I thought today I would look at some historic events that have happened during my ministry. Here's a few of them: The Cold War officially ended with the fall of the Soviet Union on Christmas Day 1991, IRA ceasefire on the 31st August 1994 The death of Princess Diana 31st August 1997 9/11 2001 Facebook was launched on the 4th February 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, 2004 The iPhone was introduced on the 29th June 2007 Instagram was launched on the 6th October 2010 Discovery of the H

At the risk of sounding like a ... (insert your own word here) I was in pain all day yesterday, and all morning so far today (it's 12:55pm as I write this). It is bearable, but between the pains, my yawning all the time, and my eyes having trouble staying open, I don't know. And yet, this morning I was working on my Genesis project (sounds like a Star Trek film), and I had my first online meeting with my supervisor for the psychology degree I am just finishing. I didn't y

It's Sunday again. Next Sunday morning I have my cystoscopy, so I'll write something after I get home. The Sunday after, I'll be preaching, so I may just write about what it's like to be back. I don't know how it will be though. We went for a meal at one of our garden centres yesterday and I could easily have fallen asleep at the table. These disturbed nights are not getting better. Anyway, as I said, it's Sunday again, so Paul, facing his imminent death, wrote to the P

It's Saturday - Day off. I can't be sick on my day off from now on. Two weeks tomorrow I am taking my first service and in the week leading up to that I have something on every day, including my first evening meeting. It's in Beccles, so a walk down the road, but evenings have not been good for me lately, so it will be interesting to see what happens. But for now, that's it. I'll be back tomorrow.

It really is tiring! I did a few things yesterday. And at the moment a few things is my limit. I had a phone call yesterday afternoon from the hospital, asking me if I could come in for a cystoscopy this afternoon. I couldn't, so now I am booked in for Sunday the 22nd February at 9:45am. Cystoscopy is the only camera I haven't had yet. It examines the bladder. There is only one way into the bladder 🥴. I am not looking forward to it. The information that comes with it

I feel like time is running out. in 2 weeks I will be sending in my order of service for my first church service since the 2nd November last year. I have prepared the sermon already. Can I still talk about results that I haven't yet received? I suppose yesterday's are not that important, but there are biopsies to be sent out and there is that cystoscopy that will no doubt clash with something else in my diary, even if they find nothing. When I started this I was expectin

I can't use letters for the numbers anymore because the numbers are getting too big to write. But this 101 (just like the Dalmatians). I have been out and about today, getting rained on and splashed with mud. And I feel better for it (I'm talking emotionally and psychologically here, not physically). I am still yawning, because my sleep is being interrupted still. Anyway, I drove to Lowestoft this morning - a 25 minute drive each way - to arrange a baptism. This is th

I feel compelled to write today because it is 100 days since I last worked (full-time). The emphasis is in the title: One hundred (100). There are black clouds hanging overhead (my own black clouds), but I will write anyway. I have just booked an Occupational Health meeting. The earliest date was the 26th February. But it's booked - 9: 30am. Whatever recommendations they make will have some influence over my future. And I got thinking about that. Just lately I have

Acts 15: 28 , " It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us ." We can read that without thinking how mind-blowing a statement it is. This was said by James, the brother of Jesus, at the first church council. They were having a debate/discussion/argument about the Old Testament Law. It was clearly given to the children of Israel (Jacob). No other nation in Old Testament times was expected to follow it. No other nation was judged for not living by it. But now the gospel

I thought it was time I wrote something. I have had an interesting few days since I last wrote. I have now heard from my district chair that it is more than one person who claimed that I haven't been ill at all. I wonder if they think the tests and scans at the hospital weren't real as well. Anyway, as none of these people have been a superintendent minister in the Methodist church, I guess they don't know that even when we are off sick there is still work to do. So on W

I am back! I have been to see the GP and we had a long chat. It included pictures. I thought diverticular disease was diverticulitis - it isn't! But it can develop into diverticulitis if it gets infected. So I am diseased. That hard to pronounce lung problem isn't a problem, apparently . So no treatment; no tablets; no medication. Just pain and sleep loss. I have sent my latest "Fit Note" to the district chair, with a note telling her that the GP thinks i

I was lying in bed this morning trying to get into a position where it didn't hurt. I was trying to keep my mind off a conversation I had yesterday, and failing in the process. I gave up after what seemed like a very long time, and decided to get up. I looked at the time and it was 4:30am. It is now 4:50 and I have to write to get this sorted out in my head. I said when started this blog 90 days ago that I was going to write about what it felt like to be me going through

On the 1st June 1967, 26 year old John and 25 year old Paul released (with the Beatles) the song below: When I get older, losing my hair Many years from now, Will you still be sending me a valentine, birthday greetings, bottle of wine? If I'd been out till quarter to three, Would you lock the door? Will you still need me, will you still feed me, When I'm sixty four? Ooh You'll be older too. Ah, and if you say the word, I could stay with you. I could be handy mending a fuse Wh

Having reported my diagnosis yesterday, I have done some more thinking. My results were on the NHS app for 12 days before I noticed them in, what I consider, the wrong place. I remembered that I went to the medical centre on the 15th January to ask if they had my results yet. They checked, and said no. But that's the day they appeared, so I must have missed them by seconds. When the results did come in, why didn't the medical centre contact me to arrange an appointment wit

Well, it's official! I am diseased! My liver, gallbladder, pancreas, adrenal glands kidneys and spleen are OK. My bowel is "unprepared" (I don't know what it's unprepared for, but who cares). That's the good news! This means that, yes, I have the results of the CT scan. The annoying thing is that these results have been on my NHS app since the 15th January! If you have an NHS app you will know the layout. There is a section labelled "Test Results". You click on that and

It is the 27th January and I am starting to prepare to go back out there. Storm Chandra is blowing around outside and there is a lot of rain as I am writing. I am not in pain today. I will not be fooled by a day off after what happened last week, but I am enjoying being temporarily pain-free. And still no results or new appointments. But I wanted to write about "The Chase". I have mentioned quiz shows before. I am watching more of them at the moment. There were 2 question

This should be more positive than yesterday. I woke around 6am with only the slightest of discomfort. I have been to Tesco for a few items. I am getting known there too because I keep talking to the people on the tills, and at 7 in the morning there are not many customers. This was always why, in my teenage depression/suicidal days I didn't respond to any dark clouds. I always reasoned that tomorrow might be a better day. My approach was: Don't commit suicide when you feel

Just a few days ago I thought it was all over, but considering it is now 11am on a Sunday morning and this is my third day of severe pain I am guessing that it's not. Even though so far there seems to be nothing wrong with me. It was another early start today - 4am - which is why I haven't written anything yet. But it is Sunday and I'm trying to write something biblical at least on Sundays. A few weeks ago I said I would write something about depression, so Elijah it is.

I'm writing early this morning because I'm not expecting any post. It's now 4 weeks since I had a CT scan and if anything does come in the post I'll write about it tomorrow. What I intended to do was offer that Thomas Edison quote, when asked about the number of failures he had, but then I discovered there are several different versions of it, so here are some of those versions (Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb; just in case you didn't know!): “I have not failed. I've

The post has just arrived, and another letter from the urology department. Both the ultrasound and the blood test indicate that I do not have testicular cancer. I didn't think I did, but as they checked my prostate and decided there is no problem with it (despite it being enlarged and inflamed) they decided to check everything. So, that's another part of me that is cancer-free! Yay! But, I still haven't had the CT scan results and I still have to have a cystoscopy