Monthly Archives: March 2011

simply hanging out or prayer?

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Normally on Mondays we have a staff meeting.
Yesterday was chapter which meets for the day once a month.

I’m not a member of chapter so on these Monday’s I have started to have a prayer morning. I have become conscious of the need to pray more in what I am doing – it’s quite strange how it seems since being ordained I have prayed less than when I worked with YFC … and that can’t be right, can it?!

Yesterday morning I prayed. There was silence, there was asking for guidance, there was praying for people from the gathering and the places I hang out.

I was hoping that God would give me some revelation.
I was hoping God may give me a picture, a verse, a vision … but
God was silent!
God said nothing!
nought!
zilch!

I gave up a morning to pray …. and God was silent.

Silence …. but not nothing!
I came from the morning ‘refreshed’
ready to get on with things!

God was there, well God is always there … that’s obvious
But yesterday morning, in my simple action of slowing down to pray,
I became much more aware of God with me
God never said anything
But I felt I could hear God breathing
God listening
God waiting

Was I praying?
Or was I just hanging out with my creator?
Is there even a difference?

Burma update

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the latest update from Burma Campaign UK

Dear friend

10th March is Ko Mya Aye’s 44th birthday. A leader of the 88 Generation Students, he has been in jail since 2007 for his role in the uprising that year, serving a 65 year jail term. The UN has ruled that his detention is arbitrary and illegal. Arbitrary detention is in violation of Article 7 of the Rome Statute. It is a crime against humanity. There are more than 2,100 political prisoners in Burma.

Please take action to persuade the European Union to support a UN Inquiry into crimes against humanity in Burma

Take Action – email European governments
So far ten European countries support an inquiry. If we can get four more to support, we will have more than half of EU members supporting an Inquiry. Our first targets are Denmark, Latvia, Sweden and Luxembourg.
Take action here now!

London Protest Thursday 10th March 2011 at six European Embassies
On 10th March, Wai Hnin, daughter of Ko Mya Aye, will be leading a protest visiting the embassies of six European countries which have failed to publicly support a UN inquiry into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma. The countries are Sweden, Latvia, Norway, Luxembourg, Germany and Denmark. Wai Hnin will be handing in a letter to each embassy, asking why they are not taking action to support her father and other political prisoners in Burma.

Please join us for a protest at European embassies in London to persuade the European Union to support a UN Inquiry into crimes against humanity in Burma
Meet: 11am sharp, outside The Globe Pub, Opposite Baker Street tube station. Don’t be late!

First stage: Walk together to Swedish and Latvian Embassies, hand in letter and short protest. Back to Baker Street tube approx 11.30am.
Public transport to Hyde Park Corner
Second Stage: Approximately 12 noon. Walk together to embassies of Norway, Luxembourg, Germany and Denmark.
Ends: Approximately 1pm.
Thank you for your support.

Anna
Burma Campaign UK

Support our work: Donate to the Burma Campaign UK and make a difference today.
You can be sure your donation will make a difference. Supporting the Burma Campaign UK is one of the most effective ways of supporting the struggle to free Burma.

join us at sweeps …

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The Sweeps Festival is not far away and is on the weekend after Easter, Sat 30th April until Monday 2nd May.

Last year we ran Dekhomai, an MBS stall, offering a variety of things to help people connect with God. We offered hand and foot massage, prayer for healing, prayer cords and used The Jesus Deck. This year I hope to be able to offer the same over the 3 days of the festival and maybe look at dream interpretation too.

This will be the third time of running the stall inside the cathedral, at the feet of a window that has a stained glass image of St. Florian who just happens to be the patron saint of sweeps and fire fighters. Each time we have run the stall we have been amazed at what God has done in the the lives of people. It has been amazing just to sit back and watch God at work, it has been humbling to be trusted with peoples stories and it’s been amazing to think our willingness to listen has been used in some way.

This is a recruitment post!
I am looking for more people to get involved by offering to be around for a morning or an afternoon (or a whole day if you like) on the stand.
Do you like people?
Are you willing to listen?
Are you happy to offer to pray with someone?
that’s all it takes …. if you are interested then get in touch!

I look forward to hearing from you ….

don’t be disapointed

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Ian Mobsby has been speaking this week at the Episcopal Village event in Boston. He writes today about one of the frustrations I and many others experience in reaching those disillusioned with church when we are attempting to reach those outside the church.

Ian ends with these words: ‘don’t be disappointed that what you are doing seems to attract the dechurched and not the unchurched, just maybe this is the starting place to build community to be able to reach out to the churched effectively.’

read more here.

so … this is what all the fuss is about

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Following on from my last post this is what all the fuss is about – Rob Bell’s introduction / questioning from his latest book, Love Wins.
Via the comments Helen linked to Fred’s blog which is worth a read too – as is the full paper from NT Wright here.

What are people so afraid of here?

don’t they ever learn?!!

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There is one type of Christian that winds me up ….. those that are always ready to jump on a band wagon and condemn something before they have even seen it or experienced it.

In my youth there were those who campaigned against the Life of Brian saying it was ‘blasphemous’. I remember talking to some in school (it was a long time ago!) asking if they had seen it ‘no!’, they said, ‘we’ve been told its blasphemous and so we won’t … and neither should you!’. Well I did and it is still one of my very favourite films.

More recently we saw those campaigning against the Harry Potter stories with a local church school actually banning the book in schools because it was ‘evil’. Again I asked ‘have you actually read any of the stories?’ ‘No!’, they responded ‘it’s evil so we are not going to put ourselves at risk and read that …. and neither should you!’ Well, I did, and watched the films and they are excellent. And … all along these were ‘resurrection’ stories.

In the last few days the lates thing for such people to campaign against is Rob Bell’s latest book ‘Love Wins’. Apparently it’s heretical. Rob Bell has become a heretic. It’s dangerous to read. Yuu can find some comments here, whereas Maggi talks sense here.

But back to those people complaining about the book and saying it should not be read – don’t even bother asking them if they have actually read it or know what’s in it ….. they can’t … it’s not even released until March 31st!

words or bubbles or spirals?

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It has been a different couple of days for me.

Yesterday I returned to the head office of YFC in Halesowen. Walking through the door after 2 and a half years was kinda weird but it was great to see old faces and catch up with a few people. I was invited to join the board of YFC a little while back and yesterday at the AGM I was voted on. I am not sure what I can contribute – but I hope I can be helpful from a local centre point of view after being director at Gillingham YFC for around 10 years.

At the board meeting I was excited to hear about the changes in YFC, particularly the greater emphasis on local incarnational ministry along with a vision to work with others to see young people experiencing faith rather than just hearing about it. This is a challenge …. but I am convinced experience is really the only way!

Today I have been at the university all day as part of my ongoing curate training. Today we were looking at legal issues associated with weddings and funerals. This was led by the Archdeacon of Tonbride, Clive Mansell, in a good interactive day which I found quite useful (despite being sceptical before the start of the day!)

This evening we have just met as a small group (called the imagination guild) to plan our next gathering looking at the theme of ‘birthing a church’ and using Acts 2 as our bible text. This was a good creative time after we initially struggled with what we thought the passage and the theme was all about. I was quite excited with the outcome of the guild and we think we will be able to link this into our easter gathering which will happend at sunrise on Easter Morning.

So … and exciting couple of days … tomorrow is back to a normal kind of routine which I am really looking forward to. But … looking back it does make me smile … a lot of the time I feel that I seem to have to try to co-exist in different worlds, or, as someone pointed out today, different bubbles ….I wonder though whether I am slowly starting to see that everything I am involved in is connected in a spiral type way. By that I think i mean that the stuff I do does not immediately seem to fit together, but as I visit the same area over and over again from a slightly different perspective I start to see the connections all over the place.

CMS pioneer training

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The CMS prospectus for the Pioneer Mission Leadership training are published as it the website.

Jonny was able to give a few of these out at the tautoko weekend and it looks very good – I wish there had been a course like this available when I had been training as I would definitely have applied.

So – if you are looking for training here – check this out! If you are quick you could also get to one of the open days today or tomorrow to check it our further.

pub theo select few

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Pub Theology happened last night …. a smaller select gathering of 5 who had a varied discussion on a few things starting with the equal opportunities stuff that has been in the news and moving on to other various things.

A bunch of people chatting over a beer or two is just quite great thing to be able to do … shame it’s a whole month to the next one!

so … start thinking about what to discuss next time.