I caught up with this via Jonny’s blog (he’s rightly having a proud dad moment) …. if you’ve not heard Harry’s poetry before… be prepared to be amazed!
grand salm poetry champ
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Author Archives: robryan65
The Boot!
Running the stall at yesterday’s boot fair was a pretty incredible experience. The team were amazing and engaged at various levels with various people.
The team did around 15 Ruach card readings which was a real surprise to us. I mean … we thought all along that the cards would attract people, but I guess we were surprised by the level of interest from people so early in the season. It seems the images and the style of reading attracted a variety of people – some who had a history of Tarot, to others just interested in the cards and wanted to engage with some way.
We offered the 4 winds of change reading where a card represents something from the persons character, another an aspect of their life’s journey, another a season of their life and finally a blessing card which is a gift of scripture from God. Reading after reading I heard people say things like ‘yes that’s right’ or ‘I would have chosen that cards as it’s so true about me’. Most people allowed us to pray with them before they went on their way, feeling blessed by God for the rest of their day.
More encouragement came from people who we met last year returning to get their Psalm Reading and then some of them engaged with beads or the Jesus Deck.
A highlight for me personally, apart from seeing the amazing team work together, was spending just a little time with a recovering heroin addict. This man asked for a blessing, so I anointed him with oil and prayed he would have strength each day. For some reason this man had a profound impact on me throughout the rest of the day which rests with me today as I write. I don’t know whether it was his childlike desperation, or his desire to move forward in his life, or just his simple trust that a few words from me and a dab of oil on his forehead could make any difference. I don’t know why this guy is still in my head … but if you are the praying type please pray for R … God knows who he is … and heroin being the evil bastard it is, it will not be easy for this guy.
So – a great first Boot … people were blessed ….. we were good news …. come see us next week!
the stall with no name yet returns ….
Today we start the stall that was perviously called ‘dekhomai’ at the Gillingham Boot Fair.
The team has grown a little. As with last year we are offering prayer for healing, Psalm Readings, Jesus Deck readings, blessings and Ruach Insight readings. I addition to this we are simply a group of people that believe in God, and come from a Christian tradition, who wish to welcome and be good news for people that we meet.
As well as being excited, I think we are all a little nervous. We have taken on a big commitment to have a presence here for around 12 weeks. That is 12 weeks of getting up at 5am on a Sunday morning to set the stall up at 6am when the boot fair opens. We then work until 12 before going home.
This years stuff:
Jesus Deck readings … you can see these here. We ask people to choose a card, look at the story from one of the gospels together and see if that resonates with the person in any way. We then offer to pray for them.
Ruach insight readings … Liz and myself hd training in this only last week … but we think this will work well in the boot fair setting. We shall see and stepping out means trying new things to see how they work. We will be looking at cards, asking if anything resonates or clicks with the person. At the end we will offer to pray with them.
Psalm readings … we have short quotes from psalms printed and laminated on different coloured card the size of a credit card. Each of these is placed upside down on a table and weighed down by a different stone or piece of pottery. We ask people to choose a card or stone they like the look of …. and then we read the psalm together, and ask if anything strikes or resonates with them. Then we offer to pray for them.
Prayer Beads … a card explaining this can be seen here. Guess what …. when the person has made the prayer cord we ask them if they would like us to pray for them.
Blessings … we are using John O’Donahue’s book of blessings. I have bookmarked some blessings such as ‘for a mum to be’ or ‘a new job’ or ‘for courage’. We ask the person to chose a blessing they would like from the book and then we pray that for them, offering to anoint them with oil as well. That already includes prayer.
I think prayer for healing is quite self explanatory … and we will be offering to pray!
You may have picked up the pattern that we offer to pray … we are also the only stall there that is not there to make money … everything we offer is free. That’s quite an important concept to us, as anything we give os from God … and God doesn’t charge for that so how can we!
So … please … if you do pray … this morning please pray for this team venturing out to serve people. Better still, if you are nearby … please come say hello, see what we are doing, have a reading , buy us tea and bacon …. or whatever.
I’m really looking forward to seeing what God does today …
alliance or compliance?
I didn’t have much of a handle on the news yesterday, but was both shocked and saddened to learn that after months of discussions the EA has ended the membership of Oasis. The EA statement may be read in its entirety here. There are various articles around the web: Church Times, Christianity magazine, and Oasis has issued a response statement here.
What have Oasis done … a massive amount of great transforming mission across the world, works hard to make a positive impact in addressing people traffiking in this country, hard work to becomes the sponsor of 20 academies in the UK, 13 hubs across the UK in communities where transformation needs to happen; in addition to planting the seed of missional dna in the lives of thousands of people who they have trained, worked with and given opportunities to.
But …. if you are on the board of the Evangelical Alliance all that transformation of communities and individual persons lives that Oasis has invested in amount to nothing when it comes to membership of the EA.
And why? All because Steve Chalke has done some serious theological thinking and arrived, where many other Christians are, to a point where he can confidently say that God is an inclusive God. Because Steve sees no problem in scripture with loving committed homosexual relationships it seems that Oasis is no longer welcome round the table. You can remind yourself of Steve views by going here.
This is pretty bizarre for an organisation with a strapline of ‘we are better together‘. The EA picture here also grates a little … because clearly EA are not here for ‘you’ unless you agree and comply totally with what they think to be truth. I would suggest, as well, that this inclusive picture is pretty misleading in light of their Oasis stament. Their statement includes the words ‘they were unwilling to fulfil the council’s request to adjust the content of their website/resources and social media output to equally profile the traditional Christian view.’
So … if we look at this pragmatically, this group do not really want an alliance …. they want compliance, all agreeing every fine detail before acceptance is issued. I’m so glad I don’t believe in a God like that … what a horrendous image, God who wants you to be just like everyone else, believe all the right things, and behaving in certain ways. The God outside of this is a God of grace, a God of love … a God of acceptance.
This coming so soon after the World Visiongate fiasco leaves me again questioning what this wing of the church, the wing I have grown up in, really sees as important. What is all this mission stuff about? Sadly, it seems to me that what is REALLY being said is that of paramount important is truth and agreeing what truth is, rather than lives transformed.
I don’t get that!
That’s not reflecting the Jesus of the gospels.
Steve has been very gracious in his response and says he is still an evangelical and I get that, but i think the name ‘evangelical’ is increasingly becoming a title that instils fear and confusion in others. I was actually asked a few weeks ago something like ‘you’re not one of those evangelical christians are you who want to spoil our fun and hate everyone?’ That saddened me as that statement crashes right against the original reason for the evangelical movement … to see peoples lives changed by the transforming power of God.
So …my response will be simple and little. I am cancelling my personal membership of the EA. The money they used to get from me, little that it is, will go to Oasis instead. I don’t wish to invest in arguing over what is right or wrong, I want to invest in the transformation of communities and lives.
Ironically …. I am only a member of EA because years ago Steve Chalke spoke from a platform somewhere and encouraged us to join to help make a difference … seems Steve Chalke is still serious about … I don’t believe the EA are anymore.
real protection
I have really found the Richard Rohr thought series very powerful and awakening this week. The series has been looking at the ‘loyal soldier’ within us, the person who is a bit like the older brother in the story of the prodigal son. The part part of our character that is bound by rules, that tells us how we should be and act and what we should believe … the part of our character that chooses to avoid taking on board that Christianity is a mystical matter because then it allows it to restrict it more comfortably to a moral, right and wrong, matter. That’s a lot easier to deal with and allows us to control who is in or out and gives us control over stuff we don’t really know how to control. But … while it’s ‘easy’ to try and live through rules that ‘protect’ us … faith with Christ means we do this by letting go and allowing him the space …
Today’s thought starts …
Early-stage morality seems to be determined by what some call the world of karma or some kind of equalization between debt and punishment, merit and reward. It seeks to create some “justice” between output and input, so the world can make sense to our small self. The Loyal Soldier voices that developed in our early childhood said, “You get what you deserve. You don’t deserve anything more than what you’ve earned and are therefore worthy of receiving.” This simple worldview likes “bad” people to be punished and “good” people to be rewarded.
go read it all here.
another great pub theo
We had a pretty good night at pub theo tonight. I really like the Dog and Bone and it seems to work perfectly for us as the staff are always friendly and Elayne is a great cook. Loads of chilli, rice, tacos, cheese and salsa tonight, (for just a fiver!) along with incredibly well kept beer at just £3 a pint, all adds to the great atmosphere this pub provides for us.
Our first question … ‘Does it matter if God exists or not?’ kept us going for around an hour. I think that is a record for pub theo. The conversation was diverse between those who have a faith and those who don’t and after lots of talk and laughter and argument we seemed to decide that the question was an important question. It was an important question, one of the big questions, and the question itself is probably more important than the answer.
Although … the answer is ‘yes’ of course ….. just joking to half of pub theo there ;-)!!!
It was good to see a good mix of people tonight with 3 new people alongside some of the regulars … as well as missing those who could not make it of course. People also came and went … there’s a bit of a Greek Orthodox church thing going on here where people dip in and out of ‘the liturgy’ as they wish to.
A large part of tonight, between questions, was general catching up with people socially. Pub theology seems to have produced a little community that like each others company … and I guess I never really expected that to happen … it wasn’t planned …. but I’m glad it is as it is because there is something special about the group of people that come to the pub to talk theology. I’m glad to be part of this group that is just interested in each other. Thank you.
The next pub theo falls in the bank holiday when everyone seems to go away … so there will not be a pub theo in May … the next one will be on Monday June 30th, 745 in the Dog and Bone …. put the date in your diary!
Ruach cards
I had a great day yesterday at a Ruach Cards training day with with one of my good friends, Andrea, from Sacred Space in Kingston.
The day was fun, informative, challenging, and engaging as we practiced giving and receiving ‘ruach insight readings’.. and most of all, for me personally, very much needed as I am ever searching for new ways to engage effectively with people outside the church. The opportunity, as well, to spend a day with like minded people who work on the edge and outside of church is always refreshing and I hadn’t realised how much I have missed this.
The cards are beautiful and, I think, give more options to engage with people than the Jesus Deck does. The boot fair ministry stuff all kicks off next week … and I think having Ruach and Jesus Deck available will just help us to engage with more people. They seem to offer a greater spectrum of possible engagement.
I have just returned from a kind of training session with the team for this years boot fairs.
As well as looking at the stuff we used last year and explaining how we work to the new team members we all had a brief look at the Ruach cards before 4 of us then retired to a local cafe to practice Ruach readings. This turned out to be an amazing time and I felt we all experienced a special moment when the youngest member of the team, a teenager, practiced with the cards and it became rapidly cler to all of us that this young person has a particular gift in this area. Why is it that those special God moments always take me by surprise?
So …. next week …. if you near the boot fair in Gillingham next week pay us a visit …. or of you want to get involved on the team … it’s still not too late … get in touch!
today….
I am mainly a …
the resurrection makes the difference ….
Empty
I have always been quite intrigued by Holy Saturday.
I always try to get inside the scene but it is quite a challenge.
Those disciples did not know Sunday was coming … but we do.
The sheer emptiness that the disciples must have felt is hard to fathom.
This year I have tried to get into this day a little more. The pain of absence and devastation is something I can relate to … but the pain I have experienced must, I think, pale into some form of insignificance when we consider the pain of those first disciples on this first Holy Saturday.
The pain must have been acute, and intense, inducing fear and confusion with masses of ‘what if’ questions and and ‘if only’ with a real unrational desire to pull the clock back to a much earlier time so that things could possibly be made different.
I wrote some words back in 2009 … and forgot about them …. and although they capture something of the day for me … I think they seem pretty hollow 5 years on.
If I could travel back 2000 years maybe I would be thinking…
Today is a day of total devastation
A day that carries a heaviness of heart
A sick feeling in the very depths of my existence
A day where I cannot stop tears flowing
As I search for meaning
Meaning in the face of death
death of the one who was to redeem
How do I pick up from here?
How do I move forward?
There was no plan B
total investment
this was it
finished
empty
dead
gone
.
But as I try to wallow in that …… I see a crack of light ….. because no matter how hard I try …. i do know Sunday is coming …..
but those first disciples
hiding in that room
they didnt …
to share it you gotta be it!
Bishop Graham Cray preached well this morning at the Chrism Eucharist. I not only liked the fact that he was brief and to the point, reminding us why we do what we do, but also because I think he hit home with quite a subtle comment.
He said something like our role, as church, is to share good news. He then said, ‘but first … before you can share good news … you need to be good news yourselves.‘
That’s pretty obvious … and I wonder whether the Christian faith is not attractive to lots of people because sometimes…. (just sometimes!!) … Christians look and sound so bloody miserable that people think …. ‘why would I join that lot?’ Ok … I’ll be honest …. it’s true … I know certain Christians that I don’t want to hang out with as they are pretty miserable …. and I’m sure some people think I am sometimes too!
So …. this Easter …. lets not just share the good news of the gospel …. lets think seriously about how we can be good news to those around us.
The Shiny Headed Prophet 