Hello from Lancashire once more,
Someone said to me in church today, 'Have you settled in your new home'? And after pausing for thought for a moment I simply said, 'yes thanks'. I feel very much at home in my new home where we have been for nearly twelve months. I was only saying a few days ago how I felt time was moving so quickly and that the Summer would bring another milestone in my Christian journey when I will be priested at Blackburn Cathedral in July.
Time indeed rumbles on and the last few months post Christmas have been just wonderfully fulfilling and enjoyable. I seemed to have settled down into the role of Deacon and take great pride in leading Baptisms and funerals as well as participating in the fullness of church life. Weekly visits into school leave me considering the qualities and patience that is required to be a teacher whilst serving meals at the community centre has brought some lovely new friends in a place that does nothing but good as we provide companionship and hospitality to individuals who simply enjoy some company and chit chat.
Daily prayer has a lovely rhythm about it and I feel very much at home at St Matthews and enjoy the variety and uncertainty that many days and weeks offer. I don't have any regrets about being ordained and frankly don't miss retail life in the slightest except for the many friends I see a lot less often. My working life is very Christian centred and I find myself sometimes yearning for the secular, things like football or tea out just to help remind me of life on the 'other side' and occasional trips to Tesco just keep me on an even keel as to what is going on around me.
It's a little odd how ones mentality changes over time, 12 months ago I was impatiently awaiting the future almost wishing time away to get to the so called finish line, prayer life was often about being sustained and simply getting through anxious and challenging prospects of what lie ahead. Now its very different, Christ is absolutely at the centre of my world and what incredible experiences that affords me. Funerals no longer fill me with fear, just an opportunity. An opportunity to offer genuine concern and a desire to provide families with a service that befits their loved ones.
Baptisms also provide contact with the secular world, random families asking 'us' the church to bring just a little of Christ into their lives. These are good, and enriching things to accomplish and I enjoy venturing into the unknown that urban life in Burnley provides.
One amazing aspect of my recent ministry has been the opportunity to delve into one of my deepest passions that being the 'Art' of comedy and something I never thought would occur. It has been many years since I tried and failed to become a full time comic and writer, and indulging in writing was something I had consigned to history whilst genuinely accepting I would never do again. When I met a newly ordained gentleman like myself whose name is Rev Chris, and little did I know how serious he was when he suggested we should dp 'something' together. In fairness I didn't take him seriously and simply said 'We'll see'. I really thought the prospect of doing anything remotely funny simply was a thing of the past and certainly not with anybody else.
The reality is that we have recorded a number of sketches which has been wonderful on a number of levels. Firstly and quite beautifully becoming a Clergyman means I get to meet some really great people. I am very fortunate to have some wonderful friends of old, some amazing new friends of the present and I suspect there may be some new buddies I am yet to meet.
Secondly having a comedy partner and a new friend has been quite incredible and certainly enhances my belief that God moves in mysterious ways. It's hard to explain how much enjoyment I used to get out of writing comedy and I spent a lot of effort, in fact years of trying to get production companies and such like to be interested in stuff I had written. I still have pages and pages, scripts on top of scripts of things I had written all to no avail. I wrote a diary,a book about a girl, my attempt at the female equivalent of Adrian Mole, I wrote a play about a homosexual Muslim man, I wrote loads and loads of sketches for my comedy creation Joe Katella, I wrote stand up comedy that worked and then crashed, I wrote poems about heroes, I wrote poems about mysteries, I wrote a sit-com that I believed in, and still do to be honest. I wrote comedy for others and sore it performed to a packed Manchester theatre, I wrote a children's story called Tummy Town which I still have stored away somewhere. I loved writing all things funny and in 2008 when God got involved I stopped, just like that, never to write again (except essays and sermons) or so I thought.
Rev Chris and I somehow were brought together on a silent retreat and through God in him, I have discovered that laughing in God's name has been and is the one of the most joyous experiences of early ordained life. The value of making someone smile through our early ministry of comedy has been extremely humbling and just wonderful. Somehow God has got me to take to the keyboard in the search for the funny, something I had packed up and put way forever or so I beleived. And alongside Chris I have had experienced such joy in finding the gift of laughter once more, all simply being done in the name of Christ. Our friendship is very new, but we have a chemistry and a connection that somehow seems to work quiet nicely. We call ourselves JackandKrac
In my down time I have loved being creative with an idea, and then getting together with Chris to play and experiment with the ideas has been just fantastic. Working alongside a fellow Christian with the intent to be funny and break down a few clergy stereotypes has been beyond my wildest expectations. The encouragement from peers and friends means that I hope our new ministry of comedy has much mileage and I truly hope that is with my new comedy partner, but if God in his wisdom decides, that's enough messing for the two of us I can only offer thanks in his name for allowing me and encouraging me to, 'find the funny' after so many years away. Comedy is something that I enjoy immensely and something I thought had been put to bed many years ago, well it's back, it might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it brings me a lot of happiness as I know it does my new friend. We remain intent on laughter without offense.
God continues to inspire me, his roadmap for me is unclear, I give all my thanks to him for all that I am and all that I have, All that I was and for all that I will be.
Friends, till next time
Be happy and much love
from
Alextheanglican ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S0JAtgMiPg for one of our sketches.
Someone said to me in church today, 'Have you settled in your new home'? And after pausing for thought for a moment I simply said, 'yes thanks'. I feel very much at home in my new home where we have been for nearly twelve months. I was only saying a few days ago how I felt time was moving so quickly and that the Summer would bring another milestone in my Christian journey when I will be priested at Blackburn Cathedral in July.
Time indeed rumbles on and the last few months post Christmas have been just wonderfully fulfilling and enjoyable. I seemed to have settled down into the role of Deacon and take great pride in leading Baptisms and funerals as well as participating in the fullness of church life. Weekly visits into school leave me considering the qualities and patience that is required to be a teacher whilst serving meals at the community centre has brought some lovely new friends in a place that does nothing but good as we provide companionship and hospitality to individuals who simply enjoy some company and chit chat.
Daily prayer has a lovely rhythm about it and I feel very much at home at St Matthews and enjoy the variety and uncertainty that many days and weeks offer. I don't have any regrets about being ordained and frankly don't miss retail life in the slightest except for the many friends I see a lot less often. My working life is very Christian centred and I find myself sometimes yearning for the secular, things like football or tea out just to help remind me of life on the 'other side' and occasional trips to Tesco just keep me on an even keel as to what is going on around me.
It's a little odd how ones mentality changes over time, 12 months ago I was impatiently awaiting the future almost wishing time away to get to the so called finish line, prayer life was often about being sustained and simply getting through anxious and challenging prospects of what lie ahead. Now its very different, Christ is absolutely at the centre of my world and what incredible experiences that affords me. Funerals no longer fill me with fear, just an opportunity. An opportunity to offer genuine concern and a desire to provide families with a service that befits their loved ones.
Baptisms also provide contact with the secular world, random families asking 'us' the church to bring just a little of Christ into their lives. These are good, and enriching things to accomplish and I enjoy venturing into the unknown that urban life in Burnley provides.
One amazing aspect of my recent ministry has been the opportunity to delve into one of my deepest passions that being the 'Art' of comedy and something I never thought would occur. It has been many years since I tried and failed to become a full time comic and writer, and indulging in writing was something I had consigned to history whilst genuinely accepting I would never do again. When I met a newly ordained gentleman like myself whose name is Rev Chris, and little did I know how serious he was when he suggested we should dp 'something' together. In fairness I didn't take him seriously and simply said 'We'll see'. I really thought the prospect of doing anything remotely funny simply was a thing of the past and certainly not with anybody else.
The reality is that we have recorded a number of sketches which has been wonderful on a number of levels. Firstly and quite beautifully becoming a Clergyman means I get to meet some really great people. I am very fortunate to have some wonderful friends of old, some amazing new friends of the present and I suspect there may be some new buddies I am yet to meet.
Secondly having a comedy partner and a new friend has been quite incredible and certainly enhances my belief that God moves in mysterious ways. It's hard to explain how much enjoyment I used to get out of writing comedy and I spent a lot of effort, in fact years of trying to get production companies and such like to be interested in stuff I had written. I still have pages and pages, scripts on top of scripts of things I had written all to no avail. I wrote a diary,a book about a girl, my attempt at the female equivalent of Adrian Mole, I wrote a play about a homosexual Muslim man, I wrote loads and loads of sketches for my comedy creation Joe Katella, I wrote stand up comedy that worked and then crashed, I wrote poems about heroes, I wrote poems about mysteries, I wrote a sit-com that I believed in, and still do to be honest. I wrote comedy for others and sore it performed to a packed Manchester theatre, I wrote a children's story called Tummy Town which I still have stored away somewhere. I loved writing all things funny and in 2008 when God got involved I stopped, just like that, never to write again (except essays and sermons) or so I thought.
Rev Chris and I somehow were brought together on a silent retreat and through God in him, I have discovered that laughing in God's name has been and is the one of the most joyous experiences of early ordained life. The value of making someone smile through our early ministry of comedy has been extremely humbling and just wonderful. Somehow God has got me to take to the keyboard in the search for the funny, something I had packed up and put way forever or so I beleived. And alongside Chris I have had experienced such joy in finding the gift of laughter once more, all simply being done in the name of Christ. Our friendship is very new, but we have a chemistry and a connection that somehow seems to work quiet nicely. We call ourselves JackandKrac
In my down time I have loved being creative with an idea, and then getting together with Chris to play and experiment with the ideas has been just fantastic. Working alongside a fellow Christian with the intent to be funny and break down a few clergy stereotypes has been beyond my wildest expectations. The encouragement from peers and friends means that I hope our new ministry of comedy has much mileage and I truly hope that is with my new comedy partner, but if God in his wisdom decides, that's enough messing for the two of us I can only offer thanks in his name for allowing me and encouraging me to, 'find the funny' after so many years away. Comedy is something that I enjoy immensely and something I thought had been put to bed many years ago, well it's back, it might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it brings me a lot of happiness as I know it does my new friend. We remain intent on laughter without offense.
God continues to inspire me, his roadmap for me is unclear, I give all my thanks to him for all that I am and all that I have, All that I was and for all that I will be.
Friends, till next time
Be happy and much love
from
Alextheanglican ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S0JAtgMiPg for one of our sketches.
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