Calling?

My good friend Davey brought me a book from his recent journey to the Catskill Mountains, New York State. (Welcome home brotherman!)

"Everything Belongs" is by Franciscan Priest, Richard Rohr and it's a timely and challenging piece of writing.

One example so far which connected says, ""We must go inside the belly of the whale for a while. Then and only then will we be spit upon a new shore and understand our call."

There will be more to follow I think!

The Amish Community

This faith filled community has had a terrible evil visited on them this week. No matter who we are, or what we believe, there can surely be no greater act of terror, than the killing or wounding of our children? This is an assault not only on the present, but also threatens the future, as our children are the only future we have.

The world will move on quite quickly. Fresh news will unfold and as with many tragedies, we will forget. For now however, lets pray for these peace loving people in their time of deep sorrow, shock and lament.


The Amish are a Protestant group who fled Religious persecution in Europe in the 18th Century. They subsequently settled in the US and some 200,000 Amish people now live in around twenty states across America in self-sufficient farming communities. Each group is generally small and self contained but all share a common belief in living their lives strictly in accordance with the Bible.


Amish children are educated in small, single room schoolhouses, illustrated by the school at the centre of yesterday’s tragic events. Despite their best efforts to live outside of it, the violent forces of the Modern world have been visited upon the small Amish community of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Bruce Springsteen

Check out the new tracks, additional video's and live performances on the updated "American Land" edition of Bruce Springsteen and the Seeger Sessions Band.

This is an album full of history, hope, lament and love, played by men and women whose "playful" passion, causes even the casual listeners feet to dance and heart to soar.

It is folk, fun, rock n roll, gospel and the Psalms all rolled into one.

For the fan its a must have.
For the Philistines, worship your own giants!
For the uninitiated, check out the power, the passion, the majesty and the ministry of the greatest live performer on the planet!

The Boss himself brings the Seeger Sessions show LIVE to Belfast on 21st November 2006 at the Odyssey.

Reborn?

"Borrowed" this image of a wall poster in Belfast (thanks Grand Opera House!) but it made me think and it made me smile.

What does it conjure up for you?

Kyle's Song

Kyle’s Song

Kyle was a young American pastor who died very suddenly in the spring. He was supposed to preach the Sunday after he died, and his family found these words at the end of his sermon notes.

Live and live well
Breathe, – breathe in and breathe deeply
Be present, do not be past, do not be future
Be now!

On a crystal clear 70 degree day
Roll down the windows and feel the air against your skin, wind in your hair and warmth of the sun on your face.

If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool autumn day, to freeze your lungs.
Do not be alarmed –but be alive.

Get knee deep in a novel and lose track of time.

If you bike, pedal hard and if you crash, crash well

Feel the satisfaction of a job well done, a paper well written, a song well sung, a play well performed
a project thoroughly completed.

If you must wipe the snot from your 3 yr olds nose, don’t be disgusted if the Kleenex didn’t catch it all, cause soon he’ll be wiping his or her own nose.

If you’ve recently experienced loss, then grieve and grieve well.

At the table with friends and family, laugh.
If you’re eating and laughing at the same time, then laugh until you puke!

If you eat, then smell. The aromas are not impediments to your day.

Steak on the bar-b-que, coffee freshly ground, bread in the oven.

Taste. Taste every ounce of flavour, taste every ounce of friendship, taste every ounce of life,
because life is most definitely a gift.