just the rev

I feel shattered! yesterday my day started with me leaving the house at 7.40 am and returning to it at 10.30pm. It included three services at St. Cats, an engagement party in Tetbury and our do at the fountain. Been at my desk this morning and then off at lunch time to Bristol CYM to meet a whole bunch of youth workers and do some stuff with them and my mate Richard Passmore. Feeling a bit too nervous, crusty and tired for it.....but also looking forward to it cos I'm sure it will stretch/encourage me. Just the six of us at the fountain last night....me thinks changing tack is looking v. likely for the new year. DAY OFF TOMORROW! (for all of you who feel you are running on empty, working for/with work-aholics and or generally unable to stop buy Nicholas Allan's "Jesus' Day Off" and read it and learn from it!)

just some random thoughts starting with footie:
1. how are you supposed to be able to 'rise above' the kind of racist chants England players experienced in Spain?!
2. a moment of doubt crept in when I was driving on Saturday and heard on the radio that Bolton had equalised minutes from the end. Can Chelsea beat Arsenal? will be so gutted if they don't.
3. why o why do people keep asking me if I like being in control now that G is away? or worse still when I hesitate to be positive about my job/role or something specifically difficult that I am facing do they always smile and say "well it's good experience" ?!!! in my sinful moments I feel like telling people what they can do with their good experience theory! It feels so patronising a lot of the time....a kind of when you're a grown up clergyman you'll undertand statement. us curates have a tough time you know! We are the now but not yet of ordained ministers. I know all that jazz about lifelong learning is true but there are times.....

This week is turning out okay despite England's performance last night. Have been to the cinema with Lucy and have spent sometime this afternoon chilling out with my good friend Mark.
if I think about church for too long it would make me depressed or insane with rage. need to make sure i take sometime to be 'normal'. Mark and I were thinking about about the laughing Trinity this afternoon (he is by the way not a fan of the trinity pic I blogged recently)...when did God and I last have a bit of a chuckle together?......

just sent off for my very own Trinity. Apparently the Holy Ghost glows in the dark!

McLaren's book on generous orthodoxy is very juicy.

he writes "perhaps orthodoxy will mean not merely correct conclusions but right processes to keep on reaching new and better conclusions, not just correct ends but right means and attitudes to keep on discovering them....this kind of orthodoxy will welcome others into the passionate pursuit of truth..."

Yesterday's Times ran an article entitled "A pint is more popular than the pulpit." (nothing like stating the blooming obvious is there?!) Here's some snippets:

"It has been said that God never shuts one door without opening another. And it appears that people are increasingly turning to the door of the pub, rather than the church."

"Nearly two thirds of British adults now believe that the pub has more to offer the community than the Church."

"Three quarters of the adult popilation go to pubs, and over a third are regulars, dropping in at least once a week. This compares with the seven percent of the adult population who are regular church goers."

"SPIRIT OF THE AGE

Which of the following social activities do you do more frequently?
Go to the local pub with friends..43%
play sport........................11%
Go to the cinema..................26%
play bingo........................3%
hold dinner parties...............15%"

Feeling a the moment I need more time to do/be church outside of the normal church confines. Jesus entered the world of the people he sought to reach with love and integrity.

been thinking about the church's obsession with neat and tidy worship - worship that is understandable, clear, obvious, reasonable and that can be linked together.

I think this sucks.

Brian McLaren quotes Vincent Donovan saying "the day we are completely satisfied with what we have been doing; the day we have found the perfect, unchangeable system of work, the perfect answer, never in need of being corrected again, on that day we will know that we are wrong, that we have made the greatest mistake of all."

keep it messy. keep it unfinished. keep it real.

our all age worship took another leap forward yesterday thanks to our young people (10-13's) who led the service and secondly thanks to our new cool cafe church layout.
It was great! Really good atmosphere. Just need some sofas, sunday papers, fancy coffee machines, plate fulls of pastries....

when you are ordained you are not suddenly blessed with special power enabling you to walk on the water. however I sometimes wish that it was possible and I think sometimes that others expect it to be routine practice for a rev....

reading at the moment Brian McLaren's "A Generous Orthodoxy" (why I am a missional+evangelical+post/protestant=liberal/conservative+ mystical/poetic+biblical+charismatic/contemplative+fundamentalist/calvinist+anabaptist/anglican+methodist+catholic+green+incarnational+depressed-yet-hopeful+emergent+unfinished Christian).....

no trick or treat -ers this year. thinking of taking the family out next year to go treating...not sure what we would be giving away!

next fountain is going to be focusing on the issue of integrity. Any ideas for it let me know asap.