Send the fire today?

Had the excitement of a (small) real fire at THQ today! Meant we all got to go off for a coffee and a chat!

However when we returned we were told it was a fire in one of the air-conditioning units - as a good friend on the building pointed out, we're not getting fried, we're just getting slowly roasted!

It's B

All the jobs I listed (except Charlie Chickenkorma's suggestion!) are ones which I have at one time considered or would like to do in the future. However from September 5th I will be working as a self-employed associate with http://www.radius360.co.uk if you are a friend or relative, I will be in touch with business cards!

It's quite a scarey decision for me, leaving the security of salaried employment, but it is the right time for me to go and I believe the right place for me to go to.

I will be working with a fantastic new team of very positive and gifted individuals and I am looking forward to facing new challenges. I'm grateful to the MD, Paul Cook, for approaching me and having faith in my abilities - I hope I can live up to his expectations!

Makes you wonder....

I was at our floor prayers this morning (not the whole building, just those staff who work in the 3 departments based on the 2nd floor).

There were 15 of us there, and it struck me that it was 3 more than attended morning worship at Mashbury yesterday!

12 people is a good sized house group (or a good sized minibus!) - sometimes I get discouraged by the numbers that show up and question whether the hours I spend in preparation of a sermon and a meeting are worthwhile - especially in the context that they are hours I do not spend with my wife, children or friends.

Just made me wonder what it's all about.

PS My mood was slightly lifted after the meeting by one of our adherents who told me that she would like to become a soldier - God must have known that I needed a bit of encouragement!

And I thought nobody read it....

I really thought nobody (besides Charlie Chikenkorma!) read my blog, but all sorts of people keep asking me if the decision has been made about my job yet!

Well, the decision has been made, I have handed in my notice and will finish my employment as Director of Research & Development with The Salvation Army on Monday 4th September.

I will then be doing one of the following:

a. Preparing to enter the training college in order to become a Salvation Army officer

b. Working as a self-employed management consultant, associated to a man in Mashbury

c. Filing a bond with the PFA to allow me to work as a players agent

d. Enrolling at the Public Carriage Office in London to do "the knowledge" to become a London taxi driver.

Watch this space for the final answer, or leave a comment to let me know which you think it will be!

Standing at the crossroads

Career-wise I stand yet again at another crossroads (not again I hear you cry!).

I have an opportunity to move on and need to make a decision one way or the other by the end of this week.

Normally my career moves have been to the next rung up the ladder (although my move into my current job from being a CEO of a smaller charity may be considered a bit of a sideways move) - however this one is a bit more of a jump and involves a fair amount of personal risk.

I am so fortunate to have a supportive wife who sees the potential benefits of the new opportunity and as a result I'm 99% sure that I will go for it, although in some ways it will be a wrench to leave the security blanket of The Salvation Army behind and some good friends that I have made (just found some cracking new lunch partners and I'll miss them and a couple of trusted colleagues particularly).

Keep me in your prayers please, as I need the comfort of knowing that I am doing the right thing.