Shall we Sing a Song for you?

1. Dromore

“Yes my name is Igglepiggle…” Going to bed at the sort of a time one imagines that Peter L does. Getting up deadly early too. Having to go through strange rituals to get phone reception. Highly structured days! Going for runs when the marathon was further than a month away. Getting schooled. Sunday Nights. Tim Keller.

2 . South Africa

The Walkers, the lads, Pastor Charles and a snowball fight in Africa. What more do you want? Oh, and not getting murdered, sorry Beth.

3. Airdrie: January, GO Team and various other times

“So when are you…”

4. Senior Camp 2008 (Videos) (Talks)

Best week of the year.

5. Castlewellan

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?

Preached.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Doubt whether I made any last year. This year will try and slag off simple Pete Piemonger less.

3. Did anyone close to you get engaged?

Yes.

Being serious, Young Loughridge and Young Gibson.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Nope.

5. What countries did you visit?

Scotland, Free State, UAE (twice – though we quickly had to say ‘dubai’ both times), South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Not losing anyone on GO teams. Even though the only team I led had only 2 other people!

9. What was your biggest failure?

Never getting those South Africa posts finished…

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Did Chuck Norris suffer illness or injury?

11. What was the best thing you bought?

South Africa tickets! Apart from that: New phone (Nokia 6500 slide). If only it could get reception (and the battery lasted a bit longer) it would be the perfect phone!

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

John Gregg.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

No-one springs to mind. I’m quite a placid kinda guy… Actually scratch that – Nigel Worthington!!!!! In last year’s review I wrote “It wouldn’t be an end of year round-up without a token NI match!”. Well this one is! Thanks Nigel.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Ulsterville rent. Good job I’ve been making good use of it!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

South Africa, probably.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?

Toto – Africa

The whole ‘Same Oul Town’ album will remind me of Dromore and the surrounding roads!

24. What was your favourite TV programme?

Dr Who. MOTD, though I’ve hardly seen it at all this season.

25. Blogs of the year?

Justin Taylor, Ref 21 and Unashamed Workman. Don’t bother reading anything else!

26. What were the top 5 books you read?

Stuart Olyott – Preaching: Pure and Simple
Mark Driscoll – Confessions of a Reformission Rev
Carl Trueman – Minority Report
Tim Keller & J. Allen Thompson – Redeemer Church-Planting Manual
Carl Trueman – John Owen: Reformed Catholic, Renaissance Man

(which is about half the books I read all year!)

28. Best football chants?

A few courtesy of the BBC’s Quotes of the Week, which helped keep me entertained during the year:

“We’re gonna deep-fry your long boats.” (Heard during the Scotland-Norway game)

The Grant McCann one (Northern Ireland fans in Slovenia)

“Chim chiminey, chim chiminey, chim chim-cheru who needs Sol Campbell when we’ve got Shittu.” (Bolton fans serenade defender Danny Shittu)

The Christiano Ronaldo driving one. Thanks James!

30. What was your favourite film of this year?

Don’t think I saw that many and struggling to remember the ones I did so I’ll say Caspian.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Nothing as exciting as last year! 23.

34. What kept you sane?

Pilgs.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

Well, I was tempted to do a post called “New Building, Same Old Sealand”.

37. Who did you miss?

Lawrie Sanchez.

38. Who was the best new person you met?

Kate Dickson / Mrs Kate Walker!

Celebrities who met me

Bit short on new ones this year so here’s a photo of Piemonger with Willie Drennan!

Previous years:
2005
2006
2007

For the first time ever the Jonny McCollum Cup didn’t return to Elmwood Avenue after the Ministers shocked pundits to earn a battling draw with undefeated Belfast Super League outfit Renwick this afternoon. The Ministers, College Students and Short Term Servants XI were hit by the late withdrawal of star striker, Moderator and Captain, the Very (as he would be known in some circles!) Rev. D. Fallows, but pulled off a deadline day coup to secure the services of Renwick veteran Steelo on loan for the day. Ex-moderator Prof. Wilson took over the armband and the Ministers’ tacticians, the brothers Loughridge (excluding former blogger Jmark of course), sprung a surprise by sending their men out in a 4-3-3 formation. We suspect that Renwick may still not have realised.

The Ministers were made to work hard all over the pitch to quell the threat of their younger but less theologically astute opponents, with Andy Lytle pulling off a number of good saves. Renwick, already without the injured Sean, suffered another injury blow midway through the first half as Andy Lynch had to go off injured. Rumours that he only did it for the attention he got from the girls, or to get out of going nets, are surely false – and as they say on MOTD, we wish him well.

As the half drew to a close, Renwick were getting more and more frustrated, although the ministers had only tested Jonny with flick-ons and crosses and were still waiting for the first real shot on target. The ministers had their own injury concerns themselves, as the Kerrser pulled up with a tight hamstring while chasing a ball from Steelo down the right flank. He made it through to half-time however, when the ministers opened negotiations with a keen-looking French-speaking bystander about coming on in the second half in the case of the Knocbracken man being unable to continue.

At half-time the Ministers were rightly pleased to have put in easily the best ever half for a ministers’ side, but they went one better early in the second half as Joel swung in a corner that Jonny, obviously frustrated at not being allowed to come out, could only palm into the net, under pressure. The ministers managed to hold out for about 15 minutes before a great half-volley from that man Dunwoody struck from outside the box looped in just under the crossbar to finally beat Andy Lytle. Dunwoody soon had a chance to add to his tally, as Aggers was harshly ajudged to have been ‘all over’ a Renwick striker on the edge of the box and a free kick from a dangerous position was awarded. However Lytle pulled off a marvellous save to tip it over the bar. By this time, PMO had gone off to give Pierre, our bystander, a run-out, before coming back on for Andrew Kerr who finally called it a day. The ministers continued to threaten, with star man Pete winning loadsa flick-ons and causing all sorts of defensive confusion. The ministers also unleashed Rory de Bun (or Cream De Lap) on a number of occasions, with Steelo failing to make contact with a particularly dangerous offering at the back post. Jonny also saved from Strob with his legs. At the other end, Skills hit another dangerous looking free-kick, with Pete taking a bit of a battering as the tiring Renwick Ministers (I did that all day…) tried to scramble it away.

The ministers had a chance to win it at the end as Steelo slid in to poke the ball through to McEwen, but Jonny did brilliantly to come out and get just enough of a block on the ball to divert it away from goal and let his defenders scramble it away.

So ended the first ever drawn Jonny McCollum Cup. After the match we had a shoot-out just for a laugh (though that’s not what the Messenger report will be saying!), with the ministers scoring their 5 to leave Lytle to make the crucial save from Stevie before heading out into the rush-hour traffic back to Cloughmills.

So all in all a great afternoon’s craic, with the tighter match definitely making it more entertaining. Though hopefully Renwick will have me back!

RENWICK: J. McCollum; A. Morrison (C. Robert) S. McCollum, D. Smith, A. Lynch (A. McCluggage); P. Dunwoody, C. Hyndman, G. Blackwell, B. Hanna (r: A. Morrison); M. McCavery, I. Buchanan

MINISTERS: A. Lytle; Prof. N. Wilson (c), Rev. P. Mo, Rev. N. Aggers, Rev. C. Bun; R. McCollum, P. Loughridge, J. Loughridge; Rev. A. Kerr (Pierre), Steelo, Rev. T. McEwen

Photos

Strob defending

Norris keeping a watchful eye

Renwick attack

Norris on the ball

Game over for Lynch

“We can see you sneaking out”

Half-time

Gavin tries to distract the ministers

Aggers giving Mark a friendly push!

Ministers defend a corner

Pierre on the ball

Joel up for the header

Free kick

Defending in numbers!

Shoot-out

Bun goes for placement over power. Jonny gets out of the way just in case.

Mark squeezes in another one

Pierre – in off the post

Ben finally hits the target

Jonny lets his minister score

Spotkickwell

Prof Wilson on target

Joel scores

Championees

Previous years
2008: Renwick 6 – 0 Ministers
2007: Renwick 9 – 4 Ministers

Match confirmed for Wednesday 28th January, ko 2pm-ish
Any ministers wanting to play please get in touch with Joel Loughridge – joeso87 at yahoo.co.uk

Tension is mounting ahead of next week’s third annual Jonny McCollum Cup, colloquially known as the ministers’ match. With the ministers shaping up to mount a real challenge this year given the addition of another batch of theological students and a few Short Term Servants, some less reputable news outlets* are reporting that ministers’ joint manager Joel Loughridge has launched an astonishing attack on Renwick supremo Philip Dunwoody. Loughridge, rumoured to be still ‘not quite right in the head’ after an unfortunate incident with an easter egg and an engagement ring last easter, thought the authorities should be taking a stricter stance with his opposite number:

He was not punished. He is the only manager in the league that cannot be punished for these things … We had a meeting in Belfast with managers and FA about the Respect campaign. And I was very clear, forget the campaign because Mr Dunwoody was killing the referees, killing Mr Atkinson, killing Mr Hackett. But he is not punished. How can you talk about the Respect campaign and criticise the referee every week?

He went on:

The Renwick boss was obviously somewhat taken aback. “There was a lot of venom in what he has said,” he responded. “I don’t understand where it has come from. When he reflects on it he must realise what he is saying is ridiculous. He is obviously disturbed about something.”

In other news, SWS has acquired a picture of the bus that the ministers are reported to be bringing to the match (below). They are also trying to hire this guy to drive it.

The team line-ups are being kept a closely guarded secret, however it is thought that Rev. Bun is in line to make his second appearance for the ministers.

*ig ‘made-up’. Just in case anybody is confused :-)

Update! From BBC site about last night’s match:

“And once again Robbie Keane endured a nightmare evening before the traditional round of sympathetic Anfield applause accompanied his early departure.”

[The long-awaited 2008 review post coming soon!]

“I would suggest that the real acid test of a preacher is – can he preach the Old Testament? It would be an exaggeration to say that any old fool can preach the New Testament…but preaching the Old Testament I think is the acid test of whether somebody really has the grasp of who God is and how He operates. Because Old Testament preaching is a challenge, and it’s a challenge because of what Christ says on the Emmaus road, when He’s talking with His disciples and they just can’t understand what’s going on…Christ doesn’t say, ‘well, the problem is there are various types of Christologies developed in the Old Testament and you really weren’t to know what the end of the story was and that now Christ has come the Old Testament all makes sense because we know what the end of the story is like’. Don’t get me wrong, we’re certainly meant to read the Old Testament in the light of Christ, but that’s not what Christ says. He doesn’t say, ‘the Old Testament’s confusing I can really understand your problem at this point, I’m the answer, now go back and read your Old Testament’. He says “Foolish you are and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have written about me” – Christ seems to think the Old Testament speaks pretty clearly about who He is.

That gives a challenge to preachers straight away. When you preach the Old Testament, do you make Christ clear from the Old Testament? How many times have we sat under Old Testament sermons (and you can probably multiply that tenfold for Sunday School talks) when the preaching of the Old Testament degenerates into just moralism. You know, Elijah was a good brave man and had a lot of faith, go and do thou likewise. That is not how you preach Elijah…
One of the real gains of biblical theology and redemptive history in the last 40-60 years is that its given us a way of understanding the Old Testament that does justice to what Christ Himself says in the gospel, that the Old Testament speaks very clearly of Him.
So when somebody comes to your church with a view to a call, get them to preach on the Old Testament. If they start coming up with all kinds of allegorical nonsense that gets Christ there by drawing really really contrived analogies….don’t touch them with a barge pole. If all they do is preach morality – if what they do is preach a sermon that a Rabbi could have preached but they tack the name of Christ onto it somewhere – they’re not preaching in a way that is going to produce people like the second thief on the cross. [Carl had spoken earlier about how the second thief had a proper fear of God and grasped what the religious leaders didn't - that Christ's death was the way to salvation - ig his doctrine of God was what saved him] We need to make sure a theological church is one where the Old Testament is regularly preached in a way that points people’s eyes to Christ.”

‘What should a theological church look like’ , Theology for All Conference 2006″.

For preachers to do this better, Trueman said he would generally recommend the work of Graeme Goldsworthy, although he has some reservations:

We all know the old joke about the Christian fundamentalist who, when asked what was grey, furry, and lived in a tree, responded that `It sure sounds like a squirrel, but I know the answer to every question is `Jesus’’.