Routine Pastor

Thursday 13th February 2025 - first entry

Following a recent tragic death of a six year old, I accompany his Nigerian father to a local funeral directors to discuss funeral arrangements and burial. The father is so courageous and brave. We also visit a local cemetery but the attendant he needs to speak to about a burial plot for his late son is not there. How hard for him to have to explain twice to people on the phone, before being transferred to the attendant, the purpose of his phone call. I listen and try to keep my words few, commenting briefly on how peaceful the gardens are. The attendant arrives and helps the father to find an appropriate plot of land for his child to be laid to rest. Later I sit in on a church meeting about assigning tasks to people in the fellowship, but my mind is still at the cemetery. We're a small fellowship so most people are involved in a task.

A newcomer has requested believer's baptism. Along with another gent, we chat about our response to the gospel and I try to explain what a sacrament is: an outward sign of an inward grace.

Friday 14th February

'Prekend' day, or 'Fri-yay' as I sometimes say to my children! It's the end of a busy school half-term and the treadmill of activity will be paused next week. I continue researching Baptist beliefs on baptism as a symbol and sacrament, including writings by John Colwell and Paul Fiddes. My brain hurts and it's Friday night so I finish a Valentine's Day banana-shaped chocolate honeycomb treat.

Saturday 15th February

I am a regular parkrunner and decide to run Basingstoke parkrun as we are travelling to Devon for the school half-term break. It was a fairly flat course, well attended and I finished in under 24 minutes. My wife brought me a McDonalds hash brown, bacon roll and coffee. As I am driving, somewhere near Stonehenge on the A303, I remember that I agreed two days ago to temporarily deputise as church wheelie bin monitor in a few weeks time. My heart and energies have been with the Nigerian family, meaning agreeing to tasks like monitoring church refuse and recycling seems so trivial. A very pleasant afternoon strolling around Exeter and Topsham, including a drive by the university where I studied in the late 1990s.

Sunday 16th February

Sundays off duty don't occur very often. Do other pastors attend church when they're on holiday? We decide to have a rare Sunday 'day of rest' as we settle into our family gathering (14 in total!). A family member kindly recommends to me a book of testimonies of people coming to Christ and, as I am passed the book, my mind remembers a cartoon drawing I have on my desk at home of bookshelves in a minister's study. There are labels on the shelves, with 'Books I would read if I could', 'Books I tried to read', 'Books people loaned me', 'Books people want me to read', 'Books I used to read' and 'Books I want to read'. The book I've actually just started is a Waldensian fictional novel, set in medieval Italy.

Monday 17th February

It is so quiet in the Devon countryside. The sound of running water trickling down a nearby stream is therapeutic. A family quiz and a swim. Surprised myself that I can still juggle three balls, but the under-the-leg move needs improvement. My Mum reminds me of a childhood holiday in Devon when I requested that my parents stop the car at every cattle grid so I could drive my tricycle over them. This may have been at Widecome in the Moor. This may have been the same holiday (or was it at Exmouth?) when I spotted my Dad in the campsite toilets by the colour of his wellington boots under the toilet door.

Tuesday 18th February

A lovely run with two family members, dodging puddles and going up and down some local hills along country lanes. One of our daughters has had a stomach sickness. A text message from the Nigerian family back home - decided not to reply straight away as I am on leave, but I will ring them briefly tomorrow.

Wednesday 19th February

My wife and I spent the afternoon on a lovely coastal walk and nature reserve between Dawlish and Dawlish Warren. A low hanging sea mist reduces visibility considerably and the sound of the waters pounding the sea wall is so relaxing.

Thursday 20th February

Following a pleasant lunch at Dawlish Warren, some of the family go go-karting in wet conditions. I videoed them doing laps but stopped recording just before the attendant bent forwards in front of me to help a stranded driver. I remarked to my family that I could not help but notice the attendant's 'builder's bum', but I have no video evidence.

Friday 21st February

This morning I did a 7.5 mile run through the villages of Luton and Ideford, checking my phone regularly to avoid getting lost! The last half a mile back to the holiday home was the hardest part of the run - very steep! My Dad is at the landing window looking out for me as I return. One of the children has lost their new toy car down a pocket on the pool table. I peel some mushrooms and slice some tomatoes ready for dinner. The holiday ends with a dip in the hot tub but the sky is too cloudy to star-gaze.

Saturday 22nd February

Unfortunately the birthday cake was accidentally left behind at the holiday house, so a substitute cake had to be purchased for one of our daughters whose birthday it is today. During the drive through Dorset I overtook a car with a rear window car sticker saying 'Beware Elderly Driver. Please be patient. Thank you!' The driver didn't look old enough to be considered elderly, so I concluded the sticker was too premature. We shared in an enjoyable lunch at Southsea overlooking the glistening sea with the Isle of Wight on the horizon. A car journey on a Saturday afternoon has to include the radio football commentary and our drive back home was less stressful than usual, as the football team we support are not playing until tomorrow. Had my football team been playing and conceded a goal just prior to me overtaking the not-so-old driver I may have been more critical and concluded his lack of speed was not conducive to being in the middle lane and his car sticker was apposite.

Sunday 23rd February

Back to work. On the equivalent Sunday last year I forgot to mention it was the first Sunday in Lent and was criticised! Lent and Easter are later this year. Today's service included Communion, prayers for Ukraine (thanks to a prayer resource from BMS that I found about one hour before the service!) and I preached about peace and non-violence based on Jesus telling Peter to put his sword away. My sermon included the famous C16th Anabaptist story of Dirk Willems escaping his imprisonment, running across a frozen pond, then turning back to rescue his pursuant who had fallen through the ice and was at risk of possible death and Willems consequently being re-arrested and burnt at the stake. I invited some brief congregational responses mid-sermon, which worked well.

There are four new calls on my landline from last week and I don't recognise any of the numbers. I was expecting at least one to be from a lady who attends another local church but who got my number from the church noticeboard and calls me sometimes. I once had three missed calls from her during Christmas time and so I now have her name stored in my handset in case she rings at inconvenient or anti-social times. The landline then rang while I was washing-up and it was a text message from another church friend who is doing a run, raising funds for a Christian charity in Ukraine.

Monday 24th February

Last week was a welcome break from the usual routines, but it is also good to return to routines today. Having secondary school children means our lives are punctuated by the schedule of the school year. I also find it helpful to think of my working week as having a kind of schedule to it, with Sunday and mid-week being peak points of peopling and the other days being quieter. I try to have a Monday morning routine of a short walk and then admin. I also call it badmin if I'm feeling inundated with emails and letters! Today I have read a letter from the JWs who tried to visit last week, pondered over an email asking if anyone in my church has mislaid some wedding photos, binned numerous charity letters, deleted over 100 junk emails and received a phone call asking for help finding a video on YouTube.
At lunchtime I deposited some old light bulbs and dud batteries. I asked my wife what refuse tip was in French and she said la décharge.

As I will be away from home for two days this week I have had to bring my service preparation forward a bit. Next Sunday's theme is self-control (a fruit of the Holy Spirit). I think the hymns May the mind of Christ my Saviour and O Jesus I have promised will fit the theme well. I've also found a great balloon activity as a visual aid.

Tuesday 25th February

A minister's work is never done, and so it is sometimes satisfying to complete a specific task. Today's satisfaction came in finishing my talk for Sunday's service and writing my AGM report. For me the AGM report is an annual exercise in looking back through last year's diary and trying to fit as much relevant reflections onto just one A4 page, as I don't think people are inclined to read lengthy reports. I also did the Worldle (like Wordle) in four attempts: Brazil > Belgium > Germany > Luxembourg. We spent a day in Luxembourg last August. My memory is of me telling one of my daughters how impressed I was by a young woman on the tram who resolutely ignored the provocative gestures of a drunk man. I remember the experience of going up inside a glass elevator and standing on a glass viewing platform being the highlight of that day.

Today my wife was about ten steps inside B&Q when she was greeted by a Red Cross agent asking her for financial support, presumably hoping for a standing order or one-off donation. We bought a shower hose and adapter plug but didn't part with any more money.

The local running group didn't meet in Ashtead tonight, but I went for a jog with a daughter. Back home, I watched a video of a local runner who recently went into the Saudi Arabian desert and ran barefooted on the sand in just his Union Jack shorts and then swam in a camel drinking trough.

Wednesday 26th February

On the way to the SEBA Ministers' conference at Ashburnham I went past a road called Slugwash Lane and a village called Ripe. I saw two dead badgers by the roadside. At the conference I had some conversations with colleagues about the following unrelated topics: the Baptist Union Declaration of Principle, how to avoid text messages from church members on your day off and the Waldensians in Italy. The best practical advice I gained was that conducting funerals is draining and therefore it is important to have some rest afterwards.

Thursday 27th February

Another break from the routine as I travelled to Oxford for an Anabaptist-Baptist day conference. It was my first visit to Regent's Park College. Themes addressed in the presentations and plenary session included the contextualising of Anabaptist values such as pacifism, non-violence and radical discipleship.

Friday 28th February

A brief swim. Two phone calls about the forthcoming funeral. A few emails to read and send. Sunday's reader has yet to reply to me. A bitty morning, consisting of doing bits of work. This is quite normal.

An afternoon reading and writing about Anabaptists and baptism. Spotted a former England cricketer and told my daughter his DOB matches the number of international runs he scored. I am nowhere near as good as he was, but I did drive a ball onto the back wall of Epsom College sports hall tonight at our first indoor training session... which caused someone to call out "Reverend!"

Saturday 1st March

I enjoyed Mole Valley parkrun in the fog and lunch in the garden bathed in sunshine. Washed the cars and went shopping. Finished reading The Lord of Luserna (D.J.Speckhals) and started Histories of Nations (Peter Furtado). My wife made some tasty Welsh cakes.

A church friend tried ringing my mobile mid-evening but I took my wife's advice, as she passed me my phone ("if you don't want to chat, just leave it"), and didn't answer it.

Sunday 2nd March

On Sundays I normally wear a tie and sometimes a jacket. Wearing a tie usually puts me in the minority compared with the other gents at church who generally dress more casually. So why do I still normally wear a tie? I don't think the tie is an attempt to 'dress to impress' or to elevate my status, but because I just want to look professional and Sunday is the one day most of the fellowship (who generously contribute to my stipend) see me and expect me to be on duty at work. I have numerous ties so I also see it as good stewardship of them and I rarely get to wear one on weekdays! Most of the ministers from my youth and early adulthood dressed smart on Sundays, so that has had an impact on me. I just wouldn't feel right in open-necked shirt and jeans when leading and preaching. I don't expect a congregation to have to wear 'Sunday best' or dress smart. I wouldn't go so far as to say wearing a tie gives me armour, just a little more confidence to be professional.

The balloon activity went well, apart from making a young boy cry because I gave his older sister a balloon rather than him. You can please most people most of the time, but not all the people all of the time. His dad thanked me for the recent letter I wrote in support of his son's school application, so that made me feel better.

Monday 3rd March

'First Monday' for me is a monthly morning of admin, finances and doing my expenses. This is embedded in my routine and it throws a spanner in the works if someone rings me on my 'first Monday' morning. Thankfully nobody did! After lunch in the sun-bathed garden I went to the post office to send my mum's birthday card. I took £1.40 thinking it would pay for a first-class stamp and left my wallet at home. I was 25 pence short, but the shopkeeper kindly stuck the stamp on and let me post the envelope. I promised to return with the remaining money and delivered 5 x 5 pence coins a few minutes later, as I hate being dishonest.

I looked at the church news-sheet for March and it looks very packed. I shall have to be careful what I put my energies into. I visited the family of the young Nigerian boy who died, to discuss funeral arrangements. The discussion somehow turned to fruits, and I learnt of a fruit I'd never heard of: soursop, a prickly green fruit.

Tuesday 4th March

In the morning, a Leadership Team meeting to discuss future activities and plans. In the afternoon, a visit to a family but for the first 20 minutes I had to crouch and kneel for a chat through the letterbox because they were locked in. In the evening, I joined the local runners for what turned out to be a squelchy 10km run. During the post-run drinks I chatted to the man who visited the Rub' Al Khali desert of Saudi Arabia. He told me of a man he met who sleeps one night a month in the desert throughout the year. In August the temperatures are so hot that in order to sleep in 30 degrees heat he has to use a camp bed raised off the ground, because the sand is so hot, and put a wet towel over his naked body. It made me think about Jesus in the desert for forty days and nights. How and where did he sleep?

Wednesday 5th March

Wednesday is normally sermon preparation day. I needed a day without phone calls and thank God this is what I got. On Sundays during Lent my preaching will be focussed on Jesus' interaction with the Samaritan women in John 4. I feel confident that I can find four sermons from this one story and other references to the Samaritans in the gospels. A sermon isn't finished until it is preached and lived, but it does feel satisfying printing it out a few days ahead of Sunday. Tonight we had eight gathered for a Bible study looking at various references to the church as a "body" in Paul's letters and the implications for us. We also looked at the practical tasks needed to function as a church and how people's gifts, skills, talents and abilities can be used. The person due to lead this Sunday's service hasn't yet sent me a draft Order of Service. But hopefully I will be emailed it tomorrow, with or without a nudge to him.

I don't currently want to give up chocolate so I will take up reading the forty chapters of Exodus, one per day, during the forty days of Lent. This sounds achievable. My wife is giving up chocolate for Lent, so I will need to be sensitive of this.

Thursday 6th March

Before I went to sleep last night I tried to read Exodus 1 from the small King James Bible I was given at my Dedication Service in 1978. The text is tiny and the bedroom was dimly lit, so it was a real struggle! I was slightly jealous of the delicious looking cooked breakfast my wife made for herself today. But I mustn't complain, as she makes me a 'wake up' mug of tea most mornings.

I produced a vision statement document based on an amalgamation of contributions from the church leaders, to be read out at our April AGM. The afternoon was spent listening to a short talk at church on the restoration of Clandon Park mansion following its fire almost ten years ago. Then onto a cafe to chat with a friend about baptism, during which time a lady on a nearby table showed us the video of her baptism (in a sort of giant paddling pool) in a nearby parish church last year. If all churches had been founded on the practice of full immersion believers' baptism throughout history then modern-day paddling pools wouldn't need to be brought into church buildings! Which leads me to wonder whether any Baptist church buildings don't have an in-built baptistery? It would be quite an oddity! Tonight I attended a school parent's evening. If I were given the opportunity to do another GCSE subject I think I'd choose History.

Friday 7th March

I try to keep Fridays as free as possible for reading Christian books. My current interest is in Baptist sacramentalism, especially with regards to believers' baptism. This is a little ironic as in two days from now we will be at a christening/infant baptism of a new addition to our wider family!

My head is a bit scrambled today - trying to concentrate on reading and finishing a short essay, trying to get ready for next week's church funeral, trying to answer daughters' questions about summer holiday plans, and then a motorway drive to Oxford. The 100ml ginger shot at the service station kept me awake on the drive home... and I also kept chuckling over my wife's lunchtime comment - "it's like they roll around in pig poo and still come up smelling of roses!" - referring to someone in our family who always seems to have good fortune with money!

Saturday 8th March

Mole Valley parkrun was bathed in glorious sunshine. I had a pleasant phone call with my friend Pete. As our children weren't with us during most of today, by circumstance or choice, my wife and I went to a garden centre. I then spent a couple of hours tidying up the gardens, which included scraping ivy away from a wall to avoid it creeping through a window into the church lounge.

Sunday 9th March

We have two couples in the church who this month celebrate their 60th wedding anniversaries! After church my family travelled to the Midlands for the Christening service of my young nephew. He and his cousin had the sign of the cross made on their foreheads, then received infant baptism in a baby bath tub, and then their parents were presented with a christening candle and certificate. It was a lovely time to celebrate the gift of new life and pray for God's blessing upon them and their parents and to receive prayers from the godparents.

Monday 10th March

Yesterday we rejoiced with my family and friends at the Christening service when my young nephew received infant baptism. It was a time to celebrate God's grace and the faith of his parents. A Baptist can still celebrate at an Anglican service of infant baptism! But my preference will always be for believers' baptism. This is partly because the candidate gives their own testimony and makes personal promises. Also the whole drama of salvation symbolised and expressed in the physical plunging of a disciple under lots of water and then rising up to new life. It is good for the candidate to actually experience the sacrament. I suppose that is why the Anglican church offers Confirmation to believers who previously received infant baptism. But I still think there is a uniquely special dynamic at work in the experience of full immersion believers' baptism.

I visited the parents who are mourning their son's death. The husband always asks me "How's your family?" Later I edited some prayers for the funeral.

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn" (Romans 12:15).

Tuesday 11th March

I printed out the words and prayers I will use at tomorrow's funeral and collected the service sheets from a local printing business. Next Sunday's sermon is hanging over me, and with no time tomorrow to prepare it, I made a start on the next section of the Samaritan woman's encounter with Jesus in John 4. Last night's helpful anti-discrimination online training from Surrey Cricket Foundation may be a good way in to start the sermon.

Our Churches Together committee meeting ended with us singing "Happy Birthday" to another local church leader.

Wednesday 12th March

Funeral day. The school headteacher brought some lovely pictures from pupils showing themselves playing with the boy who died. I unknowingly started the service about five minutes early, but apart from that I think the service of thanksgiving and burial went well.

I went for a run to give myself some space and time to reflect on the sadness of this morning. I was glad someone else led our evening housegroup meeting as I was tired.

Thursday 13th March

We had a church prayer meeting during which time the leader read Psalm 100 and then we prayed for people with health issues. I didn't hang around long afterwards as I had a sermon to finish writing. Made a phone call and sent some emails. Then a chat and drink with someone who is keen on getting baptised. Talking of water, my wife explained to me the benefits of a cold water shower - even just one minute can be good for the joints. I shared some chocolate raisins with my daughter and friend on the pick-up after football training.

Friday 14th March

A day without any planned meetings - phew! I read some more about Anabaptists. I took some old items to the refuse tip. I received a penalty letter for driving inside the ULEZ on Cheam Road in Sutton. Evening indoor cricket training.

Saturday 15th March

I didn't do parkrun which was a break from routine. It was the turn of my church to host a men's breakfast meeting and so I attended this instead. The speaker spoke passionately about the vital work of foodbanks and also his hope that one day they will not be required. Having not done a parkrun today I felt sluggish, but an hour's walk across the Common with my wife was good for the body and soul. Still can't bring myself to have a one-minute cold shower.

Sunday 16th March

I find people talk to me about all sorts of things before and after a service. Today someone told me the same Christmas joke they've told me nearly every Sunday since January; someone else gave me an update on a gas heater in the church hall; someone else gave me news about a member's husband who is in hospital; someone else asked me if I like pub quizzes; someone else picked up a printed copy of the funeral service I led last week and asked me if I attended; someone else chatted about a National Trust property in Devon. After a service I am glad to have met with the fellowship and glad to go home for some solitude.

Monday 17th March

I ran barefoot - yes, barefoot - across fields, along paths and hills at Denbies vineyard. My feet and legs didn't hurt too much afterwards. This was in preparation for Saturday's barefooted Mole Valley parkrun. I forced myself to have a one-minute cold shower afterwards, but only by having a lovely warm shower for five minutes before turning the dial round to the dreaded blue section. I counted to sixty to pass the time but my time keeping may have been a little too hasty. This may explain why it seemed to go quicker than standing next to a kettle waiting for water to boil.

By Monday afternoon I am usually ready to do some work, but nothing too brain draining. Later this week I am due to do a school assembly so I prepared for it. Inspired by my barefoot run I will talk about Jesus washing his disciples' feet, an example of his humble service.

Tuesday 18th March

Yesterday I forgot to put the heating on in church for a group who asked me to. I don't think it's a sackable offence and they won't complain, but it just annoys me that I forgot.

I began some sermon preparation and then received two unexpected phone calls. My close friend's step-mum has had a stroke and is in a critical condition. He is keeping company with his dad. On a brighter note, one of my daughters has been offered a placement opportunity with a professional football club during her third year at university. An evening run with the local running group. Back home I turned the shower to cold for the final minute, during which time I recalled the twelve disciples using the mnemonic 'Peter's Jars of Jelly And Peanut Butter Make The Juiciest, Tastiest Sandwiches - Mmmmm!'

Wednesday 19th March

Home alone, enabling me to concentrate on finishing Sunday's sermon on the disciples' reaction when they saw Jesus in conversation with the Samaritan woman. Some more donations have been added to my forthcoming barefooted parkrun, fundraising for Christian Mission to Gaza. The house group in our home tonight drank tea, ate cake, chatted about Jesus and friendship, and prayed.

Thursday 20th March

Before my assembly at an infant school I was taken into a classroom to see three new baby ducklings! The three children who volunteered to have their feet washed enjoyed the experience. At lunchtime I went to Knaphill for a ministers' meeting. During discussions someone mentioned a family member who has 'PDA' (Pathological Demand Avoidance) - a form of autism, although the condition is not recognised clinically. A Dutch couple are soon retiring to their homeland and the husband told me some interesting history and places of the Netherlands. One of my daughters played in a friendly football match. I enjoyed spectating and witnessing their creditable draw with a team from the Chelsea FC Foundation.

Friday 21st March

After a swim I finished two short essays on the Waldensians and baptismal regeneration. I might submit them for possible inclusion in the Baptist Ministers' Journal. A new book I ordered called The New Anabaptists arrived in the post. With it being the 40th anniversary of BBC Comic Relief my wife and I found an online video of the Living Doll song from 1986, performed by Cliff Richard & The Young Ones. I think I had a vinyl record of it when it was released.

Saturday 22nd March

250th milestone parkrun! My Dad and a daughter joined for a memorable and unique experience, as I ran Mole Valley parkrun at Denbies barefooted. A longer report available here: https://marathonatha.webnode.co.uk/blog/

Sunday 23rd March

Following on from last Sunday's reference to the variety of topics people talk to me about at church - a couple are going to Stilton for a mini-break; someone else has been to a funeral in Tavistock and later showed me Acts 8:37 is a footnote in the NIV translation; someone else returned my copy of cricketer A B de Villiers' autobiography (I'd forgotten I'd lent it to him!); another person wanted to ask if it's ok for them to bring their new puppy dog to church; and an Easter joke from the person who usually tells Christmas cracker jokes. In the congregation was a retired Baptist minister (he was also a Tutor at the Baptist College where I studied) and it was a nice surprise to see him again.

Monday 24th March

Admin. Shopping. A conversation with a local shopkeeper who is temporarily looking after a bicycle belonging to an elderly gentleman who was knocked off it on the road and taken to hospital. A chat with my wife about where we might go for a summer holiday. A phone call with a church member who is home after an operation. Drove my daughter and friends to their sports training and eavesdropped on one of the girls saying she disappointingly only got 49% in a school test, but she hasn't told her parents yet! Started reading The New Anabaptists.

Tuesday 25th March

I began preparing my fourth and final sermon on the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman. There are other references to the Samaritans in the gospels that will also feature in the sermon. Next Sunday is Mother's Day and the service will include prayers of thanksgiving for mothers (past and present) and asking God's blessing upon all who mother. My wife's birthday is later this week, so I bought her a present - something to wear. The evening run with the local runners included some hill work - apparently near where Stormzy's mum lives. Our run leader rapped part of a Stormzy song but I didn't recognise it.

Wednesday 26th March

Sunday's sermon is written and printed. Unusually, it ends with a joke. Actually, it ends with a quote from Jesus. Ending with a joke is too misplaced and irreverent, but the joke comes very close to the end and I think it will help reinforce the message about God's love. Talking of loving others, I have to admit I probably appear a bit disinterested and emotionally disengaged when I am told or emailed or whatsapped about the latest news of someone's health problems. This is because: a). I'm not a medic and cannot provide medical treatment; b). the people telling me of other peoples' illnesses often go into great detail about the nature of the problem; c). the actual people who are ill, in hospital, or facing surgery or undergoing rehabilitation are often people I seldom meet or have never met! So what should I do when people say to me "just to let you know..."? If it's a church member who is ill I can pray and visit. If it's not a church member I suppose the most loving thing to do is pray.

The housegroup we host was cancelled tonight because some of its members said they weren't able to attend. But one person who said they couldn't attend tonight arrived, which was a bit awkward for them and for us. I said it would be rude not to invite them in. They apologised for getting their dates mixed up and we said they didn't have to apologise! We then drank tea and had a friendly chat for a while about dentists, TV programmes and old telephones.

Thursday 27th March

A lovely hour was spent with a man who is going to be baptised at Easter! Two church leaders accompanied me as we listened to his testimony of the transformative work of the Holy Spirit in his life. We explained that there will be a vote on his application for church membership at the AGM (the week before his baptism). He said that even if he didn't get voted in favour of membership he'd still keep coming to church and we wouldn't be able to stop him... which indicated to us his strong sense of wanting to belong to our fellowship! I am acting as a referee for a Syrian couple who are applying for British citizenship. The form was quite easy to fill in. Their young son used to support Liverpool but he was wearing an Arsenal shirt today - a change of allegiance! It's my wife's birthday and I am about to make a chicken and cheese fondue for dinner.

Friday 28th March

The Baptist Ministers' Journal (usually produced three times a year) is always a good read. I have submitted my short essay, to the editor, on the Waldensians. Plans for the Churches Together Good Friday service were progressed at a lunchtime meeting. The New Anabaptists book continues to be a stimulating read and the chapter I read today focussed on living simply. It referred to professional de-clutterers and my wife told me about Stacey Dooley's TV series Sort Your Life Out. Half an hour after I had mentally clocked off work I missed a call on my phone from a church leader. It would've bugged me tomorrow if I didn't know what it was for, so I rang back twice but no answer. I tried, so it won't play on my mind during my day off.

Saturday 29th March

Wearing my new 250 green t-shirt, I surprised myself by running my fastest time at Mole Valley parkrun. Later my wife congratulated a daughter (who wasn't at parkrun) on achieving a quick time and finishing first in her age category, meaning I had accidentally got my daughter's bar code scanned after I had finished rather than mine. Whoops!

A Whatsapp message from someone at church. 'Please can you send me...', but I didn't fully open the message. It's my day off, it can wait twenty-four hours. We went to Hever Castle in Kent as a birthday treat for my wife. The gardens include two mazes - a yew tree maze and a water maze!

Sunday 30th March

The start of British Summer Time, but no-one turned up at church an hour late following the clocks going forward an hour. The opening video hymn didn't work at first, so I prayed a long prayer, invited some spontaneous prayers and said the Lord's Prayer - a good way to give our technician enough time to fix the computer programme problem and then play the video. I later forgot to announce a song but we sang it later in the service instead. During my sermon I referred to Jesus' parable of the good Samaritan and I mistakenly said the man who was wounded was travelling from Jericho to Jerusalem, but in the story it was actually Jerusalem to Jericho. Either nobody noticed or all those that did notice were kind enough not to correct me afterwards.

A daughter gave a Mother's Day card to my wife, inscribed with the words "My gift to you is pending." I asked her if she was waiting for it to arrive in the post. "It's waiting to be ordered!", replied my daughter, adding "I'm waiting to get paid." What she meant was she is awaiting the monthly allowance we give her before she can pay for a gift. Sensible or lazy?

Someone has just messaged me apologising for missing church - "forgot about the clock change until it was too late." It makes me wonder why we change the clocks in the early hours of a Sunday morning? I suppose doing the clock change over a weekend avoids the possibility of some absent minded peoples' late arrivals causing disruption to workplaces on Monday morning in Spring, but why can't the clocks be changed on the previous Friday late evening (say 10.00pm or 11.00pm) before the weekend? In the Spring we'd then get the benefit of the Saturday as well as the Sunday staying lighter later in the day.

Monday 31st March

Doing some family and work admin was rewarded when my wife made a yummy mushroom and parsley soup for lunch. Thankfully the phone only rang once today and my wife answered the call as I was in the garden, enjoying the mid-afternoon sunshine having a brief doze but also finishing The New Anabaptists. I counted approximately £6 in one, two and five penny coins stored in a tin - enough for an Easter Egg or two in a few week's time?

Tuesday 1st April

I only have one mobile phone and so my Whatsapp messages are a mixture of family, leisure and church/work. Whatsapp is good for instant communication, but does everything need an instant response or a response at all? I am forwarded a message, not addressed to me and just forwarded with no explanation, with someone's health update. It is probably forwarded 'just so you know and can pray'. I chose not to read the detail because of information overload but said a short prayer.

One of my daughters has placed dried pasta on the toilet basin underneath the seat. It must be April Fool's Day. I spent ages looking online for a visual aid to illustrate gentleness (a fruit of the Spirit), then realised we have Jenga - so I shall use this in Sunday's All Age service. I remember a cartoon I once saw of a pastor - the first image shows him studying for a sermon with a thought bubble saying "I really ought to go and visit that person I've been thinking of"; the second image shows him in that person's home with a thought bubble saying "I really need to finish my message for next Sunday." Such is the pastor's life. I turned up unannounced at three homes today and found people in in two of them, so it proved to be worthwhile. Not all visits need to be scheduled and planned in advance.

The running group ran to Malden Rushett and back on a route I'd not run before. It was nice not to have to switch on our head torches until the second half of our run. Back at the pub, over drinks we chatted about what careers we'd been advised to pursue when we were at secondary school, whether adult children at home should have to pay rent or asked to contribute an allowance, and the underground passages in Exeter.

Wednesday 2nd April

A quiet morning at home planning a talk and activity (including coconut halves if I can find some) for Palm Sunday. During the house group Bible study the phone rang. The distinctive ring tone I have set up on the handset meant I knew who it was trying to call, so we ignored it and carried on talking about intergenerational friendship in church.

Thursday 3rd April

At the afternoon fellowship group I listened to an interesting, informal talk about George Frideric Handel and his magnificent oratorio Messiah. It was first performed in Dublin in 1742. We listened to some parts of the music, including the Hallelujah chorus.

Friday 4th April

The Cricket County Championship competition started today so I checked the live scores fairly often. I have managed to get some coconut halves, thanks to the local infant school! My article about Dirk Willems called 'Running like an Anabaptist' has appeared on the Anabaptist Mennonite Network website.

The school term has ended, which tends to cause a more relaxed atmosphere at home. My family will be 'on holiday' at home, just as I prepare for a busy Easter. I really dislike it when Easter Sunday comes at the end of the two-week school holiday. I would be in favour of fixing the date of Easter Sunday to the first Sunday of April, and always halfway through the school holiday.

Saturday 5th April

Another Mole Valley parkrun; another Mole Valley parkrun PB! I pushed myself hard and shaved about half a minute off last Saturday's effort. The lovely spring sunshine meant an afternoon in the garden - dismantling an old shed. Watford FC lost but it was great to hear my brother do the post-match interview with the manager.

Sunday 6th April

It was good to have our musicians playing and singing at church, after a few weeks of video-based worship. Nobody knocked the Jenga tower over, proving their gentleness, which was the theme of the service. During the church lunch conversation ranged from the ubiquity of emails, King Henry VIII and his wives, and The Test Card Circle annual convention. There was a very strongly flavoured trifle, best described as boozy. At teatime, after some football playing in the Rec and Countryfile watching on TV, I finished off my wife's tasty apple crumble (not boozy).

Monday 7th April

'First Monday' of the month, so I did some admin. The dismantled shed needed sawing into smaller pieces so that it fitted into the car and then it was transported to the refuse tip. The Palm Sunday talk, with musical instruments, is almost finalised. One of my daughter's friend's mum had to drive a son to Gatwick airport for 2.30am ready for a school holiday trip to Italy. Parenting often feels like a full-time occupation and tonight I drove to Portsmouth, to collect one of my daughters from university and bring her home. My wife and I have booked a summer holiday in The Netherlands - another drive to look forward to.

Tuesday 8th April

At the Leaders' meeting the leader giving the opening devotion referred to Jesus stilling the storm. We, like his disciples, need to trust him. When I visited Israel in 2018 we had a boat trip on the sea of Galilee. Thankfully it was fairly calm, but the wind can quickly whip up and make for stormy weather.

Having helped two of my daughters with their student finance applications, and signed a lasting powers of attorney document for my parents, it was time for some football at Watford. Drank Bovril at half time. The Hornets beat the Tigers 1-0. Some free chips from a fish bar on the walk back to the car rounded off a pleasant evening.

Wednesday 9th April

With family visiting us over the next few days I needed to start planning ahead for Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday services. At the Maundy Thursday service we will read aloud Psalms 115-118, which were likely read or sung after the Last Supper on the eve of Christ's death. This service will end with a loud strepitus. On Easter Sunday we celebrate Christ's resurrection and include a believer's baptism in our meeting.

Various lifts for my children to various locations, including the loss of an L plate. Then an evening fellowship meeting at church during which time I read out my document on baptism, we read some New Testament texts and watched some videos.

Thursday 10th April

Nobody came into church asking for prayer while I was on duty, but the hour was spent listening to some fascinating stories from one of our church leaders. She showed me some lovely photos of her baptism in Singapore about forty years ago and her time spent in Romania and shared stories about her faith and family - all very interesting.

Fifteen of our family gathered for one of our daughter's 18th birthday celebrations. With the weather being so sunny we visited the Langley Vale Centenary Wood. There are 143 fruit trees in the community orchard where we picnicked. Back home it was time for cards, gifts, drinks and cake in the garden. A tiring but full day, and I was the first to go to bed.

Friday 11th April

Eighteen years ago we welcomed our second daughter into the world. Our lounge is covered in balloons, cards and gifts. A birthday during the school holidays when I am not on holiday is at least giving me some distraction from work, but I still had some work to be done. For example, booking three places at a SEBA Partners in Mission Day in May and contacting the librarian at Bristol Baptist College.

The evening was relaxed - a game of Outsmarted, some TV viewing - then a late night daughter pick up from the train station.

Saturday 12th April

Lovely weather and dandelions on the grass field for my third consecutive Mole Valley parkrun personal best time in the last three weeks! Today I run the 5k course at Denbies vineyard in 23:15 and shaved five seconds off last Saturday's time! Will there come a day when I record a sub-23 minute Mole Valley parkrun?

A family visit to Hampton Court Palace included a look at The Great Vine (the largest and oldest grape vine in the world) and HM Chapel Royal (which included a palm leaf display for Palm Sunday). I read that all human waste at the Palace used to be gathered in a cesspool which was then emptied with a chain pump into a pipe leading into the river. One of the small exhibits in the Tudor Room called 'Losing My Religion' caught my attention. It read 'Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church in 1534 and established the Church of England. He used anti-Catholic imagery like this to justify his split with the Pope. In an age of strongly held views about religion, the lives of ordinary men and women were upended by decades of religious conflict and change'. The anti-papal 'Stoning the Pope' oil exhibit, c.1538-44, by artist Girolamo da Treviso, shows Matthew, Mark, Luke & John casting big stones down on the sprawled Pope who is beside two female figures labelled 'AVARA' (avarice) and 'YPOCRYSIS' (hypocrisy).

Sunday 13th April

We waved our palm crosses during the Palm Sunday service. There was a spelling mistake on the screen for the hymn All glory, laud and honour. Instead of palms it read 'The people of the Hebrews with psalms before you went...'! My wife volunteered to dramatize the moment Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers in the temple area. I was a bit taken aback with her vigorous flicking as she scattered 100 coins onto the floor. At the AGM two re-elections to the leadership team were confirmed and one new member accepted. The outcome of the voting could easily be rigged by a scrutineer who reports back a false result, but I should just trust the process.

Over lunch we explained to a daughter that laud is an old word for praise and then a friend visited to solve a faulty toilet flush. He was presented with some birthday cake to thank him for his efforts and I was grateful we don't use cesspools.

Monday 14th April

Nothing befits a Monday morning quite so well as an email from our energy supplier saying our payments are set to increase by £104 each month. Both my wife and I, and a daughter, also had some other finances and admin to sort out. Also two trips to the dentist. With this year being the eightieth anniversaries of Bonhoeffer's death and VE Day celebrations in 1945, I have some illustrations in mind for the Easter Sunday sermon. A daughter and I had an hour's cricket practice and she bowled me out, hitting off stump with a delightful delivery.

Tuesday 15th April

My Easter Sunday sermon is written. It being a baptismal service, I'll preach about baptism being like D-Day anticipating VE Day: a day of decision, a day of death, a day of dedicated discipleship. The washing machine has broken, prompting us to have to make a quick decision about what to do with it. Tonight's trail run took us on a slight diversion to run through a lovely little bluebell wood.

Wednesday 16th April

The Easter holidays are beginning to drag, and we haven't even reached Easter yet. I made a phone call about our energy supply and helped a daughter with some admin that she said "needs to be done today." Had fun at the supermarket exchanging about £10 in one and two penny coins into a voucher, which then was partly spent on a mint Easter egg for my wife. At the pub quiz we struggled to get all the musicians from The Who, and we wrongly attributed the Graceland album to Michael Jackson (it was Paul Simon), but we just about lived up to our team name: Too Scott To Handle. The new washing machine is installed and in use. It's a Hotpoint and I'm hoping it doesn't blow up and become too hot to handle.

Thursday 17th April

Due to heavy traffic it took an hour to drive to our ministers' meeting. This month it was held at Heathervale Baptist Church and the colleague speaking gave a helpful presentation on finding joy in leadership and ministry.

There was a comedy moment at our Maundy Thursday Communion service. Our pianist played Charles Wesley's 1740 hymn Jesus, lover of my soul to the usual Aberystwyth tune. However, the screen words to sing aloud to were Paul Oakley's Jesus, lover of my soul song from the 1990s. Some realised what had happened and didn't sing, some who realised tried creatively to fit the words into the tune, some who didn't realise sang in a slightly confused way, and one or two (including my wife) tried to contain their giggles. We ate Matzos - a really dry cracker bread - used at Passover meals, for Communion. The service concluded with There is a green hill far away, the noise of the strepitus on the piano, and then we closed with the Grace.

Friday 18th April

At the very well attended ACT Good Friday pond service there was almost a late arrival, but thankfully the missing item - the wooden cross - was in place just before the start. I chatted to one of the two signers. They used sign language throughout the service and asked me to include pauses in my prayers so that they had enough time to gesture what was being said in an unhurried manner.

The 1900 Baptist Church Hymnal, taken off a shelf in the church vestry out of curiosity yesterday, was my afternoon read. The old fashioned language didn't diminish some fascinating anthems. For example, number 19 by Lowell Mason starts: As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God. A daughter asked me in the car what the difference was between Mass and Communion. It led to a chat about Catholics, Anglicans, Baptists, bread, wine, transubstantiation, symbolism, and baptism - all in a five minute journey to Epsom.

Saturday 19th April

The day in-between Good Friday and Easter Sunday always feels a bit odd. Are we supposed to look back to the crucifixion or look ahead to the resurrection? Normally Saturday is my day off and, although I deliberately avoided opening seven church WhatsApp phone messages sent to me, I couldn't fully relax because of tomorrow's services which I am responsible for leading. I'm hoping for a bigger than usual attendance.

A daughter and I volunteered at Mole Valley parkrun in chilly conditions. The sunny afternoon got me into the garden to sow some wild flower and sunflower seeds and then to the cricket club for an early evening net session. We have enjoyed watching Gareth Malone's Messiah, a short BBC series. My wife has planned an Easter chocolate bunny garden hunt, probably for Monday. She has told me the bunnies are for our daughters only, not for me too.

Sunday 20th April

The quietness of my early morning was disrupted by a loud-mouthed bricklayer working at the next property. I shut my window but found it hard to focus on finalising today's Easter services. The baptismal service was well attended. I included some Bonhoeffer quotes and preached on baptism as like D-Day. The leader joining me in the pool said jokingly that with baptism being a spiritual cleansing, as well as the D-Day illustration I could've added bidet!

With two daughters at work, Easter Sunday afternoon was quiet. Twelve attended the evening meeting. Afterwards, a brief journey to Bracknell to see my parents with their new mo-ho and deliver some goodies to family.

Monday 21st April

Bank Holiday sluggishness and post-Easter tiredness hit me hard today. I tried to rejuvenate myself with a pleasant 10km trail run and also an afternoon nap while checking the football scores. Plenty of chocolate to eat. My wife cooked a lovely roast lamb dinner and a sweet lemon curd and strawberry pavlova.

Tuesday 22nd April

My wife is preparing for school and one of my daughters is back to school. One of my other daughters has an extra day off and I drove her, and two friends, to a local theme park. One of my daughter's friends left her phone in the car and so I had to turn back, rejoin the traffic queue, and reunite her with her phone.

I have a quiet day, some 'self-care', to recover from a busy Easter. This included a drive to Dorking to pick up 24 shiny, new cricket balls for the forthcoming season and a trip to a department store. I had a gift voucher to spend on clothing. Having never been to M&S at Brooklands I didn't know the layout and the only fitting rooms I could see on the first floor took me through the lingerie section and into a corridor with signs saying "Love your boobs" and "Take care of your boobs". I said to a member of staff "I don't think I'm in the right place". She replied "You need to go over there", pointing to the baby section. So I discovered the men's fitting room is in the baby section. The evening trail run with local runners took us through the bluebell wood again. I have eaten too many sweet and stodgy foods today, concluding with a Thornton's chocolate.

Wednesday 23rd April

What shall I do for tomorrow's school assembly? I decided I will ask some children to make donkey sounds with the coconut shells, then I'll read a story about Jesus' resurrection, show photos of the Easter church windowsill displays and the video of the baptism. I have no sermon to prepare today due to being off duty next Sunday. My wife's voice is gravelly and hoarse following a day of teaching. At the housegroup we ate hot cross buns and watched a video about prayer. Once friends had departed, we watched episode one of the new Race Across The World BBC series.

Thursday 24th April

At the school assembly a boy put his hand up while I was talking about the Easter story. He needed the toilet but the teacher told him to wait until playtime. It reminds me of the time when I was an infant and wet myself at nursery, while seated on the floor listening to a story, because I was too shy to ask to go to the toilet. I feel groggy in head and body, which may mean an incoming cold. Just about enough energy to go to cricket training and a phone chat with my friend Pete. He is arranging a 24-hour crazy-golfathon for the charity he works for. A daughter returned home late and kindly told me a light had been left on in church. Sigh. I'll turn it off in the morning.

Friday 25th April

A stuffy head cold and sluggishness on a Friday isn't conducive to work. In past years I would've just ploughed on, but I try now to listen more to my body and rest. I spent time in our sunny garden drinking ginger & honey drinks, reading about Anabaptist beliefs in communal living and The i newspaper. I seem to have reunited a lost pink coat, left in church last week, with its owner.

Saturday 26th April

This head cold meant I ran slower at parkrun and I was pleased to finish in under 25 minutes. Good journeys to and from Portsmouth, for a university drop-off. It seems a long time since Watford FC won while I listened to Saturday afternoon football on the radio in the car, and today they lost. Again. 1-2. Again.

Sunday 27th April

A Sunday off-duty, so I stayed at home and watched an online service from a church in Exeter. It was a baptism service and it was lovely to be reminded of my baptism there in May 2003, when Alan was the Minister. I also watched some of the London Marathon on TV, slightly envious but also partly glad I wasn't running it due to the warm weather. As I picked a daughter up from the train station, well into the evening, I saw someone trying to steal a bike from the station's bicycle shed. Unsuccessfully, they made a hasty exit with hood up to hide their identity.

Monday 28th April

Ugghh. This cold has spread to my throat and chest and my voice sounds far croakier than my wife's does after teaching. We are going to watch The Great Gatsby in London next week and in today's newspaper the reviewer gave it 3/5 stars. I spent the afternoon listening to yesterday's guest preacher's recorded sermon on Lazarus, helping our plumber get to the boiler and airing cupboard and reading some Dutch Anabaptist views on salvation.

Tuesday 29th April

I croak into the handset during a phone chat with my father-in-law. He advises me to "take it easy". The theme for next Sunday's All Age service is goodness - a difficult word to define, but still a fruit of the Holy Spirit. A lady rang to say she thinks she left her walking stick in church and could I please check? I did my good deed for the day and looked for it and couldn't see it, but last week's pink coat and scarf have been reunited with the owner - not that you'd need them in this warm weather. There are some sunglasses in a toilet cubicle and so now I feel in total command of the current church lost property situation.

During the evening run the running group swapped stories about what we had done over the weekend. The sunset was beautiful and there was a carpet of bluebells on the edge of the Common.

Wednesday 30th April

To engage the young people at Sunday's service I have bought some tins of peach slices and ratatouille. They will be asked to unbuild the tin pyramid, find the tins with letters written on their underside, and unscramble the letters to spell a fruit of the Holy Spirit (goodness). During lunch I watched an interesting YouTube video on the life of Corrie Ten Boom and their family home (now a museum) in Haarlem, The Netherlands. The theme of the evening Care Group session was prayer and we learnt the acronym PRAY: pause, rejoice, ask, yield.

Thursday 1st May

A new recreational cricket season in Surrey has arrived and the WhatsApp group for my local club has been busy all week with updates on player availability and selection decisions. At the afternoon fellowship group the 80th anniversary of VE Day was celebrated as we listened to some wartime songs and ate afternoon tea. The lady sat next to me showed her grandfather's two medals from the First World War.

Friday 2nd May

I submitted my monthly expenses claim to our church treasurer. I tidied up some paperwork. Another WhatsApp message forwarded to me from a church member who has their finger on the pulse with health updates of other church members and their spouses. I skim read and don't bother replying this time. Why do they think I need to know every latest development? The truth is my thoughts were focussed mainly on finalising tomorrow's cricket team. One of my daughters is team caterer and so, starting today, Friday evenings in Lidl and then back home to make sandwiches will become part of the normal routine during the next three months.

Saturday 3rd May

After parkrun and half an hour in church, I went into cricket captain mode. Our first fixture of this new season for the 4th XI began with a one minute silence for a team-mate who died suddenly last November. Mikal was a valued team member and will be missed. Game day is busy - aside from actually playing, there is the scoring to organise, the toss with the opposition captain, pre-game team talk. Other jobs I delegate, like setting up the boundary flags, scoreboard, drinks and warm-up drills. An opposing player said I look like Joe Root. My bowling was a bit untidy and expensive, but I did get the wicket of the opposition's centurion. A succession of quick wickets when my team was batting meant I had to quickly pass the scorebook to a team-mate and hastily get padded up. I gave the opposition's best bowler his fourth wicket of the game. My daughter's cakes were all eaten. The real Joe Root would have won us the game. We started the new season with a defeat but it was a good day out.

Sunday 4th May

"Where were you last Sunday?" someone asked enquiringly. "I had a Sunday off work and spent it at home with a nasty cold," I replied. "He's allowed a Sunday off, especially after a busy Easter" someone else replied. Thank you, Sue. A Nigerian grandmother attended the service, wearing a vibrant outfit. It was also her birthday, so we sang vibrantly to her. The church lounge seems like a bakery, with so many breads for people to take home. During an afternoon walk with my wife I took the end slice of a baguette out of my pocket and offered her some. We watched a funny film Next Goal Wins about the American Samoan football team, but I missed the last twenty minutes as I had to pick a daughter up from a friend's house.

Monday 5th May

Should pastors work on Bank Holidays? Some do; some don't. I normally don't and today I didn't. Instead, we went to London. As we stood on the train station platform I said "Is that the Red Arrows I can hear?" Sure enough, we caught a five second glimpse of them in the distant sky near Leatherhead. My wife said "You've got good hearing!" Once in London, we heard some gunfire from HMS Belfast to mark the VE Day 80th anniversary and walked over Tower Bridge, past the Tower of London where there is a small ceramic poppy display at Traitor's Gate and then to Spitalfields market. Spitalfields is the location where the first English Baptist church met in 1612. I have never seen any signage or plaque in the area - perhaps there isn't one? We then enjoyed a trip along the Circle Line from Liverpool Street to Temple, walked along The Strand, had a hasty meal and watched The Great Gatsby musical in the Coliseum Theatre. A late night stroll along the Mall, past a floodlit Buckingham Palace, and a train home from Victoria station completed an enjoyable day out.

Tuesday 6th May

At the leaders' meeting I shared an Anabaptist hymn from 1566 which ends with the translated line 'May Jesus Christ still lead us.' After a late night I was relieved this meeting wasn't too onerous. I have agreed to take some old church chairs to the refuse tip. Tonight's trail run took us around the First World War Centenary Woods at Langley Vale and we saw a deer dart across the fields.

Wednesday 7th May

While preparing for a short preaching series about the early church, based on Acts 1, I read about an old German children's story called Hans Guck in die Luft in a fairy tale book called Der Struwwelpeter by Heinrich Hoffman. Maybe I should try to learn some more German? I went to a school music concert to hear a daughter and her friends perform. They were very good. Maybe I should try to re-learn some piano skills? The evening meeting included a video about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who tragically died 80 years ago, just prior to the end of the Second World War. We read Romans 12:9-21 and discussed how good overcomes evil.

Thursday 8th May

I can't remember who said "I try to live my life one day at a time, but lately a lot have hit me all at once", but that's how I feel, writing this on Tuesday 13th, and trying to recall what I did last Thursday. If my memory is correct, we had a prayer meeting at church including a minute's silence to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Back home, my wife and I watched some of the televised service from Westminster Abbey which also included a silence in memory of those who died in the Second World War. At tonight's cricket training the club chairman told me he is buying a plaque with the name of our departed team-mate to put on a bench surrounding the pitch. I rang the opposition's captain to regretfully inform him I haven't got enough players for Saturday's match and therefore had to concede, which means we get a 5 points deduction.

Friday 9th May

My wife and I first started dating 27 years ago today. She bought some nice cakes to celebrate! I tried to make today a 'day off' because of a day conference tomorrow and spent some time gardening.

Saturday 10th May

I really dislike working on Saturdays. It messes up my routine. I missed the weekly routine of doing parkrun. The Baptist mission conference in Guildford was interesting and reminded me of the need for our church to be evangelistic with the good news of the gospel.

Sunday 11th May

An early morning car journey with one of my children. It's not often I'm late to church but today I arrived just as the service leader began his opening words! Our pianist gave the final verse of To God be the glory the full organ sound on the electric piano. My wife recalled that this was the opening hymn at our wedding service. Talking of weddings, we attended a lunch party for three couples who have recently celebrated significant wedding anniversaries. Tonight we watched a video of a church service from Portsmouth and it included the song Way Maker.

Monday 12th May

I travelled to a lovely place in Oxfordshire to meet up for a chat and lunch with two minister friends. We were at Bristol Baptist College at the same time and we try to meet, face to face or online, about three times a year. It is a time to encourage, nudge, prompt and support each other.

Tuesday 13th May

Someone who had arranged to visit me at home so they could use our WiFi arrived. What they actually needed help with was pairing their Fitbit to their phone. Neither of us could sort the issue out, but we had a pleasant chat. I read that the song Way Maker was written by a Nigerian woman, and seeing as we have a handful of Nigerians in church at the moment I've selected it for next Sunday's service. The husband of a church member is receiving palliative care in hospital. His family said I could visit him if I want to.

Wednesday 14th May

The text for Sunday refers to what Jesus' disciples did after his ascension and also Judas' death. I'm sure inspiration will come as to how to preach from this story. Some sermons come quickly and naturally, this one feels like it's going to be a hard graft. The man I visited in hospital is dying and his family are spending precious time with him. We chatted and prayed. For some light relief, I watched a daughter play in a cricket match. It is also housegroup night and we discussed what petitionary prayer is - bringing our needs and requests to our heavenly Father.

Thursday 15th May

The lunch meeting in Guildford was an opportunity to encourage women in Baptist ministry, following an initiative called Project Violet. It prompted me to check what version of the NIV Bible translation we display on-screen at church. The man receiving palliative care in hospital has died. I went to cricket training and we are really low on available players for Saturday.

Friday 16th May

Read the introduction to a book called Gathering, written by Christopher Ellis, a former principal of Bristol Baptist College. Took the dead apple tree and three broken church chairs to the refuse tip. A pleasant, if a little chilly, stroll around the neighbourhood with my wife. We delivered some greetings cards.

Saturday 17th May

Parkrun, cricket match, followed by FA Cup final viewing at home. A proper day off!

Sunday 18th May

The Nigerians at church enjoyed the songs I had chosen. My sermon was how to encounter God through place, people, prayer and psalms. The afternoon was spent watching an impressive women's cricket match.

Monday 19th May

Most of today was spent car hunting for one of my daughters. The salesman at each of the garages we visited were very helpful. I enjoyed hearing about my Dad's 10km run challenge he completed in 68 minutes yesterday.

Tuesday 20th May

Three hours driving to and from Portsmouth where one of my daughters lives. The student house she lives in has mouse droppings littering the hallway. This reminded me to check our loft to see whether the mouse-traps I set last week have worked. The running group did a run around Norbury Park which was my first time visiting this woodland.

Wednesday 21st May

The story of Joseph Barsabbas not being chosen as a replacement apostle for Judas will be the subject for my next sermon. At our housegroup we had another Bible study and discussion on prayer. Thankfully the gentleman who last week had to be guided to find Philippians had no trouble finding Genesis. Phew.

Thursday 22nd May

After a prayer meeting at church we watched a video about ..... prayer! The presenter referred to Psalm 23 which starts by saying the Lord is our pastor/shepherd. I finished preparing my sermon. When I hit the print button it always feels like a relief. At cricket training the ball whacked my unprotected right leg lower calf. My friend Pete phoned and he told me about his recent trip to Buckingham Palace and we named as many Dutch professional footballers as we could remember.

Friday 23rd May

I read an interesting essay on worship and mission in Anabaptist perspective and practice. It introduced me to a hymn called We Are People of God's Peace, a translation from Dutch Anabaptist leader Menno Simons (1496-1651). Tonight some of my family enjoyed a walk around the edge of Norbury Park. We found the London viewpoint and saw some young lambs gambolling in a nearby field.

Saturday 24th May

Two of my family joined me for parkrun at Nonsuch Park because it is a flat course. I was late to my cricket match, due to a nasty multi-vehicle accident on the M25. Fielding at slip I took a lovely catch low to my left and got a brown mud stain on my whites as a reward for my dive. The sheer joy of a wicket, the back slapping and high-fives made up for the long drive to Woldingham. I should've taken a second catch but embarrassingly foozled it with a one-handed attempt. Shortly after I made amends and picked up a wicket. Our team convincingly won our first game of the season due to the impressive batting of two juniors.

Sunday 25th May

I have received a package in the post from the strangely named Bird LoveGod. An envelope has also been posted to church addressed to Reverend Idle. I hope that's not what people call me behind my back! During my sermon the person who I had just welcomed into membership walked out of the building. It's sometimes difficult to stay focussed on my preaching rather than speculate as to why someone exits while I'm talking. The person later re-entered with their puppy dog who had been sitting in their car. One of my leaders thinks we might need to have a dog policy at church.

Monday 26th May

The cricket club Whatsapp selection group chat is already buzzing with messages about availability for next Saturday's seniors teams fixtures. It being another Bank Holiday we went to my parent's house for a family BBQ. I felt a bit awkward eating while my brother is on a reduced diet due to a flare up of his Crohn's. The conversations ranged from school assembly hymns to football kit designs, from summer holidays to crochet, from runner beans to inheritance tax, and from cars to relatives in Australia.

Tuesday 27th May

One of our church leaders has just returned from a holiday in America. She joined me in a home visit to an elderly woman and we shared Communion together. Tonight I ran 10 miles, five with other runners and five solo.

Wednesday 28th May

Next Sunday's all-age talk will be on patience - another fruit of the Holy Spirit. I will use some bananas as a visual aid. At the local pub quiz our team, named Still Too Scott To Handle, finished a very respectable 4th out of 18 teams. This was largely due to my wife's vast and impressive grasp of general knowledge. It would be rare for a pub quiz to ask a question relating to spiritual matters, but should we ever be asked for the Dutch for 'infant baptism' I have the answer: kinderdoop.

Thursday 29th May

The hope of a sunny picnic and warm afternoon on the south coast was dashed by a temperature drop of approximately 7 degrees, leaden skies and cool temperatures. It didn't stop us eating our lunch on the promenade, but we did then turn our backs on the choppy seas and pier and head to the charity shops and a cafe. We bought a jigsaw puzzle of a scene from Venice and an outdoor rug for our garden patio.

Friday 30th May

During the cleaning morning at church I went up onto a flat roof and scrapped away quite a lot of moss from the tiles and gutters. We are a family of five at home again. In Dutch one of the words for 'Anabaptists' is 'wederdoopers' (rebaptisers).

Last summer we holidayed in Italy. Two months ago I submitted a short essay about the Waldensians in Italy, which had been a little autumn and winter writing project of mine, to the editor of the Baptist Ministers' Journal. I certainly didn't expect to win the Essay Prize, so this news came as a pleasant and definite surprise to me today! The essay will be published in July's issue of the journal. Perhaps they were short on entries? "Could the prize money fund a return trip to Italy?", I mischievously commented to my wife. Appropriately, she later made some pizza and garlic bread with fresh dough.

Saturday 31st May

Following a car purchase it was time for a win of a different kind - at another cricket match. Against the current SDL Division 2 leaders, we scored 166 runs and it proved to be enough for victory - by just 6 runs!

Sunday 1st June

We sang some Ascension-themed hymns at church, including Crown Him with many crowns and Hail the day that sees Him rise. Soon after it was time for a fellowship meal, attended by about 25 people and 1 dog. My wife contributed some fine fare. Someone noticed that I am leading a meeting next Wednesday on the theme of different Bible translations and he has offered to bring along sixteen different translations. At the evening meeting we listened to a speaker give an interesting and inspiring talk on gender identity. The specialised ringtone of my landline told me the usual suspect was calling for a chat. After a busy day and on a Sunday at 9.30pm, I find this anti-social. I didn't answer, the person left a short answerphone message and the subsequent flashing red light nagged away at me until bedtime.

Monday 2nd June

I notice that the older I get the longer it takes me to physically and mentally recover from a busy weekend of sport and church. It being 'first Monday' I hunkered down in admin - sorting out home and car insurance policies, checking finances, calculating expenses, paying parking fines and paper shredding. By about 2pm I am ready to go into pastor-mode again.

Tuesday 3rd June

We had a lengthy church leaders' meeting covering subjects such as visiting preachers, dogs in church, prayer cards, the website, and a Barn Dance. I made cheesy beans on toast for lunch; my wife made a lovely roast chicken and vegetable dinner. The atmosphere at home is studious: university assignments, exam revision, lesson planning, sermon writing.

Wednesday 4th June

My sermon text for next Sunday is from Acts 2 which records Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost. I will include a Chinese proverb: 'When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.' Following a 90 minutes afternoon trail run, my evening was spent at a fellowship meeting where we discussed different Bible translations. In a group numbering about 12 we had about 5 different translations to read from. In particular, I was keen to outline some of the gender language tweaks made in the NIV (2011 edition) compared with the NIV (1984 edition). It was an interesting exercise, but had a light-hearted conclusion when I read from the Y'all Version and another participant read James 1:21 in the King James Bible: "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness..." (italics mine)!

Thursday 5th June

The 'hangover' from a busy day yesterday. The wet weather. The headache of trying to arrange some more car insurance. The lack of players available for cricket on Saturday. The depressing news stories. Some days just feel dull, but there is still joy. What do you call a Chinese man holding a camera? Phil Ming.

Friday 6th June

I continued reading Gathering, a book by Christopher Ellis. It records stories of worship, prayer and preaching throughout Baptist history. I liked his comment that in listening to the preacher the hearer receives "promises of grace to give them hope, divine commands to challenge their behaviour, and divine instructions to direct their feet ... Both the preaching and hearing of the Word are places of encounter between God and his people."

A daughter has offered an alternative ending to yesterday's camera joke: Che Ching.

Saturday 7th June

I'm glad I decided to do Mole Valley parkrun as it proved to be my only exercise today. The cricket match was cancelled without a ball being bowled, due to the wet weather. This heavy rain is welcome news for gardeners with dry gardens, less so for cricketers itching to play. Some cricket did actually get played by our 2nd team and, while watching, my daughter was impressed with the multi-coloured clothing of both teams. "They wear actual kit," she remarked. I suppose her generation has not been brought up to appreciate traditional whites.

I did exercise my limited DIY skills later in the day, scraping away mouldy silicone sealant from the bath ready for a re-sealing tomorrow. An irritated customer slung a Wet Floor Warning sign across the restaurant floor where one of my daughter works. How rude. In better news, we booked Le Shuttle tickets for our holiday in The Netherlands.

Sunday 8th June

An early morning get-up to wave a daughter off for a football tournament. I wore my most fiery coloured tie to church for Pentecost Sunday. The sermon I preached on 'building windmills not walls' when the transforming wind of the Holy Spirit comes, was well received. Some of our new Nigerian friends attended again. We came home with The Infographic Bible (to borrow), some sundried tomato, roasted pepper and jalapeno filone bread (to eat) and some Ashtead Village Day programmes (to distribute).

Monday 9th June

I've just recalled my 'senior moment' from last week. After refilling one of our cars with fuel I tried to reset the mileage trip counter to zero, but after multiple presses of the little button on the dashboard it just wouldn't budge off 331 miles. Two days later I realised it counts down rather than up - which makes good sense.

We have received a reminder at church that the fire extinguishers need to be serviced. This would have made a great notice at yesterday's Pentecost service! Next Sunday is Trinity Sunday and Father's Day, so I am beginning to think about appropriate music. I read that some Baptist ministers, for example John Fawcett (1739-1817), used to write hymns for their congregations to sing in response to the sermon. Fawcett said "When I have digested my thoughts on some portion of God's word, I have frequently attempted to sum up the leading ideas, in a few plain verses, to be sung after the sermon; so that they might be more impressed on my own heart, and on the hearts of my hearers". Now there's an idea!

Tuesday 10th June

Tuesdays are often bitty and today was no exception. A bit of time on emails. A bit of a panic when we received a text saying our summer holiday was cancelled. A bit of a long phone call (42 mins, mostly in the queue) to reinstate the holiday by paying the outstanding balance. A bit of time reading. A bit of time installing the new TV digibox. A bit of time reflecting on just how much the delivery driver's hi-vis jacket's wording (ASAP Group) is an apt description of the pressurised pace of life, in this "as soon as possible" society. A bit of time chuckling at a carboard box's message that said "I'm 100% recyclable. Do your bit and maybe we'll meet again". A bit of time running. A bit of time chuckling with my wife about the feminine shower gel I have used.

Wednesday 11th June

Most of today was spent preparing next Sunday's sermon, based on the descriptions Luke records of the early church in Acts 2:42-47 & 4:32-35. It is an almost idyllic portrait of fellowship and unity. I have given the message the title This Church shares. I had a little play with the new TV digibox and, using the voice recognition on the remote control, asked it to find "YouTube Prayer Course." It misheard me and found a children's programme on YouTube called Prickles. At the housegroup we discussed the difficult subject of God not answering our prayers. A socially awkward man who semi-regularly attends the group sat next to me. Mid-conversation he reached to the nearby coffee table, put the TV remote control on top of my phone and then closed my open Bible. Weird. At the end he kindly took some empty mugs to the kitchen. He was lingering in there, so I went to check he was ok. I found him chomping on some food he saw (a biscuit? a Jaffa cake?) and we engaged in brief conversation. When everyone had gone home I thought briefly on the man's helping himself to some food. My initial reaction was to consider it quite impolite, but then I reminded myself of the texts I had read earlier today of the early church having "everything in common", who gave "to anyone who had need" and who "shared everything they had" so that "there were no needy persons among them" and I felt less irked.

Thursday 12th June

Any visual aid to help understand the Trinity will be imperfect, but at the infant school assembly I used Jaffa cakes, a fidget spinner and a picture of an ice cube. When I asked "what does the water you boil in a kettle turn into?" I was anticipating the answer to be steam. "Coffee" called out a child.

I had a pleasant chat with my mum who is with my dad in their mo-ho on Hayling Island. My dad once lost his wedding ring along this coast when he was helping a Sunday School outing.

Friday 13th June

The cricket team I captain has had to cancel another fixture. The League secretary has warned us that one more cancellation will mean we are pulled out of the league. I apologised, but it's really not my fault!

It is the eve of Ashtead Village Day and I managed to drive carefully enough to deliver five long tables with the car boot door wide open - a skill I learnt this time last year. "Put the spong through the eyelet" someone advised, referring to the elasticated bungee balls used to fasten the churches Tea Tent panels to the frame. Spong - what a fine word.

Saturday 14th June

After a sweaty parkrun, I said goodbye to one of our daughters as she heads off on a holiday, with friends, to celebrate finishing exams. My wife and a daughter delivered their lemon drizzle and Victorian Sponge (not Spong) cakes to the Village Day. With the 4th team cricket fixture cancelled, I played for the 3rd team. The competitive spirit in some of my team-mates meant that our team huddle, each time we took a wicket, included some bad language. For example, after the fourth or fifth wicket, "Come on guys, that batsman we just got out was so poor, which probably means the rest of them are bleep bleep." The match was a close encounter, and I won it by taking the opposition's final wicket! After a takeaway meal I forced my family to watch the final over from today's livestream and I told them my cricket 'career' has now peaked.

Sunday 15th June

Trinity Sunday and Father's Day. During the service we sang I will enter his gates with thanksgiving in my heart (aka He has made me glad). The music book says to play it "with pace and swing" which sound more like a fast bowler's delivery. I received humorous Father's Day cards, a photo and frame gift and one of my daughters made some delicious Eton Mess dessert. A leisurely afternoon was enjoyed watching some local cricket and then Soccer Aid on TV. I have eaten plenty of sweet and chocolatey food this weekend and will need to keep up the exercising, even in this very warm weather, in case my Dad Bod leaves me with a rounder mid-section than Big Zuu.

Monday 16th June

Given the fantastically enjoyable weekend, today was bound to feel very Monday-y. Trying to find someone to do a health & safety check was my main task. I received an invite, via the church website, to be a "keynote speaker" at a conference in India next March. I'm a bit sceptical, and if the organisers really want me I shall tell them about BMS who have mission workers in their country and encourage them to consider working in partnership together.

We got our weekly blast of ELO's Mr Blue Sky, on repeat, from the fitness class using the church hall. Thankfully the volume has been lowered in recent weeks. My wife thinks the hall will be somewhat ripe now. Sweaty bodies and hot weather have that effect.

Tuesday 17th June

It's quiet at home so I did some advanced preparation on a sermon about the severe story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. This passage doesn't appear in lectionaries, but it is no less God's word and I don't mind tackling hard texts.

From our garden we could hear the community choir in the church singing Mr Blue Sky! I asked my wife if she preferred it to last night's recorded version, and she did. I agreed - it was a pleasure to eavesdrop.

Wednesday 18th June

Today I give thanks to God for two previous Principals of Bristol Baptist College - the Revd Drs Chris Ellis and Steve Finamore. I am reading Chris' books (one academic, one popular) on worship and Steve's monthly blog on his recent time as Baptist Union President. Both these men have helped me to learn more about God, church and mission.

At the housegroup we host there were seven adults and one dog. We watched a video and had a discussion on contemplative prayer. It's the first time we've ever had a four-legged pet in our home. The puppy dog licked my bare shin, sniffed around and I'm not sure we were at ease in the presence of Daisy. We shall have to think about whether our hospitality extends to four-legged creatures in time for our next meeting, next Wednesday.

Thursday 19th June

After a sweaty run I went to a lunch meeting with colleagues in Guildford. Discussion covered dogs in church, Generation Z and the 'quiet revival', preaching, reading and studying. I was pleased to see I am not the only Baptist minister still to use a Filofax paper diary. During the afternoon I spent time listening to a church member's journey through grief, following her husband's recent death. At cricket training one of our players said he used to be a pizza delivery driver and once delivered food to the former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech. I joked about how the conversation could have gone. "What pizza topping did you order?... I think we'd better check."

Friday 20th June

The pitter patter of raindrops on the gazebo I was sitting under while reading about worship only lasted one minute. In the midst of this heat it was strangely soothing. I have tentatively enquired about doing some post-graduate research on the Anabaptists. It might scratch an itch, give me something to do when we have two daughters away at university, give me something outside of the 'goldfish bowl' of local ministry and lead to some new opportunities.

Saturday 21st June

Another sweaty parkrun, in the company of Nick and Julian. I ran slightly slower than last Saturday, largely due to this stifling heat. The less said about our cricket team's performance the better. A heavy defeat. The new bench in memory of Mikal is new in use at our home ground. His family came to see it and another dad bought me a drink. Today's main task was a late night drive to Luton airport to collect four young adults who have been holidaying on a Greek island. I did a lot of people watching in the Arrivals area. Dropping off the girls at their homes in the wee small hours, one by one, gave me the feeling of a milkman stopping at addresses in the dead of night and enjoying the freedom of traffic-free roads.

Sunday 22nd June

In the providence of God, today had been previously planned as a day off church duty. Having returned home at 3.00am I was glad not to work. I ran the monthly Polesden Lacey 10km trail event (very hot and hilly!), got a lift home in a running friend's air-conditioned Tesla and then sat in the garden where the children from church were doing some activities. A cute young boy told me his grandad had died, saying "he got cancer and had to go to hospital and he has gone to be with God in heaven and his funeral is on Friday." He didn't know I knew the details of his grandfather's death, and it was lovely hearing him explain how his mum had announced his grandad's passing to him, by putting paper hearts in his grandad's usual chair which then led to a conversation about his grandad dying.

It was bound to happen and so it did: I fell asleep watching a film this afternoon. Slumdog Millionaire.

Monday 23rd June

My daughter who has returned from holiday has placed her Passport book back on top of my laptop. Her holiday has ended, but she made happy memories. I listened to the audio sermon of yesterday's visiting preacher. It was biblical and persuasive. I wonder if this feels a bit like a teacher remotely listening to a recording of another teacher presenting a lesson to their class, in their stead. Our visiting preacher got some claps at the end of his message! This is not something I routinely experience, and so, however kind it was of some folk to show their appreciation and agreement, I remind myself that a round of applause is not the purpose of a sermon but how it impacts lives in the week ahead. My wife was a bit narked when someone who had enjoyed the message said to her yesterday "the visiting speaker was very good and we should invite them more often." As the pastor's wife she was annoyed that sometimes the week-by-week message of the pastor is perceived to be under-appreciated when a visiting speaker preaches. It made me think of sermons as nourishing meals: not every item of food eaten in a meal from day to day is remembered, but each meal did you good at the time. I think the same can be said of the regular sermons given by the pastor to the same congregation, week after week. An African lady, noticing my absence, said to my wife "Is the Pastor travelling?" I wish!

Tuesday 24th June

You just never know what question someone might ask a pastor. Will it be about church, Bible, theology, family, or a personal or community issue? A doorstep conversation led to someone saying to me "I promise I won't tell anyone, but which of your children is the cleverest?" I replied "They are each clever at different things, and my eldest is cleverest at mathematics." I hope this answer was both fair and true.

The lunchtime webinar hosted by BMS on the Israel-Gaza conflict included opportunity to listen and learn from three people living in the Middle East. There was a collective sense of sadness at the unacceptable injustice, oppression and loss of life being experienced, a recognition that Christians cannot rejoice in the suffering of any people, and a belief that the church as the body of Christ offers a hopeful future.

Wednesday 25th June

Today is 'Leavers Day' for one of my daughters. Her and her friends used our home to get dressed up for their special occasion. But there were still quieter times at home during which I could prepare an all-age talk on the theme of kindness, based on David and Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9). Four people (and no dogs) gathered at our evening house group for a video and discussion on prayer. The session was on listening to God, and it reminded me of a poster in a local doctor's surgery (encouraging patient feedback) that says "Communication is a two-way street."

Thursday 26th June

At the church prayer meeting we prayed for international issues (Israel), national issues (relaxation of abortion; assisted-suicide bill) and local issues (people in our fellowship). I went to the library to return a travel book I borrowed for my daughter who has returned from holiday. Someone was hoping to borrow The Salt Path, but all copies were out on loan. My wife has read The Salt Path and described the author's tone as whiny. My parents, looking well after a few days rest on Hayling Island, visited and then enjoyed a music concert at the secondary school one of my other daughters attends.

Friday 27th June

The funeral service of thanksgiving and celebration for the life of the husband of a church member was very well attended. I enjoyed not having to be involved as another pastor led the service. The deceased man's police helmet was on top of his coffin. Family and friends brought moving tributes, including his courageous wife who said John had been her "strength and stay." A close friend and former colleague said "let's face the elephant in the room: we shouldn't be here; he should have lived another twenty years." I wasn't sure about the congregation needing to watch videos recorded by the grandchildren, but one of them said "I'm sorry you won't see me grow into an adult" which was emotive.

A pleasant walk with my wife and a daughter, across the Common, to The Star pub for a drink, and back home again, heralded the start of the weekend.

Saturday 28th June

A clammy parkrun left me gasping for fluid intake. Not a drop of water was left in my bottle after I'd finished the 5k course. I had never played cricket at Albury Heath until today. The outfield was bone dry and bumpy. One of my daughters was able to witness me hit a boundary and in doing so score the winning runs. We bought some Chinese food from a new local takeaway to celebrate.

Sunday 29th June

In the pre-service practice, one of the musicians at church was confused we were playing the wrong song. He had prepared for next Sunday's songs! During the testimony time, one person gave thanks to God for his healing from a cancer diagnosis. "God can and does heal, so keep praying!" he said. The grieving widow also gave thanks to God for her late husband's life who died from cancer. These two contrasting testimonies did not contradict each other, but reminded me that we cannot always measure how God heals.

Monday 30th June

In yesterday's sermon I said the incident of Ananias & Sapphira's deceit and consequent deaths was a disturbing and severe story and should challenge us to generously share, rather than be selfish. Looking back at my notes (before I shred them!) I'm not sure I emphasised enough the point that this couple did not come under God's judgement for their failure to divest themselves of personal property, but for their dishonesty in not fulfilling a prior agreement they had made, we assume, when they'd promised to give the total amount of money. I was asked a great question after the service: "Were Ananias & Sapphira actually saved and were they genuinely believers?"

Tuesday 1st July

Today's stifling heat was neither conducive to WFH nor concentrating for very long, especially in my upstairs study. My body moved slowly while my mind flitted about from thinking about next Sunday's service, doing a crossword and Wordle, replying to emails and standing in front of an electric fan. I chatted and prayed with a courageous woman who is travelling to Ukraine this week, under the auspices of Dnipro Hope Mission, to help at a therapy centre.

I sprayed one daughter with water from the garden hose, but another daughter declined because she had just styled her hair. I had never done a pub run, until tonight. The local running group ran 10 km with stop offs for liquid refreshments at The Cricketer's, The Star and The Woodman pubs. My wife has opened nearly every window in the house to air us through the night.

Wednesday 2nd July

The story of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 has occupied my mind today. Luke records that "This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet." He didn't seem to suffer from motion sickness, whereas I do! I will preach about his baptism soon.

I have ordered a book authored under the pseudonym of Luther Blissett. It is about the C16th Reformation. I never thought I'd use the words Luther Blissett (former Watford FC player) and the Anabaptists (radical church reformers) in the same sentence.

Thursday 3rd July

It was strangely quiet again without my wife at home today. I'm at a bit of a loss when she's away.

Some Middle Eastern friends have received their British Citizenship certificates. At the afternoon meeting at church there was a bad odour lurking in the room, but it soon went. But then it returned again. I concluded it coincided with the opening and closing of the fridge door, rather than from a human source. I accidentally drank a mouthful of tea from someone else's mug. The unfortunate lady, sat beside me, either didn't notice or was too polite to mention my error. Either way, it was not quite the kind of sharing that I was thinking of when I preached on koinonia recently.

Friday 4th July

I was feeling creative today so I tried to write a hymn to the Crusader's Hymn tune. It has four verses and the first lines of each verse are: Jesus, you are the Christ, God's chosen Lord and King; Jesus, you are the Christ, God's greatest sacrifice; Jesus, you are the Christ, God's strong deliverer; Jesus, you are the Christ, God's own beloved Son.

Saturday 5th July

Parkrun and cricket match for me; selling crochet goods at a school summer fayre for my wife. My team won; my wife made an impressive amount of sales. A good day all round.

Sunday 6th July

It felt deflating to introduce an all-age service and not spot any under 18s. But within five minutes of the service starting, four young children had arrived and I was relieved. My wife commented to me afterwards that the sketch drawing I showed of Mephibosheth looked like Peter Crouch. She's right - it's all to do with the teeth.

I worked on another hymn. It is called Blessed are the pure in spirit, to the tune used for Angels from the realms of glory.

Monday 7th July

Talking of lookalikes, my wife was watching an episode of Taskmaster today. Some people think I look like the English comedian Alex Horne. Admin and phone calls featured highly today.

Tuesday 8th July

Someone at church asked me if I work full time at church. I think behind the question was a feeling that I am not working as much as I should and could do more visits to people. It is often hard to meet people's expectations in ministry. It is hard not to immediately become defensive when asked a probing question, but also not wanting to be seen as uninterested in pastoral care. My leadership team prayed for me, which was kind. So today I felt criticised and blessed.

Wednesday 9th July

My sermon on the Ethiopian eunuch's baptism is written and printed. At the fellowship meeting I led a study and discussion on singing as an expression of Christian unity.

Thursday 10th July

Following last night's discussion on singing, someone at church said one of the reasons repetition of a song too many times is bad is because it could lead non-Christians to think we/they are being brainwashed. Talking of brains, I visited a gentleman who has brain cancer. He said the diagnosis is bad. His Christian faith is giving him peace and hope. My friend who is a schools worker for special needs children said one of his pupils who suffers with anxiety thanked him for being his "anxietist"!

Friday 11th July

The heat is making it hard to work. I did a doorstep visit to one person and a home visit to another. Some people like an impromptu visit; for others the timing is not always convenient.

Saturday 12th July

Another parkrun. Unusually all my daughters attended the cricket match. Our team won, again.

Sunday 13th July

With it being the 40th anniversary of Band Aid, the service leader prayed for Ethiopia. I hadn't planned for my sermon on the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8) to coincide with this anniversary, but it was a nice connection. We offered some gluten-free wafers as well as bread during Communion. Unusually, I was far from being the last to leave for home. My wife said you can always guarantee that when you want to leave promptly people will linger and chat longer than usual. The train journey to London included a church phone call. The T20 cricket match at The Oval was entertaining.

Monday 14th July

Today had a very Monday feel about it. After a busy weekend it was time to stay at home and enjoy some quiet. I did some family admin, started planning two services for next Sunday and enjoyed watching the cricket highlights of the Test Match at Lords.

Tuesday 15th July

I continued writing a sermon about humble service, based on Jesus' example of washing his disciples' feet. At lunchtime one of my daughters drove me to collect two books, one called Faithfully Present and the other about Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. After a local churches together meeting tonight I went home reflecting on how numerically small my church is compared to others in our locality. Maybe I need to read the book I've just bought about being faithfully present.

Wednesday 16th July

Tomorrow I am due to be on an interview panel for some new Baptist minister candidates, so I spent some time reading their profiles, references and making some notes. I came home from an hour's run and ate an ice pop. The food contributed to our housegroup social meeting was all very good and my wife described it as beige food.

Thursday 17th July

At the interviews the conversation included baptism. Could a Baptist minister involved in hospital chaplaincy baptise a stillborn baby? The consensus was yes. It may not fit neatly with our biblical theology, but from a pastoral view it provides a sacramental encounter with God for the grieving family and to deny them this moment of blessing would not communicate God's love.

A strange evening of excitement at the dramatic win for the England Lionesses, alongside the news of the Minehead school coach crash. Particularly strange for my wife, who attended the school affected by the tragedy in the 1990s.

Friday 18th July

Today was designated as a Home Prayer Day and the fellowship was invited to spend half an hour praying for our country. I am trying to categorise my WhatsApp messages into folders. I tried to do some pastoral visits this afternoon but one family wasn't in and the other person was apparently in their garden and didn't hear the doorbell.

Saturday 19th July

A soggy and refreshing parkrun. A flurry of text messages asking if the cricket match was cancelled due to the persistent rain. It was. So I spent the afternoon gardening, fixing a new car brake light and chatting with my parents. My Dad has been diagnosed with a prostate cancer but it is treatable.

Sunday 20th July

Two services today. The morning service included the hymn Brother, sister, let me serve you. Inspired by the young peoples' story of the wise and foolish builders, during the afternoon I started writing a hymn based on Jesus' parable to the tune used for the hymn Christ triumphant, ever reigning. A surprisingly low attendance at the evening service, but an opportunity to chat and pray with someone who has just returned from a visit to western Ukraine.

Monday 21st July

For the August All Age service I think I shall do a sand-based activity on the Christian fish symbol, from the Greek word ichthys (English: fish). The person I visited this afternoon showed me round their garden and I was intrigued by the wooden shepherd's crook hanging in their hallway.

Tuesday 22nd July

Twenty five years ago I proposed to my now wife at Looe, in Cornwall. Today's happy memory has got me through some negative thoughts and fears I have had since the weekend. I have started preparing a sermon on Eutychus in Acts 20. The Health & Safety meeting I went to this afternoon would have a lot to say about his falling out of an upstairs window in Troas. Someone from church has asked me if I worry about our small fellowship dying due to our age profile. It's a concern but I wouldn't say I worry a lot about it.

At tonight's trail run, while running, I told a newcomer I was a pastor. We talked about baptism and he was keen to know if I believed the gifts of the Holy Spirit were active today. I think he approved of my answers but I'd love to know what the fellow runner alongside us thought of our chat.

Wednesday 23rd July

The sermon on Eutychus is written and I have set myself the target of getting my two August sermons written before August, so I have a month's rest from sermon preparation. My wife made an awesome ham and vegetable pie. With no housegroup tonight we watched a Women's Euros football match on TV and I read the start of the novel Q, by Luther Blissett (pseudonym)!

Thursday 24th July

This time last year we began de-cluttering the kitchen in readiness for a refurbishment. The new kitchen is a definite improvement, though it still requires me to spend a considerable amount of time, each day, at the sink. A daughter helped to dry the dishes, pans and utensils today. After the church prayer meeting we watched a video about fasting. It occurs to me that a partial fasting from food for spiritual reasons could also have physical benefits, if done sensibly. It would reduce the amount of time taken washing up!

Friday 25th July

I need a holiday.

Saturday 26th July

There were a few Australians visiting Mole Valley parkrun and they will also be at church tomorrow! I have had to leave a few players unselected for today's cricket match, which I never like doing. The opposition captain informed me that runners are no longer used for injured batters across international cricket. North Holmwood's ground looks lovely at this time of year. My wife and a daughter went to a Traitor's music event in London.

Sunday 27th July

At church I was handed two more books which I will add to my growing reading pile. I chatted with the Australian family who were at parkrun yesterday. They live in Perth, where the temperature rarely goes below 5 degrees celsius and they don't get a winter frost. At the cricket club, with the home team batting and in a spot of bother, someone said to me "I know you know I don't believe, but please can you say a prayer for the team?" As the team lost he remarked "It didn't work did it?!"

Monday 28th July

Tuesday 29th July

A day trip with a daughter to a summer camp in Somerset. Near Castle Cary there are signposts for villages called Wyke Champflower and Shepton Montague, both of which sound rather posh. My Dad showed me how to tie a reef knot and my parents reminded me of a very choppy overnight North Sea crossing following a holiday in Denmark. I was only 18 months old and slept through it! The car ferry ran out of sick bags and apparently the salt marks from the water the following morning were very high up the boat!

Wednesday 30th July

The sermon I'll preach in August on Jesus' parable of the great banquet is written. I think I'll end it with a hymn I've been writing called The bread is now broken, and the wine is given (to the tune of Adeste Fideles, used for O come, all ye faithful). We are starting to get damsons in the garden, falling from our neighbour's tree. Half of today was spent in another garden, in Portsmouth, helping a daughter move out of her house. The neighbour over the brick wall asked me if I was the cleaner. We rewarded ourselves with a takeaway on the Southsea beach where I ate my order of "Seniors Cod and Chips"!

Thursday 31st July

I have read an interesting article called Economical with the Truth on Anabaptists and oath-taking. It is on the Anabaptist Mennonite Network website here, based on a lecture given in 2001 by Alan & Eleanor Kreider. I shall refer to some of it in a sermon on truth-telling at the end of August. Economical use of wealth, finance and resources has a big impact on many different organisations in society. For example, my church is dependant on hall hire bookings for a significant part of its annual income.

Tonight it has been made known that Spurgeon's College in south London will close with immediate effect, after 169 years of training Baptist ministers, because it can "no longer sustain its financial operations". The football team I support has ended the printed version of its matchday programmes to keep "in line with the rapidly-changing content consumption habits of our supporters. The appetite for a matchday programme is sadly no longer there." It often feels like money dictates life. But we must never be economical with the truth.

Friday 1st August

I submitted my monthly expenses, responded to some emails and went on an evening walk with my wife. Late at night I was asked to leave the pub, by a daughter who was finishing her shift.

Saturday 2nd August

Finding eleven players for today's cricket match has been a bit complicated. We lost the game by a big margin. I had some conversations with players about their foreign holiday destinations: Dubai; and Dordogne & Normandy in France. The opposition captain asked me what my sermon at church was going to be about tomorrow, so I mentioned about the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Sunday 3rd August

Setting up the Family Service involved pouring sand into a large plastic tray. Thankfully none of the children got sand onto the carpets. It stayed dry for the church picnic. The final match in the England v India Test series looks like it is heading to an exciting and dramatic conclusion tomorrow.

Monday 4th August

I couldn't resist listening to the hour-long conclusion of the final Test at The Oval. Shredding some paper in-between balls and overs enabled me to feel like I was doing some 'work' while listening to the radio commentary. My plumbing skills are minimal, but I did manage to unblock the standing water in the pipes underneath the bath... but now my wife thinks there's another clog further along and out of reach. A church member rang to ask for more details on the shock closure of Spurgeon's College. One of my daughters will need to be collected from Somerset tonight. Outside Budgens near Shepton Mallet I had a phone chat with my friend Pete to wish him a very happy birthday and talk about the Test cricket.

Tuesday 5th August

With no one around to operate the laptop, screen and sound desk at church next Sunday it has fallen to me to operate. I had a quick lesson last Sunday but wanted to have a go today to become more familiar with the set-up. The Nigerian family are moving from their current residence and I watched two workmen throw a settee out of a first floor balcony onto the ground below. Thump. A partially successful attempt to unblock the bath pipes has left me in need of professional help, so I tried ringing Mr Daines. After the running group I told a couple that our shower is out of use and they kindly invited me to use their bathroom. It felt odd arriving as a stranger into a family home, using the bathroom (no lock on door!) while the family ate supper downstairs. They made me feel very welcome and even invited me to stay for some food, but there was ice cream waiting for me back at home.