It should always be a 5th sunday!

Had a lovely day today after yesterday's traumas with the garage door.
I decided to visit some of the rural churches today for worship. This morning I went to a small church about 8 miles away which was having a joint praise service with its neighbouring church. It was a fairly small congregation but we had a lovely service and one which reinforced my sense of calling. We sang 4 songs all of which at different times God has spoken to me through. Having them together today seemed to be god saying to me ' Come on you know you want to follow me and serve me, just remember what I've called you to'.
Then I drove over to a lovely small town for lunch and wandered into the church for time to pray and just be with God for a time. I'd found out earlier in the week that the Churches Together in the valley were holding a joint service in a near by village- glad I went into this church though as I found out the service was actually in a barn outside the village. Drove on and found the barn and joined 100 others in the barn for another great service. The worship band consisted of all ages from 12 - 80. The barn was packed with people from numerous denominations across the valley and the worship and teaching was inspiring. The service together was because it was the 5th Sunday. I came out feeling that's how we should worship every week. The teaching was on the Great Commission and also Revelation and really challenged us to work together to share the good news and reminded us that in heaven we will worship together. That's why I gave this post the title 'It should always be a 5th Sunday'- we are called to put aside our differences and to worship and share the good news together.

Climb every mountain

A very helpful neighbour came round just after my last post and helped me with the garage door, unfortunately though I can now shut and lock it the cable has snapped.
Since then I've spent a couple of hours listening to the Proms with songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein. The last song was one of my favourite from my favourite musical- Climb every Mountain from Sound of Music. I was struck again by the words from Climb every Mountain. My life, especially over the last few years, has seemed like a series of mountains I have had to climb. Now I have an even bigger mountain to climb, one which has been my dream for so long, but as the words of the song say
A dream that will need
All the love you can give,
Every day of your life
For as long as you live.
It is my dream to serve God with my whole heart and being, and that will definitely need all the love I can give. But I can do this because He first loved me, because it is God who gave me the dream, and God who will give me the love, strength and everything else I need to follow the dream to the end.
AT the moment I'm daunted bu it all, feeling weak and small and wondering if I'll ever actually get there, but God is there holding me through it all and I just need to hold on to that.

Am I allowed to scream!!!

Finally got a sunny day so managed to pull most things out of the garage where they have been stored for the last 2 years, and sort out and put back according to whether they were to be stored or go to the new flat. Then I came to close the garage door and it jammed. It seems the rollers have come out of the track! K is way sailing until tomorrow afternoon and I can't get the garage door fixed back. The only friend I would have asked to come and help is away camping this weekend so am stuck now with a half open garage door. Feeling pretty unhappy bunny at the moment!
:(

Time flies by!!

Had a bit of a jolt yesterday when I commented that in 4 weeks we would be settling into our first night in college flat and hubby said "don;t be daft it's three weeks!" Where did the last 4 weeks go? We took a day off from packing yesterday and after collecting 15 more boxes from.our removal firm wandered on to Topsham to spend a few hours. It was lovely to forget about the packing and spend quality time together as this last couple of weeks have been spent mainly in different rooms. My hubby and I get in each others way ( or I get in his) if we try to work together at the packing so we take a room each. Good news is that I've now packed the last book- that's 9 boxes of books for me and hubby has packed a similar number.
Feeling quite down at first today, I think it was probably waking up and wondering how I was going to get all phone calls made sorting out keys, insurance, cancelling utilities etc before we arrange to end our phone contract. Decided in the end to let it run longer which relieved the pressure but I think the enormity of the next few weeks is catching up with me. I've waited and looked forward to this for 6 long years but now it's almost here I'm feeling inadequate and weak. Best place to be I expect because only then will I acknowledge that I can only be what God wants me to be with His help.
Oh well off to more arranging of details and packing.

Proud mum

I'm so thrilled and proud today as my son has texted me his GCSE results ( He's in Corfu at present with his Dad) He got 2 A*'s, 4 A's, 4 B's, 1 C and 1 D.(The latter in RE which he takesdelight in not liking- if that makes sense!)
He is a bright boy and has always been good at maths but he has worked extremely hard to get the results in all his subjects. I just wish I could have praised him in person but that will have to wait possibly until Ocotber.
On the packing front I got lots done today but was very frutrated that every time I tried to start in the garage it started to rain. One minute brilliant blue skys so I'd go out open up and pull a box out and the next minute it was raining again! Any way I now have 2 very polished welsh dressers and all the contents boxed up. Only bookcase of books still to pack and then the kitchen cupboards to start on. At this rate I won't know what to do with myself by the 6th September.
:)

Church experiences

Yesterday I decided to attend 2 different churches as I had already said goodbye to the churches I'd been worshipping with since being in the Bay. It was interesting going back to the style of churches I had worshipped at from my twenties until 7 years ago. Having come back to the Church of England I have enjoyed the liturgy and pattern of worship. The churches I went to yesterday were a plant from a Baptist church which meets in a school at the back of where I live and a pentecostal church. the two churches had one main thing in common- they were so welcoming to myself and other visitors. I was greeted at both churches and coffee was on offer as I entered at both churches. I was invited to sit with a member of the church and the pattern of the service explained to me. the services themselves both followed a typical pattern of long time of sung worship followed by a sermon. between songs their was extempore prayer from the congregation. That was one of the interesting parts- I recognised the prayer - almost to the words from years ago. The churches have a liturgy of their own even though it is written down. It was an interesting return to my past but I am so sure that the Church of England for all its weaknesses is where God wants me to serve. Just as well really now I'm about to go to college to train for ordained ministry.
But one thing I will take from yesterdays experiences is the welcome I received and hope to encourage any church I'm blessed to minister in to emulate that welcome.

Reflections as I pack.

Life this week has been pretty mundane- packing box after box of my life- trying to decide what to store and what to take with us. Of course everything takes ages as I find long lost letters, cards, magazines etc and have to stop and read them.
An ex work colleague who is also packing and moving has been posting on Facebook about having a 'come and take away party', of selling things on ebay and sending loads to charity shops. I admire her ability to do this. Part of me longs to just give it all away, to move unfettered by so much 'stuff', but my husband is adamant that we hang on to moct things as when we move again in 2 years ( and again 4 years later) we may find a place for them and a use. I have put aside at least a dozen glasses that we really don't need and a pile of bowls to go to a charity shop. Will do the same with my clothes later.
At the same time as packing I'm finding it hard to really believe that in less than 6 weeks I will have started college, met new people and be living in a very different place to here. It all seems to be like a dream happening to someone else. I wonder if the fact that its nearly 6 years since I started walking this path that makes it feel like that.
The friends who visited the other day have just finished theological college. When I first approached my Rector to share what I believed God was saying he mentioned that there was someone else in the church considering whether God was calling him. It was a year later before I learned who the person was and a year after that when P approached the DDO. He then went for a BAP and started college within the year. He was very concerned when he had to tell me he'd been accepted knowing that I had been made to wait three years due to my remarriage. I was thrilled for P, and still am, that God had called him and he had been faithful. I also know that I have changed and have learned an awful lot in the 6 years of waiting so I am sure I am better prepared now than I was. but that wait has made it feel as if its always going to be over the horizon.
In some ways I am reminded of Moses and the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for 40 years- and Moses didnst get to go into the promised land when they got there! But for the Israelites who had heard over and over how God had led them out of Egypt to take them to a promised land and finally they got there! I wonder if they really dared believe that this is it. Well they did make it into the promised land and I know I am going to make it to Theological College and to the life God has called me to follow.