The Shape of Things to Come (iii) A vision of mind.

One of these days I will get around to some more serious theological ruminations here, rather than stream-of-consciousness-who-am-I-to-be-so-egotistical-as-to-believe-anyone-else-would-read-this arrogance.

Call it therapy.

In the mean time have a look at Brian D McLaren's runminations (rather specifically American, but applicable beyond) - which I found via Kendall Harmon's prodigious blog. It seems to have arouswd some ire among the commentators, but the principles, and the writer, make a lot of sense to "fuzzy" old me!

And now I really must go and get those chips, or I'll have B and H waiting outside the church tonight!  ¶ 4:17 pm 0 comments

  The Shape of Things to Come (ii) A vision of darkness.

If the meeting went well the same cannot be said for the night. An enjoyable couple of pints at last orders with some of the Christian menfolk of MLPK who have not, on the whole, bought into my vision for future, to mark a forthcoming wedding, were somewhat marred by arriving home to discovered a tired and scared GLW, convinced that someone had tried to get into the house (but with no evidence).

Just to makes things worse LM decided that last night was going to be a peripatetic one, leading to three (or was it four?) visits in the dark, and a rough night for all. Disturbed nights, which will inevitably arrive after January accompanying Mosling ver. 2.0, are things I have not been looking forward to with joy!

So, despite a rather large workload (including a BCP/1928 wedding for a couple I barely know, in a beautiful little church I am relatively unfamiliar with, for one of my neighbouring clergy, given that I have never done said wedding liturgy before), 3 morning services in two villages, and my own Tea Time thing, I had to spend a couple of hours asleep this afternoon. I couldn't even pray straight this morning at Morning Prayer, and spent most of the morning gazing blankly at the VDU.

Still, it's Friday... and Pie and Chips are on the radar screen and approaching fast.

Spare a prayer for the weekend - and for Good in Part's busy one too.  ¶ 4:02 pm 1 comments

  The Shape of Things to Come (i) A vision of light.

Several times over the last 18 months or so things in MLPK have looked like they are about to take off, combust, or whatever metaphor you wish to choose, before collapsing in a sputtering heap. These make last night's first meeting a a group of willing indiviuals to discuss quite what we are doing and how seem all the more wonderful.

Admittedly in my institutionalised way what I'd be referring to as my "church council", decided that they were in no way qualified to be called that and settled upon the title of Working Party, I have to be pleased. To be held a little more accountable to the people here and involved, rather than those with more important sounding ecclesiatical titles. To have a fund of ideas for doing things in ways that I simply would not have thought of, of more realistically, thought through, is all good stuff. And if we didn't forge as radical a path, or as risky a one, thanI might have expected then I'm still a happy bunny. Why? Because it gives me a yardstick to measure my expectations and performance beside.

So, our morning gatherings in The Spitfire pub from the end of this month will simply be "Morning Worship" - not some flight of fancy based around the name of the venue. Which makes sense as it's a response to requests for something a little more along the lines of "expected" church than "Tea Time Worship".

Achieveable goals, then. I'm nor disappointed, far from it. And in fact maybe I'm a little relieved that some of my ideas, which seem pitifully small and inadequate to me so often, really are rather more bold and visionary than I dare to believe. I know I'm not in the same league, but if Jesus can manage with a core of a dozen or so, then we can manage with a few less in MLPK.  ¶ 3:46 pm 0 comments

  In-tent Recollections, finally Greenbelt - not dreaming spires, nor perspiring dreamers, but instead a township of inspired domes. Coming home from Greenbelt and Cheltenham racecourse is like awakening from a dream. A vision of heaven, a dream of difference, a taste of the Undiscovered Country, whose citizens owe allegience to a higher power than Her Majesty or Mr President.

The time has passed for a detailed account, and others have done it well. Thus still might turn into one, but it may not.

Unfortunately coming back home was like awakening to the morning after the night before. On the domestic front it was like returning to a disaster zone, having left the house in a state, and with no elves to come and tidy up for us, and then with the real disaster zone in the Statess, and all the news from there. (For a personal view, go and read St.Casserole's blog.)

Suffice to say that I am now back in the fray, not to mention asking the questions that Greenbelt provokes just about every year. Questions about how I "do" church and faith, but supplemented by questions of lifestyle and materialism. Do I really need all those videos I never watch, for example? I think it's partly a reflection of seminars, panels and conversations, partly my annual encounters with my Franciscan friends, and partly a response to living in a tent, even if the one we used this year was dubbed the "plastic palace" on account of it's size.

Once again the weather was glorious, and this time LM was old enough to be left in the children's area, leaving GLW and I some time together, during the day for the first time in months. (Although that was a taster, LM starts pre-school two mornings a week next week!)

I don't know if the seminar program was much different from usual, for better or worse. It was good to meet Maggi, Good in Parts and hear the opinions of other blogging luminaries. I enjoyed hearing Richard Giles' take on how we do worship (even though I've heard it before). It was nice to catch the first 10 minutes of "The Magic Roundabout" in the Solar cinema (but less so to extract the pushchair GLW had insisted we brought for LM, especially after LM was scared silly and had to be removed at speed). It was great, as ever, to see the old friends I only ever meet at GB, not to mention being able to drink Hobgoblin with some of them.

I wasn't so taken with the morning service, though. The content was fine, and the words to the "story" that acted as an extended Eucharistic Prayer were excellent. Unfortunately the "stage directions" we're too hot, meaning we all started our bring and share communion before the eucharistic prayer... The fact that GLW was tired and feeling sick didn't help very much. I don't think using the Big Top as a mega-market was a good call either - too crowded, too dim, rather noisy and oppressive.

All told (or rather, some told) a good Greenbelt, with a mix of highs and lows. Next year, although LM would enjoy it more, I shall be going solo. GLW will, God-willing, have produced Mosling v2.0. My wonderful Franciscan friends have offered a sort fo on-site child-minding facility and instant community if I bring LM and camp with them. At the one level it's a highly appealing Father-Daughter thing, but I strongly suspect it won't happen. Doing GB solo can be a brilliant experience, and no matter what Maggi and others have said about structuring Greenbelt around your children, I think I'll give it a miss. At least the next time.

Which reminds me - I have a Greenbelt ticket to purchase! See some of you next year.  ¶ 4:12 pm 0 comments

  Asking the right questions I am normally of the opinion that MLPK isn't so different from much of the rest of the UK, but rather something of a leader in the trends and attitudes of an affluent society. Even so the profusion of organisations and individuals, both established and as new start-ups, offering a variey of pyschic and occultic services has surprised me somewhat. Whether on the walls of the community halls, in the glossy free magazines or on paper flyers that fall with such profusion on my doormat, you just can't escape from the stuff here.

Over the last decade or so the increased acceptance and embrace of pychics events, tarot, and the like has bas been noticeable. At the same time, while I haven't looked too hard, I have not seen any evidence of a coherent Christian response.

That's not to say that there has not been a reaction. Let me explain. A reaction is what we do, often unthinkingly, and as a blunt tool. A response is one which engages with the questions and issues far more. It looks at the questions of why something is happening and offers an apologetic and constructive engagement. I know of plenty of churches, organisations and individuals that will say loudly and at great length that such and such a practice is wrong, usually backed up by scripture and a number of examples (which sometimes are highly dubious in themselves - such as the largely conservative American attack on role-playing games of the late 80s. Although I would hotly dispute that RPGs are occultic in nature anyway as a general rule).

Surely the question we should be addressing though, is not why such practices are wrong or harmful (and yes I would often agree that they are), but about why folks resort to them - and more importantly what is it that Christians should be doing, not only in response to the demand, but in offering a viable alternative.

What was the tactic of the early church, I wonder? Or even of Jesus? Was it one of opposition and condemnation, or one of offering an alternative? I suspect the latter. The book of Acts preesents us with a number of occasions were distraction or hostility was met with a forceful rebuff in the form of exorcism, but off the top of my head I can't remember any active condemnation removed from those contexts. Similarly early Christians disposed of manuscripts of magical/occult nature in a public manner, but initially at least, it was as an act of repentance and with their own materials rather than taking somebody else's.

So that's my ponder point for the day (or my distraction from other work) - what should be the response and attitudes of the Church and all Christians to the increasing prevelance of psychic and occultic practice in the environment of post-Christendom which we inhabit? Or more specifically, what should be mine, here?

Intelligent responses, are, of course welcome. As usual.  ¶ 8:22 am 0 comments

  Back with a Vengeance It's all well and good to say that it's a good writing habit to write daily, but real life isn't always like that! After two holidays in August (which you at least know something about, dear reader) coming home to a messy house and the full crash start for a new church year is not conducive to blogging. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible! (Just when I've worked out what is normal anyway).

My regular readers would not let me escape without answering the obvious question, though. Just what does a Vengeance look like, anyway? (In fact it was a design of 2 seater dive bonber produed in 1941 by the American Vultee company to a UK design specification and saw action in the Far East.) So know you know - a little too large for me to bring home from my hols and park in MLPK.

Back to mundanity. Some thoughts on Greenbelt will follow. Honest.  ¶ 10:48 am 0 comments