Socially Awkward

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'A bit of shy-ness'

Social Anxiety Attack

New diagnosis 

A Highland Theological College graduate and non-conformist follower of Jesus living at the crossroads of neurodiversity and faith. Writing on the wild grace of the Gospel.

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Welcome!

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Dear Friends, Welcome. ​This space exists for one reason: ​love — ​the love of God poured out in Jesus Christ, ​the love we are called to extend ​to one another, ​and to the world. ​There are many voices clamouring for our attention. Here, you will find the rhythm of one heart seeking to follow the way of Love. My ministry does not happen behind heavy church doors or within rigid institutional walls. It happens in the quiet, ordinary spaces of life where we learn to walk together at an unhurried pace. This is a faith rooted not in tradition for its own sake, but in the living, active, self-giving love at the heart of the Gospel. ​Three truths have become my anchors: ​The Living Word Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh. Apart from Him, the true God cannot be fully known. In Jesus, we see the face of a God who is Love, and whose Gospel is the path of Peace. ​The Gift of Grace I believe salvation is found by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Grace is a t...
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Gateway Bronze: Week 1 – Setting the Foundation

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​ 1. Lifestyle (Health and Wellbeing) ​ The Rhythm: This week I’ve used the Finch app and the Northumbria Office to keep a consistent daily sanctuary. It’s helped me stay grounded as I start this six-month journey. ​ Evidence:   ​ 2. Personal Challenge (Self-Awareness) ​ The Connection: I attended the Dad & Me group at Midlothian Sure Start . It was good to be in that space and start building that weekly habit of connection. ​ Evidence:   This week involved normal play and some messy play. Gabriel came as "Dads helper" this week which was cute!  ​ 3. Fitness & Volunteering (Nature & Service) ​ The Progress: I completed my nature walk this week and spent time getting set up for  Walk for Autism ( my fundraising page is now live ).  ​ Evidence: Other: I also started to explore resources from Health in Mind. And follow the advice to keep a journal. ...
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Week 7 — Weekly Mencap Gateway Post

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  Mencap Gateway Week 7 Evidence Checklist Sunday check-in · approx. 5 minutes   Sunday reflection on advocacy, faith, community, and daily life Here's this week's evidence checklist and reflection. It's been a full, tender week — plans changed, ideas grew quieter and warmer, and small acts of advocacy continued behind the scenes. As always, progress isn't always loud. Section 1 🚶 Volunteering — Walk for Autism Evidence:   This week's advocacy and visibility work for Walk for Autism: Fundraising link posted on the   No. 6 One Stop Shop Facebook group   to reach a wider local audience. Used the   @highlight   feature to boost the post's reach and engagement. Section 2 🌿 Fitness — Nature Walk Evidence: Pictures of walk around the Scottish Bird Gardens in Lauder. Section 3 📖 Hobby — The Digital Parish & Daily Office Activity Daily prayer using the   Northumbria Community Office , with reflections on faith and life on this blog. This week also ...
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The Gate of The Year (God Knows)

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The poem, originally titled "God Knows" and written by Minnie Louise Haskins in 1908, is most famous for its opening preamble. ​Here is the full text: ​The Gate of the Year ​And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.” ​So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East. ​So heart be still: What need our little life, Our human life, to know, If God hath comprehension? In all the dizzy strife Of things both high and low, God hideth His intention. ​God knows. His will Is best. The stretch of years Which wind ahead, so dim To our imperfect vision, Are clear to God. Our fears Are premature; In Him, All time hath full provision. ​Then rest: un...
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Charles Spurgeon: On War and Christians

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  ✦ ✦ ✦ "Long Have I Held That War Is an Enormous Crime " The Forgotten Voice of Spurgeon Against the Unrighteousness of War Compiled from the Sermons & Addresses of C. H. Spurgeon · Charles Haddon Spurgeon — the "Prince of Preachers," whose sermons filled the Metropolitan Tabernacle week after week with thousands of listeners and whose printed words reached millions across the Victorian world — held a view on war and Christians that modern conservative, fundamentalist, and evangelical readers would find startling. He was, in the most direct and unambiguous terms, opposed to war. Not cautiously skeptical of it. Not quietly troubled by it. Opposed to it — on Christian grounds, from the pulpit, in print, again and again across the breadth of his ministry. Laurence M. Vance, who has studied Spurgeon's writings on the subject at length, has noted that "Spurgeon considered the spirit of war to be absolutely foreign to the spirit of Christianity" and tha...
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🌟 Week 5 Evidence Checklist

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Mencap Bronze Gateway Sunday check-in  — a quick 5-minute review of this week's evidence across all five areas. Here's what was captured for Week 5! 1 · Volunteering Walk for Autism 🦶 Evidence required:   2 · Fitness Nature Walk 🌿 Evidence required:   3 · Hobby The Digital Parish & Daily Office 🙏 Activity:  Daily prayer using the Northumbria Community Office, with reflections documented here on the blog. Today's morning meditation from Northumbria Community:  "Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace." (Frederick Buechner) This practice combines spiritual routine with creative writing — a meaningful double contribution to the Gateway. 4 · Personal Challenge Submitted ✅ + Bonus...
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Degrees, Valleys, and Gateway Awards: Why My "Spiky Profile" Needs Both

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It might seem a bit unusual: I hold two Bachelor's degrees, I'm an autistic adult, and yet, I'm currently working on the Mencap Gateway Award. On paper, it looks like a "mismatch," but in reality, it's a perfectly logical step in my journey. ​Many neurodivergent individuals, myself included, experience what’s called a "spiky profile." This means our skills and development aren't uniform. We might have impressive strengths in academic areas—like my degrees demonstrate—but find other aspects of life incredibly challenging. Think of it like a beautiful mountain range: towering peaks in some areas, and deep valleys in others. ​University taught me how to research, write, and think critically. What it didn't teach me was how to navigate the overwhelming sensory input of a grocery store, manage executive dysfunction to maintain a consistent routine, or decode the nuanced social cues essential for building community connections. ​The Gateway Awar...
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Day 1 – Walk for Autism 2026: Let's Go! 👟♾️

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Today is officially Day 1 of the Walk for Autism challenge, and my legs are already warmed up — because I haven't exactly been waiting around! Over the past couple of months I've been quietly clocking up steps ahead of this week, so by the time the official 8-day challenge kicked off this morning (26th March – 2nd April), I'd already built up a bit of momentum. The goal is 10,000 steps a day, every day, raising money for Autism Initiatives — and I'm going into it with a decent head start on the 80,000-step target. If you've seen my fundraiser page, you'll already know why this cause sits so close to my heart. I'm walking for my wife Sarah, for Solomon, Gabriel, Lilianna, and Ezra — a family that is, in every sense, living and breathing neurodiversity every single day. I'm also walking as an autistic adult myself, because I know firsthand how much it means to have a community that simply gets you. And speaking of community — later in April I...
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"Tutting" to Pioneering: Reclaiming the Sacred Table

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It is time for family. It is time to trade the exhaustion of "making do" for the radical act of self-advocacy. ​For a neurodivergent family carrying the weight of autism and NF1, the traditional pew has often felt more like a sensory gauntlet than a refuge. I’ve realized that seeking Additional Support Needs (ASN) isn't about force-fitting our "square peg" family into a round-hole sanctuary. It is a theological act of pioneering. ​ A New Liturgy ​As a father and carer, I am reclaiming a fundamental truth: the table of fellowship is just as sacred in a quiet living room or an adapted setting as it is in a stone church. We aren't looking for a place to just "sit"—we are inviting the church into a "Thin Place" where our neurobiology is recognized as a reflection of the Creator, not a distraction. ​ Advocacy in Action ​Building this sanctuary also requires a louder voice. Alongside our church search, I am currently fighting for the scho...
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