One of the joys of the web is the mass of stuff out there to draw on from reflections to sermons to thoughts for the day. Over the last year I have really come to appreciate and be challenged by Nadia’s words as I have by the speakers of Mars Hill in Michigan (definitely not the Seattle one!) while the podcasts from Moot have always helped me to stay earthed when I can’t get there to join with my Moot friends myself (which sadly seems to be increasingly more common).

I particularly like to pause at some point in the day with the reflections from Richard Rohr which Sister Diane, my spiritual director, suggested I might find useful. She was right! Rohr has a great way with words and biblical truth that have, on occasions, helped to think deeply into some verse or thought. I am particularly looking forward to the next few months as outline by Richard Rohr here, which sound like they will be a bit of a mix of Father Richard’s wisdom entwined with some practical spiritual practice. This looks good and you can sign up to have an email sent to you each day here.

So … 2014 …. here we go …

So we are at the last day of the year. In many ways it has flown by, in other ways it seems to have taken an age to get through.

There have been highlights of amazing weddings in Seattle and Gillingham Pier, of great progress with our Rhythm of Life in the gathering, joy and relaxation in Antigua and of making new friends and finally, after years of prayer, finding the Barnabas type friends in the shape of a great family who encourage me masses, and whom I am able to encourage too, which is really amazing.

There have been the lows of the frustrations of things take so long to develop, the feelings of failure I hit when I left the prison as it simply was not for me, the sadness of being misunderstood and seen as a threat by others in the area, the hindrance of not having the resources to help people in real need as well as the dissatisfaction with the ‘I don’t have a real job / single income stream thing’.

It’s impossible to sum up a whole year in a length of words that people would be willing to read but, in the main, I look back on a year of amazing positives and blessings and encouragements.

As I was Examen reflecting this evening I realised two words have cropped up over and over again in the last 6 or 7 months. The words ‘grace‘ and ‘vulnerability‘. They have cropped up in such a way that I think, on reflection, I need to dig into them more early on in the new year.

For now …. you, my friends, may I wish you a Happy New Year …. and may your New Years Eve celebrations by joyous and merry!

Often people ask me what we are trying to achieve with the gathering.
I think this picture pretty much sums it up.
I might think about adding a few words to the last sentence so it becomes ‘You are welcome in God’s house and equally free with everyone else to get involved, or not, as well as receive’.

Part of our vision which some people seem to raise an eye over is our inclusive outlook. Actually, that inclusivity has sometimes shocked people when they have joined us. It’s an inclusivity that says ‘if we believe God has brought us together as a group of people, then we want to listen and learn from each other.’ We don’t have a policy of needing to attend the gathering for a certain amount of time before getting involved in leading worship or speaking … people are free to be involved when they want. That freedom also extends to being able to not get involved as just ‘be’ as well.

Someone asked me a few months ago how somebody ‘joins’ the gathering. I responded by saying people are ‘part’ (whatever that means) of the gathering when they decide they are part of the gathering. There is no membership form or statement to sign up to. It is true that we are currently writing our rhythm of life, and this will be something we aspire to live our lives by as a community and as individuals – but, again, whether people do this or not will not a requirement of being part of the community.

All has got to mean all … I don’t think I understand any other way.

Richard Rohr’s thought really speaks to me in my situation at this present time:

I wonder if I had a divine dew experience yesterday morning? After preaching at a local church a person who works in a  government department looking to encourage high streets to use their empty shops creatively was very interested in our vision to have a sanctuary and support type space in Gillingham. This may lead nowhere …. but after 16 months of patiently waiting it could be taken as a indication from God that we are at least connected.