Day One

Day one, and no, I'm not starting at "in the beginning..." again.  Today was my first day at my placement church for the Extended Enquiry.  Mrs Gerbil, currently in a state of ecclesiastical limbo, came with me to Hillside Kirk. 


We've got standards when it comes to church.  There must be a welcome at the door - a welcome, not just a purple book thrust at you.  And there should be a cup of tea afterwards.  Tea, a full cup of dark brown hot liquid, not the third full cup of lukewarm wee that the CofS seems to serve.  Please folks, remember that the tea leaf was lovingly hand picked in some far flung corner of the empire, and carefully shipped here for your delight.  At least make that tea leaf feel like it's had a worthy death. Digressing here.  Fortunately they ticked both boxes. People were genuinely welcoming, not just at the door, but throughout.  And the tea was just right. 

I wasn't formally introduced to the congregation.  It was nice just to be able to sit back and enjoy the service without a lot of fuss being made.  



There's a few things I have noted to discuss with my supervisor when we meet properly this week. 

I'll be at Hillside Kirk for a few months, so I'm looking forward to becoming part of their community, whatever God has got planned for me.

Enquiry. The prequel

I met with the minister that is going to be steering me through this Extended Enquiry thing.  I'm not going to mention names or places, but I will say that they have a load of life and ministerial experience, and I'm sure they will be an inspiration.

Still, deep down, I have two thoughts.  One is that I'm doing the right thing, and the thought that has been with me this past few months, that this is the right path to follow, remains true.  The other is that I'm wasting a lot of peoples time, and I'd be better off walking awy and pretending it never happened. 

It's sort of like having an angel and a demon on each shoulder.  Whispering their take on life in your ear. 

But which tale belongs to the demon, and to which the angel...

My head is officially up my...

A closing prayer, from my American friend...

I pray that God gives you the strength to do outrageous things.

Amen to that.