Roshi's ramblings

Another good book on calling. I read this whilst on the SCP vocations weekend and it tied in perfectly with what I was learning about. It covers callings and vocation in an accessible and easy to read fashion that, as the title suggests, are about vocation in young people. Each chapter is based on a different person's experiences, though the editor and compiler have done a very good job of maintaining the same writing style throughout. The chapters also coincide with callings in the Bible, making them relevant to the modern day. It's a very good read if like me you are young and exploring your vocation. It's also good if you want to understand the feelings behind callings in the Bible. I highly recommend it.

Hi everyone, a few weeks ago I had the privilege of having a casual meeting with my sponsoring bishop regarding my vocation and calling. We discussed my time line of faith, what the good news is, what the role of a priest is, what I envision as being important within the Church and what I am to expect in the coming months. Timelines, past, present... Perhaps not future thouvh He was impressed with my time line, though noted I had a tendency to refer to how I had left things behind, using negative terminology and suggested I put a more positive spin on it all. Rather than saying 'I went from this church to that because I didn't like this' I should phrase it more like 'after having my faith shaken at 16 I decided to explore different denominations within my faith as well as other faiths until I realised that there really was only anglicanism for me.' which sounds much better. Pray tell?  I gave a 5 minute ramble, as I am want to do (this blog is called...

The very first book I read to help me explore my call to vocation was this called or Collared by Francis Dewar.   It was the first title in the bibliography I got off the callwaiting site that jumped out at me. I found it a very illuminating and useful book. It laid out very clearly what a calling is and what vocation is. The author uses his own personal experience, as well as information provided by a wide variety of would-be-ordinands to help describe the feelings and thoughts a person may go through, as well as the myriad reasons people feel called by God to do or be something - even if this may not actually be ordination. In chapter one he addresses callings in general, before specifically talking about callings in terms of how you want to be and what you want to do in the following 2 chapters.  These first 3 highlight the difference between being called by God to ministry and being called by God to do what you are naturally good at.  In summary every...

A few Wednesday's ago I happened to be free at lunchtime so went along to the lunchtime mass at my local Evangelical church. So what do I mean when I say Evangelical? If you've been into a church and the sermon is the most important part of the service you are probably at an Evangelical service.   In an Anglo-Catholic service the focus is in the Eucharist, that is where Jesus and God lay, for Evangelicals it is the sermon as it's within scripture you find God. The Bible is his word, it has fundamental truth within it.   This doesn't mean it's all 100% historically accurate, though highly conservative evangelicals (such as those found in America) would argue it was.  Because of this the main focus of reverence in the service is on the reading of scripture and the sermon which follows.   Receiving communion is still important but not the focus, and is celebrated using any form of bread and wine that just quickly get blessed, if it is celebrated at...

Prayer roots you for the day The primary role of a priest is to administer the sacraments. That and pray. Prayer should be an ingrained and constant thing within your life. Whilst exploring my vocation one of the things I have found most difficult to do initially was find time for prayer, yet I know at theological college and throughout curacy it will be at the very least a twice daily event. With this in mind I thought I’d discuss some of the methods I have found that help.  Panoramic picture of my godspace on Morecambe prom, taken this morning First things first, you need an area for yourself where you can pray, or just be with God in quiet contemplation, a Godspace if you will. This could be a specific chair in your living room, your bed, an area you’ve set up in a spare room or even a place you go on a morning walk. For myself I do the last one. I’m blessed to live right next to Morecambe promenade and there is a small jetty with a bench on it right out into Morecamb...

I've had my 2nd meeting with the ADDO and it went well. We discussed the time line I have created as well as my ideas about the vocations criteria. The main 2 aspects the ADDO wanted to explore in depth were my being priestly and my stickability. First we went over the being priestly part.   I'm doing a lot at the moment towards becoming a priest, reading lots of books, attending various churches, becoming heavily involved in my parish church, but doing is not the same as being so she wanted examples of how I'm changing due to my vocation. We talked about how I now tend to pray a lot more, if a hearse drives past I say a prayer for the departed, if I see something horrific on the news I pray for the victims and the perpetrators. I also relate things to God's presence more often. I've quit a job I hated to follow my call more clearly and I am much happier for it. I feel it's accepting my calling that has made me happier, especially because the stres...

Or weekday service ofc In order to explore my vocation and my religion more thoroughly I've been visiting churches that aren't in the same style as my own to get a feel for different types of worship.  I'm going to make a series of posts about what I find, but first I thought I'd give a feel for the style of church I've grown up with.  As I've stated before, I tend towards Anglo-Catholicism, also known as high church. 'What on earth is that?' I hear you cry!   Well the easy way of understanding it is we're the ones who like the bells and smells. If you walk into a church and can smell incense, the service is referred to. As mass,  you see 6 candles and a crucifix on the high altar and there's a serving party wearing vestments (robes) then you have come to an Anglo-Catholic church.   A typical view on a Sunday (though you are more likely to see green than red, red is only for specific masses) The main thing about churches down the A...