PJBelfast

Public speaking is an artform.  There is something about the power of a well crafted story that is captivating. The storyteller paints wonderfully clear word pictures that influence and impact us. They can make us feel happy or sad, angry or appreciative. If we forget everything else, the power of the story resonates in our very soul. " Maybe stories are #Data with a soul ." It's said: "Story is where we came from. Story is where we're going. Story is what connects us and binds us to each other. It is in the story of humanity, amongst love and fear and failure, that we make meaning of our lives." Like a good movie or a 30 second advert, a great storyteller ably conveys a clear, concise and coherent message. A TED talk is one such story telling medium. A TED talk is a video created from a verbal presentation at the main TED (standing for Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference or one of its many satellite events around the world. TED talks

Educated alongside a young prince, a whipping boy was a suitable classmate. In modern day Europe he was there primarily in order to receive corporal punishment. He became the substitute, whipped for the young prince's transgressions. The prince was not punished himself, because his royal status exceeded that of his tutor; seeing a friend punished was supposed to provide a suitable motivation not to repeat the offence. Today we best understand such 'a substitute', as a sports player nominated  to replace another player after a match has begun. These examples help us understand the important concept of substitutionary atonement. This is when Jesus became our substitute. This is when Jesus became our whipping boy. He became the only person suitable to be punished for our sinful incompetence. The old hymn-writers knew this when they penned: " He was wounded for our transgressions He was bruised for our iniquities Surely he bore our s

Did you ever hear a story about a transformation of epic proportions? This is one that I heard several years ago from my good friend Phil. It's certainly worth repeating. The Monument In the town of Enterprise, Alabama there stands a most unusual, almost surreal statue. It has an associated plaque which reads: " Boll Weevil Monument - December 11,1919. In profound appreciation of the Boll Weevil and what it has done as the herald of prosperity this monument was erected by the citizens of Enterprise, Coffee County, Alabama." The lady in the statue is holding aloft a Boll Weevil as something that had caused a transformation, bringing economic prosperity to the region. Her white marble arms stretch high above its head. Braced in the beautiful woman’s hands is a round bowl,  on top of which is perched this enormous bug. It’s the image of a Boll Weevil, to be precise—about 50 pounds in statue form, but an insect normally smaller than a thumbnail.

Usain Bolt is the only sprinter to win Olympic 100 metres and 200 metres titles at three consecutive Olympics (2008, 2012 and 2016). His speed earned him the nickname Lightning Bolt. Yet, paradoxically we learn that he was a slow starter as one of the slowest runners off the blocks. He had faith in his process though, and knew that he would gain speed in the latter stages of any race. Usain, as a slow starter, has left us with this lesson. Finishing strong makes up for shaky starts. I was reminded this week by a very public shaky start, as I witnessed the bookies favourite for the Open, our very own Rory McIlroy. Rory had a nightmare of a round on Thursday. This most uncharacteristic and unfortunate poor round of golf meant he was well out of contention scoring  8 over par. Friday was a different story though. Like a true champion he dusted himself down and scored an amazing 6 under par. Even though he just missed the cut, he demonstrated a resilient tenacity of spi

Johnny Miller was a golfer who stood tall in the golden age of golf. He was often paired with Seve Ballesteros. Seve gained attention in the golfing world in 1976, when at the age of 19, he finished second at The Open. Johnny won the Open that year. Johnny Miller was one of the top players in the world during the mid-1970s. He was the first to shoot 63 in a major championship to win the 1973 U.S. Open, and he ranked second in the world on Mark McCormack's world golf rankings in both 1974 and 1975 behind Jack Nicklaus. Miller won 25 PGA Tour events, including two majors. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1998. He was the person who said " It's not what you accomplish in life that matters; it's what you overcome" The full quote is actually " It's not so much what you accomplish in life that really matters, but what you overcome that proves who you are, what you are, and whether you are a champion."

It's some of the most breathtaking, beautiful and iconic scenery in the world and it's literally on my doorstep. A one hour drive south from Belfast and a wee stroll from the main road car park and I've arrived at Murlough bay. It is simply glorious...I even managed to relax on the sandy beach and 'soak in some rays,' as the girls went for a dander. As I look toward Newcastle the backdrop is majestic, seeing the view of the mountains of Mourne sweeping down to the sea. Today's journey is to celebrate my sister in law's birthday, so we stopped off for a late breakfast in the chic cafe in the Montalto estate near Ballynahinch. If you ever come to Ireland make sure you come this way. If you are a golfer you could even play Royal County Down and let me tell you, it's a very challenging links course. My friend Tim and I have ticked this one off our bucketlist. This place is a tonic for the soul. Off now for a wee beverage in Percy French's, then to s

"Mama says 'Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get!' These insightful words were spoken by Forrest Gump played by a young Tom Hanks. I also remember my brother in law, who led a large Sunday school, likening people to a box of chocolates. Everyone loved the strawberry soft centre ones, others, like the toffees, were hard, but few liked the coffee creams. As they say in Belfast "you couldn't love them if you rared them," as they were so disgustingly distasteful. People you meet today will be like one chocolate from a box of chocolates. Some you meet will be like the orange cream - soft centred, sweet and welcoming. Others will be like the toffees that pull your fillings out - a little hard, confrontational and reactionary. Others may be like the coffee creams - no matter what you do you just can't like them! Which chocolate are you? #lifeislikeaboxofchocolates.

The local chicken factory was reputed to have supplied the leanest and plumpest of chicken breasts in Northern Ireland. So, having heard this, my wife sent me on an errand to buy, not just one but two boxes of those plumper than other chicken breasts – one for the work colleague and one for our family freezer. It was a rare hot summers day, when I arrived at the chicken factory, to collect the said luscious chicken breasts. I paid my £100 at the factory office and hurriedly carried the two boxes to the boot of my car, to get them out of the sun. And then it happened – in my haste I had set my car keys beside the chicken boxes and promptly closed the boot lid, inadvertently locking the keys inside. What a fool I felt I felt when I realised my faux-paux. As ‘ingenuity is the mother of invention’, I thought, if I phoned a local locksmith that he’d maybe gain access to the boot before the factory closing time. Unfortunately, the locksmith and I were to discover that this car boo

Do you know your words have a power within them? You can use them to encourage or discourage. You can use them to build someone up or conversely use them to pull someone down. The words you write or speak to others can leave a huge impact and create a lasting memory--either good or bad--so it's really important to choose them wisely. Words can make or break a relationship and your choice of words and the way you express yourself can accelerate or kill your career prospects. Last December one of my wife's schooltime girlfriend's (Mrs C), suggested that I apply for a certain job, as she kindly thought of me and reckoned that I possibly matched the criteria. Isn't it great when someone believes in you. There is something about encouragement that makes you say " I can, " even if you may suffer rejection in the process. It's said " That if you're not in you can't win!" So I put my " hat in the ring," so

Glad that almost 200 of you read Part 1. Thanks for coming back. Here we go as we ponder three more biblical "Garments of the heart" #3 The Garment of Humility 1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, you younger,. Submit yourselves to the elder. Yes, all of you can be subject to one another, and be clothed with humility "True humility is being able to accept criticisms as graciously as we accept compliments" Six attributes of humility: 1) We acknowledge that we don't have it all together 2) We know the difference between self-confidence and pride 3)  We seek to add value to others 4) We take responsibility for our actions 5) We understand the shadow side of success 6) We are filled with gratitude for what we have Humble  means "modest; without an excess of pride " Humility will open more doors than arrogance ever will " (Zig Ziglar) #5. The Garment of Love Col 3:14 " Above all, clothe yourselves with love