something for the weekend (3)

God wants you more than you want him.

Andrew the Apostle

today is St. Andrew's day - the day we remember the guy who showed people Jesus.

one story, as told in John's gospel, goes like this:

'Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus."

So there you go...

Today is also the day that I go and see my spiritual director.

A good thing to have, a spiritual director: someone to help you focus on where you are at in your relationship with Jesus, to suggest helpful reading, to ask challenging questions, to be a point of accountability so that you know you have to attend to your own spiritual growth (as opposed to thinking you already have enough in the tank to do whatever it is you think God has called you to do without the need for constant spiritual refreshment) because you're going to have to talk to this person about it in a few weeks time...

oh, and on another note, I've just been re-visiting the website of a community that is very similar to our own - (although further down the track than us).
MayBE in Oxford, is run by a great guy called Ian.

Their website is worth a visit (here)

(given the image I ripped from them, it might also look quite familiar...)

good news...

Seeing A Great Light

I spent part of this morning preparing for this evening with some reading at Redcliffe college.
I took my own books - but was after a sampling of the atmosphere of the college.

interesting...

We're having a look at something from Isaiah this evening:

'The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light!'

wow.

stunning, powerful, pregnant words that make hope blossom in your soul:

wow, and again, wow.

Obviously we have to remember that this was written around 700BC to a people who had been dragged into exile by a foreign superpower, and who were wondering where it had all gone wrong, and whether there was any hope of a future.
But the words go way, way beyond saying that there is hope for a few straggling survivors from Israel - the great light is, of course, the Messiah, a person who would be both man and God, a king who would rule with justice and who would bring peace, whose kingdom would turn worldly wisdom on its head and would last forever: Jesus Christ.

So the 'great light' is a person who brings multifaceted hope. Hope for redemption from sin (by which I mean things that divide, and destroy and corrupt and degrade - things that are opposed to all that God is) and, as a result, hope for relief from political and economic oppression.

Anyway, we'll be thinking about the great light at church this evening.



Whilst I was at the library, I also dug into this: How (not) to speak of God, by Peter Rollins (SPCK).
I've had it for ages but it's been on the 'books to read' pile.

I'm impressed with the first few pages - thoughtful and worthwhile. Will write more about it in due course.

Jonny Baker says this about it on the back cover:

"This book brings together Christian mysticism, postmodern philosophy, and the practices and liturgies of an alternative worship community trying to make sense of Christianity in a postmodern environment. The results are stunning - original, provocative, and creative.' Jonny Baker

feast 3

our third feast was excellent - perhaps the best yet.

we used a new space in the cathedral that worked nicely.

lots of people, good food, nice wine, brilliant atmosphere and, as always, a chance to have a wander around the ancient space and up the tower for those who wanted to.

the doughnuts were supplied by Alastair - who fetched them from Selfridges.
sweet.
(sorry about the bad photo - I was a bit too eager to tuck in...)

feast space

This evening we will host our third feig feast - and the last one this year.

The feast has undoubtably been a highlight of our communal life. It's a bit of a shop-window really, but for all that it has real integrity and we're all agreed that it's well worth the time and effort of putting it on.

If you don't have a clue what I'm talking about - the 'feast' is a monthly meal that we host in the cathedral. It's been an invite-only, organic kind of thing up until now - and to be honest, it'll probably stay that way. Twenty five folks showed up for the October feast and enjoyed decent food and wine, good music, a looping slide/movie projection and wandering all over our 900-year-old venue.
Dan came up with a nice strap line for the event:

'an ordinary meal in extraordinary surroundings.'

That just about says all that needs to be said really.
There's no other agenda. Just deepening friendships and the chance to discuss whatever happens to on our hearts and minds as we get together.
Part of what feig are about is 'creating spaces': Spaces for the core community, and those around the edge to think about and discuss things-spiritual - spaces that don't exist elsewhere - spaces that we don't fill with chatter or our own opinions - spaces in which God can be heard.

On another, completely different note, the Alex James autobiography is getting better. The more I read, the more I'm enjoying it.

listening to bits of...

Hope by Foy Vance

saw the album on someone's blog.
bought a couple of tracks from i-tunes.
worth a listen.

something for the weekend (offering 2)

'Take nothing for the journey - no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic.'

(words of Jesus according to Luke 9:3)

church after christendom

something from the book of the above title:

(it goes with some of the thoughts in recent postings...)

'The end of Christendom and transition into post-Christendom in Western culture is a paradigm shift. Many Christians are resisting this shift and employing familiar tactics of defending the old paradigm, denying its demise, dithering on the cusp of a new era or delaying their commitment to this new reality. But Christendom is fading. We may grieve or celebrate its passing, but we cannot revive, restore or recover it. Post-Christendom is coming.'

and none of that will make any sense to you whatsoever if you're not a Christian / a theologian / a person who gives a sh*t / etc etc.

But if you're given to thinking about what God might be saying to the church at this moment in time (which I am) then it makes quite a bit of sense, and is in fact, a crucial statement of the reality in which we are trying to grope our way forwards.

just started...

I'm into the idea of autobiographies, having just finished Stephen Fry's.

I'm a few chapters along with this, by Blur's Alex James, and it strikes me now that Stephen Fry can really write - I mean, with Fry you get the whole interior thing, as well as what is going on around him, whereas Alex is more of a list man: "I did this, and then I did that, and then I spoke to her, and then I got a guitar, blah, blah, blah...'

James' book is interesting - partly because I remember it all happening - but his writing style means that it also completely forgettable. Stephen Fry on the other hand, managed to write about his own life in a way that made me reflect on my own, and on the way the world is etc etc.
Just different I guess.

success or failure? meditation, football and the breakfsat club

yesterday afternoon's Council of Reference meeting was exceptionally helpful - we covered a whole load of stuff and the lips of my advisors dripped with the kind of wisdom that can only have come from the Lord himself...

Obviously I can't broadcast what was said - you never know who's reading etc etc...

However, I have to say that still ringing in my ears are some of the things offered by Chris Neal (CMS director of mission).
His comments about 'small missional communities' bubbling up all over the country, seeming to be the work of the Spirit as he prepares the people of God for traveling to 'the new place' were profoundly helpful.
He also spoke about the importance of avoiding the temptation to 'go back to what we know' - to go back to Christendom models, that are familiar to us, and that can look 'successful' but which are not fit for communicating the gospel afresh in the emerging culture.
For me this goes back to what I posted a few days ago on clergy being trained for working in a system that is outmoded.
It could be argued that most clergy are propping up Christendom models of church and getting frustrated, wondering why they are not connecting with those they are seeking to 'reach'.

We spoke a little about what would constitute 'success' for our fresh expression of church, for me as the 'leader', and indeed, for the CofE who are shelling out to employ me as a 'pioneer'.

Boss2, John Whitcombe (the DDO), suggested that 'success' would be a community peopled with those who had not been part of other churches, and 'failure' would be a community made up of those who had moved to be part of feig from local churches.

In other words, any transfere growth = failure for feig, and for me...

Pretty heavy.

The weekly gathering of our very own small missional community last night was pretty chilled.

We used a meditation that Mark Berry had written - I stumbled across it on a CD that someone, somewhere gave me a year or so ago.
Mark blogs (here).

We followed this with a very cool discussion on the Psalm 56 - worth a read today if you've got a bible handy, and especially good if you're going through a tough time and wondering where God is.

We turned on the TV in time to see the final two minutes of England's exit from Euro 2008.
I can't say I'm all that bothered. they got what they deserved - and put us all out of our misery.

This morning found me at the cathedral breakfast club.
This is a fairly recent thing, and I am on the rota of clergy to be involved.
Twenty or so homeless men and women showed up for a free breakfast.
I had some interesting conversations - not least with a gifted photographer who had fallen on difficult times, and who dug out of his pocket a box of slides and a little viewer so that I could look at his work.
amazing.

The Mighty Council of Reference

early rising to pray and walk and be with Joe and Daniel...
all good.
today saw us plodding around the south of the city, stopping here and there to ask God to bless people, and taking the time to notice what's going on around us.

this afternoon the council of reference meets for the last time this year.
the council acts as a sounding board / advice panel for me as I feel my way around in the odd task to which God has called me.

typing out the agenda is being helped by my recent discovery of endless, endless free podcasts available through i-tunes.
amazing.
literally thousands of hours of music / discussion / whatever takes your fancy at no cost.

this evening we meet for church: food, a very chilled meditation with music, and some thoughts and discussion on Psalm 56 (the psalm set for this morning in the lectionary).

if we're done in time, we might even catch the end of the England game...

thin place

the cathedral definitely fits my understanding of a 'thin place' - a spot where you sense that the 'veil' between the physical and spiritual worlds is 'thinner'. A place where you sense God a little more than you might do in most other places.
something like that...

anyway, last night was cool.
good to gather a few of us together and to engage with what we'd each brought by way of a 'station'.

the above image is from the back of the space. I projected a movie I'd made onto the west doors.
everyone's contributions were helpful - I liked this, a Thomas Merton quote that Daniel R had used:

'The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.'

There was this too, which I read as not settling for anything less than the 'life in all its fullness' that Jesus talked about - and life in all its fullness hasn't got much to do with possessions or status, but has lots to do with being all God made us to be:

'The biggest human temptation is to settle for too little.'

Bulgaria's forgotten children

Late last night I switched on the TV to watch something about Tony Blair, but got the wrong channel and was horrified to find myself watching a documentary by Kate Blewett in which she visits a children's care home in Bulgaria and investigates the conditions in which the children live. After not very long the tears were streaming.

Today, wanting to find out more, and to do something - whatever that might be, and to pray, I checked out the BBC website. They've already had over 1000 comments posted.
The blurb here is ripped from their site:

"75 unwanted children are growing up in a 'home' in the small village of Mogilino.
Few of the children can talk, not necessarily because they are unable but rather because no one has ever taught them how.

Kate meets the children in this tragic, silent world, such as Milan, the gentle giant who spends his days doing chores and watching over the others, and mildly autistic 18-year-old Didi, who is able to talk, and has plenty to say, but no one to speak to. The children that surround them suffer a variety of problems, many are blind or deaf and some are unable to leave their beds, many are literally wasting away.

Abandoned into the hands of the staff at Mogilino these children inhabit a bleak uncaring world, so devoid of normal everyday stimulus that many have taken to rocking slowly and constantly in their chairs just for something to do.

Bulgaria has more institutionalised mentally and physically disabled children than anywhere else in Europe. This film is a heart-rending and eye-opening look into the life of one such institution."

Read a few of the comments posted and find out more (here).

A whole cathedral to play with

this evening feig have the whole cathedral.
yes.
it is ours.
for a couple of hours anyway.

we were supposed to be having our usual monthly 'feig-contemplate' last Monday in the upper gallery. this runs from 9am-9pm and is basically a prayer space with cushions and rugs etc etc into which anyone can 'drop' at any time.

last week clashed with a major choir practice which slightly ruins the quiet needed for the 'contemplate' part of feig contemplate.
so, we shifted things to today.
except I asked if, rather than running 9-9 in a small corner, it might be possible to run 7pm-9pm in the whole space.

so that's what we're doing.
we have the whole place for 2 hours.
during that time people are free to drop in and stay for as long as they like.
there will be 'stations' dotted around in the candle-lit space to help those who come to focus on listening to God: music, film, text etc etc etc, blah blah, blah.
you know the kind of thing.
non-directive - trusting God to speak into our hearts as we make space for him to be heard.

if you can come along - that'd be excellent.

Common (and-ever-so-slightly-sinister?) Purpose

anyone heard about the organisation Common Purpose? (link here)

looks useful and bland enough at first glance but I'm hearing rumblings from various people and web sources about the more sinister side of the organisation and who / what is behind it. I realise this all sounds a little George Orwell / conspiracy theory etc etc so make up your own mind but to help, you might want to visit this site: (here) from which the following quote was lifted:

'Further research has led Gerrish to establish that Common Purpose is recruiting and training leaders to be loyal to the objectives of the organisation and the European Union and preparing the governing structure for what it calls the 'post-democratic society' after nations are replaced by regions in the European Union. 'They are learning to rule without regard to democracy, and will bring the EU police state home to every one of us', Gerrish says. Common Purpose 'graduates' are increasingly everywhere, as you will see from the partial list at the end of this article...'

Interesting eh? Sure as you like, someone I know will doubtless be a common purpose 'leader' and will strive to put me right.
look forward to hearing from you...

something for the weekend

part of a Celtic prayer that I used today at the deanery Eucharist:

Still me, still me, O God:
Help me to yield up the need to chatter.
Then Lord,
when my heart, my soul, my mind and my spirit are at rest,
Open me to hear your voice of calm.

ho hum... (& Caravaggio)

the rest of the chapter thingy was, well it wouldn't be prudent to give my opinion in such a public place.

lots of discussion about stuff that was obviously really important to some people... ho hum... such is life.
nice place to be - Glenfall that is, and nice people too.

I was happy to be part of the whole thing however, because I am part of the deanery and want to be seen as a 'team player'. I also want those labelled 'pioneers', and projects labelled 'fresh expressions' to be well regarded in things like deanerys because mutual support and encouragement is crucial and ultimately I'd like feig to be a resource to the deanery rather than something that grows up not giving a stuff about what other churches in the city are doing.

On a positive note, boss-1, (David Hoyle), led a great session yesterday evening on the theology of mission using three paintings by Caravaggio as starting points. Well worth being at.

On another note, the diocese has launched it's new website and we feature in the 'worship' section. You might want to have a little look: here

chapter away 24hrs

after meeting with boss2 yesterday morning, I headed over to the diocesan retreat centre (Glenfall) for a city chapter away 24hrs.
(for those who don't know, the 'chapter' is all the ordained clergy in a deanery - the 'deanery' is an almost apparently random geographical area...)
Anyway, it's a huge chapter and there was lots to discuss because things have not been all that great recently.

more to say on that later.

I didn't stay the night so I'm off there now...

red wedge

Daniel Robinson and I went along to a meeting of the 'Red Wedge' cluster of churches yesterday afternoon.
These are churches in areas of serious social deprivation in the city. They do a grand job but are looking at loosing two of their six priests because money is thin on the ground.
Anyhow, Daniel and I said something about feig, which led to an interesting discussion about the place of pioneer ministers, and communities like feig in the parish system as a whole.
It struck me again that without decent communication there is a whole lot of scope for misunderstanding and suspicion.
Questions were asked about what happens for baptisms, weddings and funerals of community members, about how people might be enabled to 'move on' if and when the time came, and also about funding and leadership.
These are all things that I've given lots of thought to, and to be fair, every missionary endeavour in history has had to ask the same questions.

I went away resolving to be as good at communicating what we are about as possible, and having been reminded (once again) that we are in a time of massive change in the way the Church of England operates.
The guys who decide strategy and design training know this (hence pioneers and fresh expressions etc etc), but the vast majority of ordinands are still being trained for traditional parish ministry.
When they arrive in parishes to find that they are faced with a crisis (no money, shrinking numbers of people) they can't ask the really tough questions (the ones that look at the entire structure with a view to demolition and rebuilding) because they had been led into the whole thing believing there was hope for the way things were.
This is founded on some idea that if only we pray and work hard enough, and make things nice in our buildings and put on events that seem attractive, people will come back to church and fill the pews and collection plates.
But this isn't true (although it can look as if it is in some places - because the shrinking numbers of people abandon local churches and gather at a more happening place). It is to mis-understand our culture and it demonstrates a lack of imagination in the way the gospel might be lived out in communities.
This is stating the obvious, and is saying badly what every book on the future of the church has been saying for ages, but I'll say it anyway: a whole new way of looking at the way the church is organised is required. But, more importantly, anyone training for ministry in the church needs to understand this, and right now I'm not sure that all that many do.


On another note,
Church last night was good, as ever - thanks to G for great food and proper welcome to Mark, who joins us on placement from Redcliffe college, where I am both amused and disturbed to discover we are viewed as a cult (not the official line you understand, just a student perception).

Ha.

I find this disturbing because students are supposed to be thinking creatively about cross-cultural mission, which is what I thought we were doing...
If anything that doesn't look like a 'church-on-Sunday' model is potentially considered a cult, I'm not sure how much hope of effective mission activity these guys have got.

I find it amusing because far from being some whacko out on my own, I am a priest in the institutional church, the curate at the cathedral, and the proud owner of more layers of accountability than anyone could possibly desire.

powerpoint wizard...

today history has been made.

oh yes.

and by way of celebration I am listening to Handel's Hallelujah Chorus very loudly with the widow open so that all who pass this way can join with me in rejoicing in new frontiers crossed, old foes vanquished - that kind of thing.

even as I speak there are nineteen homeless men and women singing and dancing with me in my study, and still more pour in!

what a day to remember.

ok, the tune has ended now and I confess that I am alone...
but still,
for the first time in my life (and possibly in powerpoint history) I have constructed a powerpoint presentation complete with decent background images - none of the usual offensive clip-art cheese - all tested on the projector, and sorted for this evening.

nice.

bet you wish you were coming...

people

I've just got back from my assembly - which went well, and from visiting 89 year old Fred, who lives a few doors down.
I go and see him once a week to chat and lend him books to read.

assemblies and visiting sounds very traditional-vicar I hear you say...

good things to do I guess. you gotta do what you feel you gotta do.
what is pioneering anyway?
there's nothing new under the sun.
people are the thing and they're in schools and little flats and everywhere else so its about being with people.

church this evening, and Gareth is cooking inspite of having broke his foot!
hero.
he is also a hero because he broke a hero's bone - the good old metatasil (spell?)

creation and creativity

this is the title i've been given for an assembly I have to do at Kingsholm primary school on wednesday morning.

ironic that I can't think of anything decent to do...

I'll sort it in time but the fact of my mental block is making me laugh and panic a bit too.

assemblies are always good, especially at this school. the kids sing so, so well.
maybe I'll suggest that we spend the whole time learning new songs in new ways?

not selling out...

I'd been asked to consider writing a book about the first year of feig but I can't do it.

My wife and I have done some talking and she doesn't want to be in a book, and neither do our kids, and probably neither does anyone in the community, and lets face it, all of them are a pretty big part of what's happened...

and I don't want to do it.
I just don't have the passion for it and think it would be completely wrong even though there is a whole lot that is worth writing down.

hundreds of people like us are doing this all over the world and they're not writing books about it all - it would seem like selling out

so I'm not going to do it.

and that means the film won't be made either, which is a shame because I was looking forward to seeing myself played by Daniel Radcliffe...

sigur ros

sigur ros have a new album: Hvarf/Heim
you'd like it.
i-tunes have just sold me a couple of tracks. (during my tea-break...)

they will be put to good use next Monday when we host our contemplative chill headspace thingy in the cathedral.

currently inspired by...

Ma Fleur (album by Cinematic Orchestra) (although only 'To Build a Home' is AAA*)
Fake Plastic Tress (an old track by Radiohead)

Both of these are blindingly good and will make you cry, or write a poem, or stare out of the window, or all three.

(but not all at once because your poem would be more of a scrawl...)

monday

very early this morning I walked up May hill to pray and be alone.

I do it from time to time and am always thinking, as I walk up to the old iron age fort at the top: 'why don't I do this more often?'
It's a very, very good way to pray and think and resolve and have ideas and dreams and get puffed out all at the same time. all very good indeed.

oh, and there is a great view from the top.
If you are my wife, children, parents, a member of feig, connected to feig, thinking about being part of feig, have been to anything at our house, are my boss, or one of the vergers at the cathedral, I prayed for you.

so there. hope that makes you feel better about yourself...

Today has also involved being at matins at the cathedral - I read the two scripture readings on Mondays and today was the start of the good old sermon on the mount. Amazing.

'blessed are: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for righteousness sake...'

See yourself on the list anywhere?

Today has also involved being at Gloscat (college of higher ed in the city). I am on the list of chaplains but am not really sure how it should work. I'm down to hang around in the canteen a couple of lunchtimes a month or so, but I can't quite see how that is any use at all...
Surely a chaplain needs to be full time, around all day, getting to know everyone etc etc??
Need to give it some thought...

Today has also involved being given my very own key to the cathedral.

I'm sticking copies up on e-bay starting at around fifty quid.

joke.

Today has also involved many, many other things, just as it will have done for you, so I won't bore you with anything else, other than to say that presiding at the cathedral Eucharist(s) went really well yesterday.
thanks.

almost finished reading...

very good it is too.
although some parts might make the more conservative squirm...

(I'm not reading it now, in the middle of the day, you understand... it's bedtime reading. but not for much longer. because I'm nearly done. as the title of this post suggests.)

listening to...

it's making the afternoon bubble...

friday

good session with David (my boss) this morning, munching on this question as well as others:
As feig welcome those who would not call themselves Christian, at what point does generous hospitality meet the call to live a holy life?

There's obviously lots you could say.
For me, I guess, it's about being as welcoming and generous as possible to those who are not following Christ, and only then can you begin to speak about holiness.
Until then it wouldn't make any sense.

And you have to live holiness so that people can see and experience it. right?

oh, and what does holiness look like?

lots to think on.

On another note, the book I blogged about ('Beloved': an interview with Henri Nouwen) is very, very, so, so good.

more to say about that later.

On another note, no feig contemplate on Monday. the choir are in so we're moving our contemplation to the following week (19th) and we'll use the whole cathedral and invite a bunch of people to come and chill and hang out and walk about it the candlelight.
should be good if you fancy it.

oh, on another note, I'm presiding at both morning services at the cathedral on Sunday morning (8am BCP, 10.15 eucharist) so if you fancy coming along and heckling - I'd love to see you.

oh, on another note, i've got a whole day of clergy training tomorrow.
joy.
it;s on 'helping others discover their vocation.'
so if you're struggling with that, come and see me after tomorrow and i'll sort you out...

oh, and on another note...
nah, things to do. I'm off.

feig kiss the Dutch beast goodbye

Jacob has been with us for a few months but the time has now arrived for him to head back to the Netherlands.

it's been very cool to have him along for this part of the journey and everyone is gutted to be loosing him.

we ate a decent last meal together (this sounds like he was gonna be executed...)
and had a simple little communion at the table.

after this there was some worship (thanks to Dan for a tasty combination of images, music and liturgy all served up lovingly on his Mac. what else?)and some teaching - pt2 of a look at the early church.

we thought about the 4 marks of a Spirit filled church.
1) a learning church
2) a loving church
3) a worshipping church
4) an outward looking (evangelistic) church

the last one is tricky because the term 'evangelism' is so loaded with negative baggage.

I think William Abraham's definition is helpful here:

evangelism: 'that set of intentional activities which is governed by the goal of initiating people into the kingdom of God.'

Anyhow: 'Goodbye Jacob - God bless - we'll miss you.'

Jon Oliver

Jon Oliver is a nightclub chaplain in Bournemouth who has just been 'recommended' for pioneer ministry training.
I met him last month at Lambeth Palace when the pioneer dudes got together.
I liked him straight away.

and so would you.

in fact, I'd heard about him already because Bishop John (who recommended me) came back from a selection conference in which he'd met Jon and told me what a top bloke he was.

so it was grand to meet him.

anyway, I just had an e-mail from him with a link to something he was involved with down in Bournemouth last Christmas.
It's well worth a look: here

prayer blast

up early with Joe, Daniel, Alastair and Jacob to drive to Birdlip hill which overlooks the city.
The wind was serious.

I mean serious.

very cold, and only two of us made it back...

lies.

we prayed for the city and its people and then headed back into the center for breakfast at The Square - which has become our chosen spot for bacon and sausage rolls.

church this evening, but before that all kinds of other things including Deanery Chapter meeting.

deep joy of joys...

I can't wait.

the view from above

Jacob's last time

eight male feigians met last night to play X-box and Playstation, to eat a few snacks and drink a little beer and to send Jacob off in style.

this is becoming a habit.
not sending Jacob off, but meeting as men.

not a bad thing I suppose - in fact it is a very good thing indeed - I can imagine that if the disciples had had access to such quality toys, they would have played a little X-box with the Lord from time to time...

anyhow, it was good. and tomorrow night will be Jacobs last Wednesday with us, which is sad, but he has replaced himself (that's the rule) with Mark Boshier, an ex-rugby player, and a very large man indeed.

On another note, I've just read my boss's sermon (preached on Sunday in the cathedral) and wanted to share a piece of it with a wider audience...

There were many 'good bits' but I particularly liked this (it was on the story of Zacchaeus, who as you may know, was a small man who climbed a tree to see Jesus):

'Meals are a glimpse of heaven and it is startling to see who will be there: tax collectors, prostitutes and the poor sit down with the great and the good... The invitation is for everyone and God grant that we do not find ourselves grumbling that God is generous and welcomes people we do not know and do not like.'

The meals thing is so big for me at the moment.
I'm more and more convinced that this is what we should be spending more and more of our time doing.
Jesus didn't talk about heaven as a banquet by mistake.
Meals are already a big part of what we do - and we arrived at that very naturally - we didn't think 'oh, we must have meals because that's what would 'work'.

we started having meals because they made sense, and they're great, and everyone has a good time, blah, blah...

so more meals.
and more people at feig who we don't know and don't like?

hopefully, if the food's good, we'll get to like each other...

The Life Course... or community?

I took this a few weeks back.
It shows a group of homeless alcoholics (I know because I went and had a chat) sitting on the steps of a well attended church, beside a sign advertising the Life Course.

You can draw your own conclusions.

I realise that even saying something like this is loaded: it's just that it made me think hard about what we, the church, do, and why we do it and who we are able to include as a result.

We love courses and programs and we all know why, but most, most, most people don't want to come on a course or a program.

They want friends who love them.

But that takes serious time and doesn't guarantee any results.

Courses it is then...

the crack

Moyma aka Paul C

very good to hang out with our old friend Paul today.
We first met djing together down in Newquay six years back.
He now lives in Brum and djs all over the place as Moyma.
He's just come back from the States where he's been working with D-Styles.

Blah

The Blah learning day in London (yesterday) was excellent.

A chance to hear from five speakers on Fresh Expressions of church being resourced by catholic or contemplative traditions.

I thought the quality of the input was excellent (and not just because I was one of the speakers) and there was a great sense of excitement about the missional possibilities offered by these traditions in the current culture.

Philip Roderick was one of the speakers. I bought one of his books (see image) - an interview with Henri Nouwen in which, among other things, he speaks about escaping the tyranny of being too busy.
Must make time to read it...

Philip is a great guy to listen to, not least because of his love of music - he is a percussionist and brought along an amazing instrument called a hang drum.
It almost sounds like a harp and brought tears to my eyes.
He was up for coming across to play with others in the cathedral some time.
I'll see about sorting it.

Once Blah was done, I hooked up with Jacob (who's been with feig for a few months but goes home to the Netherlands this week).
I took him on the London eye, and to Wagamammas, and to the Tate modern - where we saw the giant 'crack'. I felt very proud.

shattered

after a busy week that seemed to start last Friday, I am officially knackered.

we prayer walked this morning.
early. which was very good but didn't do much for the tired-ness stakes.

this was followed by a great meeting with my boss during which he told me to sort out a better work / life balance.
he's right.
but I was too tired to hear him...

joke.

anyway, later in the afternoon I went along to the King's school's CU to take part and to talk about being involved in the future.
nothing to do with fresh expressions but perhaps a good place to put some help?

we're off to Daniel Robinson's housewarming this eve - should be good. He's a great cook so looking forward to decent fayre.

in the morning - on my day off - I have to get the 7.43 train to London.

well planned Michael...

I'm speaking at a Blah learning day. It's about Fresh Expressions of church in a catholic context - which we only are in the loosest way - the link to the cathedral and all that.

anyway, I love London and I'm excited about the event but I'm going to have to look at this work-verses-having-a-fully-orbed-life business and sort it out.

I'm thinking that being a follower of Jesus (who was, after all, the ultimate example of how to live human life to the full) should mean following his example of making space for every part of existence and not just the part in the box labeled 'work'.

currently reading...

as part of attempting to practice some kind of sustainable personal devotional life that equips me for what God has called me to do, I am reading 'Mission-Shaped Spirituality' by Susan Hope.

I liked this (which also ties in with something we talked about when we met last night: i.e. the marks of a Spirit filled church):

"There is a glorious, active buoyancy about a community charged with the energy of the Spirit... For the gospel of acceptance can be truly heard when it is enfleshed in a body of people who are beginning to learn how to accept and welcome each other, warts and all... The good news that I can 'be myself' can be most particularly heard when I meet a group of people who are learning how to live without masks." (p.53)