Today I opted for a quiet day, a 'retreat at home', to prepare myself mentally and spiritually for tomorrows induction service.

I spent the morning reading, reflecting, doodling and making Plasticine roses (I didn't realise it when I started, but roses were to prove a bit of a theme during the day),

In the afternoon I went for a thoughtful walk, and picked up a few odds and ends that I still needed.

One of the things I used to pray, was this by Bonhoeffer, which I happened to spot on social media as I was setting up...

I Cannot Do This Alone

O God, early in the morning I cry to you.

Help me to pray

And to concentrate my thoughts on you;

I cannot do this alone.

In me there is darkness,

But with you there is light;

I am lonely, but you do not leave me;

I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;

I am restless, but with you there is peace.

In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;

I do not understand your ways,

But you know the way for me….

Restore me to liberty,

And enable me to live now

That I may answer before you and before men.

Lord whatever this day may bring,

Your name be praised.

Amen

I think it's a good prayer to revisit now and again.

Looking forward to tomorrow - photos and reports to follow!

This photo showed up in my 'memories' on social media today.  I took it exactly seven years ago, just a few weeks before the Gatherers moved out of the building for 'two years'. At the time I had been at the church for seven years... so it all feels a bit 'Biblical' with seven years and seven years more, not least as I am now roughly seven years off retirement age... 

The best laid plans, and all that... I remember, like yesterday, the first time I set foot in the Gathering Place, the day we closed the door after the last service, and, indeed, the day I handed over the keys to the developer. 

Seven years in a building, seven years without a building... all were, on the whole, 'good years' with much to celebrate.

This weekend, as I am formally inducted to my new roles, which could be as much as seven years. I do so grateful for the 14 years in the Gathering place, and for the 6 years in Dibley that went before them.

For all that has been 'thanks', for what is still to come, 'yes'   

Yesterday I completed my first four-week run of services at Railway Town Baptist Church.  We have been exploring images of God - shepherd, mother (human, hen, eagle, bear) and potter - and I wanted to end with 'community'... or, as it's more usually referred to, 'trinity'.

I used some Celtic knots and designs as part of our way in...things that have no beginning or end, things that are mysterious and beautiful, things that seem impossible and yet...

A little bit of Genesis 1, and the God who is simultaneously singular and plural, and a wondering that maybe the ancients thought 'if God made us like God, then God must be, in some way we can't quite fathom, like us, a community...'  Heresy?  Maybe, but the Trinity is about Community, at least in some sense

We then used some bits of Acts 2 and Acts 4 to think about the earliest records of church communities, characterised by hospitality and generosity in sharing, and wondered what that might say about ministry and mission for us.

I've enjoyed leading this series, been delighted with the willingness of people to engage in some of my more interactive ideas, and their attentive listening to my sermons/reflections.  Apart from one more preach, for Church Anniversary of 5th November, that's me done preaching until Advent... time to shift my focus to vision/strategy for a few weeks.

Yesterday, I popped into Aldi - my corner shop! - for some milk and spotted these, which I felt compelled to buy!

They are unlike any strawberry tarts I ever saw in Scotland, and, although decidedly sweet, far too healthy to be authentic!!  There was no 'sauce' just some strawberry jelly on the top, and they were made with fresh cream not the imitation stuff more typically found in such delicacies.

Even so, they tasted nice and made me smile... fond memories of the Scottish cake selections that we offered in Glasgow supermarkets!

It's been a busy - in a good way - kind of a week, which meant that it wasn't until today that I sat down to write my sermon... I don't really like delivering a 'first draft' but sometimes that's what happens.  Fortunately, I've had plenty of time to mull over the ideas, and it's subject matter I am reasonably familiar with.

Sophie was on hand to ensure that all the pages were printed out, in the correct order... and that they are now suitably safe ready to take to church tomorrow morning.