endcliffe park, ladybower reservoir, church junkie, church growth

Places I am enjoying......

ENDCLIFFE PARK. This is a great park near my house, which I have neglected to appreciate these past few months with the cold weather but now I feel like it is my own little 'central park' - it has beauty, lots of people (joggers, cyclists, mums and their prams and the rest), ducks in ponds and even a cafe which bustles with families in the summer. In the snow you feel like you really could be in New York! It also holds good memories of arriving to my current home, as I spent (it felt like) the hottest Saturday afternoon of August getting to know my housemates whilst basking in the sunshine.

LADYBOWER RESERVOIR a 20 minute drive from Sheffield was enjoyed by two fellow-new doctors and myself this Sunday. Admittedly we only managed a 2 hour toddle but there are 3 reservoirs and 8-9mile walks can be done around the area - so yes I am trying to make plans to include this walk in my list of things to do this year! Its a favourite site to train for half marathons too. I did get some of my own pictures but don't have the cable to connect my camera to my laptop.

Things I am thinking about....

• whether or not as my friend put it i am a "church junkie" - i loved that she came up with this term. I am guessing it refers to someone who just bumbles along from one church to another, never settling/committing to a community of followers, feeding off of people rather than actually serving, loving, giving. i find myself worrying about this because this weekend, i came to some decisions about church in sheffield, where i am doing community and god has really found me and showed me, what i think is the right place for these next 5 months - 5 months I know will fly by. however, this time last year i promised that i would find community, early, get stuck in early(!) and not umm and err, be indecisive and just be me! yet here i am in the latter part of this 12 months in sheffield, in a wierd inbetween place, about to go to a new house group that i think god is guiding me too, feeling at peace about it and like its right but also feeling very foolish and frustrated with myself for being well, myself!
• the other thing i am thinking about is whether a church that measures its growth by counting heads every sunday night at its services is truly a healthy church. i loved that my old church wasn't concerned about numbers, but about the quality of disciples within. of the 12 Jesus chose, 1 failed, 1 betrayed him - so are numbers really important? i think not but am open to other views..... i think a lot of it comes down to my general fear of 'mega-church' and the concept of it - is that what god intended for church back at the beginning in acts? i could turn this over all night in my head and be no nearer to knowing....