The few days off have been excellent and it has been fun being with the family and just doing ‘stuff’.

This week is going to be a pretty normal week for me – a lot of waiting and hanging around, and (I hope) a lot of chatting with people.

As the week has progressed I have had even more time to think and it’s strange how coming away from the coalface, even for a few days, allows you to think afresh about stuff. The week has enabled me to return and look at things differently. I have new thoughts on where I am at with all of this ‘stuff’ and new ideas for how I should spend my time.

There are a few people interested in exploring ‘new Christian community’/’fresh expression’/’emerging church’ or whatever this thing happens to be. I believe God is saying now is the time to start to gather these people and see what happens. At the moment there are some dates ‘out there’ and we shall see what happens. I am quite excited although scared about this. The talk and the theory have been going on for some time – over 3 years of training in fact! Now that this is a reality I am realising how nervous about all this stuff I really am. I don’t know where to go, I am having to rely on the leading of God and I have not really done that in a very long time … if ever!

The waiting in places will continue. I think this is quite central to what I am called to be and do. This is where I connect with people and with God. These are the places that I start, although limitedly, to understand the wider community of central Rochester that I am called to be a presence in. This is also where I see God; God in the lives of others in the streets that I walk along, in the places that I ‘hang out’.
Not just God working in peoples lives, but also God sitting silently and waiting for people to notice their creator. To stop the waiting and be-ing and move to programs would be a wrong thing to do, although a very easy thing to do.

In the last 24 hours I have had 3 requests from people to do things of a ‘churchy’ nature. Thankfully I have a great line manager in Adrian who will work with me and support me- but it’s interesting to see that after a few months in the place that people, seeing I have time, are now wondering how they can make use of my time. I’d quite happily do the three things that have been suggested – that is not the problem. The challenge for me will be to ensure that I do not allow these things to dilute my being present in the places I am called to be present in. In short, I need to develop the skill of saying ‘no’.

So there you have it … as we approach lent, a tie to give up and concentrate on God and prepare for Easter, I am taking up something and challenging God to lead and direct me with it.