By all means, let’s at times get carried away with stirring emotions - provided we also have the wisdom, as the crowds disperse and the applause diminishes, to recall what is resiliently true: both God’s love for us, and our immeasurable worth.

These words have encouraged and nurtured me for many years, and they felt especially significant throughout my ordination weekend. Again and again, the same message seemed to emerge in different ways:

There is something about sand and sea air that is refreshing and renewing. I sometimes wonder how much Jesus would have looked out over water (Lake of Galilee in his case) and stared into the distance and prayed.