Bigbulkyanglican

Idol boredom and BT

Got stuck on the phone today for 35 minutes while a very helpful BT assistant made arrangements to transfer our phone and broadband and its in situations like this when you can't really get on with anything else in case he asks the next question that this kind of thing becomes a helpful and fascinating distraction

Even better conversation with the Electric and Gas supply rep- who thought I was being unhelpful for saying that I hadn't got time to "pop up to Linlithgow" to read the meter at the new house!

Always did regret not doing physics A level!

Moving house

Can you imagine the conversation about "moving" between a splendid 80-something lady who has lived in the same house for all of her life, and the 50-something priest who is just about to move to his 14th home.

We shared our different experiences of what "home" means - and realised that we were perhaps a little envious of the others experience

We were agreed on two things - the actual process of moving is a bit of nightmare, and whether you move or not the world changes around you.

Bless you M for your wisdom and support.

Architecture and Church

Have at last finished my analogous read of Alain de Botton's "The Architecture of Happiness" - fascinating to see how architecture relates to cultural changes - and to compare this with the Church in the same historical context.

Was really struck by the role of the purists in architecture which has many parallels in the contemporary Church and how the obsession with theeation of the "new" (interestingly referred to in architectural/theological language such as "new heaven" and "paradise") rather than the adaption and renewal of the existing which is required in the post-modern era

The Allelon post today has similar thoughts from Ryan Bell. He quotes architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne:

". . . in the last three or four years, we have embarked on a kind of high profile architecture here that required very different skills from those Meier displayed at the Getty. Instead of building new landmarks from scratch, architects are being asked to extend, restore or otherwise re-imagine existing ones."

and draws conclusions which mirror mine about de Botton's insights

"This make me think immediately of the so-called “church planting movement” that has been popular in my tribe. But different skills are required today. Adaptive reuse is the way forward in our overcrowded, sprawling city. Rather than creating new, “idealistic” churches we need leaders with “different skills” who can lead “adaptive” ventures in our communities, connecting with what has been and leaning into a diverse and rapidly changing future.

I did a little experiment. I went back through the article and everywhere he referenced the Getty or architecture I substituted the word church. It didn’t work perfectly, but what emerged was a striking parallel between this conversation about the relationship of a museum to a rapidly changing city and the conversation I am increasingly a part of about the church and a rapidly changing world."

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor's lecture

The decision by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor to offer a lecture on the place of faith in the UK is an interesting one. The coverage which follows is even more interesting - IMHO even five years ago such an event would have gone unnoticed by the popular press being regard as an inside event for the faithful. There is much to be encouraged by this on both sides - that the Cardinal should choose to enter the public forum positively ( instead of only being heard to be against things), and that the press should choose to respond and cover it.

I was particularly enamored of the call by the Cardinal for Christians to talk in language suitable for a the secular country - but therein lies what I think is a confusion of language in what he was saying. In his lecture he appears to use the words secular and aetheist interchangeably - there is an important distinction which I am certain he knows - but was not always obvious from what he said.

I was also less than convinced by his argument for fideism - basically that faith is in itself the rationale for God and is not dependent on reason. This links with the call from the Papal Ecumenical spokesman for the Anglican Church to decide whether it is protestant or catholic. It is of course both - and it has always be an essential tenent of anglicanism that faith and reason both direct us to God.

I wonder whether this requires a more careful definition of our deistic terminology which might include this list:

Agnosticism The belief that one lacks the means of knowing whether or not there is a God or many Gods or no deities at all

Anthropotheism The belief that Gods are basically human in nature

Atheism The belief that there is no God

Autotheism The belief that one is oneself divine

Creationism The belief that each human soul is created individually by God or that God created the world in six days

Deism The belief that God created the world but does not act within it

Ditheism The belief in two Gods

Dualism The belief that cosmic history is a battle between the two great powers of divine goodness and malicious evil

Emanationism The belief that all things are outgrowths of, or emanations from God

Fideism The belief that religious faith confirms that there is a God without recourse to reason

Hecastotheism The belief that all objects have sacred power

Henotheism The belief that among several Gods one is supreme

Herotheism The belief in deified men

Kathenotheism The belief that among several Gods one is supreme at a particular time and that different gids can be supreme in succession at other times

Monotheism The belief that there is only one God

Myriotheism The belief that the number of Gods cannot be counted

Panentheism The belief that all things are in God

Pantheism The belief that God is in all things

Polytheism The belief that there are several Gods

Rationalism The belief that human reason is the High Court in which to decide what counts as knowledge (of God) or superstition.

Secularism whether God is God doesn't really matter

Theism The belief that there is a God

Trinitarianism The belief that there are three persons in the one God

Zootheism The belief in animal Gods

Press releases which accompany such events are always revealing for what the speaker intent - so read the official Westminster press release

Israel's 60th Anniversary

The nation and people of contemporary Israel celebrate their 60th anniversary today, and I personally reflect upon the extra-ordinary achievement - the remarkable individuals who emerged from the tragedy of the Holocaust to create a nation within a decade. I believe it is right to give thanks to God for a democratic Israel.

Haaretz records the hopes of the current leadership for a peaceful and just solution with their Arab and Palestinian neighbours - thoughts and ideals which cause me to be to myself at odds with many of the Christian leaders who I most respect in their wholly inappropriate sidetracking of the day for their own purposes, in their call for justice of the Palestinian people signatories - the cause is clearly right the timing is not.

It takes balls

Could not ignore the caption or the photo:

Priest as President

This is a view from within the Catholic Church which has some resonances - not sure that I agree with the conclusions about orientation - but it does suggest some important thoughts about the role and nature of eucharistic presidency.

One objective of the liturgical reforms of the 1960’s was to encourage the active participation of the Catholic people in the celebration of the sacred liturgy, in part by reminding them that they are participants in, not spectators of, offering the sacrifice of praise at the heart of all Christian worship. Unfortunately, in the years following the II Vatican Council, the Church’s desire that all the faithful participate fully in the sacred liturgy was too often rendered a caricature of the Council’s teaching, and misconceptions about the true nature of active participation multiplied. This led to the frenzied expansion of “ministries” among the people and turned worship into a team sport. But it is possible to participate in the liturgy fully, consciously, and actively without ever leaving one’s pew, and it is likewise possible to serve busily as a musician or lector at Mass without truly participating in the sacred liturgy. Both of these are true because the primary meaning of active participation in the liturgy is worshipping the living God in Spirit and truth, and that in turn is an interior disposition of faith, hope, and love which cannot be measured by the presence or absence of physical activity. But this confusion about the role of the laity in the Church’s worship was not the only misconception to follow the liturgical reforms; similar mistakes were made about the part of the priest.

Because of the mistaken idea that the whole congregation had to be “in motion” during the liturgy to be truly participating, the priest was gradually changed in the popular imagination from the celebrant of the Sacred Mysteries of salvation into the coordinator of the liturgical ministries of others. And this false understanding of the ministerial priesthood produced the ever-expanding role of the “priest presider,” whose primary task was to make the congregation feel welcome and constantly engage them with eye contact and the embrace of his warm personality. Once these falsehoods were accepted, then the service of the priest in the liturgy became grotesquely misshapen, and instead of a humble steward of the mysteries whose only task was to draw back the veil between God and man and then hide himself in the folds, the priest became a ring-master or entertainer whose task was thought of as making the congregation feel good about itself.

But, whatever that is, it is not Christian worship, and in the last two decades the Church has been gently finding a way back towards the right ordering of her public prayer. In February 2007 Pope Benedict XVI published an Apostolic Exhortation on the Most Holy Eucharist entitled Sacramentum Caritatis in which he discusses the need for priests to cultivate a proper ars celebrandi or art of celebrating the liturgy. In that document, the pope teaches that “the primary way to foster the participation of the People of God in the sacred rite is the proper celebration of the rite itself,” and an essential part of that work is removing the celebrant from the center of attention so that priest and people together can turn towards the LORD.

Accomplishing this task of restoring God-centered liturgy is one of the main reasons for returning to the ancient and universal practice of priest and people standing together on the same side of the altar as they offer in Christ, each in their own way, the sacrifice of Calvary as true worship of the Father. In other words, the custom of ad orientem celebration enhances, rather than diminishes, the possibility of the people participating fully, consciously, and actively in the celebration of the sacred liturgy.

Father Jay Scott Newman

A priest in the world

Fidelias Sisters the American Episcopal support group is know for its focus on women priests - but I am equally impressed with its focus on "young" priests. Joy Caires writes today of her ministry:

I am a hospital chaplain. Prayers, games and tears are the economy of my day. I baptize the dead—a theological no-no but in the midst of tears can anyone say “no” to a families request for their dying child? I bless the intubated. I offer reassurance, but more often, there is none to give. My smallest parishioners are weighed in grams, my largest are sometimes older than me with congenital problems best solved in a pediatric hospital. I drink lattes on my way to work, a bribe to leave my room, my warm, safe place where death is something that happens to pets and grandmothers.

Read the full article here

Carl Cooper and his new role

I was delighted to read that Carl Cooper has been appointed Chief Executive of Powys Association of Voluntary Services. There was something deeply troubling about the circumstances surrounding his enforced resignation - the most worrying features were the conservative evangelical witch hunt and the inability of the Church in Wales to excercise proper procedures to deal with the matter. It will be a relief to him to working in a organisation which appreciates him and which assures its staff of good practice in appointment and disciplinary affairs. They also seem to appreciate the talent they have gained - which is commensurate with the loss to the Church.

Farewell reflections at Imagine today

I have been asked to post todays reflection - which I do with some reluctance since it rarely seems to carry outside its context - while never in any sense a sermon I am reluctant to post sermons for the same reason - anyway as a one-off or in fact a final-off herewith - (with apologies for any mistakes for it is a transcript of what was said and I don't have time today to check it all that thoroughly.

Maybe it has something to do with saying farewells, or perhaps even people risking deeper conversations because they know I am leaving Yorkshire - but new people have been most wonderfully honest and trusting over the past five or six weeks - it simply brings home to be the possibility of genuine faith sharing which is made possible through Imagine and other free wheeling groups which sadly rarely seems possible in formal Church groups.

One common theme seems to be the struggle for faith in the face of the "state of the world".

This is fundamentally expressed as : "how can I believe in God in a world like this."

There seems to be two assumptions behind this thought which the Gospels challenge.

1. Firstly that things "getting better" personally is a sign of the presence of God - whereas the Gospels actually record that the greatest sign of the presence of God comes when, in human terms, things seem particularly grim. In Christian theology healing and hope is to be found at the foot of the Cross.

2. On a much larger canvas in the "cosmic order" of things there is a similar perception - that things "getting better" would be a sign of God presence. This comes in no small part from an increasingly perverse and prevalent interpretation of the Kingdom of God as some kind of "happy clappy wonderland" which is deceptively dualistic.

The Gospels, and especially Mark 13 indicate the reverse. Christ's return will not be heralded by a gradual ascent to meet him - rather as in the Incarnation, the return will be at a time of increased war and poverty and conflict. It will be at a time of increased polarisation between love and evil. As with the Incarnation the whole of the travelling will be dome by the cosmic Christ. Remember that although created by God, creation does not contain within it the seeds of its own redemption. Redemption is always by divine election and creation, not by intrinsic ability.

Travelling last week down from Scotland ( I am looking forward to travelling and driving more as a time to think)! I realised that many people "long to be able to believe in the world in order to be able to believe in God" - the Gospels require the reverse ie that we are called to believe in God in order that we can believe in the world.

The Christian festivals at this time of the year contain the potential to re-inforce the former in a way that is unhelpful.

The Feast of the Ascension is not about the separation of heaven and earth- indeed the reverse is true, it is about the fundamental sealing of the covenant between the two when humanity sits at the right hand of God. While at one and the same time it is the final flourish of the earthly present Jesus which emphases that he is no longer limited by space time, but can appear wherever he wishes and pass through walls etc.

In an associated way we need to avoid understanding Pentecost as the beginning of the work of the Spirit rather than a specific gift-experience of the continually dynamic Spirit (one of many throughout time with many more to come) - if we see it as a one-off which we seek to recapture then we will be blind to the ever-present activity in the present.

People have asked what I have learnt from our experience together - few outside have understood its dynamic - and few I think among us yet understand its potential - whether a stepping stone to some more formal community under the same name - or whether it remains a provisional entity.

I think that what I have learnt most ( and it is an important lesson for one who has been steeped in the life of the Church since birth)is that faith is present among the most tentative and the most questioning - among those who are on a journey. That if individuals are offered a group which has no limits in terms of sharing experience, no norms in terms of expected words, then something rather special can occur - something which I think I see particularly in Luke's Gospel when Jesus encounters particular individuals.

I have always passionately believed that to be a priest is first and foremost to be a person who is sensitive to the presence of God in people - not you note a person who brings God "in" as the biblical image of 'salt' is so often misinterpreted - but perhaps a litmus person which highlights what is already present and at work. I hope that in some small way I have been able to offer that priesthood among you.

What some of you will know is that it has been this experience of Imagine (among others over the years) which has given me the confidence that in my new role and ministry I can go to be a priest outside the confines of the congregational expressions of the Church (while remaining unequivocally a priest of the Church). This is what I mean by being a "mission(al) priest" - a person who seeks out where God is at work in the world around rather than focusing on inviting people into God-like territory which some mistakenly believe is the preserve of the Church

So I leave with my thanks to you, and perhaps more than a little amazed at the depth of thanks which you have expressed to me for which I am also grateful.

So we move into what I believe is the heart of the Christian experience - the greatest divine gift - the Eucharist. "

Leaving thoughts

I'm into my last few "practical focus " days in the parish of tidying up, writing up, clearing up and handing over - then I have a final week for "people" which is a much more attractive prospect. The real focus for the practical week is on only the things which I "know" (a kind of brain dump) and trying to think through the routine things which I do without thinking about.

What is fascinating is the mind-set of the small minority of people - or at least their perception of me - which suggests to the them that I might need a phone call or an email just to remind me that:

1. "You need to do "something(s)" before you go" - 'something' so far has consisted of 'something' so obvious that I have done it or thought about it long ago

2. "You need to do "something" which you said you would do a long time ago" - which if they gave it a moments consideration they would realise there was not a cat-in-hells-chance that I am actually going to do before I leave - on the basis that if I ever was going to do it I would have done it a long time ago - and actually (with perhaps some minor briefing from me which I have done) then it would be much better for other people to do it anyway

3. Then there are the panic pastoral pleas - which in my case have included "can you take our wedding service before you go" and rather more touchingly "will you come back to take my funeral". A no in either case is really hard.

I wish I had kept a sweep stake on the Scottish comments - could have raised a lot for charity:

Top of the list is without doubt: " are you going to wear a kilt"

The most Yorkshire phobic has been: "Why would you want to move "there" (Scotland) its grotty ( and that from a Keighley resident!)"

At least the Grangemouth dispute has meant that I have not had to explain where Grangemouth is anymore.

However this is more than compensated by the really thoughtful cards and messages which speak of appreciation, and the really moving ones are the people who understand "the move".

Leicester - would prayer have worked?

Rumour has it that prayers were offered in this huddle - but it was not enough as Leicester City go down.

Previous relegation have been associated with glorious Cup runs and finals - no such luck this year as we sink to our lowest ever.

Will the maverick Manderic stay the course now?

What is the record for the number of managers in a year/season?

Sound Control/Turnkey file for administration 30th April

The rumours have finally been confirmed by Deloitte today as the company "files for administration" - the efforts of staff to fend of the ill effects of the massive "leisure market expansion" in the earlier part of the decade have come to nothing and over 100+ staff have been made redundant and Royal Bank of Scotland and other funders of this enterprise face huge losses.

So don't place any more orders at Sound Control, Turnkey or Carillon music computers.

If you have placed an order and not received it contact your credit card company as soon as possible and cancel the order.

I cannot but hope, that this finally demonstrates that this attempt to "supermarket" music retail are doomed to failure with most informed purchasers favoring small personally run companies.

Rather than "crowing" as they are, you would have thought that the other big firms such as DV247 and other companies such as Dolphin which have seen rapid growth in the first half of the decade would be worried- are they are similarly over-financed at a really tough time for people appealing to what is essentially a leisure industry.

Much safer purchases and better advice are to be found at the specialist companies which serve the real industry such as Andertons and Coda

Trinity thinking and experience

Have just started reading Lesslie Newbigin's " Trinitarian Doctrine for Today's mission" , and will offer thoughts in due course.

Meanwhile Mark Berry at Way out West is reflecting on the Trinity and Leonardo Boff's "Holy Trinity, Perfect Community" and these powerful words:

"God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in reciprocal communion. The exist from all eternity; none is before or after, or superior or inferior, to the other. Each person enwraps the others; all permeate one another and live in one another. This is the reality of trinitarian communion, so infinite and deep that the divine Three are united are therefore one sole God. The divine unity is communitarian because each Person is in communion with the other two."

It is no accident that Trinity Sunday is the Sunday when Anglican vicars are most likely to schedule other people to preach - we fear the topic and the thought that we might say something unorthodox.

Personally I become increasingly convinced that the experience and Doctrine of The Trinity will prove to be the greatest resource for the missional Church.

What is distinctive about Christianity?

Brother John writes modestly and helpfully about distinctiveness here (click on the graphic to download the text.) which ends with Bonhoeffer's words

"The Church is not about religion, but rather about the figure of Christ and its taking shape in a multitude of persons. Are we sufficiently aware that, two thousand years ago, Christ came to earth not to start a new religion but to offer every human being a communion in God? "

There are two other short writings covering "unbelief" and "salvation" available in the right hand column.

I am delighted to read the new generation of Taize theologians writing with such clarity.

Leadership in emerging/missional communities

I was struck by these words:

1. You can’t own a community. A lot of people who start and build communities immediately assume ownership. They get lawyers to craft a Terms of Service that says that they own everything posted within a community. They set the rules in stone and police the community. While I understand why companies want to “protect their assets,” ultimately, online communities can be fickle and rebellious. They do not want to be owned. Trying to turn a community into a commodity is ultimately a recipe for failure.

2. Communities aren’t free. On the flip side, I think people who want to be a part of an online community must be cognizant of the fact that anyone hosting the platform for a community to be built has some kind of interest in seeing that community grow. Some people start a community that they wish existed and want to be in. Other selfless types start online community for the good of the people. (Beware of supposed selfless types). Still others have commercial interests in mind for the community (advertising, sponsorship). As long as the purpose of the community is clear, everyone has a choice if they want to participate or not. Nothing comes for free.

3. Every community needs leadership. I know some people will debate me on this point but I don’t think a community can survive without some person in a leadership role. They don’t have to be “boss,” they don’t have to be “dictator,” however, there is usually one person who initiates a community and is the driving force behind that community. The community leadership could consist of several people, but leading by committee can bog down a community’s growth. At the end of the day, the buck must stop with someone.

4. A community dies if it is all about you. Often a community grows around a single person but that is really more “Cult of Personality” if the community continues to revolve around that person. Many blogs are activated by Cult of Personality. Successful bloggers nurture their comments sections so those who comment get the spotlight as well. Online communities may need a leader but they should not be reliant solely on a single person to survive. When that person goes, what happens to the community?

5. At some point, organic communities need roots. I’m still blown away by the power of the Internet to aggregate clusters of like-minded people. When those people keep coming back to continue the conversation from organic seeds, that is phenomenal. However, at some point, structure needs to be put into place to make sure the community is scalable if growing the community is desirable. Without some kind of structure, a community eventually implodes.

6. Community building is not all about the tools. But the right tools do help. These days, the right community building tools seem to be social networking features (friends), blogs or microblogging features, and even SMS features so the community conversation gets carried onto your mobile device. Bells and whistles don’t make an online community, but as people get used to using new networking and communications, they’ll come to expect them in the platform where they choose to start a community

Well of course this was written about on-line communities, but there are some intriguing parallels. Point three is particularly pertinent if controversial - increasingly I see the "oh we don't have a leader" emerging and missional leaders bogged down in issues about leadership - or actually failing to acknowledge the skilled but anonymous leadership which is being exercised by one or more of their number.

Music Projects - read the requirements

Spent an interesting day meeting with community music projects - never cease to wonder at musicians commitment - and always encouraged by musicians passion for introducing other people to the soulful joys of making music - and always diffident about being introduced as a pioneer of the movement here in the UK.

What never ceases to amaze me is how much time people spend preparing funding applications to Trusts and funders when they do not meet the fundamental requirements for funding. Its tough business being the bearer of bad news when a group of people have spent six months working on application

Then muggins points out that applications are only considered from registered charities and that it might take 6 months to get that status!

It says it plainly and clearly on page one of the application details - but they had not spotted it in their rush to read page 2 and 3 which describes the pot of money and some previous successful applications.

Israeli Perspectives on Jimmy Carter

It has been interesting to note how much critical comment has been made in both Israel and (more trenchantly) in the US of Jimmy Carter's decision to meet with representatives of Hamas.

His response has been simple - sometime somewhere Israel will have to talk with Hamas or the people with the views they represent - so rather sooner or later - he has also indicated some possible movement in Hamas formal view of the State of Israel and its future.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz has taken a more interesting editorial line:

"The government of Israel is boycotting Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, during his visit here this week. Ehud Olmert, who has not managed to achieve any peace agreement during his public life, and who even tried to undermine negotiations in the past, "could not find the time" to meet the American president who is a signatory to the peace agreement with Egypt. President Shimon Peres agreed to meet Carter, but made sure that he let it be known that he reprimanded his guest for wishing to meet with Khaled Meshal, as if the achievements of the Carter Center fall short of those of the Peres Centre for Peace. Carter, who himself said he set out to achieve peace between Israel and Egypt from the day he assumed office, worked incessantly toward that goal and two years after becoming president succeeded - was declared persona non grata by Israel.

The boycott will not be remembered as a glorious moment in this government's history. Jimmy Carter has dedicated his life to humanitarian missions, to peace, to promoting democratic elections, and to better understanding between enemies throughout the world. Recently, he was involved in organizing the democratic elections in Nepal, following which a government will be set up that will include Maoist guerrillas who have laid down their arms. But Israelis have not liked him since he wrote the book "Palestine: Peace not Apartheid."

Israel is not ready for such comparisons, even though the situation begs it. It is doubtful whether it is possible to complain when an outside observer, especially a former U.S. president who is well versed in international affairs, sees in the system of separate roads for Jews and Arabs, the lack of freedom of movement, Israel's control over Palestinian lands and their confiscation, and especially the continued settlement activity, which contravenes all promises Israel made and signed, a matter that cannot be accepted. The interim political situation in the territories has crystallized into a kind of apartheid that has been ongoing for 40 years. In Europe there is talk of the establishment of a bi-national state in order to overcome this anomaly. In the peace agreement with Egypt, 30 years ago, Israel agreed to "full autonomy" for the occupied territories, not to settle there.

These promises have been forgotten by Israel, but Carter remembers.

Whether Carter's approach to conflict resolution is considered by the Israeli government as appropriate or defeatist, no one can take away from the former U.S. president his international standing, nor the fact that he brought Israel and Egypt to a signed peace that has since held. Carter's method, which says that it is necessary to talk with every one, has still not proven to be any less successful than the method that calls for boycotts and air strikes. In terms of results, at the end of the day, Carter beats out any of those who ostracize him. For the peace agreement with Egypt, he deserves the respect reserved for royalty for the rest of his life."

Hotmail accounts and Microsoft

From the end of June 2008 Hotmail email accounts will only work with Microsoft's own email software - so if you are using a hotmail account from another email provider then you need to make a change.

See the technical details as explained by Fastmail here

UBER BLOGGER - MARTIN LEWIS

Martin Lewis of Money saver fame achieved a remarkable feat this week when his Money Saving Expert blog hit the 2 million mark for voluntary individual subscribers! Some would say that this indicates that the Brits are obsessed with money- but actually I think a case could be made to say that it also illustrates our thirst for justice ( as in his bank charges campaign) and our love of savings (particularly at the expense of big companies and supermarkets). His tips alone must have cost Tesco a small fortune.

Brilliant stuff

Typepad are listening at last!

Typepad (or Six Apart to be exact) have been serenading all the extra features which they have added in 2008, without offering anything really ice-breaking or actually all that useful.

Now they are about to offer something of significance to people using Typepad as an accessible alternative to turgid website software. They say:

Expanding Blog Services

In the coming weeks we will launch a suite of blog optimization and tune up services that will help you maximize the reach of your blog. These services will be available to all TypePad customers for an additional fee, and will include custom enhancements to your blog such as domain mapping, banner design, feed and subscription setup and more.

Moving update

Several people have prompted me that I have not updated on "the move" for quite a while - so this brief update will save me repeating myself.

+ I am now in my last three weeks at Oakworth with my final Sunday on May 18th - I hand over to the Wardens and the Ministry Team in the week beginning 5th May, and then the final week beginning the 12th is a dizzy round of farewells and visiting individuals. It is hard to put into words how strange this already feels - and I can't see it getting better until the deed is done. I will hugely miss Oakworth and its people.

+I have already started shedding my other commitments in youth work, spiritual direction and music some of which go back over a 15 years. To date this "moving on" has been a very positive experience - it is sense groups and organisations move on without me at a time of considerable strength for most of them. The personal farewells are inevitably more difficult.

We are moving to an excellent Chaplaincy House in Linlithgow which is both easily accessible to the motorway networks for the national part of the role and to Grangemouth where I will have a two day a week face to face base. Details of address and telephone etc will be emailed out when they are finalised. Initially I will be working from home until I can review the advisability of an office base for the work.

+ From a family point of view the house is different from No 18 - much more modern but smaller in some respects. Scots will understand me when I say that it is in the important secondary school catchment area - and we look forward to life in Linlithgow as a town - and the access to many leisure and music places as well.

+ We are moving 27-29th May, and I start the chaplaincy work on 2nd June. The initial few weeks will be taken up with induction and orientation and during the early part of July two weeks family holiday.

+ There will be a commissioning/licencing service in September at a time and venue yet to be agreed. This feels good to me because it will be a gathering of people that I have already had the chance to meet. I will post the details here when they are known.

Having past 50 without too much sense of its significance last summer while I was sabbatical - I now move towards celebrating 30 years of full-time ministry in the July with a whole new range of opportunities in front of me.

I realised the other week travelling down from Scotland that this kind of move would have scared me witless only a few years ago!

Now perhaps age has blessed me with a new realism while at the same time adding experience, and hopefully none the less energy.

I have much appreciated people's encouragement and support, (particularly from Scotland) over the past few months as we negotiate this move.

Round tables - says it all

In search of a round table

Concerning the why and how and what and who of ministry,

One image keeps surfacing: A table that is round.

It will take some sawing

To be roundtabled.

Some redefining

And redesigning,

Some redoing and rebirthing

Of narrow long Churching

Can painful be

For people and tables.

It would mean no daising

And throning,

For but one king is there

And he is a foot washer,

At table no less.

And what of narrow long ministers

When they confront

A round table people,

After years of working up the table

To finally sit at its head,

Only to discover

That the table has been turned round?

They must be loved into roundness,

For God has called a People

Not "them and us".

"them and us" are unable

to gather round; for at a round table

there are no sides

and ALL are invited

to wholeness and to food.

At one time

Our narrowing churches

Were built to resemble the Cross

But it does no good

For building to do so,

If lives do not.

Round tabling means

No preferred seating,

No first and last,

No better, and no corners

For the "least of these".

Roundtabling means

Being with,

A part of,

Together and one.

It means room for the Spirit

And gifts

And disturbing profound peace for all.

We can no longer prepare for the past.

To be Church,

And if He calls for other than a round table

We are bound to follow.

Leaving the sawdust

And chips, designs and redesigns

Behind, in search of and in presence of

The Kingdom

That is His and not ours.

Chuck Lathrop

Theology Writing and Background music + MEME

I have generally made it a policy of not responding to MEME material - tend not to want to respond personally or inflict it on others - (I wasn't into chain letters either as a kid) - and frankly getting three or four a week is a bit of pain (a hint for anyone thinking of adding me to their list) but one from PT today actually set me thinking:

What kind of background rock music do you find most conducive to writing theological material?

I have puzzled about this for about half the day - including numerous lengths swimming - and even got anorak enough to check my ipod and itunes listening since most of my serious writing is now done on the Mac

concluded in the end that it had to be Elbow

The Trinity and love

Great post here on love and the Trinity

Cathedral Blog

For any readers with a vain delight in things "Anglican" the newly launched Cathedrallife offers to spill the beans on the realities of an un-named Cathedral - warts and all.

By remaining anonymous they claim to be able to offer a true picture from behind the scenes. The history of such blogging anonymity is checkered to say the least - it can only be a matter of time before connections are made. The multiple authorship must also increase the chances of discovery. While others have focused on the chances of employment dismissal - perhaps in a Church context it is the pastoral issues which should be uppermost in the authors minds.

Anyway enjoy it in the meantime . . .