(Note to self: remember to breathe!)

Tuesday afternoon - it must be our weekly senior management team, and the chance to bond together and share our difficulties with each other - not!

I found myself writing at the top of the agenda - not doodling, but writing instructions to myself!

"PAUSE, THEN BREATHE, THEN SPEAK"

The wicked witch of the east is mis-managing yet another project, and finding scapegoats by the truckload. As I sat there fuming and restraining myself, I realised that it really wasn't worth the self-inflicted stress. So I thought about breathing for a wee while, calmed down and turned back into my normal well-balanced, cool, witty, dashing and modest self (well, something like that!).

I think it was Oscar Wilde who refused to enter a battle of wits with an unarmed man - kind of sums up how I felt.

Anyway, having calmed down a bit I survived the rest of the meeting.

It was absolutely freezing when I stepped out of the office - and my coat was in the car about 150 yards away. But as I walked towards the car, I didn't notice the cold because I was distracted by the wonderful view of Arbroath Abbey. Puts things in perspective I think!

New Year traditions

I don’t really do the traditional Scottish things at New Year any more – the bells, whisky, black bun, first-footing etc. Probably due to the excesses of my youth when I over-indulged in most of these (I don’t really like black bun!).

Nowadays, life is more sedate at this time of year, but we have developed some things that are now family traditions, which seems to me to be a better way to celebrate the start of a new year.

These traditions are about what happens on the 1st of January – during the normal waking day, not around midnight and the wee sma’ hours.

I always do some gardening – whatever the weather! Sometimes it’s no more than walking around the garden, looking at what I’d like to tackle in the year ahead. One year I started to cut down a tree – and quickly realised that it was completely beyond my skills and tools, so a professional was called in to finish the job. Today, I tidied up a bit in the greenhouse. It’s not much, but it’s a good way to start the year.

We also watch the New Year’s Day concert from Vienna. This dates back to when I lived with my parents – it was always a regular feature. My parents still watch it too, so phone calls are arranged around the starting time. It remains an ambition of mine to spend New Year in Vienna, and go to the concert live. Maybe one day …

We always try to go for a family walk – although the rain put paid to that today! The photo was taken by the Fish Wife a couple of years ago on our New Year walk at the North Inch in Perth.

Finally, over the past few years I have cooked a curry. This is a tradition that we will definitely continue. Sometimes we invite friends around to share it with us – sometimes we don’t. Today it was just the three of us, and we cooked our own chapattis for the first time. Good fun, and largely successful.

Happy New Year – however you celebrate it.

Competence, confidence and comfort zones - the sequel

A week ago – almost exactly at this time – I was just sitting down after the drama/sketch thing that I was involved in as part of the Bethlehem experience.

Two thoughts have occurred and recurred since then.

Firstly, all of us have talents that can be put to use – if we’re willing. Now, I’m not saying that I’m going to rush headlong into an acting career or anything. However, I do wonder if we are conscious of under-used (or unused) talents that we have. I also wonder if we are willing to discover new talents, and then put them to use. Maybe the New Year period is an appropriate time to reflect on our gifts, and see if there are any that could be gainfully employed.

Secondly, I have been truly astonished by the encouraging feedback that I have received from people. The ministry of encouragement is one that we can all be involved in. It doesn’t cost much to tell someone that we enjoyed/ benefited/ were moved or uplifted by something that they have done, but it will mean a lot to them. On reflection, I’m often guilty of assuming that people will know how well they’ve done, and have shied away from providing feedback. Time to change I think. Positive feedback should be used lavishly; negative feedback sparingly and constructively.

I don’t do ‘New Year resolutions’, but maybe this year I’ll make an exception and resolve to be more encouraging and appreciative of the efforts of others.

10 two-letter words

The golfer Ben Hogan is attributed with this quotation - comprising 10 two-letter words:

"If it is to be, it is up to me."

So how does this relate to church vision?

Well, at housegroup on Tuesday night we were looking at the big question 'How far are we the church that God has called us to be in 2007?' During the discussion one of our group asked if we should really be answering a different question - 'How far are we the Christians that God has called us to be in 2007?'

This got me thinking. I don't think that Hogan's saying is the way to address the vision thing, but I do think that it brings me back to a point where I need to be reflective and consider my role in developing and shaping this thing called church.

Also in the absence of an agreed vision, I see it as part of my duty to think big thoughts, to express what I think God is saying to us - and then to listen to what others have to say. To be honest, the first two tasks are relatively straightforward - I struggle a bit with the listening part.

So I need to improve on this. I've found something that might help me on the way. It's a 'habitude' - I found it on Magpie Girl's blog. The idea being to make an effort over a period of time to transform a habit or an attitude - I like that! So here goes ...