lots of thoughts and no time

I have loads of thoughts meandering around in my head at the moment.
Sunday night at Moot, Ian challenged us to think about how we were living – were we living at our edges or at our centres.

I kind of relised that I have been at the edge for such a long time that I have lost the grasp of what my centre is, my core being, who I am in Christ, who I am in myself. Somehow I need to regain a perspective by retreating from the edge and attempting to re-establish where I am.

But not just now … tomorrow I have a busy day to look at Love Gillingham, beofre driving to Cambridge and then Newmarket to catch up with the excellent YFC people the before coming back home to watch Gillingham play football (in the looser sense of the word!)

I’m writing this here as a commitment to myself to refocus, rediscover, relign myself with my centre. I’m writing here in a kind of accountable way: maybe if you see me around you can ask me how this re-centreing is going.

Billy Graham at 85

I was sen this amazing story yesterday by good friend Rachael:

In what might prove to be the crowning achievement of an illustrious career
in ministry, the 87-year-old evangelist, Billy Graham shocked the 16,300 in
attendance at the Celebration of Hope crusade in New Orleans Arena on
Sunday Night. Touted in advance as possibly his last evangelistic crusade,
Graham invited the packed house of evangelical Christians and the hundreds
of new converts to join him on the one mile walk from the arena to New
Orleans’ infamous Bourbon Street.

“While we have seen God do tremendous things here the past couple of
evenings. Yes, it is true that a great healing and a great many salvations
have occurred within the confines of this auditorium. Still yet, there lies
a great mountain in this city which needs to be conquered.”

Then taking from the Biblical Book of Joshua Chapter 14 he read, “I am this
day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this Day as on the day
that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for
war, both for going out and for coming in. Now therefore, give me this
mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day,” his voice suddenly sounding
more forceful than during his 22 minute sermon.
“I last preached in the City of New Orleans in 1954 and I felt then that
There was some unfinished business. Tonight, in what very well might be my
last evangelistic service, I aim to finish that business and lead as many
of you that would follow me to the multitude of lost souls that fill
Bourbon Street tonight.

That is my mountain ! That is where we shall see the harvest!” said Graham
as the stadium erupted in cheers that lasted the next several minutes.
Utilizing a waiting mobility scooter, the elder Graham joined his son and
heir to the ministry, Franklin across the Arena floor and through the
opened doors leading towards the French Quarter. In a show of solidarity
and determination reminiscent of civil rights marches of the 1960’s, nearly
the entire capacity crowd joined in the 20 minute trek while singing, “When
the Saints Go Marching In”.

As the march crossed Canal Street and headed northward towards Bourbon
Street, many onlookers stood in stunned silence as the massive crowd of
people began singing in unison the Christian hymn, Amazing Grace. Upon
entering the west end of Bourbon Street, Billy Graham was soon recognized
by partiers.

soon those joining in the march began to approach those partying on Bourbon
Street with the Gospel message that they had heard preached just a half
hour before. Graham himself joined with a group of local street evangelist
in ministering to a man who had survived Hurricane Katrina in the lower 9th
Ward.
Within 30 minutes the entirety of Bourbon Street was packed with
Christians and the once blaring music of nightclubs and strip joints had
been replaced by weeping and worship as people poured out their drinks and
sought prayer from the Christians who were now reaching out to them. “I
have never seen anything like this in my life,” said 20 years New Orleans
Police Department veteran, Tom Phillips. “This is unbelievable! We thought
a riot was going to break out, but this looks more like a revival than a
riot!”

Two hours later, a glowing Graham sat back down on his scooter and smiled.
“Now I know how the Apostle Paul must have felt at the end of his ministry.
Do the work of an evangelist; make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now
ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought
a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”

Hours later hundreds of Christians remained on the street ministering to
the many people eagerly waiting to receive prayer and ministry. New
Orleans will never be the same. And the press remained mute on this “news
item?”

Spread the news. It cost our elder brother, Billy Graham, more than any of
us know to make that effort.
The least we can do it publicize it.

JESUS IS LORD!!

split personality sunday

An interesting day where I have wondered at the church and whether it can cause a split personality.

Today I have been in 2 locations, both being Anglican in nature.

This morning I led worship at St Marks. I think what we did seemed to work well. I think I was very Anglican and we had a lengthy time of sung worship, as that is what a number of St Mark-ers like to do.

This evening I sat in an excellent MOOT service thinking about accountability. There was no singing, it was very meditative and held in a building from the Anglo Catholic tradition.

Both were great, both were very different. I was challenged in both in completely, but certainly not totally separate, ways.

During the drive home I started to reflect on where God’s role for me is going to be taking me in 18 months time. Today I experienced worship that was poles apart (although not extremely apart), and I enjoyed both and see that both are needed and are appropriate. Whether both are usually appropriate to the same person should not be strange as we all have different needs and preferences at different times.

Looking ahead, I am not sure I wish to be pushed to a pole, to an extremity or right to the edge. That does not seem quite right. I think that being at extremities is dangerous and can result in harmful practice, maybe even to eventual heresy. It is also at these extremes that I seem to find people who think they are right and that everyone else is wrong.

One of the things I have loved about MOOT is that I have not met anyone like this at all. The community enjoys its style, but it is the most open community to change that I have ever been involved in I have not met anyone who thinks they are totally correct. I have only tended to find that attitude amongst people in the established church(es).

The extremes of worship need to be held in tension, but also I wonder if we need to find a both/and middle ground. Do we need to be either charismatic or meditative, can’t we be both? Do we need to be evangelical or liberal; why can;’t we be both?
Why can’t we have a unity in our wonderful mix of diversity?

Saturday stuff

Dropped the boys off at footie training this morning and welcomed Sarah back from the night hike before she finished decorating the kitchen. It is now totally transformed.

While she did this I put the finishing touches on the service I am leading tomorrow morning at St Marks. Leading is not my favourite activity (it is much easier to speak or start a discussion) but the ideas seem to come quicker now.

This afternoon I saw Charlotte’s Web with the boys at the Odeon in Chatham. An ok film which sticks close to the book from what I can remember, although the American change from Somerset to Somerset County grated with me a little.

I have just updated the Flikr photos – they are from Christmas so I guess I have been a bit behind!

A good friday

Today has been a good day.
Beth and Joehad great friends over to play.
Sarah has decorated the kitchen and it looks outstanding.
I have written tose other 2499 words and completed an essay on infant baptism as I can’t do the one that is actually due next week!
Tonight Sarah is on a night hike and I have ended the week by having a great chat with Gary and made a good dent in a bottle of Bowmore malt!

"I have seen with my own eyes…"

“I have seen with my own eyes the result of foreign investment in Burma.
More soldiers, more guns, more rapes and more killings.”
Zoya Phan – Burmese refugee from the Karen ethnic minority

URGENT ACTION – WRITE TO IAN MCCARTNEY – FOREIGN OFFICE MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR BURMA

For more than ten years the British government has refused to ban new investment in Burma, despite repeated requests from Burma¹s democracy movement. The regime in Burma has used foreign investment to double the size of the army, reinforcing its grip on power, while ordinary people have become poorer.

Since 1988, Britain has been one of the largest investors in Burma, largely because many foreign companies use places like the British Virgin Islands to channel their investment to Burma. The British government could stop this, but refuses to do so. One of the excuses the government uses for doing nothing is that there is no evidence that investment is still happening.

Well now there is. On the 21st January, media reported that MPRL E&P Ltd, based in Singapore but registered in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), had signed a contract with the regime to explore for gas. The response from the British government? NOTHING.

Then on February 8th Xinhua news agency reported another BVI company, Rimbunan Petrogas, Ltd, has just signed a gas deal with the regime. The response of the British government? NOTHING.

THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IS ALLOWING INVESTMENT IN BURMA THAT WILL HELP ARM THE REGIME AND LEAD TO MORE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES.

Please write to:
Ian McCartney
Minister of State
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
King Charles St
London SW1A 2AH

Ask the Minister to immediately ban new investment in Burma via the British Virgin Islands and other Overseas Territories. (The government can do this using a mechanism called a Queens Order in Council)

Ask the minister to introduce legislation that will also enable the government to ban British companies from investing in Burma (Labour is the only major political party in the UK that does not support a unilateral investment ban)

Find out more about the campaign to stop new investment in Burma here

exciting times


Exciting times ahead for my friend Andy called to use his skills in the world of politics.
please pray for him.
Odd how exciting times for some can be sad times for others.
Read more here.

on my way to Guantanamo

Today I was the 17205th person to join the Amnesty International flotilla to Guantanamo Bay. I wonder how long it will take me to get there as my chosen method of transport is a windsurfer?
You can join me here.

Valentines Day

cartoon from www.weblogcartoons.com

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

my essay

I hate essays!
I fail to understand how they help show my understanding. I believe all they show is that I can construct a logical argument and that have read some books. A few days after writing the essay it is very easy to forget the arguments I’ve written about.I’d much prefer a short interview to test my understanding which I am sure would be more fun to mark and more helpful in the learning process even if more stressful.

So … one of my current essay titles:

In the light of modern scholarly understanding of the history of Christian initiation, is it possible to present a convincing theology of infant baptism?

errr … YES!

now, why do I need to write another 2499 words?