The random, thoughts, views and opinions of a young Methodist student minister, musician and University student.















Enjoy :)















Tuesday 29 June 2010

Listening to God


Sitting down and listening to Rev Alison Tomlin's Presidential address to Methodist Conference was more inspiring than I had expected. I was waiting for the usual. You know, those speeches about caring for creation, or revitalising mission or something to that effect but this year the President's speech went to a whole new level! Clearly, she is a woman of extreme experience and her anointing is definately the kind of anointing that reaches through your PC screen and slaps you in the face! lol

For once, the church was urged to do what I feel it needs to do most 'Listen to God'. "Real, attentive, listening" as she put it.
I can't help but feel that the next year will be a good one for Methodism. I'm hoping that the number of candidates will continue to slowly increase and that the Diaconate especially sees more candidates. I'm praying that our President and Vice-President challenge us more than we have been in the past and I hope they challenge outside the church also!
It's quite strange having two women leading the church. It certainly makes a change from the past presidents and vice-presidents who have nearly all been men! Eunice and Alison definately bring something new, not quite sure what it is as yet, but I'm certainly liking it!
I know that they will be a blessing to the church and an encouragement to all the female ministers for whom this will mean quite alot.
All we need now is a black President of Conference, and many others so that God's people in all it's diversity is represented!

Wednesday 2 June 2010

The End of one Chapter....The Start of Another!


Thirteen years of school education FINALLY over!
Gosh how time fly's, I can still remember the day my mother walked me into my classroom at primary school and left me in that big huge building all by myself with thousands of strangers called teachers! Now I'm the one getting ready to sit exams and bounce of to University.

I guess I should be excited and in many ways I am, but I can't help feel that little bit anxious!

Saying goodbye to some really great friends last Friday (the last day of sixth form) made me realise how much I'll miss it and them of course! The funny thing is, I was only at Drayton Manor for two years most people in the Sixth Form had been there since year 7 but still I feel that I've definately made some friends for life and being the "preacher guy" in the year made an interesting two years, I can tell you! I do often wonder though why the Church isn't making more of an effort to reach out to certain people.......but that's a story for another day!

I hope I showed them something of Christ's love and helped them to realise that God loves them no matter what, I guess I have to leave Him to do the rest and finish off the job :)

So, apart from all that, I've just finished reading a book called 'Journey to the Inner Mountain' by James Cowan an Australian author who decides to take himself off on a soul-searching journey to Egypt in the footsteps of St Antony and he ends up coming across an anchorite(hermit) named Lazarus who just happens to be living in a cave on Mt.Colzim and also happens to be an Australian too! It's a great read and boy has it been a challenge. I can't help but wonder what it was that made him realise that in order to get closer to God and really experience Him in all His fullness he had to drag his sister to a bunch of nuns and leave her there, climb up a mountain, make a cave his home and live there in silence, meditation, demon wrestling and prayer until his death. The idea of being able to enter into katastasis supreme stillness, to so much a point that you're breathing and moving with God is quite amazing. Read the book guys I promise you it's worth it!!

Anyway, I probably ought to get back to my revision :( exams are here and it sucks!
So back to Plato I go! Catch you soon ;)