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.
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.
posted by erdreid at 17:21
5 Comments:
you need humour? have you heard bill hicks? he's an american comedian, dead now, but I've just found him. not his body, his comedy. he's funny.
i've been listening to the ricky gevais podcasts from the guardian. you know its good when you have to stifle your laughs when you're listening to it on the bus so you don't look too silly. or the radio version of the mighty boosch. hilarious. have you managed to listen to those yet mark?
Deirdre,
Welcome back!
"depth, solitude, healthful practices, humour..."
A few episodes of "Northern Exposure" usually work for me these days...
Theres only one thing that dragged me from the depths of despair, from the gloom of janurary and eternal rigors of life. It's not a secret, i'm happy to let you in on it...I saw this Japanese woman fold tshirts neatly in 4 seconds! 4 seconds! thats life changing.
Jonny - why do glimpses of perfection have to be so fleeting?
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