tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.comments2014-03-10T15:48:01.736+00:00Hallowed ChaosSheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15441969132168345028noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-13528399481621412942014-03-10T15:48:01.736+00:002014-03-10T15:48:01.736+00:00Thanks, E! We will be moving house to the new pari...Thanks, E! We will be moving house to the new parish, just not sure exactly when yet. I have such admiration for Army families, re-settling so often, which I would find very difficult. Glad you're settled now!Sheenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15441969132168345028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-59849869350949205322014-03-09T21:33:30.752+00:002014-03-09T21:33:30.752+00:00It's disconcerting moving somewhere else, but ...It's disconcerting moving somewhere else, but staying put. Obviously there must be reasons for it, but we always expect Clergy to disappear down the road in a Removal Van to wherever their next ministry is.<br /><br />I know that in my Army career, moving every 2 to 3 years, being in one place for more than that was strange, and when I retired from them in 1989 I was in my own home for the first time. I had three different jobs in the following 20 years, but stayed anchored where we'd set up home for our marriage and traveled to wherever the work was. I took some adapting to changing jobs but without moving.<br /><br />Prayers that you will adjust and that your next post is both fulfilling and fruitful in ministry and personal terms and that God's Kingdom is changed, grown or even amended through it.UKViewerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18114944341930758335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-58582067960870671112012-11-21T22:33:39.833+00:002012-11-21T22:33:39.833+00:00Thanks for your comment Bex. Really good collectio...Thanks for your comment Bex. Really good collection of stuff, some of which I hadn't seen. If you think it's OK and still want to, then do add it to your list.Sheenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15441969132168345028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-29126426975543604102012-11-21T19:38:22.705+00:002012-11-21T19:38:22.705+00:00Another 'graciously honest' piece - thanks...Another 'graciously honest' piece - thanks Sheena - have been thinking about/collecting some of the stories here: http://bigbible.org.uk/2012/11/opinions-online-watching-synod-drbexl/.drbexlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05581212042221327770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-9424397055073597182012-09-26T20:21:24.981+01:002012-09-26T20:21:24.981+01:00What an wonderful, and moving story of a sermon. S...What an wonderful, and moving story of a sermon. So often when I've used, or seen used, the 'scraps of paper' trick, in places far more used it it than the congregation of which I suspect you speak, the scraps are burnt to protect peoples privacy. By being brave and not doing that, you've now got this wonderful insight into the real faith struggles of the people you serve, and are now better equipped to meet them in their needs. <br /><br />Thankful that you were sensitive to God's promptings, prayers as you go forward with what you know.<br /><br />What would I ask? Um, well currently the old chestnut of 'Why me?' followed by 'You got me into this, now get me through it!' ;-)<br /><br />ramtopsrachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01125522822674962696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-36112974273392123852012-04-08T15:22:03.728+01:002012-04-08T15:22:03.728+01:00Amen to this, Sheena and a very happy and holy Eas...Amen to this, Sheena and a very happy and holy Easter to you and your family.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-45738114477222496122012-03-19T14:27:42.368+00:002012-03-19T14:27:42.368+00:00Chaotic perhaps, Sheena, but so very much worth al...Chaotic perhaps, Sheena, but so very much worth all the effort.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-54625076742886578432012-03-13T18:08:14.610+00:002012-03-13T18:08:14.610+00:00Gorgeous quote and so true, Sheena. But it can be ...Gorgeous quote and so true, Sheena. But it can be hard to do anything about it, though, especially in full-time ministry and with a family to boot. I know - I still have the scars....Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-20897363575834519722012-03-07T18:19:56.329+00:002012-03-07T18:19:56.329+00:00So important and yet so hard for many people, Shee...So important and yet so hard for many people, Sheena. The problem is, as you point out, that too often we confuse forgiving and forgetting. The latter we can't control, the former we can, albeit sometimes with enormous pain and difficulty.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-55950413251664172872012-03-02T19:06:48.419+00:002012-03-02T19:06:48.419+00:00Sheena, I totally agree with your wish that it sho...Sheena, I totally agree with your wish that it should be more widely shared, and particularly with younger women, almost all of whom would have been working when our service was held. :-( This is the third time I've spoken at the WWDP. The first was in a small market town in 1982, years before I was ordained and that was an evening service with plenty of younger women (like myself) present. The second was in the late 90s in the village where I spoke today, but again it as an evening service, with a good cross-section of ages.<br /><br />The problem comes when those who have been involved for years get older and less happy about coming out after dark and there aren't the younger women to take over and carry on the tradition of an evening service. I've seen the same happen with the MU in our area for the same reasons and it's sad. Not sure what the answer is, though one small town near hear did well for years with 2 MU meetings, an afternoon one and an evening one. <br /><br />Better stop waffling and finish making the supper.....Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-50921565323193453862012-03-02T18:25:07.794+00:002012-03-02T18:25:07.794+00:00Thank you so much for this - and don;t apologise! ...Thank you so much for this - and don;t apologise! I'm glad you have a positive feeling about it which I'm really pleased to read. I don't necessarily think the WWDP should change to appeal to men, especially as so little of church these days does seem to appeal to men! But I do wish Christian men would feel they could and should pray and be informed about women's issues too.<br />I guess I think that something so worthwhile should be more widely shared - and where I am, the timing of the service makes it quite self-selecting. Those who were there seemed to enjoy it - but I wonder who will be organising it, in our patch at least, in 5 or 10 years' time if we don't get younger people interested. <br />Like many things, it probably depends on the context, and a service so thoroughly prayed over and sincerely offered will be blessed by God. And that's probably all that matters.Sheenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15441969132168345028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-91729603676181100582012-03-02T17:12:01.851+00:002012-03-02T17:12:01.851+00:00How very interesting, Sheena and I've popped o...How very interesting, Sheena and I've popped over to read Claire's take on it too. As someone from an older generation (probably old enough to be your mother and Claire's) it has never struck me like this in all the years I've been attending it. Wordy, yes, though I thought this year's was better than many. Bitty - somewhat, though I've been to plenty of other kinds of services where this has been true. Worthwhile - totally and I certainly don't feel as though women are being sidelined or patronised by having it.<br /><br />My service was in one of the small country parishes where I used to be vicar and I was the guest speaker. Both the present vicar (a woman) and the minister of the chapel where we met (also a woman) were there, (though they weren't taking an active part) as were close to 20 other women, all of a certain age. No men, but there never are, as in these parishes, which were for so long male-dominated in terms of leadership, this has always been an opportunity for women to prepare, organise and lead worship. <br /><br />I like the fact that this service recognises the solidarity of women from very varied backgrounds. I like the fact that women from such different countries get the chance to highlight their own concerns as well as wider ones, all in the course of highlighting their own particular context. I love the history of its development: http://www.wwdp-natcomm.org/WWDP_history.asp and would hate to see it disappear or be reinvented as something very different.<br /><br />I'm totally comfortable about the fact that this is intended as a service by women, about women and for women, just as I'm comfortable in the WI and the MU (though the latter does have a few male members) If men wanted to attend I'd be fine with that, but truly feel no need to change the nature of WWDP in order to appeal to men. There are plenty of opportunities for men and women to worship and pray together for justice or any other need. Christian Aid Week here we come....<br /><br />Sorry to have gone on a bit. As you can tell I feel quite strongly about it. :-)Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-33211600538659678952012-03-02T16:30:59.929+00:002012-03-02T16:30:59.929+00:00I had a similar conversation with RC ladies after ...I had a similar conversation with RC ladies after our service too....Clairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01843741056826109004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-47938410644349660502012-02-28T23:14:42.903+00:002012-02-28T23:14:42.903+00:00A day in the life of a priest, Sheena. I amazes me...A day in the life of a priest, Sheena. I amazes me to think that people still think of clergy as somehow unworldly and out of touch with the realities of life. I don't know many people more in touch.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-39461513106155578462012-02-28T17:27:54.534+00:002012-02-28T17:27:54.534+00:00Comment worked this time!
I'm not sure how I f...Comment worked this time!<br />I'm not sure how I feel about grapes. I think there's been a Twitter conversation about that. I would rather they just took the bread, I think. We have permission from the Bishop for that to happen but so far there are no takers - not even my own children. We'll wait and see. In any event they seem to like being round the table and I love having them there!Sheenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15441969132168345028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-88289924205713494982012-02-28T15:42:12.941+00:002012-02-28T15:42:12.941+00:00Sounds wonderful - wish I'd been there. Like t...Sounds wonderful - wish I'd been there. Like the idea of gathering the children round the table in particular.<br /><br />Our new vicar has started offering grapes to all the children at Communion, as a way of including them more.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-16584485671025672272012-02-20T18:51:34.068+00:002012-02-20T18:51:34.068+00:00I am quite fond of lego myself, James! And I still...I am quite fond of lego myself, James! And I still like much of the music I enjoyed in the (late) 80s. <br />But seriously, you could be on to something. Our current culture is extremely diverse, changes so quickly and begs to be expressed in less than 140 characters. There are so many TV channels that it's not as if we (often) all sit down to watch the same thing at the same time - but we quite like it when we do - hence X Factor, Strictly etc. In the 80s there were a mere four channels - so many more people will have the same memories of watching those shows, or Top of The Pops, or listening to the charts on a Sunday evening. There's a shared experience there that we currently lack. (With the Strictly/ X factor example being the most obvious exceptions)<br /><br />Interesting that your youth group don't get some of the 80s TV. My son asked me what the A Team was about, "Was it 4 guys in a van that travel around, jump out and blow things up?" When I said that was pretty much it, he said "Sounds boring!" In fact it probably bears some resemblance to an episode of this season's Top Gear!Sheenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15441969132168345028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-45407709057086436852012-02-20T10:51:52.767+00:002012-02-20T10:51:52.767+00:00Sheena, Is this a good time to declare I've st...Sheena, Is this a good time to declare I've started a collection of vintage space lego? I don't think the music was all bad... I too have a number of 80s tv shows on DVD, I've shown them to the church youth group and they just don't get it. I'm not sure if we are retreating to what is familiar or trying to hold onto our youthfulness but I'm loving the 80s vibe to life right now. Perhaps there is a broader issue at hand, that there is no longer a style or focus to our culture like there used to be?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-49921288486782496012012-02-11T14:47:27.538+00:002012-02-11T14:47:27.538+00:00Sheena, I think Heresy Corner is right and this wa...Sheena, I think Heresy Corner is right and this was a silly case which will actually make no difference in the future, because of the new act which has just come into force. I love the cartoon and hope that there would be enough evidence to convict me.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-76871355467727833782012-02-10T08:39:33.535+00:002012-02-10T08:39:33.535+00:00Thanks for your positive comments. I'm tutorin...Thanks for your positive comments. I'm tutoring trainee Readers here at the moment, and I'm finding it really rewarding. It's great watching people grow!Sheenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15441969132168345028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-65839294918888476982012-02-10T08:37:33.259+00:002012-02-10T08:37:33.259+00:00Thank you! I think there is so much more of this i...Thank you! I think there is so much more of this in our communities than we can ever know about, and the church has very little to teach many people about love of neighbour...Sheenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15441969132168345028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-26763312250870254642012-02-10T08:36:22.083+00:002012-02-10T08:36:22.083+00:00Thanks, Jo! God is so far ahead of us in this!Thanks, Jo! God is so far ahead of us in this!Sheenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15441969132168345028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-4428460762486429552012-02-10T08:35:25.631+00:002012-02-10T08:35:25.631+00:00Thank you, Laura. I think it must be harder in rur...Thank you, Laura. I think it must be harder in rural places where there are fewer facilities to meet this need. In a city we have the facilities, but there is still an ongoing problem with isolation which can be just as acute.Sheenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15441969132168345028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-13397473785248883792012-02-09T21:46:32.523+00:002012-02-09T21:46:32.523+00:00A lovely post making important points. I too wish ...A lovely post making important points. I too wish that this vision and working out of community could be found everywhere. It's there in many places when we look for it and yes, this is what the church to should be and do.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008043705075318777.post-54747686059341830612012-02-09T21:40:13.458+00:002012-02-09T21:40:13.458+00:00Hello Sheena. I saw your blog mentioned on the Bea...Hello Sheena. I saw your blog mentioned on the Beaker Folk blog and have enjoyed browsing your posts. This post rang a particular bell with me, since at one point in my ministry I was responsible for organising what we called ICME for my diocese. This has reminded how much I enjoyed working with the curates and their incumbents and watching them grow into their ministry.Perpetuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01214396019726161983noreply@blogger.com