I’ve never much bothered about Lent and the practise of giving something up hoping that somehow this small sacrifice will bring me closer to God. With the whole world caught up in so much darkness and despair right now, perhaps I need to rethink my whole approach to these 40 days. After Jesus was baptised... Continue Reading →
Listening to My Life
The most enjoyable things about preparing these blogs is to find an appropriate photo and a relevant prayer. A recent blog was accompanied by a donkey and an old rhinocerous, with the question, which one was I? Once upon a time, in a former I was very definitely a rhino, a charging rhino. I'd been... Continue Reading →
Go Well Into a New Year
I had to make an early (for me) start today to get to a hospital in Portsmouth. People anxious about me having rather too much iron in my blood; me worrying that I was slowly turning into a giant magnet. Never having been there before I allowed an hour for the trip. Coat on, ready... Continue Reading →
Donkey (or Old Battered Rhino) For Hire
I’ve finally come to an end of a challenging assignment. My toughest so far by a long long way. I mentioned in my last blog that I'd been invited to join the board of a local food bank, saying 'this would be like a walk in the park'. ‘You wish’, responded the CEO. I hope... Continue Reading →
Authority and Power (2)
My last blog on Authority and Power hit the spot with a number of readers. 'This almost exactly mirrors the situation I'm in'. 'You must have written this just for me', to mention a couple of comments. And I've been told some harrowing tales of charities where there's been a disharmony between authority and power.... Continue Reading →
Authority and Power
Last night we popped out to watch ‘Doubt; a Parable at the Festival theatre. A 5 star performance from 4 players who worked hard to produce a memorable experience. It came at a time when I’ve been reflecting on Authority and Power. The play was all about the interplay of these two themes; on the... Continue Reading →
Charity Briefing – New Charities Bill
I’d quite forgotten that a new Charities Act is underway until I was reminded by a question that arrived recently. The bill is still in committee stage and will be a while before it becomes an act. It’s a considered attempt by the government to make life simpler for charities by removing some of the... Continue Reading →
My Year Ahead
For the first time ever, I go into a new year with no major responsibilities, outside of Anita my wife and Millie, a small dog who thinks she's a big dog. I've stood down my trustee responsibilities and, though I'm still useful to my old business, I'm very happy to stand well back in the... Continue Reading →
How to Confront
Sometimes I have to write difficult e-mails. Millie had me up at 5.30am today, when she’s gotta go, she’s gotta go; she makes this abundantly clear. Climbing back into bed I decided it was time to tackle that tricky e-mail that had been keeping me awake into the small hours. So, firing up my laptop... Continue Reading →
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