Virtual Methodist

Two posts in two days! Almost prolific by recent standards... This is a partner piece to yesterday's Jonah monologue, It's a responsive Psalm loosely based on Psalm 139: 7-14 which we used for a call to worship: Where can I go that your Spirit is not there? Where can I escape from your presence? If I climb the highest mountain, you are there; if I if I dive down to the depths of the Ocean, you are there. If I travel to the lands where the sun seems to rise, if I were to sail across the wide Atlantic, you would be there ahead of me, your right hand could reach out to take hold of me. If I say, “Sure the darkness will hide me” and if the light were to become night around me, even the darkness is not dark to you; the night will be as bright as the day. You have known me from before I was born. You created me inside and out; Y ou shaped me in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am a work of wonder Beyond human comprehension; All...

This week has seen Belfast explode in one of its all-too frequent episodes of self-destructive violence. The reasons are many and complicated... Bad political and policing decisions, poor leadership, ill-chosen rabble-rousing words...  it isn't sufficient to point the finger at those actually involved in the violence, predominantly working class or unemployed young people from both sides... they, in many ways were just the kindling waiting for the spark...  It is too easy to blame others... anyone else... and not take a good long hard look at ourselves and ask what difference we have tried to make for the better. While we may not be guilty of sins of commission, there may be much that we have omitted to do... There are times when I wonder whether I am wise continuing to live in this province and condemning my children to grow up in the toxic political atmosphere of this place. But part of my sense of call was about coming back here in order to try to make a difference......

Being a sports fan is an up and down business… more down than up if you’re an Arsenal fan at the moment… but I won’t rub salt into the gaping wound there… It's even more complicated if you participate in the myriad "fantasy" competitions out there, where you can end up wanting your team to win but not by too much, incase any of your fantasy players incur too many points against them. I'm currently registered with 6 different fantasy leagues - four football (that is real football for all you American readers out there... you know, the sort played with your feet!) and 2 World Cup Rugby ones. However, things have been so busy lately I haven't had time to look next nor near them, except to register the fact that I was effectively bottom in all of them. However, until Sunday it was a good weekend, for me… Ulster won convincingly against Cardiff in the rain on Friday night… Then Saturday morning Ireland put all their fans through the wringer as they won a close encou...