excerpt from my sermon

"...In the end she could find no compelling reason to stay with the Church. She was disappointed with God’s people. My heart sank as she proclaimed, “It was a real turn off actually.” I wondered where she was up to in relation to the living God now.


I know there would be some that would say that Christianity needs to be more hip and relevant if it is to make significant impact in today’s society. That we need more rock bands, cool haircuts and advertising slogans to give Christianity a good name. Many of you will have taken part in the recent, Jesus! All about life! campaign in the hopes that people would begin to receive a more positive message about our saviour and our religion; that people would get the message that Christians don’t have to be associated with formality, ritual or goody two-shoes-party-pooping-Saturday-nights-in-at-Bible-Study any more. We can be as hip, cynical and trendy as the next religion, so why don’t you join us, eh?


But if an attractive veneer is all that Christianity has to offer, what makes it any different from the myriad of other “fix-your-life-for-60-dollars-a-week” schemes people engage with to make themselves happy? In a world where icons compete with one another for the attention of your average punter, where the pressure to perform is high, whether its in your job, your marriage or even at church; in a world where substantial thinking, hospitality and spiritual disciplines are untaught and in some places unheard of, what do Jesus followers have to make them any different from the next salesman?

The earliest Christians lived in just such a world and they stood out like..."

Do you think they'd let me preach it anywhere? I promise the exegesis is halfway decent! incidentally... I have just finished my exegesis course... three assignments to go. WOOP WOOP

surrender?

Thomas Henry Huxley in a letter to Charles Kingsley, September 23, 1860

"Science seems to me to teach in the highest and strongest manner the great truth that is embodied in the Christian conception of entire surrender to the will of God. Sit down before the fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever end Nature leads, or you shall learn nothing... I have only begun to learn content and peace of mind since I have resolved at all risks to do this."

This theory encapsulates one part of my team experience this year fairly well. To surrender my assumptions and previous 'knowledge' and see where the next step takes me. It isn't about turning off your mind, because you need to keep your wits about you as you go if you wish to avoid making stupid mistakes.

Rather it has been about learning to step out of fear into an unknown future, a future I can trust will be good.

single mindedness

I read a book this week, ‘the Stranger House’ by Reginald Hill. A ripper of a story, though perhaps a little sensational in parts. Being on the point of finishing a two year course for which I made a commitment to ‘single-mindedness’, the bolded sentence struck me almost as an epiphany, and I had to stop reading.

After experiencing a romantic humiliation, Mig, who has recently left his training for the catholic priesthood, recalls his mentor's words:

“Father Dominic, talking of the vow of chastity, had said that it had nothing to do with morality as many have supposed, and everything to do with the power of sex to cloud judgement, squander energy, divert the will.”

Its a pretty good summary of those times in the last two years when I forgot to be single minded. I’m not sure what I think of it all. Maybe its just part of the learning curve? I'm certainly glad that I don't have to have all the answers today!

Grace be with us earthlings as we learn to love each other well.

extract from 'The Stranger House' by Reginald Hill

I'll hold a trembling hand

God uses people to perform his work. He does not send angels. Angels weep over it, but God does not use angels to accomplish His purposes. He uses burdened broken-hearted weeping men and women

David Wilkerson

Yellena

is a conifer tree
Anne Marie is the stars.

I am so full of shit and yet they want to hear me talk. I love to be with them, to watch a small act of kindness from one to the other - as she reaches out to her friend. I like to imagine myself like them, and I love to love and love them. Tonight I felt enfolded in friend-i-ness. I am so glad there is enough love in the world to save all the hurting people.

My life is like a waking dream
and the good God is on my side.
everything will be alright...


the picture is called someday and it is from a different Yellena @ Yellena.com, and the bit of a ditty is one of Gil's songs. It makes me verrah happeh!

the great soul

Today I was looking at a website of World Prayers. My thoughts were provoked. I came across these words from the Mahatma. He was indeed a "great soul"...

Wealth without work,
Pleasure without conscience,
Knowledge without character,
Commerce without morality,
Science without humanity,
Worship without sacrifice, and
Politics without principle.

the seven deadly sins - mahatma gandhi

A friend of mine admitted to the fact that she and a friend of hers had a pet name for the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in England (was it Leicester?). ieeeee, it made me laugh. Lets just say it reminded them of a character of LoTR. They felt very bad when they realised just whom was represented!

http://www.worldprayers.org/frameit.cgi?/archive/prayers/invocations/may_the_road_rise_up.html

heiiiii ye gaeiiin? yeeei good

Tonight I learned of the peaceful swastika, the Japanese fireman who tries to blow out fire with one eye closed, the influences of midget artist Toulouse-Latrec and the traditional Newcastle greeting, "Heiii ye gaeiiin?" (How ya goin?) to which the traditional reply is, "Yeeei good." (yeah good). Apparently it is ok to dwell on the yeeeeei for as long as you like before emitting a clipped 'good'. Thanks to Nick L for insights, Jas and Noah for being a two headed slug (silvery flaccid), and Jen for general beauty and gorgeous fun. Oh! and good beer - I love my friends.