Just finished picking the set of songs for my radio show later on today. I love this opportunity to get behind a microphone and share some music and tell stories and speak with my guests.

Today’s guest is Stuart Murdoch the Baptist minister in the town. I think we’ll have a bit of banter. It will be a great show. I hope that Lilias will also be able to join me as part of the production team. Lilias is really chatty and good at answering the emails that come in from time to time while your on the air.

I’ve got a kind of theme in my head for tomorrow. We’re all in search of this theme but too often we don’t quite find it. And when we do it seems to just disappear. Anyway I thought I’d play a track from Blue Nile.Here is
Paul Buchanan singing

I just think this is a great song. So if your around check out Valley FM on 87.7 or if you are not in reach of this frequency why noot go to Valley FM Web site and listen in.

ARCHBISHOP TUTU AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Certainly history was in the making yesterday morning as the little frail looking man dressed in purple appeared in the play pen. By the end of his address the general Assembly gave him a standing ovation. ” Turn the wilderness into a garden of wonderful flowers.” He thanked all those who stood with him in the struggle because of them  he said, ” we are free today.”

SPEAKING AND FACING THE TRUTH

Well that’s me back from te General Assembly. It has been a challenging week in many ways for so many people. Someone sent me an email asking me if the church had gagged me. when it comes to my blog.   They were referring to the moritorium that has been placed upon ministers of the Church of Scotland commenting  to the press about the induction of homosexual people into ministerial charges. It is a crude instrument that is being used to try and prevent among other things,  the press from making up ridiculous headlines.  You know the kind that have been around recently.

I think it was one newspaper when reporting  on a report to the General Assembly on the issue of sex offenders attending church ran with a headline to the effect that “Kirk Supports Sex Beasts”  the truth of the report was that the Kirk is seeking to protect children at church from people who may have been involved with sex offenses. In doing so they were laying down procedures that should be followed  by the Church leaders when aware of such a person attending public worship.

I don’t believe the spirit of the moratorium is to prevent ministers speaking about and discussing the issues within the context of genuinely interested inquirers especially within the family of the church and community. It is more to do with preventing ministers from debating over the airwaves things that they might be better discussing face to face in a friendly manner. Certainly congregations will be expected to discuss and send their opinions to the Special Commission that has been set up to look into this matter.

I don’t think it will stop me in the least from contributing to the debate. For while I contend for a “Generous Orthodoxy ” (not my phrase but Brian MacLaren’s the author of a book with this title) , I hope to do so with respect and courtesy for those who see things in a different light. Never the less it would be a poor church that would try to stop a minister of the Gospel speak forth that which God has called him or her to say.  However we are all responsible for our words and the effect that they can have on others.  Let us hold to the counsel of John the beloved disciple and while we may disagree learn to love each other. By the way thank you James Hogg for the photo below. You thought I looked Presidential, personally I think I look as though I’m singing a version of “I did it my way”

BOGLE”S PARAPHRASE

Even if your world collapses all around you. Jesus said “I will never leave you to clear it up on your own” There is nothing too difficult for Him to do. So with great confidence think about this. If you have God as your helper what else do you need. Why would you be afraid of what others might think about you?  Heb 13. 5-6

Heb 13

Here is a short video highlight of tat memorable Summer way back in 2000. We toured round Scotland in a period of 6 days and connected with hundreds of people as we took our multimedia service into cathedrals and churches. Our idea was that we needed to raise funds to get our media project off the ground. in Bo’ness.

Its amazing that 9 years on we have SANCTUS MEDIA working out of the church as a media production company as part of our congregation’s ministry.

This week we will be streaming the General Assembly out live to the world. And to think it all started with a Bike Ride. If someone looked up the minutes of the Assembly for the year 2000 I think they’d find it mentioned. I was trying to get sponsorship for the ride. Who knows where technology will take us in the next ten years. let’s hope that SANCTUS MEDIA can continue to be a servant to the church throughout Scotland.

One of the most memorable evenings was the night we played in Glasgow Cathedral. I think there must have been about 400 people turn up that night. Recently i met someone who told me it was such a meaningful service. we had an opportunity for people to respond. I remember thinking the queues would never end as people came forward for anointing with oil and to receive a stone. It would be great to hear from anyone who was there that evening. What were your thoughts?

I think this idea could be resurrected and tried out again next Summer. Scotland is just a fantastic place to cycle if the weather is good. If you were cycling that week as part of the Challenge let’s hear from you.

It looks as though we might be considering a Scottish Cathedral’s Cycle Challenge again ten years on. So keep your ear to the ground. Mike Munro one of our elders has been researching the idea. It was actually a great event. It raised the seed money nine years ago to start the St Andrew’s Multimedia Youth Project”. When you look back we’ve achieved a great deal in those years. Much more still has to be done, however I’d like to think that if we do the Cycle Challenge next year that we will get people from all over the world to join in with us. It was great when we had some of our friends from Hillsongs come and join with us in our worship events around the Cathedrals.

This could be a great World Without Walls fundraiser. I must see if we can find some old footage and put it up on the blog. Anyway lets hear what you think. Would the Cycle Challenge get you moving to get in gear? Would you consider getting your self fit to cycle over 300 miles in a week?

Talking about worship we had some wonderful worship in church this morning the congregtion was in good singing mood. We opened wih a traditional hymn, “Praise to the Lord the Almighty the King of Creation” the congregation sang it really well. we then moved on to sing the song “Lord I come to You” and then ended the opening sesction of praise with the old Graham Kendricks song ” For this Purpose” I think these songs really lifted people this morning and I felt when it came to the sermon the congregation were listening intently. 

I’m preaching through a series looking at relationships and  their significance as they are understood in Christian Baptism and Marriage.   If you want to hear more check out www.standonline.org.uk

Finally we had a great join evening of praise with members of the Apostolic Church last night and I was able to sign up Len Bennett to be our giest preacher next Sunday evening.

Just back from Sanctuary First. the theme was all about moving from one space ro another . It was about helping us see that the way to  bring about change in the life of the church is to be prepared to make the appropriate sacrifice.

Although it was a Bank Holiday weekend we were delighted to have a number of friends join with us in the worship.  We were pomoting the C40 programme. this is our made up Discipleship programme. So if you want to join the Challenge text  Bible 40 to the following mobile number 80806. When you do this it will cost you £1.50 per week. I hope you join in he challenge and then return to tis blog with yourown questions and answers. So look out for the first C40 post tomorrow morning.

Well I’m back in in Scotland after a busy couple of weeks moving around Peru. I was glad that Willie insisted that we get seats at the front of the plane. We arrived late into Amsterdam and just reached the checking in gate for Edinburgh before it closed. I don’t think either of us could have stuck another six hours in an airport. Anyway big thanks to Willie, he was a great travelling companion, we got on well and I believe we managed to move our projects on a little further in Peru. In due course we’ll share some of our future plans. Meanwhile it full steam ahead to sort out our barge project. Talking about home. It was good to catch up with Gordon Reid yesterday. Gordon has just recently retired from his charge in Dunfermline. He did the preaching for me  I knew the flight would get in late on Saturday afternoon. I didn’t want to be preparing a sermon when I got home.

Gordon is an engaging speaker and he picked up on our theme for the day which was walking the road of holiness. Its worth listening to as a download. Go to www.standonline.org.uk. While your there have a look at the Holy Week video. Its worth a look. Jonathan Winkley presents the video really well. Looking at this reminds me of footage we shot a few years ago. If I have time we might use some of it for the Tenebrae Service this coming Saturday Night

Anyway getting back to what I was saying. The biggest challenge was the Sanctuary First Service. I must say we have a brilliant team. Everyone worked so hard and in the end produced a first rate piece of work. if i have any criticism it is this, once again I think it went on a bit too long. However regardless of the time I think the over all concept worked. the palms we got were outstanding.

We commissioned Jamie Stuart, the author of the Glasgow Gospels to do a piece to camera about the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It was a great wee video. I’ll try and get a hold of it and put it up on the blog. The idea or the theme behind the service was this ” Some people just can’t see it” You know what I mean. there are things in life, that you can talk about till your blue in the face and still some people just won’t get it. Where we give up the Easter story tell us that Christ never gives up. However he weeps for those who just can’t see. He weeps over Jerusalem.

We also used a track from U2s new album, “White As Snow” to introduce a meditation written by Maggie Lane while she was in Jerusalem last week. This song reflects the same tune as the Christmas or Advent carol, O Come O Come Emmanuel. U2 have adapted it a bit and written a whole new set of lyrics.

After this we invited the congregation to move to four stations where they could encounter the four Cries for Salvation. The Cries of Creation, the Cries of Humanity, the Cries of the Heart, and the Cries of the Christ. I think we could have perhaps reduced the prayer zones, but i’d be interested to hear other people’s view point on the whole service. One other thing it would be good to hear from all of yiou who have signed up on the lenten Journey I’d love to hear how some of these texts have impacted on your lives. During this week I’ll make a post on the Lenten Journey so that I can hear from all of you. I’ll get Neil to text everyone.

Well I’ve been out of range of WiFi for the past couple of days. This post will serve as my last one from this trip to Peru. I’m sitting in the KLM Business Lounge writing this post. Like all travellers I can’t wait to get home.

Yesterday, was just one of those magical days in your life. We left Paul’s house just after 6.30am to miss the traffic. We were heading for the airport in Lima to take a flight to Cusco. From Cusco we would travel to the Sacred Valley to a town called Urabamba.

We arrived in Urabamba just after lunchtime. The little lodging house we checked into was amazing. Well specked, I’m told it is owned by a priest in Europe, it’s his nest egg for retirement. It was a good place to wash and get freshened up before heading out on a one hour trip to the latest Girasoles Home in the sacred valley. What a magnificent setting.

We picked up a crowd of the boys returning from school. They all climbed into the new minibus. This bus was donated by Greenbank Church Youth Group in Edinburgh. This has proved to be a tremendously useful gift . The fact is that this home is so isolated, without the minibus it is difficult to see how the boys would get about.

We arrive at the home around 3.00pm. What a welcome we received. I’m sure all forty boys run towards the bus shouting their words of welcome. Hector their house father jumps out of the van and introduces Willie and myself and our friend David who has joined us for this trip.

The home sits in what can only be described as a little piece of paradise. The huge mountains in the background and the shining silvery river running behind the home all adds up an amazing idealic setting.

The boys are anxious to show us  round their home to see their rooms. The first thing that strikes you is how tidy their rooms are. Willie comes over to me, “go on, take a picture of this wee boy’s bed, it could make you cry.” Well in this setting the sensitive side of McPherson is revealed as we look at a bunk bed with a wee boys teddy all ready and prepared for sleep. Its actually a little lamb. How wonderful to think that a child that once was on the street can regain something of the innocence and fun connected with childhood. More than this I recall to myself the words of the song.”Wherever I hand my hat that’s my home”

A few minutes later the boys are called for their evening meal. One of the children stands and gives thanks for the food. Then each table is served. Soup was the first course followed by chicken and rice, then jelly and angel delight. The boys didn’t leave a scap. It was great to see forty hungry boys getting tucked in.

After supper the boys had some time to play. David had brought a gift for the boys. A game of Table Tennis. This amuses a large number of the lads. Others had their pockets filled with marbles while others played football. In another area a group were doing homework, while a couple of boys had been detailed for washing up.

I move around the site taking pictures. Then something quite amazing happens. A rainbow appears on the sky just above the home. For me this was a sign a wonderful sign that God was smiling down our efforts.

On this journey we have visited the many varied projects run by Union Biblical and funded by the Vine Trust. It has been great joy to represent all of us in Scotland and beyond who have so faithfully supported the work. Of course I heard about challenges and difficulties but I also met people in Peru who are willing to face these challenges knowing that God is with us. For more pictures check out my picture gallery.

The first thing you notice when you get off the plane in Lima is the heat. It must have been at least 75 degrees. There was a smell of stale fish in the air and the traffic horns were noisy. This is a city of some eleven million people stretched out over a desert coastal strip surrounded by huge sand dunes. I’m told it hasn’t really rained here since the 1970s. This is a city of many contrasts. I had lunch in a coastal restaurant called the Costa Verde. It was really quite an excellent eating place. The chef is world famous.I felt a bit on edge as I moved to the buffet. All the staff were like doctors dressed up for the operating room. Masks covered the servers faces. It was a bit scary looking at the chef’s eyes staring back.

I was meeting up with the new Chairman of Union Biblica Guillermo Yoshikawa, he tells me an amazing story of his life as a young boy living in poverty struggling to make his life better. Today he is a man in his sixties,an academic who has taught in Universities in Japan and America. He had oiw returned to his native Lima to be the head teacher at the prestigious Colegio America.

Guillermo speaks with passion for the work he has undertaken with Union Biblica. He tells me he is just in the post four months, he says  he has much to learn and there is much he doesn’t know about the work. His role at the moment is to listen and try to get a grasp of the varied work that the Union Biblica is involved in. However one got the distinct impression that he was a man with a mission but also a man with great experience and wisdom.

After lunch we visited his school and saw the man in his working environment. He has just been back in Lima for a year as the Head of this College but already he had been able to bring about a number of interesting changes.In particular I was interested in his Multimedia Department in the School and his plan to launch a new evening University from the building by the end of the year.

As I started this post about the city of contrasts on the way back to Union Biblica Headquarters we stopped at traffic lights. Within minutes we were faced with a blind man and his daughter begging for some coins. This was a reminder to me that this was the reason I had flown all these miles. We want to see the day come when no one has to beg on street corners in order to live. We have much to do. The world is a place of great injustice we have an opportunity to begin to make changes. Even small ones are the beginning of hope for some. It is my hope that the partnership between Vine Trust and Union Biblica will be able to bring about sustained support and help to the poor of South America.

Over the last few days I’ve been under a bit of pressure to get the CWW Report finished to be included in the Annual Reports that are given to the General Assembly. I ‘ve also been working with Rae to finish off the material for Sanctuary First. Anyway tonight’s service went really well. Here is a sample of one of the clips we used. Rae and Lauren did a great job working under pressure to produce this little film.

The theme tonight was all about laying down burdens and picking of the cross and following Jesus. I’m told 27 people signed up for the support text to help them follow Jesus. I tell you more about it tomorrow. Meanwhile I hope you enjoy this video from the service. Video

BEING THANKFUL

Hope you enjoyed looking at the  last post Fixed Point.  Here’s another little film about a trip I made to India last year. It might encourage all of us to be thankful for all we have.

We sent off £13,500 pounds to India this morning. It was a real joy to feel that this money will be arriving in time to make a difference this Christmas.

This is money that we’ve been collecting to share with our partners in India who are part of our World Without Walls Project.  Somehow we seem to have adopted  five projects, some we are supporting more than others.  Take a moment to look through te slide show  SANGITA_TRUST.html

In this post i’m focusing on the Sangita Orphanage. Tomorrow i’ll tell you about one of the other projects.

If you scroll down on the slide show you’ll see pictures of the Orphanage being built. It looks really cool.

You will see that there are various projects on the go. Including a very worthy project which is helping feed men and women who live in a leprosy Colony.

I’m particularly concerned about the Sangita Orphanage at the moment, mainly because they are trying to build a home for over 70 children, while  being under the threat of being evicted from their present premises.  the landlord has upted the rent and has the right to evicte them whenever he wishes. He has already taken over part of the building and they now care for 70 children out of two rooms.

Paul and Grace Moses the founders have started to build the new orphanage but they need more funds to finish the project. `The thing is it is in an amazing site and the plans are quite spectacular. A million miles away from what the children are living in at present.  They need to build another three buildings to be able to house the children. Each building costs £6,000 to erect. Today we sent £7,500 this will help erect another building and also help with the running costs. If you’d like to donate to this work you can do so by going to www.standonline.org.uk our church web page and press the donate link on the left hand side of the page.