One to read

The Book Thief

Quality, quality book! For me, what some have labelled 'Harry Potter and the Holocaust' (don't be put off!), would happily sit alongside 'The Kite Runner' or Philip Roth's 'The Human Stain'. Beautifully crafted, it's a novel that constantly provokes the thoughts and stimulates the emotions.

Narrated by 'Death' it's a rather unique book that takes some getting into, but it's well worth the effort. As one reviwer put it 'it's a book that bestows a self-congratulatory glow upon anyone willing to grapple with it.' With an element of the fanciful it celebrates the power of language as it deplores human misery.

Unusual as the concept is, the book's narrator (death) seems sorry for what he has to do. "To me, war is like the new boss who expects the impossible," he confides, on one of many occasions when he campaigns to win the readers' approval. While on another occasion he says "You see?" when referring to the demise of one of the book's best-liked characters. "Even death has a heart."

Buy it, borrow it, or do what I did and get it out of the library - whatever you do, if you get the chance - read it!

How very dare we!

It would seem we owe the people of Startford and in particular the churches of Stratford, an apology! Quite unknowingly we are guilty of ‘rude planting’! For which we say ‘sorry’.

At the recent Crucible weekend Stuart Murray explained that wherever possible ‘rude church planting’ should be avoided. How or what is rude church planting? Simply put, it is planting that takes place without properly consulting the churches and other agencies that already exist and work in a given community. It’s planting that in effect barges in and plonks itself down. It’s planting that inadvertently fails to respect the work of those who are already investing locally. It’s planting that at best is a little naive and at worst smacks of arrogance – and it’s downright rude!!

So while we would be reluctant to shoulder the full responsibility for the rudeness of our inherited planting ‘strategy’ we apologise nonetheless!

It’s church Jim, but not as we know it?!

Sunday saw the beginning of an experiment, a journey into the unknown.

Since arriving in Stratford we’ve been very aware that in many ways the last thing the borough needs is another church(!). Actually that’s not quite true. The last thing the borough needs is another congregational, building-based, programme-driven church! You only have to walk 200 yards to pass the ‘Redeemed Calvary Congregation’ the ‘Very Redeemed Calvary Temple for the Nations’ or the ‘Truly Redeemed Calvary Tabernacle to Infinite and Beyond’! You get the point, there’s no shortage of ‘churches’.

But we’re convinced that there’s plenty of room for different types, different expressions of church, of Christian community. Since we’ve always felt that we have been sent to Stratford to meet and engage with those who haven’t already connected with church it would seem rather foolish to come in and just ‘do’ what everyone else is already doing! Foolish, but not unheard of!

Thankfully, in a confirming kind of way, we’ve met one or two new friends locally with similar convictions and so together we’re beginning an experiment to discover what church, Christian community, family might look like within the hectic and messy reality of modern urban life.

We don’t know what will happen, or where it will all end up, but we recognise that for many, particularly those with young children (word of testimony here!), the orthodox way of doing (or being?) church is not always helpful and so we’re looking to use gathered family meals as a base for sharing – sharing that’s meaningful and engaging however young or old we are. As we meet, eat and share we hope that Jesus-talk will permeate our time together be that for Sunday lunch, Saturday breakfast or a picnic in the park.

Having had plenty of experience of Sundays being the most stressful day of the week(?!) I guess we’re looking to see how ‘life-shaped’ our ‘church’ can be. And so our ‘search’ has begun, we’ve embarked on our journey and Sunday was great! Really good. I mean I’ve not met many people who come out of a five hour service saying they loved every minute!

Naked Bicycle People Power!

On Thursday this week we were encouraged to ‘celebrate the collective power of women past, present and future’ on International Women’s Day - something I was more than happy to do!

But as yet I've heard little enthusiasm for today's 'commemorative campaign' - the World Naked Bike Ride! Yep, today across the world we are invited to 'experience the naked joy of the worlds largest naked protest'.

So, in the same way that Christians and churches around the world enthusistically participate in celebrating the role and contribution of women, I'm keen to know how many off us will, in solidarity, strip-off and join the 'protest against oil dependency and car culture in the history of humanity.' After all, as the accompanying web-site declares isn't it 'time to stop indecent exposure to automobile emissions and to celebrate the power and individuality of our bodies!'

BTW: if you're concerned that March is a little chilly for such protestations I'm reliably informed there are two more dates planned for June!

The Language of success?

As people experimenting with new ways of being church and engaging in community ministry we are constantly asking what ‘success’ will or should look like – in effect how do you measure the effectiveness of what we are doing – in Kingdom terms?

As I caught up with a very good friend the other day I was encouraged to be reminded we’re not the only ones.

Jon is a quality guy, a good friend and a great youth worker. But his youth work, like most of our ministry, isn’t building based, it’s out on the streets and in the community. As such some of the ‘old’ measurements of ‘success’ don’t work. But Jon is learning a new ‘language of success’. He’s looking beyond ‘bums on streets’ or ‘bodies through the doors’.



He may not see an influx of Junior or Senior soldiers, he may not have a group to take to the Youth Rally, but as relationships have developed over the last year (thanks to his sports outreach) he celebrates the fact that conversations about sexual promiscuity and drug use flow naturally as they walk home together. And he questions the ‘coincidence’ that last year was the first year he can remember when the hall wasn’t egged at Halloween or attacked with fireworks on Bonfire night.

Actually he doesn’t question it – he knows that however loosely, the guys he’s connecting with consider themselves part of the Salvation Army – they haven’t signed any bits of paper, they probably never will, and they will rarely (if ever) use the building, but why would they attack or vandalise ‘their own’? This new-found sense of ownership flows from a sense of belonging that has been developed through relationships forged over time (these things rarely happen quickly) on their own terms, on their own patch (largely on a football pitch).

It may be hard to measure or account for (how do you measure a sense of ownership? Or belonging? How do determine if a relationship is getting stronger?). It may be hard to tick a box to say that what Jon is up to every Monday and Tuesday evening is working, but the problem of language or methodology should not deter us from recognising ‘success’ when and wherever God is at work.

Oh, what a perfect day!

Thursdays are good days.
At least they usually are.
But not always as good as today!

Having spent a great morning with a group of 'Little Acorns' (our parent and toddlers group) and their accompanying parents we headed off to enjoy a gloriously bright and warm Spring day as we met a great friend for lunch. Then Joshua had a chance to terrorise the tourists and pigeons that gathered in Trafalgar Square before we headed home and I got set for Youth Club, which, as ever was 3 hours well spent.

I love Thursdays.
I love London.
I love the Jubilee Line.
I love my wife.
I love my son.
I love my friends.
And I'm also quite partial to a Pizza Hut buffet lunch!

Big up Cando Bradbury!!

I'm not generally in the habit of biggin' up Candidates for Officership, but Cando Bradbury is no ordinary girl - her Candidature(!) is but a small slice of this unique creature! Besides which I really only want to sign-post folk to her life-loving blog - any woman who can wear odd shoes to a funeral has got to be worth reading! And you can do that here

Serre 2007

Back in January me, some mates and my brother were lovingly sent (by our wonderful wives!) to the South of France in search of the ever elusive white stuff (and we're not talking about milk!).

Thankfully for us God blessed us with enough snow for a great week. The company was crackin' and the food phenomenal! If you're looking for a skiing resort with plenty of runs, atmosphere, but without coach loads of Brits - you'd do a lot worse than Serre Chevalier. I can't wait to take Lisa, Joshua and his brother!

It’s easily done!

‘Diesel, diesel, diesel!’

After 18 months you’d think I’d know that our car is a diesel and therefore isn’t best pleased when I ‘feed’ it unleaded!

So you’d think!

(I wonder if I can pin it on Tesco!)

‘There’s nowt as queer as folk!’

For better or worse, the single best thing about what we’re doing in Stratford, are the people we meet. There’s rarely a day goes past without an intriguing conversation or a chance encounter with people we barely know or those we are getting to know as we journey together. Today was no different.

When Trevor called he introduced himself as an ‘evangelist watchman’ with something to ‘share’. While intrigued I was hosting a local residents meeting at the time so the best I could do was to take down his number and agree to call him once done.

Unfortunately time was short and so I invited Trevor to join Joshua and I as we headed to the park. It turned out that what Trevor wanted to ‘share’ was that we are in the end-times – ‘I mean look how many people are defiling the temple with tattoos and piercing!’ Very keen to reassure me that he was merely telling me what Scripture says (‘its not my opinion, it’s what the Word says!) he went on to argue that women should be covering their heads, most ministers are liars and churches disobediently observe the Sabbath if they do so on a Sunday!

A recurring aspect, and particularly virulent theme, of his ‘message’ was the need for ‘us’ to ‘protect our children from the homosexuals’, I wasn’t entirely sure what he thought they’re going to do, but the NSPCC apparently abuse children as they allow gay people to adopt children (I’m not entirely sure that the NSPCC have anything to do with adoption, but I’m not sure he was too bothered!)

Having walked together for an hour I felt I’d got the ‘message’ (or at least had enough!). Our time ended suitably bizarrely when he cryptically, and not a little ominously, asked ‘do you believe I have the rule over you?’ I wasn’t sure that I did (or that I wanted to!), but what I did know is that I was really glad I had to put a steak pie in the oven!

As we walked together there were two things I kept thinking. The first centred upon something Rob Bell has written in his book Velvet Elvis:

‘…let’s be honest. When you hear people say they are just going to tell you what the Bible means, it is not true. They are telling you what they think it means. They are giving their opinions about the Bible. It sounds nice to say, ‘‘I’m not giving you my opinion; I’m just telling you what it means.’’

The problem is, it not true.’

The second was that ‘there’s nowt as queer as folk!’ (No ‘abominable’ pun intended!)