Getting Back on Tracks

Over the last few months, I’ve let a lot of things to do slip through the net. But today is the day to start getting back on track. Jean-Baptiste is in School, Esther is out for the morning, so let’s make the most of it. I am a fan of GTD (Getting things Done), a “method” with the goal of streamlining your worflow and capture all your commitments so that you can start getting things done and stop worrying about it. The first phase is collecting: you get everything from around the house into one place, before processing it one item at a time.

I’ve already packed some of my books, so there is plenty of space on the shelves to collect. Let’s get started.

Another rather good weekend

We had a rather good weekend again. We spent Saturday in Shrewsbury for a Family reunion. All the family on Esther’s side was present, the sun was shining. We enjoyed each other company and good food. The children played well together.

Thanks to the wonders of technology (and my online backups), I was able to retrieve the presentation on Brittany I’ve given in Churches in order to show it to those who had not seen it, in spite of the fact that I had not taken my computer with me.

On the way back, a bad accident on the A49 reminded us to be grateful that we have been kept so far.

Today’s shift was rather sad

We’ve decided that I would stop working in Costco on 15th July. It is exciting but also rather sad. I have worked in that shop for two years now, actually, I went to a recruitment day for WDS on 14th July 2008. Since then, I’ve got to know quite a lot of people, both staff and members.Most of the staff already know I am leaving, but not the customers. So I’ve started to tell some of the regulars today. I’ve grown to like these people, and it will be a bit sad.

I am also thinking of the staff. I’ve had few opportunities to share the gospel, but I’ve tried to do my best to be a Christian in a very dark place, and pray that this has had an impact, and that they will come accross other Christians. I am planning to invite some to the commissioning service.

Tim Challies: Who is using Whom

Tim Challies from Challies.com has an interesting article in the June issue of Tabletalk on new technologies entitled: Who is using whom. He reflects on technologies in general, and the different attitudes people have to new technologies. There are two types: those who embrace everything new, and those who don’t. But he has some helpful insigths:

(…)

While a technology may not carry the weight of morality with it, we would not want to downplay its significance. When a significant new technology is introduced to the world, we do not have the old world plus the new technology; we have a whole new world. The world today is not just the old world plus new digital technologies; it is a completely different world. What is true here generally is true of the church — even the local church. Local churches have been permanently changed by digital technologies; there is no going back. The question we face, then, as Christians and as defenders of the local church is how we will respond and adapt to these new realities.

(…)

He reflects on the phrase of a man called Marshall McLuhan who said: “the medium is the message”

(…)

A church may transition from using hymn books to using a PowerPoint projector. It seems quite a small matter, and thousands of churches have already done so. What difference does it make if the words are printed on paper in our hands or if the words are flashed onto a screen high above? But if the medium is the message, if the medium is more than a simple conduit for the message but actually intercepts and even overshadows the message, what do we stand to gain or lose? What risks are there in putting aside our hymn books and what opportunities are there in embracing this new technology? Maybe we will find that we risk unfamiliarity with the songs as families no longer have copies of the book at home to sing during times of family worship. Maybe we find that we are quick to add new songs to the repertoire at the expense of the classic hymns of days gone by. Where there is the opportunity to experience greater convenience, there remains great risk.

(…)

And here is his conclusion:

We are left with difficult realities. The world is changing, and it is senseless for us to wish that the old world could return. It will not; it is gone forever. What remains for us is to carefully examine new technologies, seeking to understand both the risks and opportunities they bring. What remains for us is to be diligent, to be discerning, to be wise, to examine how we will use the new technologies we encounter, and how they may just use us.

Tim Challies: Who is using Whom, Tabletalk, June 2010

The school dilemma

It was good to be in Guingamp yesterday. Emmanuel showed me the house from the outside, and we explored the area. and saw the local schools.

Jean-Baptiste will be 5 next month and in France, he will still be in nursery for another year. It is good news. But there are two schools at close proximity. Which one to chose?

The closest one is only 700m away. It is a small school, and could be good for Jean-Baptiste. The teachers would have more time for him, and we may have more opportunities to meet people. But there is no primary school, only the nursery section. It means we would have to change school in a years time anyway and send him to the other local school.

The other school is sligtly further, maybe 1000m away. But it is straight forward to get there, and still walking distance. It has a nursery section as well as a primary school. It is bigger than the other one, but looks nice from the outside as well. The advantage would be that Jean-Baptiste would not have to change school next year.

Now, there is still a bit of time to decide, so we’ll discuss the matter again, and may wait until we have moved to decide. Check the map of the area below:


Afficher Local Schools 23 rue Yves guyadier sur une carte plus grande

Signing the rental agreement

This week, I went to Guingamp to sign the rental agreement. We had arranged with the Hartiels that I would leave the car in Plymouth and that they would pick me up in Roscoff.

Monday morning, just before leaving home, Jean-Baptiste woke up with a badly swollen throat. He’d had something for a while, but it didn’t seem to disturb him. But this time it was very painful and swollen. No need to say I didn’t want to go. But I wasn’t going away too long, so I went and Esther took him to the doctor. He was prescribed antibiotics and Ibuprofen, and given an appointment for the next day. He is better now, still swollen, but not in pain. Me must keep an eye on it.

It was strange to travel on my own and as a foot passenger. But it was enjoyable. I sat down quietly and made the most of the 5h1/2 trip to read. I hadn’t done  that for such a long time… The sun was shining, the boat was quiet, no children running around. On the other side of the channel, Emmanuel Hartiel was waiting for me.

On Tuesday morning, we went to Guingamp, had a look at the house from the outside, and looked at the schools. Then we went to the Agency to sign the rental agreement. The man from the agency was late, but I talked with his colleague, and when we arrived, we went through the rental agreement point by point, before signing it. The tenant will move out on 9th August, and we’ll get the keys on 10th August. Things are slowly falling into place, but there is still so much to do.

On the way back, the boat was a bit busier. I watched a film in the cinema, before finding my seat and reading for the rest of the journey. The travel from Plymouth to Cardiff was very smooth: quiet motorway, and I was back hom at 1 this morning.