Buckets full...

Jane Stranz over at 'Of Life, laughter and liturgy' is exploring a book to be released tomorrow by Kate Coleman, whose background you can read about at Jane's blog.

Jane describes how the ‘7 Deadly Sins of Women in Leadership’ featured in the book are Limiting self-perceptions, Failure to draw the line, Inadequate personal vision, Too little life in the work, Everybody’s friend, nobody’s leader, Colluding and not confronting and Neglect in family matters.

I think that this will be an interesting read and it will be winging its way over to me soon from Amazon.

We're all on a journey and I recognise some of my own failings and developments with some of the issues above. My holiday in the little blue shed which is drawing near represents a serious development in my 'Neglect in family matters'. I booked this holiday rather spontaneously (lateRooms.com) and just felt really led that this was a needed break towards the end of a hectic year. It involves me rearranging a service lead and pulling out of a conference but both of those things were extras rather than necessaries. We go in a few weeks' time and give me a bucket, spade, a deck-chair and a flask of Yorkshire and I will be hanging out with the kids and we will not be taking mobiles or laptops, which in itself will be a first - flips - nothing is impossible for God! :-D

I'm thinking about the other 'seven deadlies', and all of this not a lot, but a little because my head is full of other things at the moment.

A college friend and I are also reflecting on all these awesome, strong women whom we are being asked to consider as models: her placement supervisor, mine, my future incumbent and the principal of our theological college, whose latest thoughts you can download here (thanks to Thinking Anglicans). Efficiency, drive, vision, amazing organisational skills, a confidence that coexists with a very real encouragement of the giftings in others, with a realness, a vulnerability, a transparency. Prayerfulness, passion and a purposefulness that powers decision-making. These are just some of the qualities we have been discerning.

Jane explores Kate's reflections regarding how our God is calling women into ever-expanding fields of leadership and how there is always more to learn and everything to pray for.