There has just been so much going on in the Church of Scotland in the last few weeks. Many of you will have read in the media about a friend of mine, Rev. Scott Rennie, minister of Brechin Cathedral who has been called to be minister of the congregation at Queens Cross Church in Aberdeen. It should be a real cause for celebration ... however there is, according to some within the denomination, a problem. Scott, when he applied for the charge was completely honest and transparent with the folks in Queens Cross. When asked he told them that he was gay and was in a committed relationship with his partner, David, who is also a Christian and heavily committed to the work of the church.

When the congregation asked the Presbytery of Aberdeen to 'sustain the call', basically give permission to them to ask Scott to be their minister they agreed but a small group of people complained and have now passed it to the General Assembly to decide on it later this month. There has been a lot written about the case, in newspapers and in blogs across the world. Forward Together, a group of evangelicals in the Church are leading the public outcry in calling for Scott not to be allowed to be the minister in Queens Cross.

A lot has been said that is wrong, and in fact Forward Together had to issue an apology to Scott after facts were wrongly stated about his personal life and the retraction can be read here. The editorially independent magazine of the Church of Scotland, Life and Work, ran an editorial calling on the church to recognise the liberty of opinion that exists on such matters. A new group called the Fellowship of Confessing Churches (whose very title I take issue with as my church is also a 'confessing church', confessing our belief in Jesus Christ, but not necessarily their definition of what a confessing church is nor their theology) have even started an online petition urging comissioners at the General Assembly to block Scott's move to Queen's Cross. 

And now, an organisation I am a part of called OneKirk have issued a new edition of our Journal (which can be downloaded here) which has an interview with Scott in which he tells his story. It is well worth a read as it allows people to remember their is a person involved in this, a real human being, with feelings, with gifts, someone who is loved by God. Surely that is what is important here.

Rev. Gordon Kennedy, a former chairman of Forward Together recently wrote on his blog (not in relation to this specific case, but in the wider debate on human sexuality) that it is "our Christian duty is to love our neighbour, all our neighbours, perhaps especially those with whom we disagree. Too often debates about human sexuality become offensive name-calling exercises which display nothing of the love of Christ or the grace that should characterise Christian living. This is espeically important for those claiming the title of Evangelical as we should be people who not only preach grace but live graciously."

Surely, Gordon makes sense for us all, and I pray that others may hear his words and put them into practice. We all need to remember that behind the news stories, behind the headlines, behind the anger and bitter comments of some sections of the Church there is a man, a child of God, who is loved and cared for just like everyone else. This is someone who has been given gifts by God for building up his kingdom and who is trying in the most faithful way possible to be a servant of God and follow his calling in ministry.

Let us remember and start speaking about the sense of call and the worth of Scott's ministry in the eyes of God, and not vilify him for being who he is ... a child of God.

Sad day yesterday. To finish my week's holiday we went to St. Andrews Church in Blantyre and had lunch with Pete, Carolyn and the family. Was having a lovely time until we smelt a gas leak at their house. That was in the process of getting fixed, and I went out to the car to get something, took out my iPhone and dropped it on the tiled kitchen floor. It did not bounce. It cracked the screen. I felt bad and just a little bit sick!

Phone the phone company this morning who said it was covered by the insurance and a new one would be with me tomorrow. It still works but I have to be really careful with it incase I break it totally and am without a phone!

Oh well, roll on tomorrow! I know it is only a phone but ...

I have been getting steadily more annoyed over the past week or so with the media and Westminster. When we should have been focussing on the economic situation, or announcements about jobs in hospitals we have heard very little except about Gordon Brown's seeming reluctance to say sorry over the email smear fiasco.

The media said that any announcement the government made would be sidelined, even go unheard, because of the lack of the use of the word 'sorry' from the PM. Well, in Glasgow yesterday he said 'sorry'. And in today's papers we have had a shift from him refusing to say sorry to the way he apparantly said sorry far too late into the affair and only because the media called for it! It got me thinking can people really be... (there's more to this blog, click below to read it.)

OK, I know I haven't written a blog for some time but I am going to try and turn over a new leaf and use this as a place to share thoughts and get things off my chest. And looky look at what I read in the letters page of the Daily Record earlier ... 

"Shell Shame - On Easter Sunday, I was astounded to find the smashed remains of dozens of hard boiled eggs littering a local park. In this day and age, is it really sensible to teach children, the remnants of whose egg rolling exploits I presume these to be, that it is OK to waste food? Starving people in the Third World would not understand such wanton waste and I certainly could not explain or justify it to them. I wonder if the parents of the youngsters concerned would feel themselves able to do so?"  Daily Record, April 14, 2009  

Oh my word! You can understand the .... (there's more, click the button below to read it)

Churches all over the country are having difficulty recruiting people who can play the organ for services worship. Perhaps we are going about this all wrong in the church ... perhaps we should be training people who have a good musical ear to lead worship in new creative ways. We have had the pipe organ and some may say (not me!) that it has had its day, we have had the electric piano sounding like an organ which we all would agree has had its day, we have even had praise bands that sound nothing like an organ.

Perhaps it is time to train people in the art of hand music. Click the video to play.

Altogether now "The Lord's my shepherd, I'll not want..."

Do you know when you have the sinking feeling that the day is going to be one of those days?

I normally am kept quite busy in life with everything that goes on but this week, in fact, these 2 weeks, seem to be worse than normal! I found this cartoon and suddenly thought how nice it would be if there really was an intray that you could actually ignore without people coming after you with big sticks when you haven't completed something.

Oh well, we can but dream. So, where do I start?

You have to watch this!

Well, I am now back to (started again) blogging! Now with the American election upon us you could be forgiven for thinking that there is nothing else to talk about ... but I couldn't resist this one. A whole bunch of folks who think that because Obama is black he is a terrorist! And that Sarah Palin has the Holy Spirit filling her to bring honesty and integrity. Well if that is the Holy Spirit it is not the one I have been thinking about all these years.

What is even worse is that this video was taken from Aljazeera television. Does the right wing of America not realise that they have just called all black people terrorists and second class citizens not to mention unpatriotic? Whatever happened to living as God wanted? You know ... with people, caring for them, loving them, seeing them as our neighbour?

As Matt Damon said in an interview when talking about the prospect of Sarah Palin becoming President if McCain is elected and something happens to him, "I want to know if she thinks Dinosaurs were around 4,000 years ago ... She will have the nuclear codes ... I want to know". The man makes a valid point!

 The more and more I thought about Thomas, the more I thought about how important it is not just for us to have faith but for us to have doubts as well. It is often through the doubts that we can think more clearly at the other side of our questioning. As we doubt, we question, we think deeply about the issue and we come out of the other side a stronger person, with very often, a stronger faith to show for it as well.

There are very few things in this world that are certain. Even the world of science which is very often held up to be the constant in life, the absolute, the certainty, isn't. Very often the world of science is also struggling for answers too! I would hate to live in a world where we were absolutely certain about everything. The uncertainty breeds creativity, and it is when we are uncertain that we think creatively, act creatively and be creative in our lives, in our worship and in our faith.

And very often it is in those moments of doubt that the support of a church family can make all the difference - a supportive comment, a kind action, an acknowledgment of doubt together!

So let us not be so certain as to shut out our doubts, let us celebrate the fact that we do not have all the answers about our world, our lives and our faith. 'Doubting Thomas', let's use the phrase as something to be celebrated, not something to be feared.

We are doubters .. and we are proud!