Tired

Very tired today after a busy day yesterday. PCC had been moved from 6.30 to 7.30 p.m. because it's "easier for people to get to." Unfortunately "people" didn't find it easier in relaity and we had half the number we should have had. A later meeting also meant we had a later ending and so I was veery sllepy at 9.20 p.m. when we ended.
It was a bit of a difficult meeting.

• we need a new treasurer because our current one is moving south soon.
• we have a bit of a financial crisis
• the tower has developed a few menacing cracks
• someobody is not happy with something
• we are hopeful and happy about our future as we look forward.

Pretty normal then. Frustrating and inspiring all at the same time!

As St Paul writes: "I am Frustrated but not crushed!"

Conkers

Is it just me or are there a lot of conkers on the ground this year?
Maybe it’s been a bumper year for them, with the weird weather we have been having lately anything is possible. I always thought it a shame that there was nothing else you could do with a conker, like make conker jam, or conker pie. It seemed a shame that so beautiful an object had so limited a use. However I heard recently that during the war school children were paid to collect them because they were used in the manufacture of bullets, something to do with the wadding in the gun cases but I am not sure.
Maybe there are a lot of conkers because the children have stopped playing with them... which would be a shame. They were always such fun, and well, yes a bit dangerous. Not so much the game itself, although you could “take someone’s eye out with it” if you tried really hard, more dangerous were the concoctions we came up with to harden the conker. Boiling in vinegar was a favourite of many but petrol was also mentioned by one friend and of course nail varnish and superglue.
Whatever the reason they are beautiful and always set me in mind of a meditation by Mother Julian of Norwich who when praying one day found a hazelnut and holding it her hand she thought about how God held her life in his hand.
“In this little thing I saw three properties. The first is that God made it. The second that he loves it. And the third, that God keeps it.”
A simple truth but one which is a comfort whatever we may face at this time.
So the next time you pass a conker, pick it up and as you hold in your hand think of your own little life held safely in God’s life. Made by him, loved by him and kept by him. You might like to keep it in your pocket as a reminder.
Or if that doesn’t do it for you, why not play conkers with it? You might end up with a champion!
James Allison 2009

Gildersome

To Gildersome today for Diocesan Synod, the governing body of Wakefield Diocese. It can be a depressing experience, especially when they follow that organisational problem, consultation by presentaton... Here's a twenty minute powerpoint of what we are going to do... All those in favour raise your hands...
Today it was better, beginning, because we are a church body with communion, which was, as always moving.
The bishop followed with an impressive presidential address and a great quote : "if Dawkins thinks that religion is a dead corpse then why does he keep kicking it!" Another good point was that here had been a shift in the last century so that the redistribution of wealth from the rich to the poor now accepted by everybody.
Back to old ways with a presentation for approval on clergy pension matters... but I feel encouraged.

Progress?

Three assemblies, lots of love and a creative afternoon in the study prepared me well for chairing a meeting of the Upper Calder Valley Steering Group. An interesting gathering of keen regeneration types from across the valley and those from local government who seek to support them. It was great to hear how things were coming together and many of the projects outlined in our twenty five year plan are beginning to happen.

So no problem then...

Not exactly, we are still a small number

We still receive many complaints of the "but I will lose my parking place kind."

Still progress is being made and we are still talking.

Early Days

Following the "success" of my bl0g about my travels: aroundtheworldinninetyishdays.blogspot.com I thought it was time to have a new start and so here it is. It's going to be on our entrepeneurial activities but also on my thoughts about being an entrepeneurial christian.
What does that mean?
Not sure but it means that I am really busy and need to go and do an assembly right now. As it is on being practical I better nto be late...