The form it took was a surprise, and not an entirely welcome one – I’ll tell the full story on another occasion – but the process has changed me, and at some cost. I have lost friends this year, but those who have not been scandalised are more precious to me than ever. One New Year’s resolution: to see more of my friends, tried and true.<\/p>\n
Politically I feel some small measure of pride in what the Brexit Party accomplished, and that I played a part in that. Much more fundamentally, I said yes to the vocational pressure. The passage of Scripture that was impressed upon me all this year is the story of Abraham and Isaac – and in the end, God gave me a ram. I don’t know what is going to happen next, but there are some exciting possibilities.<\/p>\n
In other news…<\/p>\n
I still love my new job, in parish and Diocese. Being a part-timer in two jobs brings challenges, and I’m not as on top of things as I would like to be, yet I can see that coming in time, and parishioners and colleagues are lovely. The Forest is a remarkable place, and I am slowly immersing myself in it, in culture and history. Living closer to my children is a blessing.<\/p>\n
I didn’t attend Greenbelt this year. I bought a ticket -was all set to go – yet in the end, it was at the peak of anti-Brexiteer hysteria, and I just didn’t feel safe enough (I wasn’t strong enough) to put myself in that environment. I’ll be back in 2020.<\/p>\n
I abandoned the PhD, for a multitude of reasons, some of which have only become clear in retrospect. Academia really is a branch of Remainia. However, I did attend some important training in Rome this year, and that was satisfying and fruitful – with hopefully more fruit still to come.<\/p>\n
I passed my motorbike test without a single blemish. I now have one of these<\/a>. I use it for commuting, so have easily clocked up more than 5k in mileage. I plan to use it much more in 2020.<\/p>\n I published an article in the Church Times<\/a>. That may have been the single most significant thing to come out of my political engagement, and the consequences are still being worked out. I hope to write more for them next year, and I have begun to work on another book: we will not evangelise England with an emaciated incarnation.<\/p>\n We have a puppy…<\/p>\n I have advised many people down the years that it is impossible to please everyone. Even though I know that to be true, it has still been a characteristic of my own nature for a very long time, probably since being severely bullied in primary school. A fear of being rejected, and of painful consequences if I became unpopular.<\/p>\n Well the story of 2019 is that God pushed me out of that place of safety and self-protection. It was terrifying, but I said yes to Him, and the consequences that I was afraid of came to pass. Yet here I stand. I am more at peace with myself on the inside than at any time since I began training at Westcott, possibly any time since I was ten years old. I discover that I like who I am, I like the person that God has made – not blind to the extensive flaws but more open to the benefits of what is distinctive about me. I don’t think like other people, I see things differently. I think God may have a use for that difference, and I’m looking forward to working out the consequences.<\/p>\n The Lord will provide.<\/p>\n Previous years: 2005<\/a>, 2006<\/a>, 2007<\/a>, 2008<\/a>, 2009<\/a>, 2010<\/a>, 2011<\/a>, 2012<\/a>, 2013<\/a>, 2014<\/a>, 2015<\/a>, 2016<\/a>, 2017<\/a>, 2018<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Well now. Quite a year. This time last year I wrote: “I think I will continue to become more politically engaged, although I don\u2019t know what form that will take.” The form it took was a surprise, and not an … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/elizaphanian.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/profile-pic-2019c-223x300.jpg\")
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