Silent in the Background

Today I start a three month sabbatical from CCC.  My main purpose during this time is to research and write the dissertation for my MA course in Contemporary Missiology, with a focus on Vulnerable Children. As I begin my studies today I start by taking time to read the Bible in One Year passages for today. In Proverbs 3:1-10, verses 5-6 stand out: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. In Matthew 16:21-17:13, verse 23b says: you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns. In many ways, reading, research and writing will be based on my own thinking and understanding.  What, however, does it mean not to 'lean on' my own understanding? In the midst of my reading around issues in contemporary foster care it will be easy to get into 'merely human concerns'.  My hope is that, as I study the person of St. Joseph, I will also keep in mind the con...

  I wrote this two and a half years ago.  I don't know where all the Whacks pieces are now, but teeth brushing can still be an issue. A Ball of Whacks This morning one of our foster children is in a strop.  Nothing is right for him.  Last night there was a row about whether he should clean his teeth and he went to bed declaring that he would not go to school today.  Now he is keeping to his word; he did not get out of bed for an hour after our waking him, has not dressed, and sits in the lounge not engaging with any of his usual routine – no breakfast, no TV, no jokes. I go and sit next to him on the sofa to ask, again, if he wants his breakfast, and how he wants to get out of the situation.  Apparently it’s all my fault and I don’t know what I’m talking about – I’m too old.  He can’t explain why he’s feeling what he’s feeling, nor what might need to happen to resolve things. When he can’t speak any more he picks up the Ball of Whacks that is on the co...

Why a blog, and why the name? In November 2020 I was given an award for being 'silent in the background'. Strictly speaking, my wife and I were given an award at our local Social Services awards day.  Part of the citation referred to my working silently in the background in support of the joint project with Home for Good to recruit more foster carers from local churches. Apart from sounding a little sinister, the phrase caused me to reflect that, on many occasions, working in the background in support of others is where I feel most at home, where I function best. That might sound strange, given that I am currently leading a church, but I learned years ago that much of leadership is 'dogsbody' work in the background that no one will see, and humility is needed in church leadership , as much as, if not more than, anywhere else. Silent?  Sometimes I wish I was more silent, when I speak up in meetings and other places and wish afterwards that I'd said less or expressed...