Am sitting reflecting on what has been a fairly manic weekend, which up till now has not included a lot of sitting. Friday, was the culmination of quite a few months of planning and general madness, which I haven't had the chance to process until now. For a variety of slightly unexpected reasons I inherited the organisation of a phatfish gig. The gig was primarily aimed at youth and students and was a joint venture between NFI churches and FNX (a termly youth event). It was great fun to be a part of, but have been challenged and have learnt things that I really didn't expect, not just in the run up to the gig but in the days following it. 

Have just managed to get over the post gig blues. I'm sure the general feeling of being lost, dazed and confused was partly due to impending exhaustion, but it did make me stop and wonder how I had managed to fill myself with so much busy that I felt a bit empty after the gig. I think that feeling was actually an opportunity  from God to stop and reflect on the experience of organising something like this, to consider the impact it had on the youth and to pray that we would see much fruit from it. Unfortunately it took me quite a lot of time to figure that one out, but am now putting that post gig feeling to good use, or at least I''m trying to. 

Still lots to learn, feedback to receive and process, much to consider about my ability to delegate and what it means to lead but the main thing is the young people who attended really seemed to engage with what was going on, the gospel was proclaimed faithfully through some amazing songs and hopefully some people have made some steps towards getting to know the God who made them and loves them.
All in all an awesome weekend ......

Stopping

These songs remind me of an amazing holiday I had in Australia in November last year. It was a huge blessing to be able to really take time out, away from everything, experience new things and catch up with old friends. I learnt these songs and a whole new way of doing church at a friends church in Perth. Hadn't been a visitor at a church for quite a while and while I felt a little lost without any job to do, it was great to be reminded of the importance of just stopping, being still before God and just listening.
Another unusual experience for me was that I actually finished reading a number of books while I was in Oz. I'm pretty sure I've not actually achieved this since I've been home and then there is the ridiculousness that I had to travel round the other side of the world to read a book in its entirety, that needs to be considered. This hints at the crazy busy that is my life. I came back from Australia with every intention of getting better at stopping, at reading, at listening, but my resolve didn't last very long and my reading list is still as long as it ever was.
Perhaps I am looking for a purpose for this blog a little too hard, or perhaps the recent few days of enforced stopping due to illness has got to me but think I am going to use this blog partly to describe my renewed attempts to stop. I'm not one for resolutions but I am one for learning from my experiences so................

Am going to attempt to set 30 mins or so a side a week to read. Proper stopping, curling up in an arm chair, reading.

Am going to attempt to do a better job of giving time each day to read my bible, worship, listen. Not just telegraph prayers on the road to meetings!!

Will let you know how the attempts go.............

Introductions

So,I'm new to this blogging thing, which I imagine will be fairly evident to anyone who is vaguely more experienced at this than me! To be honest blogging is something that I have avoided up to now. Am surprisingly not particularly good at this thinking aloud thing for someone who claims to have several psychology degrees. Or more specifically have not felt the need to share with the wider world my incoherent ramblings!
I have now succumbed however. No clue really what this is actually going to look like, what purpose it's going to serve, or if it really needs to serve a purpose.............but here goes!!