Monthly Archives: June 2008

arriving thoughts

Posted on by
2

A feeling of arrival with all this training stuff is near!

That sounds bad, but I mean arrival in the sense of a journey. I feel pretty much like I am on a railway track and the train is pulling into a station. Here we alight our joint carriage only to get back on different trains and carriages with different destinations pretty soon.

I am just about to leave for the last training weekend. It’s pretty much a weird feeling. Sometimes the days have dragged. Actually, the days have dragged full stop – it has been hard and rewarding work and yet … 3 years have flown by and I can’t quite believe this is the last weekend and the last time some of us may even see each other.

I want to use this space to publicly thank new friends and colleagues from this course. We have learned from each other. We have argued with each other. We have wondered about each other and yet we have developed a love, care and respect for each other.

That love and respect we have for each other crosses and embraces the normal church boundaries that we see splitting along the Anglican communion at the moment. According to some we should not get on. We do because we have got to know each other.

I thank you all for the things you have taught me, for the things you have allowed us to teach each other and for the way we have grown together. You are, no we are, a pretty good bunch of people!

As I write the above I have been thinking of the Lambeth conference which will be taking our place at Kent university pretty soon. Some bishops are refusing to attend because they disagree with each other. I wonder if they are doing so because dialogue opens them up to seeing they may not be as accurate as they think they are and it opens them to the possibility of having to change their mind on something. Rather than wanting truth, I wonder whether these people are actually more worried about not being right. If so, that is a sad condition to be in.

If there is one thing I can take away from this course, it will be that none of us have the complete truth, the correct interpretation or the right ‘brand’ of christianity. Whether we are evangelicals, liberals, catholics or various mixes of all and none, the truth is we all have an incomplete image of a God who we can never even hope to grasp.

As I move out from Canterbury after this weekend, I pray that we will be able to remember that as we continue our journey.

Please pray for us this weekend as we focus in on the reality of our lives and our callings.

nearly there …

Posted on by
Reply

So … the last SEITE lecture has happened. The relief was felt by us all as we celebrated at the pub before going to the lecture. It was then great to all have a meal together (thanks Jeremy for organising both) before going our respective ways before meeting up again on Friday for our last weekend on mission.

It may seem strange to think the mission weekend comes at the end – but actually it could be good as this is theme we are sent off with by the college.

For once I am looking forward to the discussions we will be having in the sessions as well as those we will be having at the bar!

13 years!

Posted on by
Reply

This Thursday, Burma’s democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, will celebrate her 63rd birthday alone, under house arrest.

She is now in her 13th year of detention yet she has committed no crime. She is imprisoned for peacefully calling for freedom and democracy in Burma. She isn’t allowed to see family or friends as all visitors are banned. Her phone line is cut and her post is intercepted.

For the rest of this week we will send you an action a day so you can highlight the plight of Suu Kyi and the repressed people of Burma. Today we are asking you to send a message direct to the regime, asking them to free Aung San Suu Kyi and the other 1,919 political prisoners in Burma. Take action here.

For taking a stand against Burma’s brutal regime, Aung San Suu Kyi is kept under house arrest. But international pressure keeps her safe. Aung San Suu Kyi asks for our support; “ Please use your liberty to promote ours”. Today please do that – send the regime an email.

On Thursday solidarity protests will be held worldwide. If you can, please join us at 1pm outside the Burmese Embassy in London (19A, Charles Street, London, W1J 5DX,Nearest tube: Green Park) find out more here.

Thank you

Anna Roberts
The Burma Campaign UK

turning the page

Posted on by
Reply

I’m looking forward to this week ahead, but I think it is going to be a strange and possibly emotional week.

Tomorrow I am off to Soul Survivor Church at Watford for the YFC regional tour. I’ll say goodbye to a few people who I may well not bump into again. It will be strange thinking this is my last big YFC event.

After watford I’ll be rushing into London to meet up with fellow students before we attend our last lecture. This weekend coming will be our last training weekend at Kent University. Again it will be an interesting time of goodbyes.

As we approach a new chapter there will obviously be sadness as we turn pages … but there is also excitement as we wonder what is over the page.

Fathers Day

Posted on by
2

So … that was it … another Fathers Day.
I am blessed with 3 children that love me that today have been lovely.
This morning they presented me with a bottle of malt whisky – they know me so well!

I always have mixed feelings on this day.
I love it when my children want to make this day special, but there is always a ‘space’ or ‘hollowness’ knowing my natural father is out there but does not want to hear from me.
On days like today I think about God as father.
It should be enough.
But in honesty it isn’t.

I have heard a lot in church over the years on how to cope with this:
rely on God
allow the pain to be taken by Him
remember God is my father
acknowledge God loves me as I am
be satisfied that Jesus understands
and be positive and realise
everything works for the good

But it does not really help
on this particular day of the year
Instead of coping I experience
sadness
anger
pain
Instead of coping I fail
to understand
see the good
or thank God

I share this today as I know I am not unique in this situation.
I’ve experienced years of guilt forced upon me by well meaning books, speakers and attitudes.
I’m sharing this today as I believe it is ok to feel crappy today
God understands and I don’t think God wants us to pretend everything is ok!

so – if it helps, there is no need to feel guilty for feeling emptiness today – its ok, its natural and a phase. But … its important it remains a phase and we don’t allow it to be consuming, because we should be consumed by God alone.

personal reflection on weekend

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve enjoyed the weekend.
I bumped into various people over the weekend and enjoyed brief chats which has been a cool thing to do.
One of this people was my local MP who I have known for many years and campaigned with quite a few times too. It was good to talk.
I’ve spent time with my children in various ways … visitng a new sports shop, going to a boot fair.
This weekend we welcomed Glen as an associate vicar to St Marks and enjoyed a bbq at the Vicarage garden.
It was also announced that Mike has accepted the the youth worker/chaplain post which I am incredibly excited about. This is such a fantastic appointment for both the church and the school. Mike and Mary were with us this morning as well.
This afternoon I had a good chat over a bottle of with with Gary – its been too long since we caught up.
An exciting weekend!

Ordinary sacredness

Posted on by
Reply


I know this has been a bit of a theme for me over the last year or so. I love this written by Cheryl (who I first found via Jonny’s blog) who writes a lot of rich and beautiful words. This made me stall and wonder this morning.

It takes little faith to see the sacred in the extraordinary.

to have faith the sacred is in the ordinary, though,
takes courage to believe the mundane can be enough;
that grace can emerge
even through the dull,
the slightly disappointing,
the not quite right,
not quite as we intended,
not really what we hoped…
the clumsy,
the awkward,
and the imperfect.

let your act of faith be to let what you do be enough.

let what you do be enough…

right wing

Posted on by
Reply


Jon over at ASBOJesus seems to capture the mood well yet again.

Just another day ….

Posted on by
2

So today is Friday 13th – lot of things will happen today that people will put down to superstition and yet if they happened yesterday or tomorrow people would not even bat an eyelid.

What amazes me, actually, is the number of Christian that subscribe to this stuff.

It’s just another day people – it’s the weekend nearly … have fun and enjoy!

Did you know the fear of Friday 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia – I can tell you are impressed!

Shades of God

Posted on by
Reply

I visited Wycombe YFC today, had a great chat with Erica and a good coffee before making some phonecalls and retuning home.

I don ‘t know if you have noticed the trees around you recently, but today as I drove along the M40 and the M25 the trees seemed to jump out and grab me. Let me explain … they are so green! Maybe it has something to do with the amount of rain we have had around the country which has caused me to notice this more than normal. I did not just particularly notice how green the trees look, I was also amazingly struck by the variety of green.

The picture does little justice to the reality, but if you are near a lot of trees, trust me – go and have a look. The variety of green is quite staggering. When I stopped in an M25 queue I lost count of the different shaded of green that I could see from my car.

So many shades of green and yet we have one word … ‘green’. If we don’t have the language to describe one colour, how can we ever hope to describe and understand God!?