The last couple of weeks, and the next few, see us in an interesting phase of church life as we sort, pack, store, share, sell, recycle or send to the tip, the contents of our premises in readiness for a period of 'tabernacling'.  At such times as this, I find a lot of reassurance in such books of the Bible as Numbers, where we find the ancients undertaking similar tasks, and Nehemiah, where there are equally long lists of who did what.

Strange though it may seem, I actually derive some genuine satisfaction from the systematic sorting and counting, allocating and sending of assorted 'stuff'.  I don't like house moves, and I'm not overly enamoured at the thought of moving my office a mile and a half down the road, but at the same time, there is something good about getting the whole enterprise underway.

Whatever you think of Myers Brigg Personality Type thingies, it seems that mine is suited to the 'bean counting' nature of this task, something that is the way God made me and the reason God called/sent me to this place at this time.

I am enjoying researching organisations that might benefit from those items that we no longer require, and even finding a good challenge in balancing charity law requirements with a desire to be generous.

They don't teach you this stuff at vicar school, but for those of us with the appropriate gifts and skills, there really is a ministry of counting and collating!