gym

For those of you who have been waiting with bated breath to find out about my visit to the gym I can report that I have now been twice and am ok about going again. I am not buzzing about it but in the same breath I am not miserable so am going to keep on keeping on. I went this morning before Henry and I had our theological reflection / team meeting session and didn't need to have a sleep afterward - which was just as well because I haven't touched the ground all day!

Anyway, thanks to everyone for the support...I will keep you posted.

back to church

We didn't do anything specific for back to church Sunday - though I did notices this article (thanks to the Church Times Blog) about a Merseyside church who seem to be an unexpected hit with the Daily Post. Good news I think!

Yesterday was, as ever, a busy day. I was preaching at St John Chrysostom Church on Philippians 1.21-30 in the morning. I really struggled to get this sermon sorted out this week but I think it went ok. My main point was that in this part of the letter Paul gives his readers permission to live with the tension (and not try to fix it) between the “now and not yet” and stand on this shifting ground with confidence. I think the sermon was preached by me for me really. I am a terrible one for trying to pin stuff down - particularly in relation to God's plans!

We had a big Sunday dinner with Elise, Wayne, baby Lillie, Andrea and Paula - roast pork, roast potatoes and parsnips, cabbage, peas and carrots. Followed by crumble. Yum Yum. we then sat and watched Penelope. It was a lovely afternoon.

I then went out to the Deanery evening service which was led by Kip Crooks (who is leading our parish weekend away as well). He was speaking about Art and Faith...which was very interesting. We also had a celebration for Henry's 30 years of ministry. 30 years in Everton no less. Very impressive I have to say!

So, that's my news. I am feeling a bit coldy this evening and have had a day in my office to catch up on bits and bobs. I went out for a few visits this afternoon but other than that its been planning for services, writing emails, poking about with my PhD and faffing. I have an evening off so must go and enjoy some crap TV.

Saturday

Today I am doing stuff for tomorrow...a sermon needs tweeking, prayers need preparing and some printing needs printing. I am also trying to do things in the garden (very little has been done and as we uncover stuff we discover that the garden is a lot bigger than we we thought and that it is a lot more of a mess that we had ever imagined), I am making cakes and doing some painting (we made a terrible mess on a wall with cranberry juice - long story!). I am covered in magnolia paint and banana cake mix. So, a house sorting and Sunday preparation day.

I am also trying not to care about the Merseyside Derby...one of the good things about being a girl is that you are allowed to not have an opinion about football. Even if I had an opinion I am rarely asked for it. I think the pressure of having a partisan view might be too much for me. Having an interest is enough. The fact that the match is happening at Goodison Park means that the street isn't parked up and I can't hear the cheering from our garden. However, the street is very quiet and we can hear cheers from houses (from Liverpool supporters thus far!).

I had better get on with my Sunday preparation whilst listening to radio 5 live - 24 mins to go!

Brian makes mistakes

You may well know that I am dyslexic. I am perfectly happy with my special backward logic brain but sometimes it doesn't work very well in the world of non-dyslexics. When I am unable to explain myself to non-dyslexics, make humourous spelling mistakes, Malaprop or become clumsy (a most unhelpful additional symptom) it usually means my poor brain has been overloaded by non-dyslexic thought patterns. It is at times like these I refer to my brain as Brian.

Yesterday Brian was on top form and making mistakes all the time. I sent a top secret email to the wrong person thus blowing the secret (thankfully on this occasion it was just a special card secret). I fell over my own feet a couple of times, banged into some corners and bruised my arm and leg. I lost my temper twice over mess - papers in the wrong place and I couldn't find something I needed in a hurry (I try to create an absurdly ordered world when Brian is making mistakes). But the worst thing that Brian did yesterday was a terrible flight booking disaster. I was left in charge of booking return flights to Belfast from Liverpool for New Year. I managed to find some reasonable easyjet flights and thought I'd got it all sorted, paid for and got the receipt. It wasn't until late last night that Mark noticed that I had actually booked return flights from Belfast to Liverpool! So, Brian cost us £120 because each mistake cost £20 to rectify and because you can't speak to a person you can't negotiate!

It made me realise how difficult booking flights, making orders, and generally doing on-line buying actually is for me. I try to avoid it - or get Mark to make the final transactions and there is always a sinking feeling just after I press "make transaction"...but this was by far the worst (and expensive) on-line mistake I have made. I wonder if there is a way dyslexic people can have the agreement read out to them or if there is some way if you have particular needs you could actually speak to a real person to make bookings? I am not sure I will feel all that confident about making such transactions in the future. hey ho.

avoiding exercise

I have managed to avoid taking any form of exercise for a long time but tomorrow is the day that all this changes. I have an induction to the local gym which has been prescribed by the nurse at my new doctor's surgery (having had a check up she just happened to notice that I was overweight and a bit of a couch potato). I have signed up for Liverpool's healthy living scheme which allows me to see a personal trainer, join the gym and have my physical well being monitored over 12 weeks. I am not looking forward to this step at all. My aversion to exercise goes very deep and the thought of being the gym fatty feels me with horror but I realize that being affective here - the curate in two parishes in Everton - my health needs to be boosted.

So, I would welcome your prayers - for lethargy (oh I am very good at being too tired to go for a walk/swim/spin); for my sore arthritic feet which do not respond well to impact; for the poor person who has to motivate me off the sofa and in to the gym. But most importantly that I don't lose heart too quickly and keep at it.

my list

looks like this:
- Finish writing our Will - boring, depressing but necessary (the co-op do a great will writing service)
- Sort out risk assessment for church
- write up notes taken at meeting with Environmental Health man
- write a funding report
- look at and sort electoral rolls
- Write a sermon for Sunday
- Write the talk for Women's Fellowship today (which I have done!)
- phone hairdresser and sort appointment for me and Eva
- go food shopping or make a list and send someone else
- read minutes etc for meeting this evening and find out where meeting is and where to park etc
- get trainers for first gym visit on thurs
- make cakes for Sunday
- plan pastoral visits for next few weeks

There are lots of other bits and bobs but this is where I am up to just now. I am off to Women's Fellowship shortly to speak, drink tea and eat cake (it is a hard life) and I have started to plan my preach for Sunday so am on course - Philippians 1: 21-30! Like Paul I am dealing with the tension between the desire for the new heaven but enjoying the cake in the old earth (Paul obviously worded his argument differently)...will there be cake in heaven?

reflections

I have been using Reflections for Daily Prayer: 18 August to 29 November 2008 which have been written by John PRITCHARD, Jane WILLIAMS, Tom SMAIL, Emma INESON, Maggi DAWN, Alan GARROW, Ian PAUL.
The collection follows the lectionary readings focusing on one aspect and offering reflections as well as the collect for the day. I find it a very useful focus for my daily prayers. Having been so caught up in the business of being a new curate and trying to keep up some spiritual routine using these reflections has been a spiritual lifeline to me. I have decided to subscribe to the following editions (quarterly) and can recommend it heartily.

You can buy your copy and/or subscribe from Church House Publishing.