Towards the end of last week, I felt washed up. Tired and without energy, I felt like I was just dragging myself through Friday arvo before going with Tress to an unwinding dinner at the shopping centre just behind our house. There was a loud school band performing at an open area near where we had dinner, and noisy though it was, somehow it allowed me to just unwind and recharge.

The next day after brekky, Tress and I joined a bunch of “gardeners” at a “weedathon” session at St Alf’s. It was a general garden clean up session. After a couple of hours there, we got home, cleaned up and went for our usual weekend grocery shopping. Later that day, we took the little fellow for a walk, cooked his food and prepped for the next day’s cook for our lunches.

Sunday at St Alf’s, Mike Bird provided the message. Mike Bird is great value as always, and the line “The Cross is both a means and an example …” stayed with me. An academic dean at Ridley here in Melbourne and notwithstanding being rising star of a theologian internationally, Mike said a student stumped him by asking what was the common thread across all of Paul’s letters. Apparently the answer was: Paul asking his readers to imitate him (because he imitated Christ?). The message about imitating and being imitated, resonated. Not just with me, as it turned out, when we had a chat with some folks at the foyer later that morning.

Later in the arvo, after our usual Sunday cook etc, we took the little fellow to the oval and waited out the last few overs of the cricket match that was winding up at the oval. It was chilly but I had a cold beer in hand. With all the chores done I felt unwound and the chills didn’t deter from my feeling more rested than I was on Friday arvo. It was a much needed weekend.