lurchersontheedge

Making discoveries because of Time Wisdom as promoted by www.notbusy.co.uk is one thing; the application of these discoveries into my own life will be quite another. The suggestion that busyness can be a form of pride, which to my understanding is akin to making yourself an idol is sending shockwaves through the Ellis universe.

Already late? That is not a particular place to begin when attempting to reflect on being #notbusy. I had intended to offer a thought every day, so on day three; I am only on two. There is a reason; and perhaps a lesson learned.

Yesterday, I spent time at Birmingham Children’s Hospital as an anxious, concerned and worried parent. To all extents and purposes I was doing nothing. The absence of activity does not mean that nothing is being done. True other parents were utilising time communicating with the outside world through the power of modern technology. But I was not doing nothing. Indeed, had I thought about it, my laptop would have been with me.

I need to learn, imagine and wonder at the possibility that just clearing the diary does not mean that I am doing nothing. That’s enough of a discovery to cause me to go and do something else for a while. Being not busy is not a point in time but a habit that is formed.

I have signed up for Lent with www.notbusy.co.uk which is the truly wonderful idea of giving up busyness for Lent. I have embraced it because I am so often a human doing rather than a human being.

The idea of being public about giving up busyness is to ensure we do it. One of the basic premises behind it is to set aside 15 minutes each day during the period of Lent to do nothing.

My first observation is that to nothing was very difficult. Admin became attractive, as did the possibility of finding the iron.

My second is that this could be a truly transformative experience, but I will have to do it more than once to be sure that the potential is there.

Hope Lent is blessed and holy for you all

I have had the privilege of being at two conferences this week. The first was Birmingham Diocese’s annual get together for priests and ministers serving on outer estates. The second was the growing churches day. This blog will mainly reflect on the first one.

It is firstly absolutely wonderful to spend time with colleagues working in similar, yet different, contexts. Secondly, there is a delight in being able to take time out. Thirdly, for me to facilitate a small group on engaging with those who are seeking was a gracious gift.

Out of that group came two words (themes, perhaps): space and story, which we thought were important when seeking to make connections with those interested in the Christian faith (and perhaps those who are not). I am fascinated by the idea of story, but space was something of a surprise. As someone comfortable with church space, I have forgotten that for most people such space is alien. I can only imagine such feeling as akin to my first encounter with the Socialist Workers Party, whilst I was at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. They were convening a meeting of those who were against the first Gulf War. I went there hesitantly, even then Christians were regarded as sexist homophobes. I was also convenor of a SPUC student group, so was about as welcome as a Man Utd fan on the kop. However, after a while, they and I became people committed to the same cause. In some corner of the universe, there is a picture of me with permed hair carrying a SWP banner protesting against the Gulf War in London (difficult to believe that one). I imagine for most people coming into church, how they would feel would be something like those first moments at that meeting.

Space those is more than physical, and I will try to think more about how we create space in order to communicate over the next few weeks; trying not to be too busy during Lent 🙂

Story is though some thing I am passionate about. In an age of biblical illiteracy, we need to know how to communicate the story of Jesus articulately and with confidence. I will be endeavouring in the near future to spend some time discussing what would be the essential contours necessary to make the story discernibly Christian.

I am about to prove the old adage that you should not try to blog on more than one thing at once.

The household has a new pup; we have become a three dog household. The youngster is called Samwise, and is a lurcher joining Frodo and Pippin. We are going to hold auditions for the fourth member, Merry soon.

He is all the things a pup should be: curious, perplexing, humorous and hard work.

Samwise has arrived just in time for me to try not to be busy during Lent (www.notbusy.co.uk).

The website is linked with Stephen Cherry’s new book: Beyond Busyness: Time Wisdom for Ministry. The thrust of the initiative is to encourage us to spend (at least) 15 minutes a day during the holy feast of Lent doing nothing. This will be difficult for me. I fill my life with activity; and often I fall into the trap of believing I am defined by what I do. (None of my hounds do this incidentally, says he, making a connection where there is not one)

I have spent the day with 10 members of my church congregation at the Growing Churches conference. The key note speaker was Bob Jackson, who apart from many things was the vicar of a neighbouring parish when I was growing up. I thought he was quite brilliant. I enjoyed the workshops and the conversations with church members. I hope we will put into practice some of the day. For me, it will be about creating a culture of invitation where people are unafraid to share the story of Jesus; comfortable that he is their saviour and lord.

Another one, so another blog recommendation: http://kingdompoets.blogspot.co.uk/

Frodo’s recovery is in a large part down to his brother, Pippin. They are littermates, and had never been apart until the two nights Frodo was in the vet hospital recovering from his operation.

Pippin was a tad suspicious of Frodo when he arrived home; not because of three legs, but because he spelt of vets.

Pippin has allowed Frodo still to be top dog. He has done this by allowing Frodo still to be Frodo. I think he has been able to do this by still being Pippin.

It never ceases to amaze me that I learn so much from animals. How often we can inhibit what others can be by not being ourselves. A question for me on this Saturday evening.

Once again let me point you in the direction of another blog, if you find it difficult to cope with animals and theological reflection. This one is particularly good, http://philgroom.wordpress.com/tag/phil-groom/ and I commend it to you.

It is now 51 days since Frodo has his back right leg amputated due to bone cancer. He is thriving.

This is him this morning – yawning in the snow after a hard night before. Hard being a vicar’s dog.

Thriving? After all, here is a dog who is a greyhound/deerhound lurcher who is used to chasing around with his brother, running through fields, streams and woods. Admittedly, that was easier to do when I was in Cumbria. Frodo, unlike my rotund self, is an athlete.

He is thriving in that he is eating, sleeping, walking, running (yes in the snow this has been the case), chasing feline creatures and enjoying the attention of Bartley Green.

Frodo seems to be content to do all that he can do, without (it seems) lamenting what he cannot do. As always, dogs seem to have the knack of putting their paw on something.

I have wasted a lot of life admiring others and wanting to be like them. I have sometimes strained too much to do what I cannot do, and therefore lost sight of my own abilities and end up not doing those things that I am good at.

If only I understood that to thrive does not mean to be perfect.

In keeping with my last two blogs, let me offer readers an alternative, if they do not wish to hear my ramblings about Frodo, my long-haired lurcher, who recently had a his right back leg amputated. The aptly named www.theblogofkevin.wordpress.com is a very worthwhile alternative read.

For the record, Frodo is doing well, and so am I. His canine brother, Pippin has also adjusted, and if you were to see them jostle and play fight, you might for a moment not notice anything had actually happened.

Sunday (30 December 2012) saw me do three dog walks. One with all three of us, one with Frodo trotting around Bartley reservoir and the other with Pippin on the Clent Hills. It was good to blow the cobwebs away. As Pippin ran, as mad as a hatter, after one leaf or another, I was slightly sad, noting to myself that Frodo will not be able to that again. That is in all possibility true, although there are number of things the vet decreed that he would not be able to do that he already has done. But it does not make him less of a dog than his brother, or less capable of enjoying life. That is a judgement that I make, not him.

I do need to be careful lest I ask him to do too much. He will do so. But he runs around the garden, greets people at the door, delivers letters to the post box, and was playing (with ease) with a Jack Russell by the reservoir on New Year’s Day. He still has the same eyes that can convince me to do anything. He does not know (I don’t think) that the cancer will return in all probability. For now he is the same, except he is not.

It seems to me that it is I who limit him. This is not in terms of walking and allowing him to play; but rather my mind seems to have developing a disturbing inflexibility as to what should be considered ‘normal’. Indeed, the first few times we walked together in the day-light, I was conscious of lots of people looking at us, and imputed lots of negative thoughts, which were in reality mine and probably mine alone. Most people do not even see that he has three rather than four legs. Most do not pass judgement on what sort of owner I am, although perhaps some do. It is the normal scheme of things that this is the case.

As, I think about Frodo, I am also aware about how many other things in life I have considered normal or decreed not to be. I wonder how to begin to address those things.  Then, in a moment or two inspiration, I am aware that my long-haired lurcher has learnt to live one moment at a time, and perhaps that will be a good place to start.

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 3,500 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 6 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

Continuing the theme of yesterday, if you struggle with self-indulgence you might like to try another blog. This one by a priest-farmer is very good: http://llanfach.blogspot.co.uk/

My reflections are based on the recovery of Frodo, my lurcher, from the amputation of his right back leg. He has ‘recovered’ comparatively well. This is because it would seem, to my human eyes at any rate, he has adjusted. He does not take on his brother in a race any more over distance; but can be there a shade quicker for food and to the end of the garden. Pippin, Frodo’s brother and my other lurcher, has also adjusted. Pippin and Frodo used to live for running, chasing the wind, leaves, raindrops, cobwebs, rabbits etc. At least, that is what I thought. They however I think were living to play in their doggish kind of ways, rather than to chase. They can not play in the same kind of way, but they still play. Or perhaps even there, I am assuming they cannot play in the same kind of way.

I have been reading on and off for a year, Stuart Brown’s book, Play: how it shapes the brain, opens the imagination and invigorates the soul. It is an amazing book, which I need to read properly. Brown studies play within the human and animal kingdoms. One of the key conclusions seems to be that in order to play, you need to be vulnerable. Such a conclusion does not seem to be earth shattering, for most forms of play require a range of people to take part. Certainly the two canine brothers seem to negotiate when running, chasing or even who is getting attention. This was the case before the trauma of Frodo’s cancer diagnosis. It is interesting that children play with very few problems. (As a parent, I know that there are the inevitable squabbles). Children also have few problems with vulnerability. An excellent book on this topic is David Jensen’s Graced Vulnerability: A Theology of Childhood.

Part of the ability to adapt in the way my lurcher has is to reassess. He knows there are certain things he cannot do, but also knows there is much he cannot do. Of course I have just humanised him. There is the point, for I am the one who is adapting. Frodo does not care what he looks like. He is bothered if I find it so difficult to look at the scars of the operation, which get less each day, that I cannot spend time with him. Dogs have a need to be loved and to be part of a pack. So long as he is in, he is fine.

I wonder whether I am much different. Frodo’s Way has begun to be a great journey. One that will surely be continued.