Virtual Methodist

This morning on Facebook my friend Rev. Micky Youngson posted a short and pithy poem by Brian Bilston on the danger of ill-chosen words, which I shared, then she followed it up with the following pertinent verse of scripture: "Take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry."  James 1:19 In the intervening period I had written the following piece that had been percolating in my mind over past days and weeks, with references to classical literature being dropped in to speeches to give them an educated gloss, and other crass statements being made by different people playing to their supporters with no regard for the ultimate effects of their words and policies. This doesn't just apply to the political leaders of the UK and US, but to all those who toss out cheap jibes and soundbites... And indeed memes on social media... We can all be guilty of it... Particularly when we are angry about one thing or another... And a

Here is my last Good Morning Ulster "Thought for the Day" for a while, so you can safely put Radio Ulster back on in the morning until further notice. The text below is a slightly expanded version of somewhat garbled  the audio (I clearly hadn't had enough coffee on Friday) . https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p07nwqs3 Last week I had the privilege of attending the Ulster University Chancellors’ lecture at St Anne’s Cathedral given by one of my childhood heroes, James Burke. People of a certain vintage will remember him fronting the BBC coverage of the moon-landings, one of my earliest memories, but what I really remember him for is for Tomorrow’s World and his seminal TV series “Connections.” Tomorrow’s World sought to predict the future in terms of technological innovation, with mixed success, while Connections explored the link between different people, inventions and ideas throughout history. His lecture last Tuesday night, entitled “The Future isn’t what it u

I'm still on sabbatical and one of my sabbatical projects is collating and reworking some of my earlier writings into a form fit to publish. One of my sabbatical challenges is trying to find places to worship on a Sunday that will not haul me unceremoniously back into work mode. Project and challenge came together this morning as I tried to slip unnoticed into Fitzroy Presbyterian (I failed in being unnoticed) and in listening to my friend Steve Stockman preach on the importance of Being With Each Other my mind went to the following piece. It originated as part of the last event I worked on with New  Irish Arts (whose chamber choir were on the Proms in the Park" event at the Titanic slipways), entitled “Genesis: A Celebration of Creativity” marking their 10th Anniversary, but I have posted it here a couple of times in a slightly different form. Have you ever looked at yourself  in the mirror of a morning And wondered “What does anyone see in me?” The Creator l

Here is the more long winded version of this morning's Thought for the Day (which you can find in its spoken form here, at either 20 minutes in or 80 minutes , devoid of any mention of Yellowhammer or the B-word for fear of winding up one side or the other...) If truth be told I was more fearful of tripping over my tongue in the first sentence than anything else. Good morning, especially to all paraskevidekatriaphobics... Those cowering under the duvet because today is Friday the 13th... With that tongue-twister coming from the Greek words Paraskeví meaning "Friday", dekatreís, meaning "thirteen" and phobic meaning “fear.” There are many explanations for today being perceived as unlucky, including  the arrest of the Knights Templar on Friday 13th October 1307, although that was first suggested in the middle of the 20th century, before being given greater credence via various conspiracy theories. Actually there are no records of any superstitious fear of

I posted this meme on facebook earlier, ironically prompting some further badenage on the subject of who is right or wrong in this whole debacle. I have, you will not be surprised to hear, strong opinions on this subject, but the closer we get to what seems a climax in this constitutional craziness, the less I feel that my or anyone else's contributions on social media are actually helping...  There has to be another way, hence this past Friday's Thought for the Day... reproduced below in a slightly amended form, or here as an audio clip for those who would prefer to hear my dulcet tones.  A week is a long time in politics... Never has Harold Wilson’s now clichéd comment been truer than the past week. Indeed I wrote this on Thursday afternoon for approval by the BBC Radio Ulster producer’s approval, wary of what may happen between then and the broadcast the next morning... The only thing that has become clearer in this past week is how many of my friends and associates