Lights, camera, action...action...action.
Here I go...intense portfolio production, half term, an Open Day at Queen's Foundation, some chance encounters and some really special moments of Grace...
I’ve been spending this past week doing something that’s felt both really really scary and joyful; preparing my testimony video for my candidating portfolio.
As a reminder, because I'm sure I've written about this before, the portfolio is made up of seven sections, and Section A is titled ‘Your Story’.
Each element of the portfolio is essential to create the whole story; there are absolutely no ‘space fillers’, but I feel this section is the one that may act as the foundation to all others. It’s important to get it right, and for it to be ‘me’.
It’s a ten-minute account of the 'hope that is within me' and I booked a week off work to focus on this and the other sections with real intent. There haven’t been the usual distractions or the darting from one task to another. Instead, I’ve focussed on this, and only this. It’s been a strange another strange holiday.
Not least as a result of the eyes-wide-open, chance opportunities, encounters and trips that have also featured in the last 10 days or so. More on that to come...
I couldn’t quite settle for ‘selfie-standard’ and I’ve learned more about video production in the past week than I have in the last decade. The advice and guidance received from some colleagues (friends) at work has been invaluable…and the results, I think, are spot on.
I’ve been amazed at what an iPhone can do when you stop treating it like a phone and start respecting it as a camera, and then get the lighting right.
There’s been something really satisfying about learning new skills; about discovering that with a little time and care, the tools we already have in our pockets can produce something genuinely incredible and as I was rumbling this article through the old ‘thought palace’, I thought how funny it is we already have these things within reach, we just have to learn how to use them…I’ll leave that thought hanging.
For anyone curious, I’ve found a few brilliant YouTube videos but this one (below) I went through step-by-step. It helped me understand the basics of lighting, settings, white-balance, frame rates, ISO, shutter speed, etc. And the App, Blackmagic Cam, has been outstanding, especially the remote control and monitoring feature. Just wow.
The Open Day at The Queen's Foundation, Birmingham, (one of England’s oldest theological colleges, preparing candidates for ordained ministry and where, if my offer is accepted I will train) also took place this week. Margie mentioned how this date had been the diary for what seemed like forever. She was right, it first went in upon the publication of the dates for the 2025/26 cycle nearly 14 months ago.
Joined by our daughter, and Margie's mum, (Margie and her mum were jetting off to Spain in the afternoon), we went down and experienced a slick, gentle, exciting, thought provoking visit. With folk from the DOV 1 retreat gathering again, it was the first time we'd seen each other since February and it was great to catchup in fellowship over lunch and meet some other families. It was also really encouraging to hear from so many College staff, lecturers and people who will feature significantly during these late stages of DOV 2 and well beyond into the future.
A straightforward trip down to Birmingham...for future reference though, Liverpool Airport is not near Birmingham. Margie and mum safely dropped off we're now back home and in a half-term holiday mixing portfolio tweaking and time with L.
I've also been lucky to have several encounters during the last 10 days or so that really warmed me to the core, one of them was with Allan and Margie (yup) Toole from Australia:
mbhbc
They were visiting a friend of mine in Sedbergh. They had been missionary partners "way back". My friend knocked on the door, extracted me from whatever I was doing and frogmarched me (a slight exaggeration), to meet his friend at a local café. We had coffee, shared testimonies and stories, God moments past and present and then this...
I shared how I was finding celebrating the Sacrament of Holy Communion more and more overwhelming. Allan drew this. What do I see? Well, more and more I see that the moment takes us to the foot of the cross, it should be overwhelming... what follows is a path leading to our freedom and salvation. Beautiful. Thank you Allan, this will be framed.
After we shared in the café, we stood up, held hands in prayer, embraced as brothers and went on our way. Moments like this are real treasures.
