Categories: uncategorized
Date: 08 January 2006 18:00:08
Mackerel. He liked it. What's more, he enjoyed it.
Funny how my days sometimes seem to revolve around the single challenge of finding something all three of my boys like to eat. The mackerel was a gamble - he'd asked for cod but this was all our little local supermarket had in stock - and apart from it stinking the house out (not his, of course), it was a bewildering success. And tonight I'm being totally sneaky and cooking - in honour of Rosemary - pre-mashed potato and pre-cooked greens and pre-peppered chicken all in the oven and pretending it's an afternoon spent slaving over a hot stove. Actually I was luxuriating in a hot bath at the time, but I won't tell if you don't.
Today has been one of achievements. Smudgelet is delighted. Father Christmas brought him the present of his dreams - a huge lego motor boat which would sail in the bath if the bath were only big enough for it - and today he finally was allowed to make it. This was to keep him nicely out of the way while Tiddles... miracle of miracles... did his Geography homework willingly and with interest and determination. This was why I hid in the bath - I was not going to rock the boat by trying to help, in either case!
For me, it was my very first service taken totally alone. Was I nervous? I most certainly was! In fact, I was amazed to find I was even more nervous than I had been for my trial service. I re-wrote my sermon several times before I was happy with it.. and was slightly concerned that it might be seen as a bit tongue-in-cheek. As it happened, everyone liked the humour in it (with the possible exception of those sitting in the pews on the right hand side - funny how that's where the "traditionalists" always seem to sit!) and several people came and said how it had resonated for them and really made them think. Praise God for the guidance he gave me in writing it... because would you believe I based my sermon almost entirely on FLYlady? Well, as soon as I realised the theme of the service was "ORDER FROM CHAOS" it was pretty inevitable! I had great fun talking about creation - getting volunteers from the Sunday School and the congregation to model, with playdoh, a monster and flyspray respectively and getting the congregation to guess what they were. And then I used analogies from FLYlady to consider decluttering our spiritual lives, aided by the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit. And it worked. I must admit I breathed a huge sigh of relief when the service was over, and even more so when the response was so favourable. I always feel such a fraud standing there at the lecturn talking like one who knows the answers or who is talking off the top of their head - so it's a relief rather than a matter of pride when someone tells me that it is obviously spoken from the heart.
I was slightly phased, though, I must admit, when someone came and talked to me about how they could set about rediscovering their relationship with God. I think I was one of the first people she'd talked to, and I felt woefully inadequate in talking to her, though I think we came to a good conclusion. If you would, it would be good to pray for her (and she herself was happy with this). Her name is S. We came to the conclusion that sometimes it's easy to try too hard with relationships in general and in seeking to prove that they are there. Sometimes you have to relax and let it happen, take time getting to know (or reknow) someone, not look for evidence but simply feel.
Meanwhile, I think the smell from the kitchen is the evidence of something somewhat different. Anyone for burnt chicken? I'll tell Dad it's to complement the smoked mackerel :D