Explanations

I've been planning to teach explanation texts to my class this week and so have been watching Wallace and Gromit clips on You Tube. Love 'em!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSVD3nzsIyA

Job satisfaction

I'm sat in the sunshine at my computer planning away for the next 3 weeks' worth of literacy. And you know what, I can't wait to get back to work and teach it. I can't wait to get stuck in with all the assessments and focus groups and choir and everything else. And I realise that I am indeed a very lucky lady to love my job quite as much as this.

Spring Harvest 2009

Have been to Spring Harvest in Skeggy again this year, returning on Maundy Thursdy (that's how we say it up 'ere..!). There was much to reflect on whilst I was there, particularly with the difficulties that I've been having with church lately (which mostly accounts for the lack of blogging to be honest).

The theme for Spring Harvest this year is Apprentice: Walking the way of Christ. The first day was spent almost entirely in learning about learning styles, the leadership having taken the decision to organise us according to the best way that each of us learns as individuals. We were grouped into Pragmatist, Theorist, Reflector and Activist. By the end of the first day the 4 friends of us who went together were a bit weary of hearing about learning styles - 2 of us are trained teachers and the other 2 studied Christian Ministry at St Martin's College (now the University of Cumbria) and had covered all this kind of stuff ad infinitum before. A particular disappointment on the first day was to go to the activist stream only to be lectured on how activists don't like to sit and listen but like to get up and do things.... touch of irony there.

Fortunately, the remainder of the week was not spent telling us about what we would learn as the week progressed and we actually got stuck into the subject matter. I ended up going along to the Pragmatist stream (where I had intended on going initially - I ended up in the Activist stream on the first day almost by accident) and I was challenged throughout by both Steve Chalke and his colleague Jill Rowe. I am particularly happy to see how Steve Chalke really seems to have guided Spring Harvest towards a more social action/social justice route than I remember from a few years back. Along with my own recent dealings with church it has really caused me to consider what a Christian community really is and what it is called to do.

Steve Chalke responded to one question in a way that interested me greatly. The question was about how to do things for the community that didn't openly and ostentatiously have Jesus and by default evangelism as their purpose and driving force. And it interested me because I agreed so whole heartedly with his answer, but don't often hear it preached. He said that Jesus called us to love God with heart, mind and strength but equally to love our neighbour as ourselves. Not to evangelise our neighbours but to love them.

That is our purpose. Our beginning, our end, our driving force. If we have in the back of all that we do "we are doing this so that we can do that..." is that truely loving our neighbour? It's not about bums on seats, it's not about how many church run events we can have, it's not about how good we are at this or how good we are at that. It's about loving for the sake of loving. It is loving and expecting nothing in return.

And that is the greatest challenge. How can I be that person that loves unconditionally and where can I act out that love? How can we break down our constricting barriers of church and return to what we were called first to be?

Maybe being in the workplace is the best place to be. What a priveleged position I am in that I can not only teach a whole class of children but I can love them just for being themselves. I can show love to my colleagues as we go about the school day. And maybe as a school community we can take that love out into the village community. Maybe those children will go out and be loving wherever they may end up in the world.

And now I've got all bleary eyed and hopeful and ....

Yes, I'm a dreamer. And I'm here to stay.

A blogging return on a peculiarly disagreeable book

I have caught my housemate in possession of a book. A disagreeable book. One might say, a ridiculous book.

The book is called "Get Married: What Women Can Do To Make It Happen".

I am incensed!

Now, I haven't read this book, but, aside from the title, the cover did nothing to draw me in any further. On opening the book I felt no greater desire to read it when faced with foliage page detail and floaty italic fonts. No, I think it is fair to say that this is not my idea of a good read.

Do you think there will be 10 easy to follow steps? Do 1. followed by 2. followed by 3. etc and by number 10. you will find yourself happily married (do the 2.4 children follow in the sequel?). What makes the author think that the steps that led up to her marriage will be the same as for everyone else? And what if you follow her simple self help steps only to find yourself married 10 years down the line wondering who on earth you are and how you managed to find yourself here? Is not being yourself surely a better way at approaching life than persuing marriage by any means?

The reviews on Amazon do nothing to allay my fears:
"She passed on truth to me that positioned my heart in such a way to truly receive the Lord's fullest blessings."
"In this book, Candice Watters gives us pratical tips and stories from her own life about how to finally reach the altar."

More worryingly though was another similar looking book that I followed a link to on Amazon (and is more popular...) "Getting Serious About Getting Married". About which reviewers said:
"But this book has reminded me of both my Godly responsibilty to be a wife and also the fact that being single is not part of Gods plan for the majority and so no matter how busy and successful we are, nothing else is going to slot into the perfect place made for a husband accept [sic] a husband! "
"This book is sent by God for "such a time as this"."

Oh please. Spare us.

Church Christmas Card

It's that time of year again - the Church Christmas Card time of year. With Sarah being on staff now she was designated buyer of needed resources. After much work having been done on the foyer of the church we were this year restricted to a much smaller board space (we reassured Dave that we were not going to be stapling to the walls this year...)

It seems that each year we get a little bit more ambitious with our lettering, going from 'Have a heavenly Christmas' the first year to 'We have seen His star in the East and we have come to worship him' last year, to the epic lettering of 5 of our most favourite lines from carols and Christmas songs this year - 'Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given Joyful all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies And their hearts believed again for the peace of men Can this tiny light set a world on fire Come, bow down and worship; come let's worship the king'. After borrowing a Big Shot die cutter, cutting out the lettering took most of yesterday evening, but that was only a small part of the job - setting out the words so that they would fit nicely onto the border was a much greater challenge! We had estimated accurately, however, and the words that we had chosen fit comfortably on the available space.

We then carefully fixed garden meshing to the backing by attaching garden wire with staples to the board and then twisting it on to fix it. We made a manger for the middle of the board and attached it in the same way then finally rounded the whole thing off with some wired gold ribbon wound around the whole board. There were moments when I never believed that we would get it finished but Sarah and I are, once again, thoroughly proud of the result!

My mug

Went to All Fired Up to collect my creation this morning, then christened it with a brew at the Chap Centre!

Pot painting, friends and jollity

Yesterday I went with some good friends to All Fired Up in Lancaster. It is a coffee shop where you can paint ceramics as you socialise! We had so much fun, I painted a mug with a picture of a princess on one side and 'Miss Swarbrick's mug' written on the other side. I can't wait for it to be fired so that I can collect it and start to use it for a good ol' brew! Mmm mm. We were in the shop for 3 1/2 hours, beavering away. Debbie painted a very professional looking heart shaped vase with a flower on either side (genius, in my opinion) and Ellie painted a teapot/teacup combination very cleverly with the picture spanning the pot and lid (what talented ladies they are!)

Afterwards we went back to the Peatpeople's place for yummy fish and chips and television viewing - Peter Kay's X-Factor/any other live voting type show spoof. Loved it! Particularly Nelson Mandella-ella-ella-ella-ella under my umberella... Genius!

The Dinster (Dinester? Deanster? Dino.) is becoming more sociable, though I remained happily sandwiched in the middle of the sofa with a coffee table in front of me - safe from woofy dogs, sharp teeth and slavvery mouths :) Sarah fed him treats and stroked him - she's a braver woman than I!