Method in the madness?

Somewhere, in one of the many rules/guidelines which surround us is one which says a Minister should never take a Sabbatical in the year of a move of Circuits. I guess that is a reasonable assumption that a change of Churches (even within a Circuit) during a Sabbatical is also deemed not to be not a good idea, and for once I agree with the method in Methodism.

This post was originally started before we went away, indeed within days of the July Circuit Meeting which finally approved (oops, sorry - it wasn't given the chance to approve or otherwise) ... July Circuit meeting which was told that the planned changes to Sections would take place this summer. Within days letters started arriving from people who wanted to book me for meetings in my new Churches when I got back, forms to change AP status (to do with doing weddings) had to be signed etc. Some Sabbatical! You can't blame anyone - some stuff has to be done when you change Churches, but for a week it seemed to take over all my time.

Not wanting to be seen to be whinging I never posted thoughts about my frustration, but in the run-up to going away to Cliff, while still trying to get to grips with the three books I had to read, Plan dates for December onwards took over again. Though we had drafted a Plan before the Sabbatical we suddenly heard about "specials" which hadn't been mentioned before and it seemed to take hours to work out how to deal with these late changes. After that, I became determined - NO more emails were to be looked at - and you know, I've managed it! I sent a few out, but nothing, but nothing downloaded and looked at! It has felt good ... though I have a very nasty feeling that when I do "open the box" on Monday it is going to be full - hopefully of nothing that needed sorting too long ago!

Neither did I plan to walk back in to a Church Council in the first week back (who would?) but you can't plan for what you inherit! Though bless her, Christine (the Super) has agreed to my request that she chair St Andrew's Church Council on my 2nd working day back to ease the mayhem that would otherwise have ensued trying to get "up to speed" in time for it.

I guess that the overall thought of these ramblings is that there is some good in some of the method of Methodism ... but do we "learn, mark and inwardly digest" (as one of my old Headteachers incessantly repeated) and allow it to guide what we do?

Er ... so where is the madness, eh?

Fenced in

Just to prove everything doesn't go to plan I had a phone call from home this morning to say the electricity was off when they got up! That was in addition to the printer at home failing yesterday, and the internet connection here at college being off since last night and the library not opening as expected after lunch to do a last minute raid on books before returing home (the internet being off stopping us using the library's search facility of the 30,000 or so books here).

Still, much worse things happen ...

Twice blessed in feeding

Food here is not bad. Though we have a basic cereal and toast breakfast, lunch and tea are both good cooked meals provided by an outside contractor. Since there is a 150 strong Oasis Trust Conference in, the food is better, so we are told, than when a PG course is in on its own. The extra noise at mealtimes has to be seen against the encouragement of so many younger folk meeting as Christians (Oasis Trust is a part of Faithworks, a really active and practical Christian work step up by Steve Chalke). If I go on eating like this for much longer I will need to diet when I get home.

This evening we had the second of two worship and ministry evenings, great times to worship, pray, hear God's word and be encouraged, to minister to and be ministered unto. It's a long time since I last had an anointing with oil and prayer, but that is what the leaders did for everyone here, giving a real sense of their desire to send us back not just mentally topped up but spiritually fed for the future. That said the singing here is lifted so much by Pete Leveson, one of the guys on the course who works with the Baptist Union in London, and can play without music and seems to know everything. The harmonies he plays makes every song an ... an angelic chorus? I'd love to play like he does, but I guess I shouldn't be envious.

Reliving younger years!

Just so no one gets the wrong impression and thinks that all we are doing at Cliff is work, we did have this afternoon and evening off! And that is off, not just library time.

So what did I do? I donned the walking boots, drove up to Edale, parked up, paid up (£3 for 4 hrs!) and set off up Kinder Scout, all 2088 feet of it. Kinder was a regular outing as a teenager, so it was good to relive old memories, exercise muscles and lungs, rather than grey cells, and see some beautiful countryside.

The round walk of 8 or so miles was good; warm sunshine, coolish wind, clear skies with time to think, take photographs and practice some map and compass-work.

I then went out with 7 others on the course for a meal - that was good too!

Back to work again tomorrow.

How literal is literal

Read the online study at http://www.methodist.org.uk/ this morning from Lk 14:21-25,

“Now large crowds were travelling with him; and he turned and said to them, ‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.

In the commentary that followed it says, "When Jesus tells us to hate our closest and dearest relations or friends we are not to take this literally."

Okay, call it a liberal point of view, but just how would the evangelical I heard speaking yesterday read it. "God says in the Bible what he means", we were told, "It is God's Word".

Whoever thought having faith was easy ...?

Arrival at Cliff College

Well here goes - the start of two year's study and hard work. After the first three sessions I have to confess that the question as to whether I am up to it does cross the mind. 12 - 15 hrs per week over 10 weeks to produce a 6-8,000 word assignment looks even tougher now - but the 2nd year students are VERY encougaging especially the three Salvation Army folk (there they are again!).

St Andrews, Bolton

Joined John, Sharon, Helen and Tony for worship at their church in Bolton today (which, of course, was Aidan's birthday http://www.harbottle-family.blogspot.com/).

Clearly, the holidays were still in evidence, but it was good to be with them.

A interesting interactive service followed by tea, coffee etc