New Kid on the Blog

It's been a very long time since I've used this blog, but now seems like a good time to return. I've missed writing things to throw out into the ether, and the interactions and relationships which came from them and I've certainly missed the wisdom which has been shared in response to what I post. I think I should say something of why things have been so quiet here. It's partly because this was an outlet, a way of expressing the quirky world of Clergy life in rural England - where collegial relationships were limited and a (somewhat overworked) Vicar needed to have a place to think out loud. That changed when I came here to Canada, way back in July 2013, as I found myself on a team of lay and ordained ministers who gave each other space to think, to muse, to discuss, to learn. It was, and is, a liberation - and though that team has changed composition over this past six years it continues to be a creative, supportive partnership, Another reason for les...

Amongst all the things I have discovered since I arrived in Victoria, I didn't expect to discover, or rediscover, Country Music.  I grew up listening to Slim Whitman, Johnny Cash and Marty Robbins and others (Many of the Irish families I know love Country and Western Music).  Following a Clergy Day last week I was reminded by the Bishop of a somewhat 'guilty pleasure' I have of enjoying Country Music, though I must admit on the whole my tastes to veer to New Country! There are two things I have discovered here - one of them is Country Music in French - a genre I should've realised existed as I have seen such wonders as French Country Music albums in French stores, but the fact of French Country as a genre somehow never quite clicked. The other discovery is that Canada has a thriving Country scene of its own.  Not a great leap of imagination to realise that is the case, the 'Western Spirit' is strong in this pioneer nation.  I always think of Country as '...

It was my privilege today to preach at the weekly '12 Step Eucharist' which takes place at Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria on Tuesday evenings.  I chose the theme, taken from the Lections from the Tuesday for Holy Week, of Death and Resurrection (surprise, a very unexpected theme for Holy Week...) As it won't be shared anywhere else, for the time being, here's a taster, the full text is on my ' New Kid Deep Stuff ' blog (where old sermons go to receive their rest) Tuesday in Holy Week 2014 – 12 Step Eucharist Ps 71:1–14 Jn 12:20–36 Death and resurrection We don’t like talking about death.   At least as a society we steer clear of talking about death.   It’s a strange reversal on the Victorian era where they took almost a delight in all the things that surrounded death, they observed mourning very visibly and even took pictures of deceased loved ones – known as momento mori – to keep.   But they were very uptight indeed about sex and (the urban...

Feeling drawn to blogging again - my time has been so full that the process which pulled me here in the first place had little time to function... crumbs, being away has certainly not made me clearer. Let's try again - I've been so busy I've not had time to think, let alone write... That's better. So having managed to lose most of my regulars, if not all, what do I do now?  A BIG relaunch - get the word out that New Kid (well it was a relatively clever name when I started) is back?  Or do I just gently slide back into blogging and hope things pick back up.  That's certainly more my style Since I last wrote things have certain moved on for me personally and with regards to the communites I am still trying to serve as best I can!   There's some folk I have lost touch with and need to rekindle those relationships; I've been incredibly busy, too busy, and need to get some space and order back into my life; I've spent a fair amount of time findin...

Me: Should I join group X? Gorgeous Wife (henceforth GW): No Me: Should I stand for General Synod in the September elections? GW: No Me: Should I offer to take over as Rural Dean when current one stands down? GW: No Me: Should I start a new....? GW: No Me: How about....? GW: No GW: Don't do too much. Some of the most sound words I have heard for a while, said by someone who cares...

As the wind whistles around my blog and the tumbleweeds blow up the street you may be forgiven for thinking that I have given up on blogging altogether. I haven't, honest, and I do try and get around and visit as many of the blogs I link to as possible as frequently as possible! I still value the insight and food for thought I get from my blog buddies, I like the challenges I read from those who see things differently to me and I wish I had more time to offer my own reflections here for those who are kind enough to respond and react. It comes down to time - blogging takes thought and time (though you may not think so looking at the quality of some of my previous posts!). I have discovered that the time I have for blogs and twitter and Facebook, all of which I enjoy and appreciate, has had to take a back seat to the other things which fill my life - particularly my Ministry, my family and my friends. I am sure you'll all be pleased at my attempts to have some kind of work/li...

Ok, so I thought I would get back into the swing of this blogging business and after that wee flurry of postings earlier in the week decided to hold off a day or two before the next round - then the lurgy struck! I think I picked up the same sickness bug that my children had at the end of last week, whatever it was/is it has taken two days out of my week and I am still feeling grim and not eating - though my wife says the not eating is a good thing! I am disappointed that I didn't feel well enough to take the Ascension Day service this evening and grateful that I have a very able and gracious Associate Priest who took on those duties. I think that in the past sixteen or so years I have only missed one other Asc Day service, so am a bit glum about it, but not only did I feel a bit ropey, I didn't want to be spreading any sickness around! When I did finally make it out of bed today I made myself sit in front of my PC and wrote all the articles and bits and bobs I needed to sen...

One of the many diversions I have in life, which also enhance things somewhat, is my role as a reviewer of Albums for Cross Rhythms, a Christian music website and of books for Christian Marketplace, a rather interesting publication that goes to (the few remaining) Christian booksellers and those interested in recently published books. At the moment I have three Albums for which I should really have completed the reviews a couple of weeks ago, and four books two of which I have read - which were rather good. The time to actually sit down and review these coherently is lacking, though, and when I do have a bit of time to myself I actually want to get on and read, or pray, or just 'be'... Sometimes the incentive to get these things done is just not there! When I get them done I may well post them, it will add to the sense of achievement I have now I have found what exists under those papers that previously were scattered all over my study... I suspect I will have one of those e...

Hi all It has been far too long, but things have stacked up, piled up, fallen over, been piled up again, been sorted, then left a bit, then stacked up again, put into new piles, fallen over etc etc etc I am slighty freaked out that I won lovely Quilly's 'Punny Monday' over at http://quilldancer.com/ and haven't written anything on this blog for ages, so feel I have wasted time (as the prize is being the featured blog of the week) and squandered the opportunity to have good folk come and make comments about my blog, life, faith, whatever. So apologies. When life gets a little less busy, and I am sure it will one day soon, I will give this blog the time it deserves and you good folk with have something to comment/reflect/muse on and I will look forward to doing that. For now - have a very Happy and Blessed Easter, and may the risen life of Christ be yours today and always! Alleluia Christ is risen! He is risen indeed - Alleluia!

It has been a good day. Having been ill for a couple of days this week (just a bug or something I ate) I was concerned that getting the last minute planning done for our special service this morning might not be achievable - but it was, the music group did well, the readers read well, the children leading prayers was good, the Puppets were fantastic - even my short thought (rather than sermon) was well received. It was a very unusual service in some ways. We had a visit from the 'Chuppets' - the local Community Church Puppet group who retold (in a very engaging and entertaining way) the story of Jesus stilling the storm. Because this was an unusual visit we had a 'Mission Community Service' which was the only morning service (except for an early Holy Communion) for the five parishes of this group. It meant that we used the format for what is called 'A Service Of The Word' and this allowed us to have a different feel and shape to our Sunday by Sunday worship...

In a supreme irony, it only seems like yesterday when I resolved to keep blogging! And here I am two months later wondering why I stopped for so long... and wondering why, at nearly quarter to two in the morning I am here now. The truth is that I have thought often about things to say but not been sure how to say them. A few things have hit me in the past couple of months and I've not been sure about what to say about them. First of all was the death of George, one of those who was always so enthusiastic and supportive about me keeping up a blog, George died of the cancer he had been fighting for some years, long before I was privileged to meet him. I feel guilty that the weeks before he died were so busy that I didn't get to see him, and the end came (mercifully) quickly, and surprised us all. George's death was surrounded and followed by a number of other funerals, some of which were quite difficult. Death is never easy, but some circumstances compound the pain and hu...

Today is the anniversary of my ordination, thirteen years ago I was a pale and trembling youth ascending the steps to St Paul's Cathedral to be ordained by the Bishop of London under the cross which sits upon the central dome of London's famous landmark. Actually, I wasn't pale, but I was trembling, and the weight of responsibility that came from that day, the 'cure of souls' shared with the Bishop, firstly of London (& Kensington), then Ely (& Huntingdon), and now Exeter (& Crediton) - the bracketed names are Suffragan/Area Bishops who work under the authority of the Diocesan Bishop - that weight of responsibility has never left me and I still feel hugely privileged to be serving the Church and the Communities in which I am set. I didn't have any particular 'celebration' of the day, but after doing an Assembly for the local school, then spending the morning doing admin, I went to visit a woman, aged 100, to share Communion with her and her h...

Thought I would point towards this excellent thought by ' Liturgy ' about saying sorry , and to remind you of some thoughts which contain a similar point here ... A good day, despite a ridiculous amount of admin - a reminder though that the organisation of certain services is crucial to meet the needs of certain people. I am in the process of arranging two funerals, which need time and effort to make them appropriate to the two important, special people we are saying farewell to. I am also putting together a service for Pentecost which will, for a good number of people, be an important observance of the birth of the Church and a reminder of God's promise of sustenance, life, comfort and joy through the gift of the Spirit. As the Archdeacon of Cambridgeonce said to me - don't think of the admin, think of the people who will benefit from your planning and preparation. A day of admin (with a couple of visits, including a deathbed visit that, through the grace of God, tu...

I have endeavoured to make this blog if not a place of full disclosure, then at least somewhere I've been honest about things which have gone on, without mentioning names or places usually as I don't want to be either pastorally insensitive or seen to be critical of people. It's difficult sometimes to know just how much to say about oneself on a blog, particularly being in a very public, very well known position. A position which carries with it some responsibility for the well being for the people and places in my care. So when I found a lump on my neck, where my lymph gland is, I was not only anxious that it might be something sinister, but apprehensive as to how much I should share with people. Hence my recent silence. It is natural, for most of us, to think the worst when something like this appears, and I didn't want to worry my parishes without reason. Whatever my own personal strengths and weaknesses, the people in our Church congregations invest a certain a...

There are various reasons why I've not been blogging for a couple of weeks, but just to keep you all in suspense, the likelihood is that I won't be doing much for the next few days either, sorry. Something has cropped up that is preoccupying me, but that I can't quite say anything about yet. When the time comes I suspect you won't be able to shut me up, but for now I am afraid that this all consuming thought isn't for general consumption... So, here's sermons that I should have posted before... One from last Sunday, now I must confess this to be a rewrite, I was poorly last week, and didn't have time or energy to write a full sermon, so used the shape of a previous one and built on it. Easter 5 (2009) Year B RCL Principal John 15.1-8 Pruning & Growing As anyone who has talked to me about growing, sowing, weeding and reaping will know, I am not a gardener – and one of the attractions of moving to the Five Alive Mission Community was a generous offer by...

Looking back over various posts, twitters, fb updates and all the integrated social media stuff I do I am slightly concerned that I give the impression that I am over-busy.... Yes, I am busy, and keen to let people know what ministers do, and that we have plenty that keeps us occupied, but I realise that I am implying by my postings that I am stressed out and overworked. I'm not. I have days where I work ridiculous hours, I admit, when from getting up in the morning to getting to bed late I seem to be doing stuff for Church. But I also have days where I spend a lot of time at home, I get to do some reading, be with my wife and family, get a bit of admin done (a chore but not too painful) and have the evening at home in front of the telly, or whatever. I try to get some balance in my life, and I am enjoying the place I am and the ministry i have the privilege to exercise a huge amount. There are also some significantly rewarding parts to the role which I perform, people who make ...

I have had in the back of my mind to blog for the past few days, but sitting down and committing thoughts to paper, or ether, has been an elusive process for me. Thank you for birthday wishes, it was a very good weekend with some pleasant surprises - particularly some of the friend's lovely wife invited for the celebrations. Good party on Saturday night, the local pub did us proud, with a smaller, very pleasant, meal out together at a pub on the blustery seafront at Lyme Regis on Sunday. I can recommend the Harbour inn (apart from slightly grumpy restaurant manager, but I think Maitre D'Hotel's are meant to be like that, tradition or an old charter or something). Monday saw a day 'conference' on the title of 'Moving On With Your Mission Community' to which I went (late, due to Assembly commitments with the local school) with two 'Lay Leaders' from the local Churches. It was a day which talked about the difficulties and joys of learning to work in...

One of the reasons that I've not had much time to stop and think lately is because I have had, in the past three days, a wedding, a baptism and a funeral. Unusual to have all three so close together, but with all the preparation and visiting that goes with such events alongside the usual commitments of Church and village life it has been something of a whirl over this past week or so. Things are going well despite all this busy-ness. I have moments where I think I would quite like to just stop, or get away, but that's more to do with fatigue than any great issues over the job or the direction things are going. We are just, as a 'Mission Community' seeking to figure out a bit more of where we are going, what official setup we need to impose on our group of parishes, what the pattern of Sunday services should be etc. In some ways, as I may have said before (brain is a bit fuzzy at the moment) this is where the 'rubber hits the road' as far as my role as Vicar t...

It constantly amazes me how tasteless I can be! Worth explaining that opening statement, I think. No matter how much I have learnt, no matter how many different music tastes or styles or genres I have been exposed to, or how much theatre I have experienced, or books I have read, or art i have appreciated, some things never change. I still love REO Speedwagon's 'Roll With the Changes'. I finally got around to adding it to my iTunes library this evening, and my iPod will see it appearing with some frequency. But despite the flippancy, it does cause some reflection on those things which we cannot leave behind, or those experiences that make us what we are. In lots of ways I like to think that i have gained a certain measure of sophistication, that my life experience has left me wiser as well as older. That I have matured and grown - just this evening (in the pub, because the best conversations take place either there or in Church) we have talked on the theme of 'if I k...

For those who have been following my twitters (tweets!) and facebook updates you will know that I have been grumbling about the lack of snow here - when all around the villages and towns seem to have been inundated - that means it is very difficult to get about, but we haven't even had the chance to build a snowman in the Vicarage garden! Three miles West of us, as you crest the hill into the Otter Valley, there was some wonderful snow covering the fields, just north on what is called 'the Seven Mile Straight' there was some impressive drifting by the road, and some very exciting driving trying to get into a village called Stockland, about three miles East - on the other side of our valley - there was enough snow to close the road. But here its just been slush, freezing, ikky gloop. No fun at all. Not that any of this is without its problems, whether snow or sleet or ice it is impossibly difficult to get around these parishes. If you do it is often worth the effort! As...