I've just got back from a weekend at St. Deiniol's - and, well, hasn't God got a funny way of working?

Apart from having (nearly) finished my Ph.D. thesis, I went to church on Sunday morning to hear the Rector of St. Deiniol's Church preach  about how discipleship doesn't involve making clones of ourselves and how it does involve going.....

I wanted to laugh out loud as God crossed the "t"s and dotted the "i"s for me. You see, our Rector describes the other Reader (the one who is on the staff team) as "his clone"!

I'm sure it won't make next Sunday much easier -but for now my spirit is dancing with God.

I'm off to look at Tony's photos. There was a lovely Estonian lady staying at St. D's with me this time!

God bless,

With love as ever,

Lesley xx (and Desmond - who had a great perch looking out over the front garden from a cute little attic window in the "India Room" with happy elephants to keep him company)

Just for today, dear Lord, let me realise that there is nothing that we cannot handle together - and may I pray the same prayer tomorrow.....

Well, that's it. I've said my goodbyes to my former Church. This week feels a bit like being in limbo - but I have so much to look forward to....

I had a phone call late last week from the Parish Evangelist in the new place because my arrival has been "announced" there. He is thrilled  and we both think we will work well together (we've got some ideas) - and we both feel that there is huge potential for growth in the new place. It is two churches in one Parish. Currently there is one Vicar with an ordinand who starts training in the autumn and Ron (the PE, who has finished the first year of his Reader training). We've known each other for about five years on and off at Diocesan & Deanery things - but to be honest, I'd sort of forgotten which church he belonged to, so it was a real joy to chat away!

As I said, it's the Parish I work in, and where Graham rediscovered his faith, which was the reason we're moving there. However, it looks like a place where there may be room for me, and God can use me.

Meanwhile, I see the DDO tomorrow and start that path. With both the Rector and the new incumbent acknowledging a vocation, I should be feeling happy - but I still don't think I'm the "kind of person" they ordain, even though I've a sneaky suspicion it's what God wants! I wait with interest to see what Ray (the DDO) says. I think of his wife as a friend, so that adds an interesting "twist" to the mix!

I managed yesterday without too many tears...

Perhaps the knowledge that I will be going back in the autumn to preach helped? I don't know.

The Rector said finally that he didn't want me to leave - but he's been so different with me since I told him I'd made the decision to go (friendly, to begin with) that I have to be honest and say that I didn't believe him - unless finally he had seen something that he hadn't up until now!

To be fair to us both, I think we will make far better friends. It's kinder to him and I (and I've never disliked him - that would have made things a lot easier in some ways!) to leave things like that.

God bless

With love as ever,

Lesley xx (and Desmond - who has pigged out on Matthew's birthday cake yesterday!)

Just for today, dear Lord, let me realise that there is nothing that we cannot handle together - and may I pray the same prayer tomorrow.....

It's been hard to know where to begin.

Leaving was hard - and moving has been encouraging. But the Rector has not left well alone even in the going...There have been a couple of things in the past week come to light that show that despite his words, all is not well.

So, I have been struggling (again) with the issue of forgiveness. I so want to forget the pain and the sorrow and move on - but he has made that harder than it should be.

The DDO and I agreed we should wait and see how things work out at the new place. I'm in no hurry and I have had my own confidence terribly knocked over the past few years. I need time to recover from everything that has happened. I have to say, I didn't tell him much. But what the DDO told me showed me that the Rector had not told him the truth - in fact, he had done more than that, he had deliberately lied. Luckily, it was easy to refute with simple evidence!

There has been more than that - but to spell it out would not be helpful. The Archdeacon has been involved - but I'm told he left the Rector in no doubt about the situation.

How sad it all is.

You see, I wanted us to part as friends - and I thought we had.

Please pray that I can learn once again to forgive.

With love as ever,

Lesley xx (and Desmond - who has been given a ball by Graham and now thinks of himself as second only to David Beckham!!)

Just for today, dear Lord, let me realise that there is nothing that we cannot handle together - and may I pray the same prayer tomorrow.....

I will pray for you.

CG 

It's been my experience that those what concerns theirselves with the next life makes theirselves a powerful nuisance in this one..............