Thursday, June 28, 2007

Leadership, giftings and a beautiful garden


(Scattered through here are piccies of my garden - see the end for further details!)

I've now finished a year-long leadership training course run at my church called Growing Leaders. We met once a month and for away-days and looked at various subjects.


  • Firstly I am very impressed with the level of training and support us leaders are getting, especially as having talked to many friends from other churches, they would love something like this as it's just not happening chez them.
  • Secondly it has confirmed a lot of things (as training often does on a topic you have been doing for a while anyway).
  • Thirdly, it reminded me of what I really enjoy doing, and consequently I have joined the group researching and consulting the church and Prestonville (our Parish name) communities to see what they need and want to help reach conclusions about what to do with our church building and the church hall a few roads away. This really gets me excited, and we've just started planning the approach.
  • Fourthly, each of us had a mentor for the leadership course and I am grateful that it has put me in touch with Martine who is a wonderful French lady I hadn't met before. She's great, and every time I meet with her I come away remembering what I love about France, and how much more there is to explore than little England.
At Church we have been having sermons on spiritual gifts and have been praying for them as the Bible says God will give them and they are useful for building the church (eg words of wisdom, healing, prophecy, interpretation of tongues etc). I am testing out (by doing it) what God seems to have given me which is words and pictures which I just seem to get in my mind when I'm praying sometimes. Most recently I've had a couple which when I've said out loud or to the person I think they were for, have resonated with them, which is positive. Frankly it's a bit of a tricky gift because as humans we associate pictures and words in our minds all the time, and so of course you can explain it away as something co-incidental or just from me. However, I am being practical about it and trying it out, and having faith that I have heard from God. I have no idea if I may get prophetic things from God to pass on, but those of you who believe in the God I do, please pray for me and more pray for St Luke's and that we will be receptive to what God is up to. I also personally heard words in my head back (not in a mad sense!) in January during one of the services talking about building joy and also about God wanting to build on the firm foundations he had laid in me. I wrote it down but didn't tell anyone, but again those things were written down and given to me from two different people recently as they had been praying for individuals on the leadership course. I know I shouldn't doubt God, but it is always amazing to get a reminder (or several) that he knows about me as an individual and cares about everything to do with me.

Sorry if you don't believe in all that!, but I just wanted to share what has been gong on with me spiritually.

And to finish this mammoth post here are some pictures of my garden which my parents and I finished last weekend and is now in full bloom.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Not quite inconclusion, and types of clothes days

Sort of inconclusion
Today I met with Natalie my boss, and Peter her boss to discuss my career break. We talked through the things that need to be thought about, that needed to be done, and that needed to be checked (ie how the work might be covered by someone else, writing a project plan for reviewing the Community Strategy, and talking to HR and the PCT who part fund my post).

The conclusion is that the District Council are happy for me to go (and come back!) but before I can actually book a ticket I need the agreement of the PCT as well. This shouldn't be a problem, although you never know.

Presuming they say yes, if anyone has great has advice about what sort of ticket I should get for a 12 month return or where I should get it, I'd be very grateful.

Clothes
Jen and I on camp used to sense some mornings that it was a skirt day. You can just tell in the morning.... Today it would appear that it was a black t-shirt and black and white skirt day as Natalie and another colleague Jacqui were in almost identical clothes (Monsoon junkies...). Watch out for those days.

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Mini-Happiness, Or Gifts from Strangers

I boarded the train to come home yesterday and sat opposite a man. He had several small squares of pink card on the table between us and he was folding one. Rather dismissively I thought 'uh oh, freak' and tried to keep looking out of the window, but the next time I looked back he had folded it into the most amazing little pig!

The train journey is only very short and we both got up to leave at Hove. He must have seen me looking at the tiny origami pig because he pushed it towards me.

The little pig is now sitting on top of my computer. Pictures below. Thank you stranger with an ASLEF identity chord. Train drivers clearly have deeper creative talents than I give them credit for.

Friday, June 1, 2007

My walk home

Yesterday evening I walked back to Hove after a meeting in Brighton, and this is some of what I saw and thought:

Pretty bandstand still being repaired.








My feet in my Crocs.











Colours are nice.









The pier looks quite dramatic today.







Friends having a sit down.








God bless Brighton and Hove.







We love boys playing football.









Why is there a random yellow pole here? (the sticker did not provide any clues).










Cool.











What is the point in putting a flag up when you can't work out what it says? (and even then what that means).

And - oh dear look at the clouds.








6k/7k? The true price of beach huts on the Brighton/Hove border?











It's me!