Monday, January 23, 2006

The long silence

Well, almost a month to the day I'm in much the same position: treating myself to fifteen minutes off to up-date The Blog. It's been a long month.

There's no real order to the things I'm about to write, I suppose. I handing my first draft of my first draft of my first chapter last week. THAT has been the main reason for silence. It turns out that my self-criticism of the chapter (It's one on Wesley) was stunningly accurate, and that it needs to become two. Yikes. So, another deadline is on my horizon. Actually, I really enjoyed writing it in the end. Knew less than I realised, and found a latent ability to lock the door and just read and write. A lot of it was worked on in Ffald-y-Brenin,which is such a beautiful place it almost makes you ache. The pattern worked well - I studied, Andrew and I walked, and in the evenings we all watched LOTR, and loitered over good meals and coffee.

Pastoring has been an on-going challenge, of searching for resurrection stories in the midst of very harsh and complicated lives. Our congregation is facing a lot of challenges I think, some overt, and some are bubbling away below the surface. I think that perhaps adventure & passion somehow need to be rediscovered.

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood, Shopped, and various other books are being read avidly & enjoyed.

Still grappling with the need for depth, solitude, healthful practices, humour, and the way to be so rooted and grounded in God that God-ness overflows.

And, the latter thought has been prompted, in part, by the death of Derek Liebenberg. Too young. To quote Matt, May Derek's memory be eternal.