Our 'home' Christian congregation, Roxeth Green Free Church, have placed a nice (albeit, brief) write-up about us in the 'mission' section of their website. Click here to access the page.
Click here to watch an excellent 6-minute introductory video to Godly Play. It's presented by Linda Clapp, an accredited GP trainer from the United States 
During this past month of May, there have been no invitations to lead Godly Play seminars or workshops. So, Cilla and I took a few days off to visit our son, John Paul, and his family at their hotel in Galicia, north-west Spain. These times always give me the chance to practise some of the Godly Play stories with my grandchildren. As soon as I arrive at their house, Danny, the youngest member of the family, always asks me if I have brought any of the wooden figures that are used in Godly Play. These children are my guinea pigs, especially for trying out what are for me new lessons. Their reactions to the stories are very helpful... and they just love Godly Play, so it's all mutually beneficial!
I am writing this post at my son’s place in Galicia, north-west Spain, where John Paul and Maria Angeles run a country hotel. A few months ago, one of the inspectors for Alistair Sawday’s prestigious series of 'Special Places to Stay' guidebooks stayed at the hotel and, as a result, they now have a very positive write-up in the 2007 edition of the guide to Spain.«If you’re sporty and you don’t demand luxury, this modest hotel between Santiago and the Atlantic could be for you. The young owners are keen to promote ‘adventure tourism’ on their patch so you can fish for trout, hike, mountain bike or ride the St James’s Way, sail or, perhaps most tempting of all, swim in the Atlantic off the lovely sands at Carnota. Bedrooms are in theoriginal stone farmhouse and are surprisingly smart considering the price, the best with their own covered galleries. All are cheerfully decorated with attractive wooden furniture and floors, and central heating in bedrooms and bathrooms, a comfort when the days turn chilly. The restaurant is just across the way, new and strictly functional, its culinary philosophy to keep things “simple and local”. Try the local specialities: stuffed peppers and empanada, the Galician equivalent of Cornish pasty. The wine list is surprisingly good. Although this is a no-frills hotel, the young owners’ kindness and hospitality has convinced us that Santa Eulalia deserves a place in this guide.»
On Saturday 21st April, I led a Godly Play introduction day in a town called Jumilla, in the province of Murcia. Twenty-three people from 5 churches in the region took part in the event.
Taking advantage of the Godly Play seminar en Jumilla, on Sunday 22nd April I was invited to use the same method in a children's class at the church. There were eight children present, plus some teachers and parents. The boys and girls responded very well to the story of Jonah, the Backward Prophet. 
A couple of days after my trip to Wales and England, I was able to spend the Easter weekend at a retreat organized by Oasis Madrid, an international church in the Spanish capital. The programme for the weekend included several sessions of Godly Play for the children who attended the retreat.
At the end of this lesson, the participants are invited to bring objects from the shelves and place them on the floor in order to 'complete' the presentation. Many objects can be brought - practically everything in the Godly Play classroom is related in some way to the story of Jesus! 
So, on Sunday 25th March, we flew from Madrid to Liverpool airport, where Rachel's friends and landlords, Bob & Anne, kindly picked us up. (Unfortunately, Cilla's suitcase failed to arrive and at the date of posting this report - nearly 6 weeks later - there is still no sign of it!)
I was also invited to share a Godly Play story (using sand from the local beach!) at a meeting of the local Christian fellowship.
A trip to England is never complete without at least a short visit to see our daughter, Lorna, and her family in Thatcham (Berkshire). We were able to spend a couple of days with them before flying back to Madrid on Tuesday 3rd April.
On Saturday 17th March I led a third Godly Play workshop at the Spanish seaside resort of Salou (Tarragona) - although I never get to enjoy the beach! The workshop centred on the 'Liturgical Action' genre of Godly Play, more specifically on the Advent stories. Seventeen trainees from three local churches took part in the 8-hour workshop.
From 9th to 19th January, I was a resident teacher at IBSTE (Instituto Bíblico y Seminario de Teología de España), at Castelldefels, near 
Barcelona, where I teach a course on Children's Ministry. Taking advantage of my stay there, on Saturday 13th January, the Institute organized an introductory seminar on Godly Play for local children's workers and Sunday school teachers. Eleven people attended the seminar from churches in Barcelona, Girona and Lerida. 
On 3rd February, I was in Barakaldo, near Bilbao, leading a Godly Play workshop based on Jesus' parables. Eleven children's workers and teachers took part in the practical workshop, which involved learning and practising Godly Play stories, and making their own resource materials.
From 16th to 18th February, I took part in a training event for children's and youth workers, as well as the leaders of parenting courses. The venue was a Catholic retreat centre at Los Negrales, near Madrid. The weekend was organized by the Asociación de Educadores Evangélicos de Madrid. 
Christians, awake, salute the happy morn,
Whereon the Saviour of the World was born;
Rise to adore the mystery of love,
Which hosts of angels chanted from above;
With them the joyful tidings first begun
Of God incarnate and the Virgin's Son.
My church gave me an asbo for shouting during prayers
They said I was disruptive: I said I didn't care
My church gave me an asbo for crawling under pews
They said it was distracting - untying people's shoes
My church gave me an asbo for singing the wrong words
They said it was disgusting: I thought they were absurd
My church gave me an asbo for laughing far too loud
They said it was despicable: I felt rather proud
My church gave me an asbo for sticking out my tongue
They said I'm disrespectful: I was having fun
My church gave me an asbo for running in the aisle
They said it's dangerous for a seven year-old child
*asbo = Anti Social Behaviour Order
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At the end of September, I flew to England in order to take part in the Godly Play International Conference. The conference took place from 30th September to 3rd October, at Holland House, a beautiful Tudor-style retreat centre near Evesham, Worcestershire. There were delegates from Canada, Finland, Germany, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, UK and USA.
However, the day had not yet finished! Taking advantage of my visit to Barcelona, a church in the seaside town of Premià de Mar invited me to present a Godly Play story on the Sunday evening to a group of parents and children from the congregation. This time it was the story of Noah and the Great Flood.
The month of October ended with a trip to Valencia (28th), where I led another Godly Play introduction day.
Finally, on 4th November I took part in a conference on the Family in the 21st Century. This was in Madrid - so this time there was no long-distance travelling involved! At the conference, I led a workshop on Family Breakdown and the its Repercussions in Children.
Here's a poem I read some years ago. I've just come across it again in my summer reading, and I thought I'd reproduce it for the benefit of my readership... i.e. for all two of you!!!
