Blogging Delays

I said I’d explain why I hadn’t been posting much more than sermons lately on the blog. It’s been about a combination of personal and ministry pressures. On the personal front I had a medical at the end of January. Some things it discovered weren’t too surprising. Having hardly exercised in the last three years since we lost my dog my blood pressure is up and so is my cholesterol (although I was shocked by how much). Finding the space for regular exercise when working from home with pre-school children has been a problem I have not solved.

But more serious was the discovery of blood in my urine. When I visited my GP a fortnight later with the full written report another sample also showed the presence of blood. I was fast-tracked to the urology department of the local hospital, where I was seen last Friday. My imagination had been doing overtime. I felt my pulse was permanently racing. It didn’t matter what I believed in terms of my faith, I was petrified – especially with having such young children. Whatever I told myself about being at peace and in the hands of God my body had an automatic reaction.

Thankfully the tests showed I was not suffering from prostate cancer, a bladder tumour or kidney stones. I have to return in three months. The doctor said they could find no explanation for my symptoms, but said (without knowing me) that someone suffering from stress and raised blood pressure could have blood in the urine. ‘Funny you should say that,’ I said. In the meantime it’s back to the GP about the blood pressure and cholesterol, although that is mainly going to be the exercise question and some diet adjustments that shouldn’t be too difficult.

Ministry-wise it’s been a bit nasty lately. I have had to confront some unhealthy behaviour in one of my churches. I have also discovered that several people had left the church for the same reason – ‘nice people but I didn’t grow spiritually’. I’ve had to say in no uncertain terms that our major midweek programme isn’t set up to deliver spiritual formation. I have been attacked for daring to say that, and also had to put up with unpleasant comments about my chairing of the Church Council, the fact that I pick too many hymns or the wrong ones, that I preach for too long. Some seem to want ten minute pep talks plus children’s addresses for adults even if children aren’t present. I’ve checked with my other churches about attitudes to my preaching but it’s welcomed there.

As I said at the beginning of the last post I’m on leave this week. A kind person asked me last week what I was going to do with my week off. ‘Get as far away from church as possible,’ I replied.

powered by performancing firefox