Rites Of Passage

1. This morning we all went along to "Generator" - one of the missional communities that have been accountable to us over the last couple of years. They were dedicating four babies, and there were a lot of visitors. It was a good occasion, our last time with them before we leave, but Susie was a little intimidated by so many people...

2. In the afternoon, we went up to the Nick Jnr Jump-Up in Norfolk Park - an exercise in manipulating parents into buying Sky by ramming the loveable little cartoon characters down their children's throats. Un/fortunately, six-foot tall latex loveable little cartoon characters have a tendency to freak Susannah out - though Noah loved it! (Anyway, we had no intention of buying Sky - and neither did anyone else judging by the disappointed salesman who was on commission...) While Noah enjoyed the noisy goings-on on the big stage, I managed to console his sister by taking her to her first ever ballet class at Angelina Ballerina's Dance Academy. She actually enjoyed herself, though she was cautious to admit it...When I told her that I was ever so proud of her, and that she had been fantastic, her understated/overstated response was, "I know."

3. In the evening, I spoke at the last (ever?) Teaching Service at St Thomas' (services/structures change from time to time). It was a hot night, and the service had already gone on a long time before I gave the kind of word I really don't like giving (or listening to) - long and densely-packed, but, much as I'd rather be shorter and lighter, that was what I felt God had given me to share, and that was that. I've never known so many people walk out when I've spoken, anywhere! But when I finished, a lot of those brave souls who had made it to the end came forward for prayer in response, and several people took the time to tell me what they thought (all positive - I guess those who weren't impressed had already walked out by then!). Paul (senior leader at St Tom's) said he believed it had been a prophetic word from God - but that perhaps only five people would have been able to take it all in. To be fair, I had up-front warned them all it wasn't a sermon but a scattering of seeds, and if they tried to take it in like a sermon we'd all come undone...Maybe we did, maybe we didn't. In two weeks time, I'm leaving, anyway!