One Man's Journey in Faith!

Father forgive me!

2011-12-27T13:09:00.002Z

Ok, it's been four months since my confession, oops, I mean blog post....the usual excuses apply of course!

Quite a bit has happened since then. Firstly my recovery from my operation has been progressing although I still have some problems with my stomach (not the wound) though. I also have some kind of nerve damage in my left leg which is very painful at times. My own research online suggests that this could be as a result of the use of a diathermy (grounding) pad which was used during my operations. Of course my consultant denies this, I am now waiting to see a neurologist and in the meantime I have to take medication to try and control it, including morphine sulphate...so not ideal...but what else can I do?

Early in October we had a Council of Advice meeting in London. I also had my interview with the Board of Ministry. I was obviously quite nervous but I tried my best. I heard some days later that the Board had recommended me to the Bishop with some suggestions attached to their report, all of which can be dealt with. This was a huge relief, and further enforces my calling, the fact that others have recognised this with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. I am now going to crack on with my course!

In October I went to the USA with the Bishop and Roy to attend the ACC Provincial Synod. We went out a bit earlier and spent a couple of days in Key West, Florida. Apart from the rain it was enjoyable, the hotel was lovely. We then travelled up to West Palm Beach to the hotel where Synod was being held. Bishop Damien had a couple of days of meetings prior to Synod so Roy and I kept ourselves occupied.

On one day we went shopping and on the other we went on a Segway tour in the pouring rain around West Palm Beach. It really was great fun, just the two of us and the guide. We got rather wet but I think the rain actually added to the fun, the guide was great which helped make the tour! Roy says that he also had a great time, even though he looked like a drowned rat at the end.

After this we went to Macy's to buy some dry clothes and then went to the cinema.

Synod went well, it was good to be able to see the wider Church and put faces to names. I even managed to conduct some shop business when I was there. I enjoyed taking part in Synod and being able to vote on matters which affect the Church to which I am very proud to be a member of.

I flew home on the Saturday, the Bishop and Roy went on to Orlando to have an extended break with Bishop Starks (a very nice and rather amusing gentleman).

I arrived home on the Sunday morning and drove Roy's Landcruiser home from the airport. I then returned to Heathrow the following week to pick them up and take them home.

Once back from the US I returned to work full time in the shop and things have been going well there since. We have had a very good month in December, so this proves that our reputation is spreading!

Bishop Damien was recently taken in to hospital with a DVT in his leg which had also progressed to affect both lungs. He has been very poorly and we are lucky that he is still with us to tell the tale. He is receiving ongoing treatment and is slowly improving although it will be a long process and he is still suffering.

On 17th December we had an Advent carol service in Church. It was attended by 18 people, so this was really good. I know that it 'lifted' the Bishop to see as many people.

On the Wednesday before Christmas after mass we decorated the Church for Christmas. By the time we finished it looked great!

On Christmas Eve some of us enjoyed a Christmas meal at Michael Caines restaurant at the Abode in Canterbury. It was very nice! After the meal we went to Church and got everything ready for Midnight Mass.

I served for Midnight Mass. It went well, the Church looked lovely and the service was great. Debbie was also there and it was the first time that she has seen me in my cassock, etc!

We stayed at the in-laws over Christmas. So when Debbie and I left Church we drove there to make sure that Santa had delivered the kids presents....of course he had, and the children were fast asleep.

Ethan and Hollie woke up about 8am. Debbie and I went to bed at about 2am, so it was a challenge to say the least. They were excited and really pleased with their excessive amount of presents. Ethan got an XBox 360 as his main present and Hollie got a Little Tikes Wooden Kitchen.

Debbie got me a trip on the London Duck Tour (an amphibious bus) and a trip on the London Ghost Bus Tour on the same day, which will be Sunday 5th February 2012 (day off of Church please Bishop???). She also got me a set of Dalmatics, ready for when I am a Deacon, Dv.

I got her an iPod Touch, DAB radio and a voucher for a meal at a rather good seafood restaurant (on Friday evening) and a few other bits.

All in all it has been a lovely and lively Christmas!

The shop is closed until 3rd January 2012, so it is nice to have a little break and some quality family time.

I hope that you all have a lovely Christmas (I can say this as we are in the Octave of Christmas) and wish you the very best for 2012.

I'll try and post again here before 4 months are up!!

Until next time......

Put thy trust in God!

2011-08-09T17:46:00.002+01:00

This is a record for me, posting so soon after my last entry...I hope that it hasn't shocked anyone too much!!

I really wanted to put some of my thoughts into writing, in a hope that they will make a little more sense to me when I read them.

As you know I was recently in hospital in a not so good way. Well this goes back to the Sunday that I was to be taken to theatre for the operation to try and deal with the infection which I had.

I remember receiving many pieces of conflicting information from numerous doctors who presented themselves at my bed. This in itself did not exactly fill me with confidence. Also over the days many of my questions remained without answers, and any answers which I had been given seemed to be out of context compared to the actual questions which I asked. It was clear to me that they were not being totally forthcoming with me. Whether this was puposely done to try not to stress me too much, or as part of them covering their rear ends is still yet to be established, but I will seek the truth!

On the Sunday I was aware that I would be returning to theatre and I had a horrible feeling that all was not well. I remember specifically thinking that I would not pull through, and I rapidly became rather distressed. I wrote Debbie a letter in the form of an email on my iPhone and even recorded a video message for the kids telling them how much I loved them, etc.

Bishop Damien arrived to give me Holy Communion (Spritual as I was nil by mouth), and during this I was in tears. I remember as I received Communion I said "Come into my heart O Lord" and I suddenly felt very peaceful...kind of at one. The tears stopped and I was calm in my heart and mind, but still with a strange sense that my time in this world was coming to an end.

I remember the painful journey from the ward to theatre and then being in the aneasthetic room being prepared. I then did something that I have never done before an operation before. As I was laid there and they were preparing to put me to sleep I said the Lord's Prayer. I had given up the fight, I had given up trust in doctors, I just put all of my trust in God. My life was now totally in God's hands. I wanted God to do what He decided was right.

I then remember (just like a vivid dream) that at some stage during my stay in ITU I had two paths in front of me. It now makes sense when I have heard people say that they have had a near death experience and saw a bright light.

One of these paths appeared smooth and calm, very peaceful with a beautiful light at the end. It was like a magnet pulling me towards it. The other path appeared broken and very stormy, like a dark forest, with a clear sense of danger, but with a light further in the distance. I had a choice to make. Typically for me I didn't choose the easy path. I took the stormy one!

I now believe that the peaceful path was the path to pass from this life. The path which I chose was the path with a battle to be had enroute. Somehow I sensed this at the time and something told me that this was the only chance I had. It reminds me of the saying 'Don't give up without a fight'. Something managed to pull me away from the magnet drawing me to the calm path. It gave me a chance to break away from the forceful pull and get onto the rough path. That something has a name...God!

God gave me a choice, it wasn't easy, but then being a Christian is not about having an easy life is it? God was showing me that there is an alternative. He was providing me with a solution as I had shown my unquestionable faith in Him when being prepared for theatre.

This whole situation has made my faith even stronger than before! In my time of need I had nothing but faith. I put my trust in God and He was there for me, He offered the path and through choice I followed. I made the right choice and that choice was simply to have faith!

Until next time....

I'm just going to take your temperature!

2011-08-07T21:04:00.002+01:00

I know, yet another delay in me posting...still, I guess I'm lucky to be writing this at all after what I've been through lately!

I shall fill you in with all of the exciting details. On Tuesday 19th July I went to see my GP with some pain in my abdomen which had been present for a day or two. He did some pushing and poking and came to the conclusion that it was most likely that I had appendicitis, so promptly sent me to our local hospital, the William Harvey in Ashford.

They were expecting me upon arrival as he had made a telephone call, so I was off to a good start. I was examined by a couple of doctors from the surgical team who agreed with my Gp's diagnosis and confirmed that I needed surgery the same day to remove my appendix. They inserted a cannula (needle) and promptly gave me some morphine as pain relief which was most welcomed!

After a short wait in A&E I was moved to a ward and after a further wait of a couple of hours or so I was taken to theatre and put to sleep. Later that day I came round and was a little uncomfortable, but nothing that wasn't to be expected I guess. I continued with pain relief and spent the night in hospital.

The next day I woke and got out of bed and sat in the bedside chair for a while, but the pain level was quite high, despite the nursing staff saying that it shouldn't be that bad. Throughout the day there was no improvement and I was becoming increasingly hot and the pain level was increasing, both around the wound but also in my right side. I had a CT scan which showed nothing untoward so I am told, so they told me that I had a chest infection and started treatment for that. I was also told that during my surgery my bowel was slightly damaged, but this was repaired and they were confident that my present condition was not as a result of this.

Instead of getting better I was getting worse. One doctor noticed a redness on my side and drew around this with a marker pen. Within hours the redness had expanded outside of the marked area. The treatment with antibiotics and pain relief continued.

Luckily I had a bedside fan, without this I feel that I would have been totally unable to cope as I felt so hot and sick all of the time.

To cut a long story short I was eventually taken back to theatre on the Sunday evening as one consultant wanted to open me up and have a look at what was happening. I have since been told that three quarters of a pint of pus was drained from me. I was very poorly and was taken to intensive care where i was placed on life support (ventilator, etc). I remained there until the following day when I was taken to theatre again for further debridement, after which I was returned to ITU.

Late on Tuesday I was transferred from ITU to a surgical ward where I remained until being discharged from hospital on 30th July. I have since learnt that I had a post-op infection called necrotising fasciitis, which is basically a flesh eating superbug. It has a high mortality rate, reported as being about 73%. Stopping it has been described as trying to "stop a freight train with tissue paper".

I now have a large open surgical wound, or great big hole, as it is more commonly known, which has a special dressing on it which uses a pump. It is called VAC Therapy, which stands for Vacuum Assisted Closure. It uses negative pressure to drain the wound, promote good tissue and slowly draw the would closed. It is meant to be quicker than more traditional dressings, etc. The downside is that I have a long tube attached to me and a small pump that I must take everywhere, so it limits what I can do.

Needless to say, I am not at work at the moment, despite me saying that I wanted to go back at least for a few hours! Bishop damien and Roy were having none of it. I have managed to persuade them to let me answer emails and try and manage web orders from home though...as this will help keep my mind occupied and I'll feel of some use. They've even kindly provided me with a laptop and printer for the purpose.

The idea is that I can process the order and telephone my assistant, Beatrice, who is covering in the shop, with the details. She can pack and ship the order following my instructions and I can handle the specific paperwork.

I am not going to Church either at the moment, as I simply get too exhausted too quickly and often have to lay down to either recharge and/or relieve the pain, despite taking strong painkillers. The dressing also has to be changed 3 times a week by the district nurses, so again, this restricts my activities.

Bishop Damien visited me in hospital several times and gave me Holy Communion, this was very much appreciated. The visits were important to me and did bring me some comfort. Especially the one on the Sunday of my operation. I was rather upset as I knew something would go wrong (I ended up in ITU), and the Spritual Communion IO received then gave me a real sense of calm.

Roy also visited me in hospital, and his sebse of humour lifted me somewhat, although it hurt when he made me laugh. He has been undergoing some stomach pains himself, and so I realise that he really did go the extra mile by visiting me...so, if you're reading this...thanks Roy!

Of course there was also Debbie, she visited every day and I think that she was worried, although I've since found out that the doctors were not toatlly open with her about things either. It would seem that there was a toatl breakdown in communications and trying to get information from them was (and remains) like trying to get blood out of a stone!

Bishop Damien posted a message about me on the Church website and people have also found out about my problems through the shop. Many have offered their prayers and sent their good wishes. I would like to thank everyone, I believe that faith has played a major part in my recovery. Our Lord obviously still has palns for me in this world, and so I did not form part of that 73% that lose the battle against this condition.

I have got to have the dressing reassessed on 12th August, at which time they will decide whether to continue with it or seek an alternative. It is a very expensive treatment, costing well over £1000 per week! On 9th September I have got a review with my consultant.

I am hoping to get back to work as soon as possible, although it may be on reduced hours to start with. At least I do have Beatrice to assist me. I understand that she has coped well so far, although she is still learning the ropes.

I also want to fully recover by October, as I am still intending to attend our Provincial Synod in Florida.

On the plus side, i have lost just over a stone...but I could think of a fair few healthier ways to lose weight!

Anyway, hopefully I'll continue to make progress. I'll keep my status updated on here.

On a sad note, one of our priests, Father Tim Perkins, lost his battle with cancer and passed away on 4th August 2011. He will be missed. Please pray for the repose of his soul and also for his family, friends, etc.

Bishop Damien and Roy have gone away on holiday to Austria. I think I'm right in saying that Gemima (Roy's daughter) and Margaret and Laurence have also gone. I trust that they'll have a relaxing holiday without all of the recent stresses!

That's about it for now. I will honestly try and update a bit sooner next time, as I'm at home I probably have little excuse to be honest at the moment. So keep a look out for the latest wound updates!!

Until next time.....

It's done!!

2011-05-19T14:07:00.002+01:00

I'm back again, only a month since the last posting, so not too bad I guess!

A fair bit has happened recently so it should give me some things to write about here.

Firstly, family stuff. Ethan recently had a review with his hospital consultant, and now on top of his autism the consultant has diagnosed Hypermobility Syndrome with very low muscle tone (Hypotonia) and also Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), he adds that the problems are compounded by his autism. Hopefully we can get a physiotherapy programme added into his occupational therapy programme, as they say 'every little helps'. There is some research to suggest that this could all be linked to his traumatic birth, but for every one piece of research that supports this another suggests something else, so we'll never really know officially, but in our own hearts and minds it doesn't take a rocket scientist to establish the link!

Hollie is still being Hollie, although she seems to be breaking slightly less things lately...the television remains in one piece so far!

I recently submitted a request to our Board of Ministry that they look at a course that I was proposing to study in order to meet the ordination educational requirements. Canon Don put a fair amount of effort into it, and thankfully has approved the course (subject to a couple of criteria), this is great news for me as it is going to save my wallet a lot!! I am now formally enrolled and have started the course. If all goes according to plan it will lead to a Certificate in Religious Studies and then a Bacehlor in Religious Studies, with the opportunity then of studying for a Master's....one step at a time I think though.

As a result of this approval, and following a long(ish) chat with Bishop Damien I completed the application form for a candidate to ministry and submitted it formally to him a couple of weeks ago....now the ball starts rolling. At some stage I should imagine that I will be formally interviewed by the Board, and we'll go from there. I have started my course though, so that is me off of the starting block at least.

Also I have now obtained all of the books on the Board's reading list, and have made a start at them...there are a few to get through!

My 'journey in faith' has really stepped up a gear recently and I feel so much better for it. I know that I am really following God's plan for me now, as everything that is happening feels right in both my heart and my mind. I sense Christ's presence in my life now more than ever before...it is a weird feeling, but at the same time it feels great. I'm still not perfect, and I still think 'why has God called me?', but I no longer ASK why...I just accept that He has and it is my duty to follow His plan which has been laid out for me.

Last week Bishop Damien and I attended the Christian Resources Exhibition at Sandown Park. We met a few interesting people, some of whom will now be suppliers to the shop, including a couple of authors, one of whom lives locally (in Tenterden) and has published a book which recreates nursery rhymes but gives them a 'God twist', very clever, and quite humerous at the same time.

I now have a part-time member of staff working at the shop, her name is Beatrice and she is French, although she doesn't commute from France everyday....she lives in Canterbury! She works Wednesdays and Saturdays at the moment, but will also cover for my holidays and things like that. It is really good to see how we have expanded from an empty building to what we have today.

Tomorrow is Debbie's birthday....I've bought her some new shoes...I'm such a romantic!! I suppose I'd better get her a card to go with them! LOL

On 28th May it is our Patronal Festival at St Augustine's in Canterbury, so hopefully the weather will be nice and the turnout good, we're having lunch after at Pizza Express, so my diet will go astray...still it is a special occasion (that's my excuse anyway, not that I need much of one).

Anyway, that's all for now...I've got work to do (just in case you're reading this Bishop!!!)

Until next time..........

Bring me sunshine!

2011-04-09T16:33:00.003+01:00

It's a bright sun shiny day in Canterbury!

It's been a month, all bar one day, since I last posted on here. I'm going to blame the pressures of work, the economy, David Cameron, Tonty Blair (well, everyone else always blames him for world poverty and everything else!!) and I might as well blame President Obama....notice how I've blamed everyone and everything apart from myself...maybe I should become a Member of Parliament!

Well, the Diocesan Synod went ahead as planned, and it went well. Roy and I were pretty good as a double act for the purpose of serving during mass, we even made it look like we knew what we were doing! In fact, we nearly fooled ourselves!

During the Synod meeting we heard that the Anglican Catholic Church, Diocese of the United Kingdom has experienced a 12% growth within the last year. That news is very encouraging indeed. Although in real terms it is only a small number of people the fact that in terms of Church growth 12% is very good is very positive. There are many other denominations that would beg for 12% growth, in fact there are some Churches that would beg for any growth, or even just stabilisation without any more losses to both congregations and clergy alike!

We also received the annual accounts, and the figures were good. It clearly shows to anyone looking at us from outside that we are serious. Although again in real terms the figures are fairly small, considering that we are a small Church within the UK it clearly evidences positive growth.

My year of office on the Council of advice was up, so I volunteered my services for a 2 year position and this was accepted by Synod.

Canterbury Church Shop - - is going well, our range of products seem to be ever increasing. We now stock Deacon's stoles and will soon have a range of dalmatics in stock, we also have some more jewellery items and a range of products from the Holy Land, including a small range of Armenian pottery.

Our recent application to Canterbury City Council for a Premises Licence to enable us to sell communion wine, etc has now been approved, so we will shortly be stocking this range of products also. If you are ever in Canterbury then it is certainly worth a visit to the shop. We are usually open Tuesday to Saturday from 9am until 5.30pm...we do close from 1pm until 2pm for lunch though, although often I pop out to grab something and then return to the shop and open early! We're closed on Sundays, Mondays and Holy Days of Obligation. Our website does feature 98% of our products though and they are all available to mail order.

Talking of visiting Canterbury, last week Libby Bova and her husband Revd Jerry Bova from the ACC in the USA visited Canterbury during their holiday (sorry Libby, I mean vacation!!) to England. They visited the shop and purchased a few items which was great. I've met libby before, but it was the first time meeting her husband, who has recently been ordained Deacon.

Last Sunday Deacon Bova was the guest preacher at mass, unfortunately I wasn't at Church as I had pulled a muscle in my back the previous day and was kind of stuck in bed (mainly due to some over effective painkillers!). It went well though by all accounts. I think Bishop Damien enjoyed it as it gave him a rest...some would say taht the congregation enjoyed a rest from one of his sermons, but I would NEVER suggest such a thing!!! : )

Ethan and Hollie are being baptised on Easter Day, Sunday 24th April 2011, which is also Ethan's 6th birthday, it will also me the one year anniversary of my confirmation...how time flies!

I was weighed at Slimming World last Tuesday and found out that I've lost half a stone so far, Debbie has done slightly better and has lost 10lbs to date. It's been a consistant week on week loss so far, so I am happy with that. I want to get to my target by the time I go to Florida in October for the Provincial Synod, at least that way I'll have a bit more room in my seat on the plane and I'll have a bit of extra room for those American portions!! LOL

That's about it for now, so until next time........

Back so soon!!!

2011-03-10T14:31:00.002Z

I'm back again, I'm actually quite impressed with myself that I managed to remember that I've got this blog...I'm super-impressed that I actually remembered the password to log in so that I could update it!

Well, what's been happening in my world you may be thinking, ok, you may not be thinking that but I'll tell you anyway.

Work...Church...couple of days off...work...Church....that's it really!! Joking aside, I have been working, still at the shop and things there are starting to pick up quite nicely, I'm starting to see the same customers coming back time and time again, I'm convinced that it is because of my happy face, but I'm sure that Bishop Damien and Roy would argue that it is because of our exceptional shop, product range and pricing policy!

Back in February (school half term) I wwnt with Debbie and the kids to Disneyland Paris for a few days. The weather was cold, and a bit wet at times, but we had a great time. Hollie met her hero, Buzz Lightyear (who she calls "Space" for some reason) and we got some nice photos, including a great one of Ethan, Hollie and Minnie Mouse. We stayed in the Hotel New York, which is located at the other end of Disney Village and is only a 5 minute walk to the parks. Debbie's brother and his wife and kids also went, so did Debbie's mum and dad. This was good because it meant that we could go on the 'big' rides, as we had someone to stay with the little ones! I have to say, I do like the Aerosmith Rock 'n' Roller Coaster!!! Space Mountain still tends to throw your head around a fair bit, leaving you with, what can only be described as, a cracking headache, when you alight the ride...or perhaps it's just me! We travelled by Eurostar from Ashford, so, all in all, it was a stress free process...and we spent less than I expected!

Following my operation on my hand I am making a good recovery. It would appear that this operation was a success as the painful problem appears to have now gone...although there is now pain in the palm of my hand, and there is still the pre-existing problem in the top of my finger. It is still early days, so once it has had a chance to heal properly then it can be assessed further...but my eraly thoughts are that it is better than before. I'm continuing to have therapy on my hand....I say therapy....sometimes it seems more like torture!

I can't remember if I mentioned before that I have diabetes. I was diagnosed in 2002when it nearly cost me my life. Well, over the years I have been on all sorts of medications, etc, with varying degrees of success. Following a recent change of hospital consultant my medication has changed again. As I am overweight I had wanted to try a drug called Byetta, my previous consultant denied it to me. This new doctor has agreed to try me on Victoza (essentially the same), and so far, apart from the initial side effect of feeling sick, I am pleased. The drug has the knock on effect of acting as an appetite supressant, and although I have only been on it since Monday I can already tell that it works!

I have also re-joined Slimming World, along with Debbie and in my first week I have lost 2.5lbs...not a great loss...but a loss...if I had that loss every week then I would be very pleased indeed.

This Saturday is our Diocesan Synod in London, so I am looking forward to that, although the Bishop has 'informed' me that I will be acting as a Server at the Synod Mass...oh well...in for a penny in for a pound I guess!

I can't think of great deal more to write today, so I'll leave it for now, until next time.........

All good things come to those who wait!

2011-01-22T15:17:00.002Z

And what a wait it has been! I've just looked and realised that my last post was on 17th October 2010...that's last year...3 months ago...oops!

I can't even remember much of what has happened in the last 3 months, but I suppose I'd better try and put something on here. Our new television (remember Hollie broke the last one) is working well, and at present, remains in one piece, this is normally the result of Debbie or I shouting "Hollie! NO!!", although she has developed a response to the NO word now by just blowing rather wet raspberries at us, such a delightful girl...I'm sure that her manners come from her mother's side of the family! lol

I am still working at the shop, and things are going very well. The website is now fully live with two forms of secure payments available, both WorldPay and PayPal. I keep adding more products to the site as we continue to develop our stock range. We have recently added a range of Fairtrade Clerical shirts to our available products.

We also have a few new vestments in now and a selection of Chalices, Patens, Pastoral Sets and Presence Lamps from Italy. I'm hoping that very shortly Roy will have some time available with his camera so that we may photograph these items in order that I may list them online.

Back in Novemeber both Hollie and I had birthdays, her's was on the 5th and mine on the 15th. I have noticed that due to the proximity of these dates my supply of gifts has decreased, yet Hollie's has increased...I sense age discrimination here!

The lead up to Christmas was ok, the shop increased it's performance in line with this, however, the snow spell that we had did affect trade, and even led to us being closed for a couple of days as the trains were invisible and the roads not much better. However, online orders kept coming in, so it kind of compensated for the closure.

Christmas Eve a bunch of us from Church went for a meal at Deeson's in Canterbury, and then followed this with Midnight Mass. Debbie came along with me, although I suspect that the meal was the deciding factor there! Church was pretty much full, as a newish chap, Robert, came along with his family and some of their friends. It was a really good feeling to have so many people there, and I'm sure that the Bishop was rather chuffed!

Christmas Day itself was fine, the kids loved it, got far too much, but that's the problem with family and friends...especially grandparents! I had a bit of a cold Christmas Day, so wasn't feeling 100%, it even put me off of my food a bit. Boxing Day (St Stephen's Day), the cold really hit me...I'm convinced that I had swine flu, or even worse, man flu...but did I get any sympathy??? Of course not!!!

the shop was closed from lunchtime on Christmas Eve until 4th January 2011, so it was nice to have a little break, although I did come in halfway through to dispatch some internet orders...that was through my own choice and pure dedication to my job though! : )

My studies are continuing, as is my desire to follow God's calling. It probably wont be much longer before I submit a formal application to the Board of Ministry.

We have decided at the shop that we wish to sell Communion wine, etc. In order to do this we have to be licensed. We need two licenses, I have to have a Personal License in order to be the DPS (Designated Premises Supervisor) and we also have to have a Premsies License. In order to get my Personal Licence I had to obtain a National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders. This meant attending a course and sitting an exam. Luckily I passed with a score of 95%, so it's all systems go now. We have started the ball rolling, so hopefully it wont take to long before we are fully licensed.

I've not got much planned coming up, except I am waiting to have an operation on my hand. It was meant to have been a couple of weeks ago, but a pre-op blood test revaealed that I had an increased white blood cell count, which suggests an infection somewhere, so the surgeon cancelled the op. It is possible that it may be done next week, but I wont hold my breath.

Apart from that, Debbie and I have got a few nights out lined up, minus the kids. Next month we are seeing Jimmy Carr one evening and then John Bishop on the next. In March we are going to see Simon Evans...so all in all we should have a laugh or two!

That's about it for now, I think that this brings me pretty much up to date, you'll have to forgive me if I've missed anything.

I really will try and keep the gap between this posting and the next one a bit shorter!

Until then................

At last!

2010-10-17T22:46:00.002+01:00

It's been close on a month since my last blog update, still, at least it wasn't the 2month gap that I had a one stage before. I'm going to blame the lack of updates on two things, one is the fact that I've been working so hard (honest!!) and the other is that since I've had my iPhone I don't actually use my laptop at home as much, and so rarely get round to updating my blog. However, I know that this is a poor excuse really as I could do it on my iPhone, or the Bishop has said that I can do it in the shop.

The shop has been generating a very positive response overall, even from clergy from different denominations, so that is very pleasing. Sales are slowly increasing, so this is also encouraging. I have finally finished populating the website with all of our initial stock (new stock ranges will have to be added as we go). This has been a huge, and time consuming, task...but I have done it, and I have to say that I am quite pleased with myself. We are now just waiting for the final confrmation of the WorldPay payment processing stuff and then the site will be activated, so it really could be any day! Just to remind you of the website address (in case you have forgotten), it is, www.canterburychurchshop.co.uk

So what else has happened of late? Well, Bishop Damien recently attended the ACC College of Bishops meeting in Florida, accompanied by Roy. They were away for a couple of weeks, so this left us without a priest, as a replacement could not be sourced! Howvever, all was not lost, the Bishop had 'persuaded' me to lead Morning Prayer (Mattins) for the two Sundays that he was away. It was a little daunting, but I sttod up to the task and I think (and hope) that I did a reasonable job. Certainly the second Sunday seemed to be a little smoother. Who knows what his Lordship has instore for my next challenge!!

Anyway, they are back now, and so normal (if such a thing exists) service has been resumed, although I have had to act as Server because Roy sustained an injury whilst away. He hurt his shoulder, and so, temporarily, has become known to me as the 'one armed bandit'! He is now recovering though, so alas, the nickname will not survive the test of time! Suggestions on a postcard please for a new one!!!

We had the Council of Advice meeting for the Church in London yesterday, not huge amounts on the agenda this time, but good discussions, etc were had.

I have a day off tomorrow, and I have got to go and buy a new tv. A couple of weeks back my tv at home was broken by a little thing that Roy describes as an angel....I could think of many other names for her...the most polite one being Hollie, my nearly 2 year old daughter!! How she managed to crack an LCD panel without damaging the outer screen thing is beyond me, but she managed it! My tv was my pride and joy...I was not happy to say the least, thankfully it was covered by insurance, but no doubt my premiums will go up next year to make me suffer! As a result she will not receive any pocket money until she is 22!!!!!!!! Or shall I just exclude her from my will???

Oh well, it's 11.12pm, so I suppose I really do need to log off and get some sleep.

So until next time.....if you have kids make sure that you have good insurance!

Are you sitting down???

2010-09-14T10:58:00.003+01:00

Hello again! I hope that you are sitting down, otherwise the shock of me blogging so quickly again after my last post (given my recent record) may actually cause you to fall over with shock!!

I forgot to mention in my last post that at church now I have started serving not only at Low Mass, but also at a couple of Sung Mass services, in the absence of Roy. I'm getting there...slowly...the prompts are becoming a little less frequent. However, I did have one, shall we say, incident, involving charcoal and carpet!! Still, I confessed to Bishop Damien, and so I was forgiven...although Roy mentions it fairly often!!

The shop is going well, sales seem to be picking up a little, footflow is still good and we are getting a very positive response in general. Our range of stock is increasing regularly, and this will have a positive impact on sales. I think that we could be, I say we...I mean I!!), very busy with the run up to Christmas.

There have been one or two people that have come in wanting to enter into some kind of theological debate, but I have handled it well I believe. Some rather unlikely looking characters have also come in and purchased items that you would not expect them to. I suppose that we are all guilty of sterotyping people though. Mind you, saying that, one of them purchased a rosary, and he asked me what it was, he just wanted it for his girlfriend because it looked nice!!

We have now started taking stock photos for the website, so hopefully, God willing, it wont be too long before that is up and running.

On a more personal level I have decided that I will shortly be filling in the application form for ministry. I have printed it off of the church's website, and now need to find a quiet time to complete it. Saying that, I first need to find my educational and employment history things at home. They were all kept in a document folder, but I can't find it for love nor money...I reckon that Debbie has either moved it or thrown it away by mistake, although she'd never own up to it! I last had it when I was filling in the application form for this job, and thought I knew where I had left it. I suppose if the worst comes to the worst then I could always ask the Bishop for a copy of my job application, or rather just those bits of it.

Oh well, that's enough for now, if I keep it short and sweet it encourages to update it more often...famous last words!

Until next time......................

Hello Stranger!!

2010-09-07T12:48:00.002+01:00

Well hello!! I've just realised how long it has actually been since my last posting, just under 2 months....what can I say??????

It's been a roller coaster of a period though, so I'll try and keep it to the point and try not to waffle to much....well maybe just a little waffle...actually, thinking about it, Belgian ones with chocolate sauce...mmmmmmmmmmmmm

Let's try and start back at the point of the last blog, or around that date.

Everything was going as planned, getting the shop ready, etc. I then had a weekend away at Alton Towers on 29th July. The journey from Ashford to ALton Towers was somewhat eventful though. About 30 miles from the amazing theme park, at a roundabout off of J24 of the M1 we were involved in a car accident. We were stationary at the roundabout and we were hit from behind at an estimated speed of 35 miles per hour....did it hurt?? Not too much initially, but problems have been present since.

Luckily my wife and son were uninjured, thankfully Hollie was not in the car with us, as the impact was on the rear driver's side of the vehicle and that is the side that she sits. I initially felt a twinge in my lower back and neck, but over the following days this developed and became worse. It ruined my weekend, as I couldn't go on anything at Alton Towers!

My neck now seems better, although I do get the odd spot of discomfort. My lower back is still causing problems, although it is a lot better than it was. I now have a constant dull ache present, which flares up periodically. Thankfully I am receiving physiotherapy, which does help.

The woman that hit us was fine, although very upset. Her insurance company accepted liability within about 2 hours of the accident happening. The accident caused chasis damage to our car and as a result of the reapir estimate our insurance company declared our car to be a write off.

Then started the insurance battle with regards to a valuation figure for our car. They initially offered peanuts, it would not have been enough to buy a suitable replacement vehicle comaparable to our car. After a lot of telephone calls and threats of referring the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service, a figure was agreed, but it took them about 2 weeks to pay out!

Once we had the money we were able to find another car. We purchased this a couple of days before we went on holiday to Lanzarote. We ended up buying an ex-police car, at least we know that it has been well serviced!

Anyway, holiday was nice, but the flights were not, thankfully the medication that my doctor had precribed made it a little easier. The weaher was very hot, and I managed to get sunburn, as did my wife, the kids escaped with a nice tan though!!

By the time that I came back from holiday it really was time to think about the shop opening on 1st September. We still needed to price everything and stock the shelves. Luckily Roy and the Bishop were able to help with this. So we had three or four long days (working into the early hours on a couple of them!), but we did it! Finally going home at 4am on the morning of the shop opening, getting about 4 hours sleep, and then back to Canterbury for mass, followed by the Shop opening last Wednesday.

The opening was a success, we celebrated with a blessing of the shop by the Bishop, and followed this by a glass or two of bucks fizz and a piece of cake (which I had arranged through a cakemaker that I know.

That evening the Bishop, Roy and Gregg had arranged for a meal at Deeson's, which is a very nice British restaurant in Canterbury. It was a multi-celebration event, as we were celebrating the 10th anniversary of Credo Care and the opening of two new Credo Group businesses on 1st September, one being Canterbury Church Shop and the other being Credo IT Services. It really was a lovely evening, and I felt honoured to be part of it. Debbie also came along, and I know that she felt the same. It also had the added bonus of giving her a little break from the kids!!!

I have to say that the food was very good, I even had pigeon as a starter, something which I had never tried before...needless to say that any thoughts of a diet that evening were well and truely dismissed!

The shop is generating lots of interest, and will continue to develop as we increase stock ranges, etc. It is still early days, and the only way is forward. We're hoping that the website will be up and running very soon.

That brings us pretty much up to date now....I'll try not to leave it so long next time.

So, if you're in Canterbury, pop into the shop at:

Canterbury Church Shop Ltd, 13 Orange Street, Canterbury, Kent. CT1 2JA
Tel: 01227 379777 - www.canterburychurchshop.co.uk

Until next time...............

On your marks, get set, GO!!!

2010-07-20T15:59:00.002+01:00

Last Sunday was church as usual, only we were joined by Libby and her friend Janet from the good ol' USA! I hope that they enjoyed their visit to our little church, we certainly enjoyed having them with us.

After church, and a quick cup of tea I had to leave as I was meeting Debbie, my kids and my mother-in-law in Canterbury, as they were visiting to do some shopping. This was also a great opportunity to show them the window display in the shop that the Bishop and I created...I think they liked it! The shop really does look different with the display there.

Yesterday I had to go to our web designers, Red Carrot in Ashford for some training with regards to our website...which, I'm sure that you remember will be www.canterburychurchshop.co.uk

The training was quite interesting and they assure me that I am now an expert in being able to upload items, etc, etc....watch this space!

In the afternoon I met the Bishop and Roy at the Designer Outlet in Ashford for coffee and gave them an update, they seemed pleased.

That brings us nicely on to today. I was up at cock-o-doodle-do hours to get to the shop early, as I needed to finish work early today. Whilst at the shop BT turned up and finally managed to sort our phoneline out (by installing a new one)...so we now have a working phone...proof it were ever needed that miracles can happen!!

Also South East Water turned up and confirmed that we can have a water meter fitted, so it seems like we will be paying a lot less than £243 for a years supply considering that we only have a toilet and very small hand basin! However, we now have to wait for them to do the job!!

I also managed to build the shop counter that the Bishop purchased...flatpack of course...I have to admit that I was getting a little stressed as the instructions left a lot to be desired!! Still, I did it...if at first you don't suceed...rip the instructions up and do it your own way!

By the time that was all done it was time to come home. It was my little boy's sports day at school today, so I wanted to be there to watch him. He did very well, he even came 2nd in one race. He did cheat in the ball and spoon (aka egg and spoon) race, as for the vast part of the race he held his ball to the spoon!!! You have to admire his initiative.

I'm still sticking to the diet like glue, some of the products, actually all of them are quite tasty...so far, so good!

Well, that's the finish line for this latest blog post.

Until next time..............

Air Conditioned Cassocks!

2010-07-17T17:40:00.002+01:00

Hello again...or should I say hello again finally??? It's been a while since my last post on here, I don't really have a great excuse other than to say that I have been fairly busy with the shop, etc.

The painting is all done (with the exception of the rear courtyard), and then it was a case of building the Ikea (Swedish furniture made in China) flatpack stuff! I wont mind if I never see another item of flatpack furniture in my life, which reminds me I've just got the shop counter to do and then that should be the lot!!

We have decided upon an opening date for the shop...it is 1st September, in the afternoon, following mass at church.

All of the stock that was at the Bishop's home has now been taken to the shop and is being stored there (in my office), this has given the Bishop his chapel back at home. We have also ordered more stock, including a rather large order of brassware which should arrive shortly!

Recently we had a marathon of masses at church, everyday except one Monday, and it seemed to be the hottest week of the year. I am also now serving at low masses, complete in cassock and cotta...and boy, was it hot! So much so that I have come to the conclusion that cassocks should in fact be air conditioned. Still, in the winter I suppose that I'll be saying that they should be heated.

The Bishop had two guests from America staying with him yesterday, and as I popped to Lydd to see him I met them. One of them, Libby, is a follower of my blog and it was a pleasure to meet her...she actually made me feel a bit like a celebrity! It's good to know that my humble blog is read across the pond!

Today I sat my exam for the Open bible Institute course that I have been doing...think I have failed, but at least I have tried. Some of the questions were truly difficult, even the Bishop commented on this. I will find out in 8-10 weeks the result.

I have started a new diet today, as I want to lose weight for my holiday in August. It is called All About W8 and is a combination of soups, shakes and special mealpacks. I have tried similar systems before, but so far this one does seem to have the tastiest product range, and you have the option of adding a meal, which means real food from an approved list. It works by putting your body into ketosis, which is where your body starts to use it's fat reserves for fuel/energy. Weight loss should be quite quick, but of course the long term success is reliant upon you changing your eating and/or lifestyle habits. I'll keep you all updated on how I go. So far I have not deviated from it one iota!!!!!

Anyway, all for now....next time we speak I'll be a shadow of my former self!

Until then......

I'm out of hibernation!

2010-06-26T08:05:00.002+01:00

It seems like I have finally come out of hibernation...I've been away from my blog for so long!

I have to say I've been a little busy lately, my first week working for the Bishop was a relaxed one, but then the pace picked up the following week. I was tasked with decorating the shop, as when we got the keys on 6th june it was roughly painted in a very poor quality white emulsion. This was done by the landlord simply to cover the previous colour of it's hairdresser days.....bright orange!!

This task involved removing mirrors, shelves, etc also. One of the mirrors, a 6ft tall one, came off of the wall quite well, but had been fixed on using silicone sealant...this took well over a whole day to get this off of the wall.

Anyway, after the preperations I was able to start painting. We have gone for magnolia on all of the walls, white ceiling and white satinwood for the woodwork. I have to say that I haven't done too bad of a job overall!

Once the painting had all been done it was time to buy the shop fittings, book cases, etc, etc. This involved hiring a van last Saturday and Roy and I taking a trip to Ikea at Lakeside. The finish that we have gone for is beechwood, this does seem to go well with the oak effect floor and the magnolia decor. Roy also needed to get a few things for his new office at Credo Care in Lydd...so one transit van full, an tired credit card, lunch....and 5 HOURS later, we were on our way!!!

Firstly we had to drop some bits off in Lydd, then we called into the Bishop's home for a coffee, and to pick up a couple of items for the shop which were being stored there...and then off to Canterbury to deposit half of Ikea's warehouse into our little shop!!!! Finally we were finished, both for the day and, I think, physically!!!!!! We took the van back to Maidstone and then Roy dropped me off at home.

I took that Sunday off of church as it was Father's Day, and my little boy wanted to take Daddy out!! Strange how I had to pay....don't quite think he has the concept here!

The Bishop offered me the Monday off, as a reward for my hard work over the last week or so. Whilst appreciated I decided to crack on. So earlier this week I built the office desk and chair and also some of the bookcase extenders. Sadly, I could not get on with the book/display cases as the boxes are too heavy for one person, and to attempt to do it would probably damage them. So it was decided to get me some help.

Last Wednesday was mass, after mass I met up with a carpenter who came to have a look at a few jobs that need doing in the shop. After this the Bishop kindly treated me to lunch. I then had to go and collect my new glasses from Specsavers whilst the Bishop returned to church to prepare for future events (inc. today). Once I had my glasses I returned to church and had a server's lesson. By the time all this was done it had just turned 5pm, so we both walked to Canterbury West station to catch the train to Ashford, from where I rode my motorbike home and the Bishop got a taxi back to Lydd.

I should have been in work on Thursday, and there was also due to be a mass. However, the Bishop was unwell, so emailed me early to say that mass was cancelled. He also suggested that I should have the day off. So I took him up on his kind offer, and for once was able to walk my little boy to school.

Friday (yesterday) was different altogether. It was Credo Care's annual Beaumont Grainger Awards presentation, to which I had been invited. This took place at Bridgewood Manor hotel in Chatham, and consisted of the awards ceremony followed by lunch. It was great to see so many people there. There were three awards. One was for Foster Carer of the Year (title may be slightly wrong...sorry), one was for External Professional and the other was for Staff Member of the Year. This award went to Roy Hipkiss, which was great, as it was he that originally had the Credo Care vision....a vision that became a reality and celebrates it's 10th year this year! The awards were presented by a special guest, a young guy called Jack, who was the very first child that Credo Care placed when then started out!

Today is mass at 12 noon...and it is going to be the ordination of Father Michael Clothier (from South Molton in Devon) to the Sacred Priesthood. Tomorrow Father Michael will celebrate his first mass, this will take place in Canterbury.

You never know, I may even get round to updating my blog tomorrow, to cover today and tomorrow.

Until then.......or should I say "until when"???!!!

Open all hours....well, not ALL hours....and not quite open yet!

2010-06-03T17:27:00.002+01:00

It's been an eventful week so far. I officially started work for Canterbury Church Shop (which is another company that has been established by the Bishop Damien, Roy and their co-director Greg).

Tuesday was a fairly relaxed day, they are probably just trying to break in in gently. The Bishop and I went through some of the stock which has been purchased for the shop so far, and started looking at comparisons with what other chucrh supply companies stock and charge. I was also introduced to the staff who work for their other companies based in Lydd. This was partly so that I can feel part of a bigger 'family' and also so that they know me, as I will be, from time to time, in those offices using the facilities, so it is important that they don't think that I'm a stranger who has just walked in from the street and started to use the photocopier!

Yesterday was Wednesday, and we met at just after 11am in Canterbury, at church. The Bishop also expanded my role yesterday and appointed me as the church sacristan. A sacristan is responsible for the sacristy, the sacred vessels, etc. Duties range from dressing the chalice to changing candles, with everything in between! Obviously I'm having to be trained in this role, but, of course, liturgical training is essential for my future, and so it makes good sense to do it this way.

After mass we had lunch and then visited a few shops in Canterbury....checking out the competition!

Today is Corpus Christi, and because of this mass was held today at church. So we met at church again today. Mass was followed by Benediction of the Holy Sacrament. This was then followed by the usual tea, coffee and biscuits. I had a shorter work day today as the Bishop and Roy had to make an early escape from Canterbury, and so let me go home!

With regard to the progress of the shop, we have just agreed a temporary lease whilst the solicitors carry on doing their slow soliciting thing with respect to the longer term lease and all of it's small print. Hopefully we can get the keys on Sunday from our landlord, and then on Monday we can start by decorating the shop in order to get it ready for the shop fittings, etc. It all seems to be coming together now....it's all rather exciting! So work proper starts on Monday it would seem!

I'm in Lydd again tomorrow, I think that we are going to establish our final suppliers list and start preparing more orders, etc.

I'll try and post again on Sunday, but you know me!!!

Until then......whenever that may be...........

3-in-1......and no....I'm not on about oil!

2010-05-31T21:26:00.002+01:00

This is actually intended as a double posting, it was going to report yesterday's events and those of today...but today kind of changed, but I'll tell you all about the changed events...but first, yesterday!

Yesterday was Trinity Sunday. It is slightly different to most of the church Kalender (and yes, that is spelt correctly). On Trinity Sunday we do not celebrate a feast as we normally do, instead we sort of celebrate a doctrine. The doctrine is that of the Holy Trinity, the 3-in-1 God, being Father, Son and Holy Ghost. I have to say the Holy Trinity is certainly more powerful than any oil that I have ever come across.

After mass it was tea and coffee as usual, together with biscuits. I was a bit of a rebel I have to say. Instead of having my usual two cups of tea I went out on a limb and had one cup of tea followed by a cup of coffee! I know, I certainly know how to live life on the dangerous side!!

Now we move on to today. The Bishop had planned a parish outing to Walsingham in Norfolk which is the home of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Today marks the annual National Anglican Pilgrimage to the shrine.

Unfortunately the Bishop sent me an email last night (which I got this morning), saying that he was unwell and it was likely that our trip would be cancelled, as it was he, Roy, Jemima and I going. He sent a further email this morning confirming that he was not feeling any better, so he reluctantly called off the trip. I know that he did not want to do this, as we were all looking forward to it, however, he did not plan to be ill, and his well being is far more important than any trip in my opinion. I do hope that he is feeling better now.

So, today I spent the day with my family. Debbie and I took Ethan to Dover to the raceway there for the banger and stock car racing today. Hollie spent the afternoon with my mum as it isn't really suitable for kids her age.

We also took Deb's mum and dad and our friend Simon. It cost a total of £22 for all of us to get in and was a great day. There was a total of 12 races, including 3 demolition derbies! The last race was a demolition derby with bangers towing caravans...Jeremy Clarkson would love that!!!! The day started a 2pm and finished at about 7.30pm, so this represents a great value day out...fun for the family, oh...and very dusty!

Tomorrow is a big day for me. I oficially start work for Canterbury Church Shop, although it is not fully operational yet, so it will be a case of sorting out the stock which has already been obtained, etc, etc. I'm really looking forward to it, and want to prove myself, although there is a lot for me to learn!

Oh well....I'm off to bed now....early start tomorrow, I've got to be at work, in Lydd, for 10am!!! That will be my first lay in for about 2 years!

Back soon...............

Oink!! Oink!!

2010-05-27T21:57:00.002+01:00

So what has happened to the sunshine? It has been going downhill since Tuesday, maybe it's preparing for a fantastic summer...or maybe not!

Yesterday was Wednesday, so it was mass at 12pm as usual. We seem to have a new attendee in our midst. Her name is Nina and she is originally from South America, and she has joined us a few times now. She is, of course, more than welcome, as is anyone!

I even remembered the right point at which I needed to go up to the altar to assist with serving for the Bishop...a long way to go before I can do it all or am anywhere near competent though! That reminds me, it wont be long before our cassocks arrive, Roy will be happy then, when he is no longer wearing polyester!!!!

After church I had to be home on time as Debbie, I and the children were going to Tunbridge Wells to the theatre there (Assembly Halls). We had booked some time ago to see Peppa Pig Live, we even managed to get front row seats.

The theme of the show is of it being Peppa Pig's birthday party. The characters are puppets and you can clearly see the puppeteers who also do the voices for the characters. I have to say I thought the show was great, as did Debbie.

Hollie, our 18 month old was fascinated, and had a big, big smile on her face throughout. When she first saw Peppa she was shaking with excitement and shouted out "Peppa" at the top of her voice!!! She was even dancing along and joining in with clapping, etc!!

Ethan, our 5 year old, also loved the show. He really enjoyed taking party in the audience interaction activities, such as dancing, etc. He appeared to be very happy indeed.

All in all the show lasts about an hour and a half, and at just £12.50 per ticket I thought was great value. The theatre was packed, so this is a clear sign of Peppa's popularity.

As we were sitting in the front row we even managed to get wet with a little help from George's (Peppa's little brother) tears....this surprised a lot of people!!!

We saw Peppa, George, Mummy & Daddy Pig and several of Peppa's friends....can't remember all of their names. We also saw Grandpa Pig's train, I think the train is called Gertrude. Their is also a human friend who kind of leads the focus of the show called Daisy, she was great and really got the audience involved!

All in all I would highly recommend this show to any Peppa fan....or maybe even any adult who is still a kid at heart!!

After the show we went for something to eat at Cosmo, which is a chinese 'all you can eat' restaurant. The food there is very nice and not bad value, they even have soem rather tasty desserts! I think that they are a chain, I know that they have another restaurant in Hastings which we have been to a few times before. Ethan likes these, as he loves the chow mein type noodles...Hollie eats anything, so she is not an issue. Ethan even ate soem jelly for dessert, which is a huge step for us as he is very fussy about what he eats and will never try anything new. This is associated with his autism. So the fact that he tried (and liked) jelly is great, as it is now another food that we can add to his rather limited 'comfort zone' list. One small step for Ethan....one giant leap for us!

Anyway, I'll try and update again on Sunday....or maybe Monday!!

Until then....in the words of Peppa "OINK OINK"!

I could never run a Swiss railway!

2010-05-24T22:15:00.002+01:00

Late again! Actually, if I want to get picky with myself then I should mention that I did in fact miss a whole week out...not quite sure what happened there...time does indeed fly by when you are having fun!

So a quick update, to try and bring you up to speed....

Sunday 16th - Church as normal.
Wednesday 19th - Had bad toothache, so instead of going to church I had to go to that torture chamber, more commonly known as the dentist. Two injections, some drilling, grinding and filling later and the pain had gone!
Thursday 20th - My wife's 33rd birthday...I'm younger than her!!!!!
Saturday 22nd - Church for our patronal in celebration of St Augustine of Canterbury (our patron). We had mass followed by a parish lunch at Pizza Express, followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

That brings us up to Sunday 23rd, which was Pentecost, also known as Whit Sunday. It was church as usual on a Sunday. Pentecost falls 50 days after Easter Day. According to scripture it is when the disciples were filled with the Holy Ghost (also known as the Holy Spirit), it descended upon them like tongues of fire.

This is what the bible says:

Acts 2: 1-6

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

I find that quite descriptive of the Holy Ghost actually at work so to speak, but I can't help wondering whether or not they were scared, and whether or not the tongues of fire were hot or not. My mind really does work in strange ways sometimes!

Anyway, that has now played catch up with my blog and the next update should be on Wednesday....please not that I did say "should"!!!

Until then....................

The future's bright....the future's Orange!!!

2010-05-13T22:04:00.002+01:00

I know that this is a day late, but what is a day between friends? And don't answer by saying 24 hours!

On Tuesday Bishop Damien, Roy and I went to the Christian Resources Exhibition, which was held at Sandown Park. It was certainly bigger than the vestment exhibition that the Bishop and I attended last week. Actually I thought that it was really good, and we made some rather handy contacts.

Roy also booked a stand at the next few exhibitions (held at various venues) for Credo Care, which is the fostering company that he and the Bishop, oh, and Greg, operate. The exhibitions could possibly be a good place to recruit foster carers for Credo Care.

At the exhibition Roy and I were also measured up for cassocks at one of the stands. We are having our cassocks made to measure, and Roy is rather proud of the fact that they will not be made from polyester!!! This is a long story, so I wont go into it. I actually can't remember what they will be made from, but I am sure that they will be good and last for some time. The purpose of them is for us to wear as servers, and mine will then be able to be used if and when I become an ordinand.

On the way home we went to Ikea to look at furniture and we also ate there. I had their famous Swedish meatballs!

We had a reason to be looking at furniture. Bishop Damien and Roy (with Greg's support) recently decided to set up a further business, selling various church supplies and certain religious items and gifts. It was decided to have a website and a shop, in Canterbury. They decided to offer me the post of manager. I am thrilled with this, so of course, I accepted their offer. I start on 1st June!

We have aquired a shop also. It will be at 13 Orange Street, Canterbury. This is just around the corner from our church, and a stone's through from the cathedral.

The business will be called CANTERBURY CHURCH SHOP and the website is currently under development, this will be www.canterburychurchshop.co.uk

We will sell a range of items from books to vestments and candles to statues!

This is a fantastic concept and a great opportunity for me to actually do something with my life. God has given me this opportunity, and it must therefore be part of His plan for me!

Anyway, I will post more on here as it happens!

On to Wednesday (yesterday)....I went to church as normal and mass started at 12pm. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. We had coffee afterwards, only today we had a latte from the shop at the end of the road, as we had no milk. We had a general chat and then said our farewells.

After church I had to go to Argos to buy a Peppa Pig bedding set for my daughter...she is made about Peppa, we're actually going to see a live Peppa Pig show on 26th May at Tunbridge Wells!

Today is Ascension Day, and as such there would have been mass at church. Sadly, I was unable to attend, due to work, but once the shop is opened then hopefully this will be a problem of the past!

Oh well, that's all for now. I'll be back on Sunday.

Until then...............

Ask and ye shall receive!

2010-05-09T20:26:00.003+01:00

Today is Rogation Sunday. The word 'Rogation' stems from the Latin verb 'rogare' which means 'to ask'. So Rogation Sunday traditionally was a day when the parishioners and the minister would carry out a ceremony known as "beating the bounds". They would process around the boundaries of the parish and pray for Gods protection for the forthcoming year. This applied, in particular, to crops and new born animals.

God, being the one who always listens to us and our needs would no doubt answer these prayers and provide what was needed.

Indeed God continues to do this even in our modern times. Fair enough, if we pray to win the lottery then He is unlikely to answer that prayer (as it is somewhat selfish), but He will always answer our genuine and heartfelt prayers in a positive way, this is evidenced in the bible "Ask and ye shall receive" (John 16:24).

Prayer is an exceptionally important part of being a Christian, it is not good enough to just pray every so often, regular prayer is the way to go. We must remember that God wants us to pray, He likes us to talk to Him, He likes to know what we are doing, just as any good parent wants to keep posted on what their children are up to even if they have grown up and left home!

God doesn't have a telephone, nor an email address and sadly there is no postal service between heaven and earth, so our only means of communication is by prayer. The prayers do not have to be formal or prepared, they just have to be genuine! Remember the Lord does not demand anything from us, He will only take what we are prepared to give, and is a few minutes a day through prayer too much to give? Not in my opinion! The Lord gives us so much more than this!

So, be more like the chicken (from last Sunday) and look up often....and talk while you're at it! When I say talk, this does not mean that you have to speak out loud, it is perfectly accepatable to talk through your heart...just make it a regular thing! Give Him thanks for His goodness also!

I had better mention that I did go to church today, that's why I know that it is Rogation Sunday....I'm getting good at the church thing now....it has become a very important part of my life, the people there are not simply churchgoers, they are faithful people who I am proud to say are my friends! I thank God for this! I thank God for connecting me with the ACC....and I make sure that I remind Him of this thanks every single day!

Until Wednesday..............

The Bishop tours South East London & Kent!

2010-05-05T22:11:00.002+01:00

I forgot to mention in my blog the other day that the Bishop recently appointed me to serve as his Nominee on the Diocesan Council of Advice for 1 year. I'm not overly sure what I am meant to do, but I'll do my best...and I'm rather honoured to be honest!

With today being Wednesday it was off to church for mass at 12pm. Nothing unusual happened. Jennifer had a friend of her's join us for mass today, and they went for lunch after tea and coffee.

Bishop Damien and I had arranged to go to London this afternoon to visit a vestment exhibition being held in Westminster. It was arranged by a Spanish company and was held in Westminster Cathedral Hall. I have a top tip for you here: If you are ever looking for Westminster Cathedral Hall then you will find the address given as 42 Francis Street, SW1. The entrance is actually in Ambrosden Avenue. We established this after several minutes searching and walking the length of Francis Street!!!

The exhibition was not quite what we had expected, it was somewhat smaller than we had imagined. Still, they had some nice items and the Bishop managed to obtain a couple of catalogues.

We then decided to have a look around a couple of Christian shops in the area. We went into St. Pauls Shop, which is next to Westminster Cathedral. They seemed to have quite a bit in there! Everything from greetings cards to clerical shirts. We then went into Westminster Cathedral and had a look around and said a prayer obviously. We then had a look in their shop to see if there was anything that took our fancy.

After this we went to Pizza Hut for something to eat, which was nice...I even got to visit their ice cream factory...I did control myself though and only made one visit!

It was then time to take a stroll back to Victoria train station, as we had arrived by train from Canterbury. We caught the train back to Ashford, and this is where his Lordship's tour started! It turns out that the train was the 'stopping' service, calling at all stations (plus some extra for good measure I think)!!! In fairness it did run 'fast' from London Victoria to Bromley South...but even I've lost track with the names of all of the other stations we called at, finally arriving in Ashford at 20.16hrs.

Roy met us at Ashford and kindly gave me a lift home before heading to Lydd on the continuation of the Bishop's lengthy (and unplanned) tour of Kent!! Somehow I don't think that the Bishop will leave the travel planning to me next time!

It was a good day though...with good company.

Anyway, that's it for today...I've got to get my sleep so that i'm ready to vote tomorrow..........................

Is it a sheep? Is it a lion? Is it a chicken? No, it's the Bishop's garden!!

2010-05-02T21:40:00.003+01:00

Today is the forth Sunday after Easter, and as such we are still in the Eastertide period, that could partly explain the Bishop's inspiration to talk about chickens today in his sermon.

All of his sermons recently have made references to how we resemble certain animals in some ways, and today was no different. He spoke today of chickens, and how they are very vulnerable, but that they do have a certain element of survival instinct (which often involves running away). He said how that when they drink they take a very quick sip of water and then look up straight away to ensure that the situation is still safe for them. This reminds us that when we receive a small gift from God that we should look up to heaven and give Him thanks. In fact we should constantly be looking up to heaven, as we should always be giving thanks to God. As Christians we can be very vulnerable, but unlike the chickens we should not run away. Our Lord will protect us, so long as we believe and trust in Him.

The Bishop said that he had been thinking of chickens as a while back he was considering keeping chickens in his garden at home. These would make a rather nice addition to the sheep that have been known to occupy his garden through a hole in the fence. To the best of my knowledge he has no plans for a lion, but a hippo and a herd of shetland ponies have been mentioned. Perhaps he should have a kind of land based Noah's Ark....or rather Bishop's Ark!!!!

During the week Bishop damien had asked me if I would like to join him for mass at Rochester today, after mass at Canterbury. As I have previously mentioned, the Bishop currently conducts mass at Rochester on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month to cover for Father Ray while he continues to recover from his operation.

So after mass today Bishop Damien, Roy and I headed for Rochester. Services there are held at the Fort Pitt Military Cemetery Chapel. I believe that the Royal Engineers are responsible for this and they are very kind in allowing us to use it. It is set in well tended cemetery gardens, and is quite tranquil in it's setting.

I also had the great pleasure in meeting Father Ray, he seemed a very warm and genuine man, and it was easy to see why the Bishop speaks highly of him. He made me feel very welcome. I really do pray that his recovery continues and that his voice is soon fully returned to him. Currently he is able to speak in a hushed type of voice, but we are all praying for him, so I am sure that it wont be long before his voice returns to full power. I know that he means a lot to many, church and family included. I would ask anyone reading this to please also pray for Father Ray's continued recovery.

After mass at Rochester Bishop Damien, Roy and I had dinner (or late lunch!!) together at a restaurant near the cinema in Rochester (many thanks to Roy, as it was he that treated us!). After this we headed back to Ashford to take me home, but first we stopped at Maidstone services on the M20 for a latte at Costa Coffee there.

Then it was just a case of getting dropped of at home for me, and then continuing on to Lydd for the Bishop and Roy.

All in all it was a most enjoyable day (despite the weather)!

Until next time.....maybe the Bishop could consider getting a lama!!!

Where did I put my sunglasses???

2010-04-28T21:23:00.002+01:00

My father-in-law is well and truly home now, and I think that my mother-in-law was enjoying the peace and quiet whilst he was in hospital! He has said that he feels quite well, and he is able to use his left hand better than he has been able to for about 2 years. He has got to go for an outpatients appointment on Friday, so they will probably adjust the settings slightly on his gadget!

It was back to church today, and what a lovely bright day it has been. It is nice to experience the sunshine, and lately with have done well with it, although it is all set to change for this weekend...typical, what with it being bank holiday weekend!

Anyway, I caught the train to Canterbury today, and proceeded to a shop to buy some biscuits for church. These were not just any biscuits, they were chocolate coated Hob Nobs...now that is a REAL biscuit, I believe that they were specifically designed for their dunkability factor! You can hold them in the cup of tea or coffee all day and they still wont deposit themselves to the bottom of the cup!!!

I arrived today at the same time as Margaret and Laurence. Margaret had a lot of flowers with her, as she is our church flower arranger. As she arranged the flowers (and made a mess on the floor) Laurence started with the Dyson. When Margaret had finished I helped clear up the aforementioned mess, and then I was released with the Dyson.....I wont let my wife know that I know how to use one though!

During mass today I had a go at playing the part of Server, or I should say that I played the part of a part-time, part-Server...basically I just assisted with the cruets, etc. I'm told that I did quite well...even Danny didn't point out if I made any mistakes!! It was a start....and from every seed................

Jennifer's brother joined us for tea, coffee and Hob Nobs today, as it was his birthday and Jennifer was taking him out to lunch after she finished at church.

Bishop Damien gave Jennifer, Laurence and I a confirmation gift each today. He apologised that they were late, only they hadn't been delivered to him. We each received a book by C S Lewis called Mere Christianity. I'm really starting to build quite a theological library, anyone would think that I want to be a priest!!!

After we had finished Bishop Damien and I went for lunch at a local cafe. I had a rather tasty prawn baguette, the Bishop went for a ham one (I think with cheese and pickles). We washed them down with a couple of lattes each. We had a chat about the Synod, and what I thought of it, as it was my first. We also spoke about my son who has autism. The Bishop has contacted his autism specialist at his company Credo Care, to see if she is able to offer us any tips or advise on certain particular issues we have. His understanding ear and support really is much appreciated. It's not very often in life that you meet someone like that, it restores one's faith in humanity and it clearly shows that God made the right choice when he called Bishop damien to His service. I'm still trying to work out why He called me though....but hey....I've worked out that it is pointless trying to argue or fight it!

That's more or less it for today, but wait....what's this?? I've found my sunglasses!! Oh no, just watched the weather forecast....maybe I'll just put them back in the drawer!!

Until next time.....now where did I put the umbrella?????

It's the first....well, the 19th actually....I'll explain!

2010-04-24T20:29:00.002+01:00

Today was the XIX (which means 19th) Annual Synod of the Anglican Catholic Church Diocese of the United Kingdom. But for me it was my first Synod with the ACC, in fact it was my first Synod...full stop!

It was held at Central Hall, Westminster (by kind permission), and I have to say that I thought that it was a great venue. When you enter the main entrance to Central Hall you are met by a rather impressive lobby/foyer area.

I arrived shortly after 9.30am and found two of our clergy in the aforementioned foyer area. They introduced themselves as Father Charles Johnson and Father Deacon Michael Clothier. It was the first time that I had met either of them, so it was good to be able to link faces with names. As Father Johnson is more senior in terms of rank and years I offered to carry his bags to the area where they were to vest later, and we all headed through the chapel and down the stairs to the Broadbent Room, which served as both vestry and the meeting room for the Synod slightly later.

A few others arrived, and so did the Bishop, Roy, Margaret and Laurence. A few of us helped to unload the car, which was somewhat packed to say the least! It was then a case of starting to set up the chapel, which included making some adjustments to the altar rails and moving some chairs. The altar was prepared, after several of us cast our eye upon it, trying to ensure that it was level.

I wnet back down to the Broadbent Room to see what else I could do and there I found Father Michael trying to gain access to his padlocked suitcase. The key had snapped in the lock, so there was a problem. Someone was sent to hunt for either a pair of pliers or a screwdriver, when I thought that I would try something. I took two coins from my pocket and created a kind of pincer, then after 2 or 3 attempts I managed to extract the broken piece of the key, much to Father Michael's relief as he actually had a spare key. Thus, he managed to open the case.

I went back up to the chapel and helped Margaret and Laurence put the gift aid envelopes in the order of service booklets. All this time more people were arriving and the choir were practicing, which sounded rather good! Roy then collared me, and gave me his camera...I therefore became chief photographer...hopefully the photos which I managed to take are ok.

Before mass, Pauline Clothier, wife of Father Deacon Michael Clothier, was received into the ACC.

Also the service today included the ordination of (now) Father Deacon Howard Marsh. It was an honour of mine to be able such a service, and I wish Father Howard every best wish for the future.

After mass we broke for lunch.

After lunch it was time for the Synod.

Various things happened during the Synod, which mainly included listening, proposing, seconding and voting. I think the most notable thing was the acceptance of the Canons for the Diocese of the United Kingdom. These have been being prepared, revised, etc for quite some time, and much thanks must be expressed to Father Raymond Thompson for his hard work in this area. I'm sure that he will be relieved that they have been approved...I think the Bishop (and many others) are certainly relieved!!!

There were a couple of elections. Roy and Richard Mann volunteered to serve on the Council of Advice. I was tempted to volunteer, but thought that I might be too unskilled in church business to be of use, and as there were 2 volunteers and 2 posts then that problem was solved. They now have to decide between them as to who will serve the 3 year period and who will serve the 2 year period. One of these vacancies was created by the fact that Father Howard has been ordained, as he previously served in the House of Laity. Upon ordaination he can no longer serve in this House, instead becoming a member of the House of Clergy.

Various officers were appointed by the Bishop, and I believe that these were all the same as last year.

During the Synod Bishop Damien presented 'The Bishops Award for Exemplary Lay Service to the Church'. This year's receipiant was Mrs Pat Johnson, wife of Father Charles Johnson.

After much discussion with regard to proposed dates for CoA (Council of Advice) meetings and the date for Synod next year, this year's Synod was brought to a close.

It was then time to pack away, and help load the car. Once this was done we said our goodbyes, and I headed off to the train station whilst the Bishop, Roy, Margaret and Laurence drove off into the sunset....well, Canterbury...and it wasn't the sunset, as the sun was still shining!!

All in all it was a most enjoyable day, and I am really pleased to have been able to play a little part in the future of our church. It may have been my first Synod, but I have no doubt that it will not be my last!

I will not be at church tomorrow as my father-in-law is due to come out of hospital, and so I will be duty chauffeur. I will be back on Wednesday though.

Until then..................

Sky's the limit!!!

2010-04-21T21:20:00.002+01:00

Finally I'm back online! I have had some problems with my broadband since Sunday evening, the problem being that there seemed to be no connection, my wireless router was deteceting several networks, the problem being that none of them were mine!

Several telephone calls to Sky and their technical team, and they were still telling me to reset my router....for the 400th time! I finally managed to speak to someone in the technical solutions team who said that they would arrange for an OpenReach engineer to come out. Well, they turned up today and solved the problem...but now the caller id on our home phone displays but omits the first digit. I even dialled 1471 and the network message tells me the last number which called, but also omits the first digit...very strange!

Anyway, more calls to Sky, and yet more conversations with their 'lack of knowledge technical team'...and I managed to achieve nothing! Only to be passed through to the technical solutions people who said "leave it with us and we'll sort it out", no explanation as to when though...I give up!!!!!!

Enough ranting....onto the other stuff.

Last Sunday was Easter 2, also known as Good Shepherd Sunday. The Bishop's sermon made great emphasis that we, as humans, are very much like sheep. I don't think that it means that we taste good with mint sauce! it means that we have to be led, guided, herded and protected, otherwise we can get 'lost'. We are also subject to potential danger and attack, namely from the Devil. Sheep are also prone to attack, namely by foxes. The devil is very much like a fox, cunning and sly, he will use every trick in the book to get what he wants, so we have to be one step ahead of himm all of the time. As 'sheep' we can do this by doing as our shepherd says, never letting the shepherd out of our sight. Who is our shepherd? You've guessed it...Our Lord!! He is the shepherd that promises to look after and protect his flock, we just have to promise to follow him and trust him. I'm following my shepherd, because I don't fancy getting attacked by the fox...are you in the flock or out to graze on your own constantly worried about when and how the fox will get you?

We also had two new faces in church today. They were a couple of young guys, they were there for the entire service but left afterwards, so didn't stay for tea & coffee. Hopefully they'll be back soon, and maybe we can get to speak to them and let them know that we don't bite...simply because sheep don't have a particualrly good bite!!!

The Bishop also gave me a gift. It was another book about learning to serve at the altar. There is a lot of Latin in it, but it lays out how things should be done. It is actually very well written and it's in an easy to read style (excluding the Latin!!).

Nothing exciting has happened over the last couple of days, so I can quickly move on to today's events.

It was mass at 12 noon today. This gave me time to pop into town with my wife before I caught the train to Canterbury. We needed to get a birthday card for Ethan, as he will be 5 on Saturday, which is also the day of the Diocesan Synod.

Today was also the day that my father-in-law had his second operation at Kings College Hospital in London. It went well, and he is recovering well, apart from having a sore throat as a result of the anaesthetic equipment I believe.

Mass went well today and afterwards we had tea and coffee as usual.

The Bishop and I had lunch together today as we had some things to chat about, including me asking for directions to Synod, as I have agreed to get there a little earlier to help set up.

After lunch we went for a short walk and then said our farewells until Saturday.

I walked back to the station with the intention of catching the train due at 16.35hrs, but this was cancelled. So I had to wait for the next one which was due at 17.04hrs, but arrived at 17.10hrs. I found out that the delays and cancellations were due to an incident in the Orpington area. Sadly there ahd been a fatality on the line. A person was hit by a train at about 14.30hrs, this is what is known as a 'one under'. Police are not treating it as suspicious. 'Rest eternal grant unto them O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them'. My thoughts and prayers are not only with the loved ones of the person, but also with the driver of the train, who I know will be going through a very tough time right now.

Lots of people were complaining about the delays, it saddens me that they can't understand the bigger picture.

Depending on what time that I get home on Saturday then I may get an update on here about my first Synod! I'm actually quite looking forward to it. It will also give me a chnace to meet some of the others within our church, both members and clergy. I'll be able to put some faces to names!

Of course any update will be subject to Sky!!

Fratus tuus in Christo.

That's Latin for.................answers on a postcard please!! A free cup of tea and a biscuit after mass awaits the first person with the correct answer...but to claim your prize you'll have to attend church!!

Getting there....at last!!

2010-04-14T21:07:00.003+01:00

Wednesday's blog, and it's Wednesday....I bet that you're impressed!!

It has been quite an eventful day. Firstly, my father-in-law, John, had neurosurgery today at Kings College in London and I'm pleased to say that it went well and he is now recovering. The operation took just under 7 hours and there were no complications. He is currently in the HDU (High Dependency Unit), this is standard practice following such surgery and is just to monitor him for a while, mainly to make sure that there is not too much swelling and no post-op bleeding.

In 4-5 days time he will have a second operation, which is less complex and is not on the brain...but in the meantime he has been chatting and eating, so this is good!

Ethan, my son, had an appointment today at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford to have a multi-disciplinary assessment carried out to establish whether or not he has ASD (autism). It was a long process today, which just adds on to the fact that it has been a very long journey trying to get to this assessment stage.

To cut a long story short the verdict at the end of today's appointment was that Ethan does have ASD, however, it is at the more mild end of the spectrum. Their overall opinion is that this will not have too much of a major impact on his future life. The main issues are social, both interaction and understanding, and things such as motor skills development, etc. He also has speech and language problems, which is part of it. His speech and language problems have previously been diagnosed as severe language delay. It would seem that it many developmental areas he is between 1 and 2 years behind the average for his age. However, in terms of brains, in skills such as reasoning he is well above average. This is often the case for those with ASD.

He will now receive more occupational and speech therapy and we will receive additional support in helping to manage his condition. Now that Ethan has this 'label' it will be easier (not easy though) to access some of the resources that, until now, have been unavailable to us.

I have been praying for an answer to Ethan's problems for a long time...and I finally feel that my prayers have been answered. It feels as if a huge weight has been lifted off of both mine and Debbie's (my wife) shoulders.

We are now on the path and the gate is finally unlocked so that we can begin walking, although only time will tell how long exactly that walk will be.

Back to church on Sunday, so until then...I'll start walking!!!

Still on a high but it's actually a Low!

2010-04-12T22:26:00.003+01:00

I know...it's a day late...got in late last night and was a bit too tired to write anything then.

Anyway, yesterday, Sunday 11th April 2010, was Low Sunday. It is the first Sunday after Easter and is so called Low Sunday because it follows the 'high' of Easter.

Christians are very much an Easter people and the height of the Eastertide period is obviously Easter Day, however, as with all major Christian feasts their is a period following the main event where celebrations continue. It good be said that we are constantly celebrating Easter, in fact every Sunday is like a mini-Easter in particular...does this mean that we can have Easter eggs every Sunday???? I'll have to check with Bishop Damien!!!

Yesterday was a little quieter in church, so in a way it seemed quite fitting that it was Low Sunday. I should imagine that many churches are similar, lots of people turning up for the main event then fading away afterwards. I know that Mike and Nicole (our American friends have a valid excuse), but it would be nice to see a few more people following the course so to speak. Maybe we should introduce a loyalty card scheme, after all it works for the likes of Tesco!!! Not sure what we could give away though...maybe a small bottle of Holy water on every 10th visit. Mind you we do offer a direct line to God, quality worship and friendship, so maybe we don't need any over reward system...and don't forget the tea, coffee and biscuits!

Bishop Damien was talking to me after mass about getting me trained as an Altar Server. This will be good as it will kind of be the next step in my journey, and I think will give me a good basis for following my calling. Obviously I have a long way to go, including formally applying for Holy Orders and being approved by the Board of Ministry, but I pray every day that this will become a reality. I only hope that when the right time approaches that the Board approve me, with the guidance of God of course.

I've got quite a week ahead of me now. Tomorrow (Tuesday), my father-in-law goes into Kings College Hospital in London as he is to have neurosurgery on Wednesday to help treat/control his Parkinsons Disease. The first part of the operation which entails putting some sort of implant into the brain takes 7 hours and has to be done whilst he is awake. A few days later another operation is needed to put another implant into the chest, this one controls/sends signals to the one in the brain and should result in control of the shaking associated with the disease. My father-in-law is getting quite nervous and worried now, so can I ask anyone reading this to please pray for him (john) and his wife Ann.

Also on Wednesday my son has got to go to hospital to have a special multi-disciplinary assessment to try to establish whether or not he has autism (ASD), and if so, to what extent. We have been in a battle with the system to get to this stage for about 2 years. ASD in this country seems to be widely ignored by the healthcare system, yet early diagnosis is key to successful management and necessary to try and prevent associated problems as the sufferer gets older. Hopefully we will get an answer on the day. So please also pray for Ethan...thanks!

So, needless to say I wont be in church on Wednesday, but I will try and post something on here to let you know how the day has gone.

Well, that's about it for now, as I must get some sleep, as I have to be up early for work in the morning.

Until next time...I think I might just have a little Easter egg before bed...too late, I think my daughter has eaten all of hers AND MINE!!

What a week!! Alleluia...Christ has risen!

2010-04-04T20:28:00.007+01:00

I know that I said that I would post again last Wednesday, but I do have a kind of excuse as to why that didn't happen.

Thanks to Sky, my broadband connection was not, shall we say, connected! It has a habit of playing up every now and again, which results in me phoning Sky every so often, threatening to leave them and them offering me some mad deal to stay. As a rule this happens every 3 or so months. If you are ever having problems with Sky just telephone their customer services team, say that you are thinking of leaving and ask to be put through to the 'Turnaround Team'. Their job is to get you to stay and it really is quite good what they can offer. If your Sky box ever goes wrong and is outside of warranty do not pay for an engineer visit, just phone them and say you'll leave, and guess what? That's right, they'll send an engineer (and replace your box) for free!! Don't be afriad to ask what they will do to keep you as a customer!

Anyway, Wednesday was church as usual, nothing out of the ordinary, except of course, that it was Holy Week. After mass we had Stations of the Cross, bidded our farewells and went on our ways.

Thursday was Maundy Thursday. This was the day that the Lord had the Last Supper with His disciples. This was also the day that Judas betrayed him, which led to his arrest. It was also the day that Peter denied knowing Christ three times before the cock crowed. It was the Last Supper that laid down the foundations for Holy Communion, when we share in the body and blood of Christ.

There was a church service at 7pm, so I arranged to finish work a little earlier to ensure that I would be able to attend. The service itself provoked much thought in me, I found it quite moving. Towards the end of the service the blessed sacrament is taken to the area which was specially set up, known as the Garden (or altar) of Repose. This is to represent the garden in which Christ was when he was arrested. The idea of this is to provide a kind of focus point for us to be able to feel even closer to Christ, and to be able to concentrate, meditate or just simply think about the sacrifice that he was to make for us.

I found this very moving, and in a strange way I could almost sense his pain. Not the actual pain of his crucifixtion, but the emotional pain that he must have experienced, knowing what was to come. I am not afraid of dying, what I am afraid of is the physical pain that may be part of that process. I get somewhat uncomfortable if I know that I have got to have an injection, so the anticipation of pain to come is something that I can associate with and in no way relish! When lloking at the Garden of Repose I was certainly experiencing that emotional pain of things to come...and I'll be honest...it hurt. Not in the physical way of course, but in my mind, my heart and my soul. Jesus did this for me and for you and for everyone. I think that you'll agree, it makes our own personal problems seem rather insignificant!

We each left in silence when we felt ready to go. Outside of the church into the hustle and bustle of Canterbury at night. Everyone carrying on as normal, to me it just didn't seem right somehow.

The next day was Good Friday. I took a day off of work so that i could attend church. Fair enough I lost a day's money, but this sacrifice of mine was nothing compared to the sacrifice that Jesus made for me! The service was different to those that I had previously experienced, but of course I had never been to church on Good Friday before. This was the day that Christ was crucified for us, he gave his life so that we may be saved. The service was strange in a way, it was sombre, but also rather uplifting. This may not make much sense to you reading this, but to me it makes perfect sense.

After the service we had the usual tea, coffee and chat.

Saturday evening was the Vigil. I was unable to attend this due to work, but I really wanted to be able to be there. Sadly, if I don't work then I don't earn any money, so I can't always do what I really want to do.

Sunday....Easter Day....Alleluia....Christ has risen!

So, that is today. It has been a big day for me in two ways. Firstly, it being Easter Day is a real cause for celebration!! Christ rose from the tomb after the third day! It was also today that I was confirmed.

Debbie (my wife) came with me to church today to witness me being confirmed, I was pleased that she agreed to be part of this important day to me!

Before mass, Margaret was formally received into the ACC which was great. Then the service started and Jennifer, Laurence and I were confirmed. It seemed to go without a hitch, and yes, we did each receive the slap on the face! Thankfully I don't think the Bishop had his weetabix this morning, as the slap was very gentle!!

We then continued with mass and us newly confirmed all received Holy Communion today!! To me it is very symbolic that I should be confirmed on Easter Day, as it was the day that Christ rose again and to be represents a new chapter in my life, the beginning of the next stage in my spiritual development.

There were quite a few people in church today, including two ACC members from America (living in Germany at the moment), who are in Canterbury on holiday and have therefore joined us for services throughout Holy Week. It was great to meet them and talk with them both. I hope to see them again sometime and will include them (Mike and Nicole) in my prayers. Mike is in the US Army, so I particularly pray that he remain safe thoughout his career, escpecially in light of the current problems in the world.

After mass we had tea, coffee, bisuits, bucks fizz, simnel cake, chocolate bunnies and creme eggs...I think that was about it!!! It was like a little party, the only thing missing was the party hats and the streamers!!

Debbie said to me that she liked everyone, she particualrly liked the Bishop, saying how 'normal' he seemed...I don't quite know what she was expecting. She also commented that she liked his sermon, although she felt that the service was rather long. I've now got her through the door once, so maybe again one day!!!!!!

After we left church I took Debbie for lunch at a local Indian restaurant. It was rather tasty...I think that I shall definately go there again, maybe I'll even take Debbie with me!

After that we caught the train back to Headcorn and drove to Smarden, which is where Debbie's parents live, as they were looking after the little urchins!!

There will be no mass on Wednesday, so i doubt that there will be any posting on here, but you never know what will happen over the next couple of days. Something may happen to inspire me to write something. If not it will be next Sunday that I'll write soemthing else.

Below is a photo of the three of us who were confirmed, together with the Bishop.

Left to Right: Laurence, Jennifer, Rt Revd Damien Mead (Bishop) and finally, me! Until next time...HAPPY EASTER!

Don't drop the chalice!

2010-03-29T20:45:00.002+01:00

Sorry for being a day late, only yesterday evening I was a little busy helping a friend who has just moved house, so by the time that I finally got home I practically dropped straight to sleep!

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, which is the Sunday before Easter Day, and therefore makes it just one week now until my confirmation.

Mass yesterday was slightly different to normal. At the start Bishop Damien blessed the Palm crosses and then we all took turns to approach him and receive one. Traditionally there would be some form of procession, but as our church is small the layout does not really permit this, so instead our procession was a spiritual one, this in no way reduces the meaning of it.

There was no sermon, as the service itself includes several additions to the standard mass service, including the reading of the Passion of Christ, which I found to be quite moving indeed, not by how Bishop Damien read it (although he is a pleasure to listen to), but by the actual words...in my opinion a very powerful piece of scripture.

We were also joined by another visitor, who joined us a little way into the service. I believe that I am right in saying that he was from the Society of Pius X. After the service he stayed for tea, introduced himself and explained that he was visiting a few churches in the area seeking some help towards a homeless project. He was not after money, instead just somewhere that the project could meet every so often, provide refreshments (such as soup) and offer facilities to chat, etc.

Bishop Damien and Jennifer were able to offer some suggestions to him, as to places that may be available and suitable. He commented on how impressed he was with our mass and said that he would keep in touch and visit again in the future. I pray that he is able to find a suitable place for the project.

After tea and coffee and a short break it was time for the confirmation class. This week it was 2in1, as last week's was cancelled. The first part was about living life as an apostle, and as usual, I found it interesting. The second part was about the confirmation service itself.

We discussed what will happen....if all goes according to plan! The Bishop explained that he would slap our faces, he seemed rather pleased with this prospect!!!! He also told us about the importance and significance of the host and wine. He explained that when consecrated that they are the most important things within the church and how importnat it is to take great care of them.

With this in mind he explained to us how we should receive communion, and how we should take great care not to spill the body or blood of Christ. He also explained what should happen should any incidents occur at any time that we are receiving communion...hence the blog title for this posting! I have to say I am a little nervous about next week, i don't want to make any mistakes.

Well, that's about all for today...I'll post again on Wednesday. Bye for now.

I'm back!

2010-03-24T19:48:00.003Z

I know that it's been just over a week since my last post, but I do have a couple of excuses.

Firstly, there was no posting last Wednesday (St Patricks Day) as I was out of the country. My family and I went to Disneyland Paris for 3 days and had a great time! We travelled there by Eurostar, and I have to say that I am impressed, as it arrived on time and without even breaking down...what will this do to their reputation I wonder. Disneyland itself was great, and we were lucky enough to have lovely weather whilst we were there. Even the queues weren't too bad either.

We met all of the main characters, but the highlight was when we went looking for Woody (from Toy Story), as Ethan (our son), is a big fan. We went to Woody's Round Up Village and he was there with Jesse. Ethan's excited face was a picture, and it made a great photo when he was with them both.

Overall it was a great break...spent too much money though...but no doubt we will return again one day!

There was no posting last Sunday as I wasn't at church, instead spending the day at home, or rather in my bathroom...you've guessed it...not very well...must be that French cooking!!!!!! Luckily I didn't miss out on the confirmation class as the Bishop emailed me slightly later to say that he had cancelled the class as he wasn't feeling too good (bad throat) and thought it wise to preserve his voice for mass in Rochester later that afternoon.

So, today, it was back to church. I drove to Canterbury today, as after church I had to see a doctor about a finger...more on that later. I parked at the Wincheap Park & Ride. The Canterbury Park & Ride service is really good, it's very efficient, simple to use and great value for money at just £2.50 per car, no matter how long you're there! The buses are clean, frequent and in a few minutes you arrive at the bus station in Canterbury. Canterbury city council deserve a pat on the back for this service, I'm sure many other cities/towns could learn from them!

the church looked slightly different today from when I last saw it. We are now in the period of lent where traditionally things in the church such as the crucifix, cross and statues are drapped in purple, representing a very sombre time building up to Good Friday, when of course, Jesus gave his life for us all.

After the service today we had tea and coffee as normal. I was unable to stay for Stations of the Cross as I had to go in order to get my finger checked.

I've had some problems with one of my fingers for about 3 years now. As a result I have had numerous operations and have significant nerve damage and disfiguration to it. It is hyper-sensitive and often causes me a lot of discomfort to say the least!

Today I had an appointment to see a doctor/surgeon with regard to which step to take next with it. There seems to be a couple of options really. One is to remove the nerve totally, which should mean that I would have no feeling at all on the affected side of the finger. The other option may be to lose part of the finger...I'm not so keen on this idea, but if it would end the other problems then maybe it is a realistic option.

To save me having to keep travelling to East Grinstead I have now been referred to a specialist hand surgeon closer to me and I am due to see him on 12th May 2010. He may decide which option would be best, or he may even have another idea...I'll let you know!

Anyway, that's all for now. I'll post again on Sunday, until then...Mickey Mouse says "Hiya Pal"!

We need more chocolate biscuits (the posh Oxfam ones)!

2010-03-10T21:14:00.002Z

Another Wednesday has arrived, actually as I write this it is nearly over, so technically I should be saying 'another Wednesday has nearly gone'!

No major events to report on from this morning, no haircut at a Turkish barbers, however I did have to pop into the ever-exciting Ashford town centre this morning as I was hunting for a birthday card for Laurence and a Mothering Sunday card for my wife (from the kids of course). I got the birthday card, but totally forgot about the card for my wife. Oh well...I've got a few days left yet!

The train to Canterbury was slightly late this morning, but I arrived in Canterbury with plenty of time to spare before mass at 12pm. It was very busy in Canterbury today, plenty of tourists, etc.

At church today I met another new face, this time in the form of Danny, he normally attends our church in Rochester and is the brother of Colin who I met a couple of weeks ago.

Margaret was looking a lot better today, and she said that she feels a lot better, so this is good news and obviously proof that the healing service worked. It also meant that she felt able to resume her role of chief tea maker...she is far better at it than Laurence or I!!!

Talking of tea, I noticed that the chocolate biscuits have vanished. I'll have to confess here and say that I was responsible for the destruction of one of the last remaining two when the biscuit jar was produced this morning. Sadly Roy wasn't at church today...so if you're reading this Roy then the chocolate ones are better than the ginger ones (hint, hint), and I'm not talking about labradors here!!

In Sunday's blog I mentioned Stirling Moss...maybe I shouldn't have mentioned him, because one mention in my blog and he injured himself....coincidence I'm sure, but I pray that he quickly recovers (at least he wont be driving rail replacement buses for a while though!!!!!!).

I couldn't stay for Stations of the Cross today as I had to get home in time to collect my son from school with my wife and daughter and take him to his hospital appointment to check that his eyes are doing what they should be when he wears his glasses. He passed the tests with flying colours, and he scored far better than last time, so that is good news.

On Sunday it is mass at 11am followed by the 4th in the series of our confirmation classes. So I'll try and post again later that evening.

Until then I think I'll just have a cuppa and a biscuit....wait a minute, there is a problem....no chocolate biscuits, but, I've just found some custard creams....now they are proper dunking biscuits..................

Is it a plane...is it a train...no...it's a bus!

2010-03-07T20:13:00.002Z

Hello yet again, it's good to know that the rail service has returned to normal after the problems last Wednesday, so that is a return to delays and lack of information, etc.

Every time I need to get the train to Canterbury I always check with National Rail Enquiries, to check about delays and things like that. As usual I checked this morning only to establish that there were no reported problems. Debbie dropped me off at Ashford station, and we both noticed that there seemed to be a rather large amount of buses/coaches at the station...I should have spotted the signs I suppose!

I went into the station, only to find out that the service to Canterbury West had been replaced by a replacement bus service, and as such a different timetable was operating, and I had just missed the one to Canterbury! Next one in 40 minutes time, meaning that I would be late for mass.

Instead I managed to convince my grumbling wife (who was waiting in the car, just in case) to drive me to Canterbury...believe me she can moan!!!!! Anyway, she dropped me off in Canterbury in plenty of time.

Mass today was at the normal Sunday time of 11am, and it went well. Today is Lent 3.
It was also the 3rd in the series of confirmation classes in which we discussed being members of Jesus' church.

The Bishop's sermon today followed on from last week's...the devil was mentioned once or one hundred times!! Today it was said that Christ is far more powerful than the devil, and therefore by following Christ we can beat the devil and in the process cause Satan some pain. The bishop said that he does not want to cause God any pain but would quite like to cause the devil some pain. If they were ever to have a boxing match then I'd put a tenner on the Bishop to win! Christ has already defeated the devil, and with the help of Our Lord then we can also beat him, so with this in mind then maybe we should be backing ourselves to win. I for one know which team that I want to be a part of for the rest of my life (and forever) and that is TEAM GOD!! Why don't you join me!

After the service it was time for tea and coffee, luckily we had some milk this time, so normal tea drinking could resume, together with a sampling of the Oxfam biscuits!! Magaret normally makes the drinks (and a great job she does), but unfortunately her leg is giving her some grief at the moment, so she was sitting and resting it and her husband Laurence adopted the task...he did a pretty good job. Better than my attempt last Wednesday! I hope that Magaret is feeling better soon, as it was obvious to see that she is experiencing quite a bit of discomfort. I'll be sure to include her in my prayers.

Neraly forgot to mention, at the end of mass today was our monthly healing service, I pray that those who received healing today soon experience it's benefits.

The Bishop had to leave after the confirmation class today as he was travelling to Rochester to say mass there in Father Ray's absence. I pray that Father Ray's recovery continues, and with each day he gets better and better.

My journey home today involved a bus journey from Canterbury, which meant travelling on a bright yellow coach with none other than Stirling Moss at the wheel. The ride itself was akin to a roller coaster ride, speed, sharp turns and sudden braking...I think that you get the picture. The last time that I experienced a journey like that was at Thorpe Park! Still we all survived, but I am sure that I actually saw people kissing the ground when we alighted at Ashford!

That's all until Wednesday...until then if you see a big yellow coach, then just walk instead!

The 10:03 service is currently running 77 minutes late!

2010-03-03T19:38:00.003Z

Today was a Requiem Mass for The Venerable Joseph DeHart, Archdeacon of the Dicoese of the MidWest in the USA. He recently entered eternal rest following an illness. My thoughts and prayers are very much with his family, friends and his parish at this time.

Whilst I did not know Father DeHart, I have taken the opportunity to learn a little about him, both through the internet and by talking to Bishop Damien (he and Father DeHart were good friends). From what I can understand Father DeHart was a very good priest, friend to many and a very loveable character. I know that he will be missed very much by everyone that knew him, and his passing is a great loss to the ACC. On the plus side I have no doubt that he will now be continuing his work, from a higher office! I hope that his family and friends can take comfort in the fact that he is now with Our Lord where he shall have everlasting life.

Mass today was at 12pm, and as a mark of respect I even wore a shirt and black tie, having to purchase one especially. I even managed to tie a windsor knot (following dirctions found on google!).

I arrived at Ashford station with the intention of catching the 11:03 service to Canterbury West. However (here we go), there was a problem...the network was doomed! There was a fire in the London Bridge area which was causing untold problems on the line, everything being diverted into London Victoria. This in itself was having a major impact as London Victoria is normally packed with it's own trains let alone those for Charing Cross and Cannon Street. This meant delays...and severe ones at that!

The display at the station said that the 11:03 was running on time.....yeah, right! At 11:20 it had still not arrived, despite the display still having it as running on time. The there was an announcement which went something like this, "the 10:03 service to Ramsgate is delayed by 77 minutes. SouthEastern apologise for this delay and for any inconvenience caused". That's right....the 10:03 had not even arrived yet, so I guessed that I had no chsnce of catching the 11:03 and arriving in Canterbury in time to be at church for 12pm! Luckily the 10:03 did arrive...79 minutes late...and I did arrive in Canterbury in time.

The Requiem Mass was slightly different to a normal Mass, so that is something else that I have now experienced which I have not done so before.

After the service we had the normal tea and coffee...well actually just coffee today as we had no fresh milk, and coffee mate doen't work quite so well with tea!

It is Bishop Damien's birthday tomorrow, so I gave him a card and small gift, which he was pleased with. He claims that he will be 83, personally I don't think that he looks a day over 75!!! (Sorry Bishop....couldn't resist)!!!

At 2pm we had 'Stations of the Cross'. After this we said our farewells and went on our seperate ways.

The journey back by train was uneventful and on time. This time I caught the 15:25 High Speed service from Canterbury West, it arrived at 15:42 (right on time) at Ashford...nothing else to say about that really.

I'll try to update again on Sunday, but just in case I can't then I'd like to apologise for the delay and for any inconvenience it may cause!!

Forget the umbrella....where did I put my snorkel??

2010-02-28T20:58:00.002Z

Hello again...and what a wet Sunday it has been, in fact, as I write this it has just started to rain heavily again. The forcasters did say that it would be very wet and very windy today...they were half right! Wind wise, it has not been that bad, but the rain has made up for it.

On my train journey today I wasn't surprised to see quite a bit of flooding between Ashford and Canterbury. It did make me reflect though at how lucky we actually are in our part of the world when you consider the floods and other natural disasters that affect other countries. The recent earthquake in Chile was a strong one and sadly many people have lost their lives. It really makes you appreciate what we have.

Today is Lent 2 (the second Sunday in Lent)...no prizes for guessing what next Sunday is!

In church today we were joined by two new faces. It was encouraging to see them, they had a very good 'working knowledge' of the way that we do things. The Bishop knows them I think, as they have some connection with a retired priest that he knows from another church (not ACC). They live in Deal, so not too far in the grand scheme of things. Let's hope that we see them again soon.

The sermon today was very much a continuation from last Sunday's sermon, and was again focused on the Devil and how we must not give anything to him. God will only take what we give him, and not an ounce more. Just for the record I would like to say that in my opinion we should give God our all, this goes back to something the Bishop has previously said about putting God first! However, with the Devil, if you give him the slightest thing then he will want it all and more, and then even more. He will not be satisfied until he has everything and has destroyed you.

God demands nothing, expects nothing, yet is prepared to offer and give all. What does the devil offer? Hassle, grief and misery! With God you can give Him what you want to give, what you are able to give...I know what team I'm playing for, what team do you want to be in?

If you have genuine faith and belief in the Lord then you will receive everything that the Lord has to give and more.

Today was also the second class in our series of confirmation classes. Today we discussed the Holy Spirit, also known as the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit is a very powerful thing indeed! As christians it gives us guidance in many, many ways and certainly forms a very important part of a church. The Holy Spirit often works through the church, through priests, deacons, lay people and indeed through the church members themselves. I kind of see the Holy Spirit as a bit of a 'guiding light' amongst other things, sort of directing me in certain matters. Having discussed the Holy Spirit today I have been able to think about certain events in my life and actually realise now that the Holy Spirit must have been at work. It's a little scary in a way, but in another way, very exciting...more and more is starting to make sense to me in my journey!

It's time to go now. It's still raining so I think I might have a look on eBay for a boat...at least I can guarantee getting to Canterbury on Wednesday then, as there seems to be no sign of a let up in the weather. We'll probably still have a water shortage and a hosepipe ban this year though!

Now where did I put my snorkel, mask and fins.......................

Come in, come in....there's room for you all!

2010-02-24T18:33:00.003Z

Another blog posting on time....what is this going to do for my reputation? At this rate I think that I am likely to be offered a job on the Swiss railway, after all, they are renowned for their superb time keeping abilities!

It was time to visit the barbers again this morning before going to Canterbury. I decided to try a Turkish barbers in Castle Street in Ashford (near the tank to any locals) called Koko. I have to say that they have done a pretty good job. I don't know what it is about the Turkish, but give them a razor and away they go. Nice clean lines and an even finish....listen to me....I sound like a cross between Nicky Clarke and Jason Gardiner!! They are about the best barbers that I have found in Ashford, so I'll be using them again.

I also dug out my suit from the wardrobe and took it to the dry cleaners....how much to clean a suit???????????????? I only wanted to have it cleaned and pressed, I didn't want to actually buy the place! Still, it will be ready for my confirmation, so at least I should look smart. As a rule I hate wearing ties...but I suppose I'll make the exception then.

There were a few more faces at church today. Firstly their was a guy called Colin, his brother goes to Our Lady of Walsingham & St Francis, which is our church in Rochester. Colin came along today with another gentleman whose name I can't remember (sorry).

We also attracted 3 other people. Two were together and initially came in to have a look at our little church and they decided to stay for mass. The third lady who came in said that she is becoming disillusioned with the Church of England, and is therefore possibly looking for something else. They are all welcome, and we hope that they will return again.

Of course, many people are becoming disillusioned with the CofE, this can be for a wide range of reasons, the most common does seem to be the issue of women priests though. The ACC does not have women priests, and therefore this makes us a possible alternative. many people believe that the only available alternative to the Anglican church (CofE, etc) is the Roman Catholic church. This is not the case. The ACC is a kind of mix between the two, and I believe a very REAL alternative and a great church to be part of.

We are very small in this country at the moment, but we really do have something great to offer. Everyone is welcome regardless of age, gender or colour. All we ask of you is to come in through the door. There will be no pressure, no uneasiness, just a warm and genuine welcome. What's more is that if you stick around after mass then we'll even through in a free cup of tea or coffee, and maybe even a biscuit or two...if you're really lucky and Roy has purcahsed them then they may even be the particularly tasty fairtrade chocolate biscuits. I think that they are from Oxfam...and no...they are not secondhand before anyone makes that comment!!

After mass today I mentioned to Bishop Damien that I want to get hold of a crucifix to put on my wall at home, and so I asked him where I could buy one. He told me that there is a Catholic shop near St Thomas Catholic Church, and he believed that they were open as we spoke. Off I trotted and arrived at the shop. Despite the opening hours sign advising that the shop was open at the time of my arrival....it was not, the shop was closed....all that walking for nothing! Instead I decided to use the internet when I arrived home. I have now ordered an olive wood crucifix made in the Holy Land, according the the description it is the '14 stations type', so-called because it is crafted out of 14 pieces of olive wood. When it arrives I'll take it to church and ask the Bishop to bless it. I'll then have fun hanging it from on my wall at home....I live in a new build house, with plasterboard walls, any diy-er will know what I mean here!! Now where did I put the buildings insurance policy???

This coming Sunday will be the second Sunday in Lent....so that must make it Lent 2, I really should be a detective with skills like that! It will also be class two of the confirmation classes.

So, in case you're thinking of coming along to find out what we're about here is a summary for you for the next week:

Sunday - Mass at 11am - Followed by tea & coffee (oh, and Roy, we need more biscuits!) - Followed by confirmation class 2 at 1.30pm.

Wednesday - Mass at 12pm - Followed by tea & coffee - Followed by Stations of the Cross at 2pm (I think that's right, the Bishop will correct me if I'm wrong!!)

Take care...................

Tempted?

2010-02-21T21:04:00.002Z

I think that I should give myself a pat on the back...why?...Because it is Sunday and I am writing today's blog...on time!

Today's journey to Canterbury was fairly uneventful with the exception that the train driver stopped at Chilham station, even though he was not meant to. It's not very reassuring when the driver is unable to read the timetable/running schedule, it kind of makes one wonder if he can actually see a red light...still we all arrived in Canterbury in one piece...maybe he should go to Specsavers (just to be sure)!!

It is Lent 1 today, that being the first Sunday in Lent. It is also the first day of my confirmation classes, more on that later.

The order of the day in Canterbury today was cold and wet. However the church was nice and warm, perhaps even too warm! The reason for this is that the church has been decorated recently and the heating had been left on to help the drying process. It is looking quite nice, still a few finishing touches to be made, but so far so good. The ceiling above the altar is now a nice blue colour.

In today's sermon the Bishop was talking about temptations and how important it is to avoid them. By this he did not mean avoiding the temptation of a biscuit if you are meant to be on a diet. But avoiding the temptations that are presented to us a christians. These temptations are often made by the devil or his associates, although it may not be blatantly obvious to us that it is the work of the devil. He can me sneeky and very subtle when he wants to be. He will try anything just to get a 'foothold' in us.

When Jesus went into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights the devil tried everything to tempt him, but he resisted. The devil tried to trick him, but Jesus was one step ahead of the devil and he had an answer to everything the devil said. Eventually the devil realised that his attempts to tempt Jesus were futile and so he left him.

We must be strong like Our Lord and resist the temptations and tricks. If we do this then the devil will realise that his efforts on us are futile and so he will leave us alone aswell. We must not let him get that 'foothold'. It reminds me of the saying 'give an inch and they will take a mile'...so don't give that inch to the devil, because he will then take everything!

It was the first of my confirmation classes today and it went well I thought. We discussed the name of Jesus and the other names by which he is known. We also discussed how Jesus implied that he was/is god without actually saying "I am God". He often said "I am", which I learnt means the same thing, although taken at face value it would be difficult to understand what he was saying by this. When reading the bible you have to look deeper than just the printed and actual words. Today's class helped me to understand that a little better.

Next Sunday is class 2...and with it a little more understanding I hope.

Until then I am going to try and resist temptations....but do I want a chocolate biscuit? Don't tempt me!!

Lent is here!

2010-02-18T20:57:00.002Z

This is my blog update for Wednesday...and yes, I do know that today is actually Thursday!

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, which is the start of Lent. That means that we are now in the preperation period for Easter. Easter does not just mean that it is the time when we get to eat Easter eggs...there is a far more important meaning behind it, and that is that Christ gave his life for us all, and on Easter Day he rose from the dead.

The whole Lent period is the lead up to this important event, and as Christians we 'travel' with Christ throughout Lent on his journey leading up to his crucifixtion on Good Friday.

Lent is quite a sombre time, it is very much a time for thought, for prayer and for contemplation. It really is a great time to re-evaluate ourselves, both as individuals and as Christians, and it is also an ideal time to reaffirm our commitment to God. Remember one of my previous blogs? It is never to late to join the race with the aim of receiving the ultimate prize.

Yesterday I went to church, and as it was Ash Wednesday we had the sign of the cross marked on our heads with ashes. These ashes are obtained by the burning of the crosses from the previous year's Palm Sunday. They are blessed prior to being used on people. This is a very symbolic act, and also leaves a very visible sign of the cross on your forehead....I think Bishop Damien got a little carried away when doing mine!

On Sunday my membership/confirmation classes will be starting, we have no idea how they will pan out, but I am sure that they will be interesting. I'm counting down the days to my confirmation now, which will be on Easter Day.

Roy was acting as Altar Server yesterday, so thankfully was not sitting near me with the bells as he was last Sunday!! He seems to be well on the road to recovery following his operation, he was certainly looking better in himself.

Well, that's about all for now....I'll try and post again on Sunday evening, rather than Monday!

The bathroom is free!

2010-02-14T20:54:00.002Z

It's been over a week since my last update on here, but what a week it has been!

Last Sunday I was hit by some sort of stomach type bug, possibly novo-virus, causing the usual pain and many trips to the bathroom, as a result I was unable to attend church last Sunday. This lasted into Monday and come Tuesday morning I was feeling a lot better, but not quite 100%.

However, early hours of Wednesday morning I woke up and needed the bathroom again...it had come back...with a vengeance!! When I finally managed to go back to bed I was asleep for a while and then awoke to find that my blood sugar level had fallen quite a bit...I was having a hypo, something which I haven't had for ages. To make matters worse I couldn't tolerate the thought of eating or drinking anything, let alone something sugary. Luckily I did manage to drink some lucozade sport drink, so that solved the problem. I then managed to go back to sleep, and between bathroom visits and some sleep I stayed in bed all day. I finally managed a couple of slices of toast at about 8pm that evening, and they stayed down!

Thursday I was running at about 50%, still couldn't eat or drink much, but the day went past without too much of an incident (with the exception of the fairly heavy snow that we had in Ashford and the surrounding area.

Much the same on Friday, except the snow had started to clear.

Saturday was a different story....bad stomach cramps all day (and night), unable to use the bathroom, despite the real urge to do so. I really thought that it was coming back for a third time and was dreading it. What was also annoying me was the fact that I was looking forward to going to church today, and so didn't want those plans dirupted by round three! I got in from work at about 2am this morning and went to bed (still with stomach pains). Luckily I awoke at about 9am and the pain had gone and my relationship with the bathroom appears to be back on an even path!!

So, it was back to church today, which happens to be Quinquagesima Sunday (the last Sunday before lent), it is also St. Valentines Day...I'm sure that I don't need to explain this.

I decided to drive to Canterbury today, nothing exciting happened apart from the fact that I got caught at a red light at some roadworks on the A28...that really was the highlight of the journey! I parked in a public long stay car park in Canterbury and was horrified at the cost...£7 for between 3 and 24 hours...robbery...Canterbury City Council should hang their heads in shame. For up to 3 hours was only £3, so why the huge leap, and why not an option for up to 5 hours perhaps??

Today's service went without too much of a hitch, even though the Bishop didn't have an altar server today. Roy is recovering from his recent operation so is on orders to rest, so he sat at the back of church coughing, etc instead. He did manage to ring the bells a few times though...right in my ear I might add! There is a saying "revenge is sweet"...no, I must behave myself, I am a Christian!!

I shall be back at church on Wednesday (subject to bathroom commitments), and it will be Ash Wednesday...the start of Lent.

Until then...maybe I should buy shares in Andrex...just in case!!!

Anyone got a strepsil?

2010-02-03T18:33:00.002Z

No excitment on the train journey to and from Canterbury today I'm afraid. Still we can't have it all can we?

Mass was at 12 noon today, it being a Wednesday, and today we celebrate the feast of St. Blaise. He is widely known as one of the Holy Helpers, and is popular for blessing ailments of the throat. St. Blaise was a physician and also Bishop of Sebastea. I can tell that those of you reading this are impressed with my knowledge of history! If I am wrong then you can blame wikipedia!

On the feast of St. Blaise a rather strange shaped candle is used to bless peoples throats, I must point out that it is not a lit candle! I did not have my throat blessed as I haven't actually got anything wrong with it at the moment. However, after the blessings took place and we were preparing for Communion I started coughing, having developed a tickly throat. Luckily I had a bottle of water on my person. It makes me wonder whether I should have had my throat blessed anyway...just to be sure...next time I think I will.

After the service today it was the normal tea, coffee and biscuits together with a chat. Margaret was asking the Bishop if Mary, Queen of Scots had a brother, as she did in a film she recently watched...we do engage in some strange and rather random conversations at times! Roy popped out to the local pasty shop and returned with a pasty for himself, some honey roast parsnips (which we helped him eat) and the Bishop's order of a sausage roll.

This afternoon the Bishop was due to visit Father Ray Thompson at home. Father Ray had his operation but has some problems with his voice following it at the moment. The Bishop was to take St. Blaise's candle with him and I pray that the blessing of Father Ray's throat has the desired effect and that his voice is restored soon. Being able to talk properly is something that we take for granted, although I sometimes dream that my wife could remain quiet for a while!!

Anyway, I can't think of much else to write here at the moment, so I'll leave it here and maybe try and do a little studying (children permitting).

I shall be back on Sunday.....now where did I put that cough mixture.....

Tickets Please!

2010-01-31T20:04:00.002Z

It's Sunday again and here I'm back....I'm actually very impressed with myself in keeping my blog updated!

As usual I caught the train to Canterbury. This morning I caught the 10.22 Southeastern High Speed service from Ashford International, which actually departed at 10.21....now I know that they call it the high speed service, but leaving ahead of time, surely that will destroy the railway's reputation!!

Nothing exciting happened on the journey to Canterbury (can't say the same about the journey home, but more on that later).

On arrival at church this morning the usual faces were all there, but there were two extras that I had not seen before. One was Gillian, who I had heard about, but until today, had not met. Due to ill health, etc she has been unable to attend church as often as she would like, but thankfully today she was able to attend, together with her carer, Maggie, who was the second new face.

Today is Septuagesima Sunday, which is the start of the pre-Lent period in the church. Apparantly everything becomes a bit more sombre, and the word "Alleluia" is now not heard in worship until Easter Day.

I suppose that this period can be seen as a time of quiet reflection and preparation of things to come.

The Bishop's sermon today highlighted the importance of preparation, and how that in order to win the ultimate prize (eternal life) we must take part in the race and finish the course. Everyone who takes part will win, no matter if you cross that finish line first, 14th or last....the important thing is to take part and finish. It does not matter even if you start late....just make sure you follow the course and finish.

Translated into Christian life this means that it is never too late to find God and to commit to life as a Christian. It will of course take some preparation and maybe a few lifestyle changes, just as a marathon runner must prepare for the testing time ahead of him or her. It may not be an easy path at all times, but with preparation and commitment then the finish can be reached. For a Christian the finish is a place in heaven with the Lord....this is the end of the ultimate marathon, the race that has taken a lifetime to achieve!

I will be starting my oiwn preparation soon. On Sunday 21st February 2010 (the first Sunday in Lent) the Bishop is starting a short course of Membership/Confirmation classes. These are designed to prepare me for my own confirmation which should take place on Easter Sunday. Therefore Easter Sunday in future will have extra importance to me. Not only will it be the day that Jesus rose again, but it will also be the day that I took a huge step in my commitment as a Christian!

After the usual tea, coffee and biscuits we parted company for the day and I headed back to catch the train home.

On the train the conductor came alomg checking tickets and he approached a male passenger who presented him with an out of date ticket. Now I have to say that I have an interest in this area as I spent 5 years working as a Revenue Protection Inspector for Transport for London, so I am an authority on fare evasion....not that I commit it I better add!

Being nosey I was listening in to the conversation and it turned out that the ticket expired yesterday, 30th January. The passenger claimed that he purchased the ticket this morning at Bromley South station, paying for it with his debit card. The conductor pointed out that the ticket was actually purchased at 22.30 yesterday evening, the male was having none of it and was becoming rather irrate and defensive. The passenger was insisting that the ticket machine must have incorrectly issued the ticket. Now this claim really doesn't hold much water as it would be one mistake to issue a backdated ticket, but to issue a backdated ticket with also the wrong purchase time on it, this seems a little farfetched!

The conductor was giving the man a chance to buy the correct ticket, pointing out that if a revenue officer found this irregularity later then he would either impose a penalty fare or possible even issue a prosecution against the man. The man was having none of it, instead saying that he would go to court. This I really couldn't understand, as the evidence spoke for itself, and having been the instigator of many such cases before I could see that in the eyes of a magistrate this would be a 'bang to rights case'. It made be realise how much dishonesty there is in this world, even down to a man (who appeared well presented and of means) to be trying to defraud the railway of £12.95.

I get the impression that he travelled to Canterbury yesterday evening on a cheap day return and was returning today after having spent the night in Canterbury. He should have purchased an open return which would have cost a little more. Why he decided to say that he purchased the ticket this morning is beyond me, even insisting upon it when it was clearly evidenced to him that this was not the case. He should have just been honest and said that he purchased the wrong ticket last night. This way the conductor may have been able to sort something out. Or he should have just swallowed his pride and purchased a new ticket at £12.95, instead he will have gone on to have been caught and will be guaranteed to have received at least a penalty fare of £20, or maybe a court appearance, conviction, criminal record and fine! The moral of the story being honesty is the best policy!

So that is the story of the excitment on the journey home, it was nearly as good as watching an episode of Eastenders or Emmerdale on television. I'm starting to feel like a bit of a journalist, because as I was watching the story unfoild I was thinking "this is going on my blog".

So until next time just think about what you might say next time that you hear the words "tickets please".

Can someone turn the heating up!

2010-01-27T18:49:00.002Z

It's Wednesday and I'm updating my blog....no, I'm not late again, it has been planned this way!

Last Sunday there was no mass in Canterbury as the Bishop was on his travels. He was visiting our new mission is South Molton, Devon (the Mission of St. Benedict). It was the inaugural mass there, which, I am told, went very well and was a great success. I hope (and pray) that the mission continues to go from strength to strength.

So, instead of attending church last Sunday I read through the Order for Mass booklet at home, said some prayers and spent the whole day with my wife and kids. I've realised now that not only do I go to church on Sundays to worship God....I actually go so that I can have a rest!! My little girl is 14 months old....and believe me, she is hard work (must get that from her mother)!!

I am now off of work on Wednesdays, at least most of them anyway. This enables me to do a couple of things. One is to attend church and the other is to concentrate a little more on my studies, you may remember that I am doing an Open Bible Institute course.

This morning I decided to get my hair cut before catching the train to Canterbury. When I left home this morning I quickly realised that it was somewhat cold outside, luckily I remembered to take my hat with me, otherwise I think that my head would have frozen and fallen off on the walk from the barbers to the station. Once at the station I had a short wait for the train so I popped into the Pumpkin Cafe and decided that a cup of hot tea was desired. These food outlets at train stations are overpriced, so it does pay to have a 'Bite Card', it gives you a 20% discount which helps. You can get one for free by visiting www.bitecard.co.uk

The train arrived on time and I was pleased to find that it was warm when my cup of tea and I boarded. The journey to Canterbury was uneventful as usual. On arrival at Canterbury and alighting from the train I was quite disappointed to find out that I was not actually in the Maldives, it would appear that the train had been diverted to the Artic....in other words....it was cold!

I was rather early so I had a little walk around the city centre before admitting defeat and needing to find some warmth, so I headed to church. Luckily when I arrived Lawrence and Margaret were there. Margaret was arranging some fresh flowers and Lawrence was about to start hoovering. It wasn't much warmer inside, but then churches are not known for their central heating are they?! The problem is it would be far too costly to have the heating on constantly, so it only gets switched on when people are there. The Bishop did mention the possibility of getting a special timer at some stage in the future, which would help, and of course solve this age old problem of cold churches! maybe this is why churches really use candles....for the extra heat!!

In today's service Bishop Damien used the 1549 BCP Canon and not the Gregorian Canon, this was mentioned after mass during coffee. Normally the Bishop uses the Gregorian Canon and so this was a change that seemed to go well.

Bishop Damien invited me to have lunch with him today after mass and we went to an Italian restaurant in Best Lane (a few doors from the church). The restaurant is called Olive Grove, their website is www.olivegroverestaurant.co.uk It is very pleasant inside and the staff are very friendly. Being neighbours of the church they know Bishop Damien quite well, and they were most welcoming to us both. We both had the Frittata Tricolore (3 egg omlette with ham, mozzarella, mushrooms and tomato), served with chips and salad garnish. I have to say that it was very nice. I will be back, and I'd even like to take Debbie there for a meal, perhaps after church one day....I will get her through the door somehow, even with the promise of a nice meal!! I'm a bit partial to pizza, so I may try one of those next time.

We had a general chat over lunch, which was enjoyable. After lunch we popped back into the church as the Bishop needed to get a book that he has lent me. It is the Peoples Anglican Missal.

After this I headed back to the station and awaited my (delayed) train back to Ashford. Debbie and the kids met me at Ashford station and we then went to do some shopping at Tesco. My wife is clever like that. By waiting for me to return before going shopping means that we will pay using my money rather than her's....I fall for it every time!

That's about it for now, church again on Sunday, so I'll post again after that.

Until then....turn up the thermostat!!

It hurts but I'm carrying on!

2010-01-17T17:02:00.002Z

On Tuesday I had a wisdom tooth removed by my dentist, really it should have been done under general anaesthetic at hospital, but their waiting list is longer than the roots of siad wisdom tooth!

instead my dentist offered to do it under sedation, and as I had been suffering with the pain of the tooth for some time I decided to take him up on the offer. So, it was done, and Tuesday after the sedation, etc wore off it was agony. I ended up getting prescribed some tramadol by the doctor...thankfully it takes away the pain, but seems to me me feel rather rough!

Anyway, I wasn't feeling too special this morning, but still went to church (remember last week's blog about putting God first??). To be honest, during the service I really thought that I was going to pass out a couple of times, and at one stage I even had to stay seated whilst the others were standing, but rather this than collapse on the floor I suppose!

I'll be honest here, because of the way I was feeling today's service didn't all 'sink in'. I think the sermon for today was about making the commitment to God, there was emphasis on the fact that is not just a case of being baptised and thinking that this is a guaranteed ride to heaven. It is important to commit, in terms of being confirmed and remaining commited. Speaking of which, I am now starting to think about formally applying for membership of the ACC, which will mean me being confirmed, this of course is one of the sacraments.

There is no mass in Canterbury next Sunday as the Bishop is visiting South Molton in Devon as the ACC have a new mission there, the Mission of St. Benedict. I would like to wish Father Michael Clothier (the Deacon there) every best wish, and of course he and the mission will be in my prayers.

I was going to attend our church in Rochester next Sunday, but there will be no service there for a short while as the priest there (Father Raymond Thompson) is due to go into hospital very shortly for an operation, it goes without saying that he will be in my prayers aswell.

I can't think of much else to write today, so I think I'll leave it here and go and get all woozy on painkillers!! I'm overdue some more and the tooth (or rather lack of tooth) is starting to give me grief again now.

Until next time...God bless!

Terrible Events in Haiti

2010-01-15T22:07:00.002Z

It's unusual for me to blog during the week, but like many others I have been affected by the terrible eartquake in Haiti. Obviously I haven't been affected as in the true sense, because I wasn't there. I have been affected emotionally though.

All disasters like this have some impact on me because as a Christian I hate to see anybody suffering. However, this has hit me particularly hard. Let me explain. My absolute favourite place on earth to go on holiday to is the Domican Republic (Haiti's neighbour), the place is amazing, the people are so friendly and the rum very cheap!! Many people in the Dominican are from Haiti and many of them have relatives there. My wife and I have always felt a very special connection with this island, it is where we spent our honeymoon. We purchased some pieces of artwork which were either painted in Haiti or inspired by Haitian style, one of these takes pride of place in our living room, and the others are waiting to be hung.

The people in that part of the world have so little, but offer so much. As a rule they are so friendly and warm. The Dominicans and the Haitians are the same, with the exception that the Dominican have a little more and a slightly better quality of life, largely thanks to the tourist trade. Sadly, the Haitians have not had this benefit and their past oppressive governments still have lasting consequences to this day. The country is exceptionally poor, yet the people are somehow very strong, they have survived dictatorships and they will survive this latest tragedy.

But they need our help. If we all donated a little then the relief effort would be even better, and the people of Haiti could see how much the rest of the world care.

I only found out yesterday that the Anglican Catholic Church (my church) actually have an orphanage and mission in Haiti, in Port-au-Prince. It was destroyed by the earthquake, but by the mercy of God the children and the caregivers escaped major injury. According to the Vicar General in Haiti, Father Bien-Amie, many of the people of the parishes are still unaccounted for. We have all read the headlines and seen the images on the news, the likely consequences are devastating. These people have so little, and now it would appear that they have lost so much of that, yet we have seen them on tv singing hymns, etc....despite everything they still have faith, this must serve as an inspiration to us all.

I urge anyone reading this to do a couple of things. Please pray for the people of Haiti, for their friends and family, pray for the souls of those who lost their lives, pray that the suffering may be eased. Please also pray for all of our friends in the ACC, in particular for Father Bien-Amie and all of the priests there, that they may be given strength to help those in need. Pray for the caregivers and children at the orphanage.

Please also donate anything you can. You can make a donation through the Anglican Catholic Church website. Click on the 'News' link and follow the instructions www.anglicancatholic.org.uk The Anglican Catholic Church has launched a formal appeal, so please, please help!

I appreciate that some of us may have very little to give, but they have even less.

That website again is www.anglicancatholic.org.uk click on the 'News' link, and follow the instructions, donations can be made by cheque or postal order, or via PayPal. It is also worth mentioning that the ACC UK is a registered charity and you can also gift aid your donation, all of the details are on the website.

Let it snow!

2010-01-10T21:24:00.003Z

We have had a fair bit of snow in Ashford and the surrounding areas over the last few days, however, the "significant snowfall" predicted for last night didn't happen, although mid afternoon it wasn't looking like we'd be getting away with it!

I was all prepared though. Normally I get the train from Ashford to Canterbury to go to church. Deb (my wife) usually drops me at the station and off I go on my merry way. It is easier and quicker than driving to Canterbury, and probably cheaper by the time I would have forked out for fuel and parking. I even purchased a Network Railcard, so I now get 1/3 off of my fare, making it just £4.05 return...bargain!

This morning I drove to the station with a plan. parking at Ashford on a Sunday is free so if Plan A went ahead then it would not cost me anything. This was Plan A - Drive to station, park car, catch 10.03 train to Canterbury...if 10.03 cancelled then catch 10.22 (high speed), if that one was cancelled then go for 10.30, if that was cancelled then walk back to the car and launch Plan B....drive to Canterbury! The 10.03 service was initially showing as running on time, but by the time I purchased my ticket and walked to platform 5 it was showing as being 12 minutes late. It duly arrived 12 minutes late...but on platform 6...with no platform alteration announcement.

There was a message on one of their displays that made me laugh though. It said that due to the adverse weather the replacement bus service had been cancelled and trains were operating instead! So the buses that were replacing the trains were being replaced by trains...work that out if you can!!

Anyway, the train left (late) with me onboard bound for Canterbury, and arrived without event. I think that under the circumstances of the last few days Southeastern Railway have done a pretty good job coping, the high speed service has really been a bonus as it has been relatively unaffected by the adverse weather.

I arrived at church ontime (unlike last week) and service there was running to time with no disruptions....well, if you exclude Jennifer's losing of her voice mid song from that statement! It is horrible when that happens, I remember it happening to me during a job interview once, you can tell it is about to go, but no drink on hand to aid recovery! Jennifer soon recovered....and in case you are wondering...yed...I did get the job!!!!

Today's sermon was basically about putting God first, ahead of all else, and in turn God will ensure that He puts our needs/concerns/etc first...kind of makes sense actually. the parish newsletter this week talks about beng called to serve God in one way or another, even though we may feel that we are not the most approriate person to serve Him....reading this was like looking in a mirror to me....I wonder if Bishop Damien has been reading my mind!

I really feel that I am fitting in at church now, and it feels normal and 'right' to be there....in fact I actually look forward to going now....although Debbie still can't fully understand or appreciate my feelings and commitment. I think it makes it a little difficult as I work six days a week and Sunday is my only day off, so it used to be the 'family day', now some of the day is spent with my commitment to church...it goes back to today's sermon. Of course Debbie and the kids are more than welcome to come to church with me....and YES....I am working on it! She has actually said that she will come to my confirmation (whenever that is), so this may be the start. It would be difficult as we have a 4 year old and a 1 year old aswell....the 4 year old is probably autistic, so he can be a little 'moody' at times and the 1 year old is loud, independent and opinionated....just like her mother then!!! I know, however, that they would be more than welcome despite the disruptions that would more than likely be caused....probably starting with the youngest eating the Order for Mass (she is a little partial to eating paper, her favourite is actually the Argos catalogue)!!

Oh well, it's time that I got some sleep. Got to say a prayer or two before I get my head down as I have got to be up early for work...stay safe and stay warm in this cold weather, spare a thought for those less fortunate than ourselves and why not check on your neighbours, especially elderly and less able ones, make sure that they are ok in this weather.

Bye for now....

Better late than never!

2010-01-07T19:28:00.003Z

I'm a bit late blogging here this week....should have done it on Sunday, but was late home then kept meaning to do it the last couple of days, but something else seemed to keep coming up.

Talking of being late, I was a bit late for mass on Sunday, thanks to Southeastern trains and their....shall we say 'flexible' approach to their published timetable! When I finally arrived the service was in full swing, instead of walking away though and making some excuse for not attending I opened the door, walked right in and sat down. I think this actually made a good impression. I actually arrived just before communion, so timing was quite good!

I had placed an order for some books through the Anglican Catholic bookshop, and these were available for me to collect after the service. I ordered my own copy of Archbishop Haverland's book, a copy of the Order for Mass and a copy of the Ordo-Kalender for 2010 (and yes, that is the correct spelling of Kalender!!!!). Bishop Mead also threw in a copy of the ACC Canons (2005 edition)...these are the laws, or rules and regulations for the church, etc. It is more of a reference book than a sit down with a coffee read, but I am sure that it will be of use.

After church today I met up with my wife and kids who were shopping in Canterbury, so we had a wander for a while and then went for lunch in Wetherspoons, as I wasn't driving I had a couple of beers aswell....a pint of Churchyard Bob and a pint of Abbott Ale.....seems appropriate!!

Bishop Damien told me about a course which is approved by the ACC's Board of Ministry, it is a Certificate of Higher Education in Theology & Biblical Studies. It is studied through the Open Bible Institute (who operate distance learning courses on behalf of Moore Theological College, Sydney, who are a very well respected body). The CertHE is validated by Middlesex University, so all in all it appears to be a very good and genuine course.

After looking into this course I established that it would be a great way to develop my theological studies and knowledge, and after speaking with the OBI I decided to enroll on their 'access' course....Introduction to the Bible. Their were two options for this. Pay £30 and receive the course manual, etc....or pay £60 and receive this plus a bundle of additional books. I opted for this, and it arrived yesterday (the very next day).

I've had a brief look through it and it seems well laid out, but not a walk in the park. I have had to purchase a bible dictionary, so when that arrives from amazon.co.uk I will be able to start my studies. I have opted to take the exam at the next sitting, so I think I get about 10 weeks to do the course. Bishop Damien has kindly agreed to act as my supervisor for this, as the exams are not taken at a college premises.

If anyone wants to take a look at the OBI they can be found here: http://www.open-bible-institute.org/

Changing the subject a little. I went back to Slimming World last night (first time since Christmas) and have only put on 1.5lbs....so I am well pleased with that. Since being with Slimming World (on and off for 2 years) I have lost about 5stone in total. I parked the car at about 19.10hrs and went back out to it about an hour later and it was covered in snow...as were most of the surrounding roads!! Personally I love the snow, so it was great to see.

We didn't seem to have any more overnight, but today we had a couple of heavy showers which made some of the roads interesting to say the least. As I sit writing this it is snowing again, so the roads and cars are covered again....maybe it will keep up then I can have a day off of work tomorrow....actually, thinking about that, I am self-employed, so no work means no money....oh well maybe I'll have to send the kids out sweeping chimneys (whilst they are still small!!!!)!

That's all for now....next update Sunday.....ok.....maybe a day or four afterwards!!

Oh, nearly forgot to mention that I've started reading the book that Bishop Damien gave me for Christmas....I am finding it VERY interesting and heart-warming, there is 'something' about it!

In the words of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh....TTFN!

Back Again!

2009-12-27T23:40:00.002Z

Hi again...well it is Sunday and I said I'd be back, this is really good for me, by that I mean keeping my blog updated. I really should show this same commitment to my facebook profile!! lol

Well, Christmas was good, spent it with family. Kids loved their presents, it actually brought a tear to my eye when my son, who is only 4, opened up his main present to reveal a Nintendo Wii, he was so excited. Beginning to regret that one a little now as every waking hour he is playing Mario Kart on it, he is actually getting very good at it which we are impressed with as he has problems with coordination and fine motor skills and we were led to believe that the Wii may actually help.

Had to do a bit of work over the last couple of days, so it has not been all rest for me, also has meant no alcohol, as I have been driving. I've actually been very good food wise aswell, haven't over done it too much!

Went to church today....remember the one....St Augustine's in Canterbury (http://www.anglicancatholic.org.uk). I have to say the church looked very nice with the Christmas decorations. I managed to follow more of the service this time, so I am getting better, I even rembered to kneel when receiving my blessing this time! At one stage I did notice some passers by looking in through the window, I wonder what they thought, and did I look like a professional to them??? It would have been nice if they had come in to join us....maybe they will one day.

I have learnt that as Christians we are still in the Christmas period, it is known as Octave and is a period of 8 days including Christmas Day itself (think I am right in saying this....feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). So, it is perfectly acceptable to still say Happy Christmas to each other, you don't have to start saying Happy New Year just yet!! The Christmas festivities carry on for a little while after Christmas Day in our family in any case, as the extended family get together at various points between Christmas Day and the New Year...so let the celebrations continue!

The Bishop's sermon today was centered on learning from your teachers and listening to what they have to say. This is very true in life. Obviously God is our teacher, and it should be our intention to learn from Him in order that we may live our lives as true christians. The bible, although it is a book, is also a teacher, as much can be learnt from it. Our priests (or in my case Bishop) are teachers and we can learn from them. But don't forget we are also our own teachers and each others teachers....so always listen to what each other has to say.

Bishop Damien very kindly gave me a present today. I opened it when I got home and found that it is a book called 'Praying the Jesus Prayer Together' by Brother Ramon and Simon Barrington-Ward. This gift was a very kind and much appreciated one. This book appears to promise a very interesting and inspiring read, and will hopefully help even more on my spritual journey....so, Bishop Damien, thank you so very much!

Anyway, this is enough for today (or I should say yesterday, as it has now past midnight). I will return soon....until then 'HAPPY CHRISTMAS'!!!!

Hello

2009-12-23T21:58:00.000Z

Well hello! This is my very first posting on my new blog.

I've decided to have a blog as many people have said that I should, I keep meaning to keep some sort of diary about my life, the good, the bad and the mad....so this may be a way of me doing it.

Right now I am on a journey....it is a strange but interesting one, one that I thought would not happen to me, but it is happening and there is not much I can do to stop it, nor do I really want to stop it....so, for now, I am going with the flow and I'll see where it leads.

A little about me.

I am 32 years old, married and have two children. I believe that I have been 'called' by God, and I very strongly believe that this calling is to the priesthood. Let's get one thing straight, I am probably one of the least most likely candidates that you could expect for this. I have never been a regular church-goer, and am not a perfect person by any means, so I have found it very difficult to accept that there is a plan for me.

Yes, I believe in God (always have done), and yes, I do pray (regularly over the last year), I was baptised as a child, but have never been confirmed. I consider myself a Christian, but am the first to admit that I am far from perfect....so the biggest question I have is: Why me?

I was called on Christmas Eve 2006, but at the time did not really act on it, instead pushed it to the back of my mind, thinking that I must be mad or whatever. Constantly though there was a very annoying niggling in my heart and mind, but I couldn't quite place it, so to speak.

Then in November 2007 I had a very strange and somewhat spooky experience which kind of gave me a kick up the backside, and at this point I began to pray on a daily basis. I have been praying for answers, for clarity and most importantly, some kind of direction.

That direction was given to me via google! They do say that God works in mysterious ways! About 3 weeks ago I was messing around on my laptop and did a google search for something, and I have no idea of what I entered into the search field. In my list of search results the number 1 position was given to the Anglican Catholic Church. At this stage I had never heard of them, so I clicked onto the link for their website http://www.anglicancatholic.org.uk and was intriged! Something had pointed me in their direction and I was looking for answers.

I contacted the Bishop Ordinary for the Diocese of the United Kingdom, The Rt Revd Damien Mead, and he very quickly responded to my e-mail. It turned out that we live very close to each other so he invited me to visit him for an informal chat.

I visited Bishop Mead one evening at his home and instantly felt at ease in his presence. He was very warm and welcoming (as was the log fire). We had a coffee and a chat during which I described my calling and the experiences and feelings since. Bishop Mead was very supportive and understanding, it felt good to be able to share my thoughts with someone who understood these things. He gave me some words of advice and also gave me some clarity on the 'why me' situation. We prayed together and then he gave me a couple of editions of the Diocese magazine and the ACC newspaper, and I said that I felt that I wanted to attend church on the following Sunday, which I did.

So, on Sunday 13th December 2009, I travelled from home to my local Anglican Catholic Church which is the Church of St Augustine of Canterbury. The church can be found in Best Lane, Canterbury, which is just off of the High Street.

The church, at one stage in the past was a chapel and had since been used as other things, including as a bridal shop! More recently it was recalled as a place of worship and is now St Augustine's.

On arrival I observed that it is a very small church, and certainly not like the grand buildings of many other denominations out there! However, to me at least, there was something special, I got a gut feeling of soemthing just being right. Once inside it was very easy to identify it as a church.

The Bishop is also the Rector at St Augustine's, and as I had arrived shortly before Morning Prayers I was met by both him and Roy, who acts as Altar Server. I observed (and took part to the best of my novice ability) in Morning Prayers. After this there was time for some quiet reflection whilst I awaited the time for Mass and arrival of more members of the congregation.

Members duly arrived and introduced themselves, we all awaited the commencement of the service.

The service was conducted and I muddled my way along....I'm sure that God will let me off of my mistakes bearing in mind that I'm new at this!

After the service we had coffee (and biscuits!!) and a bit of a chat. Everyone was most welcoming to the newbie, and I felt very much at ease. It made me want to go back. Bishop Mead also kindly lent me a copy of a book by the ACC's Archbishop, The Most Revd Mark Haverland. The book is about Anglican Catholic Faith & Practice, currently I am half way through it. I also helped myself to various leaflets available in church. The Anglican Catholic Church practices Catholic Faith, Orthodox Worship and Apostolic Order....so it does (and will) take some getting used to....but I feel that this is the 'right' way for me.

Due to work commitments I was unable to make it last Sunday, and due to work/family commitments over Christmas I will not be able to attend. However, God willing, I will be back next Sunday......so until then............................................................