New Year

2012 was the year that the Church of Scotland accepted me to train as an Ordained Local Minister.  2013 is the year that I actually start the placement part of training.  While I'm two units into my academic study, and I've been at one candidates conference, it's not feeling real yet.  Hopefully when I actually start a placement, things will get moving.

I've always been open with my colleagues about what I'm doing, and while there's many who are not religious, they have all been supportive and genuinely interested.  I've had colleagues open up to me and unload their problems in a way that they never did before I started this process, and I've tried to be as supportive as I can.  Those are the moments where I feel a bit pastoral.  Is this part of what ministry is about, listening?  I think I can do that bit.


Through my year out I've been taking the chance to meet Christians in congregations across Scotland.  Some of the tales I've heard won't get blogged, for pastoral confidentiality, and because I'd probably get the important details wrong!  It's certainly been an interesting experience, and has led me to question my ideas about how different groups of people view life. 

While I've been visiting different congregations, there's one in particular that Mrs Gerbil and I visit on a regular basis.  It's been good to have a place that we can worship together, as our home congregation is in a different town.  We've had a great welcome to a genuinely friendly and supportive congregation, and thanks also to their minister, especially for the Mondays in Advent.

Last year, at my first annual meeting, I was asked what my goals were for the year.  I said that I planned on trying to find out exactly what a Christian was.  All the candidates I've met that I thought were outstanding Christian types have not got through, and here I am, perhaps the least Christian person I know, working towards becoming part of God's ministry.  (although aren't we all part of God's ministry in our own special way...?)  And I need to work on the reflective practitioner thing.  Read more, reflect more.  You are more likely to get comment on architecture than worship in this, what I'd like to call my reflective journal.  (have I just reflected?)  So I need to become more of a Christian.

But I also need to become less of a Christian. While I'm not that much over weight, a few years of very light office work, and an over-enthusiasm for the sweet stuff means I could do with getting rid of a kilo.  Or ten.  I sort of tried to lose a bit of weight last year, failed, and I am pretty much back where I started.  So I just need to get a bit more exercise and eat a few less cakes and I'll be fine.  I reckon if I blog that I want to get rid of a couple of stone then I might just shame myself into a slimmer figure.  Seriously though, I've got a family history of diabetics and if I don't do something now, I'm going to have big problems soon.  and a less healthy me means a less effective minister.  Time to get my bike out of the shed.  I used to enjoy cycling, and I may even become a mamil!

But in other news, I always fancied being rich enough to retire before I'm forty.  Well I'm a good few years under forty, and I'm retiring.  Or at least, I'm taking voluntary redundancy.  I've not cracked the rich bit, but that's two out of three.  So in early February I'll be officially leaving work.  I do have a couple of ideas for jobs that will keep me occupied, but I'm not too worried.  I'm sure I'll find something.  This is an opportunity, and I'm trusting that God has something lined up for me.  I've seen too many things happening over the past couple of years to believe otherwise.

So may God continue to give me (and you) the strength to do outrageous things.