just the rev

Well New Wine beckons. A lot of it might not sit comfortably with me and where I am at but am learning not to let that bother me and focus on the uplifting stuff. I don't believe in stages, pulpits or lecterns anymore. Christians seem to driven by performing or by being entertained more and more these days - neither seems to have much to do with the gospel. I used to ache for the limelight and be wowed by the Christian celebrities.....hoping to see past all that crud at new wine to the main man.

now that I am in the business of tarting my blog up with pics I am aware how easy it is to presume that looks/image are everything. i will endeavour to keep things real and simple - which should not be too difficult for a chap like moi. Thanks to George for his patient tution with the pic posting process!

I am experimenting with pictures to brighten up my blog!

Came across this a while ago and being a dreamer I still find it inspiring:

Today
Today
is a new start, and an old finish.
A place where tomorrow meets yesterday, where the old and new gather, the
point at which two great imaginary oceans meet. White water, under currents,
danger, beauty.
Of course, from here we have the beauty of hindsight, a vantage point from
which to see the past, to chart how very far we’ve come.
And we can always try, at least, to peer forward into the mists of tomorrow,
to plot our future course.
But what of now?
Do we have a vision for the here today, before it’s gone tomorrow?
A glimpse of presence? Can we see what... or who... today holds?
Perhaps we have dreamed for too long in the darkness of the night, with our
eyes closed shut. We have dreamed of far away things, beyond our reach,
beyond our comprehension.
As I open my eyes to the world of today, let me dream day dreams.
Today dreams.
For this is where I belong: right here, right now. I always will do.
Forever becoming, forever being transformed into the likeness of Another.
Of One who walked before me - who lived and loved before me. Who lived and
died before me. Who stands before me now, as I stand before him:
Alpha and Omega, the great I Am, who Is and was before the world was made.
Who is, and who always will be.
A presence that stretches from as far as the eye can see into the smallest
detail of the most insignificant day. That stretches from Eden to Sodom to
Calvary to God knows where and then right on to me. Here. Now.
God is present. God is with us. God is present, and I am present with God.
May I live this day as if it were holy.
May I love this day as if someone had loved me enough to die.
May I cherish each waking moment as if it were my first.
May I dream of transforming my relationships, my community and my world
before they’ve slipped away.
May I dream of tomorrow, while dreaming for today.
Amen.
copyright 2003 Brian Draper

The summer is a good time to dream. Today is a good time to dream. And when you dream, make sure you dream big.

been well impressed with an article called 'spirituality on the road'. here's a snippet for you:
"From the Temple to the Wilderness

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea." - Antoine de Saint Exupery
The tabernacle was built for the wilderness. The wilderness is always a metaphor for danger. Like the road, it is a place of wild animals and bandits, unpredictable and wild. The spirituality of the Temple will never carry us through the wilderness, and the wild places are where we need to be as we transition toward the city we haven’t seen. A spirituality for exiles is predicated on insecurity because we no longer need outward points of reference... buildings, rituals or even necessarily designated leaders. We want to live in spirit and in truth, and we share a common Leader. It's a subversive spirituality, a communal spirituality and a spirituality of emergence."
if you want to find the rest of this article and some other pretty interesting stuff then check out http://www.allelon.org/main.cfm
not sure the diocese has quite got its head around being in the wild places.........

fountain was top. my bro Charlie and his wife made it up for the experience which was just fab. having dipped our toes in the waters of merging church and alt.worship feels like now is the time to wade a little deeper in and I have this funny feeling that there might be a serious cost to doing so. But I also feel there is no going back and I am hungry for more. So your prayers would be much appreciated. Mark, Simon and I are working on a paper entitled "the story so far...." and when it feels right we will probably bung it on our blogs and maybe on a fountain website.

did a funeral yesterday of a golf fanatic and was impressed by the golf club turn out at the service. As the service unfolded and the club president spoke I realised that this group did community in a way that put us Christians to shame. Jesus spoke about the world having their spiritual eyes opened because of our love for each other but I encountered yesterday an awesome loyalty love respect and commitment I have rarely encountered in church communities. So, as much as I am looking forward to the fountain, tomorrow what we have planned is of little consequence. The key is in the relationships and not what we present. Willow Greek mentor Gilbert Bilezikain puts it like this: "The Mission of God does not happen unless we become the community as God intended it."

have been challenged to think of what our vision and values are for the fountain....am really relying on my mate Mark's enormous brain!looking forward to fountain fellowship and worship this Sunday. hope people are coming!

feeling more human than i have done for some time.

in the words of psalm 124:2
" if the Lord had not been on our side....
the flood would have engulfed us
the torrent would have sept over us."

if we are going to get the burst of creativity and imagination that the church needs to become relevant and dangerous again then we are going to need to take time. we are going to need to allow ourselves and others time.

I need to build some sabbath time into my life. I need to waste some time. God wasted time on the 7th day.

Yes here it comes wise words from the man Sweet ...
" we have as a Pilot one who sleeps in the back of boats. when 'nothing' is happening, something is happening."

be kind to yourself and waste some time and as you do find that wasted space is God's space.

just so you know the hospital visit went ok. Looks as though I have no infection (which means I have been arsing around taking antibiotics for 5 weeks for no reason at all!!...the doctors don't always have the answer!)but I do need a hernia op soon. Feel emotionally more balanced (i think) but as tired as ever. thank you if you've been praying - you're a diamond.

a lot of new worship stuff is not particualrly new and leaves me a bit bored....the jury is still out on matt redman's latest cd however the song 'facedown' is peachy and I thoroughly recommend it.

Mr Sweet's book continues to inspire and challenge. Here's a bit more from the chap: "Since I have moved from being learned to a leaner, here's how I'm learning a living:
1. when I was learned, life was a quiz show. Now that I'm a learner life is a discovery channel.
2. when I was learned, it was a question of how much I knew. Now that that I'm a learner, its a question of how much I am being stretched."

I feel well and truly stretched like a rubber band is stretched to the max but believe that's the way it should be and that actually God will keep me from pinging and snapping - He is good like that! Stay a learner if you can.

just reading Leonard Sweet's new book "summoned to lead".

the back cover says "Leadership is a calling - a call you respond to, not a position you assume, or a role you train for. The summons could come when you least expect it. Are you listening?" and in chapter one he writes " We can no longer hide behind the excuse that only the gifted or privileged can change the course of history. we live in a time when we are not bound by position or geography or circumstance. If you hear the summons - if you know your cause - nothing can stand in your way."

Have been thinking that although I am a visionary this is not sufficient and I don't want to settle there. I want to harness the visionary thing with an ability to hear and a boldness and courage to act - I want to be less of a coward.

had a long chat to my 8 year old daughter Zoe last night about church. Her conclusion on the children and communion issue we are looking at St. Catharine's is that if adults have got a problem with her having bread and wine they should leave! She spoke with a lot of passion......can't think where she gets that from! She said that when Sunday Club leave the main service each week she thought it was boring to leave to the same 'song' (the Gloria!). I tried to explain that a lot of people like it to be the same each week - they don't like surprises!!!She sank back into her bed and folded her arms, sighed very loudly and said "No surprises, no life!"

New expressions of Church I believe will have inclusivity and the element of surprise at the heart of them.

please check out http://hopefulamphibian.blogs.com/

(Mark is a good mate and a serious theologian and his blog is rather fancy looking!)

down in the lowlands at the moment. feeling nervy as well about my hospital appointment
the street bible gives a good working of psalm 40:

I waited, waited quiet, quite calm;
he turned towards me, grabbed my arm
pulled me up from the cesspool's hold,
away from the filth, mud, the cold.
He stood me firm on solid rock
a place no one dare knock
He taught me a brand-new song to sing
spot on for the only true King.

Charlie Peacock wrote a song called lowlands.
Makes a nifty little prayer if life seems crappy
"Could this be it
could I be drowning
Have I failed to be heard by the Only one
who can save me
Show me some mercy and touch me again
please lift me up above where I am
My eyes have failed me
from looking for you
My eyes have failed me
from looking for you
I'm looking for you
down in the lowlands where the water is deep
hear my cry, hear my shout
save me save me."
Jesus is my Lord and Saviour.