In response to an exploration about the apparent injustice suffered by the older son in the Prodigal Son parable, I offered this 'ending' from his perpsective...

The father turned and went back into the house, saddened that his first-born son, whom he loved dearly, had become so angry and bitter.

All alone, the son stalked off back to the fields, hot tears streaming down his face and blurring his vision.  Sitting alone, he replayed all that happened over the years, and especially in the last few hours.  Realising that he had lost his way, that he, too, had behaved badly, he began to understand something of his father’s extravagant celebration.  Entering the house, he first sought out his father, to apologise, and then his brother, to welcome him home.  Finally, loading his plate with food, sitting with his family and joining in the banter, he experienced his own homecoming welcome in the safety of all who loved him. And there was great rejoicing in heaven…

Apologies to regular checkers-in that I haven't posted anything for a while.

There are two main reasons for this:

Firstly, I'm not sure I have anything worthy enough, even by my low standards, to share

Secondly, I have been pretty busy both with church stuff and personal stuff.

As some know, at the back end of last year, I decided I needed to take myself in hand and be much more proactive in looking after myself.  Doing this means planning, and planning takes time.

So far, as well as a short break to Rome in June, I have a short break to Edinburgh in July with some friends, and am in discussions with another friend for a longer trip to the Czech Republic in the autumn.

In terms of work-type stuff, I have registered for two one day events, one organised by JPIT and entitled 'Brave New World' which will look at how we might respond to national and global changes, and one organised by BMS World Mission which will be a miscellany of interesting 'theology and...' presentations.  This 'ticks boxes' for CMD in a way that is interesting, stretching and enjoyable.

My trans-local Baptist commitments continue to provide variety and opportunities to serve in both Scottish and UK-wide capacities. Lots of good things in my diary for all of these, each of which carries its own sense of responsibility and privilege.

Church itself is pretty exciting at the moment, with lots of new people (I think I counted about 15 since September!) and lots of good stuff happening.

And then I continue to declutter my flat and my life... Today I dismantled a thirty year old storage unit that has seen much better days to make way for a new (additional) settee due to arrive this weekend.  Two big bags of stuff sent to charity shops, and the remains of the unit waiting to go to the recycling centre.

So, having got some groundwork in place, I can now begin to enjoy the year ahead, knowing that many milestones are already in place.  And I'll try to blog a little more regularly too!!