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An ADHD Journey
Some random and not so random thoughts
An ADHD Journey
Some random and not so random thoughts ... due to my brain this blog will likely be updated whenever I remember it exists
Home: About Me
About Me
I'm a 40 something year old living in Leeds and currently doing freelance workaround disability theology. I have a PhD in the History of Science and am c training for ministry in the Methodist Church. All views expressed in this blog are my own and do not reflect on my training institution or the Methodist Church more widely.
As for the rest of it, that is very much what this blog is about but in some respects it all started with the question "who is Paul Coleman" I'm kind of curious to find out.
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The silence of Lazarus
This morning I found myself struck by the silence of Lazarus. In John 11, he is named, loved, mourned, raised… and then silent.
Paul Coleman
21 hours ago3 min read
Called by Name ...
"When identity is grounded in belonging rather than performance, the question “who am I?” becomes a little less frightening."
Paul Coleman
7 days ago3 min read
Walking on Water (Badly)
This morning I find myself unemployed for the first time in years. It wasn’t my choice, and yet in some ways it was. The charity I have been working for has changed its strategy and created new job roles which I was told I was not qualified for. I could apply for the role, but I did not meet the essential criteria, despite the fact that much of the day-to-day work remains the same. My union representative advised me that I likely had a case for unfair dismissal, but that purs
Paul Coleman
Mar 53 min read
What can penguins teach us about the love of God?
At the beginning of February I led the monthly service for Pride Church Leeds. This is a community of LGBT+ Christians and allies from across Leeds and the surrounding area who come together to worship God in a place where we can bring our whole selves. This morning, as I read the news of the Church of England General Synod’s decision to halt work around same-sex blessings, I found myself reflecting on that service.
Paul Coleman
Feb 135 min read
A tiny flickering hope
The greatest gift we have as Christians and the greatest gift we can share with the world is the hope we have in Jesus.
Paul Coleman
Feb 33 min read
Clearing out music - having a theological clear out
OK so today's ADHD hyper focus led me to start tidying up my study. Before I knew it, I got distracted sorting out the immense piles of worship music taking up one of my shelves and realising just how much my theology has changed over the years. I've been playing church music almost as long as I can remember. I have a love hate relationship with songs such as Shine Jesus Shine, It is one of the first pieces of worship music I learnt and I have a distinct memory of inflicting
Paul Coleman
Dec 28, 20253 min read
Writing an Inclusive Carol - A Modern Magnificat?
Last night I took part in Queer Carols with Pride Church Leeds. We had an awesome time singing together and sharing some Christmas Joy with those who had come into the city centre doing their Christmas shopping. This morning, one of my colleagues pointed out how non-inclusive the words of many traditional carols are. Last night, I wrote an LGBTQI+ verse to 'God rest you merry gentlemen.' This morning, I wrote a few more verses, picking up on some of the themes from the Magnif
Paul Coleman
Dec 11, 20253 min read
Rushing towards Christmas ... An advent reflection.
This week I've been thinking about what it is we are preparing for in advent and what it means for us to repent.
Paul Coleman
Dec 7, 20255 min read
It's world diabetes day
To be honest I'm not sure I really need a day for this, I've had type 1 diabetes everyday since I was diagnosed in mid 1999(sorry I can't remember the exact day) , so to be honest I'd kind of prefer day off from dealing with it. Being diabetic involves rather a lot of maths, calculating the carbohydrates in anything I eat, figuring out how much I need to inject, remembering to include an injection for a cup of coffee (my favourite flat white has 6 grams of carbs) having a bee
Paul Coleman
Nov 14, 20252 min read
Reflecting on fear and hate Vs hope and love
I'm leading a remembrance Sunday service again. I'm aware that this is almost the last time that this will be a choice (assuming that both myself and the Methodist church conceive to agree that I should be ordained). This year, the massive upsurge in nationalism means that I am even more wary than I have been in the past. Over the last year fear of the other and hated for anyone who is different has become much more prevalent. As part of the service I will be sharing elements
Paul Coleman
Nov 9, 20253 min read
Reading Zacchaeus Anew: Disability, Stature, and Inclusion ... some initial thoughts.
This Sunday's gospel reading was Luke 19:1-10, the story of Zacchaeus, a short man who climbs a sycamore tree to see Jesus. This story is often interpreted as simply a wealthy sinner who repents. Zacchaeus is presented in a way that assumes that he is corrupt; after all, we are told the crowd asks why Jesus would go and stay with this sinner. In this morning's sermon, it was suggested Zacchaeus repented and promised to repay anyone he had cheated because, for the first time e
Paul Coleman
Nov 2, 20253 min read
My brain got bored
My brain got bored while preparing for Sunday ... So here is a parody of womaniser .... Sorry ...
Paul Coleman
Oct 17, 20252 min read
Made in the Disk Image of God ... Random ADHD thoughts while preaching
I found myself thinking about computers, disk drives, and disk images, and whether humans could be made in the disk image of God.
Paul Coleman
Oct 1, 20253 min read
Made in God's Image
Over the last week, there has been discussion in the United States about trying to “eliminate autism.” Some leaders have spoken about it...
Paul Coleman
Sep 23, 20255 min read
The kingdom comes in the weeds.
"Weeds" in broken stone,
hope roots deep in wrong places,
grace breaks through the cracks.
Paul Coleman
Aug 21, 20252 min read
Sermon Blogging: The Reckless Love of God
God’s love is not cautious, measured, or calculated. It pursues us, longs for us, calls us to readiness, reminds us of what is important, and promises us joy.
Paul Coleman
Aug 16, 20255 min read
People as things ....
"sin, young man, is when you treat people as things. Including yourself. That’s what sin is.”
Paul Coleman
Aug 7, 20253 min read
Getting into the habit ....
I've always felt slightly guilty about my apparent lack of a "regular" pattern of daily prayer. Now, don’t get me wrong, I pray every day, often multiple times a day, but never at set times and not normally in a way that feels planned ... So I have a lot of sympathy for the disciples needing to ask Jesus how to pray.
Paul Coleman
Jul 28, 20254 min read
And the sea was no more ....
In Scripture, “the sea” often symbolizes chaos: Leviathans rising, armies drowned, the deep threatening everything ordered. Likewise, my brain can feel a little primordial with racing thoughts, shifting focus, and emotions surging like storm waves. Yet just as Genesis shows God’s Spirit hovering over the deep, and Jesus calms the stormy sea, I often find that spending time with God in prayer and worship can help to bring a sense of calm and stillness to my chaotic thoughts.
Paul Coleman
Jul 24, 20253 min read
Sermon Blogging: I'll bring you more than a song
As much as I struggle with structure and routine in daily life, I have found the structure of the lectionary ... to be useful.
Paul Coleman
Jun 29, 20255 min read
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