malcolm chamberlain

it is finished...

2011-10-12T14:41:00.004+01:00

This blog was set up over five years ago, just ahead of me beginning fieldwork in researching for an MPhil thesis. The original post and explanation is 'here' and I can't quite believe it was so long ago! Well, it's all over - the thesis has finally been written, examined, corrected (I was asked to make minor modifications following the viva), and has been passed! This morning I've sent the final version off to the printers to be printed and bound (not a cheap exercise!) and then it's all done!! The picture (left) is the title page - hopefully it's not as dull as it sounds! In fact, my examiners were really encouraging and enthusiastic about it, claiming it is an excellent piece of work and should be published - we'll see!!!

I thought I'd post again to kind of bring this blog to some kind of closure (yes, it has been very quiet recently) now that the initial reason for setting it up has passed. I'm not going to close it down because I want to keep the archive of discussions to look back on and, who knows, I may even post something from time to time! If you've been a part of the conversations on this blog over the last five years, a big thank you. I've really enjoyed engaging with others over some of the stuff I've been thinking about and working on.

The thesis may be finished, but the mission continues - cheers!

night of the living dead...

2010-11-04T16:48:00.005Z

this is great - it comes from Dream's first Halloween service held in Liverpool Cathedral. There's also a photo gallery 'here'. Great voice Mark!

halloween dream style...

2010-10-11T16:36:00.001+01:00

Promotional film for the Dream halloween event...

for more info see 'here'

election time...

2010-04-29T16:31:00.003+01:00

Things have been very quite on this blog front recently, but I'm breaking the silence (!) to post this interesting interview with the three main Political Party leaders concerning their attitude towards the church. It's well worth a watch...

Of course, this isn't the only, or maybe even the most important, issue that should concern us as Christian voters. The people at the 'Robin Hood Tax' have made it easy to canvass our politicians views on that issue, which could well expose their attitudes towards poverty and wealth more generally. I only sent the email yesterday and have already received an extensive reply from our local Green Party candidate. Click 'here' to send it to your candidates.

Finally, in the wake of the controversy surrounding Gordon Brown's inadvertent cock-up yesterday, Kester Brewin has written a great parable with tongue only slightly in cheek. Find it on his blog 'here', but it's worth reproducing in full...

Now the Electorate was out in Middle England, and Sky News and other members of the Media brought Gordon Brown to them. They made him stand before the group and said to the Electorate, "Voters, this man was caught in the act of speaking rashly in private. He left his microphone on, and it caught him accusing a woman of being bigoted." They were using this question as a trap, in order for having a basis for people not voting for him.

But the Electorate bent down and started to write something on their Twitter accounts. When the Media kept questioning them they straightened up, and said to the them. "If any of you - journalists and or other party leaders – if any of you has never spoken rashly in private, let us cast our votes for you."

At this, those who had heard began to go back to their campaign buses and leave, one at a time, the older ones first, until only the Electorate was left, with Brown still standing there. The Electorate straightened up and asked him, "Prime Minister, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

"No one Sirs." he said.

"Then neither do we condemn you." the Electorate declared. "Go now and DON’T BE SUCH A BLOODY IDIOT AGAIN OR WE’LL CERTAINLY NOT CAST OUR VOTE FOR YOU."

With thanks to John 8: 1 – 11

the robin hood tax...

2010-02-16T16:57:00.004Z

it's a simple, relatively pain-free (unless the bankers are really greedy!) but revolutionary idea that could raise hundreds of billions each year to boost the NHS, UK schools, the fight against domestic child poverty, as well as tackling poverty and climate change around the world! Oh yes, it's also being supported by, amongst others, Christian Aid, Cafod, and our own Prime Minister!

Watch the Bill Nighy video below, and then go sign up your support.

a brief history of pretty much everything...

2010-02-16T16:41:00.008Z

This is awesome! It's a flipbook 2100 pages long, created entirely with biro pens, and was submitted as a final piece for an AS Level art course. The creator worked on it for about 3 weeks on and off! Oh yes, it passed with full marks (unsurprisingly)!

hat tip... Kester Brewin

why I love satire...

2010-02-15T14:36:00.002Z

... it doesn't come much better than this from Dave Walker...

... brilliant!

... is it church? ...

2010-01-11T17:07:00.004Z

Not sure if anyone is still out there (given how quiet I've been on this blog recently) but I thought it was worth directing anyone interested to a good paper written by Kevin Ward for the online New Zealand journal 'Stimulus' entitled It might be emerging, but is it church?

I found it a good well-balanced critique of the emerging church, although I have to admit to not really recognising some of his cited characteristics of the emerging church as being ones I'd really own. Nevertheless, Ward gives a good background to the 'movement', deals extensively with questions of church, culture and contextualisation, and critiques the emerging church (or, at least, his version of it) against the creedal confession of the "one holy, catholic and apostolic church".

You might not agree with all of his arguments or conclusions, but this is definitely (in my humble opinion) one of the better critical engagements with the emerging church.

Download the full paper from the Stimulus website 'here' (pdf format)

is this what to think about the emerging church?...

2009-11-23T12:56:00.003Z

In this month's Next-Wave online journal, publisher Charles Wear writes a short article entitled 'What Should Pastors Think About the Emerging Church?', in which he addresses some of the concerns that have been raised by evangelical writers such as D A Carson amongst others. His closing gambit is worth quoting in full...

Let me address some of these, uh, burning issues: The emerging church is not an "it." It is not Emergent or Allelon, or Forge, Catalyst or ReImagine! It is not neo-monastic, or universalist, for that matter. It is not a bunch of Birkenstock-wearing, granola-crunching, Yoga-practicing midwest urban folks. It is not a "church within a church," gen-x service, candles and worship installations, liturgy practicing, hours prayers. It is not daily blogging with cool names and ipod loaded teaching. It is not a fad, anymore than Methodism, Presbyterianism, Anglicanism, Catholicism, Lutheranism, uh, you get the idea, were passing fads. It is no more a fad than the Calvary Chapels or the Vineyards. It has no more apostacy than the rest of the apostacy that passes for Christianity today. And by the way, it is not Rob Bell, Mark Driscoll, Doug Pagitt, Brian McLaren, Leonard Sweet, Spencer Burke, uh, did I leave anyone out, yes, of course I did!

And yet, it is all of the above and so much more. It is what God is raising up to reach the rising culture and the rising generations.

Pastors, if you think you are prepared to deal with today’s cultural atmosphere, go watch the 2007 film, Juno. Then ask yourself this question: What is my congregation doing to make Jesus real to the Juno-Generation in my community?

Go read the full article

hermeneutical humility...

2009-11-02T10:16:00.011Z

I love this t-shirt slogan - a whole lot more honest perhaps than the famous "God said it, I believe it, that settles it" one. Get it from 'here'!

hat tip... Ben Sternke

how to worship...

2009-10-31T11:03:00.001Z

this is brilliant...

hat tip... Andrew Jones (TSK)

it keeps getting worse...

2009-10-28T15:59:00.005Z

there have been so many bomb blasts in Pakistan in recent months that I have not blogged about them for fear of repetition, even though I have been praying for friends in that troubled country. But today's blast in Peshawar, which has killed over 90 people, can't pass by without comment.

I continue to pray for the people whose lives have literally been torn apart by this and other atrocities; and also for those who are planning future such acts of violence - that they would be moved by God's love and compassion to reconsider and seek peaceful means of promoting their cause. For surely no god worth worshipping could approve of such indiscriminate slaughter in their name.

Sky's report on today's bomb

BBC's report on today's bomb

the long worship - more pictures...

2009-09-29T16:46:00.003+01:00

more photos from the 'Long Worship' at this year's Greenbelt, this time taken by fellow Dream-er Frances Shoesmith. Go see the slideshow.

the long worship...

2009-09-19T10:20:00.004+01:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, Dream was involved in a day long worship installation at this year's Greenbelt festival in collaboration with three other emerging church communties. For anyone who wants to see what it was like, Mark Berry (from Safe Space) has uploaded some photos to flickr. You can see a slideshow here.

pioneers and pastors...

2009-09-17T16:15:00.003+01:00

This is a really interesting and challenging conversation prompted by Mark Berry's initial honest post about his struggle with the church's unstated expectation that pioneers will become pastors. I'm particularly stuck by Mark's comment later in the thread where he writes, in response to one person's practical question, "I don't think it necessarily means moving to a new place... but about keeping true to gifting in community... as I say it seems to be generally accepted/expected that Pioneers will become Pastors, but that assumes that leadership is held, I wonder what might happen if leadership were not held..."

Well worth a read!

a free man...

2009-09-09T17:30:00.000+01:00

This is great news - justice at last after a long fight for freedom.

another excellent year...

2009-09-02T14:27:00.005+01:00

I'm recovering and catching up after another great Greenbelt. The highlights of this year's festival for me were...

Athlete on Monday night - the best music set at Greenbelt for a good few years (in my humble opinion)
Gene Robinson - for a man who has been lambasted and judged by so many you can't help but be moved by the grace with which he speaks about issues that he is deeply passionate about, be challenged by his clear teaching, and be blown away by his deep personal spirituality and faith. I don't care if it does get me into trouble (with some) for saying so, but his seminars were definite highlights of the festival for me, and are well worth downloading if you missed them
Rob Bell - the queuing was a pain but I can't think of a more effective and absorbing communicator in the Church of today
the Long Worship in New Forms on the Monday (see photo above) - yes, I know that I was involved in organising and running it, but maybe for that reason it was moving to see so many people (over 900) connect with God in the space in so many unique and personal ways
the atmosphere and catching up with friends - but that's always a highlight of Greenbelt!

I'm already looking forward to Greenbelt 2010!!

If you were at this year's festival, what were your highlights?...

that time of the year again...

2009-08-25T10:25:00.007+01:00

Greenbelt begins at the end of this week - I can't quite believe how quickly it's come round (did I say that last year?) but I'm really looking forward to it again. This year there's a pretty good music line-up too with Athlete heading the bill on Monday night. The new Greenbelt iPhone app has really helped in trying to work out which things I'm going to try to go to - I've got loads of stuff on my 'favourites' page, though I know realistically I won't get to half of it!!

I'm involved again with Dream, only this year instead of hosting our own hour-long service, we're partnering with Grace, Safespace and Feig to run 'The Long Worship' in New Forms on the Monday from 10am to 6pm. It's an interactive multi-media worship space involving this...

The chances are that if you drop in early in the day, you'll want to come back later to see how things have moved on. Make sure you come along if you're at the festival - you won't regret it!!

I'm also co-leading two Spirited Exchanges short (half-an-hour) seminars, both in G-Source...

Friday at 9:30pm - Faith:Beyond Certainty. 'Do you want to explore new and more life giving faith paradigms? What might these be and where might you find them? Malcolm Chamberlain and Jenny McIntosh of Spirited Exchanges UK look at what might help form the new faith mosaic to be more robust and integrated with all of life.'

Sunday at 7:30pm - Faith: Past its 'Use By' Date. 'Our faith journey has numerous dimensions. One is a time of questioning and faith unravelling. Beliefs and practices lose their meaning and cease to be life giving, bringing loss and confusion. Malcolm Chamberlain and Jenny McIntosh (Spirited Exchanges UK) explore the uncertainties and challenges of this difficult space.'

in support of the NHS...

2009-08-24T08:40:00.004+01:00

This may sound like a rant (because I guess it is!) but I am getting fed up with the complete rubbish (I could have used a much stronger word here) that is being churned out by the US conservative right concerning Obama's proposed health care reforms.

A few weeks ago I had a bit of a health scare and had to go to hospital for some tests, including an invasive procedure (thankfully everything came back clear). The fact that I could be treated by well qualified and experienced experts in the field using state of the art equipment with very little wait and no fear of a hefty bill afterwards is just one indicator of how great our National Health Service is. The further fact that anyone in need of such treatment, regardless of social status, race, gender, creed or financial standing, could have access to it, is the crowning glory.

So when you read of "Christian pastors", such as Rick Joyner in South Carolina, coming out with such paranoid nonsense as... "As incomprehensible as it may seem, this [i.e. Obama's health care proposal] is about euthanasia, the power to determine who lives or dies in America. Hitler and Stalin would have loved to have had such a means such as this for dispatching the millions they killed"(1) it makes me both angry and somewhat embarrassed to be associated with them as a fellow Christian (even if I might try to distance myself from this brand of Christianity). I'm no expert in US politics, but I don't think that Obama has any plans for using a national health care system to commit genocide!

Which is why I have signed 'this petition' - if you're as fed up as me over all this, why not do the same!

note

(1) reported by Andrew Clark and Ewen McAskill in The Guardian Weekly, 21.08.09 (p5)

brilliant again...

2009-08-23T17:19:00.003+01:00

I saw U2 at Sheffield Don Valley Stadium last Thursday and they were great (as always!) This is the 5th time I've seen them and I don't recall seeing the band look so relaxed and obviously enjoying themselves. The music was tight, the set and visuals jaw-dropping, and the birthday celebrations for show designer (and former Greenbelt mainstage link-man) Willie Williams was a nice extra touch. Thirty years in the business and they've still got it - best band in the world?... You bet!

defending the sacred...

2009-08-04T10:50:00.006+01:00

Further to my last post, I received another email this morning, part of which reads...

"It all started at Shanty Nagar, Punjab, then the Christian community fell victim of Islamic extremism in Shangla Hills, the Christian community of Kasoor was attacked by the miscreants, and now a massive attack on a large number of Christians in Korian and Gojra.

In all the incidents Christian community and / or individuals have been falsely accused of desecrating the Holy Quran, thus once again the discriminatory BLASPHEMY LAWS have been misused against the peaceful Pakistani Christians in their own country, Pakistan.

According to News Reports thousands of Muslims, spurred by banned militant group, attacked a Christian neighbourhood in Gojra, on Saturday, burning more than hundred houses, and 7 people which include 2 minor children were also burnt alive, after report surfaced that some Christians had desecrated the Holy Quran."

I know I'm on sensitive ground here but I can't help but comment on this, having lived in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan and witnessed first-hand how Christians live in almost constant fear of such attacks. The Pakistan Christian community has strongly denied the charges of desecrating the Holy Quran, which led to the events of the last week, and this seems to have fallen on deaf ears with no due process.

I'm not a Moslem myself, and therefore have a limited understanding of Islam from my own experience, reading and Moslem friends. But, even so, I confess to finding it difficult to reconcile such actions of extremists with the writings in the Quran they claim to follow. Every Surah (chapter) in the Quran begins, "In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful" - the fundamental tenet of Islamic faith. My struggle is that even if people had desecrated the Holy Quran (again, it's worth stating that this is strongly denied) how could a Most Gracious and Merciful God sanction the indiscriminate burning of entire villages and murder of innocent people as a just response? Surely God's grace and mercy far exceeds the importance of a book, even one as sacred as the Quran (or Bible for that matter).

Interestingly, in the same week that these awful events have been taking place, an art installation involving the Bible caused controversy in Scotland. Naturally, there were complaints from people who were offended by this apparent defacing of Scripture (personally, I didn't really have a problem with it but can see why it could have offended others), but I didn't read of any villages being burned to the ground in response.

Once again, I know I'm on sensitive ground, but when we are faced with such injustices and such extreme persecution of innocent people surely it isn't good enough to brush it under the carpet without comment for fear of offending the guilty. The church in Pakistan has condemned these attacks and we ought to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them in doing the same. I'm equally convinced that many Moslems feel just as sickened by the events of the last week in Pakistan and would want to distance themselves from these ugly forms of extremism.

As a comment on my previous post pointed out, the challenge for the Christian community is to avoid the temptation to retaliate, and we must pray for the strength to forgive and, by doing so, demonstrate the gospel in action. That's my prayer for the Christian community in Pakistan; but I'm also praying for their safety and for the Most Gracious and Merciful God to convict those who would cause such suffering in the name of religion and supposedly defending the sacred.

barbaric...

2009-08-01T12:12:00.006+01:00

I was horrified to receive an email just a few minutes ago that read...

"... on the night of July 30, 2009 in the village of Korian Toba Tek Singh, that falls in the Pastoral and Episcopal jurisdiction of Faisalabad Diocese – Church of Pakistan, some Muslim extremists set on fire about 75 houses of the Christian community and 2 Churches of the locality were also damaged.

The Diocese of Peshawar Church of Pakistan condemns this insane and brutal act of violence against peaceful poor Christian communities and on behalf of the Church of Pakistan humbly appeals to all partners and friends to pray for the comfort of the affected families and where possible extend support for the rehabilitation of victims of this unfortunate incident. "

Sadly attacks like these are all too frequent and rarely reported in the Western press. If you are a praying person, please do pray for the families affected, and for the wider Christian community in Pakistan living in fear of further attacks. Pray too against the misguided religious loyalties that lead some people to commit such barbaric acts.

The Pakistan Christian Post gives more information 'here'

update... BBC news report (and video) 'here'

weather forecast for Greenbelt...

2009-07-27T17:55:00.002+01:00

update... as Steve so rightly points out in the comments, the forecast I put up here before is for the wrong dates - doh! This looks a little bit better...

beach labyrinth...

2009-07-21T10:53:00.010+01:00

Dream did their second 'Guerrilla Worship' on Saturday, this time hosting a 32 metre square labyrinth on Crosby Beach, near Antony Gormley's 'Another Place'. The weather wasn't great, restricting the number of passers by, but it was still worth while with around 50 people walking the labyrinth in a couple of hours. It was hard work setting it out (have you ever tried raking vast areas of wet sand?!!) but, I think you'll agree from the below video, well worth it. You can find more photos 'here'.

a new religion?...

2009-06-29T11:41:00.003+01:00

'This' is an interesting article by Rowenna Davis from the Guardian comparing religion and environmentalism. Dave Walker offers some interesting reflections on it 'here', not least the observations that "many... find it important to combine religious belief with environmental action."

I was at a conference last week in which Jim Wallis was speaking. In one of his sessions he made the observation that there are two great hungers amongst young people in the USA and UK today - the hunger for spirituality and the hunger for social justice. Wallis argued that the two must be held closely together - spirituality without the desire for justice simply leads us into a selfish consumer-driven 'feel good' faith, whilst the quest for social justice without a spirituality offering hope simply leads to cynicism and anger. I reckon Jim Wallis got it about right, and that it is up to those of us that claim faith in God to make the connection for those who don't but are deeply passionate about justice. It seems to me that this is the very stuff of the kingdom of God.

the moyles lowdown on lively church...

2009-06-16T16:16:00.003+01:00

Chris Moyles and his breakfast team talk about an experience they had of 'lively' Christian worship. Stay with it until the end - it's a fascinating insight to perceptions of the church...

hat tip... Church Times Blog

perspective...

2009-06-11T14:38:00.002+01:00

I love this from nakedpastor...

open tables...

2009-04-23T12:51:00.005+01:00

I've been asked to write something about sacraments for some pioneer ministers in Liverpool to comment on as part of their networked learning, but I’m keen to open the discussion out more widely, so feel to comment whoever and wherever you are! Be warned, this is quite a lengthy post for this blog!

I’ve blogged before about Eucharist 'here', following a conversation I had with my Bishop about what policy I practiced in admitting people to Communion who have not been baptised, let alone confirmed. I remember feeling a bit uncomfortable with the question until he assured me that he wasn't trying to catch me out! He went on to recommend a book by Timothy Gorringe called 'The Sign of Love' and lent me the book, which I reviewed 'here'. The gist of Gorringe's argument is that the Last Supper was, for Jesus, a continuation of the table fellowship that had so characterised his ministry, and through which he had included those often considered outsiders by the religion and culture of his day. Gorringe sets out a clear case for Jesus using table fellowship redemptively, which culminates in the Last Supper. Therefore, he suggests, Communion should be offered widely and becomes, for many, the means of connecting with God's grace and the community of faith. Rather than admission to Communion following on from baptism, Gorringe argues that the Eucharist should be offered unconditionally to all, and may itself become a significant part of a person's story leading them to a fuller identification with the community of faith.

For some time I've been unsatisfied with the Evangelical Anglican fudge concerning invitation to receive the Eucharist! I used to trip off the standard "if you love the Lord and know him as your saviour then you are welcome to receive", thinking I was being radically inclusive by not demanding that participants be confirmed. But I've become dissatisfied with this because it is still surrounding Jesus' unconditional table fellowship with certain requirements, those being ‘loving Jesus’ and ‘knowing him as saviour’, so why not go the whole hog and demand the traditional Anglican line of confirmation?! Nowadays, in my parish ministry as well as in pioneer ministry, the invitation I give is totally open – something like "if you'd like to come and receive you are welcome to do so - this is not my table or the church's table, but Jesus', and he welcomes all." I'm not sure how this would go down at a Bishop's team meeting, but given the fact that Eucharistic ministry seems to be so central to emerging churches because, in its mystery and non-cerebral engagement, it is missionally attractive, it seems that the Spirit is leading us to step down from our hierarchical protectionism regarding gifts of God's grace and get back to the Jesus way of offering hospitality to all.

In a similar way, my position on baptism has changed over the years too! I used to want to put baptismal candidates (or the parents and godparents of children being baptised) through a thorough course to ensure that they properly understood ‘the gospel’ (or, at least, my version of it) before going ahead with baptism. Now, as with Communion, I have a much more open approach. There is a significant difference with baptism, however, and that is that the candidates or their sponsors are making some public statements of belief and intention regarding life direction (turning away from all that is against God and turning to Christ). For this reason, I like to meet up with parents and godparents to go through the words of the service, so that they know in advance what is being asked of them, and try to answer any questions they might have, offering in the process alternative arrangements (such as thanksgiving or dedication services) if they felt unable to make these statements with integrity. But that said, I don’t see it as my role to ‘judge’ whether they are taking the rite seriously or being completely honest with me. If they say they are ok with all this and that they want to go ahead then that’s good enough for me – after all, baptism too is a visible sign of God’s grace, so who am I to ring-fence it or deny access to people? Surely it is between them and God, and the sacraments are God’s initiative and invitation, not ours.

In pioneering mission all of this takes on a sharper significance in that we want members of the new emerging community, who may not yet have owned faith personally, to be fully included in all aspects of community life and worship. What do we do if we are involved in taking a baptism and someone else in the community shouts out, “I’d like to do that too”? Do we insist on a future baptism after some instruction or do we simply baptise them there and then? It seems that the way of John the Baptist, and Jesus following him, would have been to simply get on with it!

And what about the words we use? At Dream we often write our own Eucharistic prayers, rooted contextually in the community and the occasion, but that has gotten us into trouble in the past! Should pioneer communities be restricted to the authorised form of words that the Church of England (or whatever sponsoring body) has decreed acceptable or should there be liberty to reframe sacramental worship in the culture of the host community? And I haven’t even touched on the ‘lay’ or ‘ordained’ question! When it’s a recognised and often stated fact that many ‘fresh expressions’ are lay-led (surely a cause for celebration!), what is gained by shipping in an ordained person from outside the new and fragile community just so that the community can experience the grace of Jesus’ table fellowship? If the Eucharist is a visible demonstration of the physicality of God – God incarnate, flesh and blood, bread and wine – why can’t we allow it to be fully incarnate in a community that has no ordained person present?

This is a splurge of thoughts and I’m looking forward to the comments, but just to finish it’s worth mentioning that I am seeing people beginning to identify with Christian community and own faith for themselves through their experience of the sacraments, be it in emerging church or conventional church communities. Being welcomed into the mystery of the Eucharist, or being trusted to take on the promises of baptism without a faith grilling, has enabled people to feel included and a sense of belonging - that they are a part of what God is doing, that they matter. My fear is that our past (and still current) attempts to ‘uphold the integrity’ of the sacraments, by building walls around them, have only served to undermine their integrity as tangible vehicles of God’s grace and unconditional love.

more on the flash mob...

2009-04-20T16:41:00.003+01:00

Theo Hobson has posted an interesting (but not entirely accurate!) observation about the Dream flash mob on the Guardian's 'Comment is Free' site, in which he states,

"This might sound like the trivial stunt of a few oddball God-botherers to you – I beg to differ. I think it the most significant bit of Christian culture I've come across in years. It's one of the first "alternative church" initiatives that has made me feel positive about this vague movement."

Sadly, some of the comments there are less than constructive so I added my own (under the user name 'foxile') - scroll down and contribute if you want! Read Hobson's post here.

we are the champions...

2009-04-20T09:45:00.004+01:00

What a difference a year in football makes!! At the end of last season it was all doom and gloom for Leicester City, made worse by the fact that Forest were promoted and Ben was able to have a good gloat on the pages of his blog. But how the tide has changed - Leicester City are League 1 champions at the first attempt, and Forest are struggling for survival in the Championship!

I remember Ben telling me at the end of last season that it would be grim in League 1 (after all, Forest did struggle to get out of it!), but I have to say that, a few dodgy away grounds aside, I've quite enjoyed winning nearly every week!! Even so, I'm looking forward to the challenge of next season and a push towards the Premiership. Of course, it would be poetic justice if Forest are relegated but, if not, it will be fun beating them next season! Congratulations Leicester - bring on the Championship!

liverpool flash mob...

2009-04-07T08:33:00.004+01:00

Dream did their first Guerrilla Worship on Saturday in the new Liverpool ONE shopping mall in the city centre. The Times religion correspondent, Ruth Gledhill, writes that this is "thought to be the first time 'flash mob' has been used to generate a 'random' act of Christian worship." If you want to read more about it, go here, but take a look at the below video!

One Dream member who took part commented: I was on the middle level at 4pm and was amazed to watch almost the whole concourse clear, with people making their way up the steps, shoes in hand. Store assistants were coming out the shops pointing and saying "there's another one!" "what's going on?"

Great stuff!!

update... we've had over 1000 YouTube viewings in the first two days of the video being posted, and made it onto the TimesOnline website and the Church Times blog! Read all about it by clicking the links!

is the Old Testament Christian?...

2009-03-17T13:11:00.002Z

I've just finished reading 2 Samuel, and have once again been struggling with the apparently bloodthirsty God found in its pages, and how we understand this portrayal of God as followers of the Prince of Peace. And then I came across this interesting post by Matt Stone at Glocal Christianity, which explores how, as Christians, we must read the Old Testament through the reframing lense of the New Testament. Matt argues that we cannot see the Old Testament in and of itself as a 'Christian text', since it is clearly Jewish and is upheld by other faiths as Scripture even though they might come to differing conclusions about God. If we follow this line, the Old Testament becomes a 'Christian text' when it is reframed by the New, such that we reinterpret what we find there. Matt writes:

"I find the movie Sixth Sense provides a good analogy. If you have seen that movie, starring Bruce Willis, then you’d know that the ending of the movie has a killer twist. In the final moments Bruce Willis’ character has a revelation that reframes everything that was going on up to that moment.... The realization affects his identity and transforms his entire story.... For Christians the coming of Christ is, similarly, a killer twist. Jesus transforms our understanding of God, and hence, our understanding of the Old Testament and how we read it. Reading the Old Testament in isolation from the New Testament is like watching Sixth Sense but walking out fifteen minutes before the climax. You’ll never understand Christianity by viewing it that way, and you’ll never truly understand the Old Testament by reading it that way."

If I understand Matt correctly, the New Testament is the Christian's 'text' (in a Derrida sense) - our interpretive framework through which we see the world, including the Old Testament. Of course, Matt makes a huge leap in the final line of the above quote as other faiths would certainly argue against needing the New Testament in order to "truly understand the Old Testament", but as a Christian believer myself I'm happy to go along with him here!

The question remains though... what do we do with the Old Testament narratives of the boodthirsty God and the faithfulness of his people being seen in their willingness to comit mass slaughter? Do we simply reject such texts as ancient misconceptions of God, based on the new understanding arising from the teaching and sacrificial example of Jesus, or is there a more subtle way to reframe the Old Testament?

Read Matt's whole post here

extrmely dangerous...

2009-03-14T15:05:00.001Z

Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, was interviewed on Al Jazeera English by Sir David Frost on 12 March 2009. He spoke about the threat from domestic terrorism in Pakistan saying that the 'situation is very grave'...

"The situation in Pakistan is extremely dangerous. I would say it's very grave. I think Pakistan faces a mortal threat, not from India, but from domestic terrorism. And that domestic terrorism is so grave that I think that politicians in Pakistan need to come together.

At the moment the politicians are pointing their fingers at each other. In fact they should be coming together and pointing their fingers at those who threaten the Pakistani people and those are terrorists on the Afghan border, terrorists in the Punjab who struck with such deadly effect in Mumbai and terrorists who after all claimed the life of Benazir Bhutto in December 2007."

cadbury goes fairtrade...

2009-03-07T11:01:00.000Z

this is great news!!!

no line on the horizon...

2009-02-28T11:09:00.003Z

I'm just listening to my 'advance order' copy of the new U2 album, that arrived this morning and I have to say that so far (8 tracks in) it's great! OK, so anyone who knows me knows that I'm an unashamed U2 fan (why should I be ashamed about it?!!), but this really is a great album!

Q magazine gave it a full 5 stars (but then they love U2 too!); NME gave 7 out of 10, despite a pretty critical review (maybe U2 are not 'alternative' enough for NME). The only negative review I've seen to date is from Time magazine... but then what do they know about music?!!

the christian thought police...

2009-01-30T16:29:00.005Z

Once again Jon Birch comes up trumps! If you get a chance, check out the brief conversation arising from my Tuesday post, and add to the discussion.

crystals vs christ...

2009-01-28T09:18:00.003Z

Mark's in the news again!! This is a pretty interesting article from the BBC, looking at how the church in Telford is engaging (or not) with what it calls the 'spiritual-but-not religious brigade'. It features 'Safe Space' and even a quote from 'emerging church guru' Ian Mobsby (is that a title that he's been officially given?!)

Read the article and then go to Mark's blog to read his reflections on it...

the opposite of faith revisited...

2009-01-27T10:31:00.004Z

What I love about blogging is that no matter how quiet you might be (and, let's face it... this blog has been pretty quiet of late!), there's always a chance that someone new will visit your blog, pick up on a previous post and continue the conversation. And so, I was grateful to get a notification of someone adding a new comment to 'this post' that I originally wrote 2 years & 2 months ago (to the day!)

If you want to read the original post and conversation, including the new contribution 'click here', but I thought I'd post my latest response for those who are short of time...

'Anonymous', please don't think that I was suggesting that the pursuit of knowledge is a bad thing - in fact, quite the opposite. What I was challenging in this post is the viewpoint held by some that they already have 'The Truth', and so leave no room for God to disrupt their faith with fresh revelation, or, indeed, to have their 'knowledge' challenged and possibly changed by another person's 'knowledge'.

It seems from reading Scripture that God is often in the business of disrupting and even subverting people's 'knowledge' about him. One such clear example is Peter's vision in Acts 10 in which God seems to be telling Peter to disobey the Word of God (or, at the very least, Peter's understanding of it) concerning what is clean and unclean.

Of course we must study and be learners as followers of Jesus, and seek to understand more and more as we journey with Christ and one another. However, surely a religious viewpoint that leaves no room for surprise and fresh perspective is one that has given up on learning, believing it has already arrived at 'The Truth'. It seems to me that such a viewpoint has also jettisoned the very essence of faith.

What do you think?...

the story in sand...

2009-01-13T11:06:00.003Z

This is quite incredible - a very arty interpretation of the Biblical story...

hat tip... Matt Stone

alternative worship...

2009-01-13T10:32:00.000Z

'This' is great!

merry christmas...

2008-12-24T09:50:00.004Z

OK, so I've not exactly been a prolific blogger over the last few weeks (months!) - the demands of life (work, family, etc) have cut into blogging time (you might say, 'real' life has won the day!!) I've also been working on our new church website (let me know what you think!)

I'll try to post some more in the New Year, but for now...

Happy Christmas to all (if there's anyone left checking out this blog!)
and best wishes for 2009!

This was an image I put together for the St Mary's Christmas services, stealing an excellent background image from 'macmonkies'

surprise!...

2008-11-17T11:38:00.004Z

I love this...

Find more nakedpastor cartoons and musings 'here'

vote for greenbelt... again...

2008-10-14T11:56:00.003+01:00

Following on from 'this post', Greenbelt has made it to the final round of voting in the UK Festival Awards in the following two categories...

Best Family Festival
Best Toilets (!)

The good news is that you can vote for a second time now the shortlist is published, but voting closes on 20th October so you'd better be quick. Click here to vote...

P.S. yes, that is me in the photo scratching (but definitely NOT picking) my nose!

open letter to mark brewer...

2008-10-13T10:17:00.002+01:00

This morning the following letter was emailed to Mark Brewer on behalf of the members of the 'We support Dave Walker' Facebook group. It seems like a fair letter to me, so come on Mr Brewer... please make your response. If you're not aware of Dave Walker's case, Matt Wardman has blogged a useful introductory guide 'here'.

Dear Mr. Brewer

We are writing on behalf of 498 supporters of cartoonist and blogger Dave Walker, a group which includes bishops, national journalists in the UK and US, lawyers, clergy, and concerned members of the public.

We would like to ask you please to contact Dave Walker and withdraw the demands made in the 'Cease and Desist' letter which you sent him in July. Your letter, as far as we know, instructed Dave to remove all his posts about the recent history of SPCK bookshops or face action for libel. With the pressures of the impending Lambeth conference, and a very short deadline given by yourself, Dave complied. He commented at the time: “I have therefore removed all of the SPCK/SSG posts on this blog, as, although I believe I have not done anything wrong I do not have the money to face a legal battle. The removal of these posts is in no way an admission of guilt.”

Many of us have read the posts concerned, and are surprised, to say the least, that they could be called libelous. Indeed, the first three posts make no mention at all of yourself, the Society of St. Stephen the Great, or anyone associated with you. The 4th post reports your takeover of the bookshops with the comment “this is splendid news.” Another post is a simple link to your SSG video on YouTube. Other items include verbatim reports of your own statements, and in the simple post on the death of Steve Jeynes, dozens of people used the comments to expressed their grief and condolences to Steve’s family.

Dave is a reasonable man, and if all critics were as fair as he is the world would be a better place. If you were able to reconsider, and point out specific statements and claims you were unhappy with, we are sure Dave would be happy to correct them where appropriate. This is the normal process of debate on the internet, and in real life, and follows the strong tradition of free speech for which our countries stand and are rightly proud.

So this is a polite request from all of us: please contact Dave Walker, advise him that your ‘cease and desist’ communication no longer stands, and let him report freely.

Yours sincerely

8 signatories representing the ‘We Support Dave Walker’ group

which are you?...

2008-10-09T10:05:00.003+01:00

... printed in this weeks Time magazine.

brilliant...

2008-10-02T12:48:00.002+01:00

hat tip... ASBO Jesus

mankind is no island...

2008-10-02T12:39:00.002+01:00

This short film by Jason van Genderen, shot entirely on a cell phone, has just won the 2008 Tropfest short film award. It is well worth the three and a half minutes to watch it - profound, moving and inspirational, a deserved winner (not that I know much about making short films!)...

hat tip... Matt Stone

vote for greenbelt...

2008-10-01T10:03:00.004+01:00

Greenbelt Festival is up for several award categories in the UK Festival Awards 2008, including...

- Best Medium Festival
- Best Line-up
- Family Festival Award
- Grass Roots Festival Award
- Best Toilets

You can vote 'here' until 20th October; though each category is narrowed to a short list of ten on 13th October so vote early to ensure that Greenbelt stays in the race! There is more info on the Greenbelt website.

Cast your vote and get word about Greenbelt out there!

joining the conspirators...

2008-09-30T11:09:00.003+01:00

In preparation for a round table discussion with Tom Sine, that I'm involved in tomorrow, I've just read the first two chapters of The New Conspirators (I thought I'd better!)

The chapter 'Emerging, Missional, Mosaic and Monastic' is an excellent, and pretty up-to-date, overview of what Sine describes as 'four streams of renewal' in the church at present (the four streams being those in the chapter title).

Last Friday I was interviewed by BBC Radio Merseyside as part of the run up to 'Back to Church Sunday', and was asked if I was concerned by the state of the church and, in particular, by its decline. I said that I wasn't, because I was hearing so many stories of new life and (to use the phrase) 'fresh expressions' of church that were much more rooted in the realities of communities, cultures and real life. I mentioned that, for me, a faith that didn't touch base with, and affect, reality was a faith not really worth having!

For people who are concerned about the state of the church, the first two chapters of Tom Sine's latest book will come as both an encouragement and a challenge. An encouragement as you read of the many ways in which new communities of followers of Jesus are taking root and making a difference, and a challenge as your eyes are opened to these new realities and your existing church (and faith) paradigms are shaken, even subverted. The kingdom of God is, of course, so much bigger than what we've allowed it to become in our Christian sub-cultures, and Sine's book is a wake up call to join in with the missio dei.

I love the invitation at the start of the book to "become a part of something 'really, really small,' a quiet conspiracy that is destined to change our lives and God's world." (p23) I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the book and to meeting and discussing with Tom Sine tomorrow.

worship...

2008-09-16T12:01:00.002+01:00

Jonny has posted some really helpful and challenging posts about worship, arising out of a symposium he was involved in at London School of Theology. He makes some pertinent points (and echoes those of others) about fully contextualised worship grown "in the soil of your local culture". Read his posts here, here and here.

the end of the world?...

2008-09-11T10:18:00.003+01:00

Has the Large Hadron Collider destroyed the world yet? News just in...

hat tip... Maggi Dawn

what would Jesus construct?...

2008-09-10T13:49:00.004+01:00

This is a good thought-provoking post from Richard Sudworth. Maybe with his 'IS, NOT and BUT' statements, Richard has made some profound (and not always comfortable, depending on where you're coming from) observations. Inclusion, community and equality are concepts I warm to, and I love Richard's appeal to 'the story' which transcends narrow doctrinal prescriptions and, at the same time, embodies certain themes which are to be embraced in remaining faithful to and journeying in the Christian tradition.

they like Jesus but not the church

2008-09-03T11:58:00.003+01:00

Ok, so it might just be a pretty long (7 minutes) advert for this book and course (which I haven't read/participated in, so can't comment on), but it is worth a watch all the same...

blah manchester - Tom Sine...

2008-09-01T17:10:00.003+01:00

Sadly I won't be able to go to this, but hopefully I'm doing my bit by giving it a plug!...

‘The New Conspirators’ with Tom Sine.

We are excited to announce that Tom Sine will be coming to Manchester this Autumn. He’ll be spending 24hrs with us where we’ll be exploring his recently published book ‘The New Conspirators’, discovering more about him and learning about the hopeful mustard seeds that are being sown here in Manchester.

This non residential conference will take place at the Nazarene college in Manchester (Dene Road, Didsbury, M20 2GU) from 30th Sept until 1st October. There will be three sessions during our time together plus plenty of time for networking and discovering more about what God is doing in the North West.

30th September, 15:00 - 17:00. Session 1: Travelling in Turbulent Times with the New Conspirators.

30th September, 19:00 - 21:00: Session 2: Taking Turbulent Times Seriously.

1st October, 10:00 - 12:30: Session 3: The imagination of the Future.

For more information about the sessions click 'here'

Book online 'here'

Alternatively send a cheque made payable to CMS to: Alice Morgan, CMS, Watlington Road, Oxford, OX4 6BZ and include a covering note stating that the cheque is for the Tom Sine event in Manchester.

This event is hosted in partnership between Blah...manchester and Network Manchester/EA

that was Greenbelt 08...

2008-08-27T09:54:00.005+01:00

Had a great time at Greenbelt 08! Each year people ask 'what was the best thing about Greenbelt?' and, although I always manage to catch some great seminars/worship/discussions/bands (sometimes completely by accident), I have to say that the best thing about Greenbelt is... Greenbelt! Sounds corny but Greenbelt is just great; nothing makes it great apart from itself - the atmosphere, the environment of active exploration.

So no one thing stood out this year as 'the' thing that made Greenbelt for me, but I did enjoy Brian McLaren, Pete Rollins, Philip Yancey, the discussions in The Cooker and (though I know it's not everyone's cup of tea) the Beer 'n' Hymns in the Jesus Arms (organic beer tent which gets bigger every year!)

The Dream at Dawn service seemed to go well, as did the Spirited Exchanges seminars - below is a slide show of some piccies from the Dream service (flash required) - you can see them in full 'here'...

greenbelt 2008 is nearly here...

2008-08-18T10:13:00.003+01:00

Getting ready for Greenbelt, which starts on Friday - can't wait!

I'm involved in the following things, so catch up with me here...

Sunday 24th August

from 12pm (ish) - Spontaneous Worship with Dream (it's meant to be a surprise but we'll be somewhere youthish!)

5:30pm at the CMS venue - Spirited Exchanges

Monday 25th August

2pm in New Forms - Dream at Dawn

3pm at the CMS venue - Spirited Exchanges

7pm in The Kitchen - Out of Body Experiences - leaving church, finding faith? (interactive seminar/discussion/panel) with Spirited Exchanges

Apart from this, I'm looking forward to hearing Brian McLaren amongst other things (a bit disappointed that 1 Giant Leap are no longer appearing though). Of course, I'll frequently be around the organic beer tent too!! If you're going, have a great festival!

letter from god to man...

2008-08-05T12:58:00.014+01:00

Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, Letter From God To Man (released 28 July 2008)

I love this track! I'm not usually into hip-hop but I have to say that this is a really clever song, and the way that Radiohead's Planet Telex is sampled is pretty cool too. The track can be downloaded from iTunes - well worth the 79p price!

The lyrics are inspired (though I'm not sure about the 'survival of the fittest' bit)! You can read them in full 'here' - this is one of my favourite verses, which kind of shows the general tone...

So I’m writing to apologize for all the horrors committed in my name,
Although that was never what I intended, I feel I should take my share of the blame.
All the good I tried to do was corrupted when all the religion got into full swing,
What I thought were quite clear messages were taken to unusual extremes.
My teachings taken out of context to meet the agendas of others,
Interpretations taken to many different ways and hidden meanings discovered

I don't know where Dan Le Sac or Scroobius Pip are coming from with regard to faith, but their lyrics seem to suggest that God is not at fault for the bad in the world but voluntarily takes responsibility for it. Seems to be a pretty orthodox understanding of the cross to me!

I found the below video on YouTube too which sets the song to some powerful images (flash required)...

too quick to judge...

2008-07-28T11:17:00.002+01:00

'This', from Bishop Alan's blog, is brilliant - a warning to those who spend too much time hunting for 'dodgy'! Go read...

did Jesus deconstruct?...

2008-07-21T14:49:00.006+01:00

just trying out an idea here...

I was in a discussion earlier today in which we were comparing Jesus' non-directional teaching and non-hierarchical 'church' structure to that which we find in Paul's letters. Where Jesus seemed intent on rejecting status (see Matthew 23:8-12) and on asking more questions than he gave answers, Paul seems equally intent on introducing structure, firming up theological convictions and making requirements of 'leaders' that set them apart from the rest (e.g. Titus 1:5-9, assuming Paul wrote Titus which I'm happy to accept). This cursory reading of both Jesus and Paul has led many people to set them up against each other and plump for the teaching of one as their 'key texts'.

As we were discussing this I started wondering if it could be argued that Jesus was engaged in deconstructing the inherited religious patterns, by his teaching and example, subverting the status positions found in his society and the powerplay of directive teaching. If so, can we argue that Jesus was intentionally engaging in encouraging people's faith journeys on from a stage 3 inherited faith (using Fowler's model) towards stage 4 and beyond?

Following this through, we could then argue that Paul was merely beginning the process of reconstruction, trying to make sense of his own religious heritage, the teaching and practice of Jesus and the social context(s) in which he found himself. At times Paul can seem a bit confused with himself - not surprising for someone moving through a stage 4 towards a stage 5 faith!

If this were the case, we could draw a couple of interesting implications...

Paul's project was not contra to that of Jesus, but was a development of Jesus' own ministry. It is desireable (or is it?) that deconstruction leads to a reconstruction where the latter takes account of the journey and the changed perspectives and so may look very different from the pattern held prior to deconstruction, whilst having some similarities. Compare Paul's church structure and pattern for leadership with that of 1st century Judaism - similarities and radical differences.
Paul, in reconstructing faith and community structure was doing so for the 1st century world(s) in which he lived and travelled. He wasn't necessarilly setting a definitive pattern that has to be adhered to by all people of all nations in all times.

Is it then the task of the church in every new context, be it cultural, historical or whatever, to be both allowing Jesus' teaching and ministry to deconstruct inherited patterns of faith and community, keeping us centred on the teacher rather than the teachings, the divine rather than the institution, whilst at the same time engaging in reconstructing new patterns of church and ministry that take into account the story so far and the social context in which we currently live? This sounds a bit like N T Wright's 'faithful improvisation' arrived at in a very different way!

This is clearly not a thought through theory, just something I'm mulling over! Any comments?...

a good question...

2008-07-10T13:58:00.002+01:00

an interesting question raised by 'zero_zero_one' to my last post...

"Another thought - can churches choose to opt out from being under the authority of a MALE bishop? Obviously at the moment there are only male bishops in the Church of England, but when female bishops come along will churches be able to say, for example, "The (male) bishop of our diocese voted against female bishops, we do not agree with this on a theological basis, therefore we want a female bishop or a male bishop who agrees that women can be bishops"?"

equality, but only if you want it...

2008-07-09T09:39:00.001+01:00

Once again, Jon Birch hits the nail well and truly on the head...

at last!...

2008-07-08T12:11:00.004+01:00

	For	Against	Abstentions
Bishops	28	12	1
Clergy	124	44	4
Laity	111	68	2

The final amended motion was:

That this Synod:
(a) affirm that the wish of its majority is for women to be admitted to the episcopate;
(b) affirm its view that special arrangements be available, within the existing structures of the Church of England, for those who as a matter of theological conviction will not be able to receive the ministry of women as bishops or priests;
(c) affirm that these should be contained in a statutory national code of practice to which all concerned would be required to have regard; and
(d) instruct the legislative drafting group, in consultation with the House of Bishops, to complete its work accordingly, including preparing the first draft of a code of practice, so that the Business Committee can include first consideration of the draft legislation in the agenda for the February 2009 group of sessions.

for more information about this historic vote, and some interesting links, see the Church Times blog

I followed the debate yesterday through Ruth Gledhill's excellent live blog-cast (is that a new term?!) - well worth a read to fill in the gaps!

Let's continue to hope and pray that the code of practice and special arrangements being drawn up don't serve to water down the important step taken, by making women bishops appear to be 'second class bishops'. I agree that there are very complex pastoral considerations needed for those who in conscience can't accept this decision, but the Church, through it's recognised structures, has decided and this should now be regarded as the understanding and policy of the Church of England. Women will be bishops and, when that happens, should be treated by the Church as equal to any other bishop - anything less would be to treat with contempt the historic decision that Synod has taken which would be a travesty.

not a 'Christian country'...

2008-07-01T10:59:00.003+01:00

'This' is a great post from Steve Hollinghurst, and well worth a read especially if you're a church minister in the UK! I've lost count of how many times I've read or been told that England is a Christian country, and it's often a statement masking a more sinister unspoken view that either verges on racism or anti-youth sentiment. Steve hits the nail on the head when he writes:

"the reality is that a modern democratic society can never by identity be a 'Christian country' and the use of this phrase does not promote the Church's influence i think it actually undermines it. it simply serves to remind everyone that the church is a thing of the past, that we used to be a Christian nation and that whilst some bits of that legacy where good we no longer need the Church to tell us that, we the citizens now decide what are 'good Christian values' and what are 'bad traditional religious morality'. anyone caught using the phrase 'we are a Christian country' is at best well meaning but irrelevant and at worst a power mad oppressor who wants to run the country their way and not our way. Christians need to wake up to this and start admitting we are not a Christian country." (bold highlights mine)

I've recently been teaching the 'Mission in Britain Today' module on a regional course training people for lay and ordained ministry in the anglican, methodist and baptist churches. Interestingly, the session on post-Christendom has been met with differing, sometimes strongly held, views. Some people do grieve the passing of Christendom; that is until we start to dig a bit deeper and read our history in the context of the New Testament and the mission of God. I'm of the belief that continuing to live with a Christendom mentality is perhaps the thing, above any other, that paralyses the church with respect to mission.

It seems that Steve is in agreement...

"... when we stop trying to claim some privileged position because 'we are a Christian country' and admit we are not we then get freed up to start fulfilling a calling to offer vision in our nation in the only way we can, by inspiring individuals, whether in government or in the local street, by what we say and what we do."

Read Steve's full post 'here'

suspended advertising...

2008-06-14T13:22:00.003+01:00

this is a mega-sized piece of advertising for Mini that is on a major thoroughfare corner in Liverpool city centre... Yes, that is a full-sized Mini (though I suspect just the chassis) suspended on the side of a building on a mock car park! Pretty impressive advertising I say... now, I must go and buy a mini!

viva la vida...

2008-06-12T16:33:00.004+01:00

I've never joined in with the 'bash Coldplay' games that people seem to enjoy playing, mainly because I actually like them and generally think their music is great. So out I went first thing this morning to buy their latest offering, Viva la Vida or Death and all His Friends aware that some of the reviews warn that it's 'different' and requires a few plays.

I have to say I loved it on first listen - it is without doubt their masterpiece and has an originality about it (despite the hints of Sigur Ros from time to time) - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (even if you have taken part in Coldplay bashing in the past!)

risking the best...

2008-06-11T09:04:00.002+01:00

I can't believe how busy life is at the moment and am annoyed at the things I'm having to neglect as a result... such as this blog! So, just to post something and break the long silence, here's a short thing I wrote for our latest church magazine...

I was having a conversation with someone last night who was commenting on how unimpressive France had been in their opening fixture of the European Championships and I replied, “isn’t it great to be able to criticise other European teams, knowing that it won’t rebound on you in a few days time?” It’s true to say that I’ve not been as relaxed at the beginning of a major international football tournament since… well, since the World Cup in 1994 – anyone notice the connection?!

But, of course, the reason for being relaxed is also a source of disappointment and regret – there’s no community atmosphere surrounding these championships, no cars flying the England flag, no empty streets on the all-important match days. If the truth be known, Euro 2008 is all a bit of a letdown, despite the BBC’s ‘who will you support’ efforts at raising public interest!

By England not qualifying, and so not taking part in the competition, we might avoid the stress and near-inevitable heartache, but we also miss so much more besides. If I were honest, I’d rather have the stress, despite what I said in my conversation last night.

And this has got me thinking about the journey of faith! The easiest way to avoid trouble or potential suffering is to keep your head down and not get involved. But this is also the surest way to miss out on so much of what Jesus wants us to enjoy. Jesus likened following him to travelling on a narrow road that only a few manage to find (Mt 7:13-14); he warned that being aligned to him may well divide families (Lk 12:52-53); he spoke of his followers suffering and being persecuted because of him (Mt 5:11-12); and he sent his disciples out as ‘sheep among wolves’ (Mt 10:16). It would have been far less stressful, far safer and far less likely to end in tears for those disciples if they had ignored Jesus’ call to follow and simply carried on fishing, collecting taxes or worshipping in the temple.

But, and it’s a big but, there was something so compelling about this man Jesus that they simply had to move out of their comfort zones and follow him, come what may, and in doing so they changed the world – the easy option is not always the best! The same compelling Jesus calls us to follow too, with the same warnings and the same opportunities. Like England’s football adventures, it may bring grief at times but surely it’s better to be involved!

my study on a good day...

2008-05-19T10:34:00.003+01:00

Sure enough, there is something very familiar looking about this...

by Dave Walker at the Church Times Blog

freeze...

2008-05-13T16:45:00.001+01:00

this video is fantastic, freaky, artistic and a great laugh all rolled into one! How would you have reacted?...

misleading statistics... surely not...

2008-05-08T15:48:00.002+01:00

So is 'this statement' from the Church of England a case of "well said' or last ditch wishful thinking and covering over the cracks? I tend to think that there is a lot of truth in the statement and particularly in how church statistics are unfairly compared to those of other faith communities, but it's also a little bit too early to be patting ourselves on the backs! Nice to see a mention of chaplaincies alongside fresh expressions too!

aim lower, think smaller, give up and go have a cup of coffee...

2008-05-07T13:21:00.000+01:00

clever...

he's not the only one...

2008-05-04T20:13:00.006+01:00

Ollie Sickened By Defeat... he's not the only one I can tell you! So who's to blame?... where do I begin?!

Ollie, though a nice bloke, has not exactly set the world alight since his move to Leicester has he? OK, so we were in trouble when he arrived, but it got worse. As he himself said in the Guardian, "Statistically, I'm the worst Leicester City manager in history". Still, I'm not convinced he should go and the blame is not all at his feet...
The players - they may well have been crying in the dressing room at the end of today's match; shame they didn't show the same passion on the pitch week in week out. With the exception of three or four (Hume, Stearman, McAuley, Kisnorbo) all those 'players of promise' simply haven't been up to it. I bet the big guns who haven't performed will be the first to ask for transfers now - good riddance to them I say. Time for another clear out at the Walkers Stadium.
Milan Mandaric - unfortunately we need his cash but any chairman who meddles in footballing affairs as much as he does is bound to be a problem. Sacking Martin Allen because the manager didn't want to bring in Hasselbaink and MM did was a scandal - why has he employed a manager if he won't let him manage. I guess this is all a bit academic as I reckon MM will be off now (sadly with his money) anyway. When he came to the club two years ago he said Leicester would be in the Premiership in three seasons or he would have failed, and that he doesn't fail... err, I've got news for you Milan!

All in all, a dreadful day in the life of a Leicester supporter - in fact, the worst ever. The promotion of Forest yesterday makes it all so much harder to swallow. At least Derby suffered the drop too. Still, humble pie time... we're a league below them both now. Time to go and weep into a pint!

inside out...

2008-04-30T17:37:00.000+01:00

a great little post from Ben Sternke on missional church.

boxes...

2008-04-22T17:22:00.001+01:00

here's something I wrote recently for our church magazine...

For us as a family the dominating item over the last few weeks has been the dreaded box! On the Tuesday after Easter the Pickford’s team arrived at our then home in Aigburth and began packing all our worldly goods into boxes – nearly 200 of them! Then, two days later, they delivered those boxes, along with our furniture, to the Rectory opposite St Mary’s – and so began for us the lengthy (and still ongoing) process of unpacking boxes and finding new homes for all our stuff (minus the things we’ve bravely thrown out!)

And all this has got me thinking about how our lives are so often characterised by ‘boxes’ of sorts. We all have our preferred ways of doing things and understanding things. And, of course, there’s nothing wrong in having those ‘boxes’ – they generally offer stability and security, our own little known world in the sometimes frightening and often-unstable big world. The problems arise when I think that my box is the only valid box or, more specifically, that God only functions and dwells in my box because he only approves of my box. Sadly, churches can be masters at trying to box God up like this – whether it’s in terms of tradition, musical style, doctrine, what is considered ‘reverent’, or a myriad of other ways.

The gospel writers tell us that as Jesus breathed his last, hanging on a cross on that hot dusty Friday afternoon, the curtain in the temple was torn in two. This ‘curtain’ was not some flimsy fabric, but a formidable screen that had previously separated the perceived place of God’s dwelling from ordinary people. In this dramatic action it was as if God was visibly breaking out of the box that religion had tried to put him in. The implication… God cannot be contained or, as C S Lewis’ Mr Tumnus says in the first Narnia film, “Aslan is not a tame Lion”! It became clear at Pentecost that this ‘breaking out of God’ was so that he could relate personally, through his Spirit, to all people. No longer can we presume to ‘house’ God in any one specific place – God is making his home in countless places, in countless lives.

As I write, we’re still finding new homes for the things we’re taking out of boxes at the Rectory. I wonder what new homes God may find in this season of Easter? Will he find a new home in someone’s life, maybe even yours? Will he find a new home in your conversations and relationships? Take courage and allow God to break free from the boxes you’ve, maybe unwittingly, attempted to contain him in – you never know, you may just be pleasantly surprised!

2008-04-22T17:17:00.003+01:00

I love this...

thanks Jon at ASBO Jesus

up to 10 days... yeah right!...

2008-04-22T17:08:00.003+01:00

So it was on the 23rd March that I went quiet due to moving house! The house move went remarkably smoothly (though we're still unpacking the boxes), which is more than can be said for the switch of the broadband service!! Several phone calls (to national rate numbers), over three weeks, and a raft of broken promises lead me to eventually cancel my contract last Friday in disgust! And, lo and behold, today I have broadband (it's just come online!!) All in all... I feel unable to recommend Tiscali to anyone (understatement of the year - I'll withhold the profanities) but am now in the interesting position of having broadband without contract or direct debit to pay for it!! I've also written a letter of complaint! It's a bit of a mess... what should I do?!

Anyway, I'm catching up with blog posts from the last three weeks and a backlog of emails, all while trying to carry on with the new jobs (which seem to be going well - I'm enjoying the new challenge)!! All good fun. Hopefully, I'll get back to more thoughtful blogging soon!

it's oh so quiet...

2008-03-23T16:10:00.003Z

... so go the lyrics to the iconic Bjork song! So why has this blog been so quiet recently?...

New job! I've been settling into a new job 'leading' a church in Liverpool and beginning to develop and encourage missional church in the deanery. I guess it's meant throwing myself into building new relationships in the 'real' rather than the 'virtual' world. It's not just the blog that's suffered as a result... there are several emails awaiting to be dealt with too (sorry if yours is one of them!)
New House! As a Church of England minister, a new job means a new house! The house attached to my new job needed a fair bit of work doing to it which we've been trying to keep up with and, now it's finished, we're about to move!

All of this I guess has meant less time to muse on the blog (and I miss it!). It's about to get worse (if that's possible) because this week we are actually moving house and so I'll be plunged into the position of no broadband until the provider can switch my service from one place to another ("It could be 10 working days" they tell me!) , not to mention buried in boxes such that blogging will unlikely be on the top of my priorities list!

So, here's the request... please don't give up on this blog! I haven't, and, to be honest, this space could prove to be really valuable to me as a sounding board and a place for reflection as the new things in my life develop! It'll be pretty non-existent for a few weeks but, in the words of another early 1990's icon, I'll be back!

gone for good?...

2008-03-04T11:07:00.003Z

Tracey Messenger, from Church House Publishing, has written a helpful and in-depth review of Leslie Francis and Philip Richter's 'Gone for Good? Church Leaving and Returning in the 21st Century' (Epworth Press, 2007)

You can read Tracey's review on the Spirited Exchanges UK website 'here'

music with windows...

2008-02-25T15:08:00.005Z

Richard White, from the Dream network, just sent me a link to this to see if I missed those wonderful Windows sounds since making the transition to Mac. The short answer is 'no' but it's still well worth having a listen to this...

missio dei and the church...

2008-02-19T09:34:00.003Z

Last night I began teaching a twelve session course, Mission in Britain Today, for the SNWTP; a partnership of the Anglican, Methodist, Baptist and United Reformed churches across Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Chester, training people for church ministry and leadership. I had a great time with the group I'm teaching and we began a fascinating discussion which is likely to continue throughout the course. I'm blogging about it here because I'm interested in your response too!

By way of introduction to the theme of mission, and as a basis for understanding mission, we looked at the concept of missio dei and discussed the implications of believing in a God who is constantly engaged in his (please note that I'm using the masculine pronoun here to personalise, not to genderise (sic), God) mission in and beyond the structures of the organised Christian Church.

As part of this discussion, I sketched the two well documented alternatives regarding the implication of the missio dei for the Church. The first (put forward by such as A.T. Van Leeuwen and J.C. Hoekendiijk) is the suggestion that the Church is pretty much incidental to the success of the mission of God. The argument goes that, since God is engaged in mission and uses various agents to bring about his purposes of justice and salvation, it makes little difference to the success of this mission whether the Church has got its act together or not - God will achieve his purposes with or without the Church. Nor is it significant to the overall mission of God as to whether the Church is growing or not - God's mission is beyond, though it does include, the Church.

The second alternative to understanding the implications of the missio dei for the Church is that argued by such as Andrew Kirk and Wilbert Schenk. They emphasise the belief that, although God is indeed active beyond the Church and although the ultimate purpose of the divine mission is the Kingdom and not the Church, nevertheless the Church, as the community of those who have entered consciously into relationship with God, is central to God’s way of working in mission. The Church, they argue, is both an embodied sign of the Kingdom and a foretaste or sacrament of the Kingdom, and, furthermore, it is the only intentional agent of the Kingdom. Therefore, it does matter whether the Church has got its act together or not - although God is not restricted to working only through the Church, he has established and called the Church as the primary agent and visible sign in the missio dei, and so the mission of God will suffer if the Church is not fulfilling its calling. Likewise, Church growth is evidence of the success of the missio dei.

Of course, the proviso for this second alternative has to be what we understand by 'the Church'. Church growth does not simply mean more bums on seats in organised churches. But it does surely refer to the community(ies) who consciously identify themselves as followers of Christ engaged in the mission of God, rather than some vague and undefined concept. Indeed, it's this conscious identification that differentiates the Church from the wider Kingdom, of which it is a part.

So that was the gist of last night's discussion. Over to you... is the Church incidental and inconsequential to the missio dei, or is it the central agent through which God choses to work his purposes? Does it matter whether the Church has got its act together or not?

the cost of democracy...

2008-02-18T13:44:00.003Z

... I hope and pray that it's worth it; that the newly elected Pakistani government, whoever it may be, respect the immense price that many ordinary Pakistanis have paid for these elections, in the hope of better and more stable times ahead.

See Pakistanis vote in tense election

visual theology...

2008-02-12T08:50:00.000Z

'This' is great - I love the artwork and the reflection that follows... "Where do we "put the camera" when we read a particular story in the gospels? " is a brilliant question. Thanks Richard!

Pakistan bomb...

2008-02-09T16:11:00.000Z

Another bomb blast in Pakistan as the country gets closer to the scheduled February 18th elections. This time 18 people were killed - a tragic waste of human life and, I suspect, not the last in the days ahead. Keep Pakistan in your prayers.

debating the wrong things...

2008-02-09T14:12:00.000Z

Various people, over the last couple of days, have asked me what I think of the Archbishop of Canterbury's remarks regarding Sharia law and British law, and I've avoided doing so because, to be totally honest with you, any comment would be made out of relative ignorance. I don't claim to be an expert in any way on Sharia law and I'm pretty sure that most of the voices we've been hearing recently are in the same boat! What do they say about ignorance breeding contempt?!

And so, with my reluctance to comment noted, here's what I wrote in an email to one such inquiry...

Re: Rowan’s speech – I haven’t read it in full (which is the problem with most comments being made about it!). That said, I’m not sure I totally agree with his conclusions BUT (a very important 'but') I find it very sad that most of the debate that has ensued has had little to do with what he actually said or with what he wanted people to be debating. I think he has some very good points – my concern is where it may end or what it could lead to, rather than with what he suggested per se.

I get really angry though with people who use one interpretation of Sharia to whip up a frenzy of anti-Islamic sentiment. That is the worrying thing, and it seems to be happening a lot at the moment - one example is the completely misleading and downright prejudiced comments of Douglas Murray (from the Centre for Social Cohesion - how on earth did he get that job?!) on last night's Newsnight program. On the other hand Prof Tariq Ramadan spoke a lot of sense on the same program. He confirmed that most British Muslims are not calling for Sharia as a separate code of law, stating that "equality before the law is our Sharia". In other words, Prof Ramadan was arguing that for the majority of British Muslims, British law is already in keeping with Sharia and so is sufficient.

I guess the Archbishop wanted to take things slightly beyond this though and raise some discussion concerning family law in particular. But why are people going on about public flogging and hands being cut off – that has nothing at all to do with what Rowan Williams was talking about, and just serves to direct the discussion away from the important, if uncomfortable, issues that he was raising!

The Archbishop's website has posted a very helpful article, What did the Archbishop actually say? (with a link to the full text of the original lecture) and there are several measured posts from people more qualified than me to comment such as those from Richard Sudworth, Kester Brewin and Maggi Dawn. If you missed last night's Newsnight, you can read about it and watch it again from 'here'

the hardest word...

2008-02-05T13:04:00.000Z

Bishop James models the humility we all need; that which enables us to say, "sorry, I was wrong"

which religion?...

2008-02-05T12:52:00.000Z

A man who clearly has much in common with David Beckham, who famously said, "I want Brooklyn to be christened but don’t know into what religion yet"...

hat tip... Matt Stone

landing the plane...

2008-02-05T12:40:00.000Z

'This' is an interesting reflection from Tony Jones, that relates to the question I was posing in my last post. Go read...

doing and believing...

2008-01-30T09:34:00.000Z

'This' is a fascinating post offering some reflections on Alternative Worship and Emerging Church from Kevin Corcoran, an 'outsider' (not my description) who spent time with various practitioners and communities. There's a lot in his description that rings true with my own experience and, on the whole, I think he paints a very fair and accurate portrait.

I've been thinking particularly about one of the features he identifies...

"emerging Christians tend to be theologically pluralistic and quite suspicious of tidy theological boxes. They believe that God is bigger than any theology and that God is first and foremost a story-teller, not a dispenser of theological doctrine and factoids. Theology for them, therefore, is conceived as an ongoing and provisional conversation. Emerging Christians are also allergic to thinking which fixates on who is going to heaven and who is going to hell, or on who’s on the inside and who’s on the outside. They stress the importance of right-living (orthopraxy) over right-believing (orthodoxy). What’s important, they often say, is whether you engage in God-love and neighbor-love. Or as one of our conversation partners put it, “We’re more interested in doing truth than believing ‘truths’.”"

As I read this I identified completely with it and yet on a second reading I'm left slightly uneasy! I, for one, don't want to be fixated on who's in and who's out or on neatly tying up following Jesus into a predefined theological and doctrinal package. For this reason, I am 100% behind the emerging church project (as some have described it). However, I guess my unease kicks in when I think about the parameters for Christ-led discipleship. Are there any? Is it really a journey without any givens? Is theology really provisional? If so, how do we prevent this journey of discipleship from being a completely subjective experience, once again playing into the hands of modern Western individualism - "who are you to tell me where my journey with Jesus should be going?"?!

I guess this is why the notion of community is so important to 'emerging Christians', such that "a premium is placed on togetherness, journeying with and alongside others" (Corcoran's words). But even in this community experience (and perhaps, especially in it) are there any givens or norms? Is it a case of anything goes or are there beliefs and values that define the community?

In the emerging churches I've experienced there are often very clear values and/or beliefs underpinning them. Indeed, to say that there are no theological givens is in itself a theological given! I'm convinced, given my reading of the gospels, that orthopraxy is, at least, as important as orthodoxy, but this doesn't render orthodoxy unimportant... does it?

paperwork...

2008-01-28T16:29:00.001Z

a timely contribution from Dave Walker! I think paperwork (and read 'emails' into that) is the thing that stresses me out more than anything else. It's great when I can finally see my desk... shame it usually only lasts for a very short time!

"don't change your light bulbs...

2008-01-24T12:09:00.000Z

... change your leaders."

Bono on the political challenge of global poverty and climate change

see also Bono and Al Gore at the World Economic Forum

hat tip... Andrew Jones

lost on the way...

2008-01-15T14:36:00.000Z

"There are two kinds of spiritual journeys or two ways to "be on the way" as Caputo would put it, the first (which is all too familiar to many of us evangelicals) is to know the way ahead of time and then just try your hardest to get there, the second is to be on a trek to find the way but all the while being a bit lost. The postmodern person understands that being lost and at the same time being "on the way" are entirely compatible. Far from falling into the black abyss of relativity that some critics might fear, this kind of a spiritual journey boasts a healthy Christian understanding of the via negativa."

The above quote, which I find really helpful, comes from a post by Charlie Lyons Pardue engaging with John Caputo's What Would Jesus Deconstruct? Read the whole post 'here'.

Jesus blogs here...

2008-01-11T16:26:00.000Z

Jesus' Musings is well worth checking out - make sure you read the comments for each post to get it. It's wonderful satire that gets right to the point!

See also 'Weblog of Jesus Stirs Controversy Among Faithful' for more 'comments'. My favourite of the bunch has to be the one (supposedly) written by Christian tract publisher Edward Muehler... "I prefer a gospel that is streamlined, one that fits in a little pamphlet... I know that Jesus has a lot to say about things like poverty and peace, but these things distract from the true nature of the Gospel: freedom

from personal sin and hope for the afterlife."

hat tip... Ben Sternke

for a new beginning...

2008-01-11T11:41:00.000Z

Every now and then you read something that could have been written specifically for you at the current stage in your life. A few days ago I came across the following blessing from John O'Donohue's Benedictus: A Book of Blessings. Given the changes in my life at the moment, it has really spoken to me and given me courage as I step out into new beginnings. John sadly died on January 3rd, so it seems fitting to post this as an illustration of one more life touched by his work...

For a New Beginning (John O'Donohue)

In out-of-the-way places of the heart,
Where your thoughts never think to wander,
This beginning has been quietly forming,
Waiting until you were ready to emerge.
For a long time it has watched your desire,
Feeling the emptiness grow inside you,
Noticing how you willed yourself on,
Still unable to leave what you had outgrown.
It watched you play with the seduction of safety
And the grey promises that sameness whispered,
Heard the waves of turmoil rise and relent,
Wondered would you always live like this.
Then the delight, when your courage kindled,
And out you stepped onto new ground,
Your eyes young again with energy and dream,
A path of plentitude opening before you.
Though your destination is not clear
You can trust the promise of this opening;
Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning
That is at one with your life’s desire.
Awaken your spirit to adventure;
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;
Soon you will be home in a new rhythm
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.

hat tip... Paul Fromont

unpacking suitcases...

2008-01-08T16:02:00.000Z

Bishop Tom Wright has a wonderful way with words, as can be seen in this recent interview with the Wittenburg Door's Becky Garrison...

"In Christian theology, such phrases [as "the authority of Scripture"] regularly act as “portable stories”—that is, ways of packing up longer narratives about God, Jesus, the Church and the world, folding them away into convenient suitcases, and then carrying them about with us. Shorthands enable us to pick up lots of complicated things and carry them around all together. But we should never forget that the point in doing so, like the point of carrying belongings in a suitcase, is that what has been packed away can then be unpacked and put to use in the new location. Too much debate about scriptural authority has had the form of people hitting one another with locked suitcases. It is time to unpack our shorthand doctrines, to lay them out and inspect them. Long years in a suitcase may have made some of the contents go moldy. They will benefit from fresh air, and perhaps a hot iron."

Go and read the full interview!

hat tip... Paul Fromont

why God doesn't go to church...

2008-01-08T10:15:00.000Z

'This' is great - no need to apologise Jon!

new year... new horizons...

2008-01-07T11:37:00.000Z

So 2008 is underway and it's a year of changes and new challenges for me! Just before Christmas I signed off on over 8 years of University chaplaincy to take up a new dual post at the end of January. It's a move that takes me back into parish church ministry, becoming 'priest in charge' (a term I really don't like!) of St Mary's, Wavertree in Liverpool. As has become my pattern since 1999, this is only one half of a dual post! For the other half I'll be the deanery pioneer minister for the Toxteth and Wavertree deanery, enabling and encouraging emerging church communities and fresh expressions of church in the area. This will keep me connected with the Dream network, in particular Dream in Liverpool City which meets in the Deanery, as well as giving me opportunity to hook up with some other exciting initiatives (such as this one) and joining others in dreaming up new approaches to mission in the area.

It's both exciting and daunting but it feels like a good move! The people of St Mary's are very friendly and welcoming - it's a church with a long and rich history that doesn't want to remain rooted in the past but wants to build on it in meeting the needs of its community today. I'm also really impressed by their commitment to fair trade and social justice, and look forward to belonging to this community. Watch this space to read reflections and news over the course of time!!

Benazir Bhutto RIP...

2007-12-27T19:38:00.000Z

Words fail me... for all her faults (and she had a few, but then don't we all) I genuinely think that Benazir Bhutto was Pakistan's best bet for a more stable future. I feel some of the grief that many Pakistanis will experience in a much greater measure, as well as a degree of despair over where Pakistan goes from here. This is a country in the grip of desperation - Pakistan and its people need and deserve our prayers at this time.

merry christmas...

2007-12-24T14:54:00.000Z

a bit presumptuous to think that anyone will be reading this blog on Christmas Eve,
but just in case... I hope you have a great Christmas!!

emerging church postcards...

2007-12-22T15:09:00.000Z

In January 2006 Dream featured as one of Steve Taylor's 'Emerging Church Postcards'. For the third consecutive year Steve is running the series again with new 'postcards'. To find out more about the series and how to get your community featured visit here!

consumers...

2007-12-18T09:48:00.000Z

Another great cartoon from David Hayward.
Let's face it, we're all consumers really...
Happy Christmas!

Liverpool nativity...

2007-12-17T09:50:00.000Z

Had a great time last night at the Liverpool Nativity. As with the Manchester Passion, I was impressed by the creative way in which the story of Jesus was communicated afresh to a (post) modern audience. I haven't yet had a chance to watch the TV broadcast but, from being there, I certainly felt that this was another excellent piece of mission and gospel proclamation. I particularly liked the way that the nativity story was narrated alongside a powerful social comment regarding 'outcasts' of our contemporary society (asylum seekers and the homeless most notably) and felt that this was a good contextualising of the Christmas good news message.

Although the main stage stuff was carefully stage managed (with cues on the screen and a lengthy 'rehearsal' beforehand) there were several points during the production and, in particular the crowd singing, where I felt a real sense of worship being offered. There was something sacred in those moments of people singing along to popular songs whilst reinterpreting them around the central message of the Incarnation. It brought a new meaning and significance to some well loved songs! It also felt as though I was standing in a crowd of people who were, in some way, caught up in the stuff of God - many of whom, I'm sure, would not identify themselves as being 'Christian' or religious. Maybe, as Kester posts 'here', the rich Christian heritage in our culture is not that deep below the surface after all (even Richard Dawkins seems happy to identify with this!).

So what if there were a few duff notes hit by one or two of the singers (it was very cold after all!) - the power of the production lay in the ancient story re-framed for the 21st century.

(the photo is of the star above the main stage - taken on a camera phone hence quality!!)