There is an image in the Bible of a mother eagle teaching her chick to fly.  Bascially she nudges them to, and then over the edge of the ledge where the nest is.  The eaglet has two choices - fly or fall.  The mother watches and if necessary swoops down and catches her offspring carrying it back to safety before shoving it off again.

Today our placement student was given charge of 'leading' the service - which meant everything except the sermon and intercessions.  It was a bit of a 'shove off the ledge' but with the proviso that I was there to catch her if she needed it.

And she flew... no hesitation straight into full flight.  Sure a novice, with some inevitable signs of that inexperience, but a good maiden flight landing safe and sound the right side of the benediction.

Good preparation lay begins all that was offered.  Assured presence meant a confident and competent delivery.  Points for discussion when we meet to reflect on it, but the girl done good.

Afterwards I asked her how she felt, and she said she had enjoyed it.  That was good.  The Gatherers are great folk to worship with and are so affirming and encouraging to those starting out, so I was very proud of them today.

I have to fess up that I don't want to sing the SU song the student chose ever again but is was certainly different.  Overall a good morning and a privilege and pleasure to be there.

So there it was, in the posh independent grocery shop... Rachel's organic divine chocolate pot... a soy free dark chocolate mousse that is simply mmmmmmmm.  Lovely treat on my indulgence day!

Happy.... very! :-)

This Lent is hurtling past at a somewhat alarming pace!  I suspect the relentlessly full days are contributing to that, but mostly I am enjoying what I'm doing  and it does seem to be reasonably productive! 

Today is a bit self-indulgent - snatching back some 'me' time, having a lie-in (for as long as the kitties would allow), enjoying a few treats and catching up on a few jobs (only I could knock over a full bucket-size mug of tea onto a beige carpet, and will shortly commence the third attempt to remove the stain!).

So it made me smile that today was about 'time' and giving of 'time... see what you think:

Time is money – or is it more precious than that? Giving your time and talents to a cause or to someone because they need some help, moral support, company or just plain because can be priceless. Whether it’s a whole day or an hour, this act is about blessing others with the gift of your time.

HIGH 5:

Book five minutes into your daily schedule now and commit to give that time to someone who needs it. Perhaps your family, a friend, or even more time in prayer.

HALF AN HOUR:

Got behind with 40acts? Take 30 minutes today and whizz back through some that you’ve missed. You’ll be surprised at how generous you can be in 1800 seconds

DONATE A DAY: What could you do for someone with a whole day? Could you book one day’s annual leave this year and spend it helping others?

And it's Red Nose Day, which I have supported since it began way back when (have cupboards full of noses and oodles of mugs.  Way back when I even bought the cohange tomato teeshirt in C&A!!)

Anyway, dor day 21 we are invited to be silly, to make someone laugh, to have a laugh ourselves... hopefully this photo will bring a smile to my readers (clearical shirt for a bit of officialdom later today!)

Remember being told ‘Don’t be so silly’ as a kid? Well here’s your excuse to ignore that instruction. Hurrah! This act is about the generosity of laughter – whether it’s raising a smile with a wry observation, cracking a corny joke or donning a daft outfit – we make life a little lighter with humour.

EASY:

Crack a joke. Cheese jokes are our favourite (they’re brie-lliant!). Send it by twitter/facebook/snapchat/email/text or the good old-fashioned telephone, and make a friend smile.

MORE CHALLENGING:

It’s Red Nose Day so go on – buy and wear a red nose. You’ll be donating to a good cause and looking ridiculous all at once! How long can you put up with one?

FEELING INSPIRED?

Go all out and either organise a fundraising event or host a last-minute Red Nose party. Invite yourfriends, neighbours and colleagues to a comedy-themed meal with mandatory red noses.

They ask how long you can wear a red nose for... in my case just long enough to take the photo, wearing it actually makes me gag :-)

Speaking of gags, here's a cats and cheese joke...

What happened after the cat ate the cheese?
It waited by the mousehole with baited breath

:D

Of late, this blog has consisted almost entirely of 40 Acts posts.  Life has been busy to point of stupidity - last week I worked around 70 hours in five days, this week I've already done about 24 in two.  It's not sustainable and there's no sense that this level of madness will continue.  It does, however, mean that in the short term I am not posting much here... normal drivel will be resumed as soon as possible.  In the meantime, here's a cat photo!!