Always Hope

So the secret's out. Yesterday I had the difficult task of telling everyone here that I am leaving Kea in the summer. Now I'm just about recovering from the euphoric rush of finally divulging something that had been kept hushed up for what seems like ages. I'll be moving to the Diocese of Portsmouth, to take on the role of Mission Development Officer. You can read the official release here . As you can see from that, I'm enthusiastic about the job. And it was nice to get lots of positive feedback yesterday, in church and on Twitter. But I've already had the first query along the lines of "what on earth is that all about?", something which I expect to be repeated often, including by some of the good people in the parishes of Portsmouth.  I don't underestimate the challenge, but I think it is worth the attempt. Calling is a complex thing, but writing this blog has been part of mine. And I've decided I don't want to become an armchair critic. So...

It seems to be the thing for bloggers to mark the year's end by looking back over the last 12 months of their own output. And why not? For Always Hope this is a significant new year, in fact the only one this blog has seen, marking (more or less) the first six months of its life. It's been fun and quite surprising, so now seems a good time to share some of my first impressions of the world of blogging. My first concern was that I wouldn't be able to think of anything to say. I should really have known myself better - as a preacher, and former teacher, I find it far too easy to share my opinions, which makes me a natural blogger. Not that this is necessarily a good thing. The temptation to sound off on anything and everything is very strong - especially as making a lot of noise tends to get more attention online. But as a reader, I don't enjoy blogs that are constantly whingeing and grumbling. So, although I allow myself regular rants about the Terrible State of Things, ...

Comments on this blog are moderated before publishing. I like the phrase "moderated", conveying as it does the much-needed calming process demanded by the fevered ravings of the online community. Here at Always Hope most comments pass through the net quite easily, but as traffic increases, one or two have sadly not made it. I'm aware that a couple of people may now be disappointed that their comment didn't get displayed, so here's my comments policy for all to see. Derogatory comments about religion or faith in general, trolling, ranting, and otherwise wasting my time will not be indulged. Take it to a site where comment is free (but not always worth reading). Any comments which are racist, sexist, or in any way demeaning to our fellow human beings will not be accepted. Anything insulting to the blog author will not be published. Exceptions may be made if you are sufficiently witty or I like you enough, but don't push it. Comments will only be published i...

Always Hope is back, after a break of a couple of weeks. For an explanation of the interruption, click here .

Next challenge - what to actually write about. The idea is to post about things on my mind, usually (but not always) confined to the stuff that relates to what I do as a vicar. This probably means covering an eclectic (not to say eccentric) range of topics, including evangelism, discipleship, being church, and the public voice of Christianity. There's also likely to be frequent reflections on things Anglican, both local and wider. This will sometimes be sublime, sometimes ridiculous. Some of that will be very specifically about the life and troubles of the stipendiary clergy - therapeutic for me if not of interest to anyone else. But I hope it will be mostly about God, and faith in him. There'll be a quite a lot about the Bible (me showing my working for sermons) and about what it means to really "do" what God asks us to (James 1:22). There'll be some thoughts about the implications of believing in Jesus Chist, and attempts to share my conviction that, with him, t...

I've decided to take the plunge and start blogging. Wikipedia tells me that blogs started in 1997, so it's hardly what's hot, but this is about the usual time lag with me and new technology. Anyway, it seems it's difficult to be a vicar without a blog these days. Even bishops are doing it now (with mixed results - maybe it's a mercy that none of our own senior clergy in Cornwall have jumped in yet). So, after years of indecision, here goes. The very realistic fear of having nothing useful to say is, after all, balanced by the very small probability that anyone will be reading.