Mikes Blog

Further to my post of yesterday, I have been taken to task by some youngsters who I omitted from my list. My apologies therefore to Ellie and Julia Wood, and I ask forgiveness.

Ellie and Julia are very special to me and like Gareth and Kate I almost regard them as my Godchildren.

APOLOGIES, APOLOGIES, APOLOGIES !!!!!!

Please pray for my friend Martin today as he leads a very difficult funeral, where the media will be involved, that he might have strength, wisdom and protection

Retreat is still going well. Just finished a session on `Being connected`based on John 15:1~17. We were challenged to think about all the people we’ve been connected to in our lifetime, we are still connected to and we were challenged to give thanks for them. Set me off thinking about Doreen Bullerwell, to whom I owe so much for setting me out on this journey, to Mum and Dad who gave me so much, to Auntie Evie and Uncle Bill who loved me as their own. I think of Alison, my wife, of whom I’m so proud, of friends like Judith, Alison, Stuart, Andrew and the list goes on and on.

I then began thinking about the youngsters I’ve been in contact with over the years, Gareth, Kate, Chris, Jamie, Nathan and the youngsters I think so much of in my current Churches, Ben, Adam, Nathan, Matthew, Bradley, Brodie, Iain, James, The Crowther girls, the Grundy girls and again the list goes on and on (My apologies if I’ve missed anyone out; it doesn’t mean I think any the less) and it becomes so long that I cannot mention everyone. I see that on my facebook I have 143 friends and I am aware of others who have not yet found me on facebook.

When I came into ministry it felt as though I was leaving my wider family behind in the North East but as I look back now I see that God has given me a much bigger family and I am so grateful for that connectedness.

The second part of the challenge was a lot harder. It was to think of those people who would be giving thanks for being connected to me; people who I’ve sat with at bedsides, the sick, the dying; those I’ve helped on Alpha courses; those I’ve simply befriended; schoolchildren at assemblies. I am aware that there must be some but its a lot harder and against natural inclinations to think that anyone would be thankful for me. I know, in my heart that they are, but it almost feels like boasting to admit it. Maybe that’s part of the reason for the challenge, because we all need to know how useful we are to others and how others really do appreciate our presence. I may have to work a bit harder on that one yet, but I’m trying !

I’m in the middle of the bi~annual Methodist Ministers retreat for our District, at Swanwick Hayes Conference Centre. It is a precious time of reflection and rest and I’m thoroughly appreciating it.

Sometimes its only when you stop that you realise how much you’ve been working. To be honest I find the old joke (and its usually meant in jest) about only working one day a week, wears a bit thin when you’ve been working 8 a.m.~11.00 p.m. for several days and when you’ve struggled to find time for a day off. Ripley circuit are quite magnificent in trying to respect my time off but the sheer volume of things to be done mean that it either eats into the day off or creates ridiculously long hours, and so to get this opportunity to stop and `get away` is so precious.

We’re being led in the retreat by Rev. Dr Christopher Blake the Principle of Cliff College. He’s leading us in 5 sessions based on reflections from the Gospel of John. We’ve now had three of the sessions and they have been quite magnificent and very thought provoking. Chris` style is to give us a short reflection of his own on a part of the passage and then leave us to reflect at our leisure. In this way we’re both challenged in our thinking and also given space to relax.

Our last session was the most challenging so far as Chris looked at the washing of the disciples feet by Jesus and then challenged us to think about those people we struggle to get on with. The real challenge was how would we wash their feet. After all Jesus washed the feet of Judas and John alike, the betrayer and the beloved. I’ve just spent time in prayer and reflection thinking about those people around the circuit and in other circuits with whom I struggle and who I suspect struggle with me. How do I love them in the way that Christ loves them ? How do I reflect Christs love to them in my life, words, actions ? Its not easy but that’s what we’re all called to do.

Have you any great hopes for 2010 ?

I’ve stopped making resolutions but I still have hopes and at the start of the year I reflected on my hopes. I realise that we’re into the year now but I want to share mine with you.

1)       Firstly, I hope to have somewhere to live !  Circuit reorganisation means that I will be leaving Ripley and moving into Alfreton or South Normanton. Its an unsettling time as Alison comes to the end of her time at University and is Ordained into Crich Parish next July 4^th. We’re very aware of the fact that 2010 is going to bring major changes to our lifestyle, our business and our need to find time to be together as we both face fierce demands on our time from more than one set of Churches. However, in many ways it feels as though the last few years have been leading us both towards this moment in time.

Having said all that we do recognise that any time of change always brings uncertainty and unease. You’ve heard the story of how many Methodists does it take to change a light bulb ?  “Change ?, whats that ?”

I think the uncertainty that change brings raises many questions amongst us “What will life be like ?, How will we manage ? etc.”

But, sometimes change is positive and to be welcomed. Good things can come out of change; improvement of circumstances; job satisfaction; new friends to be made and so on and so change can sometimes be exciting as well as fearful.

I think that our change this year is somewhere between the unease and the exciting. We have our sorrow over losing so many good people in the half of the circuit that will join Amber Valley, people that we’ve forged close friendships with and in Alison’s case leaving All Saints Church (Ripley), and yet we have the excitement of a new challenge and new friends. What are the changes you’ll have to face this year ? and how will you face them ?

I encourage you to seize the necessary changes and make the most of them. Leave the unnecessary ones as trivialities.

2)       My life is very busy as I dare say is yours. This year it gets busier as I increase from 9 to 12 churches AND become the President of my  Rotary club.

How do I intend to cope with it all ?  By sitting and doing nothing ! Sounds ludicrous doesn’t it ?

There’s a story about how one man challenged another to an all-day wood chopping contest. The challenger worked very hard, stopping only for a brief lunch break but the other man had a leisurely lunch and took several breaks during the day. At the end of the day, the challenger was surprised and annoyed to find that the other man had chopped substantially more wood than he had.

“I don’t get it,” he said. “Every time I checked, you were taking a rest, yet you chopped more wood than I did.”

“But you didn’t notice,” said the winning woodsman, “that I was sharpening my axe when I sat down to rest.”

We all need time to settle back and `sharpen` our axes. I intend this year to try and spend more time sitting in a chair, reading, listening to music or simply reflecting and in so doing getting myself better prepared for the work. I intend to spend more time with God, listening to him and enjoying his company.

3)       A friend once said to me that I would receive a thousand compliments yet remember the one complaint. This year I intend to try and hear the positive and be deaf for the negative.

Several years ago Alison and I returned to Oldham for a church reunion. By this time we’d been left for about 4 years; we found ourselves in a food queue behind another Church member who was complaining to Alison about the minister who had replaced me. At first I felt good listening to all his faults until she announced in a loud voice “I don’t know what it is about this church but we get all the rubbishy ministers !”

Its not to say that we shouldn’t hear complaints, if they’re justified and helpful, but sometimes they’re no more than one persons opinion.

I’m going to listen more to the compliments and less to the complaints, as I want to be encouraged not pulled down.

4)       So my three resolutions are to embrace necessary change with vigour, to take time out, and to listen for compliments.

St John Chrysostom once said….. “When we once begin to form good resolutions, God gives us every opportunity of carrying them out.”

I believe in a God who came as a little child, born in Bethlehem, who grew into a man crucified at Calvary and raised from the dead. Why ? because he’s a God who wants to give us all a new start and he’s a God who will walk alongside us when we try to grasp that new start.

And we all need new starts don’t we ?  New Year is the chance for us all to stop, take stock and resolve to make 2010 better in all ways than before. And that is Gods wish too, that we will make the world a better place by necessary change, by relaxing with Him and by being more positive.

Well the snows truly arrived. I’ve had to cancel three meetings because I can’t get the car out of the drive. The bus driver advised Rebecca not to take the bus to work so shes at her home relaxing, and I’ve got time to get ahead of the game in preparing services etc. We were even treated to the sight of a police car stuck in the cul-de-sac snow yesterday and it had to await another vehicle to come and pull it out of the snow.

In view of the weather we’ve even banned Dad from going home; didn’t want him travelling in this. He’s now in the front room at something of a loss with himself as I’ve even banned him from walking the dog !! 

I’ve uploaded two photographs of  my back garden. Instead of putting the pictures on here I’ve been advised to simply give you the address for Flickr. Let me know whether you think this is better or not. Look them up http://www.flickr.com/photos/revmike1/?saved=1 Beautiful aren’t they ?

And yet when I look out of the front door all I see are beautiful blue skies and fluffy clouds. I’m reminded of a couple of things; firstly that when true adversity arrives you can always count on community to help out. Several neighbours all turned out yesterday to help push the police car and try to get him moving. Even though we didn’t succeed there was still a sense of people pulling together. Secondly, even when things are at their bleakest there are blue skies yet to come. God reassures us that he walks with us in our darkest times and he brings us through them.

God is good.

Meanwhile as you wait for the weather to improve, happy snowballing and take care.

Judith

Bank Holiday

Nearly there