Learning to Walk

dilemma over

A decision has been made, the dilemma is over; I am not playing this weekend.  The torrential rain tonight made training difficult enough, especially as I was trying to simulate the match pressures of a scrum at training on a flooded astroturf!  I waited to speak to the coach at the end and he said that he could tell my head wasn't on the game because I was visibly holding back in areas to protect my neck.  I think the right decision has been made and that he understands and (maybe) even agrees.

I am now closing in on 3 finished assignments.  My one on the nature and mission of the church is a couple of hundred words short - which is basically a conclusion, the same for the cell church essay, and the historicity of the exodus and entry into the land is pretty much finished completely.  The situation I now face concerns whether to try and do a lot more to my assignments with the extra time I have over the weekend.  But it is a temptation I will try to overcome, after all one dilemma safely navigated will do me for the rest of the week!

dilemma

We have a game this weekend and having served my ban last week (when there was no game - make sense of that) I am able to play.  However I am still struggling with my neck.  Day to day it is fine but in the contact of rugby, specifically scrummaging, it is not.  I feel that I may need to make myself unavailable and this has left me facing a dilemma.  Saturday's game is away in Dundee which means a fairly long day out.  With assignments due in on Monday this is something that I could do without; the ideal situation being a home game where I pop out, play, and go home to fine tune (already sparkling...not) essays!  My dilemma concerns whether if this were a home weekend I would still be considering pulling out.  Basically, is my neck as I felt it was on Tuesday night or is that just me trying to make excuses to 'buy' an extra day of study? 

I have always, despite some extremely questionable behaviour in the past, been concerned with doing the right thing.  Taking days off school I used to worry in case I was faking it and would be glad when the doctor confirmed that there was something wrong!  Since becoming a Christian this desire to do the right thing has increased, as I believe it is so essential to our witness that we do not conform to the individualistic standards of the western world, which suggest that if I am busy then I can feign an injury so that I get through what I want to do (note the number of I's in that sentence).

Christ calls us to a different way of living.  A way of living that asks not what I can get out but what can I give? Because he gave His all for us and not just I.  Tonight I will have to make a call which, if it is not to play, will reflect more than an 'I' motivation.  So, we will see...training is just a few hours away.

back for good?

GadgetVicar told me on Saturday that Take Thats comeback album is out today.  I think he thought I'd be all excited, but I think that he was more!  Christmas present Ms GadgetVicar...

naming

Yesterday was a long but enjoyable day.  There were two teaching sessions by Ian and some good times to meet with and get to know people a bit better.  In the afternoon there was the option of a walk.  Before arriving I hadn't realised it was optional so went with all the waterproof stuff I own.  But when we got there a quiet rumour was circulating that a few guys were going to stay in the safety of the village and watch the rugby in the pub.  Not wanting them to be alone I agreed to stay (a decision that upon seeing some of the walkers putting on their 'gear' - high tech! - seemed like a good one).

We had an enjoyable trip back, focussing particularly on baby names - but I won't say too much as the guy who thought it was such a great idea to call his baby 'Coxy' might not have got the all clear from his wife yet...hang in there bro!!! 

water in the works

I have never seen as much rain as there has been in the last couple of weeks.  It has its benefits; like not being able to train on the muddy pitch because (and if you knew the state on which we were still training on it this is really saying something) it is too wet, but also its problems; like the fact that my car has almost died as a result of going through a mini-flood last night.

Thankfully not everything with working parts is failing.  Our college photocopiers are still operating at 100% which has enabled me to find a solution to having to miss a day with the men of St Silas tomorrow; I have photocopied what I would have needed the library for and am going to treat Sunday as a study day.

So a day to look forward to tomorrow, a date to look forward to tonight, and the sun is out (though I fear only briefly) to lift some of the gloom that days of wind and rain invariably brings.

juggling

Today is a busy day.  I am in a break from a 3 hour lecture now, then this afternoon I have a meeting and this evening I have a team bonding night at the ten pin bowling which I think it is important I go to.  I doubt if there will be much room for work which is a shame as I am still hoping that I might be able to get up to the St Silas men's weekend away for the day on Saturday - although unfortunately with some stuff to do for All Age on Sunday morning as well as a mountain of reading/writing this is looking increasingly unlikely.

Juggling things can be hard sometimes and this week is a particular example of that for me.  But, as I remind myself at these times, I would rather have purpose than be sat around doing nothing; which although sometimes seems appealing isn't when you're actually doing it!  It is just a shame that stuff that we might want to do has to be missed, but I guess that as the saying goes, "such is life."

(PS - one month tomorrow is Christmas eve, when I will be heading back to my folks for the best meal of the year.  Now there's a thought to help me through the hours of study ahead!)

read all about it

A friend of mine from college has been blogging for a good while now and I haven't added a link until today...whoops! (In my defence his funny blog name meant I didn't realise it was him to start off with!) 

Read Dave, aka Nodrog, here.

burdens

Quite often I chat to my Mum at the end of a busy few days.  Tonight I called her for one of our chats.  We are both feeling the stress of study (she is doing a masters in general dentistry) so it was nice to tell someone who knew the exact feeling!  She also told me about a lady at her church (the church I used to go to) who has undergone serious surgery and was today required to go in for more because what was done on Sunday needed adding to.  We suddenly saw our own problems in an entirely different light; what this lady's young family is going through is at a totally different level to our worries and concerns.

But it is good to remember that however trivial our concerns may seem we can, and should, share them with others and more importantly with God.  If I were to spend all my time feeling guilty about being stressed or tired I would neither improve my situation or be in a state where I could help, in prayer or other ways, people in worse positions.  In short, we can share our burdens because in doing so we can share someone else's too.

in what ways and to what extent

Q - In what ways and to what extent is my brain about to explode and do I need to get out of the library?

I have spent the last two days wading through book after book on the historical reliability of the Exodus and entry into the land and we also had a 3 hour lecture on the topic this morning.  It has been an interesting couple of days, I have learnt a lot - some of which I am sure will be very useful - but now I face the unenviable task of writing the essay.  This is normally the climax of all the reading but in this case may not be as I am not sure a) how to answer the question as our lecturer (who delights in what a hard question it is) wants us to, and b) how to condense the pages of notes I have taken into 1250 words.  Tonight I am off to speak to a youth group about the ups and downs of being a Christian who plays rugby - the experiences of the last two weeks, one a good example the other not so will no doubt be shared - and after that I think I might sleep!

A - In every way a brain could possibly explode and to a great extent.

shooting dogs

Tonight, after an excellent service at church where Gordy spoke brilliantly, we watched the film shooting dogs.  We were so moved and I really felt a need for us to pray and confess all the times when we fail to do the right thing, when we fail to speak up for the oppressed, when we fail to do what as Christians and humans we should for our fellow man.

Before moving to Glasgow I was an active member at Coventry Cathedral, where as a young boy I served as a chorister for 5 years.  As I thought about the film we just watched I was reminded of this prayer, that was so well known to me back then.  It is one that I am sure in one way or another, at some time or another, we should all pray.

Coventry Litany of Reconciliation

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class; Father forgive.

The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own; Father forgive.

The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth; Father forgive.

Our envy of the welfare and the happiness of others; Father forgive.

Our indifference to the plight of the prisoner, the homeless, the refugee; Father forgive.

The lust which dishonours the bodies of men, women and children; Father forgive.

The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God; Father forgive.

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.