RevRuth’s Rantings

About me

50 things you ought to know about me:

I love the colour purple

I used to be a paid-up member of the Scottish Socialist Party and the LibDems

I am an ENFP

I like the Harry Potter books

My favourite old movie is Random Harvest

I love the smell of incense

Jo Malone candles are my favourite (especially Pomegranite Noir)

I hate tulips – especially cut ones in a vase when they start to droop

I was a tomboy

I was ordained by two bishops

I love John Duncan’s painting ‘St Bride’

Iona holds a special place in my heart

If I could go anywhere in the world it would be back to Florence or Assisi

I don’t like olives or celery

I love to look at sunlight on water

My computer knowlege is all self-taught

I used to be a Sign Writer and Graphic Designer

Injustice makes me angry

Going to St Michael and All Saints is like going home

I don’t do gardening

I find Transactional Analysis useful

You’ll find me on Facebook

I have two sons

I am a member of Affirming Catholicism

I helped set up Changing Attitude Scotland

Angel perfume is one of my favourites

My first single was Wishing Well by Free

I can recite The Return of Albert by Stanley Holloway

Sport is not my thing

Once I did an after-dinner speech to a Ladies Golf Club and got paid for it

I never drink alone

St Rita is my favourite saint

I have a rather large collection of religious tat

My memory is not what it used to be

My favourite hymn is I Heard The Voice of Jesus Say

I don’t play any musical instruments but wish I did

Sean Connery does it for me

I have watched every Big Brother series

Medicine holds a fascination for me

Perfume is one of my favourite books

I won a prize for handwriting in primary school

During the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh (1970) I helped at scoring for Fencing

Puffins make me smile

I have no sense of direction

Jesus is the man

I love the Archers

I once met Kenneth Leech

Moisturiser is a must

Moths get me moving

I have never been a member of any other church

10 Comments

10 responses so far ↓

  • Linda McMillan // September 20, 2007 at 4:56 pm | Reply

    I like Angel and St. Rita too!
    I’ll eat olives and celery if they are finely chopped and hidden within some other food. Otherwise, I’m with you.

    Lindy

  • revruth // September 20, 2007 at 5:24 pm | Reply

    Wow! Hardly anyone has ever heard of St Rita. She’s the best!

  • Kathryn // October 4, 2007 at 7:03 pm | Reply

    Arrived here via Tom Allen and am now getting all excited at similarities along the way – in faith, politics and literature though not in the kitchen. And earlier this year I ?had supper/ with Ken Leech. I’m still wondering if that means that I ought to be in awe of myself, as someone who has met him :-)

  • revruth // October 5, 2007 at 9:09 am | Reply

    Oh Ken is my biggest hero, so you must be too! Good to meet you, Kathryn.

  • Tracey MacDonald // September 28, 2008 at 8:43 pm | Reply

    Hi Ruth…
    I think i met you a couple of times at St Peter’s Linlithgow!

    One time there was an amazing, lump-in-the-throat prayer, which i can’t remember exactly, but it was something along the lines of ‘come not because __________ because you want to love God better’… something like that.

    I’d written to tell you how much it moved me, and you were so lovely and emailed it to me, complete with a bit of history about the author!

    (i’ve since lost it again, but if you felt so inclined to give me it again, I *promise* to lose it never again!!

    I’ve seen you on Facebook, so if i ask you to friend me there… let’s be friends! ;-)

    Tracey

  • revruth // September 29, 2008 at 8:30 am | Reply

    HI Tracey,

    thanks for stopping by. Here is the prayer (adapted from George MacLeod who founded the Iona Community):

    Come, not because you are strong but because you are weak.
    Come, not because of any goodness of your own but because you need mercy and help.
    Come, because you love the Lord a little and would like to love him more.
    Come, because he loves you and gave himself for you.

  • Tracey MacDonald // October 1, 2008 at 6:23 am | Reply

    You’re such a star… thanks (again!!)

  • Jas // October 21, 2008 at 11:50 pm | Reply

    Thanks for your comments on Bishop Alan’s Blog about curates being bullied by incumbents. I am one such curate who has been bullied for 2 years by an insecure incumbent (who incidentally is only in his 40’s)which has resulted in my being ill for several months. But I made the mistake of telling an Archdeacon and a Bishop what was happening. Huge mistake! Now I’m considered as unfit and unable to cope who probably will end up having to resign, just for speaking the truth. Why do they find it so hard to believe that incumbents could do this?

    It was really refreshing and encouraging to see you ’speak up’ about this common, but often hidden problem.
    J

  • revruth // October 22, 2008 at 8:17 am | Reply

    Jas, I do feel for you and you are in my prayers. My training incumbent, also in his 40s, behaved atrociously towards me (and members of the congregation) and caused me to be off sick for 3 months before I was allowed to move. Although i suspect the Bishop didn’t really believe what I told him, he did eventually agree to move me. But i will never forget that feeling of helplessness and despair.

    I think one of the problems is that curacies are given to churches who can afford curates and not to the clergy who might be good trainers. And so many of them seem to find young curates brimming with new ideas and fresh expressions of church threatening. So sad.

    Please don’t resign. Keep asking for a new curacy. Do you have a Spiritual Director who is respected by the bishop who could speak up for you? If not, get one. And I shall keep you in my prayers.

  • Rev Ruth // October 29, 2008 at 4:44 pm | Reply

    Jas, I don’t have your email address but if you read this again please check out BALMnet (www.balmnet.co.uk) which you may find helpful. Someone who studies this subject passed it on to me.

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