the ramblings of a twenty-something mind... wonderful (or terrible, depending on who you are) as they may be, are published here for me to air my thoughts, so that when I bring them in they are a little drier and smell nicer, which means that I can do more with them...
... and just because pointless stories are my thing.
The title of this blog is a recognition that time trickles away from all of us. Now in the final year of my Master's degree of Chemical Engineering, the time will soon come to leave Manchester. In fact, in less than six month's I'll have graduated! (Assuming I don't fail). As it's my final year the workload has certainly stepped up a notch. Over the next ten weeks the main part of my work will go into producing a 500 page report (roughly) which will look something like this:
Yes, it really will be this big.
As well as this, as the over 18 Ecumenical Rep for the Methodist Church, I'll be jetting off all over the place to attend meetings in different churches. I'll be blogging about those experiences over at the 3Generate Reps blog here. Keep an eye on it/follow it to keep up to date with not only my goings-on but also what's happening with the Reps generally - I think I'm privileged to be working with such a great team of young people and staff. I promise I'll blog again soon with something a bit more profound and interesting - although maybe my everyday life is interesting to some of you. Tell me, what have you been up to recently? What are your plans for the next six months?
I've already said that Advent is a time of preparation. Today I've been preparing not for Christmas, but for exams. Or I should say, "I've been preparing to prepare".
When I revise, I need everything around me to be clear of distractions. That means that everything has to be spick and span; everything has it's time and place. Those who know me will know that although the rest of the house is *usually* tidy, my room is quite often a different story. Today, that is no more! My room is ready for me to start my revision.
There is a large space on my desk (I hope large enough!)
My clothes are all put away
My stuff is all put away
I have a small pile of Christmas presents to wrap (they will be wrapped on Tuesday afternoon, according to my Plan)
My Revision Plan (note capital P) is done, coloured and on my door where I see it every time I walk into my room
Tomorrow I can start preparing for my exams properly.
I’ve
felt like blogging for quite some time now.
I’ve even come up with twelve (yes, twelve!) different subjects about
which I would like to blog, but I’ve had neither the time nor the
thought-processes to be able to blog those things that I wanted.
However,
I’ve decided to attempt to go back to this blogging-on-Sundays thing. I’m not too sure how it will pan out, but
we’ll see.
There are lots of questions today. If you have answers to any of them, I’d love
to hear them.
Today’s blog is all about decisions, I suppose. Decisions are things that I can find easy
(walk or bus to uni?) or difficult (how to do my hair today?). They can have trivial consequences (which bed
set do I put on my bed?) or less-trivial ones (what sort of jobs should I apply
for?). They can have a definite time
(what should I have for tea today?) or a vaguer one (how am I going to show
what’s important in my life?).
On 1st December, a good friend of mine got
married. While we were there, I met the
10-month old daughter of another good friend (who is, by the way, gorgeous). Both friends seem so happy. It makes me wonder if I’ve somehow
unwittingly lost my way with my priorities in life. Have I got this thing called life wrong? Am I planning where I should be living? Am I dreaming when I should be working?
Can a dream be worked towards, even if you don’t know how
your current work will lead to your dream?
If you don’t love what you do, why do it? These are linked to decision-making for me at
the moment because I am coming to the end of my Masters degree – in an area
about which I am not exactly passionate.
The work is interesting, for the most part, certainly. But I’m not sure quite how passionate you can
get about a pump. Or a heat exchanger.
(Distillation columns, on the other hand...)
One thing that would be nice to know is how much the
decisions that we make now will affect our lives from this point. I remember watching a German film once about
something along the lines of the Butterfly Effect – the theory that a butterfly
flapping its wings (or not) on the other side of the world will have some
effect here. Perhaps this is better
illustrated by the Doctor Who episode “Turn Left”,
but it amounts to the same thing. Does
making the “right” decision depend on the time at which it is made? Would a certain decision be wrong today, but
right tomorrow?
How can decision-making be God-centred when he seems so
silent about the whole thing? A recent visit to a friend threw up all sorts
of questions for me – some about things that I realised I should be making a
conscious decision about. If I want my
life to be God-centred, how should I go about doing that? What, or how, can I structure my life so that
God’s love is palpable? That’s the kind
of life I want. The kind I described a
year or so ago here. The kind where everyone knows they’re
welcome. Everyone knows they’re
loved. Everyone knows they’ll be
listened to. And everyone knows that if
I can help do anything to help them, I will.
All without me telling them – they just know. That’s what I want. But how to go about it?
Thy Word is a lamp
unto my feet and a light unto my path.
When I feel afraid, and I think I’ve lost my way, still you’re there
right beside me. And nothing will I
fear, as long as you are near. Please be
near me to the end.- Amy Grant
Struggling with Job Applications at the moment. Disclaimer: I would never actually write this in a job application form. I take job applications very seriously... but this is a good bit of fun, which addresses the fact that very often everyone is thinking about cake, and its benefits in the workplace, but it is rarely mentioned. (well, that's what John said)...
Dear big multi-national corporation,
I think you should employ me because, quite frankly, I need some money. I have been at university for the last 4 years, which means that I have managed to accrue some debt. As I would like to live in a nice house when I graduate, I am in rather urgent need of some financial assets that will aid me in this venture. In addition to needing somewhere to live, I also need money to buy cake-making supplies. Rest assured that I will see this as an investment on your part and will pay back interest on this investment in cake-form. To show my good will I will even let you choose the type of cake I make first. As you are a multi-national corporation, I anticipate having to requisition some of your machinery so that I will be able to demonstrate my advanced chemical engineering skills in order to produce a cake of suitable size such that all may partake of its goodness.
This particular skill, when considered alongside my need of money in our materialistic society and my qualities as a generally nice person, should set me far above any other candidate you may choose to consider. I appreciate that you must keep up appearances when dealing with other candidates, so will also bring cake to interviews and assessment centres to give a foretaste of the banquet I am capable of preparing when I work for you.
I've been having some really good late-night conversations recently. (Thanks to those of you who've been putting up with me! :P)
On that I had the other night included me going *slightly* ecstatic over some pieces of what would normally be home-office furniture. I say normally, because I would class it as past of standard essential home-ware. But hey, I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. And I may be a *slight* control freak at times. At least I'm honest about these things...
Anyway, back to the topic in hand. In the course of this conversation I made the comment that I'm sometimes sure that something is what I really want, but I'm equally sure that if
someone who really knew me came along and showed me something completely
different that would almost be better. Or I often think I know exactly what I want, and how I want it, but then I wouldn't be surprised if someone who knew me really well came along and gave me something completely different, but that it would be even better than I imagined. Because it would be what I needed, not what I thought I wanted.
In this context, I was talking specifically about houses. My perfect house would be a big little cosy cottage on the border of the town and countryside with a view of the sea. It would have real fireplaces, with proper oak flooring, with an Aga in the kitchen, open plan to an extent but having lots of nooks and crannies in which to put books/cushions/people, proper quilts on the beds (of which there would be at least two), full of fresh flowers and sunshine and of course tidy, organised, light and welcoming. That is my idea of heaven :) (yeah, I know... keep dreaming...)
In the course of the above conversation, the friend in question raised the point that they'd thought something similar about relationships, but never before about possessions. In Don't Tell The Bride, brides often remark that their (now) husbands have done an amazing job organising the wedding, even though it wasn't what they'd wanted - it was better.
Was what the husbands organised better because they really did know their wives well? Or was it that the brides had just over-commercialised the personalised celebration that they wanted? Another friend commented recently (in a difference context!) that
"what you think you need, need is what God knows you need".
In my head I kind of changed this to "wanting" was what you thought, and "needing" was what God thought. I've been mulling this over in the week since it was said, and I really think it's true. Probably because most of the things we (or me at least, but being shallow and materialistic are but two of my many failings) want are material things. I mean, of course I want to be happy and I want everyone else to be happy too. I want to have a good job and a loving family (as in future family - my current family is lovely!) But how much of that is because I want this nice house, and people with whom to share it? How much of it is for my personal satisfaction (whether due to societal pressures or not)?
I managed to answer a question I posted here a few months ago. Q: Why am I putting myself through this degree? A: Because I want a good job. Q: Why do I want a good job? A: So I can have this house. Q: Why do I want this house? A: Because it will be pretty and perfect.
As imperfect beings, do we (I) put too much weight on "perfect" things? Another friend (one that probably knows knew me too well) once said that it was in imperfections that we find perfection. I can't decide whether on the surface or on a deeper reading that it makes no sense, but I think I understand what they meant. Being perfect is, in itself, an imperfection. But when there are many imperfections - the chair that's a bit rickety because it belonged to a Grandparent, the mug that's had to become a vase because your brother's chipped it, the plates that don't all match because your friends helped you collect them all - these imperfections, these quirks and personal memories - make these things perfect.
God knows that what we need, we will get. He is our father, and therefore knows what we need before we even ask for it. (Matthew 6:8) He knows that we need things to live. We might want everything to be pretty and beautiful, but if it's part of God's creation, part of what he's made... how can it not be? Even if we don't think it is, God might. What we should want most is God's Kingdom, and doing what he wants. Even if we don't think it's pretty. Even if no one else thinks it's pretty. If we're doing what God wants then God will give us what we need. (Matthew 6:33).
Four leaf clovers, for example, are so sought after because they're actually imperfect. Clovers have three leaves, not four. But the ones with four leaves, those that are imperfect, are special.
I mean I really like change.
I find it exciting. And
exhilarating. And just generally fun.
I’m not always good at remembering I like change. Sometimes it’s because change seems to come
at the wrong time, or because it’s the wrong sort of change. But then either the change gets better, or I
remember that I’m a big girl and these things happen. And then I like change again.
Mainly because it’s inevitable. And there’s no point in disliking inevitable
things, because it will just make you sad.
And that’s not nice.
One change that I thought was the wrong sort was when MAYC
(that’s the Methodist Association of Youth Clubs, or the Youth Work part of the
Methodist Church in Great Britain, for those not in the know) disbanded. Ceased to be.
This was due to something called the YPS (Youth Participation Strategy),
which was designed to get more Young People involved in the life of the
church. Now don’t get me wrong, the actual process and
strategy of moving on was definitely a Good Thing. The old system was flawed (did wonders for
me, but was flawed nonetheless) and needed a breath of life, fresh air and a
good clean out.
And that’s just what happened! It needed to be done, but I think that it was
perhaps done too thoroughly. This was
back in 2009, and the first connexional (like national, but in Methodist-speak)
meeting that we had as Young People was not quite as seamless as we’d
hope. There were certainly many
improvements to be made, but as a facilitator (someone who lead workshops) for
this Assembly I felt that this was something that could easily be done. The 2009 Assembly was basically run by the
facilitators, in the absence of any “body” behind the scenes. Having a body of Young People behind the
Assembly would definitely have provided a more structured and organised
backbone that I think would have really benefitted the event.
In the year between the 2009 and 2010 Assemblies, I really
think that the Children and Youth Team (the replacement of MAYC) made a lot of
good changes. That’s not to say that I
found the Assembly of 2010 easy – I didn’t -
but it was certainly easier than the Assembly of 2009. The event seemed to flow better, and although
it felt small, it was more organised, and there was a team in place.
However, the Assembly of 2011 was certainly the best so
far. I think that there was a lot more
Youth Participation, which means that more Young People were engaging in
conversation not only with the established Church, but also with each
other. This year, I was there not as a
facilitator, but as a steward – a whole different ball game. Maybe this different perspective opened my
eyes to another way of working within Assembly, or maybe things really were
good this year, but 2011 was most certainly a Good Thing. Not sure I’d go back to stewarding, but it
was definitely good to see what it was like.
It meant that I could have fun with rotas and pretty colours, and – let’s
be honest – what more do I need to make me happy?
MYA11 reminded me (again) that I do, actually, like change. So it takes me a few years to get used to it, and I'm maybe not as forgiving as I should be about kinks/unrealistic about how many things, really, go completely right the first time around. Seems now that Assembly is fantastic just as the funding comes under review.... let's hope that Conference make a wise and informed decision. They were visionary in starting the YPS - let's hope that they're visionary in continuing it!
I’m really excited to see where 2012 is headed. Keep up to date with the goings-on by
following the Methodist Youth Pres blog if you don’t already, and want to find
out more!
And remember:
Just because everything’s changing doesn’t mean that it’s
not been this way before.
Those who know me well will know of my (now-not-so-secret) dream of being a wedding planner. The opportunity of being there: of helping with details and organisation so that the (traditional) bride's mind and concentration can be totally in the moment of declaring her love for her (traditional) groom is something that greatly appeals to me.
No, actually it does more than that.
It makes me happy. It makes me smile. Sometimes it makes me cry, but these tears are good tears. They're happy tears. Tears of belonging, of joy, and of love. Not necessarily of the actual process of planning a wedding, but the overflow of feeling that's shown between two people who truly love each other.
To me, love looks like this...
rather than this:
To be quite perfectly honest, despite my love of detail and all things pretty and gorgeous, I would quite happily get married in what I'm wearing right now. (What you don't know is that while writing this I'm actually sitting in a stunning white evening dress... no, not really) And I know that that may shock more people who know me. But really what I'm trying to say here is that the wedding is not a celebration in itself. A wedding is a celebration of the (hopefully) many, many years that a couple will spend together. Sharing with each other, and loving each other. On bad hair days, on days when the make-up has run out and you've forgotten to pop down to Boots/Superdrug to buy some more, on days when nothing looks right on you, on days where you really don't want to get out of bed. That's what marriages are made of. Unconditional, pure love. That's what I'd hope to show in any weddings that I helped to plan. (Maybe not literally...) It's about the two people who are committing themselves to each other. And let's be honest, they've done that in deciding that they want to get married anyway. So should the publication of such a decision really be surrounded in so many trimmings?
At this time of year I can't help but compare a wedding and marriage to Christmas and Advent. Obviously there are several parts where the analogy doesn't quite bear up, but keep with me. The wedding is like Christmas. Everyone's happy, smiling, and excited. Admittedly, some *small* details, such as Christ's birth and the fact that you now have a lifetime together may be overlooked. Advent is like a marriage, but rather than the waiting, the preparation and the watching, there are shared experiences, shared memories and time together. The forging of something new, together. It excites me.
Recently I've been thinking a lot about calling. John and Matt have both blogged about this recently, but I think that their's is more about a "What now?" element of calling. What I'm talking about is a general calling. As in, "What's all this for?" and "Why am I doing this, again?" kind of thing. My question is simply: Can we be called just to love?
Purely, simply, wantonly, wastefully, fully, completely? And if so, how do we fulfil that call?
And what on earth am I doing, studying my degree if that's all I really want to do?
I’ve been meaning to get round to it for quite a while now
(more or less since the day after I posted the previous one) but a simple
retelling of what I’ve been up to, as I originally planned, just doesn’t seem
right at the moment. There are bigger,
more important issues around than those everyday things that I’ve been seeing
or experiencing (while I appreciate the “sacredness” of everyday life and
everyday experiences, I think that these should be put on the backburner for
the time being) so I’ve wanted to take a quick break from those for a little
while to be able to fully get to grips with more... abstract issues, shall we
say.
I’ve been wanting to blog about several things recently, but
they all seem to be *just* out of my reach.
There are several situations I’ve found myself in recently:
a)I’ve wanted to blog, but not known what about
b)I’ve wanted to blog, got a subject but not sure
how to phrase what I’m thinking into words (or even not really sure what I’m
thinking about...
c)I’ve wanted to blog, got a subject and know
roughly what I want to say about it, but then as soon as I turn around to put pen
to paper fingers to keys I forget, or the thought that I had goes right out
of my head.
I’m sure that anyone who’s ever blogged will know exactly
what I’m on about. Some people I know
don’t seem to suffer from it (I remain convinced that they actually type up a
load of blogs to keep them going through times lacking in inspiration... maybe
I should do that!), others just don’t blog (like me) and some carry on
blogging, but I notice a distinct shift in their blogging style. Posts will be shorter, less focused and
usually apologetic. [Ooops... how many
of those have I done myself, in this blog alone?]
Anyway, in my search for inspiration today I went back to
reading Jessica Cheetham’s blog, and from there was directed to another blog
that I really like – that of Jamie Wright, “the very worst missionary”. She seems like a pretty darn good one through
her witness on the web (I liked the alliteration, okay?) The post that I
stumbled across was what she was about.
And that really made me think. At
the end of her post, she asks “What are you about?” and “What do you wish you
were about?” and this really got me
thinking. Usually when people ask to
introduce yourself, or say a bit about yourself, this isn’t the kind of style
you go for. Usually, you’d go for the
style that’s in my “About me” box (as an example). As in, “I’m a student and I’m interested in
Methodism and the World” and blah blah blah.
Nothing that really says what you’re about though.
So, what am I about?
Believe it or not, I’m aboutearly mornings. I’m aboutsnow and storms.
I’m aboutgood company. I'm aboutfriends and wine. I’m
aboutcompanionship. I’m aboutcaring,
and allowing yourself to be cared for.
Sometimes I’m not very good at that.
I’m aboutrecognising things I don’t like. I’m about being pragmatic. I’m about thinking the best of people. Usually.
I’m aboutorganising. I’m aboutgetting distracted far too often. I’ve
moved to another country to try to get this to change.
I’m abouteating too much.
I’m aboutnot knowing when to stop.
I’m aboutnot knowing when to say no.
Oh, and I’m all aboutcarbs. I’m
aboutwalking. I wish I was about the
Gym, or about higher metabolism. I’m
abouthating my legs and my stomach. I
wish I was about motivation to change.
I’m aboutthinking too much.
I’m aboutcynicism. I’m abouthurting those I love. If I love you, I’ll
probably hit you, or be mean or sarcastic to you. And you know what? I’m aboutcrying alone, and brave faces in
public.
I’m abouttradition. I’m
aboutrespect. I’m aboutbreathing the
love of Christ, though I don’t show in the same ways as other people.
I’m aboutother people.
I wish I was about the Church not thinking that it’s ONLY for the
benefit of non-members. I wish I was
about the Church recognising that within its ranks there are so many broken and
hurt people, there only for the grace of God, only to be told that the focus is
on the people outside the doors. Don’t get
me wrong, those outside are definitely important too, but the Church should be
like a family, taking care of those within as well as those outside. So many hurt people don’t think that they
have the “right” to be hurt, because they are in the Church. I wish I was about getting this spoken about. I’m aboutsupport.
So here I am! I’ve
been in Stuttgart for about 24 hours now, so here’s the low-down.
THE ROOM
the bit cut out of the desk
Cell?
When I first walked in it looked like a cell. Seriously.
White painted walls, white-light wooden coloured furniture, 2m white
tiling around the sink, turquoise plastic floor. All the stuff in it is
really nice, with lots of storage space, a huuuge desk and a comfy bed. Don’t think I’ll be moving the stuff
around too much though, as it all looks nice and seems to be made to fit the
room. (For example, the desk has a bit
cut out of it so that the radiator pipes will fit). Typical German efficiency
there! I’ve now sorted out my room,
anyway. It looks a bit more homely – it
now has bedding, and pictures and cards all over the place.
I think I might need to get a rug or
something for the floor, and maybe something for the walls. I’ve not put the pictures on the walls
because I have no curtains – something that I was not expecting at all! No bedding, I expected. No curtains... what?! There’s a curtain rail (it even features in
the inventory) but no curtains. I just
can’t get over it! Anyway, now my photos have made a kind-of curtain. The light didn’t wake me up this morning, so
I guess it’s ok, but I might go and get some anyway. You know, just to seem normal!
THE HALLS
The halls are alright.
In each flat (I’m in 46 F) there are a number of rooms – 11 in my
case. We all share two “Dusche-WC”
(bathrooms) and one was already claimed as the boys’ when I got here. Fine by me!
In the one that’s left (presumably the girls’) there are two toilets and
two showers. The showers are nice-
powerful and hot – and the toilets have the sink in the cubicle too. This bathroom is right next to the kitchen,
so I have to go upstairs. The Kitchen consists of a cooking area and a living
area. The cooking area has a cupboard
for each of us (we were given a key for it) and a lockable cupboard in the
fridge for each of us too. We have half
a drawer in the freezer, so I won’t be able to freeze so much stuff this year! There are about 6 hobs and an oven, a microwave
and a toaster. I think there was a
kettle too, but can’t quite remember.
There’s already a rubbish rota up that lasts until January, and it’s not
my turn until November, which suits me fine! All the rubbish is separated
here. The living area has a big table
for everyone to sit around, a sofa, a TV and a radio. I’ve only met one person who’s in my flat so
far – Johannes, who lives opposite. He
seems nice enough, but I’m kicking myself for turning down a tour of the
flat! Stupid girl. I’m yet to meet anyone else, partly because I
don’t really know what time people eat round here, partly because they still
have exams at the moment and partly because I’m actually quite scared of
meeting people. Silly, I know, but I’m
still in the “argh-German-help!”
stage. It’s so easy to just shut the
door of your room (especially as I’m at the end of a corridor) and isolate
yourself, which I mustn’t allow to happen!
Spent last night watching any TV I had downloaded already (Cherry Healey’s Body Dilemmas and Doctor Who) as had nothing else to do...
Side note: also yet to find the sauna.
THE UNI
The main bit of uni isn’t even 5 minutes walk away from my
halls. I’ve managed to set up a Bank
Account (woo) even if the man decided to speak English to me just because I
misheard “data” (“Daten”) as “date” (“Datum”), which I think is an easy mistake
to make and would explain my confused face!
Still, I think he got the idea that I wasn’t totally stupid when I
understood what he was saying a bit later on, but I still would have much
rather he’s done it in German with me.
OH well! I’ve yet to explore
other areas of the campus – I think there’s a little shop here which sells
fresh bread and things. I also went over
to the International Centre, but there didn’t seem to be much happening, other
than a banner that said “Welcome International Students”. I need to try to get the Internet at some
point as well, but I have no idea where to get that from! I’m writing this on Thursday, so we’ll have
to see how long it takes for me to find it... It’s quite annoying as everything
is on the internet as well – all the posters say “register here *give internet
address*” and I can’t access emails either!
:’-(
THE CULTURE
I took a trip to Lidl’s in Vaihingen (the village-y area
that the campus is attached to) yesterday and got a few things, but I’m already
noticing the lack of variety. No
chickpeas or kidney beans! Also couldn’t
find oil, rice, stock cubes or mince, which surprised me, but then maybe I’m
looking in the wrong place. I know that
there’s a market in Stuttgart, so I’ll have to go over there at some point and
see if they have a butcher or something!
So far I think I’ve done alright:
Good points:
:) Got a room with bedding
:) Got food
:) Have at least one flat mate
:) Nice showers and toilets
:) Jumpers coming in handy
Bad points:
:( No internet (therefore can’t transfer money to
account, can’t Skype, can’t email, can’t blog!)
:( Acting like a recluse (therefore no friends and
therefore lonely L)
:( No idea how to get internet (therefore no internet
– see above)
:( No idea how to sign up to things to get involved
and stop acting like a recluse (therefore acting like a recluse – see above)
So I have more good points than bad points, which must be
good really! It’s just easier to focus
on the bad things at the moment. Looking
forward to getting internet so that I can sign up for things and get in contact
with people!
With a move to Germany now imminent (I'll be on a plane this time on Wednesday!) I thought it might be a good plan to actually write down what I want to pack. Putting this all in a suitcase and a half may well prove highly amusing. I've been seeing other people's photos of things they've taken to uni, and indeed looking back on my own two years ago... I can tell you now that I am NOT taking anywhere near this many shoes...
and that my TOTAL baggage will be more like this: than this:
which it was when I first moved. As I say, this will be interesting, as my "to pack" list currently has in excess of 40 items on it.
This is it so far (in no particular order):
Photos
2 x cook books + recipe book
Clothes (I've shortened all clothes to this, as otherwise I'd be here all day...)
2 xTowels
Baking Tray
Wooden spoon
Sharp knife
3 x cutlery
Toothbrush
Hair brush
Laptop charger
Laptop
Ethernet cable
Phone charger
Plug adapter
Extension cable
Batteries
Voice Recorder
Pans
Transcript & other documentation (eg offer letter)
Passport photos
E111
Passport
Purse
Diary
Pens
Hole punch
Stapler
New Testament (cos I have it in German)
Grammar sheets
Make up
That's it so far... can anyone think of anything else that I might need that I have forgotten?
I love this song. Given my last post, I really think that we should be paying a bit more attention to Disney sometimes.
In reality, how many of us are like the parishioners - selfish, asking for things that will only benefit ourselves? How many of us are like Esmerelda - "I ask ask for nothing - I can get by. But I know so many less lucky than I"?
Well, I'd say that the post from my phone (however short, full of the ubiquitous [yes, I did just want to fit that word in] predictive text fails and generally unhelpful) was successful! Must remember that for my move to Germany next week. (That's quite scary)
Anyway, I promised a Conference Blog, and so here it is.
We (my Synod Secretary [SynSec], his wife and I) got to Conference on Friday, 1st July. We took a quick walk over the Methodist Women in Britain (MWiB) event which was good fun, especially as we got cake! Met up with Rach before leaving and meeting Matt, and eventually other young people including John, Grace and Christy-Anna, the (now ex-) Methodist Youth President.
For those who don't know, Conference is an annual meeting of Methodists to make decisions and debate things across the Connexion (/country). It is never closed, only adjourned, so Conference could be called back at any time during the year. Conference's decision is weighty, as once Conference has decided something this becomes an official view of the Methodist Church (once it has gone through the appropriate and necessary time delays).
This year, a lot of debating focussed on the Big Society, Poverty and Inequality, Reaffirmation of Baptism (which I didn't really think had enough time), and also some good stuff about Schools (which was more in a parallel session, but still raised some good questions/points). All of the main Conference debates can be found on the website, starting from the beginning, here. Throughout Conference the Twitter engagement was amazing - I was sat next to my Chair of District (think Bishop equivalent) and he kept asking what people were saying! DigiMission's general Twitter Infographic and blog make for very interesting and encouraging reading, and can describe the amazing reception of Twitter much better than I can, so I'm not even going to try.
Something that I was listening to before Conference, and particularly brought to mind by Conference, was the Switchfoot song "Dare you to move". I would love the Church to take this as a direct challenge and call to action - a real "get up and go" shout that shows the world that even if they think we're dead and/or dying, there's a last breath in us yet!
Bruce Thompson, the new Chair of District for Lincoln and Grimsby, gave a fantastic call to social responsibility last Sunday. I must admit that I got so caught up in what he was saying I can't remember exactly what he said, but I do remember that I liked it a lot. It was all about our ability to respond. As a Church, what is our ability to respond like? How often do we actually test these abilities - stretch them, prove them? Maybe we should do things like that more often.
Dare you to move:
Welcome to the planet: welcome to existence. Everyone's here. Everyone's here. Everybody's watching you now; everybody waits for you now. What happens next? What happens next?
I dare you to move. I dare you to move. I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor. I dare you to move. I dare you to move like today never happened. Today never happened before.
Welcome to the fallout: welcome to resistance. The tension is here. Tension is here: between who you are and who youcould be; between how it is and how it should be.
I dare you to move. I dare you to move. I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor. I dare you to move. I dare you to move like today never happened. Today never happened before.
Maybe redemption has stories to tell - maybe forgiveness is right where you fell. Where can you run to escape from yourself? Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Salvation is here.
I dare you to move. I dare you to move. I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor. I dare you to move. I dare you to move like today never happened. Today never happened before. Today never happened. Today never happened before.
