This morning I started work on the service for a week on Sunday - hymns/songs now selected and slotted into the outline order of service.

For me, at least, the summer has flown by - I can't believe that there is only one more week of "Summer Madness" or "Summer Bonkersness", as it might be termed, to go.

Summer is a strange time, when a lot of regular worshippers are away, and congregations can be smaller than average.  It is also for us, because of where we are located, a time when every week there will be some visitors - one week I reckoned visitors accounted for 25% of those present!

It's a time when, rightly, we give a bit of a break to those who faithfully serve the rest of the year, which means that the feel is very different, at least for me in leading.  Time to experiment a little, certainly, but also a time when it's important to maintain a steady rhythm for those who aren't able to get away.

The seven "I AM" sayings have proved to be a rich resource for exploration, and I have enjoyed working with them, even if as I near the final week, and a topic I've preached on many times, I am struggling to find a new 'angle'.

The return to 'normal' will seem a little strange for me - no colouring sheets to print, no puzzles to find or create, real twenty minute sermons (actually this week's isn't far off!), an overtly 'grown up' feel to services.  At the same time, it's a good thing.  The summer pattern wouldn't be sustainable, or at least not without a big team of people to share it.  But also because autumn and winter have a different feel overall, and what works in summer possibly wouldn't in the cold, damp, dank, dark days of the close of the year.

It has been a very busy summer, in fact it's been a very busy time since I  returned to work at the end of March, but it has been good.