Tuesday 1 April 2014

A little water under the bridge…

 Yes, it has been a while since my last blog, I see my fellow Ordinands are well ahead of me here, but I do have a few good reasons, or to put another way some relatively creative excuses. I started a new job, which has proven extremely demanding, I have been stretched up and down and left and right and in a few other directions that I didn’t even know existed through my college studies, nothing more than what they term formation, but it took me to some interesting spaces, I don’t mean the glorious buildings one may associated with church, I mean the emotional roller coaster of life. And of course, I need to ensure I have quality time with my family, for all our sakes.

It was tough.

I don’t mind admitting, I have found myself in some dark places since staring training, challenged in ways I hadn’t been fully prepared for and so it didn’t seem the right and proper thing to write down my thoughts before now, but now on reflection I think it is safe to say that I have perhaps become a little wiser from the experience, though you will not find me admitting to being wise.

Lectures have been running at what could possibly be calculated at approximately 100MPH and in a language that was pulling me out of my depths, could this be the Hebrew they speak of in the Old Testament, or perhaps the Greek of the New Testament, or maybe it was the contemporary language in Jesus’ time of Aramaic? I fear it was just English, but not as we know it Jim..!

I would never profess to be what one may call an expert in biblical academia, but whereas I thought I had a reasonable grasp in the Old and New Testaments, at times it felt like the whole bible was becoming the Apocrypha, that is a text I had not read nor heard before.

So you see, I was hearing things coming at me at an incredible speed, in a language I didn’t understand and texts that were as unexplored as a mission to Mars.

To put simply, I felt out of my depth.

And to top it all, the first assignment handed in came back with some shocking news that threw me off balance a little; I’d missed some pretty key elements. So what does one do in a situation like this? Panic, give up or take a step back and figure out a more productive next step, I am pleased to report I took the latter option.

I soon came to realise that although I had a fair grasp of some aspects of Biblical texts, there were far more dimensions than I had considered, most of it around the historicity of key events.

Then it all made sense.

But with some carefully planned reading of some easily digestible texts, mostly calling themselves something along the lines of ‘An Introduction to…’ suddenly all the foreign language and pace of lectures started to take shape. I can’t tell you what a relief that was.


And so I found myself not only understanding what was being said and at a pace I could digest, but actually enjoying the lectures, embracing what was being said and, not trying to sound too clever, even managing to critically evaluate what was being presented and discussed.

And although I am quite probably the least likely to ever set the academic world on fire with my revelation insights in to new ways of thinking, I was now getting grades worthy of a good pass, I started to understand more of just how much I didn’t know, but this wasn’t a problem to me as I am now beginning to build what I believe are the foundational building blocks of what will be a lifetimes learning. Some subjects and one or two lecturers have even inspired me to what I think may one day become a future areas of ministry.

However there is one area, as with life, that has pulled me through more than any other. I know you expect me to say, prayer, or God or some such, and of course, there is no doubt this played an important part, but however you look at it, whether answer to prayer or God working, it is my fellow Ordinands that have quite possibly been the biggest help. There is nothing like comradery or people who are going through a similar harrowing experience and I know many of my fellow Ordinands were experience pretty much the same as me, maybe subtly different areas of challenge, but challenge nonetheless. And it is this shared experience and share compassion and shared practical help and discussion that has kept me smiling, encouraged and getting my assignments in on time. Oh and I mustn’t forget the humor, there are one or two who should they ever decide ministry is not for them, I think the comedy circuit would welcome them with open arms.



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