The Blurb: November 2006
Hope
Sunday 26 November 2006 3.05 pm
Following my blog entry on Friday, we had a really good Movement Weekend here. Other parts of the nationwide Lee Abbey Movement — representatives of London, Devon, Friends, Camp, the Households and all the Council and Boards — came to celebrate with us and meet and pray together.
It was quite inspiring. David Bainbridge, Warden of Lee Abbey London, also saw a rainbow covering the whole House. God is protecting us, and thank you for your prayers.
As well as the serious stuff we had a two-hour entertainment evening last night and some extremely good food. The desserts were so beautifully created that you had to consider yourself a vandal if you ate one. Fabulous.
By the way: I added this cartoon today too. And a photo or two last week.
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A hard time
Friday 24 November 2006 6.10 pm
I want to ask you please to pray for us. As a community - the Lee Abbey Devon Community - we are really facing a tough period at the moment. I'll just sketch a few of the reasons, without going into more detail than would be appropriate on the Web.
We are low on numbers and have been since August. All teams are short of people, including some key positions which are vacant - not least my boss, the Marketing Manager. There is a lot of illness about and more physical problems of various kinds than I have seen in the two years I've been here. There are personal issues for various members, and we've all had more than one piece of difficult news in the past few days.
On the technical side, problems with the installation of upgrades have brought the network server down repeatedly in the last few days, halting work in the offices and bookings, and threatening to scupper the delivery of next year's programme and the Rapport magazine on time. In the midst of this, the programme for 2007 has now at last been completed (credit to Chris Edmondson for that achievement in amongst everything else he's been dealing with). Great as I personally feel about that, there is still an entire issue of Rapport to finish urgently, set back by the delays and technical problems we had with sending the brochure to press. I am working later than I should, and struggling to prioritise appropriately.
I know all these things are circumstantial, and I know that God has his hand on us. We are praying and seeking God, and we are sure that we will come out of this experience stronger than ever in him. We are also continuing to see God work in exciting ways in every guest that comes. In fact, there have been some particularly notable cases of late.
I don't like to say we are being "persecuted", as these times come and go. But I think all of us would agree that your prayers would be appreciated!
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Christmas Las Vegas
Monday 20 November 2006 10.04 pm
Christmas is a time for fun, for laughter, for family relations and excesses of alcohol. But at its heart, it is a time to celebrate what we most sincerely and deeply believe in.
I refer, of course, to money.
This, it seems, is what Thorpe Park thinks Christmas is all about. Never mind the baby in a manger who, when he was older, threw the money changers out of his Father's house of prayer...
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A new brochure I give unto you...
Sunday 19 November 2006 12.48 pm
Lee Abbey, whose publicity I am responsible for, produces a brochure and programme every year, detailing what it stands for and every conference, retreat and holiday for the next 12 months.
The deadline for the latest edition, which runs to January 2008, is tomorrow. I've been working many hours on producing this thing ready for TopTown to print, and barring one or two small amendments, it is ready now. Looking forward to getting that one out of the door!
Then there's the small matter of an issue of Rapport to produce in a week. :o)
Also at some point I must think about Christmas, and where I go when I leave Lee Abbey in June. But there we go. Ooh, and how best to take advantage of the outdoor ice skating rink in Bideford.
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