GadgetVicar

Porcupine Tree in Glasgow.......On My Birthday!

It's been a busy but fun week. One of the perks of this job is the blurring between what constitutes work and what is simply fun. Often both things happen in the same place at the same time. Last night I attended the annual Christmas dinner for staff, volunteers and Board members at  the new Glasgow City Mission building. Some good company and delicious food made for a great evening.

I'm off today, and will be having some more fun. It's my birthday, and I'm so grateful to Porcupine Tree for organising a special gig for me in Glasgow tonight. Very thoughtful. The fact that there will be many hundreds of other folk there is immaterial. After the Florence & the Machine gig on Wednesday night, my ears are still ringing a bit, so I'll be taking some earplugs with me tonight.

Martin Stephenson & "The Month Of Gigs"

Next Thursday night I'll be at Martin Stephenson's gig in Ayr. I've just discovered that on the 17th December, he'll be playing with the Daintees a little bit closer to home than that. To be exact, a five minute walk away from the Rectory at the local Tennis and Bowling club! The promoter, Soundinthesuburbs is doing a great job.

Here's a wee gospel song with Martin Stephenson and Moore's AME Zion Men's Gospel Choir:

In fact, the Daintees are playing locally on the 18th as well, but I'm off to see another brilliant singer/songwriter in Largs that night, Ian McNabb.

December is a busy gig month because there's Florence and the Machine on the 9th and Porcupine Tree on the 11th (my 36th birthday!) to look forward to as well. Life can't be all work can it?

Did I mention that I have another gig to attend? The St Silas' Carols by Candlelight event at 8pm on the 20th December. Do come with your family and friends!

Christ the King Weekend 2009

And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Ephesians 1:22-23

There's way too much going on right now. Been busy today getting ready for the weekend/next year which is naughty given that today is meant to be a day off. I'll make up for it next week. I applied to become a postman today. Don't panic, I'm not giving up. It's not for me, but for GV Boy. One question they asked was about what you'd do if it was going to take longer than you were contracted for to complete a piece of work. The right answer was to complete the work, rather than work to rule. Go the extra mile and all that. Ministry is about that kind of thing too.

Tomorrow is the meeting of the Scottish Episcopal Evangelical Fellowship at Letham St Mark's Church of Scotland in Perth. It's going to be a good turnout, with lots of lay people (not so many stipendiary clergy - many of us tend to avoid Saturday conferences). We'll have a little episcopal input in the afternoon, after I've delivered some words on spiritual warfare and the tough ministry which Charles Simeon endured. Prayers for the Revd Canon Ian Ferguson (aka "The Wee Dalek") who was meant to talk in the morning but who is unwell. We'll get to pray for one another too. I have a sense that many people are feeling the burn right now.

Sunday sees us focus on "Servant Saints", as our wills get all stirred up. We'll also be encouraging people to keep the Building for the Future project in mind for their giving and prayers.

Today, my tickets for the December 9th gig of Florence and the Machine arrived. That will be the third time of seeing them this year. I'm not obsessed, honestly.

In the words of her latest single (originally by Candi Staton, but the best version until now was the remix with The Source):

Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air
I know I can count on you
Sometimes I feel like saying "Lord, I just don't care"
But you've got the love I need To see me through

Sometimes it seems that the going is just too rough
And things go wrong no matter what I do
Now and then it seems that life is just too much
But you've got the love I need to see me through

When food is gone you are my daily meal
When friends are gone I know my Saviour's love is real
Your love is real.

A Grand Day Off

In some great company, I cycled to Loch Lomond yesterday morning. It's a lovely ride, with a few main roads to cross and short on-road section through Dumbarton. On the return, by the time we reached Dumbarton, I was very saddle sore, and opted to catch the train back to Scotstounhill. I remain a wee bit tender following such exertions.

In the evening, I had a dinner date with a beautiful young woman, who will remain nameless for fear of embarrassing her (she is family, in case you are worried!). I had a voucher to use which had been given in February - I just hadn't got round to using it. We dined at Two Fat Ladies West End. Not being in a fish-frame-of-mind, I opted for the estate of Mey fillet steak with hasselback potatoes and a red wine jus and my date went for the roast breast of chicken with tomato and chorizo. Both dishes were beautifully presented, the meat was tender and tasty and the vegetables were perfectly cooked. We loved the antique china dinnerware and individual cutlery (all sourced on Ebay, according to our waitress, Katy). For dessert, we couldn't decide, so ended up having a bit of everything (Two Fats Grand Dessert), which we simply could not finish. Our favourite was the Bramble Cheesecake, which we did manage to eat.

All-in-all, it was a grand day off.

Away For A Few Days

Thanks to the kindness of the owners, I've been at the Loch Lomond Waterfont for a few days. I enjoyed walking, the sunshine and some very good company. The main theme for our visit was to be "Getting Wet", but not from any of the usual Scottish rain.

For the first time in twenty years, I got in a kayak and went out on the loch. Somewhat inevitably, I capsized  (I blame the waves from a passing boat's wake). I couldn't get out of the kayak. My life passed before me in the many seconds it took to escape.  This was very scary indeed, as I attempted to drink the loch dry to save myself. When I eventually got out, I discovered that the water was less than four feet deep, but that's more than enough to drown in. GV Boy smiled and said,"I knew you'd be ok!". It turned out that I'd been underwater for about five seconds. It felt like a lot longer. I got back to shore, emptied the water from the kayak, and got back in. GV Girl No. 1 would remind me later that this was a good thing, as I would overcome my fear.

The best part was sitting in the hot tub on the porch (it's a luxury resort), and watching the stars come out. I can't remember when I last did that. It was relaxing and fun. Very good for the prayer life too.

The lodges themselves are well-kitted out with steam shower rooms, en-suite bedrooms with baths and showers, a big flat screen TV, and enough privacy from other visitors, particularly in the lodges nearest the loch.

It's a special place. 

Quizzed

We spent last evening with a bunch of accountants at the ACCA quiz night, held at the Piping Centre.

On the way in, we commented to one another that if a Bible question came up, I was sure to get it wrong. And so it came to pass (I'm not revealing the question, as I'm embarassed enough). To compound my shame, I got a number of other questions wrong. In which country are the Angel Falls? I read about this last week and remembered it was Columbia. Wrong! It's Venezuela.

Then we came to a tie break question as we were tied for second and third place: In which year of the 20th century was sliced bread introduced in the UK? Our team debated the answer. I was sure it was early and suggested it was 1910. Our team thought it was post- world war two, and suggested 1948, so I went up and offered that date. The other team suggested the same date, so we guessed again, this time I suggested my date of 1910 but our opponents offered 1930. The correct answer is 1947. We ended up in third place, three points behind the winners but it could have been so very different. Our prize? Some leather business card holders.

Appreciate the Small Things

I went for two walks with GV Girl No. 2 over the weekend. Both turned into something of a bird-watching fest.

First up we visited the RSPB centre at Castle Semple. We got up close to a pair of cormorants and hung out for a while in the hides, simply enjoying the scene. Later we walked along the shore, accompanied by an ever-so-gentle tingling sound. I was unsure what it was until I went to the water's edge and saw that where the ice was melting in the water, the ice edges were rubbing against each other producing a beautiful ambient sound. I'd never heard anything quite like it, and was in a state of wonder. A new sonic experience!

The next day we walked around the pond at nearby Victoria Park. In fact we saw more birds there than at Castle Semple. We counted thirty seven swans, more than we've ever seen there. We watched them glide majestically in flotilla around the wee island. Later all of them took off together for a short flight to the other end of the pond (someone was dishing out bread there). We saw Little Grebes. Moor hens. Several varieties of ducks.

Fabulous yet simple experiences.

Christmas 2008

Many of the St Silas' congregation leave Glasgow at Christmas. Anyone with an Irish background returned to the homeland. There are so many of them that I've suggested that next year they should hire a bus or two and cut down on the costs.

The absence of so many regulars leaves room for visitors. This is a joy, but it does mean the church is busy with strangers, most of whom are visiting family or friends for the holidays. Nonetheless we had joyful and peaceful services.

After the Christmas morning service, we enjoyed the usual Christmas bash. I experimented with preparing brussel sprouts, chestnuts and bacon and it worked. The parsnips in maple syrup were good too. Both sets of grandparents joined us for the Christmas feast then we drove them all  home in time for a quiet evening.

Santa and friends delivered many wonderful gifts:

Grumpy Old Men: The Secret Diary by Stewart Prebble. I knew of the TV programme, but had never watched it. Having been given the book by a self-described Grumpy Old Git (in fact he operates at Grand Master level), I now discover that I am one too! Should I fight it?

A Sony Digital Reader. Hundreds of books downloaded onto a very slim and attractive gizmo that works beautifully. A surpise birthday/Christmas treat from Ms GV

A new dressing gown in blue which means my ancient green one has been consigned to the recycling.

Yesterday found me speaking and leading at both services, but now I am on a week off. We are staying put and have plans to declutter the study and paint some woodwork. Today has been spent on the long overdue tidying of the back garden. Thirty bags of leaves and other waste. The scaffolding from the re-roof is still up, but it makes for a handy frame for attaching Christmas lights to, so we have joined the ranks of homes now displaying exterior Christmas lights. I hope we're not making someone grumpy with that.

Balmaha for the Weekend

We're just back from a lovely weekend at Balmaha.

Our vestry worked hard yesterday, in the end coming up with four words which describe what we are going to be about over the next five years. Some work has to be done on fleshing this out, but I'm excited about the unity that we are being given, and the possibilities this vision will open out. More on this to come (maybe even in tonight's sermon?).

We stayed at Loch Lomond Waterfront on Friday and Saturday nights, while the rectory had a new central heating system installed. The luxury accommodation includes a hot-tub on the veranda, though our lodge didn't have that. We'd go for a walk and see all these semi-clad people enjoying the invigorating autumn climate before sitting in the tub drinking wine with their friends. It was all very Scandinavian, though I can't say it's something I fancy. I did try the sauna  shower in our lodge, and that was fantastic, though I didn't have to share that with anyone, except for the Sunday programme on Radio 4 which came from the shower's built-in speakers. The owners, Charles and Sue Cottam, have put together a beautiful little resort - we had such a good time together.

Last night we had a bite to eat at the resort restaurant. We managed to share a huge starter and dessert before the band started playing hits from the sixties and seventies. Did I dance? I and many others did what my daughters call 'the daddy dance': the dance that fathers do at weddings and other gatherings which completely embarrasses their offspring. Fortunately, none of mine were ther to witness the deed.

Heating Up

The central heating system in the rectory is being replaced this weekend, so the family is decanting to Balmaha for two nights, while the engineers do their stuff. It's the first time in over a year that we'll all have been away together. As it happens, St Silas' vestry are gathering there for a strategy day tomorrow.

Today involves the St Silas' staff participating in the Global Leadership Summit satellite meeting in Kirkintilloch. Of course, I was at the original in August, so I already know that it's good stuff. It will be good to hear it all again.

I should add that, following on from the previous post, on Sunday night I get to preach on King David's murderous intent in 2 Samuel 11.