Happy new year...

Ann outdoes herself again!

Well my beloved sister outdid herself again this year. Last year's pants were pretty amazing - this year she continued her long tradition of misspelling one of our names in a fairly permanent way. Jono spent some time as a child wearing a Tshirt with a brilliant original Anne design featuring what was nearly his name ("Jonathen").

This time she managed to mis-spell my first name - a real achievement! The wrapping was pretty cool I have to admit - and I smell nice today (I think).

Got my own back (pre-emptiveley) by giving her a bag of pigfood for her present. The deal is we pay a couple doing an amazing job among the Aeta Indians in the Philippines (Pam & Martin Scott) and we give a card to people (like my sister) so effectiveley Ann&Renzo (& Phil/Gabrielle & Bal/Noodle) have supported this brilliant work!

The pigfood was because I gave my brother (featured in flourescent yellow lycra pants on last years Christmas blog) a pig. We named the pig Peppa (Phil is the producer of "Peppa Pig").

Spent a lot of Christmas day watching Dave Gilmour's "Remember the Day" DVD (thanks Jono) - even my mother liked it.

This article in "The Inquirer" from the Philippines puts Pam & Martin's work in context brilliantly. Doing Jesus stuff in Jesus' way - wholistic - body, and soul.

Missed This... Missional Church & Communal Salvation

A great piece on the relationship of Mission to church. On Glens blog. (sorry - that sounds sooo patronising!!!!)

Must confess to having uncritically taken on board the idea that salvation is communal - and that is (as with a lot of good ideas) partially true.

I suspect that the communal dimension to salvation is very culturally conditioned. Reading Vincent Donovan's excellent "Christianity Rediscovered" a culture that is very group oriented responds village by village - the whole village accepts or rejects the gospel. And we individualistic westerners think - "I wonder if some of them have decided that the gospel is true?"

Answer: "Does not compute" And for some X / Y (whatever) gen people it seems to compute less.

Cherish the contradictions is perhaps a better reponse!

What Would Jesus Buy Trailer

Love this....

Post Religious?

I heard this phrase used on Radio 4 this week - on Michael Burke's "moral maze". He used the phrase it as if it were a given. This is nothing new - it has been heard quite frequently for a while now, mostly on the lips of "evangelical" Atheists. (They are so unattractive in their fervour - maybe we Christians need to learn from that.) Ironic then that the programme was peppered with quotes from the Bible.

I also took a look at an article in today's Independant by Bruce Anderson. However good the article is (very in my opinion) the assumption is actually untrue - if our local cemetery is anything to go by, to say nothing of the ever increasing number of roadside shrines.

A peripatetic liturgy

My opening hymn of praise on today's cycle ride (with apologies for appalling singing to those whose gardens are alongside "The Lines" cycle path in Allerton Bywater) is from Sting.

You could say I lost my faith in science and progress
You could say I lost my belief in the holy church
You could say I lost my sense of direction
You could say all of this and worse but

If I ever lose my faith in you
There'd be nothing left for me to do

(My latest favourite recording - a Radio 2 concert featuring Mr Ben Castle on Sax). Funny how woship songs can sound like love songs (and vice versa) - or is it?

I think I have lost my faith in some aspects of Church. We had a debate this week in our Church about allowing alcohol "in the building". As some helpfully pointed out the place we need to be talking about is the mouths of the members! - in the building or anywhere. Some people sadly didn't get that joined up sort of thinking. (No wonder Kez is depressed)

After a stop for a crappychino at RSPB Fairburn Ings (Hey they stock Divine Chocolate now - last year I suggested they stock it and now they do!) - time for the communion hymn (alcohol free)

"Grace" from Jonathan Elias's Prayer Cycle complete with brilliant memories of Viki Hannan's dramatic communion prayer set to the music.

Closing hymn on the HiFi at home - Pulse from Floyd in very loud Dolby 5.1 (Flora still not in from church and Jono out overnight with his arty meatalhead mates)

chained forever to a world thats departed
its not enough
its not enough

Post everything

Post Christendom - post evangelical - post modern - yes I am that groovy (?) - but post religious - no - on reflection I think not. After all - those who ignore the lessons of history....

And no - I dont only do church (or religion) on my own - I'll be in the building this evening - oh joy unconfined - Jeremiah again.

He is a bit depressing isn't he.

Signs and reality...

On my regular sunday ride (wearing the aforementioned shirt) I was returning mud spattered (my front mudguard fell off which didn't help) to Sunday lunch when I saw this sign.

"Go throw yourself into the sea" (it was pointing roughly to Blackpool I think).

I briefly considered it as a piece of advice and rejected it - October is a bad time of year for doing that, and Blackpool is probably a bad place to do it at any time of the year.

A bit of Googling revealed the following:

1. It is a quote from the bible (Jesus actually)
2. It is an art installation from Pippa Hale and Stuart Tarbuck.
3. It has moved (was in Victoria Gardens)
   

I nearly fell of my bike taking the picture (see I suffer for my art too).

Actually though I didn't recognise it as from the Bible, it sparked a train of thought about signs and what they point to.

We often confuse pointers to the truth (does this sign qualify?) with truth. I've been tempted to equate the Christian metanarrative with the Bible - where maybe the Bible is more a sign pointing to it.

I believe that the Christian metanarrative is not a book but a person. Not the Bible (which is what some people call the "word of God" - but The Word - i.e. Jesus (John's Gospel chapter 1). Both God, and God expressed. Suspect him if you will but I find him trustworthy and true.

I wonder if one of my theologian friends will set me right.

Frightening small children (and others)

I can think of little that is as scary as an ageing bloke in a Lycra top.

Just be glad that the photo hides the worst angle.

It's all my beloved sister's fault - Ann very kindly sent me a wonderful cycling shirt - in the style of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon". If you look inside the rear carry pouches/pockets they read "the lunatic is on the grass", "the lunatic is in the hall", and perhaps most aptly in my case "the lunatic is in my head".

As I say - wonderful shirt - until of course I am wearing it.... When I first got it I put it on late one night after everyone else had gone to bed so I could see it in the mirror in the hall.

I couldn't stop giggling.....

I wore it for my Sunday ride, happily I got tangled up with a charity bike ride and found myself among loads more middle aged men in colourful Lycra.


One thing I like about the shirt - it is worth 3 times what my bike cost!

(The bike was 15 quid on the supermarket noticeboard)

Bet I enjoyed posting this a lot more than you enjoyed reading it!