Well, back to what some people call ‘work’ on Friday. Certainly glad my e-mail problems were resolved in time. I’m not altogether sure, which is worse – a mountain of e-mail such as you don’t know where to start, or none! It’s reminded me how much has changed since I became involved in regional minister – when I began e-mail was nowhere near as widespread as now. Now, I wouldn’t want to contemplate doing what I do without it.
As I sit among my colleagues at NST today I’m also remembering the advice given to me when attending for the first time by my predecessor – 'be yourself' - I was, but felt a few were not thinking my not wearing a tie was the done thing for an Area Superintendent. Nine years on, there’s not a tie on display among my colleagues – interesting.
In the car this morning I was listening to the public tirade following further disclosures regarding MP’s expenses. Phrases such as ‘never before has the public degree of trust and respect in MP’s been at such a low ebb’ etc. I’m not sure about this, but I wonder whether we’re seeing another symptom in the swing of public opinion towards what we might regard as a concern for ‘Christian values’? I’m not suggesting we’re witnessing a return to Christendom, but we may be experiencing an expression of a reaction to an over-reaction against. There seems to be an issue with people to an extent, which was not apparent few years ago, about the tension between moral values and public leadership. In ten years I sense the general cry has gone from ‘what anyone does behind closed doors is no concern of mine’ to a desire for a much closer relationship between private and public, ethical standards and public platform, values and vision, etc. Now I think this is good news in terms of an opportunity for our Christian voices to be heard. Not only is this a conversation we need to be engaged with, but the space we’re called, especially if involved in Christian leadership, to live in and live out our discipleship from.
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