Falling With Style

A year on from a Sabbatical break, here are some selected notes from my journal during that time which may be of help to others, and are certainly a reminder to me. Some is in the form of more reflective thought,  other passages are simple meditations from scripture. How many times have I cringed inside when good people in my church have come to me, apologetically seeking a small portion of my time, focus, and attention, and in doing so will precursor their approach to me with the line, ‘I know you’re a really busy guy, but.....’ Oh, that moment of self reflection, as they hold up a mirror for me to glimpse what they see! A man without time or capacity, a leader who is pushed and pulled from one emergency to another. Their need or even their encouragement for me, becoming something more to be squeezed into an already overflowing schedule. As ever, the fix is the heart, not the schedule.  I was too busy before I left my job to lead the church plant full time 20 years ago, coming home fr

A year on from a Sabbatical break, here are some selected notes from my journal during that time which may be of help to others, and are certainly a reminder to me. Some is in the form of more reflective thought,  other passages are simple meditations from scripture. Jesus said 'No' to his brothers.  In John 7 1-9 they come to him with a plan, filtered through their misunderstanding of both his identity and his mission. They had a strategy for the development of his ministry. They understood how the world works. You have to prime the pump, get yourself noticed, build a following. Enough of this escaping up mountains, out onto lonely lakes at night. Stop playing so hard to get, shake a few hands, make some noise. Get yourself some public attention, some headlines, some trending traction! But Jesus said 'No'. Consistently through the gospels, Jesus says no to friends, to followers, to critics, to busyness, to apparently legitimate opportunity and need, to pow

A year on from a Sabbatical break, here are some selected notes from my journal during that time which may be of help to others, and are certainly a reminder to me. Some is in the form of more reflective thought,  other passages are simple meditations from scripture. In the early weeks of July last year, we were preparing to travel to Bilbao in the north of Spain, and walk a section of the Camino de Santiago, the Way of St James. The ancient pilgrim routes from various directions, harmonise together to bring the pious throngs to a finish at the city of Santiago de Compostela. The Way is walked by thousands each year. Seekers of spiritual enlightenment, Catholic devotees, thrill seeking adventurers.....and us - A burned out leadership couple from a church tradition as far removed from the myths and nonsense around St James as it is possible to be! My journal notes the interactions that James and his brother John have with Jesus and others in the scriptures. Their reputation as the &

A year on from a Sabbatical break, here are some selected notes from my journal during that time which may be of help to others, and are certainly a reminder to me. Some is in the form of more reflective thought,  other passages are simple meditations from scripture. This week is just a list. A short list. But a list with a kick.  We shaped our days around a simple pattern of prayer and scripture reading at regular intervals, seeking to re-wire our hearts and release ourselves from years of busyness and fuzzy focus in leadership. We recognised that these patterns were symptoms of a heart condition which essentially puts me, and self at the centre of everything in terms of importance and control.  It is a heart condition which pumps out a beat that says - I am indispensable. I cannot stop. I am the answer to the problem. When things go wrong I have to fix them. Life works better if I am in control........this is dysfunctional, immature and unsustainable. To navigate our way thro