I have to admit that this is something of an exciting week for me. No, I’m not talking about another General Synod, although that will hold excitement I am sure and I will be sharing some of that on my blog! For me the real excitement is being able to attend various events around the book I have written which has recently been published – ‘The Hour is Come’.

I am grateful to the encouragement of people at the Cathedral to get stuff published and to Canterbury Press for taking the book on. The process was fascinating. As readers of the blog will know I love quoting passages from a number of sources. That isn’t possible in a book that will be sold, well, not without paying huge royalties. So that all needed some working around. Getting the title right, the images, checking for typos and sense – all of that takes so much time. But when the books finally arrived it was suddenly all worthwhile.

Those who have regularly followed my blogs may well recognise the basis of the book as being an online retreat I led a number of years ago. I decided the time was right to update it, dust it off and get it out to people in a different format, and for some in a much more accessible way.

Last week I had the joy of going to Church House Bookshop to sign lots of copies of the book in preparation for General Synod. There was something thrilling about walking past the shop later on and seeing ‘Signed Copies’ in the window. It really was one of those ‘Pinch me’ moments.

So this rather unusual blog is more of an advert. If you would like a copy of the book which is designed to take you through Passiontide to Easter and beyond, they are available from the Cathedral Shop and online shop here. It is also available from other good booksellers. There are events in the Cathedral and online when we can have the opportunity to talk about the passion and the approach I take to the events and how scripture speaks of them. You can find more details about them here.

So, thank you for your support. Thanks to Paula Gooder for her endorsement and for all those who have encouraged me to get into print. I just hope it is helpful as together we enter with Jesus into the reality of Holy Week. This is the first prayer I wrote for the book – it seems appropriate for such a new venture!

God,
some paths are familiar to me,
I have travelled them many times before.
Other paths are new
and the terrain is unfamiliar.
Wherever I go,
give me the confidence that it is with you that I travel.
Amen.