It has been a while since I last posted here and if I am honest I am pondering what to write. Do I give you a catch up of the last 18 months and an apology of why I have not written?
No. Not really. Those of you that know me know the personal journey I have been on....or at least you may think you know it.
It is getting to that time of year where I think about doing my Christmas card letter, and even for me summing up this year is going to be hard.
Personal bereavement at the beginning of the Spring hit me a curve ball out of the blue and the impact, impression and devastation will be around for some time.
Ministry wise, programmes we expected to run did not get off the ground.
And the community run swimming pool and leisure centre that I have been a part of for 3 years (I resigned my directorship in October) is about to be handed back to the council as the organisation can not recover after an electrical fire in the control panel. I do not have high hopes in the council taking it on again and I have a realistic fear of what will happen. It feels that everything is slipping through my fingers.
The reality is however, that every hour, every sleepless night has been worth it.
I am passionate about community. I have seen the community rise to the challenge. After the initial flurry of course it often came down to a few good men and women slogging their hearts out. Taking on the responsibility.
It is so easy in these situations to think that someone else should do it because I am too busy. We even see that in our churches too. Sadly the old saying 90% of the work is done by 10% of the people.
People have questioned my involvement in this venture on more than one occasion. Their reasons why not have been as long as my arm and have ranged from they think I should just focus on being a mum to questioning it as a suitable form of ministry.
The question that really has been on my heart though is more about LEGACY and Kingdom Investment.
When does a Christian, take that hat off and lay it aside? As a christian in my community would it have been right to say, I disagree fundamentally with the decision that our elected officials made but I am too busy doing God's work to get involved?
No of course not. That is when as a christian you roll up your sleeves, get stuck in and show God's love by stepping up to the mark, building relationship and caring for the community. God cares about our physical wellbeing as much as our spiritual and having an accessible facility matters.
I don't know what the next chapter will be.
But it is a time for re-adjusting.
My call remains the same I will be obedient to that.
My call is to showing God's love to people. I don't have a target system of how to do that and it can vary from day to day what that looks like.
People matter to God. And nothing is too small and insignificant. And if I am there for the ONE in that day, that's fine by me.
It is perhaps not a popular perspective as everyone wants to see results and success but its Biblical.
So if that means I make time for people and listen and change my pace to the ebb and flow, so be it.
I know I call a spade a spade and I shoot from the hip that sometimes means I shake your comfort zone, but I am passionate about people and community and that is where I am to be.
I want to be in that place where I hear the Heartbeat of the Father, for this place and time.....and obedient to my call...Kingdom Investment.
