Mike's musings

Sorting things out

(backposting) As well as all the usual holiday things, today was a day of sorting things out. Booking this, that and the other, mainly. At least I had some time to enjoy the holiday, too. The weird thing about holidays with young kids is that, in some ways, you're more tired than usual, as they're full of energy. The bonus about going away with other people (in this case in-laws) means that there are more hands available, and even if the girls are up at 0500 (which at least some of them are), you may be able to grab a chance of some more sleep later.

Labels: holiday, job, sleep

Job time!

(backposting) After a morning visiting the beach (of course!), we headed off to the National Trust's Felbrigg Hall, although it took us rather a while to get there because Moo's phone satnav insisted that there was no main road between the cottage and Cromer, and that we had to take the back roads. So, we walked around the hall and went to see the donkeys. And there wasn't much reception. But just as we were about to visit the walled garden, I saw that I had a missed call. From the guy who, if they wanted me, would be my boss. So, I found a place with some reception, and phoned him. And they want me! What an enormous, enormous relief.

Once we got back home, I managed to get in touch with the HR person, and we sorted out the details. And then I had to find a flight, etc., etc..

I'm starting on Monday (next Monday!), and will be there for 2 weeks' training. Hard to be away for that long, but Moo understands completely, and at least we'll just have had a holiday. The name of the company of Appian, and they're based in Reston, Virginia. They do BPM (Business Process Management), which is pretty new to me, but they want me for my consulting and architecture skills and experience, which is great.

Labels: happiness, holiday, job, travel, work

On edge

(backposting) Although I had a good day today, it was tempered somewhat by the fact that I'd been rather hoping to hear back about a job, and hadn't. The company concerned had said that they'd hoped to be able to talk to me today, but hadn't promised, but being unemployed and all made me rather concerned. It wasn't helped by the fact that I had almost no phone reception, so had to keep finding somewhere I could check messages and also using the cottage's wifi to check my email.

Moo was very understanding, and we had a lovely day anyway.

Labels: holiday, job

Happenings in Episcopalian America

Things are afoot in The Episcopalian Church (TEC): the Anglican church in the USA. Basically, both the laity and the bishops have voted to continue with the existing movement towards acceptance of homosexual clergy and of the blessing of homosexual marriages and partnerships. Bishop Tom Wright has a very well-reasoned article in The Times where he bemoans not only what he sees as the "snub" to the Archbishop of Canterbury and the proposed Anglican Constitution, but also the theology behind the move. I have to disagree with him, and many or his premises. I think that the rest of the Communion is moving too slowly, and although I'm sorry that TEC are likely to be severely censured, I have to applaud their honesty and courage in following their understanding of the movement of the Holy Spirit.

Job stuff - had another interview (phone again). We'll see.

Labels: anglicans, job, sexuality

A churchy day

Not entirely, but I had a 3+ hour team ministry meeting in the morning, a spiritual direction meeting in the afternoon, and a Mother's Union Communion service in the evening (with a very enjoyable performance by the gospel group afterwards). I've also done some good job bits and pieces as well, which is always cheering.

The other thing I did was listen several times to "Bleed to love her" by Fleetwood Mac. And found a different way to listen to it. Now, I'm sure that this wasn't the intention when it was written, but what if you hear it as being sung by our Lord, and the "her" is Mary Magdalene? It's a very powerful song anyway, and provides an interesting way of thinking about Christ, the man, and desire and sexuality. Please listen to the song (it's also available on the live album "The Dance"), but here are the lyrics:

Once again she steals away
Then she reaches out to kiss me
And how she takes my breath away
Pretending that she don't miss me

Ooh, I would bleed to love her
Ooh, bleed to love her
Ooh, I would bleed to love her

And once again she calls to me
Then she vanishes in thin air
And how she takes my breath away (breath away)
Pretending that she's not there

Ooh, I would bleed to love her
Ooh, bleed to love her
Ooh, I would bleed to love her

Somebody's got to see this through
All the world is laughing at you
And somebody's got to sacrifice
If this whole thing's gonna turn out right

Ooh, I would bleed to love her
Ooh, bleed to love her
Ooh, I would bleed to love her
Bleed to love her
Bleed to love her

Labels: church, job

Opportunities

Miri was up during the night, and joined me in bed, so I didn't sleep so well. But then again, without a job, I didn't feel even slightly upset about going back to bed for an hour and a half after the girls headed off in the morning.

I met some of the deanery clergy team for an informal chapter meeting over lunch in a pub (The Lion in Earls Colne, as it happens), and after a quick bit of searching for new jobs, I headed off to see and old friend, Chris, in Cambridge. So, as the quick bit of searching yielded a possible prospect, and Chris also had another one, it was rather a productive day in the end. Maybe I should get in the habit of a good sleep in the morning...

Moo got back, and all seems to have gone OK at her folks'.

Labels: clergy, family, job

A good day, a bad day

So, Plan C is out. If I become unemployed in the next few months, I don't have anything definite lined up. This is a bad day thing. And then I started to wonder whether or not to keep my new Samsung i8910 HD. I really need VoIP, and there's not SIP stack on the phone. There are some other things that I'm not particularly happy about, too, including lack of decent GPS apps and the difficulty of uploading photos to flickr, and I wondered about sending the thing back and getting a Nokia 5800 instead. In the end, I discovered that the Nokia doesn't have a SIP stack, either, but managed to get Fring working with AQL (my SIP provider), and all's looking rosier. Took some doing, but I've found some OK GPS apps, too which I'm trialling.

And I had some possible job leads, in case things go a bit Pete Tong on the employment front, which they may, so that helped too. I finished up the day with an hour's hard walk, listening to Finzi, Duruflé and Poulenc. Now sitting in front of the TV, trying to work out how to disable the Orange Photo app on my phone.

Labels: geekery, job, phone, walk

Theology, prayer and wider life

I'm finding it quite hard to be reflective and theological in the midst of trying to work out where my professional life is going at the moment. There's still a possibility of a job via Certicom, at RIM, but I'm having to work out what other opportunities will present themselves, particularly as a job I was hoping might come together in the next couple of months has disappeared - for now, at least. So, I'm reading around moving into contracting, which is one option, and following up other leads, too. Time to get back in touch with those friends I've not spoken to a while, and do some good old networking.

Having said the above about theology, I've come up with a plan for what to preach about when I'm over in Bocking for Pentecost, as guest preacher(!). "Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees" - Isaiah 35.

And, to crown it all, we had to take Miri to Colchester Hospital A & E because her elbow ligament popped out again. My fault this time. "Strengthen ye the weak elbows" is more like it...

Labels: job, miri, prayer, theology

Job hunting

(backposting) Not an overly positive day. I went to bed alone in the spare room last night as Miri wouldn't go back to her own bed, and was very lonely: really wanted to cuddle up with Moo after the day I'd had yesterday.

I spent a fair amount of time looking for new opportunities and jobs, of which few were forthcoming. Obviously, although the threat of redundancy is yet to be confirmed, the very fact that we're in the process means that I need to be seeing what else might be available, and today didn't furnish much help in that direction.

Labels: job

Incarnational redundancy

I've got lots of things I want to blog about at the moment from a theological point of view, from more issues around authority to further thoughts on the ontological issues around self-supporting ministry. But I've got to pick one, and the issue that's consuming a fair amount of my time at the moment is redundancy. As I've blogged before, my company has just started redundancy proceedings around my job. I'm not interested in going over the whys and wherefores, nor am I looking for sympathy (though prayers are always welcome). What I'd like to start investigating are some of the theological issues around redundancy, and particularly how it affects me and other self-supporting ministers.

When I announced the fact that I was going through redundancy proceedings on Facebook, a mate of mine (also a self-supporting minister) said:

Redundancy is, oddly, part of the incarnational aspect of being Self-Supporting. It's one of those aspects of life which we SSMs share with our punters/parishioners/victims/congregations. Going Stipendiary in such circumstances would be like giving up.

He was responding to a (tongue-in-cheek) comment from another friend, who'd pointed going full-time might be an option.

He expressed very well a feeling that I'd not have been able to articulate as well at this. I know from conversations with members of my congregation that people appreciate the fact that I can speak "from the pew" as it were. I think that because I have a job and share similar issues (or more obviously similar issues) with them, there's a feeling (which I'm sure isn't always justified) that there are things I can say that match more closely with the experiences of "the people in the pews".

However unjustified those feelings are, they are true in one particular, incarnational way, as my friend identified. I run the risk of losing my job, as few parochial clergy in the Church of England do. Standing by that means standing by them, too. I feel no more called away from full-time (secular) employment than I did when I made the decision to go with self-supporting ministry. Maybe I will some day, but that day isn't yet, and it wouldn't be honest to my vocation which is expressed both within my ordained ministry and in my secular life to decide suddenly to take up full-time ministry now.

Labels: job, theology

A Quantum of Redundancy

Up at 0500 - why is that? Well, just woke up and couldn't get back to sleep, so I got to say Morning Prayer in silence, on my own for a change. Which was nice.

The other two things of note for today are:

• my company started redundancy proceedings around my job today. That's how it works: they don't make you redundant, they make your role redundant. Anyway, it'll take a while, and it's not much fun, but that's the way it goes.
• Moo and I watched Quantum of Solace tonight. The girls were both asleep by 0630, so we decided to get out a film on DVD: something we've not done for ages. We'd not seen the latest Bond film, so thought we might as well do so. It's not the most, erm, plot-driven film, but it was mildly diverting, and Daniel Craig is quite rugged. And chiseled. Which was nice.

Labels: films, job

Ironing, gardening, barbecuing

Spent 3 hours or more this morning doing the ironing, which really needed doing. Then gardening, this afternoon, which was fun. The girls are absolutely on their last legs through tiredness at the moment, so it was amazing that they managed to stay awake past 2030 this evening when we went to Si and D's for a barbecue supper. Their friends Naomi and Chris (and Keira, a friend) were over as well, with their kids, and they all played very well: it's a sign that they're all growing up, which is great, but sad at the same time.

On a different note, I've noticed that many of the previous week or so's posts have been rather brief. I'm sorry about this, but it's really been down to the fact that I'm both tired and also trying to work out what's going on with work and redundancy. My current company has told me that they're planning to go through redundancy proceedings, and this is clearly not good news. I'm trying to work out what this means for me, and working on what my future options might be.

It also doesn't mean that I'm not thinking about the issues around ontology and ordination, but my focus has been elsewhere. I'll get back to it, but focusing on my work prospects is even more important now that there are 2 children to look after as well.

God will provide. I really believe that, even in the darkest hours.

Labels: friends, garden, god, job

Redundancy proceedings

(backposting) Well, the thing that I've not been talking about on the blog recently is that it's been looking for a while like my company is going to start redundancy proceedings. I heard today that they're going to start this next week. This isn't good news, obviously, but there are possible options within the larger company, so it's not all doom and gloom. Thoughts, prayers and job offers gratefully accepted.

Labels: job

Jobs

I'm currently looking at internal opportunities within RIM, and I was very flattered to hear that our current Certicom CTO, Bill, has asked to be my referee.

Labels: job

Singing, preaching, surviving

(backposting) Sleep? Not so you'd notice. Didn't need a daughter in with me for much of the night, but Moo had the other one (Miri), so that's the way it goes.

But - I was preaching. And singing - "The Three Kings" by Peter Cornelius. So, got it together enough for both of those. I preached on unemployment and redundancy, tying it in to the fact that for many of the people mentioned in the New Testament, (though not, as it happens, for Ananias, who plays an important role in the story of the Conversion of St Paul, which we were celebrating today), we know what their job was: carpenter, tent-maker, fisherman, taxman, and maybe even prostitute. We're often defined - or define ourselves - in terms of our jobs. And that everyone in the congregation will, within the next year, know someone who's lost their job, or been affected by redundancy. Now, God doesn't call us because we're tax-collectors, or carpenters, or IT managers or secretaries, but because of who we are. Not that I want to tell people who are affected by redundancy that it doesn't matter, and to worry about being called by God, because it's the place of everyone to emulate the saints and reach out. Jesus talked about caring for the sick, the imprisoned, but he didn't talk about caring for the jobless. I think that these days, he is.

Labels: Jesus, job, preaching