My first truly terrifying encounter with AI took place yesterday. It came in the form of an innocent email. For confidentiality, I have replaced names with initials. Hi J and L, Following J’s suggestion, I’d be pleased to meet G and L at St J before W’s baptism on 22 November, during one of my services. Could you let me know a date and time that would be mutually convenient? Best wishes, Ross That sounds innocuous enough, but I didn’t write it – nor did I send it. ChatG

If you can, start with a Ladybird. Currently I’ve been ploughing through Tom Holland’s excellent book, Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic. Excellent, except that I didn’t quite follow the plot, for the simple reason that my prior knowledge of the Roman Republic — even that it existed as a republic — was zilch. At no time in my education had I ever learned about this period of world history, essentially the century or so before Jesus was born. In fact, all

. I served as a vicar for a total of 34 years – but my most challenging time was the very first four months! This was when I learned to pray: “Lord, this is your church, your responsibility. What do you want me to do – if anything?” With the 50th anniversary of my ordination looming later this month, this gives me the excuse to indulge in a little autobiography. The bonus is that I don’t have to wrack my brain for a subject for this blog. It was February 1984, and I was prepa

A significant event in John’s life – but no one noticed. Each day for almost 20 years he had commuted by train from Bedford, where he lived, into central London. But this particular day was different. It was his last day before retirement. He told me some years later that, as he stepped off the train at Bedford station that evening, he realised this was a major milestone in his life: his final journey home after a lifetime of various commutes. For him, it was a moment of real