Mondays are my only day off each week. We have an acre of ground at our house and we try to establish a vegetable garden. It is not as big as it ought to be. I am aware that many people in the world would love to have this much ground and this climate. They could live off it, where as we waste much of it. We have two goats who are just grass eaters who keep the paddock in check and we have a hen house with eight hens producing a good number of eggs every day. The last three Mondays, have been rainy weather so nothing has been done in the garden. Today was a brilliant day, sunny and warm, but not too warm. With sun hat and sunblock on I planted 9 rows of various vegetables. They are a bit late but with proper care they will produce. I had to fork over the ground and had been tossing stones over the fence into the paddock. I realised that we could use them and that this patch of ground had plenty of them. I managed to collect two buckets of stones which went on the path to the hen house.
Gardening insights
One of the reasons I enjoy gardening is that it provides time for your mind and heart to catch up on yourself. It enables you to appreciate various things. Here are a few.
- The bird song at various times of the day was magic. I still marvel at how such a small instrument can produce such big sounds.
- I think the peas I had planted a few weeks ago actually grew while I was watching them today. I am sure they were bigger tonight than they were when I began this morning.
- As I tossed stones from the garden into a bucket I got to thinking how amazing it is. Each stone is a different size and shape yet as I threw them in the bucket I think I got at least 9 out of every 10 in the target. I think it is amazing that my brain, eyes and arms can co-ordinate in such a way! The human body is a pretty good piece of machinery. I still marvel at cricket batsmen who have a split second to see and hit a ball. (It is just a pity NZ batsmen could not do it better!)
- I just love that I could, if I had the time, feed myself in a healthy way off my patch of land. Maybe when I retire? While I was dreaming of this I began to wonder. I realised that presently I find fulfillment in dealing with people, helping them, supporting them and sharing with them. When I retire will I truly be happy just growing a garden?
A different denomination?- a different ministry?... but we're doing OK
In the newspaper and via email another denomination in Dunedin was advertising a part time ministry position. I am super busy; I have significant frustrations in my present ministry; I need to start looking after my health a bit better so I am tempted to go for a job with less hours. I emailed away for information and to let them know I was interested. There are a number of congregations and the position meant working in a team with others. There was a "Parish Profile" which I was interested to explore. It was all very well worded. There were mission statements, goals and clear descriptions of what was happening. If the figures are to be believed the total attendance at services amounts to about three times what my present congregation is. The biggest congregation of the four has more attending than my present one. The theology they wanted to pursue was "Progressive Theology" which is where I am at. They had some lovely sounding statements about their work... but.... the heading on part of the Parish Profile read like this; Significant congregation achievements, events or programmes in the past 3-5 years in the congregation and community:
Now the answer they gave to that was a program that was essentially geared for the "faithful" and the "thinkers". These are "evening meetings that will enrich, educate and entertain members of the parish and also the wider community". There were also a couple of retreats. Is that all they could list in the last 3 - 5 years? None of the future goals of the parish had them reaching out and serving or interacting with the community in any big way. Now I realise that there are probably other significant things they do not mention but they seem to fall short from my perspective. I then thought "how could my Church answer that same question?"... A weekly Drop-in centre for unemployed, mental health patients etc; Space 2B open and available to the community; Settlement resource at Space2B; New Immigrants Orientation tours with the City Council; links to, hosting and encouragement of Sustainability groups; Monthly cultural family nights; Christmas Day community dinners are just the main ones. As I read this profile I began to think that for our size we are doing very well. We are punching a way above our weight, though admittedly the proportion of my congregation participating in these is relatively small. This different denomination has all the correct words and progressive theology that would tempt me. Their thinking is good. They do a lot of "education and theologizing" which I would enjoy, but it seems all inward. It appears to be intellectual and/or spiritual "masturbation". They do not seem to be intent on connecting with their community. I could be wrong, but I guess I have to ask, "Would I fit in?" I would in many respects, because I like their words and theology. But with their apparent directions I may also find more frustration. Then again, it might be something I can change? The comparisons have been an interesting exercise. We do need to be sowing the seed. Seeds are no good just sitting in their packets, they need planting in the garden.
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