way out west

Always in Beta

Got an e-mail from Howies asking me (and thousands of others no doubt) to plug a new T-shirt... and I like it so I will!) ...

The designer - Scania Price - describes it thus...

At the Little Big Voice lectures, I listened to Russell Davies talk. (Loved his talk)
During the talk, he gave out some badges that he had got made.
One of them read 'Always in Beta'.
I loved that mantra.
Always testing.
Always pushing.
Always in development.
Never, ever-ever, standing still.

I like that... and it's only available for a week!

Technorati Tags: Howies: T-Shirts

Drip Drip Drop Little April Showers!

Technorati Tags: News: Photographs: Telford

something is afoot...

... I don't know how to blog this, and I've been thinking about it for a while... but there is something going on in our community, something that is hard to get a handle on, something I don't really know how to talk about... but at the heart of what is going on is that we are being exposed, stripped of our defensive structures, having our raw nerves prodded... it feels like something is going to happen... as Tam (one of our prophetic voices) says, it's like there is a storm on the horizon and we are feeling the water being sucked into the maelstrom... we have choices to make which we can't at this time articulate, but in some ways we have to choose whether to turn tail and flee, sit where we are and become encompassed by the storm or set the sail and head for the heart of the storm... part of this seems to be about becoming a deeper community, part of it seems to be about becoming truly ourselves, part of it seems to be about finding out how to really hear/feel what God is saying/doing... what God does seem to be doing is beginning to prepare us for something, something that is going to happen here.

... I don't really know why I'm blogging this, 'cos it's more about what is yet to be grasped than anything concrete... and it's way beyond my understanding anyway... but we have had prophetic things said to us in the last couple of years which have seemed ridiculous and counter-intuitive but have proved to be significant and accurate... part of this storm means we have to embrace the things which have been said... some of it has been about ripples spreading from here and going across the planet, some of it is about me... in fact in the bath this morning I was reading Paulo Coelho's The Zahir and there is a section in which echoes what has been buzzing in my spirit so accurately it made my head spin... Tam told me recently that I needed to let go, to stop denying who I was but to embrace it, because I needed to feel God through my feet as I walked, to understand, as I am called to do things in and with this community that none of yet know or understand... then this morning I read this...

it is so important to let certain things go.  To release them.  To cut loose. People have to understand that no one is playing with marked cards' sometimes we win and sometimes we lose.  Don't expect to get anything back, don't expect to receive recognition for your efforts, don't expect your genius to be discovered or your love to be understood.  Complete the circle.  Not out of pride, inability or arrogance, but simply because whatever it is no longer fits in your life.  Close the door, change the record, clean the house, get rid of the dust.  Stop being who you were and become who you are...

... I am light, so light that I could walk on a cloud and not fall to earth.  I am not carrying with me the weight of fame, of stories I have told, of itineraries to follow.  I am so transparent that the sun's rays can penetrate my body and illumine my soul.  I see that there are still many dark areas inside me, but with perseverance and courage they will gradually be washed away...  it seems so childish, irresponsible, unnecessary, pointless.  But I am being reborn and I need to take new risks.

There seems to be something for us in what Bruggemann (Living Toward a Vision) wrote, which we read last week...

I have the impression that most of us, and perhaps we cannot do otherwise, want to talk about shalom as a task, or as discipleship, or (preish the thought) as "works", as more we have to do.  And if we start there, we not only betray the mystery of the table, but laso we doom our shaloming to failure, either in pride or despair, before we even begin.  But it does begin at the table, it always does.  And the promise to us is thaty the church that lets it's historic mystery fashion its life can hear the word and can be empowered to live in and toward the new age of shalom.  The Church that has been to the table and has heard the word has nothing to fear.

We know we have nothing to fear, but we and I do feel exposed at the moment, there are dark patches and there is a nagging need to have it all sewn up and dealt with, to be doing, achieving.  I guess the reason I'm blogging this is that some of you know me personally, some don't, some may be here for the very first time even as a result of some random google image search!  But I feel that we walk together in some way, maybe just for a step or two, maybe we are passing in opposite directions... but whatever we spend a moment together on the road... and as such I wanted to offer you a window on where and who we are at this stopping place on the pilgrimage.  Thanks for listening, please feel free to pray, comment and tell us about where and who you are.

Technorati Tags: Community: Emerging Church: Missional: new-monasticism: Pilgrimage: Spirituality

Petition for Tibet

After decades of repression, the Tibetans are sending out a global cry for change. Unrest is spreading across Tibet and neighbouring regions, and the Chinese regime is right now making a crucial choice between escalating repression or dialogue.

President Hu Jintao needs to hear that "Made in China" exports and the upcoming Olympics in Beijing will have the support of the world's people only if he chooses dialogue. But it will take an avalanche of global people power to get his attention.  Click below to sign the petition--in just 7 days, the campaign is over half way to the goal of 2 million signatures! (current total over One and a quarter Million have signed)

Petition

Technorati Tags: Culture: News

Birth of a lamb

We took Nathan to our local Farm park this afternoon... obviously it's lambing season at the moment with lambs being born pretty much everyday... as we arrived in the lambing barn we saw a ewe cleaning a lamb that had been born about 10 mins previously.  The Shepherd told us that the ewe was due to give birth to a second lamb within 20 mins, about half an hour later it had not yet arrived, so the Shepherd decided to help.  So, in true James Herriot style, on went the long glove and up went the arm!  The lamb had it's legs tucked back so could not come out on it's own, so after a little help and a bit of wiggling the Shepherd brought the lamb into the world.  Nathan was gob-smacked and loved every minute of it!  And it was quite appropriate for Easter Sunday!

Technorati Tags: environment: Family

Nathan's Day

Nathan (meaning = God has given) our whirlwind and daily blessing... is FOUR years old today.  I know it's a cliché... but it only seems like yesterday I was wrapping him up in a blanket for the very first time in Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

May God continue to bless your walk and your growing,
may your life be one of love and service,
may God use you for his purpose of peace,
may you change the world as you daily changes ours.

We love you Nathan, and always will no matter who and what you become.

Technorati Tags: Family

A birth less ordinary

You hear people at this time of year stressing the ordinariness of the birth of Christ... but it always strikes me that there was nothing ordinary in his birth... it was special, but not by being "better" rather by being in the midst of more difficult circumstances than the ordinary birth... even then there would have been support, rituals, preparations; wise women, experienced grandparents, care taken about the environment etc.  probably some would seem alien to us, just as ours would to them... but they would have had their ordinary procedures.

A birth less ordinary
No ordinary start to a life on earth,
No preparations, no ante-natal rituals, no gradual build-up,
No getting things in order, bag packed, hospital number by the phone,
No nursery decorated, no teddy waiting in the Cot,
No family around, no friends sending flowers,
No midwife popping in, no reassuring experts,
No people who’ve been there, no experience to help,
No warm ward, no birthing suite,
No pool, no gas, no epidural,
No hot water, no towels, no Surgeon on hand,
No sterile safe place,
No friendly face, no familiar place,
No ordinary birth,
No ordinary baby.

Technorati Tags: Christmas: Poetry

Its November it must be Winter!

So... it's November the 18th... and todays weather in Telford has been Snow, all day!

Build your own Coracle...

If you have £300 going spare and fancy going rustic and a bit celtic... we have stumbled across (thanks to Carol one of our community members and eco-activist) this fantastic woodland eco/craft centre down the road from Ironbridge.... where you can take a two day Coracle building course!

Green Wood Centre

Technorati Tags: Celtic: Telford

Summer(?) connections

Over the summer (if that is what you could call it) I have had the pleasure of meeting some great people (some for the first time), who have stirred me and encouraged me... so I'm attempting to do a mini blog-roll type posting... or a "contextless links" type post but with a smattering of context... at leasy of those I can find links for...

Jack Stapleton - Guardian of the Aidan Trust US
Peter and Dorothy Neilson (Peter chaired the Church of Scotland’s Commission on the Future of the Church - Church without walls report)
Patrick Dodson - Kiwi dwelling creative and speaker on culture and social entrepreneurship
Ray Simpson - Guardian of the communities of Aidan and Hilda UK
Brandon Wellcome - Dublin, Greater Europe Mission
Phil Kingsley - GEM, The Journey

There where others for whom I can't find a web presence at this moment.... Mark Sampson, Ferg Brown, David Wetton, Kate Tristram, Trent Sheppard...

Technorati Tags: Blogging: Church: Spirituality