Jude Smith

The news shows just love a family story- and so the entire tone of the leadership race for the Labour Party has been read through the lens of the Brothers Miliband as if it were some Willy Russell play (with bad electric drums).. The problem with this approach is that it misses the point. My take, ill informed I suspect.. is that Ed Miliband is a good choice. We don't need a celebrity just now. This is the beginning of a new government which is instigating such radical measures that by the next election we will all be voting on a whole new scale of decisions. For that you don't need a known face.. Ed Miliband has a couple of years to get his face around. As for whether DM stays or goes.. well there is a case to say if he throws his toys from the pram at not winning then he was going to be an awful party leader. There is also a case to say that there is some honour in getting out of Ed's way and stopping this all being about two brothers..

Well here it is, the map of my last big run before the race itself. I was low today and had really heavy legs form about mile 6, BUT, I made the twelve miles I wanted to and walked back another half to the car.. so aside from some speed work.. I am ready!! Bring it on! iMapMyRun: 4 Sep 2010 11:38 Find more Others in Leeds,

There are a lot of occupational hazards when you are a vicar type. Not least of these is losing any sense of what a Sunday is like for normal people, including Christians. Lets face it there aren't huge numbers of folk who HAVE to be up every Sunday at silly o'clock. So this morning I have had a morning off. Its past midday, and I'm still in my pyjamas. I'm enjoying sitting listening to the end of the cricket. I'm really enjoying sitting at my dining table, which I'm beginning to use a bit more. I have the remnant of the Saturday paper to devour and I'm looking forward to a nice tasty lunch. I might head out later, you never know.. Sundays off are rare but kind of beautiful. They really can be Sabbath!

In this job you can have days where life moves slowly and you smile and say 'what a great job'! In this job you can have days where life is hugely difficult and you squirm and say 'what a privileged job'. And you can have days like yesterday which are just plain .. well, they are like this: Awake to a text about a service later in the day Breakfast, shower, dress, work out a key strategy for the day as trousers have no pockets. Make lists of things which need to happen in next few days Break out in cold sweat Head to church, set up for Eucharist Talk to people at the end of an all night vigil, set up for another service Head to place of first service and preside at Eucharist Have tea! Phone fellow priest to ask to borrow something Go to fellow priests church to pick up thurible and thurible stand Return to own church to get ready for large funeral Receive mourners Receive family Talk to thurifer abouyt censing things! Get looked at funny for being a woman priest. Dea...

I have been very vocally poorly this week: mainly because I got food poisoning and diseases of the tummy are not my forte. Combined with a raging fever and being home alone its made for lots of social network whingeing. However, there are things that I have noted.. you know you've been ill when: You have more than a vague idea of whats happening in Hollyoaks You care how much money they make in Cash In The Attic Every room in the house has a half drunk glass of water in it Everything you have worn in the last week does up with a drawstring You haven't drunk coffee all week (I know crazy).. You have slept as much in the day as at night Talking of which.. I think a little nap is in order!

*plot spoiler* this post is likely to ramble! In the world that may be strange to many readers but is actually fairly indicative of my job context, I taught my little congregation the song 'Blessed Be Your Name' yesterday. One of the joys of leading a small church is that you know where everyone is at- and so as we sang the words together there was a real resonance. People who have lost children, husbands, partners. People who daily struggle to keep going, as they stumble through wilderness wondering if they will ever feel alive again. And in the midst, someone who cannot read- someone whose medication timetable just now means they missed my little bit of sharing on the Lord's prayer (they were snoozing by that point).. but someone who is joyful. Why? Well her boyfriend died two years ago.. self immolated. As a homeless man he was given a pauper's funeral (they are not solely the stuff of Dickens) and was interred in a cemetry on the other side of Leeds. And my f...

After what I can only describe as one of the more confusing weeks of my life- I am about to embark on a week of study. Many moons ago (so it seems) I signed up for a Masters in Theology and Pastoral Studies. I have done virtually no work on it and so this is my very typical way of trying to catch up. The problem is that I'm not wholly sure I can remember quite how to study. Like- where shall I begin? I have two 3000 words pieces to write, about methods stuff. I hate methods stuff.. its all the meticulous stuff which I don't particularly care about. So I guess I will spend the first bit of Monday trying to work out what the heck I am supposed to be doing! But I am hoping that an immersed week of it should sort me out and at least give me an idea of whether I want to carry on or not. I will keep you posted!