AllTheseThingsIveDone.com

If there’s one recurring subject that I’ve been thinking about since my interview at HTB 6 weeks ago is personal development. Specifically: “Where, on earth, am I heading?”

In some ways the discussion at HTB threw me off guards, if you’re slightly confused let me just remind you:

I foolishly mentioned that I’m a TEFL teacher who enjoys Youth Work and, occaisionally, preaching. And was asked “Have you thought about ordination?” Again, not perhaps something you expect at an interview.

You really don’t take ordination lightly. I’d like to say that when they mentioned it too me it would have been a total surprise, but in truth I had thought about it. Perhaps not the Church of England, though I do have certain sympathy to there traditions and liturgies, but certainly some formal Theological training. Being completely honest, and a little vunerable, here when I got back from the HTB interview I was a little down about things. If people asked about the interview I tended to respond:

I’m not sure that HTB is the right place but I’m not sure ACC is either.

There’s no point denying that, that was how I felt. Luckily I have some great friends to talk things through with and for the most part I don’t feel like that now. For me the bigger question is now:

How can some of the things that were talked about with HTB be transferred to ACC?

I’m sure that that’s not the only way that I can be challenged and developed. In my youth work at Ignite I’ve been trying hard to step up; Some things have thrown me in at the deep end and forced me to develop myself and skill set. While with other things I’ve used my own initiative; whether that’s just sitting with someone who doesn’t want to join in, or whether it’s empowering the young people to help tidy up! Personally I feel much more part of the team and actually useful! Which is a bit different to April when I wrote:

I say to my surprise as I’m not one of the popular leaders

This stepping up continues at work too. While I still struggle with the politics and day to day workings involved with Multi-Agency working I’m finally getting the hang of it and I certainly feel that if we, as Christians are to work towards the great commission we actually need to get uncomfortable in these kind of situations.

Of course some development requires we go back to our past. Certainly this is true when I look at the IT work that I now do. Some of it has been a learning curve, some of it has revisited things from when I was younger and some of it has been exactly as I expected! I really have to thank my parents for suggesting (and sometimes paying for me) that I keep some skills up my sleeve in case the music thing didn’t work out.

Which brings me nearly to the end. As I was reading the current issue of Youth Work magazine Jill Rowe’s words from her column, The Back Rowe kinda hit me they go as follows;

When we are sad and disappointed with nowhere else to go, Jesus simply presences himself in the middle of our ’stuff’ and is ‘deeply moved’.