“That was when I first heard about Wycliffe & Bible translation!”

We used to talk about multiple contact relationships in the Wycliffe UK Mobilisation Team.

When people got to the point of deciding to join Wycliffe Bible Translators UK, we often identified multiple contacts on their journey towards this point: meeting a Wycliffe member, a word of mouth recommendation from a friend, a website post, a blog, a God-incidence along the way…

Some years ago the MAP Mission Roadshow to the university Christian Unions in N. Irish universities featured Bible Translation. Together with colleagues from other MAP agencies we visited all the big CUs and some of the little ones as well.

One evening a smaller team visited Greenmount Agricultural College and we did our presentation …

“That was when I first heard about Wycliffe and Bible translation!”

That’s what Andy said when I met him in Derry a week or so ago. Andy is a dairy farmer in Donegal. Andy was at Greenmount Agricultural College when I was there those 5 or 6 years ago. It was when Andy first heard about Wycliffe. Andy encouraged his youth group to use some of our materials in their Bible reading. Every time they used them, they would remember the Bibleless languages of the world.

Andy now wants to help us raise the profile of God’s mission through Wycliffe and Bible translation in his part of the NW of Ireland.

I guess that came from sowing seeds in an agricultural college…

PS Not sure of the relevance of the cartoon… just liked it

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City of Culture… where Hope and History rhyme

Just spotted this excellent animation promo for Derry – Londonderry 2013 City of Culture!

Coincidentally we’ll be passing through Derry soon en route to a short break in Donegal.

I wonder if we can get a Wycliffe event organised for 2013 in Derry?

Now there’s a thought…

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Two Days in the Mournes January 2012

A very good friend gave us a Groupon for Christmas. It was a bed and breakfast Friday night in the excellent Glassdrumman Lodge just outside Annalong, a fishing port on the edge of the Mourne Mountains.

On the Friday we took a walk to Lough Shannagh, the largest natural lake in the Mournes.

Misty Lough Shannagh

 

Lunchtime

 

John at LoughShannagh

And so we arrived at Glasdrumman Lodge for the night. Had a good fish dish at the Harbour Inn in Annalong. Our room was Slieve Binnian – and guess what our view from the bedroom window was ?

Slieve Binnian from our room

Next morning after a very good gourmet breakfast, we set off to walk through the mountains to Newcastle, the Lodge staff having offered to pick us up at Donard Park and bring us back to pick up the car. So off we went accompanied by the Lodge dog which we later learned was very fond of accompanying randon guests up into the mountains…

Slieve Binnian as we left the Lodge

Rainbow over Binnian from the slopes of Rocky Mountain

We climbed past Long Seefin, rounded Rocky Moutain and dropped down into the Bog of Donard from where he took the Brandy Pad before climbing the crest and descending to Newcastle by the horribly rough Glen River route – possibly my least favourite path in the Moures. It was very windy all the way from the Bog of Donard, but we got brilliant misty views back down the Annalong Vally with the Devil’s Coachroad on the far side. here’s just one of them…

Magical view down Annalong Valley

A great mini break!

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Ireland in Pictures 2011

BBC N. Ireland has posted 21 photographs under the title In Pictures: BBC N. Ireland 2011 year in review

They cover a lot of politics north and south; sport… mostly golf, of course; the Queen’s historic visit to the Republic of Ireland; strikes; the MTV awards in Belfast; and the Field Marshall Montgomery Pipe Band winning the pipe band World Championships. Incidentally a former drum major from the very same band once trained  me as a teenager in a Boys Brigade bugle band.

You can view much better images of all 21 photos at the link above, but here are my personal choices…

1. Thousands protest the dissident Republican murder of young Roman Catholic police officer Ronan Kerr and absolutely rejecting any return to sectarian violence in N. Ireland

2. The Queen’s historic visit to the GAA headquarters Croke Park in Dublin… just one incident in the amazing series of quite historic events

3. Rory McIlroy – our amazing young Nornirn winner of the US Open

4. Field Marshall Montgomery Pipe Band world champions 2011 – look quite delighted with themselves, don’t they? Lovely picture!

5. Darren Clarke celebrates with a traditional pint of Guinness after winning the British Open to complete the NI trio of Open winners in just over a year

All, in their own ways, positive images to end the year… and that’s in some contrast to a very depressing view of the world today on BBC News at Ten this evening.

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St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Down Cathedral

While I was enjoying myself walking in the Mourne Mountains yesterday, people who were our guests at From Eden to Eternity at Stormont, were working!

Bishop Harold Miller & PCI Moderator Norman Hamilton

St Patrick had clearly ‘turned the stone’ for the Down and Dromore pilgrims making their annual journey from Saul Church to Down Cathedral on a sunny 17th March. The diocesan celebrations involve people from all backgrounds and denominations but this year the ranks of walkers were swollen with specially invited cross-community groups and leaders. This was in keeping with the chosen theme of “Shared Past: Shared Future, “which seemed particularly apt against the backdrop of controversy surrounding the civic parade in Downpatrick which, thankfully, passed off without event.

Read more about the St Patrick’s Day events at Saul and Down Cathedral on the Diocese of Down and Dromore website.

The guest speaker in Down Cathedral was The Right Revd Norman Hamilton, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church and a passionate exponent of churches taking their place in society for the benefit of the whole community.

 

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St Patrick’s Day in the Mourne Mountains

Yesterday I took a trip with my parents to St Patrick country – Downpatrick – where tradition has it he is buried in the grounds of Down Cathedral.

Down Cathedral, Downpatrick

Today is 17 March, St Patrick’s Day and below are some of the most famous lines from St Patrick’s Breastplate:

Christ be with me, Christ within me,

Christ behind me, Christ before me,

Christ beside me, Christ to win me,

Christ to comfort and restore me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,

Christ in hearts of all that love me,

Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

But today Ruth and I went elsewhere in Co Down – walking in the Mourne Mountains. We parked at Carrick Little and soon joined the Mourne Wall which we followed to the top of Slieve Binnion, then north through the tors along the ridge and the steep descent to the col between Slieve Binnion and Slieve Lamagan before turning right and following the track back to the car park. You can find the route we took here.

There are no stories of Patrick walking in these mountains, but it was a great way to spend his day enjoying some of the beautiful landscape of the country which Patrick led to Christianity all those years ago.

Our objective - Slieve Binnion

At the summit with Silent Valley reservoir below

Lunch in the sun at picnic rock

Looking north over Ben Crom as we descended

We picked our way through all those large white bags of rock;  a rock stepped path is being built on this side of Binnian. It is needed since this slope is badly eroded. Looking forward to seeing the completed work.

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Pioneer Bible Translators 1: William Tyndale

William Tyndale (1494 - 1536)

Today the Wycliffe UK Blog recalls the martyrdom of William Tyndale.

Four hundred and seventy four years ago today, William Tyndale was hanged and burnt for heresy.  His crimes? He believed the ‘boy who drives the plough’ should, and could, read God’s word with as much ease as the scholar and clergyman.

John's Gospel in Tyndale's Bible

One day, a visiting priest was told by Tyndale:

“If God spare my life, before very long I shall cause a plough boy to know the scriptures better than you, Sir!”

Before his death he produced the first translation of the Bible into the English of the common man from the original languages.  But almost five hundred years later, 353 million people – speaking over 2,200 languages – still do not have any Scripture in their own language.  How can we expect people to be established in the truth without the word of God plainly laid before their eyes?

If you would like to know more about how you can partner in the Bible translation task go to Give the Story

For more about Tyndale’s life, why not visit this biography?

And if you are anywhere near Belfast, N. Ireland next Wednesday 13 October, why not join us at Wycliffe:Live!

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Camping in Connemara & Dingle

News from England would make you sick! Heatwave health alerts and hosepipe bans indeed – not in Connemara and Dingle last week!

Typical windscreen view on 6 day camping trip

Now get get me wrong, the West of Ireland is amazingly beautiful – it’s just that the soft refreshing rain comes from hauntingly atmospheric grey clouds that tend to inhibit one’s view of stunning mountain and coastal landscapes.

However there were definite highlights!

1. Our new wee tent was more than capable of withstanding the wind and rain that swept across Renvyle Strand last Saturday night as we slept in it for the first time: thanks to advice from old friend Craig at Outdoor Concepts!

Ruth reading at our tent - and Philip Saunders!?!

2. Sharing part of our trip with Philip & Heather Saunders – and The Famous Bongo! Good conversation, a shared damp experience, coffee & cake in Leenane, a meal out in Renvyle House Hotel [rather good and not too expensive], poetic texting…

Thanks, Heather, for the photography - of us & the Bongo!

3. The One Good Day - weatherwise – when we took a walk along the south side of Killary Harbour, a deep sea inlet sometimes described as Ireland’s only true fjord, with Mweelrea looming over us on the northern shore and miles of salmon fisheries on the southern. Then there was the abandoned village of Foher; the impressive retaining wall of the Famine Road built by Famine sufferers in the 1840s in return for food handouts; the house in Rosroe harbour where philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) lived and worked for six months in 1948; the very pleasant walk over Salrock Pass in the sunshine – and the scenery, not to mention the prospect of a coffee shop wherein to rest tired feet!

Windswept tree with curragh & sheep | Killary Harbour

Sun & shade over Killary Harbour

4. Interesting people: all campers are equal on a wet campsite – no hierarchies, no us and them [except perhaps between people in tents and people in luxurious camping vans - I'm not jealous!], your next tent neighbour may be a philosopher or an old hippie who strums his guitar over breakfast and parks his rusting vehicle very close to your guy ropes [did we annoy him by pitching our tent too close to his?] or an amazing sexagenarian Dutch couple on a 12 week cycling trip or a Manx biker originally from Liverpool or a young European couple who offered to help us put up our tent on our first night and whose own tent was flattened next morning by the overnight wind  – or who knows?

5. Getting away from it all! TV, internet, Facebook, workaday stresses… a warm home, comfy bed, a fully equipped kitchen… Stop it!

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We’re off on holiday!

As bright and early as possible after a 6oth birthday party here this evening [no, not mine this time] we’re driving south and west on a camping holiday, first of all to Renvyle in Connemara…

Painting of Renvyle beach

And here’s a map…

I’ll post some of my own photos in the fullness of time.

Meanwhile the Wycliffe Engage Teams are heading off around the world: follow their Twitter and please pray for them here

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