Week Commencing 23rd January 2012
Well, the festive season seems only to be a distant memory now as work and college are in full swing once more. Having spent a week in Northumberland in a lovely cottage, it was just the break I needed to return refreshed. Northumberland is a place dear to my heart and its harse rugged landscape is beautiful. Our visit to Holy Island was particularly inspiring. As I walked in the cold winter light I could imagine St Cuthbert and his monks toiling, praying and connecting with the elements. Today it is still a place where God never seems far away. In that peace and tranquility it provides an escape from the every day and the opportunity to become acutely aware of our humanity.
Week Commencing 7th November 2011
Had a few days in York this week. The council were busy putting up Christmas lights and although it made the place feel quite festive in my view is far too early. It is right that we should use Advent to prepare for the birth of Christ. Yet as I type Advent isn't even upon us. Christmas appears in the shops and retail parks earlier and earlier each year. I am convinced that in 10 years time Christmas lights will simply be left on all year. There is something to be said for using the time of Advent wisely. Christmas paraphanallia appearing so early almost creates a familiarity and robs us of that vital preparation time before Christmas day. I think we would be wise to perhaps stand back a little and wait at least until the first day of Advent until preparations begin.
Week Commencing 1st November 2011
Last week I attended York Minster for the consecration of the new Bishop of Durham, Justin Welby. The occassion lived up to expectations and what better surroundings than to celebrate such an occasion than York Minster. I cannot imagine the weight of responsibility that the new Bishop will feel upon his shoulders. At a time when there are concerns about dwindling congregations and finances are stretched, he has many challenges facing him. I look forward to his leadership and I hope that he brings a sense of dynamism to the post. I am too filled with admiration for our suffragan, the BIshop of Jarrow who has worked tirelessly and effectively in the period between Bishop Tom leaving and Bishop Justin starting. AS he begins his work in Durham I pray: that he will be given a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love that he may build the Church in Durham Dioceses as a sign of salvation for the world.
Week commencing 3rd October 2011
Having returned from holiday I attended my first residential of my second year of training this weekend. The weekend focused on issues relating to ordained ministry. Nine people joined us in our studies from the Lutheran Seminary in Ratzeburg. The weekend proved to be extremely enlightening and it was wonderful to share ideas and discuss theology with people from a different tradition. I learnt a great deal about Lutheranism and it was wonderful to share worship with them. The highlight of the weekend for me lasted only a few minutes, when the seminarians sang the Lord's prayer to a tune which originated from the Russian Orthodox Church. I had goose bumps when I heard it. They were inspiring and wonderful people and it reinforces the importance of ecumenism. Here we were working, worshiping and being together in such a way that for me, demonstrated that there is no reason why all of us cannot collaborate together for the sake of the kingdom. It was a joy and a blessing to spend time with such amazing people
Week commening 30th August 2011
This week I was on the rota to preach at 8am and 10am on Sunday. Having read the text, Matthew 18 - 15 - 20 I struggled for inspiration. In these circumstances I usually leave it and then I find something will spark a few days later. Having written it I felt it wasn't one of my best works. In fact I thought it was not particularly inspired or interesting However this morning arrived and I made my way up into the pulpit and did the business. The strange thing was at 8am there were 17 people present and at least a dozen came to me afterwards to tell me how they had enjoyed the sermon and how it had spoken to them. At 10am it the feedback was incredible. At the peace and afterwards most of the congregation told me how they had enjoyed it and how they related to it. The verger told me that it was good to not have a "highfalutin" sermon as she like the ones she can actually understand! It just shows that lessons are learnt everyday. The times you think you have done a good job others perhaps don't agree. The times when you think you have not crafted the words as well as you would have liked - they speak to people in a real way. Some how I think this is God telling me something!
Week commencing 21st August 2011
Just spent a very enjoyable weekend in Northumberland. Staying near Craster we decided to visit Lindisfarne, a favourite place of ours. I have to say that I have never seen it so busy. There were people everywhere and a Viking reenactment was obviously attracting people from far and wide. So the quiet spiritual space was some what overwhelmed by the heaving throngs of people. However despite this we managed to get away from the crowds. As I looked out to see there was a very distinctive wailing sound and there in the distance on the sand was a colony of seals. The noise was deafening and they were calling to each other - there must have been 50 seals at least. As I looked out and listened I began thinking about the sounds St Cuthbert must have heard and how this was probably common place to him. I hoped that the crowds of people, preoccupied with buying ice creams and Viking specialities might just for a short while capture the wonder of this most special place and connect with the surroundings which were all too familiar to Cuthbert and his monastic comrades.
Week commencing 8th August 2011
After a pleasant week hiking in Cumbria and the Scottish Borders it is back to it. Did a few hours ward visiting at the hospital again this week. The diversity of people never fails to amaze me. This week saw diversity at is greatest- from a women suffering terminal bladder cancer to a drag queen injured by an angle grinder used in his act! (don't ask!!) The whole challenge of chaplaincy is that you never know what you will be met with as you move from bed to bed. The ability to connect with people of differing levels is key. Today I spoke for some time to a woman who suffered dementia. She was confused, frightened and tearful. She was most eager to talk and spoke after a while of marriage which had been very abusive. Despite her confusion and obvious short term memory problems she was keen to share her story and most importantly she wanted someone to listen and take an interest in her. Admission to hospital is bewildering for most of us but even more so when you are suffering from dementia and taken out of your familiar settings of home. I cannot imagine how scary that must be. The value of chaplaincy is tremendous and just the very fact that someone cares when you are at your most vulnerable underlines its value further. I am about to begin writing up a theological reflections/case study of my experiences and will be focussing on the funeral of a 20week old baby which I attended a couple of weeks ago.
Week commencing18th July 2011
Attending my chaplaincy placement this week really brought home how vulnerable people feel when hospital. My day to day encounters with people on the wards have really taught me a great deal about humanity. I was warned that I may encounter hostility occasionally; chaplains can be greeted by someone putting the newspaper up in front of their face to avoid you! But I am pleased to say, to date, I have not encountered this. Those who are not regular church goers still have an interest in God and most have a sense of their own spirituality. Looking into the eyes of a man this week who was close to death really spoke to me. He whispered through his oxygen mask that he was finished and asked if I could arrange for him to have communion which I did. Holding my hand tight he seemed to appreciate the human contact and in all of this he seemed calm and at peace and I was grateful to have spent that time with him. The skill of the chaplaincy team is evident. You never know what you are about to be faced with. It is unpredictable and challenging and yet God equips the chaplains to go about their daily work and bring God into the lives of those who are at their most vulnerable. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to share there work and learn from their wisdom and example.
Week commencing11th July 2011
This week has been a busy but interesting week. Spending time at the hospital on placement in the Chaplaincy department was for me the highlight. Meeting people at their most vulnerable was a privilege. At first people are a little suspicious of talking to someone who they think might be a "religious manic"!! But once the ice is broken it becomes all too apparent that each person has a spirituality whether explicit or latent. The key is to connect on a human level and the rest seems to follow. I was truly inspired by a man who had just had his leg amputated. He likened it to having a tree pruned. Although it was a "bit of an inconvenience" he said that he mustn't grumble but be thankful he is still alive as if it had not had happened the likelihood was he would have died. Despite the pain and uncertain future he was looking forward not back and his pragmatic attitude was something to be admired. Another man broke down after a while and began to tell his story of his wife's death a few months ago. She had hidden the fact that she had been told she had a short time to live from him. The guilt seemed to weigh him down, that he had not been able to share her fears and hurts with her until the end was in sight. There is something quite special about touching the lives of people in their brokenness. But what I did leave with was that God is very much at work in the world and he was at work on that ward as I went from bed to bed.
On Wednesday it was my last day at college. My first year over. My Exodus essay and gobbet on Mark 14 now finished. Only a case study to do on my hospital placement. Then August is going to be a time of rest and when I give my full attention to my long suffering husband.
Week commencing 4th July 2011This week I have been working on an end of year assignment for college - "Who is God in Exodus" I choose it because Old Testament is not my bag and I would learn something and also I thought it would be a fairly straight forward essay to do. When beginning an essay I always take ages to start. However its is interesting that every essay on scripture I complete I come out of it having learnt a great deal and it having spoken to me in some way. My New Testament essay on Mark 14 32-42 - The agony in the garden was also a revelation. What shocks me most is how much there is to know. On those 10 verse of Mark I spent hours toiling and could have been reading for a year and still not read all there is to read. Exodus however has been a cathartic experience. It has really made me think about the mercy and faithfulness of God, even when we turn our backs on him. He never gives up on his people. There are times and I feel it even now, when we feel like we are in exile or bondage just like the Israelites and yet despite everything they were lead to freedom. I suppose that is what training for ministry feels like sometimes. But I know that freedom, joy and fulfillment are at the end of what can often be a difficult journey. Sometimes it would be much easier if we too, as Moses, had a theophany, an appearance of God in our lives. But if we believe in an incarnate God then we encounter him in the world every day. I encounter him every week in the priestiness of my dear friend who is also an ordinand and it is with her support that the burdens of my journey are made lighter. How lucky I am!
Well, the festive season seems only to be a distant memory now as work and college are in full swing once more. Having spent a week in Northumberland in a lovely cottage, it was just the break I needed to return refreshed. Northumberland is a place dear to my heart and its harse rugged landscape is beautiful. Our visit to Holy Island was particularly inspiring. As I walked in the cold winter light I could imagine St Cuthbert and his monks toiling, praying and connecting with the elements. Today it is still a place where God never seems far away. In that peace and tranquility it provides an escape from the every day and the opportunity to become acutely aware of our humanity.
Week Commencing 7th November 2011
Week Commencing 1st November 2011
Last week I attended York Minster for the consecration of the new Bishop of Durham, Justin Welby. The occassion lived up to expectations and what better surroundings than to celebrate such an occasion than York Minster. I cannot imagine the weight of responsibility that the new Bishop will feel upon his shoulders. At a time when there are concerns about dwindling congregations and finances are stretched, he has many challenges facing him. I look forward to his leadership and I hope that he brings a sense of dynamism to the post. I am too filled with admiration for our suffragan, the BIshop of Jarrow who has worked tirelessly and effectively in the period between Bishop Tom leaving and Bishop Justin starting. AS he begins his work in Durham I pray: that he will be given a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love that he may build the Church in Durham Dioceses as a sign of salvation for the world.
Week commencing 3rd October 2011
Having returned from holiday I attended my first residential of my second year of training this weekend. The weekend focused on issues relating to ordained ministry. Nine people joined us in our studies from the Lutheran Seminary in Ratzeburg. The weekend proved to be extremely enlightening and it was wonderful to share ideas and discuss theology with people from a different tradition. I learnt a great deal about Lutheranism and it was wonderful to share worship with them. The highlight of the weekend for me lasted only a few minutes, when the seminarians sang the Lord's prayer to a tune which originated from the Russian Orthodox Church. I had goose bumps when I heard it. They were inspiring and wonderful people and it reinforces the importance of ecumenism. Here we were working, worshiping and being together in such a way that for me, demonstrated that there is no reason why all of us cannot collaborate together for the sake of the kingdom. It was a joy and a blessing to spend time with such amazing people
Week commening 30th August 2011
This week I was on the rota to preach at 8am and 10am on Sunday. Having read the text, Matthew 18 - 15 - 20 I struggled for inspiration. In these circumstances I usually leave it and then I find something will spark a few days later. Having written it I felt it wasn't one of my best works. In fact I thought it was not particularly inspired or interesting However this morning arrived and I made my way up into the pulpit and did the business. The strange thing was at 8am there were 17 people present and at least a dozen came to me afterwards to tell me how they had enjoyed the sermon and how it had spoken to them. At 10am it the feedback was incredible. At the peace and afterwards most of the congregation told me how they had enjoyed it and how they related to it. The verger told me that it was good to not have a "highfalutin" sermon as she like the ones she can actually understand! It just shows that lessons are learnt everyday. The times you think you have done a good job others perhaps don't agree. The times when you think you have not crafted the words as well as you would have liked - they speak to people in a real way. Some how I think this is God telling me something!
Week commencing 21st August 2011
Just spent a very enjoyable weekend in Northumberland. Staying near Craster we decided to visit Lindisfarne, a favourite place of ours. I have to say that I have never seen it so busy. There were people everywhere and a Viking reenactment was obviously attracting people from far and wide. So the quiet spiritual space was some what overwhelmed by the heaving throngs of people. However despite this we managed to get away from the crowds. As I looked out to see there was a very distinctive wailing sound and there in the distance on the sand was a colony of seals. The noise was deafening and they were calling to each other - there must have been 50 seals at least. As I looked out and listened I began thinking about the sounds St Cuthbert must have heard and how this was probably common place to him. I hoped that the crowds of people, preoccupied with buying ice creams and Viking specialities might just for a short while capture the wonder of this most special place and connect with the surroundings which were all too familiar to Cuthbert and his monastic comrades.
Week commencing 8th August 2011
After a pleasant week hiking in Cumbria and the Scottish Borders it is back to it. Did a few hours ward visiting at the hospital again this week. The diversity of people never fails to amaze me. This week saw diversity at is greatest- from a women suffering terminal bladder cancer to a drag queen injured by an angle grinder used in his act! (don't ask!!) The whole challenge of chaplaincy is that you never know what you will be met with as you move from bed to bed. The ability to connect with people of differing levels is key. Today I spoke for some time to a woman who suffered dementia. She was confused, frightened and tearful. She was most eager to talk and spoke after a while of marriage which had been very abusive. Despite her confusion and obvious short term memory problems she was keen to share her story and most importantly she wanted someone to listen and take an interest in her. Admission to hospital is bewildering for most of us but even more so when you are suffering from dementia and taken out of your familiar settings of home. I cannot imagine how scary that must be. The value of chaplaincy is tremendous and just the very fact that someone cares when you are at your most vulnerable underlines its value further. I am about to begin writing up a theological reflections/case study of my experiences and will be focussing on the funeral of a 20week old baby which I attended a couple of weeks ago.
Week commencing
Attending my chaplaincy placement this week really brought home how vulnerable people feel when hospital. My day to day encounters with people on the wards have really taught me a great deal about humanity. I was warned that I may encounter hostility occasionally; chaplains can be greeted by someone putting the newspaper up in front of their face to avoid you! But I am pleased to say, to date, I have not encountered this. Those who are not regular church goers still have an interest in God and most have a sense of their own spirituality. Looking into the eyes of a man this week who was close to death really spoke to me. He whispered through his oxygen mask that he was finished and asked if I could arrange for him to have communion which I did. Holding my hand tight he seemed to appreciate the human contact and in all of this he seemed calm and at peace and I was grateful to have spent that time with him. The skill of the chaplaincy team is evident. You never know what you are about to be faced with. It is unpredictable and challenging and yet God equips the chaplains to go about their daily work and bring God into the lives of those who are at their most vulnerable. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to share there work and learn from their wisdom and example.
Week commencing
This week has been a busy but interesting week. Spending time at the hospital on placement in the Chaplaincy department was for me the highlight. Meeting people at their most vulnerable was a privilege. At first people are a little suspicious of talking to someone who they think might be a "religious manic"!! But once the ice is broken it becomes all too apparent that each person has a spirituality whether explicit or latent. The key is to connect on a human level and the rest seems to follow. I was truly inspired by a man who had just had his leg amputated. He likened it to having a tree pruned. Although it was a "bit of an inconvenience" he said that he mustn't grumble but be thankful he is still alive as if it had not had happened the likelihood was he would have died. Despite the pain and uncertain future he was looking forward not back and his pragmatic attitude was something to be admired. Another man broke down after a while and began to tell his story of his wife's death a few months ago. She had hidden the fact that she had been told she had a short time to live from him. The guilt seemed to weigh him down, that he had not been able to share her fears and hurts with her until the end was in sight. There is something quite special about touching the lives of people in their brokenness. But what I did leave with was that God is very much at work in the world and he was at work on that ward as I went from bed to bed.
On Wednesday it was my last day at college. My first year over. My Exodus essay and gobbet on Mark 14 now finished. Only a case study to do on my hospital placement. Then August is going to be a time of rest and when I give my full attention to my long suffering husband.
Week commencing 4th July 2011This week I have been working on an end of year assignment for college - "Who is God in Exodus" I choose it because Old Testament is not my bag and I would learn something and also I thought it would be a fairly straight forward essay to do. When beginning an essay I always take ages to start. However its is interesting that every essay on scripture I complete I come out of it having learnt a great deal and it having spoken to me in some way. My New Testament essay on Mark 14 32-42 - The agony in the garden was also a revelation. What shocks me most is how much there is to know. On those 10 verse of Mark I spent hours toiling and could have been reading for a year and still not read all there is to read. Exodus however has been a cathartic experience. It has really made me think about the mercy and faithfulness of God, even when we turn our backs on him. He never gives up on his people. There are times and I feel it even now, when we feel like we are in exile or bondage just like the Israelites and yet despite everything they were lead to freedom. I suppose that is what training for ministry feels like sometimes. But I know that freedom, joy and fulfillment are at the end of what can often be a difficult journey. Sometimes it would be much easier if we too, as Moses, had a theophany, an appearance of God in our lives. But if we believe in an incarnate God then we encounter him in the world every day. I encounter him every week in the priestiness of my dear friend who is also an ordinand and it is with her support that the burdens of my journey are made lighter. How lucky I am!
