Dear All,

A year ago, in order to give me something to do during my retirement, I decided to take up longbow archery.

In the Scottish Borders where we live there is an archery club called the Ettrick Forest Archers. I made contact with them and was given expert tuition over several weeks in how to shoot an arrow from a traditional wooden longbow and hit the target.

I must say that it is not as easy as it looks and there are so many things to think about and get right before you loose your arrow from the bow.

However, with the right amount of instruction and encouragement, I began to make progress and eventually my arrows were able to hit the target (most of the time!)….

Dear Friends,

A couple of days ago, Adrienne and I travelled down to the lovely little town of Weesp.

It was really picturesque and tranquil, with the church bells ringing out a tune every 15 minutes.

We relaxed at a small cafe, alongside the River Vecht and watched the boats go by.

As we watched we noticed that in each boat there was someone steering, while others lay on the deck enjoying the sunshine.

It reminded me of when the disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee and Jesus was fast asleep in the back.

Unlike the River Vecht, which was very calm, a storm arose on the Sea of Galilee and the disciples, even though some of them were hardened fishermen, were terrified.

They shook Jesus from His well-earned rest and said to Him….

Dear Friends,

As we continue to enjoy living in the city, we have become aware of the many different types of birds around us. We have appreciated the singing of the blackbirds and the call of the wood pigeon in the trees at the back of the manse. We were amazed to see and hear the colourful parakeets in the Vondelpark and fascinated to view a large heron perched above the fish stall at the Dappermarkt, eagerly awaiting the scraps at the end of the day.

All of this reminded me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6 v 26:

“Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

And in Matthew 10 v 29-31…

Dear Friends,

A few days ago, on the recommendation of Rob Koster, Adrienne and I visited the Dappermarkt.

We were fascinated by the huge number of stalls and the many different items on sale.

We were particularly intrigued by the fruit stalls and saw some which we had never seen before. The display and quality of the fruits was first class and it was this which persuaded us to buy so many different varieties.

It brought to mind what the Bible has to say about the fruits of the Spirit…

Dear Friends,

As I have been confined to the manse over the last week or two, I have been watching the world Athletics Championships from Oregon on TV.

It was great to see two Scottish athletes, Laura Muir and Jake Wightman, win bronze and gold in their 1500m races. It has also been good to see the athletes from the Netherlands do well, with two silvers and a bronze.

What I have noticed, especially with the athletes in the field events, is that…

Dear Friends,

Last week George Meerveld very kindly took Adrienne and I on a visit to Zaanse Schans.

On our arrival we were captivated by the smell of chocolate wafting across from the factories and watched amazed as the bridge opened to allow a ship to pass through.

At Zaanse Schans village itself, we were fascinated by the old wooden houses and the windmills. We sampled lots of different cheeses, had our photograph taken wearing giant clogs and enjoyed a pancake lunch.

Having a background in textiles, I was particularly interested….

Dear Friends,

My wife Adrienne and I are really enjoying being here in Amsterdam. It was a great privilege for me to preach and conduct worship last Sunday and to enjoy fellowship with you around the Lord’s Table. It has been good for us to meet many of you and to get to know your names - although it is difficult to remember them all!

Names are very important. In Acts 4 v 36 we are introduced to …

Dear Friends,

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the Lord’s House.”

And now we are here! - Psalm 122 v 1-2

My wife Adrienne and I arrived in your beautiful city yesterday afternoon to brilliant sunshine and a warm welcome from Heleen.

We are now comfortably settled in the manse, with everything we require and I’m sure we will be very happy here.

It will be good to celebrate Communion together on Sunday and to meet many of you after the service….

Dear Friends,

The American pastor, Fred Craddock describes how he went to be pastor of a rural church in the heart of America’s mid-West. To mark the arrival of the new clergyman the congregation held a summer picnic in a forest beside a lake. As the barbecue smoke died down and the shadows lengthened the people lined up to take their farewells and to wish the new pastor every success. One by one they shook his hand and explained who they were. They also added what their particular skills were. ‘I’m a nurse,’ one woman said….

Dear Friends,

The Irish writer, C.S. Lewis, asks us to imagine ourselves as a living house. God comes to rebuild that house. At first we can understand what he is doing. He’s getting the drains right and stopping leaks in the roof. But then he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably. What on earth is he up to?…