Leaving Town....

Yesterday I left Worthing. I now live in London. To mark this strange and beautiful occasion, here are a few pictures of some of the people who made Worthing the best place to begin life.

The end of the proverbial era......

Cast your mind, if you would, back to the 20th March 2008.  On this day, the day after our term at London School of Theology had ended, I flew off to India to the adventure awaiting me.

As I flew I was officially the President of the Student Committee at LST.  I had two thoughts: Firstly, that it would be challenging.  Secondly, that I didn't know how challenging it would be.

But today, the 19th March 2009, I sit at my desk at home and consider the year.  My responsibilities now passed on to another, and being released from them has yet to hit.  My successor is worthy, fresh ideas, new approaches - he will lead well. 

And as I remember the challenges, I also remember the joys.  We've done it all - put on events, raised money, given money, been reconcilers, sat in committee meetings, board meetings, meetings with funny names, been representatives for a variety of people and a variety of needs, been guided by a vision, put our hearts on the line for the SB, seen it's ugly face, seen it's beautiful face, developed friendships, made mistakes, learned from them, listened to the people, informed the people, infiltrated the Moon, been supported by brilliant reps.

There is not anything from the past years experience that I regret happening.  I have enjoyed it all.  Yes... all.  It truly has been a joy to represent a body of students of the stature of the LST Student Body.

And so, to Tom, Helen, Sam, Scott, Emma, Luke, Ruth, James and the whole of the SB... thank you.

The Beginning

It's been five weeks and a day since I moved into my room here in Aldis at the London School of Theology.

It's been just over four weeks since the new students arrived and brought this place to life again after a long three-month summer.

Today many of them handed in their first essay.  It's been good to watch them as they have settled in, struggled, overcome, succeeded, and many more things - in four short weeks.

It is exciting to see them give a new lease of life to the college, and to bring all the enthusiasm that they do.  I smile deeply, and think long about my first year here - and regret that I can't stay to watch them develop through their time.  To grow with them, to help them through, to celebrate their successes.

We are the generation that can change the world.  But let's all pray we don't get lost in the mire of post-LST oddities, and keep focussed upon Christ.

It's been a good, good start.  Here's to the next eight months.

The Certain Realities of Uncertain Change

And so as we all finished eating our home-made Cream Teas, many of us decided it was time for a film.  I consider that decision to be driven by tiredness, and likely a sensible one - as we were all very tired.

But myself and a friend decided to play cards instead.  We played the same game for two plus hours, it was a dull game.  But we talked together, and that is what it was about.

My friend is recently married, and we rejoiced and reminisced about the day and ensuing days.  And as we spoke, I reflected upon the idea of change.  Change is always there.  At the current time in my life, the certainty of change seems only second to the certainties of God.  Please note the key word in that sentence is seems.  

As I go into my last year at London School of Theology, feeling a call into pastoral ministry - though unsure of how that will manifest itself - I am realising a longing for stability.  And also realising that I am probably putting my hope in the wrong things for that stability.  

I desire to know what I will do once my degree is over, but I desire substantially less to have to put in the work to find out.  I desire to have a wife and family, but desire far less the work that goes in to changing my attitude and priorities.

At the moment, I want all that God has got for me but do not want to be working for his mission.  I've only just realised this.  It is time for more change.  I need to step up, man up.  Not saying that in any way I am the cause of any of this.  It is only by God's grace and mercy that he has even opened my eyes to this.  And it will only be by His grace and mercy that I will change, and I am confident that I will, because my confidence that Christ will finish the work he has started in me far, far outweighs my own laziness and sinfulness.

I am forgiven, I am an heir with Christ, I am saved.  It deserves my all, He shall get my all.

Trials of a fourteen year old Tim.

The other day I found this written in the sleeve of the Manic Street Preachers album, 'This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours'.

"Today is Thursday 22nd November 2001.  Missed 1 paper in round, I'm annoyed.  I don't think I did, I just miscounted.  Doing revision for modular tests.  Doing 2nd Science investigation.  Need to do Food Technology project.  Have peer education lessons to take for year 8 coming up.  Got Maths and History homework tonight as well!  Tim."

Looks like I was pretty busy at 14!  Reading that made me glad that I am here in 2008, seven years later, doing other things and being busy in other ways.  But at the same time, pleased that I was that busy at 14, it was clearly good training.

Murray, Whisky, and the Year Just Gone

It's a quarter to midnight on Monday 30 June.  I'm sitting in my lounge watching Andy Murray's incredible comeback against Gasquet, whisky in hand, Steve Carter playing Football manager on the other sofa, and I begin to contemplate the past year.

It took me a while to realise that the year at LST had ended.  It was a good few hours after I got home from Graduation that I realised that there are some people that I will not see again for a very, very long time.  The oddness has been extended in that I live with a number of graduates now.  They are looking for jobs - looking forward to marriage - looking for houses to rent or buy.  A number of things that seem a long way off for me as yet.  But a year is only 365 days, and then I will have graduated.

And I think it is this realisation that is the most shocking - I have to be thinking about my long term future soon... very soon.  My time at LST is nearly over.  

There have been some highlights this year:

• Freshers week
• 24/7 Prayer week
• Spending my Easter Vac in India
• Crazy juggling ball wars 
• Holidaying in Cornwall over New Year 
• Having a lounge
• Successfully passing exams and assignments
• Forming part of the new Student Committee
• Committee Coy Carp
• Committee Weekend Away
• Late night library sessions
• Early morning prayer sessions
• God's faithfulness.  Unfailing, unmoving faithfulness.

It's been a good year.  It's had challenges and hard times.  But the overwhelming impression that I and many others are left with is that it has been a year where God has proven his faithfulness again, and again, and again.

For that, we offer praise.

Goodbye Guys.

Home (Sweet?) Home

A fluid concept. Home.

I have found that a home is hard to come by this past year and a half. At the same time I have found home in the strangest of places.

It is an obvious truth that home is much more than simply the place that you live. But it is a truth that I have not really understood until recently.

I have been living in my new flat for about a week and a half now. And I do love it, for many reasons. It is beginning to feel like home. By which I mean that I am beginning to feel less like I am visiting an as yet unknown friend, and more like I can legitimately play host to friends who come visit me.

On a side note, I am slightly disappointed that I used the word 'love' in the second sentence of the last paragraph. In the English language it is a word that is abused, and it's meaning confused. What I'm mmost disappointed with, thought, is the fact that I had trouble finding an alternative word, and instead felt that writing a whole paragraph about it would be an adequate second to changing the word.

I've been on my own for a majority of the time. I don't think it has been very good for me. I begin to focus on myself too much. I can easily become a recluse, not a good thing. Community is good for me...even though I may not always be good for community!

Anyway. I have no internet, so I have not written much in a while, and may well not for a while again.

Read Blue Like Jazz. I didn't really like it. But then it got better, and I recommend it.

Diana; an English cult?

Today is the 10th anniversary of Diana, Princess of Wales' death. It has moved a nation to remember her in many different ways.

Personally I remember the day she died. I was 10 years old, and with my siblings I woke my parents up that Sunday morning, complaining that there were no cartoons on because some important person had died. My next complaint was that my mother didn't believe me!

Little did I realise that a nation mourning would turn their mourning into something resembling a cult, with Diana as the goddess. In Althorp, where she is burried, there is even a temple, where people can lay flowers etc. as they walk around the lake where Diana is burried on an island in the middle.

A nation who have turned their back on the one true God, are filling it with a media-spun version of a woman who has created more of a stir dead, than she did when she was alive. It is interesting to observe an elaborate rememberance of death, being armed with the knowledge that death is not the end.

I wonder whether the 10th anniversary of the death of Churchill, or Queen Victoria, were remembered in quite the same way.

If you're interested, BBC have extensive coverage.