The Parish Weekend ... finally off my "to-do list"!

It's over! The Parish Weekend no longer features on my still-quite-lengthy to-do list!

Being able to say that brings mixed emotions. I am glad I no longer have to worry about getting everything ready, making sure everything is done, doing the room allocation, ringing Sidholme Hotel every other day... that's all done, which is a relief and a joy. But at the same time, I now have to wait another two years for the joys that a Parish Weekend always brings. And that is sad!

I say it always brings joy, and this one was no exception. So much great stuff happened. Yes, there was the usual list of problems, but they were relatively minor. That didn't stop me stressing about them, of course, but then that's what I do when I'm in charge of something. I stress. It really is only because I have high standards and want everything to be perfect, but it must be really hard to be around me sometimes when I've got something like that on my mind.

But they were minor, the problems, and I managed to not stress TOO much, because they were so heavily outweighed by really positive stuff. John McGinley, the speaker, and his team of people from Leicestershire (of all places!) was an inspired choice. His message was just what we needed and I'm so glad David Widdows suggested John before he left. Actually, I think I could get on very well with John. I think we probably have quite a lot in common and I'd love the opportunity to get to know him better. Maybe I'll look him up next time I'm up at Mum and Dad's ... he only lives about half-an-hour away.

Successes from the weekend don't stop there, but I'm not going to mention them all today because this would be an even longer entry than it already is! But I will say this: Clare's voice recovered well enough to allow her to help me lead the Saturday evening epilogue, and she did so much more than I expected her to do. She did a long and difficult reading, but even better than that, she led a room full of about 50 adults in a structured response that she thought up herself. And then we led worship together too! I was SO proud of her, and I really think she's something of an emerging leader. She has an air of quiet confidence, and is growing so much! It's great to watch it happening, and I can't wait to see how God's going to use her ... I'm certain he has great plans!

Not just Clare, either, but also a mention for Naomi, Emily and Ruth. All four of them were a joy to be around all weekend and played a large part in keeping me sane! James worked really hard in setting up and dropping down, and loads of teenagers were involved in other ways. When I look at how some of them are growing in their relationship with God, I get so excited! Clare, Naomi and Ruth had a late evening at a "Bethany" musical practice tonight, too. I don't know where they found the energy, but it says a lot about their sacrificial servant-heartedness! Added to that, back in Stoke Gifford, Kelly and her friends looked after our house beautifully, and the dog looks well-nourished. What a star!

I got about six hours sleep in total over the Parish Weekend, so I've had today off and used it to catch up a bit. I did finally get my new car today. It's a Ford Mondeo and is a gift from Laura's parents, as they've had a new car themselves. It's ace ... so much better than my beaten-up Corsa. It's such a privilege to have in-laws who want to bless you like they so often do.

Laura and I spent most of this evening watching "Signs". I loved it. Laura hated it. Thought that might happen!

I'm off tomorrow, too, as I didn't have a day off last week. I'm really hoping that these two days, along with our Paris holiday at the weekend, will be enough to recharge my batteries. I've already got a lot more energy. Just praying that God will refresh me for another push up until Christmas!

Eyes closing. Must sleep!