The weather forecast said rain……..possible hail and thunder storms……….”medium Rick” had scouted out the landscape/terrain so I was totally dependent on his expertise……..he could have been leading me to my death on a cold wet hill somewhere overlooking Larne……..imagine if Larne was the last thing you saw before death!! sheeesh!!
We walked about 8 miles……….fell into a ‘shugh‘ or two and got attacked by killer hail stones…….
Superb day and worth the effort…….
The photo below is rubbish…………to be honest, I was so excited about the food and, was still buzzing from the quick sprint/dash around the corner to get cash which, Id forgotten would be needed to pay for lunch! doh!
This is the ‘Tamworth Ribs with Warm Pickled Cabbage’ from James Street South Bar+Grill
It was wonderful…..just wonderful…..the hurried picture does not do any justice what-so-ever!
If you need convinced by experts, Manuel does a far better review than me so, see what he thought when he visited - here and more recently with images here - or, see what Food Belfast thought here…….
James Street South Bar+Grill was superb – go and eat there…….do it!
Sharing in worship with a different Church family/congregation can be a refreshing experience…..
We left Castlewellan after breakfast on Sunday morning with a view to stopping in Belfast and dropping into a Church service somewhere…..the choice is vast to be fair….but, we all said “Dave Clawson” at the same time when suggestions were being thrown around…..it was a sign from above……ok, im exaggerating a wee bit!
We love Dave……I could listen to him preach a lot more……..
The contrast between my ‘home Church’ and West Kirk on the Shankill Rd in Belfast appears huge….in some ways, it is…..but, in a sense we are just the same!
I wonder whether a visitor to High Kirk would leave with the same message ringing in their ears that, I had when we left West Kirk on Sunday?
It’s all about Jesus! That’s it……….simple!
It was ‘thinking day’ for the Girl Guides in Dave’s Church…..there were kids, flags and the national anthem…..references to the 12th of July……you know what I mean….the things that wind up many middle-class ‘christians’ in complex little Northern Ireland………..
And, it didn’t matter…..it was ALL about Jesus…..and everyone…..the ‘whosoever’ in the building were made fully aware of the fact that it was ALL about Jesus!!
It was a real blessing for us to visit…..challenging, encouraging, refreshing……..
It should always be ALL about Jesus…….on Sunday, ‘up the shankill’ it was!
[Rev David Clawson is Minister in West Kirk Presbyterian Church on the Shankill Road in Belfast - he occasionally blogs here]
