We are a society in confusion. More deaths in the shooting war among young people over the weekend bring more tragedy, more questioning, more blaming of absentee fathers, more wondering if Britain really is the worst country in the developed world in which to bring up children.

I believe that where people suggest that there is a single answer to this problem, they are wrong. When they suggest that this is a problem limited to one particular place and culture – and that we shouldn’t ask wider questions about our society – I think they are wrong too.

One of the things I learnt when I lived in the gun culture of Northern Ireland was that the gunmen and bombers did not come from Mars. They were not disconnected from the rest of society. People of violence were a tiny minority of that society. But their violent actions played out in brutal fashion the hard thoughts and hard words of people – who themselves would never consider committing an act of violence. Everything connected and everybody in some measure shared responsibility.

Britain is of course a much bigger, more diverse and more secular society. It would be hopelessly simplistic to say simply that ‘God is the answer’ to these very complex problems. But I do believe that there are two things which become more difficult when a society loses the language of religion and faith.

The first is that it seems to become harder to take responsibility – politicians apportion blame and reach for answers – but they don’t say ‘This is a symptom of a troubled society and it involves us all.’ And the second is this. We find it hard to express a common set of values – so it becomes difficult to talk about the inter-laced strands of care, commitment, inclusiveness and obligation which will build a new kind of society and a better future for alienated young people.

Out of Blogstead under the arch [yes there really is one] – over the T junction and down the back road to Burrelton. Drive along the sunlit ridge from Coupar Angus towards Forfar – Sidlaw hills on the right and endless fruit growing on the left. Turn left for Kirriemuir. Drive for 10 miles between beech hedges imagining the daffodils which will soon line the verges on each side …

Rector Bob welcomed people and they said – as if part of the liturgy – ‘The sun always shines on Kirriemuir’

It’s hard to do new things in the church.  But sometimes even harder to decide that the time has come to stop ..   So today we drew a celebratory end to our 15 year relationship with the Diocese of Pelotas in Brazil.  We met, told the story, celebrated the eucharist and gave thanks.  I found it particularly impressive to listen to some of the adults who had gone to Pelotas in their mid-teens – for them it was clearly a life-changing experience.  I am a great believer in these companionship relationships – but they take enormous commitment and energy to sustain.  I thought about the group of 14 from Seagoe and the Diocese of Down and Dromore who went with me to visit our companion diocese in Albany.  We were supposed to go one week after 9/11 – we delayed for six months and visited Ground Zero on the way.  You never forget that kind of moment.

So just remind me how this fits together. Equality tells us that it is important that we should allow same sex couples to adopt and bring up children. But today we are being told that gun crime among teenage boys in London is due to the absence of fathers in their upbringing.

My attitude to computers and all their works is similar to my attitude to Volkswagens.  So long as they keep working, that’s fine.  But don’t ask me to know what lies under the bonnet.  I wish I could find the time and the resolve to learn my way around WordPress so that I could show you a picture of Poppy.  But since it took me about six months to find out even where the instructions were, it may have to wait a while.  More urgent is the need to get to grips with Plone which is the engine room of the renewed diocesan website which we are working on.  So geek-in-chief Tim will be glad to know that I have spent part of today touring the ‘Teach yourself Plone’ websites and that I now know how to open the bonnet.  It’s not that it isn’t intuitive.  It just isn’t intuitive for me.  But I’ll get there.

I suppose this Valentine’s Day, I should be discussing the merits of Father Dougal’s Buckaroo Speed Dating Event.  But maybe we’ll leave that for another time.

Big event today for all of us who live to the north of the Forth was the announcement by the Scottish Executive that they intend to build a second crossing.  And it’s badly needed.  But, of course, nothing is as simple as that any more.  The possible second crossing was being discussed primarily as being about economic development in southern Fife.  But it’s also a climate change issue.  Continuing my survey of ‘interesting Car Parks with public transport attached’, Alison and I visited the Ferrytoll at the Forth Bridge – from which she got the 747 Stagecoach Service to the Airport.  She was the only passenger.

The Bishop of London has signed the ‘golden pledge’ to abandon all flying for a year.  And I think I read elsewhere that he uses public transport exclusively as he goes about his work in London.  Which is fine if you live in the middle of London but not fine if you live in rural Perthshire.  But it seems to me that some of this comes down to issues which people don’t mention very much.  You can park a car at the airport for days or weeks.  But Perth Station doesn’t look like a particularly safe place to leave a car overnight – although they did tell me that one prisoner left his car there while he served a two year sentence and it was there when he came back for it.  Nor does the Broxden Park and Ride look particularly safe for overnight parking – although it is good to be able to pick up a coach there without having to go into the centre of Perth.  But, given the difficulties of providing public transport for a relatively small population living in a big land area, I think that public transport in Scotland is pretty good.  And we’re gradually trying to use the train more for heading south – when you add up the total city centre to city centre time, it takes very little longer than the plane.

Thought for the Day this morning – BBC Radio Scotland
TFTD 12.2.07.doc

I spent this morning with the congregation at the Chapel at RAF Leuchars.  Children everywhere.  It was great.

So I came home and plunged into ‘Rural Children, Rural Church’.  Before I had left the introduction, I had fallen over this passage:

‘The real battle for children being part of the church, however, is not about finding workers to lead children’s groups or establishing more accessible worship.  It is about changing the hearts and minds of long-term Christians who wish to maintain the present traditions to the point that they lose sight of the Church’s mission among the youngest and most vulnerable generation.’

Poor Poppy.  Bad enough that she should be confined to the Born Free Enclosure following the recent dog fox episode.  Yesterday she had the long-delayed visit to the vet to have her teeth cleaned.  This involved a general anaesthetic for Poppy and a short but intense programme of counselling for Alison.  The vet – why do they all seem to be 14 years old – began with the comforting opener, ‘You know this involves an element of risk?’

Anyway, she arrived home in a fairly cross-eyed state but with her Colgate ring of confidence shining bright.  And by this evening, she was well enough to sit and watch the Shamwari programme.