Bank Holiday's

You can tell it's a bank holiday here in the uk - it's been overcast and rained on and off all day .... it put a end to some of my plans but others came about... I made two shelves out of reclaimed wood one for the living-room and one for the office.

reclaimed I like that word :)  the wood was reclaimed not recycled... Reclaimed it's been made into something new but it's kept much of what it was. It was part of a blanket box was part of one of the side panels it still looks like it did in the box but has been reclaimed and reused in a new way it's been reshaped just a little to fit where I now have it.

recycled to me means it looses all that it was it's broken down made into something totally new I have a recycled bag. on it it say I used to be a plastic bottle. recycling is great.

but I don't want to be recycled... I want to be reclaimed and reused in a new way...

but being reclaimed isn't always easy it can be hard work...  recently STF reclaimed my garden from the weeds... now I've reclaimed it even further and its been taken back to its raw bare self.. I have cuts and bruises and a few scares as I got to close to certain creatures I really don't like but know they have a very good job to do eating other bugs....

to reclaim our villages towns and cities will be like that too... some time there will be the easy bits turning the side panels of a box into a shelf other times to reclaim the places will be hard work it will be slow and painful.. it will be dirty and messy ......we may not see the full results of our labour either.

but we need to be faithful to the vision and call that God has given us....

I have the picture of what I want my garden to look like in my head... it may not work out as I think but I will follow this picture...

we need to do the same with the vision that God has given for our lives our churches and our communities... even when it means going out in the rain and getting mucky....

Time to play

My friends over see-through- faith and storyteller have been doing Godly play for a while. It was through them that I heard about it and went on a course in June to be a godly play teacher. Yesterday I got to 'play' it's the first time for a long time I have had my paints and craft things out. there was a reason behind this I made my first set of Godly play materials 

Set of advent plaques....just missing the Holy family characters. Normally I'm complaining about christmas being in the shops so early but to think about the plaques as they were being prepaied was to let my mind wonder each piece had to be done slowly and with care sometimes we can lose that and rush through the time of advent and christmas and miss just how much care and wonder that actually went into that first christmas.. 

if your not sure what Godly play is about you can read about  what storyteller has to say about it here 

I got to play in a different way for a few minutes last night as well. It was a first time I've ever got to have a small go at bell ringing  and was a real eye opener   I've only ever heard the wonderful results.  To see just how much work really goes into it, mentally and physically. 

first day

Today was the first day proper at my new patch.  

It was a bit of a strange night waking every half hour or so the service is no different from my last patch 10 am but I thought every time I woke I'd over slept. Silly I know but I'm like that when I travel to. In June I spent the night at heathrow and was worried all night that I'd fall a a sleep and miss my flight due to being asleep somewhere in the departure terminal.

This morning I was commissioned as the children's and you missioner.  I have stood before the church in many places and made promises /commitments /vows. The last time was in March as I was welcomed into full plan as a local preacher. Today though was like it was the very first time, I've always taken these times with a great respect and seriousness and do not enter into these lightly. the words today struck me to the core.

Caroline, do you believe that you are called by God, through the church, to ministry among children and young people

I do.

As you commit yourself to this ministry, we ask you these questions: Do you confess Jesus Christ as Lord?

I do.

Do you receive the witness to Christ in the holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments?

I do.

Do you embrace the faith and unity of the holy, catholic and apostolic Church?

I do.

Will you submit yourself to the Church’s discipline?

With God’s help, I will.

Will you assist the church to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to young people, and to build them up in the faith? With God’s help, I will.Will you encourage young people to offer their faith, gifts and energy to God in the life of the church and the community? With God’s help, I will.

Will you seek opportunities to enhance your gifts and skills in youth ministry?

With God’s help, I will.

May God give you strength to fulfil these vows; and to God be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus from generation to generation for ever. Amen.

There is something very powerful about declaring aloud in public that makes these words more than just words. How we speak and the intentions of the heart as we do speak carries deep implications.

I stood today in front of new friends to make these vows... it was a safe place even if it was totally scary. In reflecting on this I do think and pray for those members of the body of christ around who make these vows in much different circumstances and where these words can mean even in 2011 a life of struggle hardship and imprisonment.

New home

They say that moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do in life. Thanks to a couple of friends the move was fairly smooth though tiering the heat while cleaning the flat and packing up that end..  a slight detour due to loosing the road signs meant we arrived latter than we hoped but still managed to unload half the van.before collapsing into camp beds.  

finding new homes for everything takes time and where they first where put many haven't stayed I guess that will happen for a while as I settle in.  

Moving

I've been quite on here for a few days now that was due to living in chaos. A week ago today it was almost impossible to get into my front room or through the front door because boxes had been stacked in any space we could find. It was only when we drove up to Leicester last thursday evening that another friend who was staying while here studying actually had a room to call his own.

cupbord cleaning by stf 

Thankfully it was cooler last thursday as we packed the van and drove up north. Fun and games on the M1 with 15miles of roadworks and then loosing the signs for the A46 and then working off the little I know of the area. We got to the house eventually :) unpacked most of the van then collapsed for the night.

I now have internet and cable installed so all good... Just need the sofas to arrive ( and get through the door :S and will be almost there)

off out now for supper