Notes of a six day trip to the West Coast and North-West Tasmania
| Resurrected Lord of all glory and power, may we, the Missionary Diocese of Tasmania, on this Sunday experience more of your resurrection life in our life. By your Spirit may we be a healthy church . . . transforming life. | |
| 6.45am | Spirit of Tasmania has obviously berthed from Melbourne: its public address system is clearly heard as I repack the car. |
| 7.30 | Breakfast with Confirmees, their families and supporters. A great idea. |
| 9.00 | Confirmation Service at St John’s Devonport. Engaging worship with new music group and young vocalists. John preaches on ‘Leap of Faith’ from Mark 5:34 & 41. Special joy as the Confirmees say ‘Yes’ to Jesus. The Newsletter includes Parish info – ‘Rector: Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, 1800 Prayer Free Call’ – a creative reminder! |
| 11.00 | Cuppa and light lunch |
| 12.30pm | Seminar ‘Christian Maturity’ with 25 participants. Much sharing is precious. As we discuss prayer Diane reads a prayer from our morning confirmation service and relates how that same prayer has been her continuing prayer from her own confirmation in 1958. What a an encouragement we can be to each other in our discipleship. The prayer from ‘A Prayer Book for Australia’, Broughton Books, 1995 page 61,
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| 4.00 | Good driving weather: clear, windless and mild day on the road to Hobart. A lot of traffic heading north. The second ‘Hancock Half Hour’ CD makes for some fun listening. |
| 5.20 | Feeling tired. Reach Campbell Town for a walk, soup and coffee. |
| 6.30 | Refreshed and easy driving on a clear, rainless and windless night. The town lights of Ross, Tunbridge, Oatlands & Hobart are sparkling pictures. Listening to Elvis sing Gospel favourites. Elvis and Michael Jackson: what tragedy there is in the celebrity circuit. If only Elvis could have lived the Gospel songs he sang. |
| 7.45 | Petrol at Brighton. |
| 8.25 | Home sweet home. The two carefully wrapped roses from Derwent Bridge (see Day 1) are presented to my bride, compliments of the 94 year old romantic woman from the West Coast, with chocolates (given earlier by Alf and Nola!).
Thank you Lord for protection in travel, grace in speaking, the worship and fellowship shared and the interest of the participants in the seminars on discipleship, ‘Christian Maturity’ and ‘Walking in Holiness’. In Christ’s name. Amen. |
And so to bed, I hope! After a long time on the road.