Pilgrimage in the Holy Land.

Last week I returned from an 8 day pilgrimage to the Holy Land which my diocese organises for the Curates sometime during their curacy. Forty two of us set off on a dark cold January morning from Derby cathedral to travel to Heathrow and onward to Tel Aviv. As you can imagine I've come back with many photos ( 386 to be precise) and with many observations and special moments. However I've chosen to blog about just 4 of them.

The first was the first morning when we walked down from the Mount of Olives via the Garden of Gethsemane and into the Old City. Part way down we stopped at Domine Flevit Church- the place where Jesus is said to have stood and looked over Jerusalem and wept. As I stood looking at this view I felt the sorrow that Christ must still feel today as He looks down on the broken and divided and yet still so beautiful city. As we took communion looking over to the walls of the city with its magnificent golden Dome of the Rock marking the sacred site for Muslim, Jew and Christian so I wept for all that has happened through this lovely area, especially in the last 100 years. We spent the next 3 days visiting Bethlehem, Masada and the Dead Sea and the place thought to be Emmaus.

Then on the Sunday we travelled to the River Jordan and renewed our baptismal vows along with hundreds of Orthodox for whom it was Epiphany. To see the riverbank so filled with people, to see men and women in the water to hear Christians from either side of the border which is the river Jordan calling greetings to each other, were all moving moments. But what brought me to tears was as we said our vows, the water of the river was splashed over us and once again I committed myself to follow Him who was himself baptised in this river.

From there we travelled to Jericho and then onwards to the Sea of Galilee where we spent our last 3 nights. Here we visited the mount of Transfiguration, Nazareth and most memorably Capernaum. There I sat in the church over St Peters house and felt myself filled once again with the Holy Spirit, bathed in light and commissioned to continue the work to which He has called me. There was something very special about the whole area. Singing Dear Lord and Father of Mankind while sat on a boat on the lake, then arriving in this beautiful church and singing Be Still For the Presence of the Lord was an immense privilege. I wasn't the only one, and three of us met up as the time in the church came to an end and prayed for one another, feeling a special anointing of God's spirit as we prayed for one another.

The final picture is of the Sunrise over the sea of Galilee taken from our hotel on the last morning. I'm sure as the days and months pass I shall remember and understand much more of what I experienced in those 8 days but this photo reminds me of the beauty and despite its many problems, the peace of this place and the light of God which continues to shine

 



A Curates Office!

Yesterday I returned from a weeks holiday- not that we went anywhere but after Christmas morning I had a week off and spent it madly catching up with family members. It was lovely but tiring coming so close after the Christmas rush and so I hadn't attempted to do any tidying in my office . Here's the result yesterday morning! You can probably see a number of props from my Christmas Eve crib services in the foreground.
So yesterday being a work day I decided I had to tackle the mess! After I'd got today's services sorted and most of the props ready I set to work and tidied up. It was actually very therapeutic and by the end of the day this was the result!

 Just peeping out is a Christingle I made out of bits and pieces I discovered as I was tidying the room
 
And here it is in all its glory

   
                                                         

 

Oh and can you guess what my Christmas present was?

 

 

Kami kazi pheasants and rural ministry.

Its been a long time since I posted anything. Life just seems so busy and as someone else posted on a blog once you get out of the habit how ever much you may have to say it just all then seems too much!
I am loving my curacy as always and in particular the journeys to the village churches. However I'm not enjoying the pheasants. Three years ago while at college we had a meeting with a pheasant on the A34 as we headed to Didcot on Christmas morning and the pheasant and our bumper came off very badly. As a result I'm quite nervous driving near them and we live quite close to a breeding area. At this time of year the lanes are full of pheasants happily wandering around and then suddenly flying upward and toward you as you approach. So far I've avoided hitting any but it makes the journeys interesting. (As do other road users who want the whole lane!)
The joys of rural ministry far outweigh that tiny pin prick though. Driving over a hill and seeing the valley below shrouded in mist- the sun glinting on the lake or house windows is wonderful. And the churches continue to be a real blessing. Small but with warm hearted hard working people. In one village I've started a Toddler group and its growing slowly and now extending into a Coffee morning for the older villagers once a month. Its great to see the mums slowly starting to own the group and plan for it rather than leaving it all to me.
In another village I'm going to be starting a form of Messy Church and I've had a positive reaction from the congregation and the school head teacher so that looks like taking off.
Frighteningly I'm now almost 18 months into my curacy and though its officially a 4 year curacy in another 18 months I'll be released to start looking for my next post. Something that by this time next year I will have to be paying about and listening for G od's leading as to where next.
On a different front having spent the last 5 years thinking about buying a new home- we sold what had been mine after K had sold his and always planned to buy a retirement home, now we seem to be moving nearer to settling on where. Interestingly its got me reading blogs again to glean information and advice from the expats community. So not in Britain! I shall leave saying where until we are definite.  then this blog may take on a totally different flavour as I chart our progress.

Ten years on

Reflecting on life and the anniversary of a friends marriage I realised that it is 10 years since my life was completely turned on its head- and 13 years this month since the somersaults started. Thirteen years ago I found out that my husband was having an affair. Despite my best efforts he left me and 10 years ago last weekend I received my decree absolute. I was divorced something I had never thought would happen to me! That day as I drove through the Derbyshire countryside I prayed and told God that this was the start of the rest of my life and that I was going to continue to walk with Him and the first thing I would do would be to find a new church home. On the following Sunday I walked into St Thomas church Brampton and immediately felt at home. Little would I know that that would be the start of the journey which would see me 10 years later an ordained priest in the church of England.
The following March I wrote the following in the church magazine- and rereading it today it still is the true testimony of our great God working in my life

Great is thy Faithfulness
During the last two weeks this hymn has been sung at services and has been echoing in my heart while away from church. Nineteen years ago this was the hymn my husband and I sang at our wedding. It has been a constant testimony of God’s goodness through the intervening years.

As I sang it this last Sunday I was choking back tears - very mixed tears both of joy and sorrow. You see three years ago the husband I had promised to love and honour nineteen years before, and whom I stood with and promised before God we would serve Him together, left my children and me. He also walked away from God and all that he had believed. So my tears were naturally of sorrow that all my hopes and dreams so long ago had disappeared and my life is very different now to what I had expected. August of last year saw my divorce complete, something I had always hoped to avert. But also they were of joy as I recognised the truth of the words despite my circumstances of the last three years.
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

My circumstances have changed but God’s goodness to me has never changed. He has held me close throughout.
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

God has truly provided all I have needed, a new home, jobs as required, and rest when my body has been weary. In the last six months He has brought me to a new church home and more recently I have met and started dating a lovely Christian man.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

God has pardoned my sin - both at the time when I became a Christian and any sin I committed that contributed to my marriage breakup. He has also given me strength to get up and carry on being a mum to my three boys each day, strength to face work, however difficult and strength to get on with my life. He has also given me a bright hope that my future will be better and that life will continue. I have many blessings, and I praise God for each one of them.

I have been asked how I held onto my faith in God during this time, I have to say it was not me holding on to faith in God but The God of Faith holding on to me. He has cradled me in His arms and kept me safe when all around me disintegrated. Now I face the future secure in that love and with a heart full of praise.

Janet

Some years later someone read this and sent a message via the Rector to say how it had helped her. I'm learning now how my testimony of God's greatness can still help others and that the pain I went through when my husband left me has allowed me to help others going through the pain.
Nothing is wasted with God- and God truly causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him.

Peer support

Today I had the blessing of meeting with a fellow curate who I trained with. We had originally planned to meet twice a year to share and pray but our first year of curacy left us with no suitable time to meet except at curates day at Cuddesdon. Today we only had half an hour between sessions at her Diocesan synod conference being held 20 minutes away from my home. BUT that half hour was so refreshing though definitely not long enough.
I meet with another curate in our diocese for mutual support and prayer about every two months and I do find that useful but my meeting today reminded me how important relationship is. Because my friend today and I are similar age, similar experience and had the blessing of training together for 2 years residentially we have a much deeper relationship than the one I am slowly forming with my local curate friend.
We came away from today both agreeing that we need to put more effort into trying to meet up more regularly for our mutual support and encouragement.
Now just to put that into practice.

Being a grand mother

Not much to share about my curacy at the moment- sometime soon I will post some thoughts about being a priest. However today I want to share about being a grandmother.

Twelve months ago I rushed to the hospital to meet my new grand daughter- it was such a joy.

 

Today we went across to share a birthday tea party with her. She is such a delight and I enjoy spending time with her and her dad and mum. Its so lovely to see my son in her but also to recognise that she is a person in her own right with her own character. I am going to so enjoy sharing in her growing up and praise God that I was able to return to Derbyshire for my curacy and so be near enough to share these special first few years.

Here she is for you all to enjoy

Priested!

Last week saw a three day pre-ordination retreat which was a really refreshing time with God. We were blessed with a lovely hotel where the staff taught us what serving is about!  Nothing was too much trouble for them and they coped wonderfully with the vagaries of having 23 cassocked people wandering around, demands for 12 jugs of warm water and towels for washing of feet, and meals taken in silence.

Then we travelled from there to Ashbourne for the ordination service. Last years service of ordination to the diaconate passed in rather a blur in the Cathedral where there were 13 of us. This year we were split between the 2 Arch Deaconries and I was with 4 other people. That made for a far more intimate and personal service and it was wonderful to have priests from different stages of my journey all taking part in the service. When it came to the laying on of hands I felt well and truly laid on! The Bishop pressed down firmly and many others joined him in asking God's Holy Spirit to be poured out.

The following day was my first presiding at the Eucharist - a very moving and solemn occasion. It was a great joy to have my mother sister and an old school friend there as well.

One thing people have kept asking me is- 'do you feel any different'

I don't feel different but I am aware of the responsibility and that I am ordained by God for His work. Since the weekend I have also felt slightly out of kilter and wonder if that's tiredness or just adjustment to the new me!

I shall let you know how things go.