PJBelfast

Today, Ash Wednesday starts the liturgical season of Lent. It marks the forty days leading up to the Holy Thursday of Easter week, observing the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and praying. Pancake Tuesday was yesterday a time of feasting . In contrast today marks a time of fasting as we realise our mortality, 'repenting from sin and believing the Gospel.' The dictum 'Ashes to Ashes' comes from Genesis, often read at funerals, 'Remember you are but dust and to dust you shall return'(Gen 3:19). The American Proverb summaries it succinctly when it says: 'Ashes to Ashes Dust to dust If the Lord don't have you The devil must' Maybe you haven't been marked on your forehead today, like devout Catholics, but maybe you too want to mimic Jesus' example of fasting, as a sign of penitance, by skipping a meal or two? "The purpose of Lent is the preparation of th

My title today was inspired by my DIL (daughter in law). She thought my new CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) machine, to be worn while I'm sleeping, reminded her of Anthony Hopkins role as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs.(See photo attached). Joking aside, getting a restful night's sleep is important. Allegedly, according to my wife, I snore. But when monitored by the Sleep Clinic it was more than this. I was actually stopping breathing 18 times per hour while sleeping. This all too common condition is called having 'moderate sleep apnea.' So after kissing my wife goodnight I don the mask. Not at all romantic I can assure you. It gives me continuous positive air pressure, counteracting the noises and gasps of heavy breathing. It will take a while getting used to it, but there were no snores so it seemed to have done the trick. Cianti anyone..ss...ss...ss

Okay, so I admit that I'm a bit of a movie buff. I just love a great story acted out on the silver screen.  I recently acquired an Amazon Fire 10inch tablet and am now able to stream movies, allowing my wife to enjoy watching her period dramas in peace. I just love a feel good movie. "Going in Style" has three old timers played by the infamous Sir Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Alan Atkin. https://youtu.be/gBla_mCREX4 They play Joe, Willie and Albert, three lifelong friends. Together they plan to rob the bank that swindled them out of their pension money in order to come through for themselves and their loved ones. This Zach Braff film about friendship is unexpectedly endearing; reminding us that old people are people, too. It also reminds us that “ it is a culture’s duty to look after its elderly”. #I'veafreetrain&buspass #Growingoldgracefully #Snowontheroofbutfireintheengine #Askanoldperson

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Typical Valentine’s Day Greetings In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada,  Mexico , the United Kingdom, France and Australia. In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century.  By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to e

Arguably the greatest football (soccer for my US friends) player of all time, George Best "the Belfast boy", is rated by many pundits as the greatest footballer ever.  There are others who left an indelible mark on the game, but even the legendary Brazilian footballer Pele named George Best as the world's greatest ever player. I've just been reading Georges autobiography entitled 'Blessed'. With his footballing prowess and amazing dribbling talent, he was certainly blessed. Sadly George's alcoholism was his downfall. The illness related to this addiction ultimately robbed us of a sporting genius. It was in the early hours of 25th November 2005 when George died aged 59 years. At the time my East Belfast supermarket had special tribute posters announcing his untimely death printed by our local newspaper the Belfast Telegraph. I had grown men actually beg me for copies. Who will ever forget the floral tributes that preced

In light of recent life events affecting our family, my wife and I decided to make the time to again watch an old yet inspiring movie called ' Pay it forward. ' I suppose the reason we watched it, is because we have recently been on the receiving end of extreme kindness in our time of trouble. The movie focuses on a social studies teacher (Mr Simonet played by Kevin Spacey) who challenges his 7th grade class to " Think of an idea to change the world and put it into practice." Inspired by the school assignment, young Trevor (the son of Mrs McKinney, his alcoholic single parent Mum, played by Helen Hunt) comes up with an idea that changes many lives. He decides that instead of returning a favour, he will ' pay it forward' by doing good deeds for three people. This altruistic approach to life is to be intentionally kind to three other people. It seemed that all three of Trevor's attempts at kindness appear to fail but then there is a turning

I write to you while travelling on our flight from Murcia, Spain back to Dublin, Ireland. It's Friday the 7th February 2020 and well, I'm feeling truly thankful. Q. Why?  A. Well, primarily for 3 things... 1) Family & 2) Friends & 3) Faith 1. Family They say " we can't choose our family, but we can choose our friends ." But honestly, if I did have to choose one, it would be the family to which I belong. Leaning in to family relationships, particularly through our recent crisis, proves again, in the question posed by Kojak " who loves ya baby? " Answer: My family does! Two of my sisters have just driven 200 miles round-trip to pick us up in Dublin. Love that is sacrificial is the real deal. Our family have been expressing love and concern by phoning, texting and actually praying back in Ireland, while our son was hospitalised, in a coma in intensive care. Most all of our immediate family dropped everything; joi

I am so very thankful for the mercy and grace of God that we have experienced over these past three days.  "Holding on to the horns of the altar" is a Bible expression for appealing to God's mercy, as a literal place of asylum that people once ran to in times of trouble. Our wee family have been literally "holding on" crying "mercy Lord." This has been since our son Stephen ran in the Murcia Marathon and collapsed, around the eighteenth mile, with a life-threatening heat stroke.  John, in the book of Revelation, talks about 'the prayers of the saints' rising 'as incense, filling up a bowl of mercy' which is poured back out on earth* (Rev 5:8;8:4). This is not just a theology that is relegated to saints of a bygone era. I have found prayer in fact to be a really practical demonstration and release of the life-giving power of God moving today. I call it " kneeology ". People from all over, bowing an