My random ramblings...: Busy again...

My random ramblings...

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37v4.

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Busy again...

Well today has yet again been spent on the move... things definitely catch up with you when your health is not great... mine's still isn't 100% but i'm more motivated now, so that has to be good...

So couldn't get to sleep last night (had restless legs, i reckon it's just cos i sat around studying all day and didn't get any exercise *argh*) and the result was that i didn't wake up until 12noon today *shock*... i know... i feel guilty! But oh well... then took my time getting organised... so didn't have brunch until 12:45pm *hehe* before getting down to business and getting some work done... have spent a grand total of 6 hours writing out and transposing a song called 'How great is our God' for the youth band... wouldn't usually take so long, but i had to transfer everything into the computer coz i had to transpose for everyone to make it a more singable key... I'm telling you... guys who write worship songs, i.e. Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman and Tim Hughes, really don't think about the female population when doing so!!!! If i were to do that song in its orignal key at Kenmure half the ladies would collapse trying to hit the notes!!!!! *hehe* So anyway... has been nice to finally achieve that - have been meaning to get round to it for a few weeks now.

Other than that i spent a considerable amount of time also prepping for Anathallo tomorrow night... My tutor is coming to evaluate me... which isn't really a big deal... although i've never had this guy visit before, and after a few things that have happened recently i'm not so sure how he's going to present himself while there... i just hope that he doesn't make anyone uncomfortable...

Anyway - other than that i went to Tesco's briefly, so that was ok. Am quite tired... as this is me only just winding down now...

oh yes... and the latest comment to come out of Kenmure... this has to be one of the best yet...

'because you're the youthworker i think that you should really be getting involved in these things...'

Ok so it needs an explanation... well... tonight (which, is it just me or is 9pm on a Saturday night an inappropriate time to be calling someone who is in ministry, or a young-ish person for that matter?!) i got a phonecall from a lady at church... now this lady is a lovely lady... and recently she's been playing the piano at the evening services since Margaret our organist passed away... so i get this phonecall, and basically she was phoning to ask if i would be so kind as to start playing my clarinet at evening services (for variety away from guitars)... Now essentially i don't have a problem with this request... but, i don't want to be caught in a pressure cooker which means that i must play my clarinet at every evening service... these would be the reasons why...

1. Sunday evenings are the only time that i get teaching... And at Kenmure the band sits behind the minister and it's extremely difficult to concentrate on a sermon when the person preaching isn't even looking in your direction. I've never found it easy to concentrate on a sermon or on lyrics etc at a service that i'm playing at and i've grown to appreciate being able to sing as part of worship (which is why i don't mind playing guitar and singing quite so much)...
2. I've already been party to the trap within the church of 'oooooooh you can play an instrument so you must play at every church service' - and i don't mean to offend anyone here, because in the past it didn't actually bother me, probably mostly because it was where i was meant to be and it was a big part of how i contributed to the life of the church... but just now that is not what i'm called to do and it's not a 'trap' that i want to fall into again... especially when Kenmure is without an organist it would be sooooo easy for me to end up with a heap of responsbility within the worship life of the church too (which in some ways would be cool, but it's just not for me, not just now).
3. On Sunday nights i'm in 'Anathallo gear' - let me explain.... Anathallo is such an intense group in that we as leaders really work hard to make it a different experience for the young people, to challenge them, to challenge ourselves... we pray before the evening service and we really take time to get into it all... I would have to completely shift gear if i was playing inbetween praying and then actually having the group. I know it sounds weird and probably seems in a word petty and small to some people, but it's true... if i'm in the service then i can appreciate whats going on, what God's saying to me and do all that without shifting gear... but if you're responsible for something you consiously have to get yourself into gear to achieve that.
4. I feel for this lady i really do... but she went as far as to back me into a corner at one point and was trying to make her problem my problem... And i've learned the hard way in recent years that just because you're a Christian doesn't mean to say you can let other people guilt you into taking things on... if you're already busy and up to the brim, then it's best not to take it on if you can help it... I almost resented the element of blackmail which took place during the discussion... but i understand how she feels, but getting another 2 individuals who are already hugely involved in the life of the church and are really busy ourselves involved isn't the answer... the answer is to seek out 'new blood'.
5. As much as i don't want to get selfish or 'technical' about this... no where in my remit does it state that i 'should' be involved in such actitivies as playing in the regular church 'band'. I'm not saying that I will only do stuff that involves young people, far from it, but when my hours are already stretched well beyond what they can be then i'm gonna have to take out the less relevant parts which take up my time...

So yes... I think that 'new blood' is the answer... not quite sure how or where... but exasperating the usual suspects by asking them to take on more is never the answer...

so yeh... i didn't complelely give in (i don't think she was impressed) - in fact i said i didn't mind playing on a few occassions... i still really need to get my 'lip' back in order to play for full services without wrecking it anyway... but we'll see... I won't be taking part tomorrow (although she possibly thinks i will be) as I have my tutor visiting so i'll have enough other things to deal with... and next week is my weekend off... *grins* so yeh. *shrugs*

anyway - it's late... g'nite x

posted by TLT @ 1:03 am

1 Comments:

At 10:48 pm, TLT said…

aye i know...
I'm not saying i won't consider her offer, but i am warey of doing it all the time... and i think i just resented the fact that she said that i HAD to do it because i was the youthworker...

*hmmm*

anyway... won't be playing over the next couple of weeks coz i'll be elsewhere anyway *grins*