One Week to ETD

You must be ready for the 40 days of sailing to start now; just one week to go to the estimated time of departure. It feels like the time for signing off is now here. Last routine events and seeing friends before I catch the train on Good Friday. It was oddly moving being at my last primary school event in my church this morning for the Easter presentation of 'Rabboni' (picture); a remarkable Easter musical published by one of the staff (M Baxter from Amazon) and performed in Winchester Cathedral earlier in the week. It was odd knowing that I may not see many of those folk again until we return to school in September!

Rabboni means 'teacher' whilst 'disciple' means 'learner'. Teaching by example; are disciples meant simply to listen, look on and observe or rather to mimick, follow and do? If the latter then we may overcome the fatigue of learning; putting it in to practice!

That must be the plan behind this pending voyage; to learn and be changed by doing. Changed in facing the challenge, changed by the people I will meet, changed by learning from the skipper through owning and assimilating the new skills and in being encouraged to face the fears and challenges that lay ahead. Perhaps a disciple is more like an apprentice than a pupil; it feels more dynamic and involved and so makes me relish the opportunity to learn to sail around Britain.

What does it mean for my job when I do so much public speaking and teaching? Are those who hear me fatigued and simply listening courteously, or do I equip them to be like disciples who relish putting their convictions into action?