A rude awakening

It’s fair to say that in a house occupied by an energetic seven-month old boy (and his ‘support crew’) it is not unusual for sleep to be interrupted by some unpredictable (and unacceptable!) noises, but last night was different. Last night we had a rather rude awakening.

Last night the noises were even more unpredictable and unacceptable than usual…

‘I want my money! Give me my money!

‘Help! Get off!’

'Give me my money!’

At 4am we awoke to find two people wrestling right outside our window. At first it seemed like two guys fighting it out, but on closer inspection it turned out that the ‘guy’ on the floor was a woman – and it didn’t appear to be a ‘fair fight’.

As Lisa hastily called the Police and I fumbled and stumbled my way around the bedroom trying to get dressed, I hung out our window and let them know what was going on…

‘We’re calling the Police!’

While working out what to do (everything you know says you don’t go out and get involved – you wait for the Police, yet everything within you tells you you’ve got to go out and help) my rather bizarre running commentary continued…

‘We’ve called the Police!’

‘The Police are on their way!’

As things began to calm down it seemed I wouldn’t have to risk venturing outside, but then the bloke decided he wasn’t finished and that he would have another go at getting ‘his money’.

Foolish and foolhardy perhaps, but this was my cue to reluctantly venture out. Thankfully we live about 300 yards from the local Police station and so my arrival outside coincided with the street being bathed in a welcome shade of blue. Lisa was rather pleased by this good fortune!

According to the Police it appeared to be an unhappy punter ‘haggling’ with a local prostitute who'd tried to swipe the cash. Sadly, from the sounds of things it’s a common enough occurrence, but for us it was a rather rude awakening and it got me thinking.

The story of the Good Samaritan is pretty much as well known a Bible story as you’ll find. We all know it well and I’d be bold enough (perhaps foolish again?) to say it doesn’t bother me, by that I mean I would like to think that I would always got to the aid of someone who’d been attacked whether I liked them or not. What I’d like to know, what would be helpful for the ‘next time’, is what the Samaritan would’ve done had he come across the poor chap as he was being attacked - that would be a helpful insight!

Any insight/suggestions would be gratefully received.

Church in the gutters

In keeping with our country-style urban ministry, early one morning recently I happened to get chatting to our local street-cleaner/road-sweeper.

As Benjamin asked the usual questions about the Salvation Army I enquired as to his own 'faith status'. While not nailing his colours to any particular mast he did ask how someone 'joins' our 'church'. I obviously thought about Battle Orders, Adherency, Soldiers classes and Articles of War and finally settled for that Acts-style stuff again...

'you come anytime you like and share a meal with us'.

It's fair to say it wasn't the answer he was expecting - it may even have provoked his thinking? Whatever, he was more than happy to come to lunch.


I seem to remember someone like Jackie Pullinger or William Booth (or some other similar firebrand) suggesting that the best place to start a church was in the gutter. Whoever it was, we're beginning to appreciate their wisdom.

Incidentally, thanks to Benjamin the gutters of Paul Street are really rather clean!

I've had the 'call'!

We’ve always said that we’d be open to modelling a ‘tent-making’ ministry within Officership should the opportunity arise, but I never imagined it would involve me playing football!

But there it is – the mighty Clapton United of the Rymans League have literally come calling!


It seems bizarre that the last time I played regularly for a team I was paying £5 subs to play and now folk will be paying 5 quid to watch me play – I reckon I’d be wanting some change!

Still FA Cup here I come?!

(I wonder how ‘professional’ semi-pro clubs are?)

The Paradox of Parenthood

'A child needs your love most when he deserves it least.' Erma Bombeck

Happy Mothers Day

(yes, 'Joshua' did remember to get his mum a card!)

Worship/love... a twisted challenge

You love God as much as the person you love least. Discuss.

Thanks...

...Jo and Richard for the opportunity to eat together, drink together (even if the Coke was flat!) and to share some God-talk. Lets do it again soon. For those who missed out we used Rob Bell's talk 'Bullhorn' to think about God-shaped love.

Statements that provoked...

'it seems like you're trying to convert people to your religion. like they're notches on some sort of spiritual belt. But they're not. They're people, they're people that God loves. They're people that Jesus wants us to love. They aren't statistics, they aren't nimbers, they aren't possible conversions. I mean if I'm loving somebody with an agenda, then it isn't really love, is it?'

'So a Christian is somebody who understands that people with different perspectives and different religious beliefs and convictions, they're to be loved and respected, because they're made by God, and they're sacred and they're valuable and they matter. God loves the world, so a Christian does to.'

'That's why the hell fire and brimstone stuff is so dangerous. When you tell me that I should follow Jesus so that I don't burn forever, it sounds like a threat. As if you scare people enough they'll all of a sudden magically decide to love God and follow Jesus.'

Thoughts that stuck...

The apparent simplicity(?) of Matthew 22:36-40 and John 13:35.

The difficulty(?) of fleshing it out!

Questions that arose...

What draws me to the message of Jesus?

Is trying to 'convert' someone to your religious beliefs an agenda?

Is it possible to love without an agenda?

Answers found...?

'May we see that how we love others is how we love God.
That's it.
That's the way of love.
That's the way of Jesus.'

More or 'less' it's about...

Friends to the friend-less
Being fathers to the father-less
Mothers for the mother-less
Defending the defence-less
Giving a voice to the voice-less
Bringing hope to the hope-less
Joy to the joy-less
Sharing Christ with the Christ-less.

More or less.

In case you were wondering...

...the dinosaurs didn't die of old age!

























(Two years in the making, but a minor epiphany never the less!)

Circling the triangle - lessons from the Trinity.

At our sessional retreat last week John Read shared a number of lessons from the Trinity. Encouraging us all to avoid the 'cul-de-sacs of salvationism' (you beat me to it Chris!) and to reclaim instead the 'radical orthodoxy' of our roots John persuasively suggested there was much to learn from the Trinity.

Three things I have so far chewed upon...

FIRSTLY:

The reminder that the Trinity supports and promotes both unity and diversity, unlike the denominationalism that has often blighted the Church. Denominationalism encourages unity at the expense of diversity or diversity instead of unity. All too often denominationalism engenders a sense of ‘me in my small corner’. Sadly the attitude that seems to pervade denominationalism is that ‘you can belong if you act and think like us otherwise you are welcome to do your own thing’. (Matt says more here). Denominationalism leads to an insecure glorying in distinctives. More than ever I'm convinced that the fascination with denominational distinctives is a red-herring driven by insecurites that are influenced more by a world of seperation than a kingdom of reconciliation.

SECONDLY:

The nature of the Trinity promotes community rather than hierarchy. As a fellowship, rather than the triangular (hierarchical?) model that we often picture, the Trinity is circular in nature - 'undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory'? Our 'task' surely is to 'circle the triangle' and subvert the world's bias towards power-based hierarchies. Rather than replicating the world's habits and methods we must strive to imitate the Trinity's costly preference for community.

THIRDLY:

Art is a great way to communicate (admittedly for some more than others!).

a century is a century however you mark it

100 runs



















100 goals













100 blogs?!

I believe in a thing called love...

As a lively debate ensues in Army blogland around the possibility of a 'false dichotomy of mission' I was struck by one comment in particular...

'Surely our aim must always be to constantly and carefully look for that opening where we can wedge in the 'word' (as it were). If we just love for love's sake (a truly noble thing to do) then we'll just become yet another well meaning humanitarian organisation.'(Andrew Bale)

While I'm not sure of the 'wedging of the word' concept what really caught my attention was the implied inadequacy of loving for loves sake. Afterall, 'God is love' (1 John 4:16) it could be argued that Andrew is querying the point of 'loving for God's sake...' Surely more than a 'noble thing to do'?

Since John goes on to say that 'whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him' (1 John 4:16) I reckon I might be happy just loving for 'love's sake'!

Lessons from the 'bamboo-esque early church'

While there are undoubtedly many parallels that can be drawn between church 'planting' and the real live realm of horticulture perhaps the most accurate analogy comes from one 'species' in particular - bamboo.

I recently learned that bamboo has a rather unique growth pattern. Apparently, once the seed is sown, despite avid care and attention, it can take upto three years for the first shoots (signs of growth) to appear. Yet once these shoots appear, if the seed has been fed properly, continually watered and the soil is right the most dramatic growth spurt is then possible. Indeed once the first shoots have formed bamboo is reputed to be the quickest growing plant in the world. One account reported a four foot growth in 24 hours! That's impressive growth!

Given the right 'conditions' we have the faith to believe bamboo-esque growth is possible here in Stratford. But what are the right conditions?

According to the book of Acts when 'all the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods [and giving] to anyone as he had need. Continuing to meet, breaking bread in their homes and eating together with glad and sincere hearts, and praising God. They enjoyed the favour of all the people and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved' (Acts 2:46,47 paraphrase)

Seems like a good place to start.

the potential of pregnant elephants

At a recent retreat for church planters we were each asked to share one word to describe our 'plant'. We chose 'pregnant'. Pregnant with potential. On reflection, if we'd been given two words, with a possible gestation period of 22 months we're probably have choosen 'pregnant elephant' - it may take a little longer to form, but I guess it just enlarges the potential?!



Having shared our 'one-word description' we all mingled, praying and sharing 'words' as we were prompted. Someone shared a chunk of Isaiah 61:4-10 with us. This is how The Message puts it:

'They'll rebuild the old ruins,
raise a new city out of the wreckage.
They'll start over on the ruined cities,
take the rubble left behind and make it new.
You'll hire outsiders to herd your flocks
and foreigners to work your fields,
But you'll have the title "Priests of GOD,"
honoured as ministers of our God.
You'll feast on the bounty of nations,
you'll bask in their glory.
Because you got a double dose of trouble
and more than your share of contempt,
Your inheritance in the land will be doubled
and your joy go on forever.
"Because I, GOD, love fair dealing
and hate thievery and crime,
I'll pay your wages on time and in full,
and establish my eternal covenant with you.
Your descendants will become well-known all over.
Your children in foreign countries
Will be recognized at once
as the people I have blessed."
I will sing for joy in GOD,
explode in praise from deep in my soul!
He dressed me up in a suit of salvation,
he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo
and a bride a jeweled tiara.
For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers,
and as a garden cascades with blossoms,
So the Master, GOD, brings righteousness into full bloom
and puts praise on display before the nations.'

Pregnancy may at times be uncomfortable, ultimately (I'm reliably informed!) it is pretty painful, but the birth of 'righteousness into full bloom' ought to be worth it!

The Corps History Book - in pictures

According to a bloke called Hermann Hesse 'to study history means submitting to chaos and nevertheless retaining faith in order and meaning. It is a very serious task, and possibly a tragic one.'

However chaotic or potentially 'tragic' we've got faith to believe its good to know where we've come from...

...here are some historical snapshots of the Salvation Army in Stratford (upon-Thames!)




two of our predecessors - a Major and an Adjutant no less?!








an ALOVE+ Y.P. outing 1907 style!








that is some Corps minibus! (the Home League off for an outing way back when!)







the songsters may be long gone, but the banner lives on in our hallway!












note to RB (alias 'charlie chikankata' in blogland): the Stratford bandmaster's shoes are big shoes to fill!










musically the corps has had more than one string in its bow!"

word clouds...

According to Snapshirts these are the dominant themes of this sporadic blog?!



Much gratitude is due to the next WBC Spiritual Programme Director's husband and esteemed author of UrbanArmy.

Wishful thinking for the difficult people in life?!

Dedicated to anyone with troublesome people (PCCs/Headteachers/DCs!) in their lives!

It's a jungle out there... literally!

Last nights 'Planet Earth' was fantastic, every bit as good as it was billed. Thanks to ground-breaking technology the hype promised 'the earth as you've never seen it before' and it pretty much was - a must buy DVD looms large!

But as an inhabitant of the oft labelled 'urban jungle' I was struck by the stark contrast between the rugged, even untouched beauty of the world portrayed on the TV screen and the more mundane, harsher, dirtier(?) every day reality of the 'world' which we currently inhabit in the Borough of Newham. At times it was hard to comprehend it was the same 'planet earth'.

Yet there were parallels too.

In contrasting the environments around the world that inhibit and encourage life to thrive Attenborough's team ended up in a tropical jungle. A jungle slap-bang on the Equator where the suns rays are pretty much incessant 24/7. Yet the by-product of this relentless heat and energy is an abundance of life unparalleled anywhere else in the world. Indeed despite the jungle covering only 3% of the planet's surface it accounts for over 50% of the globe's plant and animal species! Ding dong!

The parallel? However harsh or dirty the urban jungle that is Newham is certainly not dull. Despite a shockingly low life-expectancy, with over 40 per cent of the 254,000 people in Newham under 25 years old its a place teeming with life. With more than 100 languages spoken locally - from Albanian to Zhuang, Newham not only has the youngest population in the UK its the most diverse. An exciting area rich in culture, flavour and atmosphere its a place where local people take great pride in being part of a global village.

With its fusion of youthful vigour, creativity and traditional East End values of warmth, friendliness, community spirit and good humour it may be a jungle and its 'beauty' maybe well masked, but our little patch of 'planet earth' is still home.

Food, glorious (solid) food...

Potato
Swede
Carrot
Cauliflower
Parsnip
Sweet Potato
Banana
Apple
Avocado
Papaya
Pear
Plum

A bizarre shopping list?

A bland recipe?

Perhaps, but they also happen to be a few of Joshua's favourite things now he's enthusiastically embraced the world of solid (albeit well pureed!) food!




'Nice work son.'

Lost in translation?!

Apparently in China, Oliver Twist is known as the 'Foggy City Orphan'. Catchy!

Decent read

Set a hundred years ago Arthur & George nevertheless constantly sets off contemporary echoes. Centred upon 'low crime and high spirituality; guilt and innocence; identity, nationality and race; and thwarted passion. Arthur & George explores what we think, what we believe, and what we know.'

It's also really worth reading.