Not the BUGB leaflets of this name per se, but they have drifted into my attention as I prepare various things at the moment.

This morning I visted the headquarters/head office of the BUS to have coffee the Ministry Adviser and, so it turned out, the entire staff - new General Director, head of mission, etc etc.  Now that would not, and could not, happen in BUGB, far too big an organisation and me far too small a minnow.  It was a good morning and it felt good to talk to these folk who clearly love their union (even if all the Revds amongst them trained in England (discuss)).  The coffee was hot, the biscuits crisp and the welcome warm... exactly what you'd hope for.

Next Wednesday I am in Paisley contributing as a 'teacher' of sorts to the Baptist College's module on Leadership.  This is where the BUGB leaflets may come in as they have some useful starting points for thinking about this, and other, topics.  I am meant to share something of my experience as a leader in (my careful choice of word there) a local church so that will be entertaining, not least selecting suitable images to accompany what I say.

In between times I am preaching this Sunday on Baptism and the next on Membership.  These won't be either theological treatises on the topics or veiled altar calls (though requests for Baptism or Membership would be brilliant news) but will hopefully help each of us to reflect a fresh on what it means for us to be part of a Baptist expression of Christianity.  For example, the Baptism service will, as one of four reflections, draw us to Galatians 3 and the radical community that is the 'Body of Christ', keeping as ever a kind of missional edge to my waffling.

So, basically a very Baptisty time - to be followed very quickly by the supreme immersion in all things BUGB-BMS as I join a couple of thousand others in Plymouth where those being hand-shaked this time include my friends Kez, Andy, Simon and Vanessa and a newly discovered colleague in BUS, Theo, who gets his BUGB handshake after he transferred to BUS (only in Baptist land...).  All good fun.

Yesterday I was struck by the delicate and fragile beauty of the white blossom on the trees at church - three columns of loveliness heralding spring.  This morning I was woken by the dawn chorus singing out their little bird hearts in praise of the light (or to impress the girls) and a glance from my kitchen window revealed both the vibrant pinkness of newly opened cherry blossom and the aptly named spring-green of new leaves on city trees; soon the roof tops will be masked by a sea of luxuriant greenness.  Meanwhile, on my landing my azalea has blossomed early and is a cloud of pink flowers.  All of which means I rediscover the joy of adjectives and metaphors as spring reaches the city.  Alas the weather forecast for next week is grim, so the delight may be short-lived, but for now I'll just enjoy it.