Living in Context!

This weekend has seen mean join together again with my fellow curates to do our continued ministerial development...we get to spend from Friday until Sunday afternoon usually at Ayelsford Priory contemplating various important issues that will help us develop to be better ministers. It isn't a retreat or a jolly but involves deep, hard thinking and reflection. However it is also a wonderful opportunity to review the work we are doing and also to catch up with some wonderful colleagues ( usually over a glass of red in the bar but don't tell anyone ;) )

This weekend our year group have been looking about the importance of mission in context. The need to be fully aware of the context in which we live and work and how God may look in that place ( to put it in a very small nut shell). Two things came to mind for me;

First of all we reviewed how it felt to live in a totally different culture, this gave me the chance to reflect upon our time in Indonesia and also our move from North West to South East. It is only in these times that you become aware of how exhausting but how amazing an opportunity it is to be able to engage in a totally different culture and place despite how very difficult it can and still continues to be.

Secondly it made me reflect on the importance of taking time as a pioneer to fully explore and become part of the community you are there to serve and live alongside in order to be able to fully understand the needs of those you live and work alongside and to not feel guilty about doing so.  Recently I have had a bit of a panic that I have not managed to achieve as much as I wanted to in the last year but this weekend has helped me to realise I have achieved more than I could ever dream of and I truly love HOO!

Aylesford Priory, despite the cold and monastic style of living is a beautiful, relaxing and Godly place. It's a place of peace and tranquillity ( if you can avoid the goose poo!) As much as I struggle to be away from home over these weekends I do see them as an opportunity to reflect and just be!

The sun shining at Aylesford this weekend ( stolen with permission from Phil Greig!)