So much to say, so little time as Take 6 once put it. In many ways it is the culmination of a number of strands that have been buzzing around in the atmosphere for the last two years or so. I would love to be able to write at length, but time does not afford me to do that at this time.
Here’s what is going on in nutshell. Throughout 2009 there have been a number of developments through each quarter of the year that got me seriously thinking about some of the things God has been bringing to my attention.
In the first quarter of this calendar year (Jan-Mar) there was the big deal about moving from COG Phase 1 to Phase 2, which was a pressured and stressful time for me and me family.
In the second quarter of the calendar year (Apr-Jun) we as a family moved house to a more spacious location, but as you know I hate moving and the process itself was pressured and stressful.
In the third quarter of the year I moved the location of work from the main hub of accommodation activity to the COG Centre which held lots of promise of space to do stuff, but that process was also pressured and stressful taking place at a particularly pressured and stressful time in me life for a number of reasons that maybe God will grant me the grace to share at a later time should the return of His Son permit.
Now you don’t have to be Columbo to know that there’s a common thread in the activities of the year thus far. In the light of that I reflected on some of the thoughts I was having earlier on in the year about being in my element for my season and really moving away from being a misfit that doesn’t fit towards fitting exactly where God would have me to be.
Part of the pressured and stressful element of my life was grappling with enacting some serious decisions to do with that and as I approached the final quarter of the year I enquired of God what would be next to complete the set. Moving church building, moving home, moving work place location – what next? Could it be moving church? How about moving from work altogether? What of moving home? I was prepared for one of the three in the light of the grief that I’d gone through in the year.
As it turned out, God had it mind to do all three. Hence the lack of blogs lately – that and as you know the failing IT situation, which is till ongoing, I’m typing this on a proper desktop computer!!! Can you believe that?? Yes indeed as things would turn out there was a call to move on from church (local expression), from the job and from Stoke-on-Trent and in the last month or two it’s been about working on enacting those decisions.
These are not light decisions as you can appreciate and indeed they have taken the previous stressful and pressured situation through the roof, leading to some most unfortunate scenarios including personal illness, disappointing work performances and strained relations. Still in it all God has remained faithful and in accordance with His Word has allowed me to experience His peace as long as my mind has been stayed on Him. I’m not doing these things on a whim or because of personal issues or general discontentment; this is part of being obedient to what He calls of me in line with the ethos of Psalm 1:3.
So at present we’ve just completed a move from the house we only moved into in April to our new home in Greater Manchester. Just working through the work deal but to all intents and purposes the North Staffs YMCA season in my life is over for the time being. As for the church situation … watch this space for more interesting details on that.
Hopefully an IT solution will emerge in the next week or so in order that I’ll resume regular service especially in the run up to the end of the year.
Here’s what is going on in nutshell. Throughout 2009 there have been a number of developments through each quarter of the year that got me seriously thinking about some of the things God has been bringing to my attention.
In the first quarter of this calendar year (Jan-Mar) there was the big deal about moving from COG Phase 1 to Phase 2, which was a pressured and stressful time for me and me family.
In the second quarter of the calendar year (Apr-Jun) we as a family moved house to a more spacious location, but as you know I hate moving and the process itself was pressured and stressful.
In the third quarter of the year I moved the location of work from the main hub of accommodation activity to the COG Centre which held lots of promise of space to do stuff, but that process was also pressured and stressful taking place at a particularly pressured and stressful time in me life for a number of reasons that maybe God will grant me the grace to share at a later time should the return of His Son permit.
Now you don’t have to be Columbo to know that there’s a common thread in the activities of the year thus far. In the light of that I reflected on some of the thoughts I was having earlier on in the year about being in my element for my season and really moving away from being a misfit that doesn’t fit towards fitting exactly where God would have me to be.
Part of the pressured and stressful element of my life was grappling with enacting some serious decisions to do with that and as I approached the final quarter of the year I enquired of God what would be next to complete the set. Moving church building, moving home, moving work place location – what next? Could it be moving church? How about moving from work altogether? What of moving home? I was prepared for one of the three in the light of the grief that I’d gone through in the year.
As it turned out, God had it mind to do all three. Hence the lack of blogs lately – that and as you know the failing IT situation, which is till ongoing, I’m typing this on a proper desktop computer!!! Can you believe that?? Yes indeed as things would turn out there was a call to move on from church (local expression), from the job and from Stoke-on-Trent and in the last month or two it’s been about working on enacting those decisions.
These are not light decisions as you can appreciate and indeed they have taken the previous stressful and pressured situation through the roof, leading to some most unfortunate scenarios including personal illness, disappointing work performances and strained relations. Still in it all God has remained faithful and in accordance with His Word has allowed me to experience His peace as long as my mind has been stayed on Him. I’m not doing these things on a whim or because of personal issues or general discontentment; this is part of being obedient to what He calls of me in line with the ethos of Psalm 1:3.
So at present we’ve just completed a move from the house we only moved into in April to our new home in Greater Manchester. Just working through the work deal but to all intents and purposes the North Staffs YMCA season in my life is over for the time being. As for the church situation … watch this space for more interesting details on that.
Hopefully an IT solution will emerge in the next week or so in order that I’ll resume regular service especially in the run up to the end of the year.
Indeed as He leads me it really is as if He reads my mind and prepares me in advance for the stuff that’s coming my way and assures me that He is in control however pressured and stressful the situation may be. This is a most comforting thought and will need to be so for the challenges and excitement ahead. Keep praying for me and the family as we enter unchartered territory and see what God has in store for us there.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
dmcd
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