I'm back!

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)!

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!

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!

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??

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!

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?

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!!