Hymns: 1985 Memories

Although, by 1985, I’d become more traditional and conservative in my outlook, I still fondly remembered the newer choruses that I’d been introduced to in the first few years of my Christian life. In early 1985, someone asked me to speak at the Christian Union in Ashton Comprehensive school in Cork. During my talk, I … Continue reading Hymns: 1985 Memories

Hymns: 1984 Memories

In September 1983, I returned to Ireland (from London) and settled back into Cork Baptist Church. I started teacher training in Limerick, but I returned home to Cork every weekend. In London, I had met Christians from all sorts of backgrounds, visited various types of churches, and engaged in all sorts of theological debates. Some … Continue reading Hymns: 1984 Memories

Hymns: 1983 Memories

I left for London in September 1982 to spend a year as a voluntary evangelist (VE) with London City Mission. In today’s terms, it could be described as a gap year program. Most were approaching their 20s or in their 20s. The 23 or so other VEs came from all parts of the UK. I … Continue reading Hymns: 1983 Memories

Recommended Audio Resources

Over the years, in addition to reading, I’ve enjoyed listening to the Bible in audio format and to various sermons, talks, and audiobooks. Way back in 1981, I ordered a Christian teaching tape from the UK to rent, πŸ˜€ and it was stopped by Cork customs on some technicality. Nowadays, the web is full of … Continue reading Recommended Audio Resources

Isn’t Everyone a Christian?

Sometimes, when someone from an Irish evangelical church talks of when they became a Christian, people are puzzled. Isn’t everyone in Ireland a Christian by default? Such a question doesn’t make much sense in modern Ireland. Firstly, there is much more religious diversity than there was when I was asked that question frequently 45 years … Continue reading Isn’t Everyone a Christian?

Conversion Chronology

I make much mention of my background and experiences at various points in this blog, so I thought it might be useful to present a brief outline of the years coming up to my conversion. As I mention elsewhere, I grew up a Roman Catholic in Cork, Ireland. I don’t remember a lot before my … Continue reading Conversion Chronology

Hymns: 1981 Memories

I mentioned in my last post, that I started attending Cork Baptist Church in the autumn of 1980. Unlike the Pentecostal and charismatic groups in Cork at the time, Cork Baptist Church had been there for hundreds of years. It goes all the way back to 1640. But, unlike other Protestant churches in the city, … Continue reading Hymns: 1981 Memories

Hymns: 1980 Memories

I date my conversion to Sunday August 17th, 1980, about a month after I bought Saved, by Bob Dylan, in Pat Egan’s record store in Patrick Street Cork. I initially attended The Upper Room, which at that time was in a street off Camden Quay in Cork, above some sort of a fruit warehouse. I … Continue reading Hymns: 1980 Memories

What about Adam and Eve?

As a young Catholic child, I remember hearing about the creation story and Adam and Eve. But shortly after, even as a very young child, I was told in school that it wasn’t literally true. What was important was the spiritual lessons based on it. I was aware that some older people were sceptical of … Continue reading What about Adam and Eve?