Time is finite.
Over a year ago, I was encouraged to take two hours a week 'in daylight time' for myself. This was part of learning the new patterns of working that clergy need to work out for themselves as they enter ministry. I find it hard to stop in the middle of a day, so chose blogging as a means of stopping 'work' for half an hour a day. It has worked well, and yes, it only takes me fifteen or twenty minutes to write and edit these smatterings! Claire Pedrick tells me that I am an 'extrovert thinker' - one whose thoughts form as they are expressed! Good-o!
But, time is finite.
I am entering a liminal space - a place pf change and transition. Not only am I entering it, but I am bringing my family with me - whether they like it or not. This transition demands that new tasks be done, more praying done, more emotion experienced, and more negotiation at home. I have a choice. I do these new things, at the same time as all the 'work' things need doing, at the expense of time with my wife and children (or in practice, I work late into the evening), or I look elsewhere for that time.
Blogging will be the sacrificial lamb.
For a little while, I will be a less frequent flyer in my blog. I will still read and comment on others, as it is part of my own journey of learning and engaging with the issues, but the time I devote to writing in a week has another call upon it. My wife and daughters will need me with them more in the weeks to come, to talk about the future, to reassure, to debate, to consider, to dream, to fear, to cry, to laugh, to worry, to enjoy. Ministry is not just about the minister, because for many of us, we have family living 'over the shop' with us.
I will not vanish altogether, and posts will appear, but will I just not appear on lists daily as I have to date. In the meantime, if it is your practice, please pray for me, for my family and for the church communities who will be affected by my transitions in the time to come. Be assured of my prayers too.
May God bless us all!
Bit of a pity. I hope you resume blogging more soon.
ReplyDeleteBeing married to a minister, I very much appreciate what you're saying here. I hope the transition is one of blessing and hope for you and your family.
ReplyDeleteWell decided, sir! In the constant struggle for clergy to balance the demands on our time and energies, I believe you have made the right choice. The transition from curacy to incumbency status (whatever that will turn out to be for you) is not a particularly easy one, either for you or for your family.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile I wish you and your family well in the next stage of your journey and look forward to reading (albeit less regularly and frequently) how it's going. God bless you.
Blessings, David. I am in a similar space.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I also am an extroverted thinker. So I hope you have somewhere to write even though it's not stuff you need to be putting on the internet. A friend says it plainly - I don't even know what I think until I say it out loud.
That's a brave and noble decision. God bless, David!
ReplyDeleteWill miss you, but respect the reasons for the decision. All Blessings!
ReplyDeleteRespect and prayers for your decision as I'm in a different but similar place myself. I've several times recently considered shutting my poor blog down, and getting off Twitter too, but like you they help me on my journey in ministry.
ReplyDeleteI've also been advised not to blog about the big issues that face me at present, but the more connected I get to what I'm facing the bigger the difficulty in not talking at all about the thing that is dominating our families thinking/talking at present.