Good news - and bad news

Back at College, and the good news is that my one colleague's son, who was involved in a serious car accident a couple of weeks ago, has undergone an operation which was successful. We give thanks to God for His mercies, and pray for a speedy recovery.

We also give thanks to God for another colleague's stationing situation, which seems to have stabilised for the moment.

I've also been given the responsibility of being timekeeper at this year's Synod. Some of my more cynical colleagues see this as a strategic move by the "powers that be" to ensure that I keep my big gob shut, but the corollary to this is that I have total control over the stopwatch... har, har, har! :-)

The bad news is that there is this "culture of fear" that remains in certain contexts, particularly when it comes to rank and hierarchy. This manifests in comments like "a Phase One must know his place", with the impression given that the validity of what someone is saying hinges on their rank and somehow cannot be accepted on its own merits.

Personally, I believe that this is a cancer that needs to be eradicated from the
Church sooner rather than later. My own stance is that while it's important to respect one's seniors, particularly those that hold office, one should be able to speak one's mind without fear or favour - something I've always believed in, and will continue to do, Phase One or not.