Last night I dropped in to Andrew Jones' online Suddenly Seminary for half-an-hour. It was fun to create a little 'virtual me' but it took me a(n embarrassingly long) while to figure out really basic stuff like talking to the other people there...
Suddenly Seminary is a fantastic idea - a space where people from around the world, in different contexts, can meet up and share experiences, knowledge, ideas, opinions, but with the important ingredient of fun as a core value (virtual tallskinnykiwi spent most of the time sat - fully dressed - in a bath-tub...)
Back in the physical world, this morning I have just spent half-an-hour sat outside on the grass reading part of Stuart Murray's "Church After Christendom". If you want an over-view of our changing culture and the multiplicity of creative responses God is raising up to engage in mission within this complex context - and if you like to have ideas sparked-off in your head, set free to dream dreams - then this is a must-read recommendation.
And I'm looking forward to having dinner round at Ben & Helen's this evening...
These two worlds are not alternative options, but are inter-twined. So, I will meet up with Andrew Jones and others I know from their blogs, etc., and others I work with, at Re:source in Birmingham on July 2nd. And before that, we(our family)'ll be meeting up with friends in Lexington, Kentucky, whom we've been emailing back-and-forth with plans this week. I love the creative connectedness of life in the information revolution!
SLOW : andrew dowsett : collected musings
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
A Walk In The Woods
We had a fantastic weekend away in the Forest of Dean, on the English/Welsh border. One of Jo's cousins was having her second daughter christened on the sunday afternoon. So we travelled down on Saturday - Jo's birthday - stopping off in Derby for a cup of coffee and a quick "hello!" to friends Jules & Abi and their brand-new first child Martha; then on to the Forest, where Jo took us to a Maze she had visited as a girl (her dad grew up in the Forest); before heading to a motel for the night, and a birthday dinner out.
Then on the Sunday morning we met up with Claire, who used to live with us in Sheffield but has returned to Cheltenham from whence she came, at the Sculpture Trail; before meeting up with Jo's parents, sisters-and-their-families for lunch; and on to the christening...
The Sculpture Trail through the Forest is a fantastic place - the artwork really enhances the beauty of the forest itself. I posted some pictures here. If you ever get the chance, it is well worth a visit - though far too long to take our small children all the way around yet!
Then on the Sunday morning we met up with Claire, who used to live with us in Sheffield but has returned to Cheltenham from whence she came, at the Sculpture Trail; before meeting up with Jo's parents, sisters-and-their-families for lunch; and on to the christening...
The Sculpture Trail through the Forest is a fantastic place - the artwork really enhances the beauty of the forest itself. I posted some pictures here. If you ever get the chance, it is well worth a visit - though far too long to take our small children all the way around yet!
Friday, June 03, 2005
Tracing The Family Tree
Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt, Spencer Burke, Brian McLaren, Dan Kimball, Andrew Jones, and Chris Seay have jointly posted a characteristically wise and gracious "Our Response to Critics of Emergent": "We offer this in response to recent criticisms, with the hope that it will cause some to better understand us and others to find hope in a document that they can sign on to."
While we all need to be challenged by people from outside of our own communities (our own immediate parts of the wider clans, tribes, peoples, household of God, on earth and in heaven, and sons and daughters still estranged from their heavenly Father), who therefore have a perspective from where they can see some of our blindspots, the whole endeavour of being disciples of Jesus in and for our generations and cultures seems under a lot of fairly negative criticism from others who are simply trying to be disciples of Jesus in and for their own - different - generations and cultures...
Further reflections later, if I get the chance. For now, suffice to say that it is a priveledge to be in the UK context, where senior church leaders and academics, Anglican, Baptist and other, are whole-heartedly encouraging the younger generation to do new things, while offering their wisdom and experience - and negotiation with the wider church, where necessary. Thank you to our wise and gracious spiritual parents.
While we all need to be challenged by people from outside of our own communities (our own immediate parts of the wider clans, tribes, peoples, household of God, on earth and in heaven, and sons and daughters still estranged from their heavenly Father), who therefore have a perspective from where they can see some of our blindspots, the whole endeavour of being disciples of Jesus in and for our generations and cultures seems under a lot of fairly negative criticism from others who are simply trying to be disciples of Jesus in and for their own - different - generations and cultures...
Further reflections later, if I get the chance. For now, suffice to say that it is a priveledge to be in the UK context, where senior church leaders and academics, Anglican, Baptist and other, are whole-heartedly encouraging the younger generation to do new things, while offering their wisdom and experience - and negotiation with the wider church, where necessary. Thank you to our wise and gracious spiritual parents.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Hello's (And Goodbye's)
It was great to see tChad & Andrea Western this morning. tChad & Andrea are members of the Order, who are currently living in Italy with fellow members Marco & Chinzia Basile, and they're back in sheffield for our Annual Gathering which takes place next weekend. tChad was enthusing about the rain - in Rome the rain is so full of sand you get filthy from it...We really appreciate their excitement and their regular prayers for our future.
Then this evening my friend Christoffer Perret phoned from Finland. While lots of people email me on a fairly regular basis for a catch-up, Christoffer is one of the few who calls. (Perhaps in part because the Finns have more mobile phones per head of population than any other nation, and I suppose you've got to do something with them!) We had a long chat, covering all manner of things going on here, there, and in other places; and, as always, it was great to talk with him. Thanks for calling!
Anyway, Christoffer's call reminded me that some of you aren't up-to-speed with developments with us: sorry! So, here's the story (with apologies to those already in the know):
I finish on the staff team at St Thomas' here in Sheffield on 31st July. Since we heard God say (back in the spring) to leave this place in the summer and go to the place he would show us, we've put the word out; but my increasing sense was that God wasn't going to show us the next place until I had literally left the current thing. So, we're not actively looking for anything, and don't expect to know where we will be next until August (at least). Which we're totally at peace about. What we do sense is that the call is to a nomadic life - not perpetual travel, but not staying in any one place for more than a year or two; and not owning a home, but living either in community with others who invite us in, or in a house provided for us, which will become a place of community. We have a buyer for our house in Sheffield, and that should all go through over the summer. If we end up temporarily homeless here, we've had various offers to stay with friends until we know where we're moving on to. Initially we had thought that that would be somewhere in the UK or northern Europe, because I have several relationships with people in Scandanavia; but more recently we've felt God call us to give that up - to widen our imagination of what he might do - and so, though we still think northern Europe is part of the big picture, it might not be part of the small picture, the next step. And so we could literally be anywhere in the world come the autumn. which is very exciting.
Then this evening my friend Christoffer Perret phoned from Finland. While lots of people email me on a fairly regular basis for a catch-up, Christoffer is one of the few who calls. (Perhaps in part because the Finns have more mobile phones per head of population than any other nation, and I suppose you've got to do something with them!) We had a long chat, covering all manner of things going on here, there, and in other places; and, as always, it was great to talk with him. Thanks for calling!
Anyway, Christoffer's call reminded me that some of you aren't up-to-speed with developments with us: sorry! So, here's the story (with apologies to those already in the know):
I finish on the staff team at St Thomas' here in Sheffield on 31st July. Since we heard God say (back in the spring) to leave this place in the summer and go to the place he would show us, we've put the word out; but my increasing sense was that God wasn't going to show us the next place until I had literally left the current thing. So, we're not actively looking for anything, and don't expect to know where we will be next until August (at least). Which we're totally at peace about. What we do sense is that the call is to a nomadic life - not perpetual travel, but not staying in any one place for more than a year or two; and not owning a home, but living either in community with others who invite us in, or in a house provided for us, which will become a place of community. We have a buyer for our house in Sheffield, and that should all go through over the summer. If we end up temporarily homeless here, we've had various offers to stay with friends until we know where we're moving on to. Initially we had thought that that would be somewhere in the UK or northern Europe, because I have several relationships with people in Scandanavia; but more recently we've felt God call us to give that up - to widen our imagination of what he might do - and so, though we still think northern Europe is part of the big picture, it might not be part of the small picture, the next step. And so we could literally be anywhere in the world come the autumn. which is very exciting.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
CrossCultural
The Apostle Paul wrote: "Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
This week (Friday 3rd June) sees the centenary of the death of James Hudson Taylor, missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission, whose ripples still wash over the globe today: when the Communists ordered all missionaries out of China in the 1950's, CIM missionaries went to the Chinese peoples living in neighbouring South East Asian nations; then - renamed the Overseas Missionary Fellowship - to non-Chinese Asians; and increasingly - re-renamed as OMF International - to the Asian diaspora living in the West as well...
Although Hudson Taylor is widely considered a Hero of the Faith and a Giant in the History of Mission today, during his lifetime he was misunderstood and ridiculed by many back in England, not least for choosing to wear Chinese dress, including having the top of his head shaved and a ponytail at the back. In part his decision was in order to overcome west/east cultural barriers to communicating the gospel, choosing to identify with - and be identified with, not least by his critics - those he had been sent to; and in part it expressed a recognition that the Chinese did not need to become English in order to become Christian, but needed to establish a culturally indigenous expression of Christianity. According to his writings, it was not a light or easy decision; but it was the right decision - to embrace incarnational mission. I think I also recall that he told his missionaries to learn the local dialects by hard graft, as opposed to asking God to give them Pentecost-like grace in communication, because in the (at times deeply humiliating) process they would grow to love the Chinese people at a far deeper level.
Challenges to my parents' generation:
1. Don't Paul's words sound like wishy-washy, pick-and-mix, no-absolute-truth, anything-goes, pandering-to-Postmodern faith to you? (And if not, then please don't accuse us of these things.)
2. Where we engage in incarnational mission to Postmodern cultures, affirming the good (including creativity in dress and language) and seeking to challenge the less-than-good from the inside (seeking to see it transformed with the vested interest of an insider) rather than from the outside (passing judgement on others) are you the inheritors of Hudson Taylor, or of his critics?
3. Have you stepped back from the adventure of faith in God Who Until Now Has Always Helped Us and Will Provide that you so admire in Hudson Taylor?
Challenges to my generation:
1. Are we (increasingly) so under Christ's law that we are (increasingly) free from any other law (whether it be church tradition, or material security, or popular culture, or Postmodern philosophy, or what is acceptable to our society, or...)?
2. Do we recognise that the burden of mission is for us to go into the world and take on their humanity for the sake of the gospel; or are we content to remove ourselves from the world and require of them to take on our likeness? (And if we believe the former, what are we going to do about it?)
3. Are we prepared to learn from those who have gone before us, and to apply to our mission contexts the principle of utter abandonment of self up to total dependence on God that men such as Hudson Taylor owned?
This week (Friday 3rd June) sees the centenary of the death of James Hudson Taylor, missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission, whose ripples still wash over the globe today: when the Communists ordered all missionaries out of China in the 1950's, CIM missionaries went to the Chinese peoples living in neighbouring South East Asian nations; then - renamed the Overseas Missionary Fellowship - to non-Chinese Asians; and increasingly - re-renamed as OMF International - to the Asian diaspora living in the West as well...
Although Hudson Taylor is widely considered a Hero of the Faith and a Giant in the History of Mission today, during his lifetime he was misunderstood and ridiculed by many back in England, not least for choosing to wear Chinese dress, including having the top of his head shaved and a ponytail at the back. In part his decision was in order to overcome west/east cultural barriers to communicating the gospel, choosing to identify with - and be identified with, not least by his critics - those he had been sent to; and in part it expressed a recognition that the Chinese did not need to become English in order to become Christian, but needed to establish a culturally indigenous expression of Christianity. According to his writings, it was not a light or easy decision; but it was the right decision - to embrace incarnational mission. I think I also recall that he told his missionaries to learn the local dialects by hard graft, as opposed to asking God to give them Pentecost-like grace in communication, because in the (at times deeply humiliating) process they would grow to love the Chinese people at a far deeper level.
Challenges to my parents' generation:
1. Don't Paul's words sound like wishy-washy, pick-and-mix, no-absolute-truth, anything-goes, pandering-to-Postmodern faith to you? (And if not, then please don't accuse us of these things.)
2. Where we engage in incarnational mission to Postmodern cultures, affirming the good (including creativity in dress and language) and seeking to challenge the less-than-good from the inside (seeking to see it transformed with the vested interest of an insider) rather than from the outside (passing judgement on others) are you the inheritors of Hudson Taylor, or of his critics?
3. Have you stepped back from the adventure of faith in God Who Until Now Has Always Helped Us and Will Provide that you so admire in Hudson Taylor?
Challenges to my generation:
1. Are we (increasingly) so under Christ's law that we are (increasingly) free from any other law (whether it be church tradition, or material security, or popular culture, or Postmodern philosophy, or what is acceptable to our society, or...)?
2. Do we recognise that the burden of mission is for us to go into the world and take on their humanity for the sake of the gospel; or are we content to remove ourselves from the world and require of them to take on our likeness? (And if we believe the former, what are we going to do about it?)
3. Are we prepared to learn from those who have gone before us, and to apply to our mission contexts the principle of utter abandonment of self up to total dependence on God that men such as Hudson Taylor owned?
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
New Monasticism
Sometimes someone has a good idea, and it seems like everyone else jumps on the bandwagon. See, for example, the way in which rubber wristbands raising awareness for a given charity or cause have proliferated like cancer since Lance Armstrong hit upon the idea for his Live Strong Foundation for cancer survivors back in 2003; or the way in which the Japanese Su Doku puzzle has spread across British newspapers and magazines since The Times introduced it in November 2004...
But sometimes an idea seems to have its time, and several different individuals or teams discover it independently and at much the same time. So, for example, Alexander Graham Bell and John Logie Baird patented the telephone and the television respectively just before rival inventors did so. But this principle is not restricted to inventions, nor to a competitive context: we can probably see it in every field or discipline, and on every scale - from the worldview of whole cultures to the smallest of communities - if we should take the time to observe.
One such 'idea' whose time appears to have come is what has been termed by some New Monasticism (or even Nu Monasticism, by younger and more beautiful commentators). The term is something of a catch-all for a renewed interest in ancient Christian communities, and a determination to re-establish principles learned from them for our own time, among those engaged in mission in (in particular) a postmodern cultural context. As a member of The Order of Mission (inaugurated in 2003, but still very much in the process of becoming established), I am also aware of:
The Order of the Mustard Seed - originating in the 24-7 prayer movement, and Pete Greig's 'rediscovery' of Count Zinzendorf's 18th century Order...
the Emergent Order - grounded in the Emergent group within the wider emerging church scene (I love their generous nature, and I especially love the way their commitment to each other includes the intent to "to give one another the gift of our presence at annual gatherings whenever possible." as an expression of that nature)...
Andrew Jones (aka tallskinnykiwi) - who has his fingers in many interesting pies, and who describes himself (amongst other things) as Abbott of an emerging monastery on the Orkney Islands, and who provides other interesting links here...
Karen Ward - Abbess at the Fremont Abbey in Seattle...
I want to learn from and with these fellow New Monastics, and others like them, while recognising that God does not want to edit-out the distinctive colours he has given each of us - to make us a monochrome photograph, set to black-and-white or sepia - but to juxtapose our brightly-coloured pixels side-by-side, to create the most incredible images of his likeness and of his world for our digital age...
But sometimes an idea seems to have its time, and several different individuals or teams discover it independently and at much the same time. So, for example, Alexander Graham Bell and John Logie Baird patented the telephone and the television respectively just before rival inventors did so. But this principle is not restricted to inventions, nor to a competitive context: we can probably see it in every field or discipline, and on every scale - from the worldview of whole cultures to the smallest of communities - if we should take the time to observe.
One such 'idea' whose time appears to have come is what has been termed by some New Monasticism (or even Nu Monasticism, by younger and more beautiful commentators). The term is something of a catch-all for a renewed interest in ancient Christian communities, and a determination to re-establish principles learned from them for our own time, among those engaged in mission in (in particular) a postmodern cultural context. As a member of The Order of Mission (inaugurated in 2003, but still very much in the process of becoming established), I am also aware of:
The Order of the Mustard Seed - originating in the 24-7 prayer movement, and Pete Greig's 'rediscovery' of Count Zinzendorf's 18th century Order...
the Emergent Order - grounded in the Emergent group within the wider emerging church scene (I love their generous nature, and I especially love the way their commitment to each other includes the intent to "to give one another the gift of our presence at annual gatherings whenever possible." as an expression of that nature)...
Andrew Jones (aka tallskinnykiwi) - who has his fingers in many interesting pies, and who describes himself (amongst other things) as Abbott of an emerging monastery on the Orkney Islands, and who provides other interesting links here...
Karen Ward - Abbess at the Fremont Abbey in Seattle...
I want to learn from and with these fellow New Monastics, and others like them, while recognising that God does not want to edit-out the distinctive colours he has given each of us - to make us a monochrome photograph, set to black-and-white or sepia - but to juxtapose our brightly-coloured pixels side-by-side, to create the most incredible images of his likeness and of his world for our digital age...
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Jesus Loves The Little Children
People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
Mark 10:13-16
Learning at least one new thing every day helps keep us young...Today I learnt that kitchen knives are dangerous and should be treated with respect; and - while in general it is good to keep them clean - it is possible to be overly zealous in regards to the cleanliness of the very tip of the knife, and that being so will end in a sore thumb...
First thing this morning I was praying and sharing communion with a group of men. At the end of our half-hour together, I was out the back, dealing with the left-over bread and wine, when Jesus crept up on me and whispered in my ear, "Tell Susannah that she is my beloved." [Susannah is my four-year-old daughter]
When I got home I discovered that both our kids had crept into our bed with Jo (Noah had been there long enough to fall asleep again; I caught Susie in the act of getting under the duvet). So I got on the (edge of) the bed (that being all the room left for me), and told Susie that while I was out Jesus had asked me to tell her something from him. Her eyes opened as wide as saucers in wonder - and then crinkled up in excitement. And I told her, "Jesus asked me to tell you that you are his beloved." Eyes as wide as saucers again. I asked, "Do you know what 'beloved' means?" Susie replied, inquisitively, "No..." So I said, "When you love someone very much, they are your beloved. And Jesus wants you to know that you are his beloved." Eyes wide as saucers, and mouth open in a big wide circle too - followed by crinkled-up eyes and a grin from ear to ear...Susie reached up and gave me a great big bear hug!
The thing with Jesus is, he always has a word of encouragement. And he's never too busy, and we're never too unimportant to him, to give it. What a great way to start the day, for me and Jo as well as for Susie (Noah was asleep; his name is Hebrew for rest).
Mark 10:13-16
Learning at least one new thing every day helps keep us young...Today I learnt that kitchen knives are dangerous and should be treated with respect; and - while in general it is good to keep them clean - it is possible to be overly zealous in regards to the cleanliness of the very tip of the knife, and that being so will end in a sore thumb...
First thing this morning I was praying and sharing communion with a group of men. At the end of our half-hour together, I was out the back, dealing with the left-over bread and wine, when Jesus crept up on me and whispered in my ear, "Tell Susannah that she is my beloved." [Susannah is my four-year-old daughter]
When I got home I discovered that both our kids had crept into our bed with Jo (Noah had been there long enough to fall asleep again; I caught Susie in the act of getting under the duvet). So I got on the (edge of) the bed (that being all the room left for me), and told Susie that while I was out Jesus had asked me to tell her something from him. Her eyes opened as wide as saucers in wonder - and then crinkled up in excitement. And I told her, "Jesus asked me to tell you that you are his beloved." Eyes as wide as saucers again. I asked, "Do you know what 'beloved' means?" Susie replied, inquisitively, "No..." So I said, "When you love someone very much, they are your beloved. And Jesus wants you to know that you are his beloved." Eyes wide as saucers, and mouth open in a big wide circle too - followed by crinkled-up eyes and a grin from ear to ear...Susie reached up and gave me a great big bear hug!
The thing with Jesus is, he always has a word of encouragement. And he's never too busy, and we're never too unimportant to him, to give it. What a great way to start the day, for me and Jo as well as for Susie (Noah was asleep; his name is Hebrew for rest).
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Cheap Days Out For The Whole Family
A weekend of family activities where the cost is hidden:
1. We had a picnic lunch at a National Trust property yesterday. This being a British Summer, we ate it huddled in the car...
Entry to house and gardens: free. Lunch: cost subsumed in weekly grocery bill. Annual family membership of NT: about £60 (can't remember exactly, but we get our money's worth). Incongruity of rolling up to the ticket booth with Rap playing on the radio: priceless. (Blowing-the-whole-hidden-cost-thing-out-of-the-water with inordinantly over-priced ice-creams: £6.40...)
2. Driving in flash rain shower yesterday afternoon, windscreen-wipers straining against the volume, road turning into a water-course, and lightning splitting the sky.
Experience: free. Second-hand Opel Zafira: £7,000. Road-tax, insurance, MOT, ongoing costs: more than you want to think about. Tank of petrol: £40. Watching the lightning, and wondering what it would be like if the metal box we were travelling in got hit: priceless.
3. After church this morning, we took a trip to the Walk-in Clinic at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, because Jo had something lodged in her eye. Hardly counts as a family outing really, as they were advertising an-hour-and-a-quarter waiting time to be seen, so I took the kids home for lunch. As it turned out, Jo was seen very quickly, and got home not very long after we did...Having been seen at Walk-in Clinic and down the hall at Minor Injuries (we had walked past Minor Injuries en route to Walk-in Clinic), both teams agreed that there was an object in her eye, but they couldn't remove it - she needed to go to the Northern General Hospital for that. Jo came home for some lunch first, then out again - this time, without family in tow...
Multi-story car-parking at Royal Hallamshire: £2. NHS care at point of service: free. Being trusted to drive the kids home (okay, trusted is perhaps too strong a word, given that Jo really didn't have an alternative; but, hey, I got to do it!): priceless.
1. We had a picnic lunch at a National Trust property yesterday. This being a British Summer, we ate it huddled in the car...
Entry to house and gardens: free. Lunch: cost subsumed in weekly grocery bill. Annual family membership of NT: about £60 (can't remember exactly, but we get our money's worth). Incongruity of rolling up to the ticket booth with Rap playing on the radio: priceless. (Blowing-the-whole-hidden-cost-thing-out-of-the-water with inordinantly over-priced ice-creams: £6.40...)
2. Driving in flash rain shower yesterday afternoon, windscreen-wipers straining against the volume, road turning into a water-course, and lightning splitting the sky.
Experience: free. Second-hand Opel Zafira: £7,000. Road-tax, insurance, MOT, ongoing costs: more than you want to think about. Tank of petrol: £40. Watching the lightning, and wondering what it would be like if the metal box we were travelling in got hit: priceless.
3. After church this morning, we took a trip to the Walk-in Clinic at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, because Jo had something lodged in her eye. Hardly counts as a family outing really, as they were advertising an-hour-and-a-quarter waiting time to be seen, so I took the kids home for lunch. As it turned out, Jo was seen very quickly, and got home not very long after we did...Having been seen at Walk-in Clinic and down the hall at Minor Injuries (we had walked past Minor Injuries en route to Walk-in Clinic), both teams agreed that there was an object in her eye, but they couldn't remove it - she needed to go to the Northern General Hospital for that. Jo came home for some lunch first, then out again - this time, without family in tow...
Multi-story car-parking at Royal Hallamshire: £2. NHS care at point of service: free. Being trusted to drive the kids home (okay, trusted is perhaps too strong a word, given that Jo really didn't have an alternative; but, hey, I got to do it!): priceless.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Broken
There is a principle we see at work in the early church, whereby God breaks down resistence to himself in the lives of his people, securing internal frontiers in their hearts and minds; and that these breakthroughs allow external frontiers to be won, with others coming into his kingdom as a result. This morning we were reflecting on a passage that illustrates this pattern; the continuation of the story - the myth - after Pentecost; a passage often talked about in church circles, and yet seldom entered into:
"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
Acts 2:42-47 [emphases mine]
Here are my observations of internal barriers being confronted in myself and my generation as I read this:
half-heartedness; jaded cynicism; possessiveness; lack of compassion; enslavement to the instant result; joyless obligation; insincerity.
Can you imagine what God could do through a community that was prepared to go through the process of repentance (change of direction) and belief (active faith) in relation to these areas? A community surrendered to God, and transformed by him; marked by devotion, a sense of awe, the common life, commitment, gladness, and sincerity? Such a community would be highly offensive to many, and highly attractive to many. It would be bland and irrelevant to no-one.
Dream. Die. Be raised to life.
Leave the prison of a myth-less existence. Enter into the myth.
"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
Acts 2:42-47 [emphases mine]
Here are my observations of internal barriers being confronted in myself and my generation as I read this:
half-heartedness; jaded cynicism; possessiveness; lack of compassion; enslavement to the instant result; joyless obligation; insincerity.
Can you imagine what God could do through a community that was prepared to go through the process of repentance (change of direction) and belief (active faith) in relation to these areas? A community surrendered to God, and transformed by him; marked by devotion, a sense of awe, the common life, commitment, gladness, and sincerity? Such a community would be highly offensive to many, and highly attractive to many. It would be bland and irrelevant to no-one.
Dream. Die. Be raised to life.
Leave the prison of a myth-less existence. Enter into the myth.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Widescreen
When I am asked to explain the community that I belong to - The Order of Mission - I often say that it is part being a Jedi, part one of the Company of the Ring. It is more than that - much more - but I'm not joking when I say that.
A myth is a story that transcends the original context in which it was told. Although most people assume that a myth is made up, it can be a true story; although most people assume that a myth is fictional, it can be historical. The Bible is the greatest myth ever told...precisely because it is true.
We are created to need myth, to need to enter into myth, and every age has been fuelled by its own. Modernity was, and still is, fuelled by myth - the British Empire, the American Dream, the Thousand Year Third Reich, the New World Order. Philosophical Postmodernists - such as Foucault and Derrida - thought all mythology to be a means of exercising power, a means by which rulers exercised control over others; and sought to deconstruct the idea of myth, to liberate the masses from its tyranny. But the greatest postmodern philosophers - such as Lucas, Spielberg and Jackson - recognise that we are created to enter into myth, and they have dreamed dreams and invited a generation to enter into them...
When Gandalf stands defiant on the bridge of Khazad-dum and declares to the Balrog, "You shall not pass!"; when Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi faces Darth Vader in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, declares that "If you cut me down, I will only become more powerful", and de-activates his lightsaber; they tap-into the Kingdom principle that death leads to resurrection, that "Unless a seed falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies, it gives rise to a harvest, thirty-, sixty- or a hundred-fold."
I am a monastic warrior, caught-up in a battle between Good and Evil, empowered by a force that fills the universe, and committed to train disciples in the Way. I am a member of a covanant community, brought together to achieve what none of us can acheive on our own, putting aside our differences for the sake of the world. I am a Jedi. I am a member of the Company of the Ring. I am a disciple of Jesus. I am a member of The Order of Mission.
A myth is a story that transcends the original context in which it was told. Although most people assume that a myth is made up, it can be a true story; although most people assume that a myth is fictional, it can be historical. The Bible is the greatest myth ever told...precisely because it is true.
We are created to need myth, to need to enter into myth, and every age has been fuelled by its own. Modernity was, and still is, fuelled by myth - the British Empire, the American Dream, the Thousand Year Third Reich, the New World Order. Philosophical Postmodernists - such as Foucault and Derrida - thought all mythology to be a means of exercising power, a means by which rulers exercised control over others; and sought to deconstruct the idea of myth, to liberate the masses from its tyranny. But the greatest postmodern philosophers - such as Lucas, Spielberg and Jackson - recognise that we are created to enter into myth, and they have dreamed dreams and invited a generation to enter into them...
When Gandalf stands defiant on the bridge of Khazad-dum and declares to the Balrog, "You shall not pass!"; when Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi faces Darth Vader in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, declares that "If you cut me down, I will only become more powerful", and de-activates his lightsaber; they tap-into the Kingdom principle that death leads to resurrection, that "Unless a seed falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies, it gives rise to a harvest, thirty-, sixty- or a hundred-fold."
I am a monastic warrior, caught-up in a battle between Good and Evil, empowered by a force that fills the universe, and committed to train disciples in the Way. I am a member of a covanant community, brought together to achieve what none of us can acheive on our own, putting aside our differences for the sake of the world. I am a Jedi. I am a member of the Company of the Ring. I am a disciple of Jesus. I am a member of The Order of Mission.
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Pentecost
Pentecost. The birthday of the Church. The day the resurrected and ascended Jesus sent the Holy Spirit from heaven, to be our counsellor and empowerer until his return, to lead us into all truth, giving gifts and growing fruit in our lives, seeing the world turned upside down. Today, when we gathered to worship, we announced to the church that we would be leaving in the summer, to go we don't know where, led by that same Holy Spirit.
Right now there are a lot of signs that God is at work, doing something new in those of us who are going, and those of us who are staying; establishing a break-through on many fronts where the enemy has controlled us, kept us hemmed-in when God would have his kingdom break-out.
And right now it feels like all hell has been let loose, in desperate counter-attack. Among the friends we lead, one couple is facing both their fathers - both their daughters' grandfathers - being seriously ill at the same time, one with a failing heart, the other with an aggressive brain tumour; another friend - a husband, and father - told us this morning that he had found out on Friday that he has leukeamia; another friend, that both his daughters have been troubled with demonic visions this week (as has our own daughter, Susannah). Two other friends are trying to buy a house, a process that has been overly drawn out; they went round there tonight, and found the outside of the property covered in curse-tape (a satanic practice where curses are recorded onto audio-tape, and the tape is then pulled out of the casing and tied to buildings belonging to Christians; there are active satanists in the area - and two local magic shops - and some of the buildings on our church campus were also targetted when we first moved in).
All hail the power of Jesu's name;
Let angels prostrate fall!
Let angels prostrate fall!
Lift high the royal diadem
And crown him
Crown him
Crown him
Crown him
And crown him Lord of all!
Right now there are a lot of signs that God is at work, doing something new in those of us who are going, and those of us who are staying; establishing a break-through on many fronts where the enemy has controlled us, kept us hemmed-in when God would have his kingdom break-out.
And right now it feels like all hell has been let loose, in desperate counter-attack. Among the friends we lead, one couple is facing both their fathers - both their daughters' grandfathers - being seriously ill at the same time, one with a failing heart, the other with an aggressive brain tumour; another friend - a husband, and father - told us this morning that he had found out on Friday that he has leukeamia; another friend, that both his daughters have been troubled with demonic visions this week (as has our own daughter, Susannah). Two other friends are trying to buy a house, a process that has been overly drawn out; they went round there tonight, and found the outside of the property covered in curse-tape (a satanic practice where curses are recorded onto audio-tape, and the tape is then pulled out of the casing and tied to buildings belonging to Christians; there are active satanists in the area - and two local magic shops - and some of the buildings on our church campus were also targetted when we first moved in).
All hail the power of Jesu's name;
Let angels prostrate fall!
Let angels prostrate fall!
Lift high the royal diadem
And crown him
Crown him
Crown him
Crown him
And crown him Lord of all!
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Counting Blessings
I met Ruth Anne in my first week in Sheffield, back in 1991. We have been friends ever since. She was an American girl, a tutor in the Hall of Residence I was allocated, and a postgrad in the Department I would transfer into at the end of my first year here. Later (not that first autumn, I think) we discovered that we shared a birthday (9th November), and post a couple of years in Sorby Hall we ended up sharing a house on Pomona Street briefly before she returned to the States. Since then, she's been back over a number of times, but we've never yet made it over to see her in America.
Ruth Anne is getting married on June 18th (as if it is not enough that we share our birthday, she is getting married on my little sister's birthday - I guess there just aren't enough dates in the year...), and we were delighted to hear the news by way of an invitation to be there (there being Wilmore, Kentucky). Jo had already reminded me more than once that I needed to write, saying we'd love to be there, but sadly can't make it, when we were given a gift of £2,000. (Of course I will claim that it wasn't only laziness that kept me from writing; though Jo will probably have none of it!)
Yesterday morning, the money arrived. Yesterday lunchtime (our time; early morning, hers) I had a wonderful conversation on the phone with Ruth Anne. Yesterday afternoon, I got clearance to take the time off work. And today I have booked the tickets. We are having 10 days in Kentucky, over which time we will hopefully get to see lots of friends from our university days, most of whom we haven't seen in years, as a special holiday to mark the end of our time here in Sheffield. God is very good.
Yesterday afternoon I played 'football' in the garden with Noah; then sat on the bench drinking a cup of tea while he fetched a purple plastic flower pot, set it upside-down on the lawn, put his left foot on the top, jumped forward over it, ran round in a circle, returning to the flower pot; put his left foot on the top, jumped forward over it, ran round in a circle, returning to the flower pot; put his left foot on the top, jumped forward over it, ran round in a circle, returning to the flower pot...and could, apparently, have continued doing this ad infinitum. It is fascinating to watch a small child repeat something over and over without losing the wonder in it. I am sure there is a life lesson to be learnt there, if I am willing to become child-like.
This afternoon, all four of us went to Daisy Robinson's third birthday party, at The Centre in the Park, in Norfolk Park. There are great views over the city from up there. Gareth and Lizzy, Daisy and Lucy, leave Sheffield to live in Phoenix, Arizona on Tuesday. We shall miss them very much. Jo and I have known Gareth since our university days - we were all in the same year, in the same Department - and, more recently, Lizzy has been a good friend to Jo; and Noah follows Daisy around like a forlorn puppy, while she - truly a teenager before her time - studiously ignores his attention; there's a life lesson to be learned there, too, my son...
We watched Dr Who tonight. It isn't only companions of Time Lords who have to deal with the emotional dislocations of travels through time and space...
Ruth Anne is getting married on June 18th (as if it is not enough that we share our birthday, she is getting married on my little sister's birthday - I guess there just aren't enough dates in the year...), and we were delighted to hear the news by way of an invitation to be there (there being Wilmore, Kentucky). Jo had already reminded me more than once that I needed to write, saying we'd love to be there, but sadly can't make it, when we were given a gift of £2,000. (Of course I will claim that it wasn't only laziness that kept me from writing; though Jo will probably have none of it!)
Yesterday morning, the money arrived. Yesterday lunchtime (our time; early morning, hers) I had a wonderful conversation on the phone with Ruth Anne. Yesterday afternoon, I got clearance to take the time off work. And today I have booked the tickets. We are having 10 days in Kentucky, over which time we will hopefully get to see lots of friends from our university days, most of whom we haven't seen in years, as a special holiday to mark the end of our time here in Sheffield. God is very good.
Yesterday afternoon I played 'football' in the garden with Noah; then sat on the bench drinking a cup of tea while he fetched a purple plastic flower pot, set it upside-down on the lawn, put his left foot on the top, jumped forward over it, ran round in a circle, returning to the flower pot; put his left foot on the top, jumped forward over it, ran round in a circle, returning to the flower pot; put his left foot on the top, jumped forward over it, ran round in a circle, returning to the flower pot...and could, apparently, have continued doing this ad infinitum. It is fascinating to watch a small child repeat something over and over without losing the wonder in it. I am sure there is a life lesson to be learnt there, if I am willing to become child-like.
This afternoon, all four of us went to Daisy Robinson's third birthday party, at The Centre in the Park, in Norfolk Park. There are great views over the city from up there. Gareth and Lizzy, Daisy and Lucy, leave Sheffield to live in Phoenix, Arizona on Tuesday. We shall miss them very much. Jo and I have known Gareth since our university days - we were all in the same year, in the same Department - and, more recently, Lizzy has been a good friend to Jo; and Noah follows Daisy around like a forlorn puppy, while she - truly a teenager before her time - studiously ignores his attention; there's a life lesson to be learned there, too, my son...
We watched Dr Who tonight. It isn't only companions of Time Lords who have to deal with the emotional dislocations of travels through time and space...
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Vertigo
Jo is out at her monthly book group. Tonight, she's leading; they're discussing David Guterson's Snow Falling On Cedars - one of the few books on our shelf whose continuing presence there is secure. I'm babysitting, and - as I do more frequently now when Jo is out - taking the chance to listen to music (a pleasure I deny myself when she's around, as she isn't really a listening-to-music kind of person - especially not when it is U2, which with me it would be more often than not). Right now, POP is playing in the background...
...
...Well, I was just about to write down some thoughts on how strange it is right now, being in limbo between where I am, and soon to be leaving, and where I am going, which I don't even know - when two things interrupted me. Firstly, I heard Susie cry out in the attic, and by the time I got up there she was running around her room in that caught-between-asleep-and-awake state, distressed, like a bird that flies in the window and gets trapped in a room. I gathered her up in my arms; she broke free and ran round some more, clearly distressed by some thing, some dark presence coming against her, most likely trying to unsettle her about our impending move; I gathered her up again, and told anything present that was not of God to go - and immediately her body went from taut to floppy, from being tense to being at peace. I don't go looking for demons, but I love exercising Jesus' power and authority to drive them away when they come looking for trouble.
Then, while I was still holding Susie close, the phone rang: a call I'd been waiting for, someone getting back to us to say they'd like to buy our house. Father, deliver us from evil; would you protect this transaction, give it smooth passage, and give smooth passage to those moving on and those moving in. Amen.
...
...Well, I was just about to write down some thoughts on how strange it is right now, being in limbo between where I am, and soon to be leaving, and where I am going, which I don't even know - when two things interrupted me. Firstly, I heard Susie cry out in the attic, and by the time I got up there she was running around her room in that caught-between-asleep-and-awake state, distressed, like a bird that flies in the window and gets trapped in a room. I gathered her up in my arms; she broke free and ran round some more, clearly distressed by some thing, some dark presence coming against her, most likely trying to unsettle her about our impending move; I gathered her up again, and told anything present that was not of God to go - and immediately her body went from taut to floppy, from being tense to being at peace. I don't go looking for demons, but I love exercising Jesus' power and authority to drive them away when they come looking for trouble.
Then, while I was still holding Susie close, the phone rang: a call I'd been waiting for, someone getting back to us to say they'd like to buy our house. Father, deliver us from evil; would you protect this transaction, give it smooth passage, and give smooth passage to those moving on and those moving in. Amen.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Not On Any Map
In their introduction to "The Passionate Church: the Art of Life-Changing Discipleship" Mike Breen and Walt Kallestad write about the earthquake - measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale - that hit Hawkes Bay, New Zealand in February 1931:
"Once the smoke and dust cleared, the residents of Napier and Hastings were met with a great surprise. The shattered landscape bore little resemblance to the terrain they had known so well. Landmarks such as Napier Bluff Hill, a popular tourist destination, had been torn from the coast and tossed into the sea. What had once been flat ground was now a series of hills. Where there had been valleys, there was now level ground. Most shocking of all was the discovery that the water in Ahuriri Lagoon had somehow been swallowed up, leaving nine thousand acres of dry ground.
When the residents of Hawkes Bay setr about rebuilding their town, they faced a dilemma. The extent to which the earthquake had changed their environment was astonishing. Their maps of the region no longer applied; those maps showed roads running along land that no longer existed. and they did not show the new land heaved up by the earthquake.
Eventually the towns of Napier and Hastings were successfully rebuilt in the art deco style of the time (and to this day remain among the best examples of period architecture in the world) because those who directed the rebuilding threw out their maps and instead relied on a compass. When the landscape changes, maps are useless, but the compass is still trustworthy." [pp. 15, 16]
"Our compass is Jesus. Just as north is always north, Jesus never changes. As today's church passes through an ocean of cultural changes, it's our Compass that will keep us on course.
Our maps aren't working anymore. We've gotten away from the Compass...All that matters is the compass - Jesus. The Compass is true and will not lie." [p. 20]
The Celtic monks of old would get into small boats and head out across the sea, not knowing where they would hit land, but compelled onward beyond their horizon by the Holy Spirit. The history of mission is littered with such poured-out lives - such as the Cambridge Seven, who each gave up their glittering futures within the British aristocracy (at a time when to be part of the aristocracy was to exercise the greatest influence in society, in the nation that ruled the world) to take the Gospel of Jesus to the people of China, securing in the process earthly scorn and treasure in heaven.
Right now, I find myself in the midst of the crowd of witnesses. Several of the young adults who have come and spent the last twelve months being trained by us at St Thomas' have decided to pass up on worldly security and go and live in missional community on the estates of Sheffield - in Shiregreen, and Pitsmoor, and Upperthorpe. Several of the staff team feel compelled to live increasingly radical lives, dying to self, the specifics of which it is not my place to post here (yet).
And for us, as a family, God has called us to leave the security we have here and go to a place that He will show us. And so, I have recently handed in my three months' notice at work (I finish at the end of July); and we are selling our house - not knowing what the future holds; but knowing, and trusting, the One who holds it. In the eyes of the world, this is utter foolishness. In the eyes of many of our friends, it is very brave. In our opinion, it is a great big adventure of faith, as we throw off more and more things that so easily entangle, and run the race set out before us. We might not have a map; but then, the reality is no-one else does either. What we do have is the Compass, and a whole new continent to pioneer...
"Once the smoke and dust cleared, the residents of Napier and Hastings were met with a great surprise. The shattered landscape bore little resemblance to the terrain they had known so well. Landmarks such as Napier Bluff Hill, a popular tourist destination, had been torn from the coast and tossed into the sea. What had once been flat ground was now a series of hills. Where there had been valleys, there was now level ground. Most shocking of all was the discovery that the water in Ahuriri Lagoon had somehow been swallowed up, leaving nine thousand acres of dry ground.
When the residents of Hawkes Bay setr about rebuilding their town, they faced a dilemma. The extent to which the earthquake had changed their environment was astonishing. Their maps of the region no longer applied; those maps showed roads running along land that no longer existed. and they did not show the new land heaved up by the earthquake.
Eventually the towns of Napier and Hastings were successfully rebuilt in the art deco style of the time (and to this day remain among the best examples of period architecture in the world) because those who directed the rebuilding threw out their maps and instead relied on a compass. When the landscape changes, maps are useless, but the compass is still trustworthy." [pp. 15, 16]
"Our compass is Jesus. Just as north is always north, Jesus never changes. As today's church passes through an ocean of cultural changes, it's our Compass that will keep us on course.
Our maps aren't working anymore. We've gotten away from the Compass...All that matters is the compass - Jesus. The Compass is true and will not lie." [p. 20]
The Celtic monks of old would get into small boats and head out across the sea, not knowing where they would hit land, but compelled onward beyond their horizon by the Holy Spirit. The history of mission is littered with such poured-out lives - such as the Cambridge Seven, who each gave up their glittering futures within the British aristocracy (at a time when to be part of the aristocracy was to exercise the greatest influence in society, in the nation that ruled the world) to take the Gospel of Jesus to the people of China, securing in the process earthly scorn and treasure in heaven.
Right now, I find myself in the midst of the crowd of witnesses. Several of the young adults who have come and spent the last twelve months being trained by us at St Thomas' have decided to pass up on worldly security and go and live in missional community on the estates of Sheffield - in Shiregreen, and Pitsmoor, and Upperthorpe. Several of the staff team feel compelled to live increasingly radical lives, dying to self, the specifics of which it is not my place to post here (yet).
And for us, as a family, God has called us to leave the security we have here and go to a place that He will show us. And so, I have recently handed in my three months' notice at work (I finish at the end of July); and we are selling our house - not knowing what the future holds; but knowing, and trusting, the One who holds it. In the eyes of the world, this is utter foolishness. In the eyes of many of our friends, it is very brave. In our opinion, it is a great big adventure of faith, as we throw off more and more things that so easily entangle, and run the race set out before us. We might not have a map; but then, the reality is no-one else does either. What we do have is the Compass, and a whole new continent to pioneer...
Saturday, May 07, 2005
...Pass It On
Memory, faux-nostalgia, and recycling.
We periodically cull our collection of books and CDs, lightening the load of Clutter in our lives. The task calls for a certain degree of ruthlessness: okay, that book has been on the shelf for so many years that it does have an emotional hold - the "I can't bear to part with it; I bought it the summer that something momentous happened, that I never recall as it is, but need a connection to..." syndrome - but, honestly, when was the last time I actually took it off the shelf and read it? (It is different for Jo, who re-reads many favourites on a regular basis. Me: "But you know what happens!" For me, the story has been set free inside my head, where it lives on in a symbiotic relationship.)
We reckon there are probably over 500 books in our house. The 200 works of fiction face the guillotine first (though the reference works and the children's books should not think that they will be spared). We have decided to keep around 40 of them - Jo's criteria being books that she re-reads most; mine, books that impacted me emotionally. Of the rest, those in worst condition have gone in the blue paper recycling bin; those that are most honestly described as "well used" have gone to the charity shop; and Jo put about 80 up for sale on Amazon last night (7 have sold already today).
I made the first charity shop run this morning, off-loading children's clothes and toys along with the books, and was caught on the way out by the rack of long-sleeved shirts, then by the rack of short-sleeved ones. Charity shops have come a long way. Most of the shirts were designer label - John Rocha, for example; around £50 on the High Street, £3.50 at Barnardos. Which is fantastic, because it has already been bought at full price, paying the workers who made the shirt; and will now be bought again, raising support for under-priveledged children. Time was, when charity shops were full of tat - ornaments and knick-knacks of the kind only seen elsewhere when visiting elderly relatives. Now, with the profile of giving to charity so high in the UK, you can dress really well - aesthetically, ethically, and affordably.
(This reminds me of a time when I worked as a bouncer in a charity shop in Sydney, Australia. I don't know how many charity shops have bouncers, but this one had a particular problem: a man who ran a second-hand clothes store for his own profit just around the corner would regularly come in and try to badger the female shop assistants into selling him items at less than the - already ridiculously cheap - ticket price, so he could sell them on at a profit. Stealing from charity is pretty low. Anyway, he came in, and saw me - a new face, who wouldn't know who he was - except that the other assistant was in the back and had just pointed him out to me. So, he started to spin a yarn about how he had fallen on hard times, and needed a suit because his daughter was getting married tomorrow, and tried - quite aggressively - to get me to part with a good suit in perfect condition for the equivalent of a couple of pounds...Suffice to say he more than met his match in another male, quite as aggressive and considerably younger, and didn't come back while I continued to work there!)
When I got back, I washed the car (at Jo's request - not an idea that I would ever have come up with!). I've never washed the car by hand before - when it gets dirty (okay, when it has been dirty for a long time), it gets an outing to the carwash. But not today. It was the strangest experience, evoking suburban Saturday mornings in 1950s America, all the Fathers out with their soapwater and sponge; and only secondarily somewhat-less-suburban Sunday mornings closer to home. One of our neighbours is a driving instructor, and he washes his car all the time; I've never "got it". I must confess, however, it felt alright tapping into all that iconic car-washing Stuff - though the answer to Jo's question, "Did it make you feel like a real man?" is no (but perhaps only because I don't understand the question).
We periodically cull our collection of books and CDs, lightening the load of Clutter in our lives. The task calls for a certain degree of ruthlessness: okay, that book has been on the shelf for so many years that it does have an emotional hold - the "I can't bear to part with it; I bought it the summer that something momentous happened, that I never recall as it is, but need a connection to..." syndrome - but, honestly, when was the last time I actually took it off the shelf and read it? (It is different for Jo, who re-reads many favourites on a regular basis. Me: "But you know what happens!" For me, the story has been set free inside my head, where it lives on in a symbiotic relationship.)
We reckon there are probably over 500 books in our house. The 200 works of fiction face the guillotine first (though the reference works and the children's books should not think that they will be spared). We have decided to keep around 40 of them - Jo's criteria being books that she re-reads most; mine, books that impacted me emotionally. Of the rest, those in worst condition have gone in the blue paper recycling bin; those that are most honestly described as "well used" have gone to the charity shop; and Jo put about 80 up for sale on Amazon last night (7 have sold already today).
I made the first charity shop run this morning, off-loading children's clothes and toys along with the books, and was caught on the way out by the rack of long-sleeved shirts, then by the rack of short-sleeved ones. Charity shops have come a long way. Most of the shirts were designer label - John Rocha, for example; around £50 on the High Street, £3.50 at Barnardos. Which is fantastic, because it has already been bought at full price, paying the workers who made the shirt; and will now be bought again, raising support for under-priveledged children. Time was, when charity shops were full of tat - ornaments and knick-knacks of the kind only seen elsewhere when visiting elderly relatives. Now, with the profile of giving to charity so high in the UK, you can dress really well - aesthetically, ethically, and affordably.
(This reminds me of a time when I worked as a bouncer in a charity shop in Sydney, Australia. I don't know how many charity shops have bouncers, but this one had a particular problem: a man who ran a second-hand clothes store for his own profit just around the corner would regularly come in and try to badger the female shop assistants into selling him items at less than the - already ridiculously cheap - ticket price, so he could sell them on at a profit. Stealing from charity is pretty low. Anyway, he came in, and saw me - a new face, who wouldn't know who he was - except that the other assistant was in the back and had just pointed him out to me. So, he started to spin a yarn about how he had fallen on hard times, and needed a suit because his daughter was getting married tomorrow, and tried - quite aggressively - to get me to part with a good suit in perfect condition for the equivalent of a couple of pounds...Suffice to say he more than met his match in another male, quite as aggressive and considerably younger, and didn't come back while I continued to work there!)
When I got back, I washed the car (at Jo's request - not an idea that I would ever have come up with!). I've never washed the car by hand before - when it gets dirty (okay, when it has been dirty for a long time), it gets an outing to the carwash. But not today. It was the strangest experience, evoking suburban Saturday mornings in 1950s America, all the Fathers out with their soapwater and sponge; and only secondarily somewhat-less-suburban Sunday mornings closer to home. One of our neighbours is a driving instructor, and he washes his car all the time; I've never "got it". I must confess, however, it felt alright tapping into all that iconic car-washing Stuff - though the answer to Jo's question, "Did it make you feel like a real man?" is no (but perhaps only because I don't understand the question).
Friday, May 06, 2005
Always Look On The Brightside Of Life...
(The Sheffield Brightside Parliamentary Constituency, that is.)
No real surprises in a thoroughly uninspiring General Election here yesterday: Labour returned to power for a third term, but with a significantly reduced majority; in a safe Labour seat, our MP David Blunkett was returned to Westminster with an 8.4% reduction in support from four years ago - and goes straight back into the Cabinet his private life forced him to resign from not so long ago, this time as Secretary for Work and Pensions; and the Conservatives are set to get yet another new leader...
So, I was wondering, how do Steven Croft's observations (see my previous post) engage with what we saw last night?
Shift from the centre to the edge: it is worth noting that Government is one of those Institutions from the old centre, and Institutions tend to lag behind change...61% of those eligible to vote did so, and 36% of that 61% voted for Labour. Not exactly a strong mandate. The resurgence of (more or less) peaceful mass demonstrations - e.g. to the war in Iraq, the fox-hunting ban, MakePovertyHistory - suggests that for growing numbers simply marking an X in a box once every four or five years, and by doing so signing-up to all of that party's policies, does not add up to the role of the public in democratic politics...The proliferation of fringe and single-issue parties would appear to have been significant too, even if they didn't win (many) seats in Parliament as a result. While the 61% who voted still did so predominantly along traditional geo-political lines, I'd be interested to see a break-down by age of the 39% who didn't vote.
Shift from geography to network: Yes, there is still a strong geo-political divide - northern and urban more likely to vote Labour; southern and rural more likely to vote Conservative - but most of the demonstrations noted above have transcended geo-political divides (fox-hunting being the most obvious exception). But how attractive/relevant is a static, geographic structure to volatile network culture? In summary, a both/and, rather than either/or, situation?
Shift from obligation to choice: well, 39% chose not to vote; but then, many people voiced a sense of obligation that denied them choice - an obligation to vote Labour, despite severe misgivings, out of fear of seeing the Conservatives return to power...Indeed, Labour used the fear card - "if you vote Lib Dem, you'll let in the Conservatives" - very effectively to oblige voters not to exercise choice, precisely because they recognised that culturally choice is replacing obligation.
Shift from religion to spirituality: in the broad sense that ideology and traditional party line has been replaced with pragmatism, both by the parties themselves and by the voters. Perhaps most accutely apparent in the torturous attempts of the Conservatives to re-invent themselves - which seem set to carry on indefinitely...(perhaps because they haven't fully grasped this shift - in 5 attempts they have failed to appoint the spiritual successor to Margaret Thatcher as their leader precisely because Margaret Thatcher's spiritual successor is the leader of the Labour party, Tony Blair).
Where do these contradictory signs point us, then? To Croft's assertion that we find ourselves in a highly complex cultural context, for sure. Croft may well be right that "the simple solution...is always wrong" - I'd suggest we need multiple simple solutions (as opposed to one complex one).
No real surprises in a thoroughly uninspiring General Election here yesterday: Labour returned to power for a third term, but with a significantly reduced majority; in a safe Labour seat, our MP David Blunkett was returned to Westminster with an 8.4% reduction in support from four years ago - and goes straight back into the Cabinet his private life forced him to resign from not so long ago, this time as Secretary for Work and Pensions; and the Conservatives are set to get yet another new leader...
So, I was wondering, how do Steven Croft's observations (see my previous post) engage with what we saw last night?
Shift from the centre to the edge: it is worth noting that Government is one of those Institutions from the old centre, and Institutions tend to lag behind change...61% of those eligible to vote did so, and 36% of that 61% voted for Labour. Not exactly a strong mandate. The resurgence of (more or less) peaceful mass demonstrations - e.g. to the war in Iraq, the fox-hunting ban, MakePovertyHistory - suggests that for growing numbers simply marking an X in a box once every four or five years, and by doing so signing-up to all of that party's policies, does not add up to the role of the public in democratic politics...The proliferation of fringe and single-issue parties would appear to have been significant too, even if they didn't win (many) seats in Parliament as a result. While the 61% who voted still did so predominantly along traditional geo-political lines, I'd be interested to see a break-down by age of the 39% who didn't vote.
Shift from geography to network: Yes, there is still a strong geo-political divide - northern and urban more likely to vote Labour; southern and rural more likely to vote Conservative - but most of the demonstrations noted above have transcended geo-political divides (fox-hunting being the most obvious exception). But how attractive/relevant is a static, geographic structure to volatile network culture? In summary, a both/and, rather than either/or, situation?
Shift from obligation to choice: well, 39% chose not to vote; but then, many people voiced a sense of obligation that denied them choice - an obligation to vote Labour, despite severe misgivings, out of fear of seeing the Conservatives return to power...Indeed, Labour used the fear card - "if you vote Lib Dem, you'll let in the Conservatives" - very effectively to oblige voters not to exercise choice, precisely because they recognised that culturally choice is replacing obligation.
Shift from religion to spirituality: in the broad sense that ideology and traditional party line has been replaced with pragmatism, both by the parties themselves and by the voters. Perhaps most accutely apparent in the torturous attempts of the Conservatives to re-invent themselves - which seem set to carry on indefinitely...(perhaps because they haven't fully grasped this shift - in 5 attempts they have failed to appoint the spiritual successor to Margaret Thatcher as their leader precisely because Margaret Thatcher's spiritual successor is the leader of the Labour party, Tony Blair).
Where do these contradictory signs point us, then? To Croft's assertion that we find ourselves in a highly complex cultural context, for sure. Croft may well be right that "the simple solution...is always wrong" - I'd suggest we need multiple simple solutions (as opposed to one complex one).
Thursday, May 05, 2005
The Hitch-Hikers Guide To The Galaxy
(Well, to northern Europe at any rate!)
One of the, somewhat unfair, criticisms of the emerging/new expressions of church movement is that "the key (high-profile?) proponents just travel from conference to conference, living a most un-Christ-like jet-set existence and not ever engaging in the missional activity they speak about with such passion." Where this criticism misses the mark most is in that little word "just"; but it is certainly true that much travelling does take place, networking and the cross-fertilisation of ideas being so important to us. (And the more jet-setting you do, the more and more distinctly unglamorous - not to mention self-sacrificial, and costly to the traveller's family - it very quickly becomes!)
Anyway, today I got to sit in on the very un-sexy Hallam Deanery Chapter Meeting (Anglican church leaders in our immediate geographic area). Our church was hosting it, so it involved no travel whatsoever for me; but did involve travel for our guest speaker, Steven Croft, the Archbishops' Missioner and Team Leader of Fresh Expressions, an initiative of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, supported by the Methodist Council.
Steven started by asking us to get into groups of four or five and share what our observations were of what is going on in culture, society, and the church at the moment, and how we felt about that. That in itself was an interesting exercise! Steven then shared some of his key observations, of shifts in northern European culture and society that the church was succeeding/failing to engage with. These included:
Shift from the centre to the edge: the church had first been pushed from the centre of society (Establishment, institution) to the edges, and then - as the church sought to move back into the centre - the centre itself was found to have disintegrated/imploded, leaving not something to return to at all, but an intirely new (pluralist - positively, neutrally and negatively so, I'd suggest) context...
Shift from geography to network: in terms of where/how people build their relationships, including supportive community. (Research-based quote from Steven: "People are not looking for friendly churches, but for churches where they can make friends..." - which is not the same thing, and which implies that the first-visit, first-impression welcome is not as significant as some would argue - though I'm not suggesting that it is insignificant)...
Shift from obligation to choice: people no longer attend church because they are obliged to do so by societal norms, but because they want to. Alongside this, many people claim to be Christian in their beliefs without choosing to belong to a church community at all; and there is a marked fluidity of belonging among those who do, based on the meeting of certain felt needs...
Shift from religion to spirituality: there appears to be an increase in people's awareness of "God", the effectiveness of prayer, the existence of evil; and no sign of decrease of the Big Questions, such as ultimate destiny, self-centredness v. self-sacrifice, suffering - although there is a declining knowledge of Christian faith, traditional answers to these questions, and this highlights the need - an potential opportunity - for a much strengthened Apologetics...
Steven's observations lead him to believe that there is much to be very positive about, but that we certainly need to get to grips with a context in constant movement at the present time (and for no-one knows how long into the furture). Another quote: "To every complex situation there is always a simple solution...and it is always wrong!" In response to which I would suggest that "The church in northern Europe has no future...but it has multiple entwined futures." Bring it on!
One of the, somewhat unfair, criticisms of the emerging/new expressions of church movement is that "the key (high-profile?) proponents just travel from conference to conference, living a most un-Christ-like jet-set existence and not ever engaging in the missional activity they speak about with such passion." Where this criticism misses the mark most is in that little word "just"; but it is certainly true that much travelling does take place, networking and the cross-fertilisation of ideas being so important to us. (And the more jet-setting you do, the more and more distinctly unglamorous - not to mention self-sacrificial, and costly to the traveller's family - it very quickly becomes!)
Anyway, today I got to sit in on the very un-sexy Hallam Deanery Chapter Meeting (Anglican church leaders in our immediate geographic area). Our church was hosting it, so it involved no travel whatsoever for me; but did involve travel for our guest speaker, Steven Croft, the Archbishops' Missioner and Team Leader of Fresh Expressions, an initiative of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, supported by the Methodist Council.
Steven started by asking us to get into groups of four or five and share what our observations were of what is going on in culture, society, and the church at the moment, and how we felt about that. That in itself was an interesting exercise! Steven then shared some of his key observations, of shifts in northern European culture and society that the church was succeeding/failing to engage with. These included:
Shift from the centre to the edge: the church had first been pushed from the centre of society (Establishment, institution) to the edges, and then - as the church sought to move back into the centre - the centre itself was found to have disintegrated/imploded, leaving not something to return to at all, but an intirely new (pluralist - positively, neutrally and negatively so, I'd suggest) context...
Shift from geography to network: in terms of where/how people build their relationships, including supportive community. (Research-based quote from Steven: "People are not looking for friendly churches, but for churches where they can make friends..." - which is not the same thing, and which implies that the first-visit, first-impression welcome is not as significant as some would argue - though I'm not suggesting that it is insignificant)...
Shift from obligation to choice: people no longer attend church because they are obliged to do so by societal norms, but because they want to. Alongside this, many people claim to be Christian in their beliefs without choosing to belong to a church community at all; and there is a marked fluidity of belonging among those who do, based on the meeting of certain felt needs...
Shift from religion to spirituality: there appears to be an increase in people's awareness of "God", the effectiveness of prayer, the existence of evil; and no sign of decrease of the Big Questions, such as ultimate destiny, self-centredness v. self-sacrifice, suffering - although there is a declining knowledge of Christian faith, traditional answers to these questions, and this highlights the need - an potential opportunity - for a much strengthened Apologetics...
Steven's observations lead him to believe that there is much to be very positive about, but that we certainly need to get to grips with a context in constant movement at the present time (and for no-one knows how long into the furture). Another quote: "To every complex situation there is always a simple solution...and it is always wrong!" In response to which I would suggest that "The church in northern Europe has no future...but it has multiple entwined futures." Bring it on!
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Living Creatures
Jesus often used imagery from the natural world to describe the Kingdom of God - fish; wheat; birds and flowers; the largest, most aggressive weed in the garden; sheep, and goats. In part, this is incarnational communication par excellence, connecting with a people closely tied to the land through the everyday things of their experience - and to that extent we need to find new ways of telling the same stories in an urban context. But it is more than that: Jesus spoke about the Kingdom in organic terms because the Kingdom of God is organic. And while the Church and the Kingdom are not the same thing (the Kingdom is much bigger), the Church is (supposed to be) organic too - first and foremost an organism, not an organisation (organisms are, of course, highly organised, but the organisation serves the organism, and not the other way round). Even in an overwhelmingly urban setting, nature breaks through: whether it be one-step-removed - the BBC Natural History department or The Discovery Channel - or right-here-right-now - dandelions pushing through the concrete; a sparrow-hawk nesting in a cooling tower...so, let's not throw out those nature lessons completely!
There are 7 signs of biological life: movement, respiration, sensitivity, growth, reproduction, excretion, and nutrition. And these markers relate to living disciples, and living churches, too. Here are some questions (thanks to my friend Alex for the wording), a check-list if you like, for healthy living:
Movement: An organism that does not move either starves to death, or is themselves eaten: either way, it doesn't survive long. Jesus said, "Come follow me" and "Go and make disciples" - a rhythm of movement. Right now, in that rhythm, am I primarily coming or going? And, how quickly do I respond to stimuli (see Sensitivity), changing the 'leading beat' in that rhythm?
Respiration: is the process by which every cell produces energy, and involves breathing in and out. The Holy Spirit is described as holy 'breath' in both the Old and New Testaments (ruach and pneuma); and he gives us life. Is there any part of my life where he does not have access? And, am I striving to create energy, or allowing God to create energy in me?
Sensitivity: to stimuli - hunger, danger, exposure to the elements - causes animals to move. Plants turn towards the sun. We need to be sensitive towards both God and other people - which am I more sensitive towards, and what steps am I taking to improve my weaker area? Is there any area where I have hardened my heart towards God?
Growth: Recently I complimented my neighbour on her beautiful garden; she said that God should have all the credit for making it grow - but I wanted to point out that she knew how to partner with him in that. God causes growth, but we create an environment in which growth is either encouraged or discouraged. Growth is a contentious issue in churches - I hear comments such as "Numerical growth isn't the only marker of healthy life, you know!" - and this is true; but, if there is no numerical growth in a church, it is not healthy - the choice is to address the issue, or grow gradually sicker until a slow and painful death takes place. Where am I growing? Where do I want to grow?
Reproduction: every species reproduces; mammals do so at a slower rate than most, and so (generally speaking) expend a great deal of energy in seeing their offspring survive to maturity themselves. Reproduction leads to something new - something that is both continuity and change. In whom am I reproducing myself (spiritually speaking) at the moment? (i.e., who am I discipling?) Who does God want me to focus on in this season?
Excretion: we build up waste products internally, and if we do not expell these on a regular basis we get very ill: initially, we feel bloated; then our skin changes colour and texture, becoming waxy; and, ultimately, we would die a horrible death...and the same thing happens spiritually. Spiritual excretion involves confession, repentance, and forgiveness of others; while holding guilt, rebellion, pride, unforgiveness, bitterness, etc. inside has negative impact upon us, physically, emotionally, and spritually. Do I have a regular discipline of confession and repentance? Do I have any conscious unforgiveness towards anyone in my heart?
Nutrition: healthy diet (primarily, though not exclusively, in relation to what we eat) is a huge focus in western cultures right now - potentially creating an opening for discipleship. We need to learn what is good, and what is bad, for us to take into ourselves - e.g. what we watch on TV. We also (and this is a major need in western churches) need to learn how to self-feed, and not be spoon-fed by someone else. Is my spiritual diet nutritious? What small but tangible step can I take to make this summer healthier than ever?
(These markers are one of a series of 8 principles of discipleship that were developed at St Thomas' Church in Sheffield. Known as LifeShapes, they are about to be published - initially with the USA context primarily in mind, so please excuse the packaging if you are in a different context - in resources for churches and individuals. For more information, or to pre-order, check out stream247.com)
There are 7 signs of biological life: movement, respiration, sensitivity, growth, reproduction, excretion, and nutrition. And these markers relate to living disciples, and living churches, too. Here are some questions (thanks to my friend Alex for the wording), a check-list if you like, for healthy living:
Movement: An organism that does not move either starves to death, or is themselves eaten: either way, it doesn't survive long. Jesus said, "Come follow me" and "Go and make disciples" - a rhythm of movement. Right now, in that rhythm, am I primarily coming or going? And, how quickly do I respond to stimuli (see Sensitivity), changing the 'leading beat' in that rhythm?
Respiration: is the process by which every cell produces energy, and involves breathing in and out. The Holy Spirit is described as holy 'breath' in both the Old and New Testaments (ruach and pneuma); and he gives us life. Is there any part of my life where he does not have access? And, am I striving to create energy, or allowing God to create energy in me?
Sensitivity: to stimuli - hunger, danger, exposure to the elements - causes animals to move. Plants turn towards the sun. We need to be sensitive towards both God and other people - which am I more sensitive towards, and what steps am I taking to improve my weaker area? Is there any area where I have hardened my heart towards God?
Growth: Recently I complimented my neighbour on her beautiful garden; she said that God should have all the credit for making it grow - but I wanted to point out that she knew how to partner with him in that. God causes growth, but we create an environment in which growth is either encouraged or discouraged. Growth is a contentious issue in churches - I hear comments such as "Numerical growth isn't the only marker of healthy life, you know!" - and this is true; but, if there is no numerical growth in a church, it is not healthy - the choice is to address the issue, or grow gradually sicker until a slow and painful death takes place. Where am I growing? Where do I want to grow?
Reproduction: every species reproduces; mammals do so at a slower rate than most, and so (generally speaking) expend a great deal of energy in seeing their offspring survive to maturity themselves. Reproduction leads to something new - something that is both continuity and change. In whom am I reproducing myself (spiritually speaking) at the moment? (i.e., who am I discipling?) Who does God want me to focus on in this season?
Excretion: we build up waste products internally, and if we do not expell these on a regular basis we get very ill: initially, we feel bloated; then our skin changes colour and texture, becoming waxy; and, ultimately, we would die a horrible death...and the same thing happens spiritually. Spiritual excretion involves confession, repentance, and forgiveness of others; while holding guilt, rebellion, pride, unforgiveness, bitterness, etc. inside has negative impact upon us, physically, emotionally, and spritually. Do I have a regular discipline of confession and repentance? Do I have any conscious unforgiveness towards anyone in my heart?
Nutrition: healthy diet (primarily, though not exclusively, in relation to what we eat) is a huge focus in western cultures right now - potentially creating an opening for discipleship. We need to learn what is good, and what is bad, for us to take into ourselves - e.g. what we watch on TV. We also (and this is a major need in western churches) need to learn how to self-feed, and not be spoon-fed by someone else. Is my spiritual diet nutritious? What small but tangible step can I take to make this summer healthier than ever?
(These markers are one of a series of 8 principles of discipleship that were developed at St Thomas' Church in Sheffield. Known as LifeShapes, they are about to be published - initially with the USA context primarily in mind, so please excuse the packaging if you are in a different context - in resources for churches and individuals. For more information, or to pre-order, check out stream247.com)
Monday, May 02, 2005
Bank Holiday Weekend
A bit of a whirlwind...Saturday morning I took Noah and hung out with the guys from Friday night, while Jo and Susannah went to the hairdressers ahead of Matt & Berniece's wedding in the afternoon. In keeping with the happy couple, several of the details that made up the event were pulled together at the last minute, and yet they got away with it...in fact, it was a great wedding, full of fun touches.
Susie, and Ana Swift, made the most gorgeous little bridesmaids. I took loads of photos - some of them are here. The reception took place at Sheffield Ski Village, which has great views over the city centre from the bar balcony, and terraces below. A managerie of small children amused themselves inside among a corner of stacked-up sofas, and outside on an area of rain-soaked wood-chippings (the bridesmaids' dresses mutating from white to winter-camoflage...). Susannah was so well-behaved, and I was so proud of her: being Father of the Bride(smaid) is like being Father of the Bride, but without the expense!
It is a sad day when the music you grew up with (all the early '80's New Romantic stuff) gets played for people who were only just (or, worse, yet to be) born at the time you were listening to it, because it is "retro"...Oi: that's not ****** retro - that's good music, cheeky whipper-snapper! Some of us felt very old. After all, it was twenty years ago.
I brought Noah downstairs on Sunday morning, to discover Michal sleeping on the sofa...water had come through his bedroom ceiling yet again. So, in the afternoon, we cut through the attic wall (I reckon you shouldn't be allowed to convert attics without leaving access to the eaves) to investigate. Water had quite clearly been coming through our roof (and not through the neighbours' roof and along internally, as the roofers who have checked it out twice suggested).
So, Bank Holiday Monday was observed in the traditional manner - a trip to B&Q, to buy silicone sealant, and MDF to create a removeable cover for the hole, allowing future access; followed by mowing the lawn before the obligatory down-pour...
Spent Sunday morning with a group of Christians, considering factors they wanted to take into account when voting this Thursday (environmental issues and addressing global poverty were the highest rated factors, in stark contrast to national polls); and Sunday evening watching Dr Who with Jo (the - brief - return of the Doctor's most infamous enemy of all, the Dalek). All-in-all, a busy but enjoyable couple of days.
Susie, and Ana Swift, made the most gorgeous little bridesmaids. I took loads of photos - some of them are here. The reception took place at Sheffield Ski Village, which has great views over the city centre from the bar balcony, and terraces below. A managerie of small children amused themselves inside among a corner of stacked-up sofas, and outside on an area of rain-soaked wood-chippings (the bridesmaids' dresses mutating from white to winter-camoflage...). Susannah was so well-behaved, and I was so proud of her: being Father of the Bride(smaid) is like being Father of the Bride, but without the expense!
It is a sad day when the music you grew up with (all the early '80's New Romantic stuff) gets played for people who were only just (or, worse, yet to be) born at the time you were listening to it, because it is "retro"...Oi: that's not ****** retro - that's good music, cheeky whipper-snapper! Some of us felt very old. After all, it was twenty years ago.
I brought Noah downstairs on Sunday morning, to discover Michal sleeping on the sofa...water had come through his bedroom ceiling yet again. So, in the afternoon, we cut through the attic wall (I reckon you shouldn't be allowed to convert attics without leaving access to the eaves) to investigate. Water had quite clearly been coming through our roof (and not through the neighbours' roof and along internally, as the roofers who have checked it out twice suggested).
So, Bank Holiday Monday was observed in the traditional manner - a trip to B&Q, to buy silicone sealant, and MDF to create a removeable cover for the hole, allowing future access; followed by mowing the lawn before the obligatory down-pour...
Spent Sunday morning with a group of Christians, considering factors they wanted to take into account when voting this Thursday (environmental issues and addressing global poverty were the highest rated factors, in stark contrast to national polls); and Sunday evening watching Dr Who with Jo (the - brief - return of the Doctor's most infamous enemy of all, the Dalek). All-in-all, a busy but enjoyable couple of days.
Friday, April 29, 2005
6-Sided
Things are shaping up for a busy weekend. This morning Susannah had her pre-school boosters - an injection in both of her arms; followed by shoe-shopping for Noah at Meadowhall (two pairs, effectively for £1 thanks to money given us specifically for shoes for the kids); then on to The Alphabet Zoo soft-play centre (when I was a lad, my 'soft-play centre' was the field opposite our house; my climbing frame a Rowan tree...), but only for an hour as it was a gorgeous day outside; then home, to sit in the garden drinking tea (me) or dig dandelions out of the lawn (Jo) while the kids played outside.
This evening, Jo and I spent a couple of hours with about fifty people who are looking to join the missional community we are part of. In particular, it was great to see some of my Scandanavian friends - Pehr from Sweden, Christoffer and Johanna from Finland, and Peter and Hanna from Denmark (Peter and Hanna lived in Sheffield for a year a few years back). We reflected on Jesus' model of prayer, which embraces the Father's character, the Father's kingdom, the Father's provision, the Father's forgiveness, the Father's guidance, and the Father's protection - and engages with any and every situation in life.
More time together tomorrow, though we'll only be with them in the morning, as Susannah is to be a bridesmaid for the first time, at Matt and Berniece's wedding, in the afternoon!
This evening, Jo and I spent a couple of hours with about fifty people who are looking to join the missional community we are part of. In particular, it was great to see some of my Scandanavian friends - Pehr from Sweden, Christoffer and Johanna from Finland, and Peter and Hanna from Denmark (Peter and Hanna lived in Sheffield for a year a few years back). We reflected on Jesus' model of prayer, which embraces the Father's character, the Father's kingdom, the Father's provision, the Father's forgiveness, the Father's guidance, and the Father's protection - and engages with any and every situation in life.
More time together tomorrow, though we'll only be with them in the morning, as Susannah is to be a bridesmaid for the first time, at Matt and Berniece's wedding, in the afternoon!
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Hungry?
I ate my mid-day meal at the same table as two people - one from the North, one from the South - who were debating whether they were eating dinner or lunch.
In my opinion, the proper progression of meals through the day is:
Breakfast
Second Breakfast (LOTR devotees will know what I mean)
Lunch
Afternoon Tea (aka High Tea)
Dinner
Supper
Right now, I'm hungry for a 'church' that is built around discipleship, not meetings.
By the way, Andrew Hamilton's post, Words - in particular the words "Emerging" "Missional" and "Church" - is well worth a look...
...as are the marks of Authenticity Jonny Baker lifted today.
In my opinion, the proper progression of meals through the day is:
Breakfast
Second Breakfast (LOTR devotees will know what I mean)
Lunch
Afternoon Tea (aka High Tea)
Dinner
Supper
Right now, I'm hungry for a 'church' that is built around discipleship, not meetings.
By the way, Andrew Hamilton's post, Words - in particular the words "Emerging" "Missional" and "Church" - is well worth a look...
...as are the marks of Authenticity Jonny Baker lifted today.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Dumb Down
Genuine Tesco product labelling, pointed out to me by my wife at breakfast this morning:
pasteurised, homogenised, semi-skimmed milk.
Allergy information: contains milk.
Oh my goodness, what has the world come to???!!!
I've been thinking about Ben's comment on my Probes post: "...Been feeling for a while that there is a need for a new model of teaching and learning, just as there is for worship." (I agree 100% we need a new model of teaching and learning.) The thing I've been thinking about is the connection between 'teaching and learning' and 'worship' - and, therefore, the connection between "a new model of teaching and learning" and "[a new model of] worship."
Over the years, I've experienced first-hand several different church patterns of teaching and worship (primarily Church of Scotland, post-Brethren, traditional Church of England, and charismatic evangelical Anglican/Baptist co-habitation; with 'exposure to' many others, including Asian and Australian Anglicanisms, United Church of Zambia, Pentecostal, and Lutheran). Although they have varied widely in style, the relationship between worship and teaching is pretty much the same: that a time of corporate worship opens/prepares the individual to hear and receive the word of God, usually expressed through a sermon. In other words, worship is (in a large part) a means to an end (the end, possibly ironically, being the worshipper).
Personally (and at the risk that only Ben understands what I mean), I'd like to see the worship/teaching dichotomy deconstructed.
I've heard it said that "worship" declares who God is (i.e. his nature) and "praise" declares what God has done (i.e. his actions). I'm not sure how far you can divide divine being/doing, but insofar as it is a helpful distinction, I'd suggest that worship is a response to who God is and that praise is a response to what God has done. But, these responses - at least at a corporate or community level - have perhaps been dumbed-down over time: singing a series of songs, or progressing through a series of liturgy, that make a series of general statements about God. At the moment, it might be timely to consider the place of responses to particular aspects of God's nature, particular things he has done...
Here is an example of one possible model:
We believe that God is Creator (being), so, why not show video images of creation (doing) - an unborn human baby in the womb; a nebula of burning gas deep in space; the Amazonian rainforest - these are all "words" that reveal God - and allow a response to God as Creator to rise up (there is no reason why such a response cannot be ordered/structured)? Why not give the preacher the week off, and invite someone qualified to do so to speak about fetal development, or the universe, or ecosystems, as jumping-off points for worship? Why not include parallel images of human activity - both creative and destructive of creation - and allow a response of intercession for the world to rise up?
At the very least having a pattern where worship flows out of teaching/learning gives an alternative to teaching/learning following worship that may work as a preservative, stopping the gathered church from going stale too quickly. But that in itself is not nearly enough. More than simply flipping the existing running-order, such a model actually begins to break down the artificial distinctions that have been built up between the two. Teaching/learning and worship are not intended to be two separate entities: whatever the "new models" Ben and I (and others) are seeking will look like, they will need to integrate the two - not continue to address each as a parallel track...
pasteurised, homogenised, semi-skimmed milk.
Allergy information: contains milk.
Oh my goodness, what has the world come to???!!!
I've been thinking about Ben's comment on my Probes post: "...Been feeling for a while that there is a need for a new model of teaching and learning, just as there is for worship." (I agree 100% we need a new model of teaching and learning.) The thing I've been thinking about is the connection between 'teaching and learning' and 'worship' - and, therefore, the connection between "a new model of teaching and learning" and "[a new model of] worship."
Over the years, I've experienced first-hand several different church patterns of teaching and worship (primarily Church of Scotland, post-Brethren, traditional Church of England, and charismatic evangelical Anglican/Baptist co-habitation; with 'exposure to' many others, including Asian and Australian Anglicanisms, United Church of Zambia, Pentecostal, and Lutheran). Although they have varied widely in style, the relationship between worship and teaching is pretty much the same: that a time of corporate worship opens/prepares the individual to hear and receive the word of God, usually expressed through a sermon. In other words, worship is (in a large part) a means to an end (the end, possibly ironically, being the worshipper).
Personally (and at the risk that only Ben understands what I mean), I'd like to see the worship/teaching dichotomy deconstructed.
I've heard it said that "worship" declares who God is (i.e. his nature) and "praise" declares what God has done (i.e. his actions). I'm not sure how far you can divide divine being/doing, but insofar as it is a helpful distinction, I'd suggest that worship is a response to who God is and that praise is a response to what God has done. But, these responses - at least at a corporate or community level - have perhaps been dumbed-down over time: singing a series of songs, or progressing through a series of liturgy, that make a series of general statements about God. At the moment, it might be timely to consider the place of responses to particular aspects of God's nature, particular things he has done...
Here is an example of one possible model:
We believe that God is Creator (being), so, why not show video images of creation (doing) - an unborn human baby in the womb; a nebula of burning gas deep in space; the Amazonian rainforest - these are all "words" that reveal God - and allow a response to God as Creator to rise up (there is no reason why such a response cannot be ordered/structured)? Why not give the preacher the week off, and invite someone qualified to do so to speak about fetal development, or the universe, or ecosystems, as jumping-off points for worship? Why not include parallel images of human activity - both creative and destructive of creation - and allow a response of intercession for the world to rise up?
At the very least having a pattern where worship flows out of teaching/learning gives an alternative to teaching/learning following worship that may work as a preservative, stopping the gathered church from going stale too quickly. But that in itself is not nearly enough. More than simply flipping the existing running-order, such a model actually begins to break down the artificial distinctions that have been built up between the two. Teaching/learning and worship are not intended to be two separate entities: whatever the "new models" Ben and I (and others) are seeking will look like, they will need to integrate the two - not continue to address each as a parallel track...
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Probes
I'm really enjoying Jonny Baker's blogsite at the moment, especially his compilation of Worship Tricks, and his Probes. Check it out.
Just as Susannah is moving beyond Chicken-Pox, Noah is covered in the little, red, blistering spots...
Just as Susannah is moving beyond Chicken-Pox, Noah is covered in the little, red, blistering spots...
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Did You Mean To Say That?
aura: noun
1. An invisible breath, emanation, or radiation.
2. A distinctive but intangible quality that seems to surround a person or thing; atmosphere.
aurora: noun
1. A luminous atmospheric phenomenon appearing as streamers or bands of light sometimes visible in the night sky in northern or southern regions of the earth (e.g. the Aurora Borealis, an aurora that occurs in northern regions of the earth, also called the Northern Lights). It is thought to be caused by charged particles from the sun entering the earth's magnetic field and stimulating molecules in the atmosphere.
2. The dawn.
Yesterday, one of the adult workers at Susannah's nursery told Jo that we - Susannah's parents - both had "a lovely aurora" about us...cue images of Northern Lights, halo-like, around my head!
We assume she meant "aura" (2.); but I like what she actually said...
"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and deprived generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life..." (Philippians 2:14-16)
"You are the light of the world...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16)
1. An invisible breath, emanation, or radiation.
2. A distinctive but intangible quality that seems to surround a person or thing; atmosphere.
aurora: noun
1. A luminous atmospheric phenomenon appearing as streamers or bands of light sometimes visible in the night sky in northern or southern regions of the earth (e.g. the Aurora Borealis, an aurora that occurs in northern regions of the earth, also called the Northern Lights). It is thought to be caused by charged particles from the sun entering the earth's magnetic field and stimulating molecules in the atmosphere.
2. The dawn.
Yesterday, one of the adult workers at Susannah's nursery told Jo that we - Susannah's parents - both had "a lovely aurora" about us...cue images of Northern Lights, halo-like, around my head!
We assume she meant "aura" (2.); but I like what she actually said...
"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and deprived generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life..." (Philippians 2:14-16)
"You are the light of the world...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16)
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Elections (Collegiate And General)
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's election as Pope - to be known as Benedict XVI - must surely be the least surprising election result in history. Pope John Paul II stacked an overwhelmingly conservative College of Cardinals in order to secure Ratzinger as his successor, and guarantee that the Roman Catholic church continued in the conservative direction of the past quarter-century.
Ironically, if Ratzinger remains Pope for any length of time (he is the oldest Pope to be chosen in over 100 years, and the last-but-one Pope only lasted 33 days...) it is highly likely that the exact opposite will occur: during the last papacy the Catholic church grew not only numerically but also demographically younger, and John Paul II was held in great personal affection by millions of Catholics who strongly disagreed with many of his strongly-held views; Ratzinger will not hold their affection in anything like the same way, and, with the possibility of reform of the church from the top down apparently firmly closed, reform of the church from the bottom up might just become unstoppable...
Earlier on today I was reflecting on the forthcoming General Election here in the UK, in the light of the paradigm-shift in British politics. Back when I was a student, in the early Nineties, it was all so simple: the Conservatives were on the right-wing of the political spectrum; Labour was on the left-wing; and the Liberal Democrats occupied the middle-ground. And, as one of my Christian friends said, "I can't see how you can be a Christian if you don't vote Tory." [that is, Conservative] And, as another of my Christian friends said in reply, "I can't see how you can be a Christian if you don't vote Labour." And me? I voted Lib Dem.
Since then, Labour has moved to the right, first in order to secure election (at heart, the British are historically more right-wing than left) and then consolidating their ground in order to ensure that the Conservatives could not easily return to power. This left an open space to the left of British politics (not really a problem, given a right-wing population); forced the Conservatives further to the right; and, as a result of this general shift, opened the door to a number of even more right-wing parties which have emerged into the open. Ironically for a Labour Prime Minister, responsibility for the rise of right-wing nationalist parties may go down - along with the extremely controversial and unpopular decision to go to war in Iraq - as Tony Blair's lasting legacy.
I feel uneasy about the (likely) prospect of a third term of Labour government. Fundamentally, I think that any one party being in power for such a long time - regardless of their ideology - is not good for the country: they tend to stop listening to, and representing, the people. In my opinion, what was so bad about so many years of Tory rule was not so much their policies - inevitably a mix of 'good', 'bad' and maybe even 'indifferent' - but simply the fact that they remained in power so long. Three terms of Labour will not be any better - their policies, too, are mixed. Personally, I'm not particularily convinced by Democracy anyway (I've yet to see this ancient Greek idea work well in practice anywhere); I'm dismayed that politicians on both sides of the Atlantic have moved much further away from appealing to people's hopes and instead prey on their fears; and I'd quite like to see a system where our three main parties rotate government for two terms at a time and Members of Parliament have to work together across party lines much more openly than they currently do. Of course, it will never happen...but regardless of that, I think that the church is called to offer constructive criticism - and where necessary, opposition - to whoever is in political power; and to inform both Government- and Oppostion-party policies. In that sense, we are called to be a voice calling "Prepare the way for the Lord" in the wilderness, to speak from the margins of society.
I believe that we (whether Cardinal Princes of the Catholic Church or General Electorate of the United Kingdom) need to listen to God and take our part in seeking His will be done in those elections where we are called upon to vote. But we don't have God's perspective on the impact of those decisions, even if we believe we understand His will; and I, for one, am glad that Eternity puts a different perspective on whatever comes to pass in Time.
Ironically, if Ratzinger remains Pope for any length of time (he is the oldest Pope to be chosen in over 100 years, and the last-but-one Pope only lasted 33 days...) it is highly likely that the exact opposite will occur: during the last papacy the Catholic church grew not only numerically but also demographically younger, and John Paul II was held in great personal affection by millions of Catholics who strongly disagreed with many of his strongly-held views; Ratzinger will not hold their affection in anything like the same way, and, with the possibility of reform of the church from the top down apparently firmly closed, reform of the church from the bottom up might just become unstoppable...
Earlier on today I was reflecting on the forthcoming General Election here in the UK, in the light of the paradigm-shift in British politics. Back when I was a student, in the early Nineties, it was all so simple: the Conservatives were on the right-wing of the political spectrum; Labour was on the left-wing; and the Liberal Democrats occupied the middle-ground. And, as one of my Christian friends said, "I can't see how you can be a Christian if you don't vote Tory." [that is, Conservative] And, as another of my Christian friends said in reply, "I can't see how you can be a Christian if you don't vote Labour." And me? I voted Lib Dem.
Since then, Labour has moved to the right, first in order to secure election (at heart, the British are historically more right-wing than left) and then consolidating their ground in order to ensure that the Conservatives could not easily return to power. This left an open space to the left of British politics (not really a problem, given a right-wing population); forced the Conservatives further to the right; and, as a result of this general shift, opened the door to a number of even more right-wing parties which have emerged into the open. Ironically for a Labour Prime Minister, responsibility for the rise of right-wing nationalist parties may go down - along with the extremely controversial and unpopular decision to go to war in Iraq - as Tony Blair's lasting legacy.
I feel uneasy about the (likely) prospect of a third term of Labour government. Fundamentally, I think that any one party being in power for such a long time - regardless of their ideology - is not good for the country: they tend to stop listening to, and representing, the people. In my opinion, what was so bad about so many years of Tory rule was not so much their policies - inevitably a mix of 'good', 'bad' and maybe even 'indifferent' - but simply the fact that they remained in power so long. Three terms of Labour will not be any better - their policies, too, are mixed. Personally, I'm not particularily convinced by Democracy anyway (I've yet to see this ancient Greek idea work well in practice anywhere); I'm dismayed that politicians on both sides of the Atlantic have moved much further away from appealing to people's hopes and instead prey on their fears; and I'd quite like to see a system where our three main parties rotate government for two terms at a time and Members of Parliament have to work together across party lines much more openly than they currently do. Of course, it will never happen...but regardless of that, I think that the church is called to offer constructive criticism - and where necessary, opposition - to whoever is in political power; and to inform both Government- and Oppostion-party policies. In that sense, we are called to be a voice calling "Prepare the way for the Lord" in the wilderness, to speak from the margins of society.
I believe that we (whether Cardinal Princes of the Catholic Church or General Electorate of the United Kingdom) need to listen to God and take our part in seeking His will be done in those elections where we are called upon to vote. But we don't have God's perspective on the impact of those decisions, even if we believe we understand His will; and I, for one, am glad that Eternity puts a different perspective on whatever comes to pass in Time.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Strange But True
I was struck by something a friend of mine said today, about how we ought to relate to those around us. He observed that people who are part of the church create language-barriers to communicating with people outside of the church, by using obscure code-words such as "witness" or "evangelism" or "mission" or "outreach", but that one of Jesus' favourite phrases was, "I tell you the truth..." - a phrase my friend had read a million times, simply as a somewhat strange way of starting sentences, perhaps as a way of sounding wise, but had suddenly read as the whole point: the medium and the message, if you like. Now, I can imagine that a lot of people who are part of the church might read that and say, "Well, obviously; where's the revelation in that?" - but if you do, I think you might be kidding yourself. "I tell you the truth" is a phrase worth reflecting on.
As I reflect on what was said, I recognise that language does create communication barriers as well as connections (a sort of built-in frustration that I guess originates at the Tower of Babel, if not before), and that we need to be aware of how we use it (for example, a lot of people I know refer to "Up-In-Out" to describe their relationships with God, other Christians, and 'everyone else'; this is helpful as a diagnostic tool to check whether our lives are balanced - do I have any meaningful relationships outside of the church? - but becomes supremely unhelpful when people start talking about "doing an Out"). Moreover, "truth" is itself a word that comes with all manner of baggage, and if we believe we have the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and that others must agree with us whether they want to or not, I think we still end up in trouble when relating to those around us.
But I think the problem is not just our choice of words, but our understanding of the words we choose. For example, I would choose to define my "mission" as seeing God's life-giving kingdom breaking into a situation and driving back satan's death-bringing rule - defined simply by anything that brings life, rather than death, being on the increase. So, going back to the Up-In-Out diagnostic above, I'd include my participation in MakePovertyHistory, and my choices to recycle, use washable nappies on my children, and eat organic and fairly-traded food, as all being part of the Out dimension of relating to the world and the people of the world around me. But I know (and love, though I am often frustrated by) a lot of people who would define "mission" in a much narrower sense.
Knowing that I do not have the full picture, I still want to inspire others to make the choices I am making - to come along with me on my journey - by telling them the truth as I know it, and allowing them to make up their own minds, hopefully through finding out more about the issue in question for themselves, and not just because I say so. Again, for some of the people I know and love that smacks of relavatism ("what do you mean, as you know it? We know it in full!"); but I think it merely smacks of recognising that I know in part and see as if I were looking at my own reflection in a highly-polished shield of bronze (as opposed to a modern mirror...) - and yet I am not paralysed, unable to make decisions that lead to movement. As someone else said to me recently (in relation to something completely different), it's not what you know that counts, but who you know.
As I reflect on what was said, I recognise that language does create communication barriers as well as connections (a sort of built-in frustration that I guess originates at the Tower of Babel, if not before), and that we need to be aware of how we use it (for example, a lot of people I know refer to "Up-In-Out" to describe their relationships with God, other Christians, and 'everyone else'; this is helpful as a diagnostic tool to check whether our lives are balanced - do I have any meaningful relationships outside of the church? - but becomes supremely unhelpful when people start talking about "doing an Out"). Moreover, "truth" is itself a word that comes with all manner of baggage, and if we believe we have the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and that others must agree with us whether they want to or not, I think we still end up in trouble when relating to those around us.
But I think the problem is not just our choice of words, but our understanding of the words we choose. For example, I would choose to define my "mission" as seeing God's life-giving kingdom breaking into a situation and driving back satan's death-bringing rule - defined simply by anything that brings life, rather than death, being on the increase. So, going back to the Up-In-Out diagnostic above, I'd include my participation in MakePovertyHistory, and my choices to recycle, use washable nappies on my children, and eat organic and fairly-traded food, as all being part of the Out dimension of relating to the world and the people of the world around me. But I know (and love, though I am often frustrated by) a lot of people who would define "mission" in a much narrower sense.
Knowing that I do not have the full picture, I still want to inspire others to make the choices I am making - to come along with me on my journey - by telling them the truth as I know it, and allowing them to make up their own minds, hopefully through finding out more about the issue in question for themselves, and not just because I say so. Again, for some of the people I know and love that smacks of relavatism ("what do you mean, as you know it? We know it in full!"); but I think it merely smacks of recognising that I know in part and see as if I were looking at my own reflection in a highly-polished shield of bronze (as opposed to a modern mirror...) - and yet I am not paralysed, unable to make decisions that lead to movement. As someone else said to me recently (in relation to something completely different), it's not what you know that counts, but who you know.
Friday, April 15, 2005
Transportation
I don't know if you've ever had an experience like this, but...
...at one point this morning I was standing at the kitchen sink, when I saw myself in a church building I've never been in, very traditional in its basic construction (the stone pillars, the stained-glass windows) - but this church building had been radically internally redesigned. I only got a fleeting glimpse, but enough to 'sense', if not 'see', banked seating that created an intimate space for story-telling or forum-style debate; eating space - round restaurant tables as one came in, and the promise of a high-quality kitchen behind-the-scenes to match; a glass entrance in a town-centre location, drawing in workers on their lunch hour, who associated the building as a place to get good food and, if desired, the option of sensory stimulation - of sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch all being engaged, experiencing connection between creature and Creator. A building not designed around a Sunday service at all, but rather around creating a sanctuary space for the people who work in the surrounding shops and offices. An inviting space.
I have no idea whether this building exists. If it does, and you know of it, I'd love to hear from you. If not, I'd love to be involved in its creation...
...at one point this morning I was standing at the kitchen sink, when I saw myself in a church building I've never been in, very traditional in its basic construction (the stone pillars, the stained-glass windows) - but this church building had been radically internally redesigned. I only got a fleeting glimpse, but enough to 'sense', if not 'see', banked seating that created an intimate space for story-telling or forum-style debate; eating space - round restaurant tables as one came in, and the promise of a high-quality kitchen behind-the-scenes to match; a glass entrance in a town-centre location, drawing in workers on their lunch hour, who associated the building as a place to get good food and, if desired, the option of sensory stimulation - of sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch all being engaged, experiencing connection between creature and Creator. A building not designed around a Sunday service at all, but rather around creating a sanctuary space for the people who work in the surrounding shops and offices. An inviting space.
I have no idea whether this building exists. If it does, and you know of it, I'd love to hear from you. If not, I'd love to be involved in its creation...
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Grand Designs
As most of my friends know, I am a bit of a TV junkie...Last night I was watching Grand Designs, a Channel 4 series about people who design and build, or have built, their own home. In part I like it because the homes are so creative, and in part I like it because the presenter, Kevin McCloud, is so enthusiastic about the people and projects he gets to observe.
Generalisation, I know (who, moi?), but housing in the UK tends to be somewhat lacking in imagination. Most houses are built around the idea of a series of box-shaped rooms, often with only one entrance/exit and too few/small windows, so that there is no continuous flow of movement - either of the body, or the eye; and if you are richer, you have larger boxes, and if you are poorer, you have smaller boxes...Most houses are also built out of inappropriate materials - e.g. brick in a wet climate, a porous and inflexible material, that sucks up the rain and erodes, and is a major job to repair/replace...
In contrast, some choose to create a home that is tailored to their own needs, creative in the use of space and light, often making use of innovative materials, to provide new answers to the questions that have grown up around house design, whether by convention or planning regulation. And the most ambitious projects - the projects that always go over timescale and over budget, almost breaking those who set out on them, financially, relationally, emotionally - are show-cased on Grand Designs, which follows the builds from conception to completion. When the dust has finally settled, the usual response is "well, it was worth it; we love the house; but, if we'd known then what we'd have to go through to get our dream, we'd never have embarked on it..." Sometimes, though, the response one year on is "regrettably, we've decided to sell the house and go back to something more conventional; we won't be going through this again..."
Anyway, last night's episode of Grand Designs featured someone who wanted to build a home in London, but could only afford to buy a thin strip of wasteland. Moreover, they had to build on it with certain major constraints: they could not build higher than a ground floor, and the house must not be visible from the road at the front of the plot...The solutions were creative: a steel-framed structure, long, flowing, with two 'mezzanine pods' that gave extra height without breaking the height restrictions. But the approach to building was even more creative: a scaffold was erected, and the roof beams hung from it, so that the house was built from the top down rather than from the ground up...This breaks every convention!
Life is a parable, and God speaks to us through everything if only our eyes and ears are open to him. If we are to create expressions of church that engage with, challenge, and transform postmodern society*, we need to break out of the box mind-set and have Grand Designs - and be prepared to risk everything for them. We will have to build on marginal strips, not only with innovative materials (including rediscovering old ones), but also with building approaches that defy conventional wisdom, flying in the face of 'how such things are done.' The results will not necessarily be reproduceable, though they might be. 'Success' is not measured on reproduceability alone. Frankly, it isn't for everyone; on so many levels, it will be too costly for many. But, deep down inside, don't you have a dream?
*Please don't misunderstand "postmodern society" to refer to some kind of intellectual elite. High on the News agenda at present is the end of the line for the Longbridge car manufacture plant in the Midlands. Industrialisation was one of the marks of Modernity; the information revolution one of the marks of Postmodernity. Here we see workers who are both skilled and experienced - but the world has moved on, and they will need to be 're-skilled'...That's just one example of postmodernity for all.
Generalisation, I know (who, moi?), but housing in the UK tends to be somewhat lacking in imagination. Most houses are built around the idea of a series of box-shaped rooms, often with only one entrance/exit and too few/small windows, so that there is no continuous flow of movement - either of the body, or the eye; and if you are richer, you have larger boxes, and if you are poorer, you have smaller boxes...Most houses are also built out of inappropriate materials - e.g. brick in a wet climate, a porous and inflexible material, that sucks up the rain and erodes, and is a major job to repair/replace...
In contrast, some choose to create a home that is tailored to their own needs, creative in the use of space and light, often making use of innovative materials, to provide new answers to the questions that have grown up around house design, whether by convention or planning regulation. And the most ambitious projects - the projects that always go over timescale and over budget, almost breaking those who set out on them, financially, relationally, emotionally - are show-cased on Grand Designs, which follows the builds from conception to completion. When the dust has finally settled, the usual response is "well, it was worth it; we love the house; but, if we'd known then what we'd have to go through to get our dream, we'd never have embarked on it..." Sometimes, though, the response one year on is "regrettably, we've decided to sell the house and go back to something more conventional; we won't be going through this again..."
Anyway, last night's episode of Grand Designs featured someone who wanted to build a home in London, but could only afford to buy a thin strip of wasteland. Moreover, they had to build on it with certain major constraints: they could not build higher than a ground floor, and the house must not be visible from the road at the front of the plot...The solutions were creative: a steel-framed structure, long, flowing, with two 'mezzanine pods' that gave extra height without breaking the height restrictions. But the approach to building was even more creative: a scaffold was erected, and the roof beams hung from it, so that the house was built from the top down rather than from the ground up...This breaks every convention!
Life is a parable, and God speaks to us through everything if only our eyes and ears are open to him. If we are to create expressions of church that engage with, challenge, and transform postmodern society*, we need to break out of the box mind-set and have Grand Designs - and be prepared to risk everything for them. We will have to build on marginal strips, not only with innovative materials (including rediscovering old ones), but also with building approaches that defy conventional wisdom, flying in the face of 'how such things are done.' The results will not necessarily be reproduceable, though they might be. 'Success' is not measured on reproduceability alone. Frankly, it isn't for everyone; on so many levels, it will be too costly for many. But, deep down inside, don't you have a dream?
*Please don't misunderstand "postmodern society" to refer to some kind of intellectual elite. High on the News agenda at present is the end of the line for the Longbridge car manufacture plant in the Midlands. Industrialisation was one of the marks of Modernity; the information revolution one of the marks of Postmodernity. Here we see workers who are both skilled and experienced - but the world has moved on, and they will need to be 're-skilled'...That's just one example of postmodernity for all.
Monday, April 11, 2005
Polka-Dot Kid
"These chicken pox shouldn't have come." Susie Rose, 11/04/05. Sadness is...
But, she is being so good about it. I'm very proud of her.
But, she is being so good about it. I'm very proud of her.
Saturday, April 09, 2005
"A Plague On Both Your Houses"
I don't think the ill-fated Mercutio had chicken-pox in mind, but chicken-pox (so it would appear) is what Susannah has come out with today (and possibly Noah has too - which would explain why he was so miserable going round the Longshaw Estate in the freezing cold yesterday)...
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, I knocked out a lot of loose plaster (the previous owner - a builder - had done a real botch-job, and we're only just now getting round to sorting it out), and Jo made her first attempt at plastering over a sizeable area. It looks pretty good for a first-time effort, and certainly no worse than the rest of the room!
In between the domesticity of our weekend, I've caught glimpses at least of the Pope's funeral yesterday, and the (postponed a day because of the funeral) wedding of the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall today - and the (postponed some hours because of the wedding) Grand National steeplechase. It interests me that Civic Events should still command such interest in such an individualistic age; the crowd at the Pope's funeral in particular was full of young adults. The royal wedding was great - I thought the low-key nature of it appropriate, not so much in relation to the couple's history, but more so in relation to the monarchy behaving in an appropriate manner for twentifirst-century Europe - such as most of the senior members of the family leaving the blessing all together on a coach: Royals On Tour, or on some package holiday! More in keeping with Scandinavian monarchs who ride around on bicycles.
The Pope's funeral was clearly an occasion that caused many young adults to pause and consider how they will choose to live their lives, and face death when their time comes. The royal wedding Blessing spoke of seeking and receiving forgiveness, and determining to move on; of commitment to each other for the duration, albeit not to the approval of some; and also of the damage that duty can cause when it becomes Duty. This weekend leaves us with much to ponder. The question is, will these questions persist, demanding a lasting impact; or, will we have all moved on by next weekend, caught up in the onslaught of everyday life (not to mention General election campaigns)?
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, I knocked out a lot of loose plaster (the previous owner - a builder - had done a real botch-job, and we're only just now getting round to sorting it out), and Jo made her first attempt at plastering over a sizeable area. It looks pretty good for a first-time effort, and certainly no worse than the rest of the room!
In between the domesticity of our weekend, I've caught glimpses at least of the Pope's funeral yesterday, and the (postponed a day because of the funeral) wedding of the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall today - and the (postponed some hours because of the wedding) Grand National steeplechase. It interests me that Civic Events should still command such interest in such an individualistic age; the crowd at the Pope's funeral in particular was full of young adults. The royal wedding was great - I thought the low-key nature of it appropriate, not so much in relation to the couple's history, but more so in relation to the monarchy behaving in an appropriate manner for twentifirst-century Europe - such as most of the senior members of the family leaving the blessing all together on a coach: Royals On Tour, or on some package holiday! More in keeping with Scandinavian monarchs who ride around on bicycles.
The Pope's funeral was clearly an occasion that caused many young adults to pause and consider how they will choose to live their lives, and face death when their time comes. The royal wedding Blessing spoke of seeking and receiving forgiveness, and determining to move on; of commitment to each other for the duration, albeit not to the approval of some; and also of the damage that duty can cause when it becomes Duty. This weekend leaves us with much to ponder. The question is, will these questions persist, demanding a lasting impact; or, will we have all moved on by next weekend, caught up in the onslaught of everyday life (not to mention General election campaigns)?
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Invasion!
I survived! In fact, a house-full of little girls and boys, and attending mummies, was better than the thought of a house-full of little girls and boys, and attending mummies...
...To begin with, the children got to decorate their own cupcake - melted chocolate spread on top, in which to embed all sorts of Smarties, jellies, Hundreds and Thousands, sugar shapes...the completed works all set aside in a cupcake tray, each 'cup' name-labelled so they all got to take their own cake home (my wife is a genius!)...then on to Pass The Parcel...then blowing out the candles on the birthday cake, followed by cake and orange squash all round...and then all the kids spurned the other games Jo had prepared, and went and played Going On Holiday in the kids' bedroom in the attic, while the grown-ups stayed downstairs and had cups of tea and coffee. Great - Light-Weight Parties Are Us!
That said, as predicted we're totally worn out now...and would go to bed, but Desperate Housewives (at 10:00 pm) is just too adictive!
...To begin with, the children got to decorate their own cupcake - melted chocolate spread on top, in which to embed all sorts of Smarties, jellies, Hundreds and Thousands, sugar shapes...the completed works all set aside in a cupcake tray, each 'cup' name-labelled so they all got to take their own cake home (my wife is a genius!)...then on to Pass The Parcel...then blowing out the candles on the birthday cake, followed by cake and orange squash all round...and then all the kids spurned the other games Jo had prepared, and went and played Going On Holiday in the kids' bedroom in the attic, while the grown-ups stayed downstairs and had cups of tea and coffee. Great - Light-Weight Parties Are Us!
That said, as predicted we're totally worn out now...and would go to bed, but Desperate Housewives (at 10:00 pm) is just too adictive!
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Big Is Beautiful
Today is Susannah's fourth birthday.
There comes a time in a girl's life when she discovers that, when it comes to gifts, "Small Is Beautiful." From then on, she wants diamond rings...But, at four, little girls think "Big Is Beautiful" - size, rather than expense, being the impact-factor. All Susie wanted for her birthday was a suitcase, to play Going On Holiday with: when we got her a real one for her, not a doll's one, she was blown away! And then Jo's parents gave her a high-chair and a car-seat for a new doll...so our "Big Is Beautiful" girl was beaming from ear to ear this morning! (They also sent a triangle for Noah, so percussion-boy was made up too.)
The cake that Jo and I finished making/decorating after midnight last night also went down a treat (visually - she won't eat it until her party, tomorrow). All Susie wanted was a round cake with sprinkles on it, so Jo baked a round chocolate cake, covered it in butter-icing, covered the sides with Hundreds and Thousands (harder than you might think), and I made a big "4" in rainbow-stripes of Smarties on the top. Jo also made several co-ordinating cup-cakes, (some of) which we ate today!
I took Susie round the corner to the florists to choose two lilys and two roses - 'Susannah' means 'lily'; her name is Susannah Rose; one flower for each year...It was the first time she'd gone into a 'posh' florists, and she was very excited. We want to buy her flowers every birthday, to establish a tradition. We also write in her card some things she's done for the very first time in the previous year, so she'll be able to look back when she is older. It's about treasuring memories in our hearts.
Later than planned (not only did we set off late, we also got lost on the way...) we met up with my parents at Chatsworth, to go to the children's farm and adventure playground. We started with a picnic, then the farm, then the playground. When we first went to the farm, Susie was terrified by the animals (I guess cows are very big when you are very small); but today Susie and Noah both loved seeing the goats, horses, pigs, cows, calves, sheep, lambs, ducks and chickens...
All in all, it has been a really good day. We're all exhausted now! Tomorrow we have a herd/flock of little friends - girls from nursery, boys from church - is this some underhand evangelistic ploy on susannah's part?! - coming for a party in the afternoon. I've no idea what state I'll be in by the evening...
There comes a time in a girl's life when she discovers that, when it comes to gifts, "Small Is Beautiful." From then on, she wants diamond rings...But, at four, little girls think "Big Is Beautiful" - size, rather than expense, being the impact-factor. All Susie wanted for her birthday was a suitcase, to play Going On Holiday with: when we got her a real one for her, not a doll's one, she was blown away! And then Jo's parents gave her a high-chair and a car-seat for a new doll...so our "Big Is Beautiful" girl was beaming from ear to ear this morning! (They also sent a triangle for Noah, so percussion-boy was made up too.)
The cake that Jo and I finished making/decorating after midnight last night also went down a treat (visually - she won't eat it until her party, tomorrow). All Susie wanted was a round cake with sprinkles on it, so Jo baked a round chocolate cake, covered it in butter-icing, covered the sides with Hundreds and Thousands (harder than you might think), and I made a big "4" in rainbow-stripes of Smarties on the top. Jo also made several co-ordinating cup-cakes, (some of) which we ate today!
I took Susie round the corner to the florists to choose two lilys and two roses - 'Susannah' means 'lily'; her name is Susannah Rose; one flower for each year...It was the first time she'd gone into a 'posh' florists, and she was very excited. We want to buy her flowers every birthday, to establish a tradition. We also write in her card some things she's done for the very first time in the previous year, so she'll be able to look back when she is older. It's about treasuring memories in our hearts.
Later than planned (not only did we set off late, we also got lost on the way...) we met up with my parents at Chatsworth, to go to the children's farm and adventure playground. We started with a picnic, then the farm, then the playground. When we first went to the farm, Susie was terrified by the animals (I guess cows are very big when you are very small); but today Susie and Noah both loved seeing the goats, horses, pigs, cows, calves, sheep, lambs, ducks and chickens...
All in all, it has been a really good day. We're all exhausted now! Tomorrow we have a herd/flock of little friends - girls from nursery, boys from church - is this some underhand evangelistic ploy on susannah's part?! - coming for a party in the afternoon. I've no idea what state I'll be in by the evening...
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Death Of The Pope
The BBC has just announced the news the world has been waiting for over the past 72 hours, that Pope John Paul II has died.
I'm not a Roman Catholic; I've never recognised the authority of the Pope; and in many ways I disagree with the ultra-conservative views he held. I even found it strange beyond words the way the media reported his final days as if there was nothing else going on in the world - as if Mugabe hadn't won a land-slide rigged election in Zimbabwe - as if the very world stopped spinning and held its breath...And yet I find myself moved by his passing.
I found myself moved, almost to tears, by a conversation with my Catholic next-door-neighbour-but-one over the garden fences this morning; as she planted an ornamental rose tree and dedicated it to John Paul II, and I hung out the washing on the line...we spoke of life, and death, and how the death of a believer is at once both happy and sad all mixed up together...
It is a funny thing how one man's death can touch so many lives, who did not even know they could be touched by him.
I'm not a Roman Catholic; I've never recognised the authority of the Pope; and in many ways I disagree with the ultra-conservative views he held. I even found it strange beyond words the way the media reported his final days as if there was nothing else going on in the world - as if Mugabe hadn't won a land-slide rigged election in Zimbabwe - as if the very world stopped spinning and held its breath...And yet I find myself moved by his passing.
I found myself moved, almost to tears, by a conversation with my Catholic next-door-neighbour-but-one over the garden fences this morning; as she planted an ornamental rose tree and dedicated it to John Paul II, and I hung out the washing on the line...we spoke of life, and death, and how the death of a believer is at once both happy and sad all mixed up together...
It is a funny thing how one man's death can touch so many lives, who did not even know they could be touched by him.
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Hey! Hey! For Easter Day!
Happy Easter!
Holy Week has been very strange...
Being away in Sweden, then away on holiday, and then Holy Week has been very strange...at the moment, I'm feeling a bit dislocated.
Yesterday, in search of a rainy-day activity, we took Susannah and Noah to the cinema for the first time, to see Pooh's Heffalump Movie. Noah sat in the chair, an arm on each arm-rest, dipping-into a tub of pop-corn held between his knees, as if he were the director watching rushes at the end of the day! I think it was a big hit with both of them. First movies are a big milestone - I was much older (E.T.).
After the kids went to bed last night, Jo set an Easter-egg 'hunt' for them through the living- and dining-rooms, which they enjoyed doing this morning. Although we were perfectly aware that the clocks went forward one hour last night, we were all too tired to get up this morning, so ended up running late anyway...
Richard, Kathryn and Milly England came back to ours for lunch after church this morning, and stayed all afternoon. It was lovely to spend time with them. And to eat roast lamb after giving up meat for Lent.
Holy Week has been very strange...
Being away in Sweden, then away on holiday, and then Holy Week has been very strange...at the moment, I'm feeling a bit dislocated.
Yesterday, in search of a rainy-day activity, we took Susannah and Noah to the cinema for the first time, to see Pooh's Heffalump Movie. Noah sat in the chair, an arm on each arm-rest, dipping-into a tub of pop-corn held between his knees, as if he were the director watching rushes at the end of the day! I think it was a big hit with both of them. First movies are a big milestone - I was much older (E.T.).
After the kids went to bed last night, Jo set an Easter-egg 'hunt' for them through the living- and dining-rooms, which they enjoyed doing this morning. Although we were perfectly aware that the clocks went forward one hour last night, we were all too tired to get up this morning, so ended up running late anyway...
Richard, Kathryn and Milly England came back to ours for lunch after church this morning, and stayed all afternoon. It was lovely to spend time with them. And to eat roast lamb after giving up meat for Lent.
Monday, March 14, 2005
Catch Up
Saturday 12th March.
Jo helped Matt and Berneice move most of their things to the cottage they'll be living in when they get married, while I spent time with Susie and Noah, which was great having been away. In the evening, Jo and I went out to dinner with friends, and, as we hadn't been able to find a babysitter, we took S&N with us, to put them to bed there...which didn't work very well! Poor little people; two disturbed nights in a row...
Our friend had just found out the night before that his father has a brain tumour; but they didn't want to cancel dinner, as they were hoping for something approaching normalcy at the end of a hard day. I don't know if we delivered. I think it was a good evening, but next time I travel I think I want space to talk about the trip with Jo when I get back...
Sunday 13th March.
Church in the morning, including pastoral crises; Jo's parents for lunch and the afternoon. Still no time to process the trip with Jo. All feel very strange.
Monday 14th March.
Jo is out again this morning (and this evening), but we're all off on holiday tomorrow, so - catch up then. For now, time to get some thoughts down in words! And, right now, time to collect Susannah and Noah from nursery.
Jo helped Matt and Berneice move most of their things to the cottage they'll be living in when they get married, while I spent time with Susie and Noah, which was great having been away. In the evening, Jo and I went out to dinner with friends, and, as we hadn't been able to find a babysitter, we took S&N with us, to put them to bed there...which didn't work very well! Poor little people; two disturbed nights in a row...
Our friend had just found out the night before that his father has a brain tumour; but they didn't want to cancel dinner, as they were hoping for something approaching normalcy at the end of a hard day. I don't know if we delivered. I think it was a good evening, but next time I travel I think I want space to talk about the trip with Jo when I get back...
Sunday 13th March.
Church in the morning, including pastoral crises; Jo's parents for lunch and the afternoon. Still no time to process the trip with Jo. All feel very strange.
Monday 14th March.
Jo is out again this morning (and this evening), but we're all off on holiday tomorrow, so - catch up then. For now, time to get some thoughts down in words! And, right now, time to collect Susannah and Noah from nursery.
Sweden
I had a wonderful time in Sweden. Here are my thoughts, day-by-day:
Tuesday 8th March.
My heart sank momentarily when Matt and I got to the train platform at 0610 to see the train for Manchester Airport pulling away. The next one wasn't for another hour, which was too late. But there was this slightly odd bloke who started telling us all about the trains - that the train to Manchester Piccadilly (change there for the airport - indeed, this was the train we'd intended to catch) would be along soon; everything we needed to know - but it didn't look like he himself was going to get on a train (and he certainly wasn't a railway employee). Perhaps he was just one of those much-ridiculed train spotters, and I've got an over-active imagination; but I just wonder whether he was, in fact, an angel...
Fair enough, an airport is a 24-hour bubble, but I was shocked at how many men were drinking pints of lager before 0900...a lot of Manchester United fans were flying to Milan to watch their team play AC Milan, and it was actually quite ugly and quite sad; I didn't feel threatened, but could easily have done...
It has been a glorious day all journey, with fantastic views from the plane windows. Denmark is so flat, a patchwork of snow-covered fields lined with wind turbines...The plane from Copenhagen to Gothenburg was small, and got battered by turbulance as we made our approach. My friend Leif met us at the airport, which really made my day, bringing a big smile to my face and my heart. It was great to catch up with him on the car ride to Ah.
Ah is a beautiful spot for a diocesan centre, which remains wonderfully tranquil despite being much-used. It was great to see some familiar faces, to be greeted like an old friend. and there was an incredible sunset over the bay. Mind you, these Swedes work themselves hard when it comes to meetings...I took the evening off to prepare for tomorrow.
Wednesday 9th March.
I can't express how good it feels to be here, like being with old friends, so welcoming and appreciative, so open to what I am bringing. and this place is so beautiful. It's also very significant in the history of the Swedish church. God has been doing a work here since the 1930's. In the 1980's church leaders like David watson and John Wimber spoke here - and now I'm standing on the same stage; it's a strange feeling!
The theme of the conference is, "Continue to build the church." In the morning I did a three-hour session (that includes Leif interpreting everything I said into Swedish, a short break in the middle, and group-time towards the end) on equiping the church for mission by helping people identify how God has made them (as apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher), understanding how each one relates to the others, and releasing people to operate within these roles. Many people found it helped make a lot of sense of their own situation - especially the younger guys. In the afternoon I had a seminar, which I did as a question-and-answer consultation, to help people start to apply the principles I had spoken about to their particular contexts. It was well attended - they really wanted to engage.
Matt is having a fantastic time too, really engaging with the young adults - snowball throwing on the shore...
Thursday 10th March.
Again, I'm just enjoying being here so much. And what I am bringing is clearly being met with much appreciation. People keep thanking me, but I feel like I'm the priveleged one.
Another three-hour morning session followed by a seminar to help start to apply the principles. This time, on growing missional communities - the "middle-sized" everyone-involved expression of church life that has been lost in Europe as congregations have focused solely on the front-led celebration dimension of church life for centuries.
Hans and Leif have asked me to consider coming and doing a youth conference they would organise specially in Gothenburg, and also to work with some churches when I'm here - both of which I would love to do. So relationships really seem to be taking off. And I've enjoyed talking with some of the youth workers again today.
I've spoken with Jo, Susannah and Noah on the phone each day. Apparently Noah waved goodbye today when I said, "I'll see you soon. Goodbye!" How cute?! It will be great to see them all tomorrow night...
Friday 11th March.
The conference ended at lunch today, and it was good to stay until then even though I wasn't doing anything official today. After a quick lunch, we were driven to the airport (I know this is a bit childish, but I couldn't resist taking a photo of an IKEA store from the window of a Volvo - "when in Rome.." as Matt put it). The journey was fine, until we got to Heathrow when things started to descend into a farce of "how many times/in how many ways can we get lost?"...and then stopped being funny when our connecting flight to Manchester was delayed so that we took off from London at the time we were supposed to be landing. Which wouldn't have mattered so much if the kids hadn't come with Jo to the airport to pick us up. As it was, we got home - exhausted - at midnight (or, 0100 Swedish time).
Tuesday 8th March.
My heart sank momentarily when Matt and I got to the train platform at 0610 to see the train for Manchester Airport pulling away. The next one wasn't for another hour, which was too late. But there was this slightly odd bloke who started telling us all about the trains - that the train to Manchester Piccadilly (change there for the airport - indeed, this was the train we'd intended to catch) would be along soon; everything we needed to know - but it didn't look like he himself was going to get on a train (and he certainly wasn't a railway employee). Perhaps he was just one of those much-ridiculed train spotters, and I've got an over-active imagination; but I just wonder whether he was, in fact, an angel...
Fair enough, an airport is a 24-hour bubble, but I was shocked at how many men were drinking pints of lager before 0900...a lot of Manchester United fans were flying to Milan to watch their team play AC Milan, and it was actually quite ugly and quite sad; I didn't feel threatened, but could easily have done...
It has been a glorious day all journey, with fantastic views from the plane windows. Denmark is so flat, a patchwork of snow-covered fields lined with wind turbines...The plane from Copenhagen to Gothenburg was small, and got battered by turbulance as we made our approach. My friend Leif met us at the airport, which really made my day, bringing a big smile to my face and my heart. It was great to catch up with him on the car ride to Ah.
Ah is a beautiful spot for a diocesan centre, which remains wonderfully tranquil despite being much-used. It was great to see some familiar faces, to be greeted like an old friend. and there was an incredible sunset over the bay. Mind you, these Swedes work themselves hard when it comes to meetings...I took the evening off to prepare for tomorrow.
Wednesday 9th March.
I can't express how good it feels to be here, like being with old friends, so welcoming and appreciative, so open to what I am bringing. and this place is so beautiful. It's also very significant in the history of the Swedish church. God has been doing a work here since the 1930's. In the 1980's church leaders like David watson and John Wimber spoke here - and now I'm standing on the same stage; it's a strange feeling!
The theme of the conference is, "Continue to build the church." In the morning I did a three-hour session (that includes Leif interpreting everything I said into Swedish, a short break in the middle, and group-time towards the end) on equiping the church for mission by helping people identify how God has made them (as apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher), understanding how each one relates to the others, and releasing people to operate within these roles. Many people found it helped make a lot of sense of their own situation - especially the younger guys. In the afternoon I had a seminar, which I did as a question-and-answer consultation, to help people start to apply the principles I had spoken about to their particular contexts. It was well attended - they really wanted to engage.
Matt is having a fantastic time too, really engaging with the young adults - snowball throwing on the shore...
Thursday 10th March.
Again, I'm just enjoying being here so much. And what I am bringing is clearly being met with much appreciation. People keep thanking me, but I feel like I'm the priveleged one.
Another three-hour morning session followed by a seminar to help start to apply the principles. This time, on growing missional communities - the "middle-sized" everyone-involved expression of church life that has been lost in Europe as congregations have focused solely on the front-led celebration dimension of church life for centuries.
Hans and Leif have asked me to consider coming and doing a youth conference they would organise specially in Gothenburg, and also to work with some churches when I'm here - both of which I would love to do. So relationships really seem to be taking off. And I've enjoyed talking with some of the youth workers again today.
I've spoken with Jo, Susannah and Noah on the phone each day. Apparently Noah waved goodbye today when I said, "I'll see you soon. Goodbye!" How cute?! It will be great to see them all tomorrow night...
Friday 11th March.
The conference ended at lunch today, and it was good to stay until then even though I wasn't doing anything official today. After a quick lunch, we were driven to the airport (I know this is a bit childish, but I couldn't resist taking a photo of an IKEA store from the window of a Volvo - "when in Rome.." as Matt put it). The journey was fine, until we got to Heathrow when things started to descend into a farce of "how many times/in how many ways can we get lost?"...and then stopped being funny when our connecting flight to Manchester was delayed so that we took off from London at the time we were supposed to be landing. Which wouldn't have mattered so much if the kids hadn't come with Jo to the airport to pick us up. As it was, we got home - exhausted - at midnight (or, 0100 Swedish time).
Monday, March 07, 2005
Scandinavia
We spent the evening with our friends Louise, Jane and Christine, all of whom we are supporting in leading local church communities here in Sheffield (there are several other people who make up this group, including Louise's and Jane's respective husbands, who weren't with us tonight; and it felt good being a small gathering on this occasion.) They are a great bunch, whom we love very much.
Tomorrow morning we're getting up really early. Jo is giving Matt Broomhall and me a 6:00am lift to the train station, en route (via Manchester and Copenhagen) to Gothenburg. I get back late on Friday night (I'm unlikely to be able to post while I'm away). And I think I'll be doing much the same sort of thing there, just on a bigger (national conference!) scale...
Tomorrow morning we're getting up really early. Jo is giving Matt Broomhall and me a 6:00am lift to the train station, en route (via Manchester and Copenhagen) to Gothenburg. I get back late on Friday night (I'm unlikely to be able to post while I'm away). And I think I'll be doing much the same sort of thing there, just on a bigger (national conference!) scale...
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Weight In Gold
Ounce-for-ounce, natural vanilla essence is more costly than gold. In fact, ounce-for-ounce, I think that vanilla is the most expensive commodity in the world. It grows on an orchid - a bit like the orchids my dad grows in his sun room, except that this one has to grow longer than a house is high before it bears fruit...The raw product is rare - it cannot be cultivated on 'vanilla farms' - and the process of extracting the vanilla is a long and delicate one.
I was reminded today of a rare but precious commodity: encouragement.
Ounce-for-ounce, encouragement is more precious than vanilla. People grow in response to encouragement, in healthy ways that result in all sorts of good things. Without encouragement, no one would ever fulfil their potential, or even come anywhere near close to doing so. Unlike vanilla, encouragement can be cultivated. It's a costly work, but definitely worth it!
Be a commodity trader in encouragement, and you'll get a great return on your investment.
I was reminded today of a rare but precious commodity: encouragement.
Ounce-for-ounce, encouragement is more precious than vanilla. People grow in response to encouragement, in healthy ways that result in all sorts of good things. Without encouragement, no one would ever fulfil their potential, or even come anywhere near close to doing so. Unlike vanilla, encouragement can be cultivated. It's a costly work, but definitely worth it!
Be a commodity trader in encouragement, and you'll get a great return on your investment.
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Small Is Beautiful
I'm so proud of our kids. They've played together, and on their own, and with us, so happily today. And this evening we all went out to Ruth's birthday party - Happy Birthday for tomorrow, Ruth! - which ran from 5:00pm so families could come too (though we didn't get ourselves in gear soon enough to get there that early...). I watch Susie - shy with strangers at the moment, generally introvert like her dad - and Noah - always looking for an audience to perform to, a real extrovert dynamo - and feel so priveleged to be part of their lives, for them to be part of mine.
Friday, March 04, 2005
No Laughing Matter?
I don't go for charity marathon telephons or celebrity reality TV in general, but it's Comic Relief time of year again, and I do like Comic Relief. (Comic Relief does Fame Academy is running at present, from last weekend up till the Comic Relief night, a week today.)
I love the fact that comedy so often has a social conscience - indeed, in my opinion the best comedy does. I love the fact that making a difference doesn't have to be done with a stoical straight face. I am deeply moved by the clips of people I "know" from the TV visiting people I will never "meet" - in Africa, and the UK - whose lives have been changed for the better because of this movement: I find the balance of tears and laughter acheived with a wonderful touch (and I recognise that isn't easy to pull off), and I don't believe that it is at all emotionally manipulative. In the work of Comic Relief I see God's kingdom come, even though many of those involved might not recognise that. I'm glad that God's kingdom is bigger than His church. And I'm committed to see that kingdom grow and grow, in all of its life-bringing creativity.
On another track (though some people seem to find it funny...), my parents dropped into Sheffield today en route elsewhere and delivered the new kilt I had specially ordered when we were up in Glasgow at New Year. It might have to get a more regular airing than just black-tie events...
I love the fact that comedy so often has a social conscience - indeed, in my opinion the best comedy does. I love the fact that making a difference doesn't have to be done with a stoical straight face. I am deeply moved by the clips of people I "know" from the TV visiting people I will never "meet" - in Africa, and the UK - whose lives have been changed for the better because of this movement: I find the balance of tears and laughter acheived with a wonderful touch (and I recognise that isn't easy to pull off), and I don't believe that it is at all emotionally manipulative. In the work of Comic Relief I see God's kingdom come, even though many of those involved might not recognise that. I'm glad that God's kingdom is bigger than His church. And I'm committed to see that kingdom grow and grow, in all of its life-bringing creativity.
On another track (though some people seem to find it funny...), my parents dropped into Sheffield today en route elsewhere and delivered the new kilt I had specially ordered when we were up in Glasgow at New Year. It might have to get a more regular airing than just black-tie events...
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Sleeping Beauty
When I got back home from work today, I found Jo and Noah fast asleep on the sitting-room couch. Bless.
Today felt flat, all day long. I felt unable to inspire other people with something I felt inspired by, and that felt like failure. (Of what, though? Did I let God down? No, he loves me for who I am, not what I do.)
But tomorrow is another day, a fresh start, a clean slate. And I get to spend it with Susie and Noah, while Jo has a relaxing break at the spa. I'm looking forward to it! (And my heavenly Father is looking forward to spending it with me, too!)
Today felt flat, all day long. I felt unable to inspire other people with something I felt inspired by, and that felt like failure. (Of what, though? Did I let God down? No, he loves me for who I am, not what I do.)
But tomorrow is another day, a fresh start, a clean slate. And I get to spend it with Susie and Noah, while Jo has a relaxing break at the spa. I'm looking forward to it! (And my heavenly Father is looking forward to spending it with me, too!)
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Prayer and Parable
I had an interesting conversation this afternoon with a vicar visiting Sheffield from Kings Lynn, on prayer and disciplined patterns of prayer. He's been thinking about such things since he visited the Millennium Dome in 2000, and observed how many people visiting the Spirituality Zone were attracted to Eastern religions, specifically because of their sense of discipline in meditation and/or prayer. I lamented the fact that few of the visitors would be aware of the similar prayer disciplines within the Christian tradition, because those traditions were among the many good babies thrown out with the dirty dishwater by successive Protestant reformations as the church first shaped, and then was shaped by, the Modern era of history (shaped both in colluding with and in opposing the spirit of the age). So now we have generations growing up in the West who inherently know there is something good in a disciplined rhythm of prayer, but are disconnected from Christian models - and who rightly recognise that a Christianity devoid of such things doesn't have much spiritual weight to it - and so look elsewhere...
On a similar vein, I'm off to Sweden next week, and one of the things I love about the Lutheran church there is its rich sense of sacrament, symbol, icon, ritual...the things of the church that evangelicals in the UK have tended to discard as (at best) anachronistic - which I guess they are to my parents' generation, but they aren't to mine. The emerging Post-modern cultures inherently operate at these levels, rather than at the 'logical' levels so valued by their elders. And the symbolism of the church is both a potential door, and potentially creates a habitable space beyond that door, for young adults that I find really exciting.
A re-discovered rhythm of prayer throughout the day, and re-discovered sense of rite and ritual, sacrament and symbol, are essential if we are to engage with our nation today and tomorrow.
On a similar vein, I'm off to Sweden next week, and one of the things I love about the Lutheran church there is its rich sense of sacrament, symbol, icon, ritual...the things of the church that evangelicals in the UK have tended to discard as (at best) anachronistic - which I guess they are to my parents' generation, but they aren't to mine. The emerging Post-modern cultures inherently operate at these levels, rather than at the 'logical' levels so valued by their elders. And the symbolism of the church is both a potential door, and potentially creates a habitable space beyond that door, for young adults that I find really exciting.
A re-discovered rhythm of prayer throughout the day, and re-discovered sense of rite and ritual, sacrament and symbol, are essential if we are to engage with our nation today and tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Light Fantastic
As I walked home from work today, the light was amazing - a golden glow, all the way from Park Hill Flats, Pitsmoor, the gas tower at Neepsend, the ski village, recycling depot, Parkwood Springs, Shirecliffe Edge. Fantastic!
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