speaking of colours...

I was once reliably informed that a certain TV series incorporated a lot of yellow into its shots in order to attribute a dream like atmosphere to its story. This was apparently due to there not being much occasion where yellow naturally features in the real world. Having remembered this at a time where I had a bit of waiting around to do recently I took the opportunity to look around and see if this was true. Here's what I saw. I'm not sure what conclusion I drew from this other than actually yellow is a fascinating colour to find naturally. If you're not looking for it then it can tend to blend in. Next to green it is incredibly organic. Once you begin focussing on it however it does seem to jump out at you from every angle.

So today then - have a look around you. What is it that's presenting itself to you in a manner that you may never have noticed before?

that sounds like a conversation for elevenses - theme tunes

Kronk. To some of you this will have hiphop connotations to others this word conjures up a very different image. His 'theme tune' moment has to be one of my favourite scenes in recent animated film history mainly because we all have them. Ok, I have them. If you don't - get one.


Example - you should know exactly what I mean when I say that one of my colleagues sang 'Indiana Jones' during a rescue attempt on today's canoe session. Not my first choice for that scenario but we went with it and all lived happily ever after.


For those that do - what is your theme tune? Do you, like Kronk, hum a generic movie soundtrack(ish) tune or do you have a go-to?

think of a colour...

Out in the gale force winds and the occasional rain you would think it near impossible to stop and take a moment especially when you factor in that you are floating in a canoe on a not-so-sheltered lake, but stop we did and I'm so glad. A colleague had asked "how do you 'get God' into an activity session?" It's not a straight forward formula and really, just as everyone's faith is their own so too does the sharing of that faith need to be individual. So, I asked the question back. How would you?

We stopped and considered the quandary meanwhile focussing on what was around us that we might tangibly be able to experience God in. A challenge given a long time ago reared it's head.

Try and think of an entirely new colour

Not a mix of two or more others, not a shade of an existing one but an entirely new colour. Attempting to do so causes my head to implode. I looked around me for inspiration and noticed just how many shades there are of green. Not just that but how each shade then takes on a slightly different appearance dependent on the time of day/type of day. My thoughts seemed to gather pace at an alarming rate which meant that I just needed to

stop

appreciate

allow myself to be in awe.

So go on - think of an entirely new colour and let me know where your imagination takes you.

that sounds like a conversation for elevenses

There are plenty of times when paths head off on a tangent. In my life this seems to happen most commonly during office based conversations. To make all involved aware that the conversation may have veered slightly off track we have adopted the not so subtle hint "that sounds like a conversation for elevenses".


In the context of this blog, any post beginning with this title will simply be an opportunity for us to explore/discuss/expand upon topics that may not be directly related to anything in particular but will lead us to places that are just as intriguing as where we were originally headed if not more so.

season all change

What's your favourite season and why?

No doubt you'll soon work out mine but for now let's focus on the here and now. A short stroll to the shop this morning included this moment. The transitional time between one and another. Take a look at this picture - what do you see?

A changing of colour? A herald of what is to come or, like me, is there a stirring of memories that brings about excitement? I'm sure I am not alone when I say I'm full of anticipation at the thought of a chill in the air or the smell of rain. What is it that resides there inside of us? That awakens at a smell, a taste, a memory or a hope. Maybe it's just the thought that you could reign supreme when, against all Health and Safety advice, you obliterate your opponents in a much needed game of conkers.

Over to you. Get involved - what is your favourite season and why? Go for a walk - what do you see?

who in the what now?

So you've noticed Ed.


A creation of my wife's nimble fingers, originally made as a companion for journey's on which she would not be able to join me, Ed has managed to prove his strengths as a focal point and conversational piece. I now use him as my stock model, brightening up any mundane scene (you will be seeing a lot more of him). As an aside I also enjoy the many and varied expressions people can't help but display as a grown man photographs a small, knitted monster all the while behaving as if this is completely normal.

explanation of the title

Signposts and Wanderings - inspired by 'signs and wonders'




I love learning new things. I always have. When something captures my imagination I am very rarely happy just to know that it's out there. There's got to be some way of getting involved. The process that follows seems to take the same route.

1. Read &/or watch anything that might expand understanding and knowledge
2. Tentatively take first steps to trying it out
3. Experiment - succeed/fail - repeat
4. Establish some form of success and explore the possibilities

Having done so I then consistently find myself in a position of sharing my experiences with others. This is both in a formalised teaching/instructing/coaching sense or simply sharing time with those that share the same passion. I recognised it first happening while skateboarding in my teens and have seen it continue across the board ever since through the practical/theoretical/theological, at work and play.


...but 'signposts and wanderings'?





The passion that underlines everything for me right now, that surpasses anything, that gives reason and purpose is the hope I have because of my faith. Ultimately none of this is about or for me but for God's glory. I am a signpost. Here to gain your attention but my hope is that your attention - in the everyday and the extraordinary - will be drawn onwards and upwards.


So that's what this is all about. Simply making a note of what I experience in order that you might encounter something of what I hold fast to.