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CREATING COMMUNITIES OF WHOLENESS WITH CHRIST AT THE CENTRE
Blog Archives: April 2008 - March 2008 - February 2008 - January 2008 - December 2007 - November 2007 - October 2007 - September 2007 - August 2007 - July 2007 - June 2007 - May 2007 - April 2007 - March 2007 - February 2007 - January 2007 - December 2006 - November 2006 - October 2006 - September 2006
31st January, 10.10pm
There are times when there's just too much to do - so why are you blogging! I guess because in a weird kind of way its a release, from the letters to write, the registers to complete the services to plan and all the rest of it, creative and administrative and pastoral and evangelistic. And then you you have a great idea [itself a dubious practice at the best of times] and you start to talk about it [another mistake] and you make your bid [third error], and its accepted, and suddenly something that was no more than an idea, a good one but just an idea, might be on its way to becoming a reality! We'll see how the process goes. And for those of you are are by now thoroughly frustrated that I haven't said what the idea is, or who accepted the bid, well I'm sorry, but you're just going to have wait... And to reassure you, its a good idea, but not exactly life changing... [tbc]
27th January, 7.20pm
I'm sitting watching 'Dancing on Ice' with the children, but I can't pretend that it really captivates all of my attention [unlike 'Strictly'] so here's the blog as well - a few different 'pictures' from a very diverse week- in no particular order...
I went into Starbucks with Jane on Friday and didn't have to order. As soon as I got to the counter I was offered a tall fairly traded coffee with room for milk! Sad hey! But its not all for fun, there is intent - Starbucks is a great place for work meetings, I'm seen and I see people, its rare to be there without meeting someone who I know across the parish. And for those who are wondering, Jane and I did sort out our diaries!
I've just heard that we have a meeting with our MP's to discuss Trident. Michael Wills has indicated to me that he's likely to vote in favour when the issue comes to the Commons in March, but it'll be good to talk. At the heart of my opposition is the belief that, although in some very limited and specific circumstances war is the least worse thing to do, the inevitable mass murder of nuclear weapons can never be right. 'Do not kill' is there, form the very beginning to the very end of the Christian faith and nuclear weapons are wrong. But then there's also the strategic argument, we need to reduce global nuclear weapons not increase them, and we need to fully support our existing armed forces not ask them to work without proper equipment, conditions or pay, whilst we spend billons on Trident.
Anna is seven on Monday and had her birthday party today at Kidz aloud. It was great and I managed to get down all of the slides, persuading Alice that she really did want to go down the curly red one and needed me to help her!
And we've got a Moses Basket! Along with a lot of other baby stuff! But its the Moses basket that's special, I've been wanting one ever since Anna was born and I've finally got one!
22nd January 4.30pm
For those of you whose gardens are rather dry, Thames Water has just lifted their hosepipe ban so you can get watering.
For those of you who are not members of the PAC [Political Anoraks Club, not Pan Africanist Congress] the greatest, and one of the longest, political soap-operas in the world has begun in earnest this week with the announcements from Hilary Clinton and Barak Obama [and other unknowns - Bill Richardson and Sam Brownback] that they are forming Presidential Exploratory Committees, the first step to the US Presidency. Its going to be a good race to watch from the sidelines!
As I'm just waiting for it to dry out so I can run the fields again, rather than being confined to the roads, and to slow down slightly. January continues to be manic, and never ending, most of it really exciting, but just hectic.
And in two school assemblies today, when I asked the children how many of them had ever got lost while shopping, I was astonished when over 90% of the children put their hands up! But then I guess that we managed to loose both Anna and Alice [at different times] on Saturday at the Outlet Centre. In fact we then lost Alice multiple times at Steam, but that was because she kept on hiding, and making too good a job of it.
16 January 11.20pm
Alice is beginning to look marginally less as is she's run into a brick wall, and then a boxing ring and then [just to round it off] jumped down the stairs and fell flat on her face in the playground. The last two did actually happen! But the bruises are fading, her cut lip is getting better, and Jane's managed to get the flood of blood of Alice's coat and my shirt.
14th January 11.40pm
So much for aiming to stop work at 10am, and Carlos was shocked when he found out I worked that late [Carlos is one of the staff at the gym and the first person for years [at least in this country] to address me as 'my friend'. when he first did it, I was immediately taken back to Cape Town and wasn't surprised to discover that Carlos is a Portuguese South African.
Anyway, if any of you make 'to do' lists you'll understand the rest of this post. My diary has gone mad since I came back from the post Christmas break on 5th Jan. It makes Christmas look quiet! And I haven't had anything like enough prep time, hence still at work approaching midnight. And my 'to do' lists are never getting shorter, even if I do occasionally get the satisfaction of crossing something off. Sometimes those are things that aren't on the list, but I've thought of them, done them, and then added them to the list so that I can cross them off. Yes, I am sad! And what's worse is how many others admit to that bizarre practice.
I don't think that I've ever taken you to the West Wing, in this blog, but its some of the best TV that's ever been made [in my humble opinion!]. Its like a thriller, only with words. And if I need 45 minutes to relax and want to watch TV, I go to the West Wing. There's an episode in the third season when Toby [White House Communications Director] is meeting the new Poet Laureate and they discuss 'to do' lists, which is kind of what started me off on the West Wing.
Although another route there, and to the lists, is the discussions that there have been over the past few days about this blog. I'm amazed how many read it [or that any read it at all!] and sorry that I'm so irregular in my posts. Jane has commented that I hardly ever mention her [so my efforts to avoid getting into trouble have back-fired!] silence hasn't worked! She's also said that she sometimes looks up the blog to see what's been happening in my life.
Which brings me back to the lists and the fact that one thing that's remained stubbornly on there is 'talk to Jane about Saturdays', and I still haven't done it. If you need a translation its about planning which Saturdays in 2007 we can clear to go out for the day with the children.
Anyway, that's a meandering post if ever there was one, but it all links in and makes sense to me! And since its now 11.56 and I have a run, a full day of interviewing and a governors meeting tomorrow, I'm now going to sign off.
9th January 4.50pm
I was very glad that the wind was from the west on New Year's Day as I ran up east from Bossington Hill to Selworthy Beacon with the wind [and hail] driving me from behind. I was significantly less pleased that the wind was still westerly on 2nd Jan as I tried to run uphill [going west this time from Minehead to Selworthy Beacon! And then it finally dropped altogether, the swell went down and I got my swim. Apart from that the holiday was made up games with the children [they loved their Christmas present of Junior Pictionary] meals with friends and some time to relax with Jane. In other words we didn't do much - a good holiday!
And then came Monday and Tuesday, 600 miles up and down to Newcastle for an hororary Graduation at Newcastle University [where I used to be Chaplain]. It was an amazing ceremony to honour those who had contributed to the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY campaign in 2005 and to Jubilee 2000 before that. Degrees were given to President Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania, who with the benefit of cancelled debt was able, in his ten years in office, to bring free and universal primary education and basic health care to Tanzania, to Susan George, the economist and theologian behind the whole concept of 'Jubilee', and to Bob Geldof and Gordon Brown [who need no introduction]. But the only one to get a standing ovation when he got his degree and the real reason why I went was David Golding. David is a lecturer in Marine Science at the University and the first ever serving academic to get an honorary degree. And aside from his day job he has been at the heart of the national campaigns and has led the local campaigns for Jubilee2000 and MPH for the last 15 years. He is, quite simply, an astonishing man, and yet incredibly ordinary. It was good hear Gordon Brown pay such a powerful tribute to David [and all the activists] but I'll end for now with Gordon Brown's description of Bob Geldof: 'my mentor... and my tormentor!'
And amidst all of this I had all the classic calls that a Vicar gets, two wedding bookings, one baptism, one funeral and one press interview about my blog [its getting famous - in a small kind of way!'
1st January 8.45am
I guess I should start by saying Happy New Year! But what's really winding me up at the moment is the footage of the execution of Saddam Hussein. Bad enough that he should be executed at all, I don't believe that any crimes are bad enough to justify the death penalty, but that the execution should be filmed and then shown on news websites around the world [including the BBC] is voyeuristic and almost inhuman. That we should want to watch it... What does that say about us? We wouldn't be keen on crowds gathering around scaffolds at the cross roads, but we can do exactly the same in the privacy of our homes...
Anyway, aside from that brief rant, I need to get us packed [or at least do my fair share of it - Jane's done almost everything so far] so that we can head off for the week. And I really do wish you a very happy new year.
BLOGGERS NOTE
You'll notice in this blog that I use clauses and sub clauses and square brackets and lots of other grammatical aberrations! Also that I can't spell. Jane sometimes compares my sentence structure to St Paul, going on and on and on... I'm afraid that you're going to have to live with it. I try to edit it all out when I'm writing for print, but I'm going to indulge myself here.