Monday Morning

Got up - but didn't want to. Went for a short run - 5K in 29mins.

Not feeling motivated but got a pile of work to do.

Need to concentrate this week on:

• Meeting Paul Hardy about a Watling Valley service with the Catholics
• Deanery Synod - still need to talk to some people about being lay chair
• The FEAST Day - need to do some more organising
• Mission Shaped Intro - better re-write the sessions to squeeze six into four
• Got meetings of Venture FX, Area Deans, Watling Valley Council the MK Council of Faith and Oakhill Community Forum
• Everything else will therefore have to wait... sorry...

Time

Do you know it often takes longer to prepare for an event than it does to do it... if only it was the other way around...

I've had a fairly frustrating day so far, having spent most of the morning preparing for a service for older people with powerpoint, communion and music - spanning the themes of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter - all at an appropriate level. When I arrived they were tidying up after a chocolate sale and I had been forgotten. Never mind, perhaps I can use the material again next year...

Tuesday

A Mixed Day

• Team Space
• Woughton Team
• Mother's Union Corporate Communion
• Meeting at School
• Run
• Eat
  
• Derek M
  
• School - Ofsted feedback
• Mission Partnership Exec
• Pub with Tim C
  

Dissatisfied

I've been feeling a bit flat recently, and I'm beginning to realise why.
It could be because I'm so busy that I don't know what I'm doing...
It could be because my job is so uncertain that I don't know who I am...
Or it may simply be that I've stopped doing the things that keep me going...

I went on a retreat a few years ago and come to the conclusion that I needed to give more time for exercise, writing and prayer. In 2008 (particularly on my sabbatical) I did find a bit more time for these activities. Blogging was a great help and I ran three or four time a week - but since Christmas I've allowed all three to slide thinking that I have a duty to work harder...

So I guess I'm beginning to realise that a balanced life must include space for the things that nourish us - not just time for sleep or food so we can get back to work ASAP. I need running, blogging and some quiet time for meditation. I suspect we all need different things and it's well worth working out what they are...

Wednesday

I'm conscious that I'm not blogging as much as I have done - or as creatively. The reason for this is probably similar to the reason I often send emails out at 4:00am in the morning....

Life is somewhat chaotic at the moment and I seem to be swamped in "jobs". My desk is out of control and my "to do" list is getting longer... So much for Lent as a time of reflection and giving things up...

Today was a classic of useful business - Team Space this morning, followed by Ministers West followed by Deanery Chapter - all good and worthwhile gatherings leaving me a couple of hours to catch up on jobs (while I should be spending time with the kids) before my evening session with three prospective worship leaders at St Mary's Shenley.

One of the jobs I had to do was update the questions and readings on the on-line Lent Group I'm trying to co-ordinate. I'm conscious that I want this to be a spiritual experience and yet I'm not in a particularly spiritual frame of mind as I approach it - what a wonderful example I set!

Bishop John recently laid down a challenge for clergy to work forty hours a week - plus a further ten hours equivalent to the average time given by church members. While I think this is a good idea in principal, I'm really not sure how to make it happen.

Anyway - appologies for the blogfast and back to work...

Thursday

Morning - Dads in school day at CtS part 1
Late Morning - Coffee Plus Lent Group in Loughton
Afternoon - Dads in school day at CtS part 2
Early Evening - lots of ferrying - cubs and ballet
Evening - Wolverton joint PCC - presentation on share allocation
Late Evening - A couple of Lost podcasts and the latest BSG episode on iPod - I like "Head Dad" and am more convinced than ever that Starbuck is Daniel with reconfigured DNA - Boomer is Evil! How will it end?

Tuesday

It was suposed to be Team Space this morning but it kind of got cancelled. The messages were, however, a bit garbled, so I had a chat with Nick on my doorstep and ended up with an unplanned supervision session with Liz - which was useful because we were able to put in dates for the rest of the year.

A number of odd jobs then beckoned. I couldn't get my car out of the drive for Ministers West but someone snowplouged it before Isla came home. 

I spent most of the early evening working on posters for Mission Shaped Intro and Mission Shaped Ministry - which are nearly ready to go - minus some facts...

I do have a number of things I ought to write but I'm finding myself short of energy...

Wednesday

Long day...

Morning:

• Clear desk - discover jobs needing to be done...
• Coffee with Chris Collinge - conversation about Baptisms...
• Start car - more trouble - call AA...

Afternoon:

• More admin - start work on Weddings powerpoint...
• AA man comes and diagnoses problem with throttle - may be virtual...
• Managed to insert video into powerpoint - hurrah!

Evening:

• Team Meeting... a few new jobs to do...

Home:

• Write "Growing" section for report...
• Start thinking about Lent course...
• Plan Sunday service...
• Send out suggestions for wedding prep...
• Bed? Sometime around 1:30am - I hope!

The end of the week...

One of the odd things about having Friday as your day off is that Thursday evening becomes Friday night. Work starts again on Saturday, but for the next twenty four hours I don't need to answer the phone, check my emails or worry about things I ought to be doing... These things will still be there at 7:00am on Saturday morning but I'm not going to let them worry me tomorrow...
So tonight I'm free. Time for sleep...

Today's programme:
Morning: Desk - finished half of the work I needed to finish this week...
Afternoon: Archdeaconry Pastoral Committee - no less that three schemes under consideration for MK...
Evening: Be Kind Rewind - better than I feared...

Wednesday

Morning: Fresh Expressions MK Project Group Meeting - Mission Shaped Intro in the summer, publicity, church visits, Mission Shaped Ministry, Graham Cray...
Lunch: Peter Ballantine and a bowl of soup (didn't eat Peter - soup was great - Peter on good form for jokes...)
Afternoon: Ecumenical Oversight Group - lots of lovely ecumenical business - baptisms, fresh expressions and the year of St Paul...
Early Evening: Iona's birthday meal at Red Hot in MK - very full!
Evening: Holy Cross Church Council - good atmosphere - feeling hopeful - time for a mission audit a bit of constitution writing and some building healthy churches...
Night: Looking at the jobs I should have done today - several new tasks added - the sun'll come up tomorrow...

Tuesday

Team Meeting.
Ministers West.
Funeral Visit.
Paperwork.
Desk a bit more clear.
Simple day - time spent.

Got the flu...

I finished Thursday in a semi-conscious state and have been laid low with the flu since then. I'm told God must be at work because there wasn't anything I desperately needed to be able to do workwise... The Lord does indeed work in marvellous ways, but it would have been nice if he could have got me out of something I didn't want to do - or perhaps that would have been asking too much!

Anyway, here's a video Isla found from Northland Church in the US - a tribute to Moms everywhere:

Tuesday

9:15am Funeral
12:30pm Meeting with Alastair Wood
2:00pm Meeting with Keith Straughan

Thursday

Lots of paperwork.

Coffee Plus Christmas Lunch.

More paperwork.

Funeral Visit.

Cubs.

Bad Day

Bad Day... say no more...

Finished the evening with Izzy puking...

Zechariah?

This was my first attempt to book a final weekend off in 2008. It didn't work because I didn't remember this fact when I said yes to an evensong at St Giles...

Even so, I managed a gentler Sunday than normal which included a quiet morning with the family and walk in the rain with Dave and James up to the North Bucks Way and back...

There were a few phone calls which I had to deal with and then evensong - at which I preached about Zechariah. It was the last evensong of the year so became an opportunity to round off their season on the prphets with an overview and a conclussion...

At the end of the day, I do feel a bit better, but still fragile and tired. After three tough weeks I'm ready for some serious therapy - but another tough week at work will have to do...

...and Doctor Who is 45 today.

Weekend

I seem to have spent a lot of time recently, encouraging people not to do too much! Burning the candle at both ends will inevitably result in burnt fingers!

Having said that - I'm just as bad myself. On Saturday, I had the Vision Day (with a wedding during the lunch break) and on Sunday, two services, a baptism and then the confirmation...

This week doesn't look much better. I will keep telling other people to slow down - and try to listen to my own message!

Busy Day

Team Meeting - briefly
Ecumenical Oversight Group
Voices Editorial Meeting
Meet the Teacher
Deanery Synod

The Last Friday

Our last proper day of the summer holidays. Izzy did her ballet summer show and did very well. We celebrated by using up Tesco vouchers at Bella Italia - which was nice. Isla and I had squid and butterflied king prawns for a starter. I had duck pasta and Isla had salmon.

All in all it was a struggle today. We're all feeling tired and a bit down. I'm feeling ill. The summer, the sabatical and a time of peace is at an end... We did look back over the high points of the summer and began to plan future holidays - you've got to have something to live for...

An all to familiar day

I didn't sleep well so got up at 5:30 and did some emails, etc...
In the morning I met with Liz Baker for our first monthly supervision for three months - partly to discuss the letter I need to write recommending her for ordination.
At lunch time I took Ross Northing out for lunch for a chance to catch up on what's been going on.
In the afternoon I had a similar session with Mary Cotes.
In the evening I had a wedding rehearsal.
Between these events, I attempted to squeeze in some of the jobs that needed doing, i.e. planing three services for Sunday, checking out rules about weddings with the diocese, etc, etc... while attempting to give my family the impression that I'm still there for them.
It was an all to familiar day filled with valuable and important activities - but leaving me feeling drained and tired with rising stress levels as I deal with a dozen or so emails and phone calls asking me why I haven't done x - overlaid with a general feeling that there are many things that people would have wanted me to have done - and even more that I should have done - I love my job!
Having returned from sabbatical I'm looking at the same unrealistic responsibility-load I had when I left. What fun!
Some people have asked me if it's good to be back. My answer is - yes, it's good to see people again but I could do without the stress...
Do I want to do this forever - not on your life!