a child of god
this is the way, run in it
This year has been so full of change and we are only in May! Sunday, we held the leaving service for one of my vicar bosses and his wife. They are off, to South Africa, to work as pastoral peeps for the ministry that Mercy Air does there and in the surrounding countries. This has been a growing, dawning realization of a calling for them from God. He snuck up on them! I love that. But they responded to God's call by saying, Yes, Lord. I'm so proud of them for stepping out of the boat, out onto the waters with Jesus. I said to them, if Jesus comes back next year, He will find you being obedient and in the place where He called you to. What could be better than that?
But for those of us left behind, there is loss, there is sadness that we don't get to be an active (and annoying for some of us!) part of their lives. We will miss them. Monday morning in the office came and there was no Nigel, coming through the door, saying "Get to work!" and then the "What is it we need to do today?" I'm going to miss Erin's outspoken wisdom and challenges. And her food! I wonder if the disciples felt that, too? The loss, the lack of that person with whom they had had so much to do and who taught them pearls of wisdom from heaven - something no one else could do. (I can hear Nigel laughing now - pearls of wisdom, huh?! My answer to that is, yes, and I know you find that hard to believe.) They were grieving a death, which we aren't. We get to rejoice for Nigel and Erin and follow their journey in this new season of life and ministry. But they felt the loss, and we do, too. There's also a sort of milling about time period. We are milling about, getting ourselves reorganized in the parish office, figuring out who will do what, and what that will look like. We have a good team. But as with any family of God, we need to work together. I'm praying that God gives us His grace, His kindness, His heart for each other through this process. There is also the anticipation of what's to come. What new life, what new season, will come from God for us in the parish of Pype Hayes, the deanery of Aston? Considered by some to be lowly, urban poor, dysfunctional - I'll tell you what I have to say about that. On Sunday, I spoke with one lady from Pype Hayes who comes and cleans the church, who always has a smile on her face, even though there are troubles in her life, and who loves me, the parish administrator, out of the generosity of her heart, not for anything I have ever done. I spoke with people from the congregation of Aston Parish Church who attended, and they all had smiles on their faces, too, and they were eager to share names and stories, and were truly interested in those at Pype Hayes. And I saw an elderly lady in a wheel chair come up during the prayer time for Nigel and Erin, and she held out her pale, thin hands to hold Nigel's and Erin's, and she prayed a blessing over them. She knew them before Nigel became a curate. It is for people like that Jesus died and rose again. And it is for people like that I serve in my lowly post of parish administrator. I hope to be found faithful by Him through this changeable time, by His grace, helping steady our small, leaky boat, as we sail with Jesus. Because, Yes! We get to sail with Jesus! He's like that! He's awesome. He comes and is with us in small and large gatherings - He doesn't care about size. He comes for His own. He walks amongst us. Isn't He lovely? And we never have to say goodbye to Him.
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Franci Ballwatching and working for the kingdom of God in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham - UK Archives
January 2019
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