Hello,
A student passed me with his lunch in ASDA today, he had gone for the healthy option of a 2 litre bottle of Tizer and large bag of Twiglets and just before I had the chance to reflect what his BMI rating he would be on on the Wii fit, I was collared by a ASDA customer asking me if I could help him with his digital photographs, 'I don't work here' said I, as he looked at my Argos badge whilst trying to work out what a man in suit was doing in ASDA. I scuttled away quickly and grabbed my Eccles cake, whizzed through the self serve and retreated quickly back to the safety of my office to consume my homemade ham sandwich which I perked up with some crushed ready salted crisps and a coffee, white with no sugar.
The office is my little safety haven at work allowing a few moments away from the hustle and bustle and chance to catch up on the texts, Facebook statuses and to see how many junk emails I have acquired during the email super highway rush hour or two. Time and space seems to be a little hard to find these days as I bounce from work commitments to family to church to study and so on and on and on. Frequent reminders from individuals to take it easy or 'I don't know how you do it' ensure that I do indeed need to take it easy and actually work out how I do it and more importantly and significantly why !
Now as a deeply entrenched Christian I really quite like the season of Lent, because whilst there is indeed a lot going on and life is busy, I find myself frequently eager for the next challenge to arise and the next and hurdle to jump over. Just recently the boss (my wife) and myself have had to fill out the paperwork that goes off to people who we don't know very well who will attempt to find a Parish, a Church, a community, and a importantly a home where the family will reside work and play whilst I serve Jesus Christ ! Where else would you do that, and flippin heck why on earth would you want do that?
So the forms gone in, the studies are going well, (no I lie they are going okay) and it all seems to be going in the right direction which I suppose is reasonably important. The prayer life is good, it could be better, the faith is strong it could be stronger, the doubts are rare but still come along from time to time. Time flies by yet sometimes seems to stand still, when will that big day arrive?
It's a sill question really because I do indeed know that the last weekend of June next year will indeed be when the big day arrives, and after being to a couple of Ordinations all ready I have dreamed and imagined the day many times over in my mind, things like the guests, the family members, the friends, the colleagues, the clergy, the congregation, it's all been there I can tell you. I pray my wonderful and inspiring Granny will be there and at a healthy 96 years young there is every chance she will be! I sometimes worry that it might all be a bit too religious for my non Christian friends, with all this standing up, sitting down, Amen this and singing that, for many folk the last time they sang in a group would have been at High School and too familiar songs at that. But for me the prospect of that religious 'stuff' is highly exciting and is what I have be working towards for many years now. I of course would/will be humbled and delighted to have people who mean an awful lot to me present come the big day when the Bishop lays his hands on me and Ordains me a Deacon.
However there is much water to go under the bridge, many assignments to write, many prayers to be offered, much learning to be done before next June, but March and the time of Lent make me reflect on the long road I have traveled whilst seeing the end of this particular journey getting ever closer and closer. So with just fifteen months to go I reflect on the struggles of being told 'no not yet, to the 'yes but not quite yet' to the 'yes, you can finally go and train to be a Vicar! To reflect on those that supported me, to those that encouraged me, to those that pissed me off, every single day of single year has been an incredible time of great learning, understanding and self awareness, it's been a time of great sadness, great joy, watching the kids grow up nearly as quickly as my ever expanding waistline. The new friends I have made, fellow trainee Revs, trainee readers, tutors, people I have met on placements, people full of life and sadly people close to death, what an amazing beautiful experience it has been from start to finish.
But for now, it is Lent, something that means sod all to many people these days, but occasionally I hear someone make reference to it as they share there sacrifice or whatever it may be, and it encourages me that people still have a spiritual connection and thankfully God is still on the agenda for millions and millions of people, and I am more than happy and prepared to engage with those and others who believe in our savior even if that doesn't mean they attend church daily, weekly or monthly, to be honest I will talk about God with anyone! After all the study, all the debate I still find God, as the way and the truth and trust me when I tell you when I say, we don't just sit there convincing ourselves that, God is all lovely and cuddly, because it just isn't like that, It is bloody hard and very challenging! But for me Lent is so important and worthwhile, A time to consider all that happens and all that will happen, from the cross to the resurrection, from the past to the present, from the here to the now,
Christ is here with me now (not literally of course) and with each day bringing me one more step along the way, having the utter confidence of that in my mind, keeps me heading with great optimism into Easter and beyond,
May God go with you,
Alex
A student passed me with his lunch in ASDA today, he had gone for the healthy option of a 2 litre bottle of Tizer and large bag of Twiglets and just before I had the chance to reflect what his BMI rating he would be on on the Wii fit, I was collared by a ASDA customer asking me if I could help him with his digital photographs, 'I don't work here' said I, as he looked at my Argos badge whilst trying to work out what a man in suit was doing in ASDA. I scuttled away quickly and grabbed my Eccles cake, whizzed through the self serve and retreated quickly back to the safety of my office to consume my homemade ham sandwich which I perked up with some crushed ready salted crisps and a coffee, white with no sugar.
The office is my little safety haven at work allowing a few moments away from the hustle and bustle and chance to catch up on the texts, Facebook statuses and to see how many junk emails I have acquired during the email super highway rush hour or two. Time and space seems to be a little hard to find these days as I bounce from work commitments to family to church to study and so on and on and on. Frequent reminders from individuals to take it easy or 'I don't know how you do it' ensure that I do indeed need to take it easy and actually work out how I do it and more importantly and significantly why !
Now as a deeply entrenched Christian I really quite like the season of Lent, because whilst there is indeed a lot going on and life is busy, I find myself frequently eager for the next challenge to arise and the next and hurdle to jump over. Just recently the boss (my wife) and myself have had to fill out the paperwork that goes off to people who we don't know very well who will attempt to find a Parish, a Church, a community, and a importantly a home where the family will reside work and play whilst I serve Jesus Christ ! Where else would you do that, and flippin heck why on earth would you want do that?
So the forms gone in, the studies are going well, (no I lie they are going okay) and it all seems to be going in the right direction which I suppose is reasonably important. The prayer life is good, it could be better, the faith is strong it could be stronger, the doubts are rare but still come along from time to time. Time flies by yet sometimes seems to stand still, when will that big day arrive?
It's a sill question really because I do indeed know that the last weekend of June next year will indeed be when the big day arrives, and after being to a couple of Ordinations all ready I have dreamed and imagined the day many times over in my mind, things like the guests, the family members, the friends, the colleagues, the clergy, the congregation, it's all been there I can tell you. I pray my wonderful and inspiring Granny will be there and at a healthy 96 years young there is every chance she will be! I sometimes worry that it might all be a bit too religious for my non Christian friends, with all this standing up, sitting down, Amen this and singing that, for many folk the last time they sang in a group would have been at High School and too familiar songs at that. But for me the prospect of that religious 'stuff' is highly exciting and is what I have be working towards for many years now. I of course would/will be humbled and delighted to have people who mean an awful lot to me present come the big day when the Bishop lays his hands on me and Ordains me a Deacon.
However there is much water to go under the bridge, many assignments to write, many prayers to be offered, much learning to be done before next June, but March and the time of Lent make me reflect on the long road I have traveled whilst seeing the end of this particular journey getting ever closer and closer. So with just fifteen months to go I reflect on the struggles of being told 'no not yet, to the 'yes but not quite yet' to the 'yes, you can finally go and train to be a Vicar! To reflect on those that supported me, to those that encouraged me, to those that pissed me off, every single day of single year has been an incredible time of great learning, understanding and self awareness, it's been a time of great sadness, great joy, watching the kids grow up nearly as quickly as my ever expanding waistline. The new friends I have made, fellow trainee Revs, trainee readers, tutors, people I have met on placements, people full of life and sadly people close to death, what an amazing beautiful experience it has been from start to finish.
But for now, it is Lent, something that means sod all to many people these days, but occasionally I hear someone make reference to it as they share there sacrifice or whatever it may be, and it encourages me that people still have a spiritual connection and thankfully God is still on the agenda for millions and millions of people, and I am more than happy and prepared to engage with those and others who believe in our savior even if that doesn't mean they attend church daily, weekly or monthly, to be honest I will talk about God with anyone! After all the study, all the debate I still find God, as the way and the truth and trust me when I tell you when I say, we don't just sit there convincing ourselves that, God is all lovely and cuddly, because it just isn't like that, It is bloody hard and very challenging! But for me Lent is so important and worthwhile, A time to consider all that happens and all that will happen, from the cross to the resurrection, from the past to the present, from the here to the now,
Christ is here with me now (not literally of course) and with each day bringing me one more step along the way, having the utter confidence of that in my mind, keeps me heading with great optimism into Easter and beyond,
May God go with you,
Alex
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