for ordination training (again), but this time actually […]

Wow – life has got busy since I started my ordination training in September! The Yorkshire Ministry Course is really good – we’ve settled into a rhythm now, of Wednesdays and weekends, working our way through the New Testament and elements of Ministry and Mission. My fellow ordinands are awesome, and there are one or […]

Well, the exiting news from the household is that I have been recommended for ordination training in the Church of England! I have felt that God was calling me to ordained ministry for many years. It has been a long and, at times, quite difficult journey. The process of discernment is long and thorough, and […]

There’s been a couple of quite interesting posts by Bishops recently on the changing nature of the clergy in the Church of England, and I wanted to bookmark the links, as it can be horrendous finding these things again! First is by Tim Thorton (Bishop of Truro) on Shaping Vicars – http://www.freshexpressions.org.uk/views/shaping-vicars. Second is by […]

I’ve created a new website/blog called katartismos.net that I have decided to ‘launch’ today. It’s from the greek word found in Ephesians 4. So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up […]

Oh dear. The Church does get itself in a stew, doesn’t it? I’ll be honest – I struggled with the ordination of women. My understanding of the Bible was that women should not be in a position of leadership over men. However having met women who seem genuinely called and gifted for the Ministry, and […]

I’ve been chatting with friends recently about job satisfaction, and it’s actually quite hard to put my finger on what it is. Several people love their jobs, others are sick to the back teeth. It’s easy enough to identify highs and lows of any given job (and every job has both). It’s also easy enough […]

Couple of quotes from yesterday that caught my eye. Of poor leaders they say We did it despite them Of good leaders they say We did it with them.” Of great leaders they say We did it ourselves. And (at the risk of doing a Bernie), the difference between charismatic and inspirational leaders: They say […]