Like riding a motorbike

It's been a busy weekend. Spot left on Friday lunchtime, as I had a friend visiting for the weekend, with her husband and (lovely - really lovely) children. Frankly, I was running out of beds!

It was brilliant seeing them, catching up with them, getting to know their other half and children better. It's a shame they had to leave this afternoon - but work necessitated the return to civilisation!

While they were off panning for gold and hunting for fossils, another friend, again with spouse and children, popped in for a brew before heading south. It was a flying visit, but I was touched they made the effort to look in on their way home from holiday.

(I don't know, though, you wait ages for people to visit you on work experience and they all seem to turn up at once. A bit like buses, I suppose.)

As both friends are training for ministry, I could mull over challenges and joys without having to fill in everything, as we come from an 'understanding,' so o speak. But over the course of the weekend, things happened which freaked varying parties out.

The friend who was here for the weekend invited me to her ordination. The idea that a friend, who began her training and degree at the same time as I did is getting ordained (admittedly next year, but still) is terrifying. It shows just how close and quickly this is all coming in. In so many ways, even with the placements and this work experience; even with the knowledge I will be keeping my hand in for the next academic year and have probation to come, I still go out there into the unknown, all too aware of my own shortcomings, things I haven't done etc, etc, etc. So, someone getting ordained IN LESS THAN 12 MONTHS TIME somewhat focusses the mind.

The flip hand is she and her family came to worship where I was leading worship today. It was strange leading worship where I was any way, as I was swapping pulpits with the interim moderator for 'my' parish, so I was a visitor in that church too. But, my friend was freaked out by me leading a whole service. Not because it was bad (or at least I hope that was the case), but because one of her friends and peers was (as she put it) in charge for the whole thing.

So, as we all head along the road God has called us to, there are things we are encountering which remind us of who we are, where we're from and where we are heading. It's a bit like the first ride on a motorbike, terrifying and exciting all rolled together (*said while waving at friend Nik).