On Sunday I am taking one of the great train rides in the UK. I will be travelling from my home in Southampton and going all the way up to Aberdeen. The journey will begin at 7:11 when my first train will leave it’s station in Eastleigh, bound for Waterloo. It will then be a short London underground trip to Kings Cross. I will then catch the 10am train to Aberdeen.

It was started in the 1840′s and runs for over 393 miles to Edinburgh and then beyond. It crosses the famous forth and Tay Bridges and through some spectacular scenery. It was also the line that brought us the Flying Scotsman and the Mallard trains. Both trains were built at the Doncaster Train Works and are now both retired to the National Railway Museum in York. Roll on Sunday!!!

Here is a fascinating article by Peter Oborne from The Telegraph, England. In it he asks if the ‘age of austerity’ isn’t the reason behind the slowing of the decline of church attendance in the UK.The Return to Religion. Church attendance in the UK has been in steady decline since the middle of the 19th century, when Church attendance was nearly 50% of the population. The latest census figures in 2005 tell us that now only 6.3% attend church regularly. “More than half of all Britons, according to British Social Attitudes, say they have “no religion” and never attend a religious service.”

Here’s a great article which explains why you feel the way you do after Christmas and maybe you will be able to smile to yourself and feel a whole lot better.  Here’s to a great new year and God bless you all! Click Here.

I love Christmas and I love what it stands for, the Saviour of this world born to die for us. Wishing everyone a very happy and blessed Christmas.

I just got back from Mission Worship, it’s an annual worship conference in Eastbourne, England. It’s for worship leaders and pastors and anyone else interested. This was my second year to go and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. We get to learn new songs, go to lots of workshops and most of all to worship God with fellow Christians. This was a new song to me, but probably not to a lot of you. The song is very well known, since it’s based on a Christmas carol, but it uses the chorus of the carol and adds two new verses.

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

We’ll give Him all the glory . . .

For He alone is worthy . . .

I have used in church a few times since coming back from Mission Worship.  If you would like to go Mission Worship check out this link!

Here goes, ten apps that I use regularly as a pastor. They are in no particular order.

1. Omnifocus
2. iAnnotate
3. Pocket Bible
4. Pages
5. Numbers
6. Kindle
7. Good Reader
8. Bento
9. WordPress
10. Twitter

Since I am on holiday back home here are a few things you must do if you visit my home town of Belfast.

• Titanic Walking Tours - I enjoyed this tour so much I did it twice. The tour guides, Ed and Mepggan were great. There is a shorter tour which takes in the Titanic Pump house and the Thompson dry dock which lasts about 40mins. However there is a longer tour, over two hours, which will guide you from the birth of the Titanic right through to the day it left Belfast. This takes you through to the Harland and Wolff headquarters and the famous drawing halls, to the slip ways on which the Titanic was built to finally the Thompson graving dock where she was completed. There is a half hour break for a snack at the pump house cafe. Click Here for their homepage



• Ulster Folk and Transport Museum- I love history and all things engineered and this place covers all bases. On one side of the road you have the transport museum which has exhibits from all over Ireland and beyond. It’s collection of steam trains is wonderful and in particular the “Maedb” (Meave). This train is not only the largest train in the collection but it was also the largest train ever built and used in Ireland.On the other side of the road is the Ulster Folk Park.

I grew up in Belfast and as a boy I remember being fascinated by the Titanic. I remember watching such films as, “A night to Remember” and “The raising of the Titanic”. Not to mention the big block buster, “Titanic”. Anyway, I went for a tour of the “Titanic Quarter” in Belfast today and learned some great stuff about this mighty ship of the seas.

1. Harland and Wolff, the Belfast shipyard where the Titanic was built was founded in 1861.
2. The Titanic was the second of three ships to be built by Harland and Wolff for the White Star Line. The Olympic was completed first in 1911 and the final ship, the Britannic, was completed in 1915.

Undoubtedly one of the greatest preachers and Christian writers of the last century, John Stott died last week on the 27^th July.  When I attended seminary John Stott was compulsory for all us would-be preachers and every year the homiletics class made it’s annual pilgrimage to All Souls to hear him preach.  Although he was not the most dynamic speaker his sermons carried a power and simplicity that was unmatched and that we as young pastors could only aspire too.  Several of his books grace my shelves and which often get picked up.  His commentary on Romans is a favourite of mine.  Another book that I have read a few times which was published in 2007 is “The Living church” where he expands on a sermon he gave in 1974.  In this book he shares his thoughts on what it means to be a genuine living church.

John Stott will be sorely missed.  Here are some links below, worth checking out if you want to know more:

A memorial site has been set up.

John’s obituary in Christianity Today.

John Stott’s own website.

A collection of memorial posts From Adrian Warnock