Tour of Study 3

I enjoy most sport but am really passionate about only 2 sports and really care about only 2 teams.

I have enjoyed cricket since I was very young indeed and still play from time to time( to an ever declining standard)for Strollers cricket club in Herefordshire which has given me a lot of pleasure  and through which I have made a  lot of friends  over the years.

The cricket team I support though is England.

My dad took me to see England against the all conquering West Indies in 1963 as a very young lad I can remember watching Charlie Griffiths and Wes Hall, the lightening quick fast bowlers, bowling in deteriorating light an awe inspiring sight!
In 1968 dad took me to The Oval to see England play Australia in The final test of the summer.England won to square the Ashes with very little time to spare. i will always remember those five quality days with my dad watching something we both enjoyed. I guess great memories are something we can do for our children!
On my wall I have the autographs of The England team that day- a precious  memory

The other team I support is Shrewsbury Town .I much prefer watching lower league football to the premiership and have both endured and enjoyed watching town over the years since I went with our neighbours in Wem as a young lad
On my wall are some programmes from famous games they have played

The final thing  is a small picture of the Lords supper on wood,  it is modern, though the writing on the back suggests it is a modern copy of a more ancient picture

I love the bright colours ,the reminder in the picture that The Lords Supper is not a ritual but a meal ,friends  eating together with The Master present, and sharing the meal with them  before the body was broken and the blood shed....for us

Study tour part 2

Continuing the journey round the things in my study.On the window ledge there is a postcard with just 3 words on it "Faith involves risk"
 I cannot remember where I got it though it was also in my room in The Crofts ( where Ross on Wye Baptist Church offices are) so I have had it a long time.

It is a reminder to me that as Christians and as churches we cannot always know the outcomes before we embark on the journey .If we could there would be no need for faith at all! It is also a reminder not to be afraid of taking big decisions sometimes. Indeed it is critical that we do if we are to build The Kingdom and grow as Christians.As the man said " If you want to walk on water you have to get out of the boat!"

To the left of this postcard, is a picture taken by my friend Phil Price.

It is a picture of the church I served for twenty one years in Ross on Wye. it was presented to me as a gift before I left.

When I look at the photo I don't just see the building but also remember the people it was such a privilege  to know and minister to and with for so long.
 When you leave a church and go to a new one you don't forget the  former you just add many more great relationships to your life (and some new challenges as well sometimes!)

When I look back the lines have certainly fallen for me in pleasant places!

I will finish the tour in my next post

..And now for something completely different!

I thought I would depart from writing endless posts about Baptists and change to think about something completely different
I spend a lot of time in my study, writing sermons and orders of service and funeral talks and answering a never ending and ever increasing supply of email,  and  very occasionally I  get my head up from a computer screen and have a look around at some of the stuff around me in the study .
The first thing I notice is books, I only have a small portion of the bookS I have ever bought in my office but there are still books on every conceivable theological subject'
I am pleased to say I have read at least part of about 80% of them ,though that leaves many I have never opened and I guess some I will never open! I feel guilty about that

Beyond the books,  much of the stuff reflects my other  interests and passions,so there are the precious  family photos  and also a self portrait painted by my dad who I still miss some 5 years after his death.

There are CD'S Passion Awakening ,the best of Stuart Townend ,Sacred Arias by Katherine Jenkins, Leonard Cohen live at the Isle of Wight 1970 among them- quite an eclectic mix!

Then there are other personal things like this policeman

He was made by a retired police inspector called Donald Grigg  who came to our church in Ross and who died in the mid 1980's
Donald was a quiet man who looked after a disabled wife with great devotion .He taught me that you don't have to be loud and exuberant to have a deep faith Every year at Christmas  he gave me a wooden carving instead of a Christmas card and I have them all still!

Hanging on the wall is this simple print I  bought in Norfolk for a few pounds many years ago which not only amuses me but reminds me that it is possible to be very close to something wonderful and still not see it!

I will mention some of the other stuff in my next post

What is in your study or office that is precious to you?