I am sitting on a train that I suspect once bore an InterCity logo, travelling north up the East Coast main line towards Edinburgh on my way back from a weekend spent in Watford and Oxford.

I has been a really good weekend, meeting old and new friends, catching up on Baptist life in England and Wales, being inspired and indignant in appropriate proportions, and feeling that it was time very well spent.

The extended reflection on the Refugee situation in Syria, in Calais, in parts of Africa and elsewhere, with first hand reports by Baptists in Essex/Kent was one of those rare sessions where you could hear a pin drop.  Challenging and inspiring, without inducing guilt and without twee answers to complicated questions.

The all too short address by Didi Oprenov was gentle, moving and encouraging.  All too rare for me to wish a speaker at Assembly had been given more time, but on this occasion I absolutely do.

The packed lunch was especially high quality this year, which was as well as I stood in a queue for over 30 minutes to collect it!  One danger of one day Assemblies is that the centres never quite get up to speed with logistics.

A very special mention has to go to Rev Stephen Keyworth for his gracious and honest update on responses to the recent statement from BUGB Council on SSM that had caused widespread disquiet.  I loved his phrase that it is "blatantly obvious" that we do not all agree on this matter and that we have a long way to go in learning to live together as the reconciled diversity (my words) we are called to be.  It was amazing to see people wearing elephant badges, bringing elephant flames and saying "we are not afraid to talk about this" - whatever our views for or against (the herd is a reconciled diversity in its own right).  I hope this was a step forward in Baptistness.

I loved the return of the 'proper' In Memoriam, and it was humbling and beautiful to say the name of former missionary from The Gathering Place appear on the screen.  I am fairly sure it was David Kerrigan who read it out (I was too busy taking an illegal - and out of focus - photo of it to be sure) which was fitting.  The handshaking was OK, still felt a little less than I'd have hoped, but maybe I'm getting old... The commissioning liturgy was lovely.

The irritations were the usual ones, and doubly annoying because I felt we had moved on... a racist joke (hopefully a careless ad lib) from the front, and a return to exclusive language in hymns/songs.  On a much more positive note, my one contribution to church language where we invite (rather than tell) people to "stand if they are able" finally found full expression... which proves that good practice does eventually rub off!

This morning I preached at a small church in Watford, home of a minister friend.  It was lovely to see her in context, to observe her flourishing in ministry and clearly loved by her people. It was a privilege to bring a message for Pentecost Sunday and I hope it was a little bit encouraging.  Above all it was a visible expression of the 'tie that binds' Baptists of diverse preferences in our shared commitment to speak and be Good News where we are

Now I am on my way back home, tired and happy - which has to be good.  Thank you to everyone behind the scenes at the BUGB/BMS Assembly, it has been good to be there, and well worth the 800 miles round trip for one day :-)