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D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, commenting on Phil. 1:10 (“that you may approve what is excellent,” or “that you may have a sense of what is vital”):

The difficulty in life is to know on what we ought to concentrate. The whole art of life, I sometimes think, is the art of knowing what to leave out, what to ignore, what to put on one side. How prone we are to dissipate our energies and to waste our time by forgetting what is vital and giving ourselves to second and third rate issues. Now, says Paul, here you are in the Christian life, you are concerned about difficulties, about oppositions and about the contradictions of life. What you need is just this: the power to concentrate on that which is vital, to leave out everything else, and to keep steadily to the one thing that matters.

The Life of Joy: Philippians, vol. 1, pp. 54-55.

From Between Two Worlds

I am currently enjoying re-processing some Malta images and experimenting with the monotone option.

As well as having my life almost consumed by teaching and other educational activities, my photography hobby seems to have taken off a little recently.

I shot my first wedding a couple of Saturdays ago (paid!), and also have shot separate reception and evening-dos for a different wedding. Also I am regularly taking photos for a start-up record label based in the north of England. It feels good to be using my photos for something other than flickr, which to be honest I’m growing a little weary of… I’m not sure why.

Photography is a hobby. Teaching is my current career. However, my main passion, as I’m sure some of you know, is not photography or teaching. It is JESUS. And at the same time as teaching and shooting, I am reading (or trying to read) lots and will soon be in the thick of planning/taking youth meetings again, and Bible studies for older youth/students, and occasionally M3.

I also want to start writing more sermons. Perhaps start a preaching club. That is something in the metaphorical pipe-line. Who knows if it will ever happen…

I am not sure how I’m going to have time for all this, but I know I can’t shut out my main passion. It is God-given. I have to cultivate it.

My life recently is becoming my job. My job is becoming my life. I’m really trying hard to stop it from being that way, but it seems to be a hopeless slide down a slippery slope.

This is how my week spans out, currently:

Monday morning: PPA time at home. Yes.
Monday afternoon: NQT time in school. No idea why I have to have it in school. I stayed at home all Monday last week and was told not to again, by the head. Also staff meetings are on a Monday, after school.
Tuesday to Thursday I am teaching all day, Friday afternoons I am also teaching. Friday mornings, eventually, I will have off completely. This is due to the fact I will soon be starting up after-school music tuition clubs.

So this afternoon I put in an order for hundreds of pounds worth of music equipment. The head signed my order form before I had completed it, I’m not sure if she realises how unwise a move this was. Saying that, it will all go to benefit the school so she can’t really complain.

For my after-school tuition clubs I am going to be teaching Indian percussion (not that I know anything about it!), ukuleles (not that I can play a ukulele – but seriously, how hard can it be?) and keyboard club. I can play a keyboard. So I’m okay on that one.

Lunch-clubs will eventually be as follows: Tuesdays (starting tomorrow): Choir. The new-look choir. I publicised it loads last week, and I think I’m going to have a lot of kids come tomorrow, including boys, which is great. Wednesday will be either percussion club or ocarina club (yes, OCARINA club), and Thursday will be either ocarina club or percussion club.

I am going to be a busy little boy. And I’ve not even started on what I’m going to be teaching. Which is probably for the best, as I’m not too sure. I suppose I’d better get sure.

In other news, I have purchased a nice grey tank-top, and shaved all my hair off.

I bought a new battery for my D50 a while ago. I charged it fully, but want to drain it fully before charging it again. I will be wanting to use it for the wedding I’m shooting (aaaarg!) this Saturday. However it is taking too long to drain! I have taken loads of shots with it, and haven’t turned my camera off for days, but it is still going strong.

Do I have to run it empty before recharging it? Do you have to do that with new batteries anymore?

Whilst I wait for my tea to brew, and my planning-motivation to kick in, I thought I would write a little something on the new school term which is starting in a week.

I went into school yesterday, mainly to find out if I have my own room. Last year I moved around classrooms to teach music. Not ideal at all, as obviously I had to lug around instruments etc to each lesson. So I was really hoping and pushing for my own room. I found out that I will have my own room, but the assistant headteacher I spoke to didn’t know which room it is. A week to go.

Also, the assistant headteacher I spoke to wasn’t a happy person. He/she (anonymity in the extreme – hang on – can I use the word “they” to refer to a singular person?) has been told by the headteacher that they (yes, I can) are required to teach FULL TIME this year. So the assistant head has been in school for most of their holiday, sorting out their new classroom and getting their head (now “they/their” reads very strangely) around the planning for a Year group they haven’t taught recently. Not good. A week to go.

Also, we are soon due a visit from the infamous group of inspectors. Her Majesty’s Inspectors. It could be as early as this half-term. I am predicting it will be next half-term. I am hoping it will be next half-term.

So as I sip my lovely mug of tea and ponder the up-and-coming term, I feel a hint of gratitude that I have a job, but a larger dose of apprehension about what this term will hold. It’s weird. I never imagined myself being in this situation. But hey, it makes for more things to blog about, doesn’t it?