A different weekend. Changed the fork oil seals on Bertie the BMW - much easier than I was led to expect by my local expert, but idscovered a stripped thread on a brake caliper, so will need to replace that. Difficult Sunday morning telling my little congregation I had decided to finish there in August. Evening was first event at Costa Coffee. Great fun, but not sure if it will be viable long term. We need to buy enough off them to justify them opening extra hours, but not sure we can get enough people into the bit of the shop we use to make that happen. But terrific fun, and great to see youngsters from church taking a lead so us old fogies can sit back and not look too out of place with our mops of grey.
Mind you one lady who came was nearly 90, with more life about her than many teenagers I know.

Jubilee weekend

I love it when invitations to do things come out of nowhere. Saturday we were at a wedding at Rutland Water; I knew the bride when she was an adolescent in church youth club, and they asked me to do a wedding blessing. Great to do soemthing vaguely spiritual with a whole load of people who don't go to church.
Sunday was also interesting - preaching in a parish church for the jubilee service, not before taking some flak that I wasn't preaching at my own church on such an auspicious occasion. I began my sermon to the Anglican folk by pointing out that for most of the first 100 years of Baptist church life (the tribe I belong to) a succession of monarchs supported by the established church did their best to wipe us out. But I graciously forgave them.
Then a community lunch - we invited the neighbours - and served over 100 lunches to people, and the church bought a tv licence so we could show the river pageant on the big screen in church. This was a great success. Sunday evening back to preach on "work" and listen to my erstwhile shy as a mouse wife talk with great confidence about her work helping people stop smoking. So proud of her.
Yesterday off work!!! (more or less) and to Crick boat show where we managed to resist putting an offer in on a delightful little narrowboat we fell in love with.

Another day off today - to a National Trust property or should I replace the oil seals on my BMW K75 forks before any more oil seeps down onto the brake discs?

Church politics and the Banner Group

Two tricky meetings and a whole load of politics later life is much more tranquil and simpler, though at the cost of some lost popularity. Gosh - was that me standing up for myself?
Back to loving my job - which I have to say is a normal state of affairs. Baptismal service (believer's baptism involving a lot of water) and a real wow factor.
Since then the careful tiptoeing through church political minefields and managing to make all the relevant points.
Now planning for a cafe church event once a month, a jubilee lunch with loads of people coming to join in, and preaching at a parish church for the Jubilee on Sunday.
And today - my day off - I spent a wonderful hour with the banner group ladies who are so lovely helping them to decide where the Jubilee banner they have just made should go. Sounds completely inane but I love that sort of stuff, if only because they appreciate you.
Promises to be an interesting remainder of the week as people react to one or two decisions I've made. May not be sleeping so well again this time next week - perhaps another 4 a.m. post!

Wonderful time last week away on retreat in Northumberland. Read 3 books - "The Contemplative Pastor" "Love Wins" and "The future of Atheism. Probably says a lot about the eclectic nature of my supply of spiritual food. Coupled this with lots of walks along the Northumbrian Coast Path and long conversations with God which I hope were not merely a case of my Id conversing with my Superego. Came back relaxed and confident to a really nice game of cricket in whcih I actually played pretty well and an even better baptismal service yesterday.
So why am I awake and writing this at 4 a.m. having had one hour's sleep?
Because there's church politics going on and I have lost the tranquility which I thought had arrived with an air of permanence last week. Some old wounds have been exposed through no fault of anybody's but the ecclesiastical power games I no longer have either the heart or stomach for.
Think I might just avoid today's meeting on the grounds that it is not good for my mental health

Beginning of blogging

I've succumbed; in the vain hope that other people will find the musings of my befuddled brain amusing or intriguing or thought-provoking.
I am a non-conformist clergyman in my 50's - five decades of the business of living has left idealism battered and bruised but not entirely vanquished; cynicism and grumpy-old-man-ism are trying to force it into an ever more constricted space but it won't altogether die, and even shows signs occasionally of a comeback.
I think Jesus was and is wonderful, fantastic, so worth being a follower of, but the majority of those who purport to represent him are either a waste of space or have never understood properly his biography.
I am married to a wonderful wife and have 4 fantastic grown children.
Here I intend to post reflections on events and find space for my creative side. I had better remain anonymous to all but those who know me well and wouldn't betray me!