Confession time: yesterday I took ages to pick out my shirt-and-pullover combo for the day – in fact in the end Susan had to be consulted for a casting vote.  Yes, vanity, vanity, all is vanity – the reason for this unusual attention to sartorial detail was that I knew I’d be making my way down to Dublin to appear on the telly…

So it was my first time (that I’m telling you about, anyway) to wear make-up (that’s me in the dressing room in the pic on the left).  Once I was suitably bronzed and un-shiny, I was led out to be interviewed by Martin and Sybil (Dublin’s Richard and Judy?) on the big red sofa of The Morning Show on TV3.  Banishing from my mind all thoughts of similar scenes in the sitcom Rev (when the minister accidentally ‘outs’ his assistant on live TV) or The One Show (where Jeremy Clarkson made himself the most hated person in the nation a few weeks ago), I tried to give good Titanic (that was why they’d asked me, after all) – and also squeeze in a mention of The Dock as well…

You can catch it on TV3’s version of iPlayer at 29mins into the programme here.  Let me know what you think of Susan’s choice of shirt!

More good news in the Belfast Tele tonight… click on the pic to the left to see another full-page article talking up the prospects of Titanic Belfast.

Fodor’s (fancy-pants travel guides) have named Belfast and the Titanic centenary as “the world’s biggest tourism story” in 2012.  Yep, the world’s.  Right on our doorstep.  Who isn’t finding their pulse quickening at this kind of expectation?

In related news, isn’t it great to see so many positive articles in the ol’ Belfast Tele recently?  Not too long ago, your humble correspondent was continually naming-and-shaming them for a lot of down-in-the-mouth, never-gonna-happen default negative journalism whenever the TQ was mentioned.  Fantastic to see a change of heart – and it’s a great sign of the change that’s happening all over the province, negative to positive.  Where once we looked down, now we look up.  This is the new Belfast.

Which is the great Good News of our faith.  People can change.  Attitudes can change.  Nations can change.  That’s the kind of message we’re ready to broadcast during the year of the world’s biggest tourism story.   C’mon!

I don’t usually post links to cute pet videos on Youtube – but just in case anyone else is having a Monday Morning kind of a day, here’s three minutes that will make you see that all is well with the world:

Loads of thoughts and prayers from Dock-world to those who are caught up in the unfolding drama of the Costa Concordia – the capsized cruise ship off the coast of Italy.

Humbling to realise that even with all our modern technology, the sea is still a dangerous place…

And interesting to see that there’s one ship, one maritime disaster, that is still on the lips of everyone – from journalists to rescued passengers – involved in the unfolding story…

Another fantastic Dock Walk on Sunday – for a whole load of reasons:

1.  My ma was there (hello mum!) – as many of you will know, my mum is a bit of a Dock hero – she gets up at 6:55am every time I’m on the radio, she makes cakes for the birthday parties…

2. We had a great chat about the Wordlive readings for the week, and listened again to the early chapters of Genesis – how fantastic to listen to the beautiful, poetic account of the creation of the world while walking through the TQ with all its signs of new life, new building and creativity.  Also, in one of those moments that can only happen in open-air church, as we listened to the account of the creation of wildlife and birds, a heron swooped down over the group – awesome!

3.  As we chatted we remembered that it was ‘Covenant Sunday’ for all our members from a Methodist background – the day in which they recommit themselves to God for the coming year using this most phenomenal, powerful prayer, which I thought was worth reprinting in full:

I am no longer my own, but yours.
put me to what you will,
rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing,
put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you
or laid aside for you,
exalted for you or brought low for you;
let me be full,
let me be empty;
let me have all things,
let me have nothing;
I freely and wholeheartedly yield
all things to your pleasure and disposal.

And now, glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.
So be it.
And the Covenant now made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.