And on the Sunday (1st Sunday after Easter?), I got ill again. Not so good. I didn't feel too bad, but I seriously considered not going to church. However, I got there, and, you know, generally enjoyed it - though the topic of the talk wasn't really one that you enjoy as such. And then after, I chatted to a few people (Fiona was there, Luke wasn't), and went to the pub with some people from my new life group. Not that the group is new, but just the name.
We chatted about various random things, including the rules of dreams, and the faithfulness of God. Which is probably important to talk about more often, if only to remind ourselves that He is faithful. Because we forget.
And then on Monday, I was still ill; just when I had to go back to work. So I managed to get in a bit late (about two hours, sort of). And everything went smoothly. We weren't too busy - or quiet - and I managed to get through the day without any problems. Plus I could relax in the knowledge that today was a day off, so I would have time to recover. Which I have done just fine.
And about the only other thing I've done is sort out an Unlimited card for the cinema. I shall try to print off my temporary ticket today, and I'll get the proper one sometime over the next week. And I look forward to being more social once I've got used to using it.
Showing posts with label day to day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label day to day. Show all posts
Tuesday, 29 April 2014
Saturday, 26 April 2014
Easter Week In
I had Easter week off work, which was nice. It's always nice to have a bit of a rest. So, what did I do?
Well, I also had Good Friday off (which is actually Holy Week, I know), and that was an interesting day with two main things that happened. The first was a meditative service, in which I had the opportunity to display a poem I wrote about Easter. I actually submitted two, but the other wasn't about Easter, so it was turned down - but if you want to read both, they can be found here. Anyway, the service itself was interesting, though different than it has been in the past few years. At least it felt different; it felt more like a 'normal' Sunday service, though that may just be my impression of it.
It was based around the seven last words from the cross, with various prayer stations around the church with different actions that could be done, and you could could go to as many or as few as you wished. I went to two: one which was about forgiveness, and one which was about giving God painful circumstances - the two were connected. Then we all came back together for a dance piece, and a short talk (yes, short) based around the last two words. What I got from it was that Jesus' surrender led to God's victory; so, if we surrender to Him, we can share in that victory. After that, they asked people to come up to the front if they wanted more of God's grace, so I went. Someone came and prayed with me, and I gave him the bare bones of the situation; at the end, he said it was important to remember that I am one of the good guys.
And then Saturday was pretty much a normal day, in that the shop was open as normal. And an abnormal day, in that we were really busy. We have been particularly quiet recently, so I can only put it down to the fact that we were closed on the Friday. Anyway, the day was pretty good, and I got a proper break. Which was nice. And then afterwards, I had to go look for Easter eggs; which was more difficult than you'd think because I was looking for fairly traded ones. Normally I would have done it before, but I was particularly busy this week, with the little matter of a wedding. And then I went to my mum's. I got there just in time to meet them on the way to church, and rescue Phoebe, who didn't really want to go to that service (well, she had been to every other one that week). And a nice evening was had by us playing games on our phones and tablet. Honestly, it was a nice evening.
And the next day was Easter!! To celebrate I went to church in the morning with them. Well, not with them exactly, as they got there early and I got there late; but I was there. It was a really nice service, and it had a happy feel; which was definitely appropriate. And I saw quite a few people who recognised me who hadn't seen me for a few years. We had a bit of a rushed lunch, as Phoebe had to go, and then I had a quick nap - apparently a genius idea. I got dropped back home shortly before church, and put up a post containing the poems I had offered, and then went to church for the second time that day. And again I arrived late.
And then began my week off - and mainly in. To start off with, on Monday I got ill, and was feeling pretty rough. I did go out that evening, as it was a friend's birthday, and I hadn't seen her for a while. I almost didn't make it out, as I didn't think I could do it; but God forced me, and it was definitely worth it. However, the next day and a half weren't at all good. I didn't sleep Monday night until about 6ish, so most of Tuesday was basically written off too.
Which meant I got up pretty late Wednesday, as well. So I didn't do that much, just a lot of reading. Until the evening, when I went out to a friend's to help her move house. And then we all went to a pub to join the rest of cluster in a social time. Which was nice.
Thursday was the first day I really spent a fair amount of time out of the house. I went to the library - what with all the reading, there was a fair few books to go back - and then to Starbucks, which I haven't been to for ages. Last year sometime, I think. I saw another friend I hadn't seen for ages there, so that was good. And then in the evening, I went to Hungry. I prayed for peace, as I definitely needed it. And I saw the friend whose birthday it was, and we had a good chat afterwards. Which was nice.
I didn't really do much Friday, but on asking if anyone was free at the weekend, I discovered a vegan fair at Gloucester Guildhall that a friend was going to be at. I hadn't seen her for pretty much a year, so that was a good chance to meet up with her - and meet her daughter. I figured that even a short time seeing her would be worth it, and in the end, we spent a good few hours chatting and just generally relaxing. Which was very nice.
So, all in all, the week off started off pretty badly, but there were some definite highlights in it. And I was feeling a lot more positive about things in general, even though I do have to go back to work in a couple of days.
Well, I also had Good Friday off (which is actually Holy Week, I know), and that was an interesting day with two main things that happened. The first was a meditative service, in which I had the opportunity to display a poem I wrote about Easter. I actually submitted two, but the other wasn't about Easter, so it was turned down - but if you want to read both, they can be found here. Anyway, the service itself was interesting, though different than it has been in the past few years. At least it felt different; it felt more like a 'normal' Sunday service, though that may just be my impression of it.
It was based around the seven last words from the cross, with various prayer stations around the church with different actions that could be done, and you could could go to as many or as few as you wished. I went to two: one which was about forgiveness, and one which was about giving God painful circumstances - the two were connected. Then we all came back together for a dance piece, and a short talk (yes, short) based around the last two words. What I got from it was that Jesus' surrender led to God's victory; so, if we surrender to Him, we can share in that victory. After that, they asked people to come up to the front if they wanted more of God's grace, so I went. Someone came and prayed with me, and I gave him the bare bones of the situation; at the end, he said it was important to remember that I am one of the good guys.
And then Saturday was pretty much a normal day, in that the shop was open as normal. And an abnormal day, in that we were really busy. We have been particularly quiet recently, so I can only put it down to the fact that we were closed on the Friday. Anyway, the day was pretty good, and I got a proper break. Which was nice. And then afterwards, I had to go look for Easter eggs; which was more difficult than you'd think because I was looking for fairly traded ones. Normally I would have done it before, but I was particularly busy this week, with the little matter of a wedding. And then I went to my mum's. I got there just in time to meet them on the way to church, and rescue Phoebe, who didn't really want to go to that service (well, she had been to every other one that week). And a nice evening was had by us playing games on our phones and tablet. Honestly, it was a nice evening.
And the next day was Easter!! To celebrate I went to church in the morning with them. Well, not with them exactly, as they got there early and I got there late; but I was there. It was a really nice service, and it had a happy feel; which was definitely appropriate. And I saw quite a few people who recognised me who hadn't seen me for a few years. We had a bit of a rushed lunch, as Phoebe had to go, and then I had a quick nap - apparently a genius idea. I got dropped back home shortly before church, and put up a post containing the poems I had offered, and then went to church for the second time that day. And again I arrived late.
And then began my week off - and mainly in. To start off with, on Monday I got ill, and was feeling pretty rough. I did go out that evening, as it was a friend's birthday, and I hadn't seen her for a while. I almost didn't make it out, as I didn't think I could do it; but God forced me, and it was definitely worth it. However, the next day and a half weren't at all good. I didn't sleep Monday night until about 6ish, so most of Tuesday was basically written off too.
Which meant I got up pretty late Wednesday, as well. So I didn't do that much, just a lot of reading. Until the evening, when I went out to a friend's to help her move house. And then we all went to a pub to join the rest of cluster in a social time. Which was nice.
Thursday was the first day I really spent a fair amount of time out of the house. I went to the library - what with all the reading, there was a fair few books to go back - and then to Starbucks, which I haven't been to for ages. Last year sometime, I think. I saw another friend I hadn't seen for ages there, so that was good. And then in the evening, I went to Hungry. I prayed for peace, as I definitely needed it. And I saw the friend whose birthday it was, and we had a good chat afterwards. Which was nice.
I didn't really do much Friday, but on asking if anyone was free at the weekend, I discovered a vegan fair at Gloucester Guildhall that a friend was going to be at. I hadn't seen her for pretty much a year, so that was a good chance to meet up with her - and meet her daughter. I figured that even a short time seeing her would be worth it, and in the end, we spent a good few hours chatting and just generally relaxing. Which was very nice.
So, all in all, the week off started off pretty badly, but there were some definite highlights in it. And I was feeling a lot more positive about things in general, even though I do have to go back to work in a couple of days.
Saturday, 5 April 2014
Annnnd... Rest
So, after getting tired because of working some hours more than usual, that comes to an end again, and I can think about things again.
It's interesting what being too tired does to you, though it doesn't feel too good at the time. My guess is that everyone has experienced it, so I don't need to go into detail here.
The most obvious thing is that you find it more difficult to think. Which not only means it's more difficult to process things, but that you are more liable to make mistakes. And not necessarily pick them up; which means you then have more to deal with, as you have to sort out problems as well as deal with new situations happening.
I also found myself thinking some quite random thoughts; though maybe that's just me, and I noticed them more. But the main problem is that I felt worse. I don't just mean that I found it difficult to concentrate at times, obviously that happened; but that things seemed to be more difficult to deal with. Especially people - not that I'm great at dealing with people in general, anyway.
But it seemed almost as if people were going out of their way to be difficult sometimes. I'm guessing this wasn't actually the case, though how I'd ever find out is beyond me. But, it's great how quick it is to get back to normal (whatever that is) after a bit of rest. I had a couple of days off, which I really enjoyed (and which were mildly productive); and I feel quite different.
But what it really brings home to me is that I am not necessarily a nice person. I'm not saying I'm awful; just that it didn't take that long for me to more or less stop bothering so much with the other person's point of view. You know, why couldn't they just do what I wanted them to do - clearly that would be best for everyone.
Which is an excellent visual of what sin is. Call it 'brokenness' or 'imperfection' if you like; but it's exactly why we need God.
The prayer 'give me strength' is both a cry for help in the most stressful times, and a hope that we can be made better than we are - strong enough, good enough to change things for the better; permanently.
Annnd... rest.
It's interesting what being too tired does to you, though it doesn't feel too good at the time. My guess is that everyone has experienced it, so I don't need to go into detail here.
The most obvious thing is that you find it more difficult to think. Which not only means it's more difficult to process things, but that you are more liable to make mistakes. And not necessarily pick them up; which means you then have more to deal with, as you have to sort out problems as well as deal with new situations happening.
I also found myself thinking some quite random thoughts; though maybe that's just me, and I noticed them more. But the main problem is that I felt worse. I don't just mean that I found it difficult to concentrate at times, obviously that happened; but that things seemed to be more difficult to deal with. Especially people - not that I'm great at dealing with people in general, anyway.
But it seemed almost as if people were going out of their way to be difficult sometimes. I'm guessing this wasn't actually the case, though how I'd ever find out is beyond me. But, it's great how quick it is to get back to normal (whatever that is) after a bit of rest. I had a couple of days off, which I really enjoyed (and which were mildly productive); and I feel quite different.
But what it really brings home to me is that I am not necessarily a nice person. I'm not saying I'm awful; just that it didn't take that long for me to more or less stop bothering so much with the other person's point of view. You know, why couldn't they just do what I wanted them to do - clearly that would be best for everyone.
Which is an excellent visual of what sin is. Call it 'brokenness' or 'imperfection' if you like; but it's exactly why we need God.
The prayer 'give me strength' is both a cry for help in the most stressful times, and a hope that we can be made better than we are - strong enough, good enough to change things for the better; permanently.
Annnd... rest.
Monday, 31 March 2014
A Quiet Month
I know I haven't put up many posts this month, and I apologise for that. The main reason is that I was tired, but also I didn't actually do that much this month-mainly because I was tired. However, there were a few highlights of the month.
Quite a few were to do with human trafficking, which I wrote about in the last post. 'Nefarious' is an amazing film; I definitely recommend it. Have tissues at hand. And the praying on the streets was pretty powerful too.
In the middle of the month, our cluster did something a bit different. We went to a local care home to help out. Most people were spending their time chatting to the residents, and a few of us were painting benches. That was actually quite relaxing, and I quite enjoyed doing it. I had this nagging feeling that I should have been in the main room chatting to people, but I just couldn't manage it. I was far too tired. When I get tired, I find it difficult (well, more difficult) to talk to people, so at that point, the idea of talking to pretty much anyone was almost too much to deal with. So I painted benches. Which was nice.
And the other thing I have been doing this month is to get in touch with people I haven't seen for a while, mostly because they don't live anywhere near me-some in other countries. So I've sent a couple of cards and letters. Which was fun. And well received.
And that's about it for this month. Really, a quiet month.
Quite a few were to do with human trafficking, which I wrote about in the last post. 'Nefarious' is an amazing film; I definitely recommend it. Have tissues at hand. And the praying on the streets was pretty powerful too.
In the middle of the month, our cluster did something a bit different. We went to a local care home to help out. Most people were spending their time chatting to the residents, and a few of us were painting benches. That was actually quite relaxing, and I quite enjoyed doing it. I had this nagging feeling that I should have been in the main room chatting to people, but I just couldn't manage it. I was far too tired. When I get tired, I find it difficult (well, more difficult) to talk to people, so at that point, the idea of talking to pretty much anyone was almost too much to deal with. So I painted benches. Which was nice.
And the other thing I have been doing this month is to get in touch with people I haven't seen for a while, mostly because they don't live anywhere near me-some in other countries. So I've sent a couple of cards and letters. Which was fun. And well received.
And that's about it for this month. Really, a quiet month.
Friday, 17 January 2014
Back To Normal-ness
Well, after all the fun and games going on over Christmas and New Year, normal life was always going to be a bit...well, bland. Which is mainly why I have taken so long to write about what has happened so far in this new year.
Because so far, not much has happened; either good or bad. I mean, obviously stuff has happened, I haven't just slept for almost a fortnight (though if I had, that might be worth talking about); but, not actually much of any interest. One highlight over the last 10 days was playing 'Zombies'-definitely good to know it was just as much fun the second time around-but, you know, not really something worth talking about in detail.
And, other than that, not really much has gone on. Work has been quieter than usual, overall, I think; and I haven't really gone out much in the evenings. So, so far, January has been a lot quieter than December; which is kind of to be expected, I guess. After all, with the end of the year celebrations, there's a lot more going on in December than most other times; and, not so many people want to really do much right after that because they're exhausted/feeling poor/needing to catch up on work/etc.
So, not much has happened. Yet. But I know that things won't continue in that vein, as I know certain things that are coming up soon. For instance, I'm going to a friend's flat warming party tomorrow, and my mum and my sister both have birthdays over the next week or so. Which will be good, and give me something more to talk about-if I get the time.
However, one thing that is worth talking about is the new course/programme/thing at church. Called 'How Do I Make The Most Of My Life?' it's going to be over 5 weeks-which means it will finish in the middle of Feb. Which means I can't really tell much about it yet, as we have only done one week of it so far. But it's been powerful so far.
I would say that what I have seen so far of this year is that it seems to be giving my relationships a (needed) boost. I'm not sure if there's a particular reason, but that definitely seems to be something that God has been blessing. And I have been responding well, and enjoying it.
And the other thing, which should be pretty obvious, is that I have been doing a lot more on this blog-and hopefully, some interesting posts coming up. I have had plenty of ideas (which doesn't seem to be changing, growing if anything), so I look forward to the future in that regard as well...
Because so far, not much has happened; either good or bad. I mean, obviously stuff has happened, I haven't just slept for almost a fortnight (though if I had, that might be worth talking about); but, not actually much of any interest. One highlight over the last 10 days was playing 'Zombies'-definitely good to know it was just as much fun the second time around-but, you know, not really something worth talking about in detail.
And, other than that, not really much has gone on. Work has been quieter than usual, overall, I think; and I haven't really gone out much in the evenings. So, so far, January has been a lot quieter than December; which is kind of to be expected, I guess. After all, with the end of the year celebrations, there's a lot more going on in December than most other times; and, not so many people want to really do much right after that because they're exhausted/feeling poor/needing to catch up on work/etc.
So, not much has happened. Yet. But I know that things won't continue in that vein, as I know certain things that are coming up soon. For instance, I'm going to a friend's flat warming party tomorrow, and my mum and my sister both have birthdays over the next week or so. Which will be good, and give me something more to talk about-if I get the time.
However, one thing that is worth talking about is the new course/programme/thing at church. Called 'How Do I Make The Most Of My Life?' it's going to be over 5 weeks-which means it will finish in the middle of Feb. Which means I can't really tell much about it yet, as we have only done one week of it so far. But it's been powerful so far.
I would say that what I have seen so far of this year is that it seems to be giving my relationships a (needed) boost. I'm not sure if there's a particular reason, but that definitely seems to be something that God has been blessing. And I have been responding well, and enjoying it.
And the other thing, which should be pretty obvious, is that I have been doing a lot more on this blog-and hopefully, some interesting posts coming up. I have had plenty of ideas (which doesn't seem to be changing, growing if anything), so I look forward to the future in that regard as well...
Monday, 6 January 2014
The Last And The First
And so, for this first post about the new year, I'm starting off with the end of the last year.Nothing much happened on the Monday, so let's leap straight into New Year's Eve. I was at work during the day, same as the week before, and again, it wasn't that busy (though busier than the day before) with lots of interesting children's TV. I think-I can't actually remember. Business tailed off shortly after lunchtime, and I got told to close the shop sometime after 3, and went home. Where I tried my hardest not to fall asleep. I must have done fairly well, cos I was still going strong in the evening when me and my housemate went to a New Year's Eve party.
Which was a pretty good affair, all in all. I knew everyone there, as it wasn't a huge number; but it was a nice gathering. With lots of fun, food, and friends; and random chat. And then, all of a sudden, it was just before midnight (how did that happen?), and we all went to watch the Greenwich celebrations on TV. And then we continued to chat. I finally got home about 2ish, though I didn't get to sleep for a while after...
Which was a bad thing, really, cos I'd agreed to meet a friend in town for a hot beverage (it would be far easier to say coffee, but I can't stand the stuff). I mean that wasn't a bad thing, but not having much sleep really didn't do me much good. But we met up about 11, and stayed there about an hour before he had to go back up to Worcester. And then I went home, and once again struggled to stay awake for a while-until the evening, when I was awake again, and went to bed in the early hours of the morning again. Though this time, I didn't have to get up the next day. And that was a good thing too; as that evening, I discoverd I must have slept through my alarm-quite impressive, as I'm pretty sure it goes off every few minutes for an hour. I mean, I've never checked, but I think so. And then I got up early afternoon (because I could), and went into town. Where I went to the library, and then spent some of my gift cards on a game-as you will know from my last post. Later, me and my housemate played the game, which was all about killing zombies-and, if you're unlucky, getting killed by them. A pastime I would definitely recommend. And then I wrote a blog post-or, at least, finished it; I started it around about October time, I think. Which finishes off that day, and on my third day off that week, I did nothing. Well, I didn't leave the house, anyway. I did a few things inside, like read, but I do that most days.
And, so, this gets me all the way to Saturday, which was my first day back at work. And this was a bit different, cos I had someone else in with me. Which hasn't been the case for months. As the Gloucester branch is temporarily closed due to the roof of the bus station collapsing (not as serious as it sounds, honest), the manager of Gloucester came over. Which was nice. Especially as we were actually quite busy. And then I got home, and had to struggle to stay awake again, as I had to go out. But before that, a friend came round who I hadn't seen since before Christmas. So that was nice as well, even if I could hardly focus on what he was saying. I went off to Gloucester to see some friends I hadn't seen for a while (which reminds me, I need to email any news they haven't figured out for themselves from reading this). And again, ended up going to bed quite late.
So, that means I didn't see much of the start of Sunday, but I did go to church in the evening (after finishing off another blog post-which means this is currently my fourth post this year-how did that happen?), whic was definitely a brilliant place to be. The service itself was pretty good, but what really made it so good for me was I seemed to be catching up with loads of people I hadn't seen for a while. People coming back after Christmas; and what was absolutely amazing was seeing a friend I hadn't seen for years cos she was in Bristol, to find out that she's moved back to Cheltenham. For the forseeable future, at least. So, all in all, a wonderful start to the New Year. I definitely hope that the year continues this way-though with hopefully a bit more sleep.
Which was a pretty good affair, all in all. I knew everyone there, as it wasn't a huge number; but it was a nice gathering. With lots of fun, food, and friends; and random chat. And then, all of a sudden, it was just before midnight (how did that happen?), and we all went to watch the Greenwich celebrations on TV. And then we continued to chat. I finally got home about 2ish, though I didn't get to sleep for a while after...
Which was a bad thing, really, cos I'd agreed to meet a friend in town for a hot beverage (it would be far easier to say coffee, but I can't stand the stuff). I mean that wasn't a bad thing, but not having much sleep really didn't do me much good. But we met up about 11, and stayed there about an hour before he had to go back up to Worcester. And then I went home, and once again struggled to stay awake for a while-until the evening, when I was awake again, and went to bed in the early hours of the morning again. Though this time, I didn't have to get up the next day. And that was a good thing too; as that evening, I discoverd I must have slept through my alarm-quite impressive, as I'm pretty sure it goes off every few minutes for an hour. I mean, I've never checked, but I think so. And then I got up early afternoon (because I could), and went into town. Where I went to the library, and then spent some of my gift cards on a game-as you will know from my last post. Later, me and my housemate played the game, which was all about killing zombies-and, if you're unlucky, getting killed by them. A pastime I would definitely recommend. And then I wrote a blog post-or, at least, finished it; I started it around about October time, I think. Which finishes off that day, and on my third day off that week, I did nothing. Well, I didn't leave the house, anyway. I did a few things inside, like read, but I do that most days.
And, so, this gets me all the way to Saturday, which was my first day back at work. And this was a bit different, cos I had someone else in with me. Which hasn't been the case for months. As the Gloucester branch is temporarily closed due to the roof of the bus station collapsing (not as serious as it sounds, honest), the manager of Gloucester came over. Which was nice. Especially as we were actually quite busy. And then I got home, and had to struggle to stay awake again, as I had to go out. But before that, a friend came round who I hadn't seen since before Christmas. So that was nice as well, even if I could hardly focus on what he was saying. I went off to Gloucester to see some friends I hadn't seen for a while (which reminds me, I need to email any news they haven't figured out for themselves from reading this). And again, ended up going to bed quite late.
So, that means I didn't see much of the start of Sunday, but I did go to church in the evening (after finishing off another blog post-which means this is currently my fourth post this year-how did that happen?), whic was definitely a brilliant place to be. The service itself was pretty good, but what really made it so good for me was I seemed to be catching up with loads of people I hadn't seen for a while. People coming back after Christmas; and what was absolutely amazing was seeing a friend I hadn't seen for years cos she was in Bristol, to find out that she's moved back to Cheltenham. For the forseeable future, at least. So, all in all, a wonderful start to the New Year. I definitely hope that the year continues this way-though with hopefully a bit more sleep.
Sunday, 27 October 2013
On Being Alone
Now, some observant people may be a bit puzzled by the title, as I did say I was busy-and you can guess that that has continued, judging by the number of posts I've been putting up (i.e. not many, cos I've been busy), so what's it all about, then?
Well, just the fact that, at the moment, my housemate isn't around much at home. He got ill recently, and decided to go back to his parents for a bit, which can't be much fun for him. I still see him, cos he pops in every now and then to get stuff, but mostly, he's not here. Which means I have the house to myself-when I'm in, anyway. Which isn't that much, but I've noticed a couple of things recently.
The first is that the house is sporadically less tidy. Because things stay where I put them. And that has a good side and a bad side. The good side is that things stay where I put them, and the bad side is that things stay where I put them. Because I know things are going to stay I know I'm not going to have any difficulty finding them, so I don't worry about making sure things get put in boxes and things, which makes it quicker to get them when I want them next. But this means that certain places are very untidy. Only certain places, because I don't just drop stuff anywhere; so, sporadically less tidy.
And the other thing I've noticed is that I've been praying more. I've had more time to myself, so I've had plenty of times recently where I've just sat and prayed, sometimes with music sometimes not. I'm not sure yet what the difference is, because I haven't been praying about anything specific; I've just been spending time with God and letting Him set the agenda. mostly, there doesn't seem to have been an agenda as such, except just to relax. Which I've been doing. Which has been great in itself, but hasn't exactly pointed to anything specific. It seems that God is preparing me for something, but I'm not really sure of anything more than that at the moment. I do have some idea, but not enough to describe-it's more like hints and clues at the moment. But I am beginning to see something of what the future may hold. And some of what I became aware of during the week of prayer is definitely relevant. It's kind of like drawing a picture line by line, and as it goes on, it starts to look like one thing and then another until it's finished.
The other thing I've noticed recently is that I've been reading the Bible a lot more. Normally I don't read much of it on an ongoing basis (though I have read all of it), but recently I have been reading it quite a bit. Mostly during the times of prayer, but not always. It started off with just the occasional bit, but I noticed earlier that I had got through the whole of Luke's gospel this week, and I'm now a quarter of the way through John. This wasn't planned, except in as much as I read through the Bible and then reread it; I just did it.
So, that's what's been going on around here the last couple of weeks or so. Incidentally, for those concerned with how my housemate is, I saw him earlier today. He seemed quite happy, and was planning to go and shoot some trees in Westonbirt Arboretum. With a camera, he wanted to make clear. So, I think he's fairly well again, and will no doubt be back soon. Probably anyway.
Well, just the fact that, at the moment, my housemate isn't around much at home. He got ill recently, and decided to go back to his parents for a bit, which can't be much fun for him. I still see him, cos he pops in every now and then to get stuff, but mostly, he's not here. Which means I have the house to myself-when I'm in, anyway. Which isn't that much, but I've noticed a couple of things recently.
The first is that the house is sporadically less tidy. Because things stay where I put them. And that has a good side and a bad side. The good side is that things stay where I put them, and the bad side is that things stay where I put them. Because I know things are going to stay I know I'm not going to have any difficulty finding them, so I don't worry about making sure things get put in boxes and things, which makes it quicker to get them when I want them next. But this means that certain places are very untidy. Only certain places, because I don't just drop stuff anywhere; so, sporadically less tidy.
And the other thing I've noticed is that I've been praying more. I've had more time to myself, so I've had plenty of times recently where I've just sat and prayed, sometimes with music sometimes not. I'm not sure yet what the difference is, because I haven't been praying about anything specific; I've just been spending time with God and letting Him set the agenda. mostly, there doesn't seem to have been an agenda as such, except just to relax. Which I've been doing. Which has been great in itself, but hasn't exactly pointed to anything specific. It seems that God is preparing me for something, but I'm not really sure of anything more than that at the moment. I do have some idea, but not enough to describe-it's more like hints and clues at the moment. But I am beginning to see something of what the future may hold. And some of what I became aware of during the week of prayer is definitely relevant. It's kind of like drawing a picture line by line, and as it goes on, it starts to look like one thing and then another until it's finished.
The other thing I've noticed recently is that I've been reading the Bible a lot more. Normally I don't read much of it on an ongoing basis (though I have read all of it), but recently I have been reading it quite a bit. Mostly during the times of prayer, but not always. It started off with just the occasional bit, but I noticed earlier that I had got through the whole of Luke's gospel this week, and I'm now a quarter of the way through John. This wasn't planned, except in as much as I read through the Bible and then reread it; I just did it.
So, that's what's been going on around here the last couple of weeks or so. Incidentally, for those concerned with how my housemate is, I saw him earlier today. He seemed quite happy, and was planning to go and shoot some trees in Westonbirt Arboretum. With a camera, he wanted to make clear. So, I think he's fairly well again, and will no doubt be back soon. Probably anyway.
Thursday, 17 October 2013
And Now...
I've been pretty busy so far this month, being out more evenings than I've been in. Which is good; BUT has a couple of effects. One is that I haven't finished many books this month, and it doesn't look like that's going to change. And the other, more serious, from the point of view of doing this blog, is that I don't have as much time to do posts-and when I do, there's a lot more that I can say. Which would mean more posts, if I actually got enough time to do something about it. My guess is that that won't last forever, but to keep up with a decent number of posts, I think I'm going to cheat a bit by having more than one post in development at the same time. I'll let you know how that works out.
Two Mondays I have missed the film nights at the Wellers' now, and I'm going to miss it again this week. At least this week it's one I'm sure I can get to see at some point-'Sideways' is another friend's favourite, and I'm sure I can persuade him to watch it again at some point. Next week I think it's 'Black Swan', which I'd actually quite like to see. I shall make the effort to do so.
Tuesdays have been busy because of ALPHA, which has started again, and I'm helping with the catering again. Well, the washing up, anyway-they do have a fully qualified chef on staff. Which is fun, but it does mean I'm out one more evening a week-though I have decided I probably won't do every week, just to make sure I get some time to myself now and then. But I should be able to get on the weekend away-I've booked the time off work, just need for it to be approved now. And this Tuesday, I did something a bit different, as the Literature Festival was on-so I phoned my mum to see if she wanted to come in and we could wander around with me. She was free, so we had an enjoyable day going around. Though to be honest, we probably spent almost as much time in cafes as in the festival. But it was a good time to catch up with each other.
Wednesdays are a bit different now I have changed cluster, at the very least because this cluster meets every week. As well as knowing that I don't have to think about if cluster is on-just where it is- it's actually quite refreshing being in a new cluster, but also, because I know most of the people in it, it feels comfortable straight away. I can't really explain it any better than that, but I really like it; and I look forward to growing with it over the next few months. I don't want to look too far ahead, because I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'm really not good at predicting the future. I would never have guessed that I would change cluster, nor that I would be enjoying it so much, and that's a relatively minor change, really. Bearing that in mind, it could be quite exciting to think about what other things God may have for me in the future that I have no idea of- and probably wouldn't believe if I was told in advance.
My Thursdays are the most varied of all over the last few weeks. Two weeks ago, I was at Hungry for God, lying on the floor, as I couldn't really move. But I was spending time with God. Not sure why He wanted me to be there to get me to spend time with Him, but He did. I can remember it was very relaxing. And last week, I saw a film. That was a bit unexpected-I have a friend who has recently started a job in the Uni of Gloucestershire, and was putting on a film night. I asked if I could go along, and she was quite happy for me to join them. So I watched 'The Silver Linings Playbook' which I'd never heard of, but thoroughly recommend. It's a great film. And I got to spend some time with her, which was good; I don't really see her often enough, I think. And this week, I was back out with Street Teams. We hadn't gone out for a few weeks, as our leader was away; so, it was good to get back out there. And, tonight, we had two new people join us for the first time-Bob and Hattie (one of our new interns). And then I got home to finish writing this.
Fridays are actually my quietest evenings, I generally don't end up doing much (so why not write this then-well, I've spent long enough on it already). Quite often Saturdays are the same, but the last two have been full. On the 5th was an event called 'A Night At The Musicals', which was to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Some of the performers in Jacob's Well theatre company got together to put on an evening of song and dance pieces from some of their previous shows-with some preview teasers of the forthcoming one 'The Sound of Music'-which I'm definitely looking forward to. And then this week was Ed's birthday. So he had a party in a local pub, which he'd hired. It was a brilliant occasion, with loads of people there-the place was packed.
And that pretty much sums up my last two weeks, with all sorts of interesting things happening, keeping me out of the house most evenings. Which is great. Always good to be doing things and seeing people.
Two Mondays I have missed the film nights at the Wellers' now, and I'm going to miss it again this week. At least this week it's one I'm sure I can get to see at some point-'Sideways' is another friend's favourite, and I'm sure I can persuade him to watch it again at some point. Next week I think it's 'Black Swan', which I'd actually quite like to see. I shall make the effort to do so.
Tuesdays have been busy because of ALPHA, which has started again, and I'm helping with the catering again. Well, the washing up, anyway-they do have a fully qualified chef on staff. Which is fun, but it does mean I'm out one more evening a week-though I have decided I probably won't do every week, just to make sure I get some time to myself now and then. But I should be able to get on the weekend away-I've booked the time off work, just need for it to be approved now. And this Tuesday, I did something a bit different, as the Literature Festival was on-so I phoned my mum to see if she wanted to come in and we could wander around with me. She was free, so we had an enjoyable day going around. Though to be honest, we probably spent almost as much time in cafes as in the festival. But it was a good time to catch up with each other.
Wednesdays are a bit different now I have changed cluster, at the very least because this cluster meets every week. As well as knowing that I don't have to think about if cluster is on-just where it is- it's actually quite refreshing being in a new cluster, but also, because I know most of the people in it, it feels comfortable straight away. I can't really explain it any better than that, but I really like it; and I look forward to growing with it over the next few months. I don't want to look too far ahead, because I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'm really not good at predicting the future. I would never have guessed that I would change cluster, nor that I would be enjoying it so much, and that's a relatively minor change, really. Bearing that in mind, it could be quite exciting to think about what other things God may have for me in the future that I have no idea of- and probably wouldn't believe if I was told in advance.
My Thursdays are the most varied of all over the last few weeks. Two weeks ago, I was at Hungry for God, lying on the floor, as I couldn't really move. But I was spending time with God. Not sure why He wanted me to be there to get me to spend time with Him, but He did. I can remember it was very relaxing. And last week, I saw a film. That was a bit unexpected-I have a friend who has recently started a job in the Uni of Gloucestershire, and was putting on a film night. I asked if I could go along, and she was quite happy for me to join them. So I watched 'The Silver Linings Playbook' which I'd never heard of, but thoroughly recommend. It's a great film. And I got to spend some time with her, which was good; I don't really see her often enough, I think. And this week, I was back out with Street Teams. We hadn't gone out for a few weeks, as our leader was away; so, it was good to get back out there. And, tonight, we had two new people join us for the first time-Bob and Hattie (one of our new interns). And then I got home to finish writing this.
Fridays are actually my quietest evenings, I generally don't end up doing much (so why not write this then-well, I've spent long enough on it already). Quite often Saturdays are the same, but the last two have been full. On the 5th was an event called 'A Night At The Musicals', which was to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Some of the performers in Jacob's Well theatre company got together to put on an evening of song and dance pieces from some of their previous shows-with some preview teasers of the forthcoming one 'The Sound of Music'-which I'm definitely looking forward to. And then this week was Ed's birthday. So he had a party in a local pub, which he'd hired. It was a brilliant occasion, with loads of people there-the place was packed.
And that pretty much sums up my last two weeks, with all sorts of interesting things happening, keeping me out of the house most evenings. Which is great. Always good to be doing things and seeing people.
Monday, 7 October 2013
Funny, Serious
Well, this week so far has been a bit different. In some ways, a lot busier, for a start. And I've definitely spent more time with people, some of which was unexpected. Very much so, in fact.
Monday I finally got around to going to see a film at a friend's house. He has set up a weekly film night that he invites people to, which started with the beginning of term. This was the first one I got to, due to general tiredness and lack of organisation; and I'm very glad I did. The film this week was 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'; which it probably won't be a surprise to know that I've never seen. And for those of you who have still not seen it, I very much recommend it. It's a really good, light hearted film which stars Mickey Rooney as a Chinese man (yes, really). A good time was had by all; and it was good to catch up with them again. I don't think I'll be able to make it next week, but next week it's 'Jaws', and I'm not too bothered by missing that.
So, the next day was my day off. And I'd offered to help set up for the ALPHA launch event, which was an evening with Paul Kerensa, a comedian. Not only is he a scriptwriter for the BBC (working with Miranda and Not Going Out), he also does stand-up. Oh, and he's a Christian. So he's quite happy to work with churches on occasion. The idea was that he would do a normal length set, and then, after a break be interviewed, and a short set to conclude. So this was pretty easy to set up, as we weren't serving food, just drinks. Julie had some pretty detailed ideas of what was going to happen, and what was going where; and, as I had reflected before, I was impressed by how professional it all was.
I then went back home, as I had a couple of things to do; and then went out again just after 6. I felt it was right to pop along to the Feathered Fish first and grab something to eat, and then go in. So I went along there for a bit and chatted to Pat and Connie-and Amy, the old barmaid, popped in. She's just got a new job as a care assistant, which is great, as it's what she has been wanting to do for ages. Anyway, I wandered over to the church just in time for the beginning of the show really. I'd left the house in plenty of time, but I'd hung around chatting to people-I thought it was important. And so Paul Kerensa did his thing, which was very funny. I'd seen him before, so I knew he was good, and he didn't disappoint. And then he was interviewed, which was very interesting. He talked a bit about how being a Christian affects his life, and also what it's like being in comedy and a scriptwriter and a Christian. He mentioned that one of the biggest problems he comes up against is blasphemy in scripts-and it's never going to be a good idea to challenge it directly, so he has to come up with a better line. And then it was all over, and I helped clear up and chatted to a couple of our new interns. And then it was really all over.
And, the day after that, I joined in with my housemate's cluster group, which was meeting in our house. He said I was welcome to join them, and I didn't have anything on that evening, so I thought 'why not?', and did just that. It was a great evening, and they made me feel really welcome. I knew most of them anyway, so it wasn't that difficult to feel at home there-particularly since I was at home. After pretty much everyone had arrived, and drinks had been served, we started with Steve playing some worship songs on the piano, and then a few more people arrived. Then Ed told us a bit of his story, how he came closer to God, and then the main part of the evening happened. We talked about all sorts of things, including building community; and then the evening finished with something no-one expected at the beginning, I think. One of the bravest young women I have had ever the privilege to start to get to know told us something of her story of what has happened in her life-a story that brought tears to my eyes. I won't say anything more at the moment, except to say she is precious. If she reads this, she'll know who she is, and that's all that matters.
This was almost two weeks ago, and I have been unable to finish this until now, for various reasons. I have been a little busy, but the most important thing to say, I think, is that I have now changed cluster to join that group. Partly, at least, because I felt so welcome there. Here's to the future.
Monday I finally got around to going to see a film at a friend's house. He has set up a weekly film night that he invites people to, which started with the beginning of term. This was the first one I got to, due to general tiredness and lack of organisation; and I'm very glad I did. The film this week was 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'; which it probably won't be a surprise to know that I've never seen. And for those of you who have still not seen it, I very much recommend it. It's a really good, light hearted film which stars Mickey Rooney as a Chinese man (yes, really). A good time was had by all; and it was good to catch up with them again. I don't think I'll be able to make it next week, but next week it's 'Jaws', and I'm not too bothered by missing that.
So, the next day was my day off. And I'd offered to help set up for the ALPHA launch event, which was an evening with Paul Kerensa, a comedian. Not only is he a scriptwriter for the BBC (working with Miranda and Not Going Out), he also does stand-up. Oh, and he's a Christian. So he's quite happy to work with churches on occasion. The idea was that he would do a normal length set, and then, after a break be interviewed, and a short set to conclude. So this was pretty easy to set up, as we weren't serving food, just drinks. Julie had some pretty detailed ideas of what was going to happen, and what was going where; and, as I had reflected before, I was impressed by how professional it all was.
I then went back home, as I had a couple of things to do; and then went out again just after 6. I felt it was right to pop along to the Feathered Fish first and grab something to eat, and then go in. So I went along there for a bit and chatted to Pat and Connie-and Amy, the old barmaid, popped in. She's just got a new job as a care assistant, which is great, as it's what she has been wanting to do for ages. Anyway, I wandered over to the church just in time for the beginning of the show really. I'd left the house in plenty of time, but I'd hung around chatting to people-I thought it was important. And so Paul Kerensa did his thing, which was very funny. I'd seen him before, so I knew he was good, and he didn't disappoint. And then he was interviewed, which was very interesting. He talked a bit about how being a Christian affects his life, and also what it's like being in comedy and a scriptwriter and a Christian. He mentioned that one of the biggest problems he comes up against is blasphemy in scripts-and it's never going to be a good idea to challenge it directly, so he has to come up with a better line. And then it was all over, and I helped clear up and chatted to a couple of our new interns. And then it was really all over.
And, the day after that, I joined in with my housemate's cluster group, which was meeting in our house. He said I was welcome to join them, and I didn't have anything on that evening, so I thought 'why not?', and did just that. It was a great evening, and they made me feel really welcome. I knew most of them anyway, so it wasn't that difficult to feel at home there-particularly since I was at home. After pretty much everyone had arrived, and drinks had been served, we started with Steve playing some worship songs on the piano, and then a few more people arrived. Then Ed told us a bit of his story, how he came closer to God, and then the main part of the evening happened. We talked about all sorts of things, including building community; and then the evening finished with something no-one expected at the beginning, I think. One of the bravest young women I have had ever the privilege to start to get to know told us something of her story of what has happened in her life-a story that brought tears to my eyes. I won't say anything more at the moment, except to say she is precious. If she reads this, she'll know who she is, and that's all that matters.
This was almost two weeks ago, and I have been unable to finish this until now, for various reasons. I have been a little busy, but the most important thing to say, I think, is that I have now changed cluster to join that group. Partly, at least, because I felt so welcome there. Here's to the future.
Monday, 27 May 2013
Highlights Of The Week (And One Lowlight)
My last post was about the wedding on Star Wars Day, May 4th, so let's try to get a bit more up to date by covering just over a week, starting with May 6th, last Bank Holiday Monday.
As we did on Easter Monday, a group of us went up Cleeve Hill again, and then to the Rising Sun-definitely a good idea on all but the worst of weather. And it definitely wasn't. When we went out last time, it was nice but very cold, so we went round pretty quickly. This time, the weather was absolutely lovely, sunny and warm, so we took our time about going round and enjoyed the sunshine. We went further, and stopped at the top to admire the view. Unfortunately I don't have any pics to share, so I can only recommend you go up there and check it out for yourself. Then we had lunch at the pub, and despite the fact that it was such good weather that we were able to sit outside, it wasn't that full, so we had plenty of space. And afterwards we did something we didn't do last time, and several of us went back to my new house and relaxed with board games. We started in the garden by playing Scruples, which is something that is great fun, but dangerously unpredictable. And in the evening, some of us went out for a curry to the Kashmir.
And on Wednesday, we had a guest at our cluster. Richard Tweedy, a friend who is now a curate in a rural parish in Worcs, who was telling us some of his highlights of what he has been up to in basically his first year in the job. He told us some interesting things, such as about how he now has a lodger. One of his neighbours had to leave his house rather hurriedly for personal reasons and was in the middle of a college course, so would find it difficult to look for somewhere; so in desperation, he asked Rich if he could stay with him. Which Rich was more than happy to do. He's since invited him along to Cwmbran, and he was up for that. And the other highlight he had was a new initiative in his local village of Wichenford. There was a service in the church there, which was getting single figure numbers, so he suggested something, and they started a cafe church. Once a month, they use the village hall and have bacon butties-and talk about God. It's grown to about 40, in a place which has a pop of about 160. And one of the other villages has asked if they can do one too. More info can be found on their new website. He explained how when he started going for interviews, he had a long list of what he wanted, but somehow when he went for this position, the list more or less went out of the window. One of the things he thought he wanted was a good website, and his first task was to work with a web developer to build one-which can be found here.
I could have gone out on Friday-I was invited to a performance by some students-but I ended up not doing anything. However, Saturday I went to an anniversary BBQ in Prestbury; having discovered just how close it was. And that was a brilliant occasion; a time for catching up with friends and relaxing and laughing. May there be many more occasions just like that.
And not like what happened the following Monday, which thankfully is all over now. I got in on Monday to discover I'd done something really silly on the 3rd-I hadn't locked up properly before leaving. I met with my prayer partner as usual that evening and we prayed about it. I felt strongly that God had it in hand, and didn't want me to worry about it, and a couple of days ago I got an official letter saying that no further action would be taken. So that's all good, then. Now I just have to make sure I don't do it again. Ever.
As we did on Easter Monday, a group of us went up Cleeve Hill again, and then to the Rising Sun-definitely a good idea on all but the worst of weather. And it definitely wasn't. When we went out last time, it was nice but very cold, so we went round pretty quickly. This time, the weather was absolutely lovely, sunny and warm, so we took our time about going round and enjoyed the sunshine. We went further, and stopped at the top to admire the view. Unfortunately I don't have any pics to share, so I can only recommend you go up there and check it out for yourself. Then we had lunch at the pub, and despite the fact that it was such good weather that we were able to sit outside, it wasn't that full, so we had plenty of space. And afterwards we did something we didn't do last time, and several of us went back to my new house and relaxed with board games. We started in the garden by playing Scruples, which is something that is great fun, but dangerously unpredictable. And in the evening, some of us went out for a curry to the Kashmir.
And on Wednesday, we had a guest at our cluster. Richard Tweedy, a friend who is now a curate in a rural parish in Worcs, who was telling us some of his highlights of what he has been up to in basically his first year in the job. He told us some interesting things, such as about how he now has a lodger. One of his neighbours had to leave his house rather hurriedly for personal reasons and was in the middle of a college course, so would find it difficult to look for somewhere; so in desperation, he asked Rich if he could stay with him. Which Rich was more than happy to do. He's since invited him along to Cwmbran, and he was up for that. And the other highlight he had was a new initiative in his local village of Wichenford. There was a service in the church there, which was getting single figure numbers, so he suggested something, and they started a cafe church. Once a month, they use the village hall and have bacon butties-and talk about God. It's grown to about 40, in a place which has a pop of about 160. And one of the other villages has asked if they can do one too. More info can be found on their new website. He explained how when he started going for interviews, he had a long list of what he wanted, but somehow when he went for this position, the list more or less went out of the window. One of the things he thought he wanted was a good website, and his first task was to work with a web developer to build one-which can be found here.
I could have gone out on Friday-I was invited to a performance by some students-but I ended up not doing anything. However, Saturday I went to an anniversary BBQ in Prestbury; having discovered just how close it was. And that was a brilliant occasion; a time for catching up with friends and relaxing and laughing. May there be many more occasions just like that.
And not like what happened the following Monday, which thankfully is all over now. I got in on Monday to discover I'd done something really silly on the 3rd-I hadn't locked up properly before leaving. I met with my prayer partner as usual that evening and we prayed about it. I felt strongly that God had it in hand, and didn't want me to worry about it, and a couple of days ago I got an official letter saying that no further action would be taken. So that's all good, then. Now I just have to make sure I don't do it again. Ever.
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
Moving Out, Moving On, Settling In
I have been very busy over the past week or so, what with moving house and all. So, to go back to the end of last month, as I was doing the last bits of packing, and my mum was cleaning and telling me what to do. I was quite surprised at exactly how much cleaning there was that could be done; and, also, exactly how much cleaner the place could get. I'm certain it ended up cleaner than it was when I arrived; and it definitely had the right effect, in that I got my deposit back from the landlord pretty much straight away.
So, the next day was moving day. My new housemate came round to help move all my stuff from my place to his, while my mum was still working on my room, and at some point, I cleaned the oven. Not something I ever want to do again if I can manage it; but I guess that'll be one of those things that has to happen every so often. And so, between us, we managed to move everything from one place to the other; and I found time to sign the contracts and get the final readings from the meters, and then, I had to phone my landlord, and let him know that I'd moved out. On top of that, I wrote a poem inspired by what it could mean for me. And I also found about 20 stamps to go to the Donkey Sanctuary. Completely, totally exhausting-and I was only moving down the road.
I remember looking around at some point when almost everything was out of the place, and thinking how different it was. It was quite sad, but also quite wistful, in a way. Sort of like I could see a whole load of potential for things to be discovered. Thinking about it, it's kind of what I should be thinking about life now I'm in the new place. I don't know what's going to happen in this new place, but I'm looking forward to finding out. One thing I'm sure of, though, is that I won't be as passive in this place. To a certain extent, I'm confident that there are more opportunities here-but, mostly, I will have to go for them to a certain degree. And I aim to try. And keep trying.
Being in the new place was very different. For a start, it's a lot nicer than where I was before. I didn't think I was particularly bothered by this when I there, but now I am here, I can see the difference in how I feel. For instance, I'm much happier with the idea of inviting people round-which is a very good thing, considering we're hoping to do that a lot. When we were speaking about moving in here, my housemate said he thought God wanted him to be hospitable and pretty much have an open house. I felt that would be A Good Thing in my case, cos I'm very much capable of spending far too much time on my own if I don't have to be anywhere. I think it will be good for me to be in an environment where people will be coming round often. i'm looking forward to it...
So, the next day was moving day. My new housemate came round to help move all my stuff from my place to his, while my mum was still working on my room, and at some point, I cleaned the oven. Not something I ever want to do again if I can manage it; but I guess that'll be one of those things that has to happen every so often. And so, between us, we managed to move everything from one place to the other; and I found time to sign the contracts and get the final readings from the meters, and then, I had to phone my landlord, and let him know that I'd moved out. On top of that, I wrote a poem inspired by what it could mean for me. And I also found about 20 stamps to go to the Donkey Sanctuary. Completely, totally exhausting-and I was only moving down the road.
I remember looking around at some point when almost everything was out of the place, and thinking how different it was. It was quite sad, but also quite wistful, in a way. Sort of like I could see a whole load of potential for things to be discovered. Thinking about it, it's kind of what I should be thinking about life now I'm in the new place. I don't know what's going to happen in this new place, but I'm looking forward to finding out. One thing I'm sure of, though, is that I won't be as passive in this place. To a certain extent, I'm confident that there are more opportunities here-but, mostly, I will have to go for them to a certain degree. And I aim to try. And keep trying.
Being in the new place was very different. For a start, it's a lot nicer than where I was before. I didn't think I was particularly bothered by this when I there, but now I am here, I can see the difference in how I feel. For instance, I'm much happier with the idea of inviting people round-which is a very good thing, considering we're hoping to do that a lot. When we were speaking about moving in here, my housemate said he thought God wanted him to be hospitable and pretty much have an open house. I felt that would be A Good Thing in my case, cos I'm very much capable of spending far too much time on my own if I don't have to be anywhere. I think it will be good for me to be in an environment where people will be coming round often. i'm looking forward to it...
Thursday, 11 April 2013
Resurrection To New Life
So this week I had a week off, and was so busy I needed to go back to work for a rest-certainly a rest from spending money.
Sunday was obviously Easter, or as some of my friends prefer, Resurrection Day. That was quite busy as I started off serving at church, then went home to probably relax. I phoned a friend to see if he was around, and he said maybe, so I started to relax, when the doorbell rang to reveal my sister and niece-with chocolate. I wasn't expecting that, surprising as that might seem, but I just happened to have some thorntons chocs that I gave them, and then we played Scrabble at my niece's insistence. She's not too bad at spelling, so that went alright. And then my friend came round, so that was cosy. Not long after that I went off to church to have fun in the evening. And that was loud, a real celebration. And fun was had in the pub afterwards as well.
The next day, Monday, I went off up to the top of Cleeve Hill with a few friends. I figured that most people might be free on the bank holiday, as I was (it's nice being in a job where that's always the case), so I asked if anyone would be up for it. We had a good walk, and then went and had lunch at The Rising Sun. A great pub with great food and great company! So that was nice. And I may well try to arrange another for the next bank holiday in May-if anyone else is up for it. Let me know.
And then Tuesday, a friend of mine came down. Which I really wasn't expecting when I first booked this week off. We spent the day in town, and then tried to figure out what we would do for the rest of the week. And in the evening, my landlord came round to pick up his last rent cheque from me, along with my written notice-now I just have to actually sort myself well enough to actually do everything that needs doing before I move. And after that, another friend came round and we all prayed together. Which turned out to be mostly praying for Neil-standing in the gap for him, as it were.
Wednesday, he went off to see his folks, as it was his dad's birthday, and my mum came round to help me clean-another task that needs to be done. Thankfully, she has been helping with this from January, so there's not actually that much left to do. But it was quite an exhausting day, at least for me.
Thursday was quite interesting, as I did all sorts of things. I had an 'interview' with a friend as I'm kind of mentoring him. First time I've ever done anything like that. Then I went to Pittville Park to meet up with some other friends, who wanted to let their children run around for, well, as long as possible, really. It was nice to see them, but upon them deciding it was too cold, we went back to theirs-with chips. Which was nice. And then 3 of us went to see the Passion cycle of the mystery plays at Gloucester, which several of my friends were in. It was interesting, as they had been adapted from original scripts from the 14th century, I think. Anyway, we all enjoyed it-although they had some problems with taking the final scene seriously. Honestly. I thought it was mostly pretty good, though I was having problems with some of it, until I got it in my head it was originally written for a 14th century audience. Once I remembered that, I enjoyed it a lot.
And then Friday was also pretty busy, as we went to Stroud to see some friends we don't see very often. Being in Brimscombe, I don't see them much more often than Neil does, and he lives in Leeds. It was great to see them (and meet their lodger), and we had a nice long chat and listened to music. Sarah recommended City Harmonic to us, and I mentioned Building 429 and Collective Soul-all definitely worth listening to. And we heard their daughter's song that she had made and recorded with friends. She is going to Bethel school of worship, so all I'll say at the moment is that Bekah Jones is a name you may hear in the next few years. You heard it here first. Oh, and we had a very fine plum cake as well. And in the evening we went to AlliandDarren's again to relax without the boys, although they did come downstairs to say hello to us. Anyway, more chatting happened, and eating, and a lot of laughter.
Saturday, Neil went back to his parents for the day, so apart from popping over to Newent to buy a baptism card, I just relaxed all day. Which was nice. And then I relaxed in the evening. Which was also nice. About all I did was to write the card for the baptism the next day, as I wouldn't really be awake enough to do it in the morning. I also wrote a poem to go with it.
So, on Sunday, I had the choice of arriving 30 mins early or late, so I went for early-which meant I had to catch a 9 a.m. bus to get there in time. So then I get there, only to discover that my friend isn't getting baptised that day. I didn't get it wrong; up until the evening before she was, but because her mum was ill and couldn't make it, she'd decided to put it off. Which made me think that God has a sense of humour-last year, He told me to start visiting other churches, while not leaving mine, and this was one that I'd always intended to go to; but before that point, I just hadn't put the effort in. So I do so for a celebration which didn't happen-sort of. By which I mean there was a baptism going on, just of someone I didn't know. And then a couple of my friends turned up, who like me, had never been to that church before. Like I said, God has a sense of humour. Well, it was a great service and we all really enjoyed it-and will all definitely be back at some point. After the service was a shared lunch, so that was also good, and then they gave me a lift back. Which meant I got a bit of time to relax before going to church in the evening.
So that was a very good end to the day, as always. Enjoyable, encouraging, and helpful. And afterward, I had some with friends. Both in Trinity House and in the pub. And an encouraging chat before going to bed with Neil pledging to put some money towards me going to Afghanistan-if that happens.
And after all that, I was looking forward to getting back to work for a bit of a rest!
Sunday was obviously Easter, or as some of my friends prefer, Resurrection Day. That was quite busy as I started off serving at church, then went home to probably relax. I phoned a friend to see if he was around, and he said maybe, so I started to relax, when the doorbell rang to reveal my sister and niece-with chocolate. I wasn't expecting that, surprising as that might seem, but I just happened to have some thorntons chocs that I gave them, and then we played Scrabble at my niece's insistence. She's not too bad at spelling, so that went alright. And then my friend came round, so that was cosy. Not long after that I went off to church to have fun in the evening. And that was loud, a real celebration. And fun was had in the pub afterwards as well.
The next day, Monday, I went off up to the top of Cleeve Hill with a few friends. I figured that most people might be free on the bank holiday, as I was (it's nice being in a job where that's always the case), so I asked if anyone would be up for it. We had a good walk, and then went and had lunch at The Rising Sun. A great pub with great food and great company! So that was nice. And I may well try to arrange another for the next bank holiday in May-if anyone else is up for it. Let me know.
And then Tuesday, a friend of mine came down. Which I really wasn't expecting when I first booked this week off. We spent the day in town, and then tried to figure out what we would do for the rest of the week. And in the evening, my landlord came round to pick up his last rent cheque from me, along with my written notice-now I just have to actually sort myself well enough to actually do everything that needs doing before I move. And after that, another friend came round and we all prayed together. Which turned out to be mostly praying for Neil-standing in the gap for him, as it were.
Wednesday, he went off to see his folks, as it was his dad's birthday, and my mum came round to help me clean-another task that needs to be done. Thankfully, she has been helping with this from January, so there's not actually that much left to do. But it was quite an exhausting day, at least for me.
Thursday was quite interesting, as I did all sorts of things. I had an 'interview' with a friend as I'm kind of mentoring him. First time I've ever done anything like that. Then I went to Pittville Park to meet up with some other friends, who wanted to let their children run around for, well, as long as possible, really. It was nice to see them, but upon them deciding it was too cold, we went back to theirs-with chips. Which was nice. And then 3 of us went to see the Passion cycle of the mystery plays at Gloucester, which several of my friends were in. It was interesting, as they had been adapted from original scripts from the 14th century, I think. Anyway, we all enjoyed it-although they had some problems with taking the final scene seriously. Honestly. I thought it was mostly pretty good, though I was having problems with some of it, until I got it in my head it was originally written for a 14th century audience. Once I remembered that, I enjoyed it a lot.
And then Friday was also pretty busy, as we went to Stroud to see some friends we don't see very often. Being in Brimscombe, I don't see them much more often than Neil does, and he lives in Leeds. It was great to see them (and meet their lodger), and we had a nice long chat and listened to music. Sarah recommended City Harmonic to us, and I mentioned Building 429 and Collective Soul-all definitely worth listening to. And we heard their daughter's song that she had made and recorded with friends. She is going to Bethel school of worship, so all I'll say at the moment is that Bekah Jones is a name you may hear in the next few years. You heard it here first. Oh, and we had a very fine plum cake as well. And in the evening we went to AlliandDarren's again to relax without the boys, although they did come downstairs to say hello to us. Anyway, more chatting happened, and eating, and a lot of laughter.
Saturday, Neil went back to his parents for the day, so apart from popping over to Newent to buy a baptism card, I just relaxed all day. Which was nice. And then I relaxed in the evening. Which was also nice. About all I did was to write the card for the baptism the next day, as I wouldn't really be awake enough to do it in the morning. I also wrote a poem to go with it.
So, on Sunday, I had the choice of arriving 30 mins early or late, so I went for early-which meant I had to catch a 9 a.m. bus to get there in time. So then I get there, only to discover that my friend isn't getting baptised that day. I didn't get it wrong; up until the evening before she was, but because her mum was ill and couldn't make it, she'd decided to put it off. Which made me think that God has a sense of humour-last year, He told me to start visiting other churches, while not leaving mine, and this was one that I'd always intended to go to; but before that point, I just hadn't put the effort in. So I do so for a celebration which didn't happen-sort of. By which I mean there was a baptism going on, just of someone I didn't know. And then a couple of my friends turned up, who like me, had never been to that church before. Like I said, God has a sense of humour. Well, it was a great service and we all really enjoyed it-and will all definitely be back at some point. After the service was a shared lunch, so that was also good, and then they gave me a lift back. Which meant I got a bit of time to relax before going to church in the evening.
So that was a very good end to the day, as always. Enjoyable, encouraging, and helpful. And afterward, I had some with friends. Both in Trinity House and in the pub. And an encouraging chat before going to bed with Neil pledging to put some money towards me going to Afghanistan-if that happens.
And after all that, I was looking forward to getting back to work for a bit of a rest!
Sunday, 3 February 2013
And Then There Was One...
Well, this was a most unusual week; my flatmate finally left for Great Yarmouth on Wednesday. Wherever that is. As he has been here for several years (8? 9? I honestly can't remember), it was a bit of a shock to think that he's actually gone.
He left at 9:30 in the morning, so I stayed in my room until he'd gone. But I wasn't really sleeping. For some unknown reason, I woke at about 8, and couldn't really get back to sleep-I sort of drifted in and out for a while. So I could hear him going about his business with packing and stuff; and it was surprisingly emotional. Among other things was shock that it was actually happening, and kind of a sense of loss. Oh, alright, I'll admit it-I'll miss him. He's a nice guy to be around, and Great Yarmouth is a bit of a distance.
So I went to work as normal, cos, you know, I had to, and I don't really remember anything much about that. I'm guessing it was a pretty ordinary day-a lot of them are. And then I got back in the evening, and the place felt strange. Not that he's usually in at that time, he would often be at work, but somehow it just felt different. Thankfully, I didn't spend the whole evening on my own-a friend of mine came round to pray. Which was particularly good, as I could do with the company at the time.
So, we chatted and prayed, and had strawberry flavour cider. Which tasted like strawberries, unsurprisingly. I couldn't really see why they called it cider at all. Nice, though-I recommend it. And then tried to figure out meeting up again. It looks as though I may well be quite busy most evenings over the next week or so, which will probably be good, as I won't be able to think about things too much. I have a week off coming up, which I'm trying to work out some things to do to fill. Interesting things-I don't just want to fill it for the sake of it, I want to do things I actually want to do. Like play 'Risk'. That's probably my favourite board game, and I don't get to play it much-mainly cos even a short game takes several hours. If you play the full game, it could be a very long time. But if I've got the time off, then that may well be the time to go for it.
I was originally intending to be out Thursday and Friday evenings as well, but I ended up being too tired. And now I'm starting to find things are beginning to look slightly different. I'm starting to see the positive side of being able to do what I want to do, but I know that that will only be an advantage in the short term. The landlord wants to redecorate a bit before getting someone else in, but I hope I'm not on my own for too long. I know that's not good for me-I'm perfectly capable of not talking to anyone else for days if that happens. Which I know isn't good for me. But in the short term, change isn't a bad thing, and it's good for me to remember that.
He left at 9:30 in the morning, so I stayed in my room until he'd gone. But I wasn't really sleeping. For some unknown reason, I woke at about 8, and couldn't really get back to sleep-I sort of drifted in and out for a while. So I could hear him going about his business with packing and stuff; and it was surprisingly emotional. Among other things was shock that it was actually happening, and kind of a sense of loss. Oh, alright, I'll admit it-I'll miss him. He's a nice guy to be around, and Great Yarmouth is a bit of a distance.
So I went to work as normal, cos, you know, I had to, and I don't really remember anything much about that. I'm guessing it was a pretty ordinary day-a lot of them are. And then I got back in the evening, and the place felt strange. Not that he's usually in at that time, he would often be at work, but somehow it just felt different. Thankfully, I didn't spend the whole evening on my own-a friend of mine came round to pray. Which was particularly good, as I could do with the company at the time.
So, we chatted and prayed, and had strawberry flavour cider. Which tasted like strawberries, unsurprisingly. I couldn't really see why they called it cider at all. Nice, though-I recommend it. And then tried to figure out meeting up again. It looks as though I may well be quite busy most evenings over the next week or so, which will probably be good, as I won't be able to think about things too much. I have a week off coming up, which I'm trying to work out some things to do to fill. Interesting things-I don't just want to fill it for the sake of it, I want to do things I actually want to do. Like play 'Risk'. That's probably my favourite board game, and I don't get to play it much-mainly cos even a short game takes several hours. If you play the full game, it could be a very long time. But if I've got the time off, then that may well be the time to go for it.
I was originally intending to be out Thursday and Friday evenings as well, but I ended up being too tired. And now I'm starting to find things are beginning to look slightly different. I'm starting to see the positive side of being able to do what I want to do, but I know that that will only be an advantage in the short term. The landlord wants to redecorate a bit before getting someone else in, but I hope I'm not on my own for too long. I know that's not good for me-I'm perfectly capable of not talking to anyone else for days if that happens. Which I know isn't good for me. But in the short term, change isn't a bad thing, and it's good for me to remember that.
Wednesday, 5 December 2012
Change
I had an unusual week last week, which started off with the visit to Leeds, and it made me think. After getting back, I spent 2 days working in the Gloucester shop, which was different; and then 2 days working on my own, partly due to another member of staff going to hospital (thankfully, he's alright, but will be off for several more days), which was unexpected. So, different and unexpected set the tone for the next few days...
Like, for instance, seeing a friend I hadn't seen for ages. Which was great. Or, phoning my mum and finding out that we'll be spending Christmas at my sister's new place-that I haven't been to yet. Unexpected because we don't usually do that, and different because it's a new place. So that will be great. Different, unexpected, great. However, the biggest two things (Thing One and Thing Two) are quite a bit different-mainly because they're so big. My flatmate told me that he's decided to move out and move back home-to Great Yarmouth-which means that things are all up in the air at the moment as to what is going to happen. All that is certain is that he is definitely leaving at the end of the month. So, that's huge. And, then, a friend mentions that he will be moving soon, and asks if I want to move in with him. I don't know yet, but I'm definitely not dismissing the idea out of hand. So, whatever happens here, there will be some big changes in my life coming up soon.
And all this made me think about change. I don't really like change. I deal with things slowly, and I like it that way. I know for a fact that if I'd been offered the chance to move before my flatmate decided to move, I almost certainly wouldn't have taken it. And I'd have felt maybe disappointed at an opportunity lost, despite the fact that it would have been my choice. So, what does that say about me-and about life? Well, the main thing to get, that these past few days have reminded me forcefully, is that life is unpredictable. Of course, it's easy to say that, and to say that we believe it; but it's not so easy not only to live knowing it, but also to get to a state where that is (more or less) comfortable. But if that's the way life is, then there's nothing we can do about that; so it's better to accept that and learn to enjoy it. Another point, which is huge but seems small, is that change isn't either good or bad necessarily. Obviously some things are good or bad, but most things just are. And the final point I need to remember-maybe you do too- is that not changing can be in itself a bad thing; it can actually be worse than most changes eventually. So, time to change..?
Like, for instance, seeing a friend I hadn't seen for ages. Which was great. Or, phoning my mum and finding out that we'll be spending Christmas at my sister's new place-that I haven't been to yet. Unexpected because we don't usually do that, and different because it's a new place. So that will be great. Different, unexpected, great. However, the biggest two things (Thing One and Thing Two) are quite a bit different-mainly because they're so big. My flatmate told me that he's decided to move out and move back home-to Great Yarmouth-which means that things are all up in the air at the moment as to what is going to happen. All that is certain is that he is definitely leaving at the end of the month. So, that's huge. And, then, a friend mentions that he will be moving soon, and asks if I want to move in with him. I don't know yet, but I'm definitely not dismissing the idea out of hand. So, whatever happens here, there will be some big changes in my life coming up soon.
And all this made me think about change. I don't really like change. I deal with things slowly, and I like it that way. I know for a fact that if I'd been offered the chance to move before my flatmate decided to move, I almost certainly wouldn't have taken it. And I'd have felt maybe disappointed at an opportunity lost, despite the fact that it would have been my choice. So, what does that say about me-and about life? Well, the main thing to get, that these past few days have reminded me forcefully, is that life is unpredictable. Of course, it's easy to say that, and to say that we believe it; but it's not so easy not only to live knowing it, but also to get to a state where that is (more or less) comfortable. But if that's the way life is, then there's nothing we can do about that; so it's better to accept that and learn to enjoy it. Another point, which is huge but seems small, is that change isn't either good or bad necessarily. Obviously some things are good or bad, but most things just are. And the final point I need to remember-maybe you do too- is that not changing can be in itself a bad thing; it can actually be worse than most changes eventually. So, time to change..?
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
DESTRUCTION!!! Part 1 (Eve of Destruction!)
Well, another weekend when I was busy. Very busy this time. This time I was down London way for the third Destruction Fest-a Christian metal festival put on by a church called Glorious Undead, who have a particular desire to reach out to those in that music scene. They are linked to the Elim network, and work together with St Michael's, Camden Town, where they are based.
I first heard rumours of a planned D-Fest several months ago, which was exciting, as it's by no means a regular occurrence; the last one was three years ago. They do them every so often, as they are not a money making venture-the last one was free, and this one was to raise money for a local homeless charity, where they pledged to double whatever money was raised over the weekend. So, it's not something they feel they can make a regular feature in their calendar. I guess that's the reason, anyway.
So, quite a few people I know were at the least intrigued when these rumours started circulating, rumours which quickly became confirmed fact. So I knew I wanted to go, and a couple of others who might want to go as well, so it was just down to whether we would. I talked about going for quite some time without doing anything about it, until I got to a point where I just had to make a decision. So I spoke to one of my friends, and said 'so, are we going or what?'-nothing like passing the buck when it comes to decision making. Anyway, the upshot was that we decided we would go, so we left it that he would book us somewhere to stay in London. There were a couple of practical reasons for this. one was that he is much better with computers than me, so I expected he would do it no problem (whereas I would probably procrastinate-no, make that definitely); and second, at that point, he wasn't sure exactly when he would come down, or if he would stay for the whole weekend, so it made sense for him to work that out, and then let me know what he'd sorted. And it had the added advantage that, if he was doing that, I could assume that it was happening, so I wouldn't change my mind. Probably. So, I booked the time off work (you know, quite useful to know I could go), and then pretty much forgot about it. Until just a few weeks away, when I realised we hadn't sorted anything definite out. It got slightly more complex on each side when we each found other things to do that weekend-some in London, some not. So, after a couple of frantic couple of phone calls, we finally worked out where we would be staying, and (important) where it was in relation to the places we wanted to go over the weekend-4 in total. And then I realised I hadn't done anything about sorting out transport, with less than a week to go. Thankfully, it's pretty easy to get to London-seems quite a few people want to go there. The only slight difficulty was that a friend wanted to show me a church in London, and I'd said I could do this weekend and then hadn't heard any more about it from her. Were we going or not? How long would I need to stay in London? (As it turned out, probably longer than I did.) I booked my ticket there, so at least I knew I could get there, and then I was ready. As ready as I ever am, anyway.
So, on Friday morning, I got up bright and early (well, alright, not early); and got myself ready. I had plenty of time, so I left the house with just enough time to catch the coach. Well, actually plenty of time, as it was late-not that that mattered much as I had about 4 hours to play with at the other end. And I still managed to arrive late to the prayer meeting which kicked the whole weekend off. But, at least I HAD ARRIVED...
I first heard rumours of a planned D-Fest several months ago, which was exciting, as it's by no means a regular occurrence; the last one was three years ago. They do them every so often, as they are not a money making venture-the last one was free, and this one was to raise money for a local homeless charity, where they pledged to double whatever money was raised over the weekend. So, it's not something they feel they can make a regular feature in their calendar. I guess that's the reason, anyway.
So, quite a few people I know were at the least intrigued when these rumours started circulating, rumours which quickly became confirmed fact. So I knew I wanted to go, and a couple of others who might want to go as well, so it was just down to whether we would. I talked about going for quite some time without doing anything about it, until I got to a point where I just had to make a decision. So I spoke to one of my friends, and said 'so, are we going or what?'-nothing like passing the buck when it comes to decision making. Anyway, the upshot was that we decided we would go, so we left it that he would book us somewhere to stay in London. There were a couple of practical reasons for this. one was that he is much better with computers than me, so I expected he would do it no problem (whereas I would probably procrastinate-no, make that definitely); and second, at that point, he wasn't sure exactly when he would come down, or if he would stay for the whole weekend, so it made sense for him to work that out, and then let me know what he'd sorted. And it had the added advantage that, if he was doing that, I could assume that it was happening, so I wouldn't change my mind. Probably. So, I booked the time off work (you know, quite useful to know I could go), and then pretty much forgot about it. Until just a few weeks away, when I realised we hadn't sorted anything definite out. It got slightly more complex on each side when we each found other things to do that weekend-some in London, some not. So, after a couple of frantic couple of phone calls, we finally worked out where we would be staying, and (important) where it was in relation to the places we wanted to go over the weekend-4 in total. And then I realised I hadn't done anything about sorting out transport, with less than a week to go. Thankfully, it's pretty easy to get to London-seems quite a few people want to go there. The only slight difficulty was that a friend wanted to show me a church in London, and I'd said I could do this weekend and then hadn't heard any more about it from her. Were we going or not? How long would I need to stay in London? (As it turned out, probably longer than I did.) I booked my ticket there, so at least I knew I could get there, and then I was ready. As ready as I ever am, anyway.
So, on Friday morning, I got up bright and early (well, alright, not early); and got myself ready. I had plenty of time, so I left the house with just enough time to catch the coach. Well, actually plenty of time, as it was late-not that that mattered much as I had about 4 hours to play with at the other end. And I still managed to arrive late to the prayer meeting which kicked the whole weekend off. But, at least I HAD ARRIVED...
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
What I didn't do at the weekend.
Well, I know I said I don't go out much, but as of Thursday eve, it looked like I might be having a very busy weekend this one just gone. Shame it didn't quite work out that way.
On Friday, I could have gone to a talk about climate change by a local group with links to Christian Ecology Link, which sounded interesting. Saturday I was supposed to be watching a couple of friends torment themselves with (very) hot chillis-I may have even be persuaded to join them. And I was reminded that I was invited to lunch with some friends, after which we were intending to Skype a friend in China Sunday afternoon. So, what actually happened?
Well, I went out Friday evening with the best of intentions. I was quite looking forward to the talk, even though I felt so tired I could well have fallen asleep, but I couldn't find it. Seriously. It shouldn't have been that difficult, but for some reason, it was. I wandered up and down the street a couple of times, but didn't find anywhere obviously being a venue for a talk on climate change. I was actually quite irritated-not so much because I didn't get to go, but because it shouldn't have happened that way. And I'm now slightly bothered as to where this venue actually is. Maybe I'll find it one day. Saturday was a similar story, in that I was fully intending to go, but didn't get there-this time, I didn't even leave the house. I got home from work (admittedly going via Costa), and then fell asleep. That wouldn't have been so much of a problem, if I'd managed to get a lift-I did ask a friend who lives round the corner, but she got taken ill and couldn't go out. So, it would have taken me about an hour to get there. That's the problem when you don't drive-things take so much longer than they otherwise might. Anyway, I was tired, and really not up to a long journey. So I didn't go. Shame. By all accounts, much amusement was derived from seeing them change colour after they ate the chillis. And I missed it!
And on Sunday, it was a bit up in the air as to whether I would get out in the afternoon after my landlord said he was coming round to pick up the rent cheques. Which could have been any time from about 2. I did think about going along earlier and then getting back here for 2, but it's a good thing I didn't, as he actually came about quarter to 2. Which is pretty much unheard of. I can't remember a time when he's been early before. So, then, I had the important decision of whether to go and catch up with what they were up to. And God told me to stay in and pray for a bit-thankfully they weren't expecting me. So, that turned out to be quite relaxing, just spending time with God. My flatmate was out, so there were no interruptions, and I could just kind of sit. With God. Which was brilliant-I definitely recommend it.
So, was that it? Did I actually go anywhere that weekend? Well, yes actually-Sunday evening I went to an event called Seek His Face, which was set up by a couple of friends. Other friends. Although they mostly know each other. The idea is for people from different churches to get togeher and worship. Together. It's been at the same place the first couple of times, but the idea is it will move around. The next two are pretty much planned already-come along if you can! Anyway, I went along and worshipped. On my own. And I wasn't the only one doing so. I looked round occasionally, and saw most of the people around the walls pretty much spending time with Him on their own, though in company. God was there in a most powerful but gentle way-at least for me. It was kind of an extension of what I was doing in the afternoon. I can't remember asking him anything or Him telling me anything, but I was very aware that He was there. With me, around me, in me. Always. I'm definitely looking forward to the next 'Seek His Face' event.
So, what did I learn from that-apart from that it's alway worth spending time with God. Just that things don't always work out the way you plan, or even think they might; but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Just a thing. There's an old Jewish saying quoted by Woody Allen-'if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans'-and, if that's the case, I need to remember to hold on to things loosely.
On Friday, I could have gone to a talk about climate change by a local group with links to Christian Ecology Link, which sounded interesting. Saturday I was supposed to be watching a couple of friends torment themselves with (very) hot chillis-I may have even be persuaded to join them. And I was reminded that I was invited to lunch with some friends, after which we were intending to Skype a friend in China Sunday afternoon. So, what actually happened?
Well, I went out Friday evening with the best of intentions. I was quite looking forward to the talk, even though I felt so tired I could well have fallen asleep, but I couldn't find it. Seriously. It shouldn't have been that difficult, but for some reason, it was. I wandered up and down the street a couple of times, but didn't find anywhere obviously being a venue for a talk on climate change. I was actually quite irritated-not so much because I didn't get to go, but because it shouldn't have happened that way. And I'm now slightly bothered as to where this venue actually is. Maybe I'll find it one day. Saturday was a similar story, in that I was fully intending to go, but didn't get there-this time, I didn't even leave the house. I got home from work (admittedly going via Costa), and then fell asleep. That wouldn't have been so much of a problem, if I'd managed to get a lift-I did ask a friend who lives round the corner, but she got taken ill and couldn't go out. So, it would have taken me about an hour to get there. That's the problem when you don't drive-things take so much longer than they otherwise might. Anyway, I was tired, and really not up to a long journey. So I didn't go. Shame. By all accounts, much amusement was derived from seeing them change colour after they ate the chillis. And I missed it!
And on Sunday, it was a bit up in the air as to whether I would get out in the afternoon after my landlord said he was coming round to pick up the rent cheques. Which could have been any time from about 2. I did think about going along earlier and then getting back here for 2, but it's a good thing I didn't, as he actually came about quarter to 2. Which is pretty much unheard of. I can't remember a time when he's been early before. So, then, I had the important decision of whether to go and catch up with what they were up to. And God told me to stay in and pray for a bit-thankfully they weren't expecting me. So, that turned out to be quite relaxing, just spending time with God. My flatmate was out, so there were no interruptions, and I could just kind of sit. With God. Which was brilliant-I definitely recommend it.
So, was that it? Did I actually go anywhere that weekend? Well, yes actually-Sunday evening I went to an event called Seek His Face, which was set up by a couple of friends. Other friends. Although they mostly know each other. The idea is for people from different churches to get togeher and worship. Together. It's been at the same place the first couple of times, but the idea is it will move around. The next two are pretty much planned already-come along if you can! Anyway, I went along and worshipped. On my own. And I wasn't the only one doing so. I looked round occasionally, and saw most of the people around the walls pretty much spending time with Him on their own, though in company. God was there in a most powerful but gentle way-at least for me. It was kind of an extension of what I was doing in the afternoon. I can't remember asking him anything or Him telling me anything, but I was very aware that He was there. With me, around me, in me. Always. I'm definitely looking forward to the next 'Seek His Face' event.
So, what did I learn from that-apart from that it's alway worth spending time with God. Just that things don't always work out the way you plan, or even think they might; but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Just a thing. There's an old Jewish saying quoted by Woody Allen-'if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans'-and, if that's the case, I need to remember to hold on to things loosely.
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