Because it’s not about position but trajectory
With the school year about to get under way, I’ve been involved in several staff Professional Learning days. I always enjoy leading days like this – especially towards the start of the year when people are fresh and motivated for what lies ahead. One of the topics we looked at has stuck with me. It can be summed up by the comment, “It’s not about position, but trajectory.” In other words, it is not where you are right now that really matters, but where you are likely to be if you carry along on your present pathway. While I covered some of this terrain in a post...
Read MoreWhen Heroes Fail: Thoughts on Philip Yancey and other Mortals…
I wasn’t going to write this post. There has been more than enough publicity given to Christian author extraordinaire Philip Yancey’s announcement of his 8 year affair with a married woman, and other than saying “It’s not the first time something like this has happened, and it is highly improbable that it will be the last” I didn’t think there was much I could add to the discussion. While I am always willing to face and discuss reality, I try not to wallow in what has gone wrong, or to point the wagging finger – and attempt to align blog posts with...
Read MoreLet go or be dragged…
Rosemary and I are going through an interesting experience. A year ago we decided to “right size” and signed up for a new, significantly smaller home which is currently being built. It is well under way and we are probably about 4 months from move in date (and my, builders are evasive if you try and pin them down to a date. Don’t misunderstand me, they have been wonderful in every other way, but what started as “perhaps by Christmas 2025” is now “probably by the second quarter of 2026”.) Our new home will be about half the size of our present one and...
Read MoreRemembering who you are… 5 Reminders for the New Year
Apparently 88% of people break their New Year resolutions within 2 weeks and only 8% are following them at the year end. Given that most say they will achieve things without having thought through a realistic plan, that’s not too surprising. We often set ourselves up to fail by making improbable pledges that are hard to implement. When we assure ourselves that we will go to the gym every day, we are sabotaging our likelihood of success because once a day is missed, the goal can’t be met, so after a missed day or two, why not give up altogether? One insight I have found helpful is...
Read MoreReflections on Transitioning to Retirement: 5 Years On… (Part 2)
My first post on my journey towards retirement focused on what I have been doing in the 5 years since I completed my 17 year stint as principal of Vose Seminary. I worked with the philosophy that an abrupt change from the 60 hour working week of that era to a shattering zero would be unwise, and I’ve now moved to a hopefully long term sustainable 35-40 hour work week. I should probably add that whereas my 60 hour week often involved dealing with stressful situations, I’ve been moving away from stress. There is not none (and would you really want a totally stress free existence?),...
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