Sorry it's been so long, blogfans. Not sure why, a season for everything, I suppose.
Well, since last time I have successfully managed the great North Run in a very pleasing 1h52, an experience that really brought me closer to God. I was so enjoying my running that I signed up for the Edinburgh marathon at the end of May this year. Unsurprisingly, just as I was getting good my knees fell apart again and I haven't run for 3 months now. Still, having smelled the challenge once, I am determined to run a marathon sometime.
In other news, I am almost up to 90% of the bible read. This has moved from being a chore to a habit and often a source of delight.I've taken to doing my readings in a a nice comfy chair in the front room and using my study bible. It's not always about getting it done, I find I actually want to understand it. I guess it's like using your mirrors in the car. I remember when I first started to drive I looked in my mirrors because my instructor expected me to, to pass my test and from an unclear sense that it was what you should do. Some time after those early days I remember realizing not only that there was no instructor or examiner to please anymore, and that I actually wanted to know what was behind me. My motivation had become intrinsic. The same seems to have happened with my bible time. I couldn't imagine not doing it now.
I think more and more about ministry now, sometime in the future. I think it's reasonable for people to expect that anyone in any kind of church leadership has actually read the instruction manual. The next task, having read it, will be to get to understand it. Boy-oh-boy there's a lot of complicated stuff in there! It takes faith to accept that the apparent conflicts stem my imperfect understanding, not any fault of 'the author.' Still, I guess that's what it's all about.
Finally, some thoughts from yesterday. It was Good Friday. ( I always wonder about that name. Surely, for those most concerned with the process it was FAR from a good day!)
I was catching the bus into town to get to church, right at the front on the top floor and reveling in creation around me. I started thinking about the service coming up and what a pleasant change it would make to actually be in my home church for Easter. Normally we take advantage of the school hols to get away somewhere but Leeds City Council decreed that I holiday for two weeks preceding Easter, so here I am. I was listing in my head all the troubles and issues I wanted to bring to God; my knees, the purpose of my life, stuff in my marriage, my friends etc. A pretty normal thing for me to do on the way to church, I realize. Halfway there I felt bad about this. I felt prompted that this was not the point of church, today of all days. Today was GOD's day, church was about HIM, what He had gone through for us and what He was worthy of because of it; worthy of reflection, awe, praise, worship and love. I determined to make church about Him, to give him the best service' I could. Unsurprisingly, I got sooooo much more out of it. In making it all about Jesus, Rob benefited even more. I felt closer to Him than I often do and it's carried over to today. I hope it's an attitude I can take to a few more Sundays.
Anyway, it's been good catching up.
See you next time!
Rob
