Today has been a bit of an odd one - not a 'snow day' in the sense of a 'day off' due to the weather, but a day in which the impact of snow on others has affected my day.

This morning I had to take Sasha to the vet for more tests - the roads were abnormally quiet as it seemed that, by and large, Glasgow was closed. The vet was open, and insisted I had a cup of tea and a warm before venturing back in to the snow!

Once I got home, I reckoned it was probably my turn to clear the snow from the front and back steps and paths... which I actually quite enjoyed doing. At the time of typing, four hours later, you could be forgiven for thinking I hadn't done it as new snow has fallen.

In the last hour or so, snow has managed to adhere to all the windows, acting as a sort of net curtain.  The photo is of a 'sun catcher' cross that is taped to my office window with snow behind it.

I have some ideas noted down for my sermon, but as yet they haven't coalesced into sentences... hopefully they will tomorrow.

One way and another, it hasn't been a very productive day, but I am sitting in the warm counting my blessings.

I've just printed off the handouts for the fourth and final meeting of our 'Baptism Preparation Group'.  I am looking forward to exploring with them some thoughts around the temptations and the transfiguation of Jesus, and how these stories speak to our own lives.

It has been a truly wonderful few weeks - people who come to the scriptures without the 'baggage' of western thought or preconcieved notions of what it means. Some people for whom the supernatural is very real, others for whom it remains a new concept.

The month has flown by, and it's hard to believe that next weekend is 'it' - a wonderful service that we have planned together, with partipcation by people from every continent and many nations, in a church with which we have a very special connection, because they planted us 135 years ago!

I find myself in the strange place of feeling both that I will miss these gatherings and that it will be nice to get my Saturdays back! (How selfish is that?!)  One of the things I want to do this afternoon is to look at the 'what next' for this group... I really want to go one exploring scripture with them, because their freshness is so energising, and their questions so interesting.

My sense is to take a break now until Easter - the remainder of Lent is pretty busy one way and another.  But after Easter it would be good to draw in a few more folk to share in this journey of discovery - hopefully midweek and in an evening!

Meanwhile, I look forward to a great afternoon.

I have loved this hymn for the greater part of twenty years (eek!) and will be introducing it on Sunday morning, so if anyone who reads this stuff wants a heads up, have a watch/listen here...

After last week's rare quiet week, in which I had time to do some reading, reflecting and looking ahead, it's back to normal with a vengeance today!

It was lovely, on Sunday, simply to sit in church with no responsibilities... except that I felt hugely responsible for everyone present!  I wanted the college staff and students to have a good experience of our church, and I wanted our church to have a good experience of the college.  I guess I am protective of those I love, and when two of those come together, I am doubly concerned that it all goes well.

I think it did go well - feedback from both sides was positive - and it was good for me to be in a 'different place' on a Sunday morning. (I also enjoyed singing alto)

Today it's back to service prep - hymn-choosing, ideas gathering - and it's feeling good... natural links are emerging between the services of the past month and those of the next... which just goes to show that, as ever, God's Spirit is active and enabling us to discover 'more light and truth' from the scriptures.

Posting may continue to be erratic, but for (hopefully) good resaons.

Church life right now is exciting and engaging... and very full on.

This is a rare week - I have no service to prepare as we have staff and students from the Scottish Baptist College visiting us.

This means I have the unexpected gift of some breathing space - a bit of 'sabbathing' where I can refresh my mind and soul more deeply, and rest my body a little more intentionally.

Time to think a little bit strategically, time to listen to helpful podcasts, to dip into books, to pray and simply to be.

So, yes, I am actually practising what I preached on Sunday!