We are moving to Woodley

After a couple of years of soul searching and wondering how our future will fit together we have come to the conclusion that the time is right to move.  We have prayed hard and thought carefully about this move and are sure that God is calling us to move.

I am going to become “Minister for Outreach” at Woodley Baptist Church (http://www.woodleybc.org/) in September this year (2010) and we will be moving during the summer.

When I think about Woodley I am very excited about my new role and the future.  However, when I think about moving I feel quite sad.  We have had a great time in Morecambe, made many friends and it will be a shame to leave.

Libby’s first day at school

London Holiday

More here.

Re-igniting my imagination.

I have been working on choosing a domain name for an organisation that I am involved with and whatever we come up with it doesn’t seem to fit.  When you are choosing a domain name you want it to be memorable, so that when you tell some one the address they remember.  Having reached a dead end I used a couple of resources to re-ignite my imagination:
 
 
 

• Googled: “How to choose a domain name“. This wasn’t much help.
• Put all thoughts so far through the Internet Anagram Server. I love this machine. “Graham Doel” returns “Alarmed Hog”.
• Used a thesaurus to find alternative words. This was the most useful because it gave me set of different words to think through.
• Listed everything I could think of that described the organisation and the personality behind it.

Then I sent my entire brain dump to some one else on the team to see if some of my thinking sparked any ideas or chimed with their thinking.

Libby on God

Libby: Is God Listening Mummy?
Louise: Yes, God’s always listening Libby
Libby: I don’t want my dinner God.
Libby: Your not the Boss are you Mummy, God’s the Boss.

Five Years

It seems to be the thing to do to reflect on five year anniversaries (here and here).

Last Sunday was a double anniversary for me. It was 5 Years since we moved into a house that needed rather more doing to it than we thought.. Louise and I also celebrated our 12th Wedding anniversary (I think we remembered about midday).

A week on Sunday it will be the fifth anniversary since my induction to the pastorate in Morecambe. The last years have been a personal journey for me. I have had moments of feeling the need for a total career transformation and have investigated retraining as a plumber. At other times I have known that that I’m doing the right job. Today is a right job day. Not just because someone who gave me a hard time at a meeting almost apologised, but because I am happy that among other things the Morecambe, Sunday Night Project is helping the church to think differently about community and life.

Other things have happened in the last five years that are worthy of note, some good things, other rather sad things:

• Libby was born.
• Alice and Isaac Started School.
• Both my Maternal Grandparents have been ill and subsequently died.
• I have passed the post as a fully qualified minister (bizarrely enough, I’m going on a “Ministry Refresher Course” this year).
• I have begun post graduate research into Church Planting Approaches in the Baptist Union.

Morecambe Sunday Night Project

Last Sunday we launched our Sunday Night Project.  My initial reflections are:

• Fantastic start, 75-80 People.
• Lake of Fire are very good, as are the Jazz band from Ripley School.
• Great venue (who didn’t charge us all they said the would).  The horse shoe layout worked well, giving a quieter space and a loud space.
• Things like this usually start well, I’ll be surprised if there is the same number of people next week (circular walk).

I’m very pleased with the way that it went.  I have had various comments back, and am arranging with RevJev to impartially interview me and ask probing questions.

Weddings and Sunsets

Only one wedding and one sunset.  However they were both fantastic.  I really enjoyed the wedding and am really glad that Garry and Catherine wanted me to be involved in their day.  Unfortunately I didn’t take a camera so have no photos to show.  You’ll just have to make do with the sunset instead (more).

Graham starts to cry…

Every time I fill up with petrol my mind wonders and I remember …

• When petrol was only pennies per litre.
• When I could drive from Taunton to Leicester for a tenner.
• When we didn’t think about how our actions affected the environment.
• When I rode Alison’s pink Barbie moped and didn’t care what people thought of me.

Yes, those were the days.  As I wait for the tank to fill up and I glace at the cost of the fuel I have put in the tank and I see the counter passing £40 with no sign of stopping and my mind starts to race:

• I need to convert my car to gas.
• I need to get rid of my car, I mean what do I need it for?
• It’s the governments fault, there’s far too much tax on petrol.
• I don’t want to get rid of my car, how will I get around?
• Perhaps I should get rid of Louise’s car instead…. no…. that’s not such a good idea.
• I don’t want to change the way I live, I mean why should I.
• Perhaps I should just face up to the fact that the world has moved on and I need to change and adapt to survive.

And then it dawns on me: Haven’t I had this conversation somewhere else!

Theology at the breakfast table

Libby (3): Who made God?
Alice (6): He just is.
Isaac (8): Yes but Daddy, how?

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