Seconds Out

The author's avowed aim is to record in these memoirs that the Christ he has met is much more alive and exciting than the "gentle Jesus" of a childhood prayer. Thus, although he gives a candid and most revealing account of his ministry as a Church of England vicar, this is not simply an autobiography. The book is also about Christ and how He can come into our lives and transform us. The book's message is reflected in the lifelong experience of the author himself, who, as a child, excelled at boxing rather than in academic subjects. Nonetheless, after a variety of occupations, he is successful in gaining entry to a theological college. There is much to be learnt by reading of his subsequent "journey of discovery", which leads him to look for religious symbol, ritual and drama whether on the street amongst down-and-outs or within the life of the nation as a whole. He offers his private thoughts together with prayer and apt Biblical quotations to assist us in our understanding. This is a unique and intensely personal portrayal of how a man learns and implements "the craft of a priest" and in so doing improves his own self-image as he continues the fight for life.