She's 8 months old. Just babbling. But this is what it sounds like...
"teddy bear" <-- while looking at a teddy - not bad!
"Oh, bugger!" <-- with a deep sigh.
"you're not my Dad" <-- as I walk past her cot.
Wednesday, April 8
Sunday, April 5
Justification - Tom Wright
Everyone raves about Tom Wright. And I haven't yet read anything by him. So I was just getting round to the idea that I shold, and was going to ask my wife to get me something for my birthday, when I found myself in the Cathedral bookshop, holding Tom Wright's 'Justification' in my hand.
I openined it and read a few lines, and had that same experience that I did when I picked up Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis. "OOOohhh, that's HOT!......and disturbing......I have to read this, but maybe not just yet....it will rock the boat and change my theology."
It's always painful handing over cash at the till, but once over that hurdle I brought it home.
I have now finsihed the introduction.
It is indeed as deep and disturbing as I thought, but in a positive sense of building upon wwhat I already believe (as far as I can tell so far). I don't think I will have too much trouble coming round to his way of thinking. It is very good, and I don't see a conflict between this and my Evangelical upbringing - yet.
My problem is that everybody raves about how readable he is, wheras I find him rather turgid. Sentances that go on for 8 lines with five subclauses leave you lost as to what the sentance stareted off with. And he keeps refering to variosu former theologians. THat's great for a scholastic audience, but not really for those as low ranking as me. Rob Bell was grabbed by my son and read avidly. I can't see the same happening with this.
Nevertheless, I shall struggle on, because I think I shall find it worthwhile.
I openined it and read a few lines, and had that same experience that I did when I picked up Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis. "OOOohhh, that's HOT!......and disturbing......I have to read this, but maybe not just yet....it will rock the boat and change my theology."
It's always painful handing over cash at the till, but once over that hurdle I brought it home.
I have now finsihed the introduction.
It is indeed as deep and disturbing as I thought, but in a positive sense of building upon wwhat I already believe (as far as I can tell so far). I don't think I will have too much trouble coming round to his way of thinking. It is very good, and I don't see a conflict between this and my Evangelical upbringing - yet.
My problem is that everybody raves about how readable he is, wheras I find him rather turgid. Sentances that go on for 8 lines with five subclauses leave you lost as to what the sentance stareted off with. And he keeps refering to variosu former theologians. THat's great for a scholastic audience, but not really for those as low ranking as me. Rob Bell was grabbed by my son and read avidly. I can't see the same happening with this.
Nevertheless, I shall struggle on, because I think I shall find it worthwhile.
Dismantling the Church of England
Well, some people might think I want to!
I was supposed to be at the PCC away weekend, but had another engagement. I was supposed to be doing a short talk on 'leadership', but since I couldn't go they asked for it in written form instead. Of course I procrastinated this until the last moment, and then rushed it off in a short period in between getting the kids to school in the morning.
So I was surprised when the Vicar phoned me Sunday morning - could he have another copy to use in the morning service? I thought he would pick out one of the key points, but No, he read the whole thing verbatim.
I am of course, flattered.
But my document on 'leadership' was intended for the PCC, not the whole church. I was writing about how leadership is applied in the Brethren and Charismatic churches of my upbringing, and describing those chuches critiscisms of the Anglican hieracrchical system. I didn't really talk anbout the positive aspect of it, because the PCC are all well aware of the good side of Anglicanism. So it seems like a very anti-C of E thing, and it was read out as My work. And now I suspect the congregation thinks I want to pull the whole system down.
Oh Well!
I was supposed to be at the PCC away weekend, but had another engagement. I was supposed to be doing a short talk on 'leadership', but since I couldn't go they asked for it in written form instead. Of course I procrastinated this until the last moment, and then rushed it off in a short period in between getting the kids to school in the morning.
So I was surprised when the Vicar phoned me Sunday morning - could he have another copy to use in the morning service? I thought he would pick out one of the key points, but No, he read the whole thing verbatim.
I am of course, flattered.
But my document on 'leadership' was intended for the PCC, not the whole church. I was writing about how leadership is applied in the Brethren and Charismatic churches of my upbringing, and describing those chuches critiscisms of the Anglican hieracrchical system. I didn't really talk anbout the positive aspect of it, because the PCC are all well aware of the good side of Anglicanism. So it seems like a very anti-C of E thing, and it was read out as My work. And now I suspect the congregation thinks I want to pull the whole system down.
Oh Well!
Work
Still no client!
Well, I suppose it's early days - i've only been at home for two normal days so far. I hope that as the new financial year gets underway and people get new budgets new work will come on stream.
But please pray for me to get a new client. I haev a family to feed and house!
Well, I suppose it's early days - i've only been at home for two normal days so far. I hope that as the new financial year gets underway and people get new budgets new work will come on stream.
But please pray for me to get a new client. I haev a family to feed and house!
Friday, April 3
Top 50
My youngest son recently came in the top 50 of a town-wide cross country event.
Which is putting a positive spin on the fact he was 47th out of 55.
Which is putting a positive spin on the fact he was 47th out of 55.
Wednesday, April 1
I'm back
Q - Why have I not been blogging?
A - I have been working very busily at my recent client, with no time for such things. This is how I like to be! Also, my mobile broadband USB doesn't seem to be working.
My preent position is: Not Working!
My recent client extended my contract till 31st March. Great! But I have no new client, and am back to begging off my parents for survival. As a freelancer, I'm not eligible for state unemployment benefits, because I'm not really unemployed in that sense. I'm just between clients.
So please pray for a new client to call on my services, so that I can earn my existence rather than sponging of Mum and Dad at my age.
A - I have been working very busily at my recent client, with no time for such things. This is how I like to be! Also, my mobile broadband USB doesn't seem to be working.
My preent position is: Not Working!
My recent client extended my contract till 31st March. Great! But I have no new client, and am back to begging off my parents for survival. As a freelancer, I'm not eligible for state unemployment benefits, because I'm not really unemployed in that sense. I'm just between clients.
So please pray for a new client to call on my services, so that I can earn my existence rather than sponging of Mum and Dad at my age.
Tuesday, March 10
Gossip
I found out today that a former colleague has divorced and remarried.
It's none of my business to know why, but one is curious, nosey. The new wife is another colleague. Did he split with his first wife just so that he could have her?
So I guiltily ask someone what happened.
It turns out that it was his first wife that had been seeing someone else - the butch female security guard (who was supposed to have been 'doing it' with the female CEO for some time). So my colleague had been patiently and silently suffering for many years. I still don't know the order f events, but knowing a bit more of the circumstances I am less inclined to jump to conclusions than I was to start with.
Gossip is bad, but in this instance stopped me from misjudging someone.
(Plus it's another case of a homosexual trying to get along in a heterosexual marriage and surprise surprise, it doesn't work)
It's none of my business to know why, but one is curious, nosey. The new wife is another colleague. Did he split with his first wife just so that he could have her?
So I guiltily ask someone what happened.
It turns out that it was his first wife that had been seeing someone else - the butch female security guard (who was supposed to have been 'doing it' with the female CEO for some time). So my colleague had been patiently and silently suffering for many years. I still don't know the order f events, but knowing a bit more of the circumstances I am less inclined to jump to conclusions than I was to start with.
Gossip is bad, but in this instance stopped me from misjudging someone.
(Plus it's another case of a homosexual trying to get along in a heterosexual marriage and surprise surprise, it doesn't work)
Monday, March 9
Need a new client VIII
I am now well into my period with my current (short term) client. It's nice work - a steady plod that doesn't take too much thought, with some local site visits to check on the stuff I am putting on the plan.
But it's only for two weeks.
There is a possible one week extension if the client gets the funding.
But then after that I will be out on my ear again.
The good news is that the work I am currently doing will still earn me more in the month than had I stayed as an employee rather than becoming freelance. But it's not enough to meet my bills (which is why I went freelance in the first place.)
I know that I am surrounded by people being made redundant, but I can't help thinking that they are better off than me since they qualify for all kinds of state aid, which I don't. Plus I have no savings to fall back on (my fault). Plus I have seven kids to feed.
So I still need prayer for the situation to be resolved.
But it's only for two weeks.
There is a possible one week extension if the client gets the funding.
But then after that I will be out on my ear again.
The good news is that the work I am currently doing will still earn me more in the month than had I stayed as an employee rather than becoming freelance. But it's not enough to meet my bills (which is why I went freelance in the first place.)
I know that I am surrounded by people being made redundant, but I can't help thinking that they are better off than me since they qualify for all kinds of state aid, which I don't. Plus I have no savings to fall back on (my fault). Plus I have seven kids to feed.
So I still need prayer for the situation to be resolved.
Tuesday, March 3
Colossians 4
My talk to the church's Bible study group on Colossians 4 seems to have gone down OK. At least being off work gave me the chance to get the job done.
Better news
Tomorrow I start work again! Five days of unemployment is enough. Financially it has been OK since my parents are bailing me out, but this obviously can't go on for ever. So it was great to phone them and tell them the news. But its also good to be going back to work anyway. I have tried to make my days useful, job hunting in the morning and doing housework or company paperwork in the afternoon. But it really is impossible to stick to that when you have a wife and baby. The baby obviously has to take priority some of the time, but it is exceedingly frustrating when the wife delegates her own jobs to you just because you are around. And you can tell her to take a running jump, but then she doesn't believe you when you say you love her. So it will be great to go back to work and actually work! I suppose these tensions are natural.
The work I will be doing is unfortunately only for two weeks, so I still need a new client. It is an extension of work that I was doing last summer and autumn for the local council. They had previously told me that for political and contractual reasons they couldn't give me the work, but they seem to have got over that.
I applied for one particularly good job, which I got all excited about and thought this must be the Lord's will, but unfortunately I missed out on that one too.
The good thing is that these circumstances have forced me to register my CV with just about every agency in the UK, so hopefully the future will be full of people offering me jobs, once the market picks up again. For now, although I am back with an old client on an old job, they have been required a negotiate a re-rate with me, and of course this was downwards, not up!
Any way, I have two weeks work before I start panicking again.
The work I will be doing is unfortunately only for two weeks, so I still need a new client. It is an extension of work that I was doing last summer and autumn for the local council. They had previously told me that for political and contractual reasons they couldn't give me the work, but they seem to have got over that.
I applied for one particularly good job, which I got all excited about and thought this must be the Lord's will, but unfortunately I missed out on that one too.
The good thing is that these circumstances have forced me to register my CV with just about every agency in the UK, so hopefully the future will be full of people offering me jobs, once the market picks up again. For now, although I am back with an old client on an old job, they have been required a negotiate a re-rate with me, and of course this was downwards, not up!
Any way, I have two weeks work before I start panicking again.
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