When I read this one my first thought was "you're having a laugh"... do they think that any minister (worship leader or preacher) has the head space let alone the time and energy for housework during Holy Week?!  My flat looks like the aftermath of a rather fantastic party, or a stall at a flea market oe Paddy's market or, well, you get my drift.  Sorry 40 Acts people, but this challenge is not going to happen today!!  (PS please don't offer to the third one for me - I'd be too embarrassed to let you see my topsy turvey house and would have to clean before I let you in!!)

Heads up: you might want some rubber gloves for this one. Unblocking the sink, cleaning the toilet, scrubbing the oven. Plenty of domestic chores we routinely avoid or pass off to someone else. So today, sign yourself up for the job nobody else wants to do in your household. And if you happen to be the only member of your household, see if you can do the dirty work for a neighbour instead.

SEIZE THE MOMENT:

No procrastinating – spend five minutes doing that one household job you can't stand, or schedule a spring-clean for someone at some point in the next week.

GET STUCK IN:

Go the extra mile. Don’t just clean the kitchen, scrub the bathroom too. Spend a little longer perfecting that clean and sparkling finish!

GO THE WHOLE HOG:

Get a group together and offer a spring-cleaning service for a neighbour. You could offer to hoover, dust and polish their entire house for a day, free of charge.

<Mmmm> I think maybe thats how to 'write' tongue biting!  A good challenge for me today, as I can be guilty of a rather critical tongue.  Tongue-biting, yes sometimes, but maybe should try harder to think of positives to say instead...

It’s so easy to let cutting words slip out. The problem is that the effect of our verbal stings can resonate with other people for a lot longer than we expect. The good news is twofold. First, we can learn to hold back when it’s tempting to deliver a put-down. Second, our words can also be generously kind, and these words also resonate – sometimes for entire lifetimes.

A FIVE-MIONUTE REFRESHER:

Make the decision to catch your words before blurting them out. Just five minutes of intentional decision-making can set you up for a day of generous, kind communication.

I’VE GOT 15 MINUTES:

Reflect on those closest to you – the ones that you’re probably more prone to get shirty with when you’re stressed/tired/hungry. Think about the last time you said something harsh to them – what was it? Are there particular words or phrases that you use repeatedly? Spring clean your vocabulary and eliminate the nasties.

I’VE GOT AN HOUR:

Ask a friend to evaluate your speaking voice. Things to question are: am I too blunt? Too sharp? Slow to listen and too quick to respond? Take their answers and see if you can turn them into action points.

Today we went on a journey back in time to first century Jerusalem and travelled literally (if we wished to) or metaphorically with Jesus through some of the events of Holy Week, culminating in the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and bringing in our life size wooden cross.

It seemed to work well.  As well as the Temple (above) we went to Bethany where a woman poured lovely perfume onto Jesus' feet

And we went to the Upper Room for the Last Supper:

As is our custom, we ended in silence without a blessing - the raggedy ending expressing something of the raggedness of Holy Week, epsecially for those who, for whatever reason, aren't able to join in the evening reflections.

It is quite a lot of work for a 50 minute service (always ends up shorter than a traditional services) but it is so worthwhile, and I know some good conversations will be, or will have been, shared over meal times today.

In a couple of hours I'm back at church to sing with the choir, but for now just chilling in the knowledge that we made Palm Sunday happen for ourselves today.

Weddings come in all shapes and sizes, and in Scotland if they are "religious" they can take place anywhere witha postcode.  Since I've been here I have been involved in four marriages (three I conducted and one where I did the 'address'). Two were in churches, and very traditional, and really lovely, meaningful occasions.  One was in a cow shed and today's in a library.

Every wedding is unique and special and today's was no exception. It was very small and intimate, in a beautiful library, some wonderful music and meaningful words.  Probably unusual to have a wedding in which those present included four ordained people, two (three?) university lecturers, four nationalities (or five, depending how you count UN nation states and all that jazz) and customs from most of them!

It was a lovely occasion, and a real privilege to be part of it.

Thank you L & G, and may God bless you with lasting love and fulfilment.

Reducing our carbon footprint is important and as today includes 'earth hour' (which I forgot about becuase it's been a very long and busy day)  this one is highly appropriate

Be honest, how lightly do you tread on the earth? Our lifestyle choices make up our carbon footprint and there’s merit in knowing whether we’re wearing dainty slippers or clod-hopping boots. This act is about taking the first steps in being generous to God’s creation.

SIMPLES:

Flick the switch! It’s earth hour today, so make a point of unplugging everything – or perhaps just your lights – whenever you’re not using them.

GET INVOLVED:

Using the ‘links we love’ for today, research ways to make more of a permanent impact on lowering your carbon footprint this Lent and beyond.

GET CONCRETE: Make a commitment to something. It might be vowing not to use plastic bags again, or committing to offset any travel emissions from now on, or agreeing a carpooling plan.