Comments for OrrWhat?

Comment on A dualist view by John

John — Tue, 08 May 2012 19:55:30 +0000

Hi Marjory,
Thanks for commenting and for your encouragement. I will have a look at the ALTERnativity material in due course when I get my head round forward planning and get back to you for guidance on it.
John

Comment on A dualist view by Marjory Williamson

Marjory Williamson — Tue, 08 May 2012 19:28:08 +0000

Noticed ALTERnativity under your church section. What help can we at Alty offer you in your new (linked) charge? Are there materials or workshops that would be appropriate. Do get back to me, and keep up the good work. I’ve been interested to read what you say and how you are progressing in your new life.

Marjory

Comment on I married my brother-in-law by Ali

Ali — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 11:29:31 +0000

That’s cool!
I just thought it summed you up rather well – church and cats.
I’ve deactivated my facebook until my hand-in is over. I have to stalk the old-fashioned way now!
I don’t mind the ferrety smell: they can be descented anyway and if you keep them clean it’s apparently not so bad… I spoke to the vet the other week and it doesn’t seem like vet bills will be terribly expensive so long as I have insurance.

Comment on I married my brother-in-law by John

John — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 09:04:48 +0000

The header rotates to various images from my trip to Israel and Palestine. I do like the cat one. It’s actually an ornamental well/fountain in Jerusalem and the cat (I think there were two, in fact) was lurking in the shadows.
And no, no comic sans, ever!
Re: ferrets – what about the smell? (Maybe it’ll get used to it in time, I suppose).

Comment on I married my brother-in-law by Ali

Ali — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 23:12:29 +0000

Oh wait…. It changes-No cat. Still, no Comic Sans. That’s a plus…

Comment on I married my brother-in-law by Ali

Ali — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 23:10:12 +0000

I love that your banner is random bits of church stonework… And a cat. ^_^
We googled Eilidh’s mum and her designer-designed website banner uses Comic Sans. Bleh. Yours is much cooler.
Btw, I’m thinking of getting a ferret.

Comment on I married my brother-in-law by spotthegerbil

spotthegerbil — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:08:05 +0000

I’ve never married my brother-in-law, but I have been father of the bride to my sister. My sister was my best man. And one Monday I shocked my colleagues when I announced that over the weekend I had asked two women to marry me, and they both said yes…

Comment on I married my brother-in-law by David

David — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 22:39:59 +0000

Hi John,
You’ve entered into the extremely busy world of full time ministry with a bit of a bang ! Lots of things for you to analyse (which you’re already doing). Good to improvise, and be a bit sneaky sometimes…
I had the Tuesday service of Holy Week and because we’d had the stations of the cross already, I revisited the Monday theme of cleansing the Temple but chucking over a table symbolically laden with two piles of thirty pieces of silver, then moved to the Tuesday by spraying some nard perfume as the evening offering was taken, reminding people of Jesus anointing by Mary. Trying to introduce some sensory worship….
Also have a first for weddings for me…. the bride is a Hillman Imp nut and has seven bridesmaids, each arriving at the church in an Imp. I’ve contacted Top Gear…..

Comment on One month in – thoughts so far by Dave

Dave — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 07:05:15 +0000

Oh my goodness John. You are *soooo* not alone in all that you say. I can identify with most if not all of the above issues – the detail of things shared at conferences, or by placement supervisors, the working out your policy as circumstances arise, the remembering of names/faces (for sure!).

I, too, appreciate that sense that somehow, even/especially when you don’t know well or have never even met someone, you are able to ‘sum them up’ (in some sense) in a funeral (paradoxically as I start to get to know people, my own knowledge starts to ‘get in the way’ during the pre-funeral visit). Although I always tell people ‘this is not the “final word” but just the beginning of the remembering that they will do as a family over the days and weeks to come.

Time constraints of 2 services, diary planning, and time off & with family – yes all are issues for me (mind you that’s a character flaw on my part more than anything else…).

And I think you’ve truly summed up the large part of ministry with your last sentence!

I hope this is by way of encouragement – I’m sure you will find things easier over time (e.g. the names thing has got better – usually I quietly ask one of the elders who has been in the village for years, ‘what’s that person’s name?’). But I suspect one of your congregations is somewhat bigger than either of mine…

Keep on keeping on – and keep enjoying it!

Comment on Settling in by John

John — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:41:07 +0000

Thanks for the good wishes folks, and the prayers are much appreciated.
Nick, good questions, and I’m still giving it some thought.
I’ve been encouraged to continue putting my thoughts ‘out there’ as a reflection on the early years of ministry. But I’m also very aware that they will be thoughts around a context I am committed to for the foreseeable future. And that does put different pressures in place. My congregations know I blog, and I know that some members read it. So that means a shift away from identifiable ‘situations’ and dealing more with general thoughts and issues in ministry. And I’m not sure that that is where I want to be with the blog. That said, it is still early days so it may be that there is still plenty to write about that doesn’t compromise growing relationships.
There are also a couple of other ideas running around my head. I may well start a ‘thought from the manse’ blog on the church website – but that becomes highly contextual and wouldn’t be right for here. I may also start an audio ‘letter from Kirrie’ as a semi-regular contribution to the Central FM programme I previously contributed to. All of which helps, in some respects, to define the limits for this blog.
I don’t want it to become a round-robin monthly update, or whatever. But, at the moment, I’m not sure where it is heading.