PJBelfast

The word encourage comprises two syllables. "En" means to put in or into and the word "courage" meaning confident, brave and strong . To encourage literally means to put courage into someone. The New Testament character Barnabas means " the son of encouragement " (Acts 4:36). The ministry of encouragement is underrated and often overlooked (Rom 12:8).If you are looking to discover, develop and deploy a grace gift consider being an encourager (1 Thess 5:11). Here are a few examples: Think of those who have lost a loved one and post them a personalised sympathy card.  Think of the widow or the single person and invite them for dinner.  Think of the one who has been through surgery and deliver them a lasagne or take them a bunch of grapes. " Encourage the disheartened" (1 Thess 5:14). Customise a gift to a person's known likes. It may be as simple as sending a text message to let the person know you are thinking about them. Some &

Exactly 36 years ago today, on 20th May 1985, my wife had a stillbirth at 8 months term. We called the wee darling girl Karen. That must have been one of our toughest days. My wife Caroline is walking 3km in the pouring rain this morning with our BCGC friend Raquel Rodriguez. Raquel has experienced a similar loss.  After losing their baby boy, at 17 weeks of gestation in November 2019, Raquel decided she would like to give back to the Royal Maternity unit and bereavement* team, that looked after her family during the hardest of times, and who continue to support them even now.  The RMU & B team* offer real help during a time no family should have to experience, making sure parents take home as many memories as possible. Raquel is raising funds to support other families who may have the misfortune to go through the same experience and help make a tough time a little kinder for them.  She is raising the funds by walking 3km a day from the 3rd of May to the 3rd of June. Sh

There are defining moments in life. Most of us will remember where we were when 9-11 happened. Other moments are those sad occasions when a loved one is snatched suddenly from us to the life hereafter.  I had one of those memorable moments this past Monday when I had my gallbladder, with its many stones, removed. Surgery make you think about the important stuff.  I was again reminded of the fragility and brevity of life. Someone once said " Life is fragile, handle with prayer" A brief chat with my dear friend Tim reminded me that we are " to number our days and incline our hearts onto wisdom " With a 40th wedding anniversary coming up on 4th July 2021 I have just reviewed and revamped my bucket list. It is jam packed with adventure and fun destinations to explore, but the most important thing of all are the friends and family that I want to share it with. It is not just filled with selfish desires, but is rather laden with altruistic endeavours that will

The peace of God in the mind and heart is an amazing experience. It is one of the nine characteristics (or fruit) of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus promised his children peace in place of anxiety and I'm one of His kids.  I'm going for a wee operation in several hours, yet am surprisingly really very calm, in the deep-seated reality that the Lord is with me.  It's a bit like staying awake because you've an early flight to catch. Yes, my mind is alert in anticipation of the early operation yet my faith in my divine pilot is very real. Those of you who know me know that my writing these blogs on life, with all its ups and downs, is my way of expressing something of God's love, faith and hope in our hurting world.  I am so thankful of my many friends and family praying specifically for me and my surgeon as I go to theatre. I am now the beneficiary, at 4am, from the peace of God's near presence. It is so wonderful to be a participant in this deep peac

Did you ever catch yourself saying something and wondering  " where on earth did that come from? " When I finish a call for a customer I often say " that's it done and dusted!"  The expression is mostly used in British English in informal contexts to mean to successfully complete something. When a businessman says that a deal has been done and dusted, he means that he has been successful in clinching it; there is nothing left to be done. The expression comes from the world of writing. In the past, everyone made use of ink to write; people dipped their quill or pen into a bottle of ink before putting words on paper. Those of us who have used a fountain pen know that ink doesn’t dry very quickly. Sometimes, you had to wait for a long time before the paper absorbed the ink. To quicken the drying process, people used to sprinkle an absorbent dust or powder on the paper. Once the ink had dried, the powder was dusted off the paper. In the words attributed