Yesterday was one of those days where you never stop, moving on from one thing to the next, to the next, switching mode and mood, and doing whatever is needful.

It began with a one hour dental appointment to have some fillings replaced (my mouth was not happy to be open for so long!).  Next was a quick train ride out of town to lead a Home Communion for a lovely couple, trying not to drool or to slur too many words in the process!  Back on the train to the city centre and a quick lunch (my mouth now more or less thawed out) before my regular Pastoral Supervision meeting.  A lift to the south of the river for an important technical meeting.  Then back to the city centre and on a train home to grab tea and then make a Peer Support phone call.

What is ministry?  This was the question raised by my Supervisor, partly in response to her recognition that I spend a lot of time on practical, buildings matters, surely this wasn't what I anticipated/imagined when I started out. 

My response was two-fold really.

The first is that I still don't know what ministry is, what ministers do - I know what I do, what my ministry looks like, but how that compares with any definition or model, I really don't know.

The second (although I voiced it first) is that I do see all this as part of my ministry, that I use skills and knowledge, experience and insights from my past employment, etc. within this role.  That the ministry to which God has called me is the ministry for which I am also equipped; that ministry is simply about the intent with which those gifts and skills are employed, viz in the service of God.

My Supervisor recalled a line from a hymn, and after a few minutes the context was recalled.  Like so many old hymns, it carries important truths of which we need to be reminded:

Teach me, my God and King,
In all things thee to see,
And what I do in anything,
To do it as for thee.

A man that looks on glass
On it may stay his eye;
Or if he pleaseth, through it pass,
And then the heaven espy.

All may of thee partake:
Nothing can be so mean,
Which with this tincture, 'For thy sake'
Will not grow bright and clean.

A servant with this clause
Makes drudgery divine;
Who sweeps a room, as for thy laws,
Makes that and the action fine.

This is the famous stone
That turneth all to gold;
For that which God doth touch and own
Cannot for less be told.

George Herbert (1593-1633 NS)

Ministry is all the things I do, and more than the sum of any of them.

In January 1999 I was interviewed by the college at which I would train for Baptist Ministry.  I still have strong memories of that experience - positive memories - which was stretching, tiring, affirming, encouraging and probably a whole lot more.

Tomorrow afternoon I set off by train to my old alma mater to sit on the other side of the table... as an interviewer for people who are now where I was back then.

It's been a very interesting and challenging few days reading the paperwork and preparing for this process... at least the equivalent of two full days, and there will be more reading, reflecting and tweaking on my train journey tomorrow because the overriding sense I have is one of privileged responsibility...  People are making themselves vulnerable as they explore the shape of their calling and I am entrusted with listening, exploring and discerning parts of that.

So, for the praying types who read this stuff, I'd value prayers for myself for wisdom, gentleness, clarity and discernment...  And for the candidates, peace, confidence, openness, courage, clarity of thought and assurance of God's love.

I tend not to make posts that express my political opinions, partly because I prefer to keep them private, partly because I don't want to offend or annoy anyone kind enough to read this stuff, and partly because there is power both in my position and in my posting.  But today, as Article 50 is triggered (and to a lesser extent in the wake of the vote in Holyrood to request a referrendum on Independence for Scotland) I feel very sad and sense that I am no alone.

I voted to remain (this is the first time I've outed myself on how I voted - don't expect it again any time soon) because for as long as I've been able to understand it, being part of Europe has seemed a 'good thing' and nothing has convinced me otherwise.  I signed the petition asking for a second referrendum, I emailed my MP and urged her to vote against the bill to trigger Article 50.  If this offends any reader, I'm sorry, but I'm trying to set the background for my prayer.  I have been blocked by people on social media for being a 'remoaner', which saddens me, because I have a few real life friends who voted 'leave' and we respect each other's viewpoints.

Anyway.  A prayer.

God of all creation, unbound by geo-political boundaries,

On this day when one small nation state formally begins a process to separate itself from a long standing, peaceful relationship with its geographical neighbours, emotions run high and words risk being highly charged.

We can never know what might have been; can never prove that the decision was right or wrong, all we know is that it now is.

Please grant wisdom, compassion, patience and integrity to all those entrusted with working out what this means - for the UK and for the rest of the EU, indeed for the rest of the world.

Show me what I may do, say or be that will bring hope, peace and love as I endeavour to live out my faith in a "Post Brexit" world.  May I never descend to the depths of "remoaning", rather help me channel my disappopintment, frustration and even anger in ways that are constructive and employed for the good of all.

Amen.

One of the strands on our recent 'Away Day' looked at Caring for Creation, and specifically at the 'Big Church Switch', which is a scheme that encourages churches to change to green (or greener) energy suppliers.  It's something I'd been meaning to do for ages and never quite got round to, but this morning I did it... and in around five weeks the switch should be complete.

There was a slight hitch trying to do this online, as the website wouldn't accept my date of birth as valid - fortunately when I rang them up, they were able to do it for me from there end!

The other area where I am slightly less clear of the way forward is changing my A-rated 'energy saving light bulbs' to A+ rated 'LED light bulbs'... is it really 'greener' to throw out perfectly good light bulbs and replace them?  I'd need to do some more research to be convinced!  But as and when I need to replace bulbs from now on, I'll opt for LED where possible.

More about The Big Church Switch here definitely worth looking at.

Not doing Mothers' Day is something that I've done for the vast majority of my ministry, because it is a date fraught with tensions and potential to cause hurt or offence.

Today our main focus was on the Lazarus resurrection story from John, but we began All Together thinking about the reality that families come in all shapes and sizes - and usually nothing like those in story books!

I used a book called "The Great Big Book of Families", the opening pages of which are shown above... It's a great little book, with lots of interesting, colourful pictures for children to investigate, and lots of ideas for people of all ages to ponder.

The service seemed to go OK, and, in the end, my laptop overcame its desire to 'update' and woke up just in time to share this picture!