Thursday, January 14, 2010

Right Place; Wrong Time

I've just been listening to the Very Best of Dr John, a wonderful album. It kicks off with a track called Right Place; Wrong Time and for those unfamiliar with the man (put it right soon, there's a love) the lyrics are:

I been in the right place
But it must have been the wrong time
I'd of said the right thing
But I must have used the wrong line
I been in the right trip
But I must have used the wrong car
My head was in a bad place
And I'm wondering what it's good for

I been the right place
But it must have been the wrong time
My head was in a place
But I'm having such a good time
I been running trying to get hung up in my mind
Got to give myself a little talking to this time

Just need a little brain salad surgery
Got to cure this insecurity
I been in the wrong place
But it must have been the right time
I been in the right place
But it must have been the wrong song
I been in the right vein
But it seems like the wrong arm
I been in the right world
But it seems wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong

Slipping, dodging, sneaking
Creeping hiding out down the street
See me life shaking with every who I meet
Refried confusion is making itself clear
Wonder which way do I go to get on out of here

I been in the right place
But it must have been the wrong time
I'd have said the right thing
But I must have used the wrong line
I'd a took the right road
But I must have took a wrong turn
Would have made the right move
But I made it at the wrong time
I been on the right road
But I must have used the wrong car
My head was in a good place
And I wonder what it's bad for

Don't worry for the moment that it sounds like a load of hippy gumbo. He is from New Orleans. It's not meant to make that much sense. Here him perform it here.

My job has three parts. Two are really interesting and one is necessary but doesn't butter my muffin as much as the other two.

I love being the minister in charge of the Trendlewood community and its congregation/church. I enjoy having the freedom to experiment which comes with promoting Fresh Expressions of faith/church/ministry in the whole town and surrounds. Especially the freedom to try and fail. I have done that very successfully.

It looks as if, by the end of my fourth year here, I will have helped to cover two sabbaticals and two vacancies in three benefices. In other words, the full team in which it was imagined I would do my job, will only have been there for 22 out of 48 months. And the full team has reduced by half a member in the last year too.

As a consequence it is too regularly the third part of the job 'acting as a fourth full-time experienced priest in the team' to which I am pulled. And of course, when a vacancy or sabbatical looms, it is unwise to plan to take on too much new stuff.

I am in the right place. I know that. It's maybe still not the right time, yet.

3 comments:

Steve C said...

I saw Doctor John supporting BB King sometime in the 90s. Never realised you were a fan, but now I think about it, it seems so obvious!

Anonymous said...

We feel for you Steve.
What you have said here agrees with our thoughts when we heard the news Sunday lunchtime.
Martin and Pauline

Steve Tilley said...

By the way somebody commented to me personally about this post recently and said they thought it meant I might be leaving. Not the case.