Our students graduated last week, and I attended my last formal graduation on behalf of SBC. I have loved the way my story has woven together with so many other stories. The meta narrative of Christ and Church is itself textured by the stories of those who hear the call of Christ, who hear and heed, and who follow, even to College!
My debt is unpayable to those who encouraged me to study, learn, think, pray, puzzle, proclaim, invest, commit, in other words give myself and my life to the service of Christ and the Gospel and the Church and the World. To have shared in the aspirations and dreams, struggles and successes, pains and gains of so many students has been privilege, pure and simple. Seeing them graduate each year brings such satisfaction, and a humble acknowledgement of God's grace, as these same students are transformed by the renewing of their minds, and will go on in that same grace to prove the perfect will of God. Or so we pray. And playing some small part in that inner reorientation of thought, passion and will is itself a gift more expensive than any of us could afford, and yet one more graced touch of God.
So here are this year's Graduates
Was going to edit this one, but the two faces at the bottom look so surprised and delighted they add so much to the celebration!!
Oh, and here's Ian, the new Principal, resplendent in St Andrew's Doctoral robes and a bow tie that if it starts revolving fast will propel him upwards :))
Then on Saturday there was the Annual Agricultural Jamboree called the Echt Show. I know - Romeo and Juilet at PACE, prestigous lecture at UWS, Graduations in Coats Memorial - culture and education, but a balanced life needs to get its hands dirty. So, remembering many a visit to the Royal Highland Show at Ingleston, we took in the local display of tractors, cows, sheep, pigs, dogs, baking, falconry, jam making, flower arranging - hey, I know, some of these are only borderline agricultural - anyway, it was a good way to spend a sunny Saturday in rural Aberdeenshire.
A wee Hielan coo!
My dad ploughed with one of these!
The wee one dropped in from Narnia.
An Indian Eagle Owl.
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