Happy St. Patrick's Day

h/t Alan Wilson

killing me not so softly with her song

My first Christmas back in parish ministry and I’ve made it through the various school and playschool carol services and nativities. We have two crib services on Christmas Eve when the church will be packed with families and many of the children will come dressed as nativity characters. I’m just wondering if things are going to turn out anything like this?



h/t Revd Richard Coles

Handel’s Messiah fail

Not quite what Handel intended for a performance of The Messiah.

Not so cute

You know Tian Tian and Yang Guang, those two cute and cuddly Pandas that have just shipped in from China. Turns out they aren’t so cute and cuddly.



h/t Chris Tilling

SatNav-itivity

Ever wondered why the wise men turned up late for the birth of Jesus? All is revealed in SatNav-itivity.



This is just one of the many great video clips submitted as part of The Nativity Factor.
The Nativity Factor is a short film competition, asking entrants to tell the story of the Nativity in their own unique way. Video entries can be any length between 30 seconds and 3 minutes, and will be judged on 3 criteria: Creativity, Style, and Story.

Some excellent ideas and resources to use over the Christmas period.

Snowman redux

For those of you who find the Christmas adverts a bit too much Charlie Brooker has written an interesting piece in The Guardian. And here’s an excellent take on The Snowman for all the Scrooges out there.



h/t Paul Trathen

Avin a larf

Looks like the gloves may be coming off in comedy circles over faith and atheism. The issue has been around for a while with various familiar names lining up to identify publicly with the atheist cause including established comedians David Baddiel and Dara Ó Briain. Ricky Gervais caused a bit of a stir with his mock crucifixion pose on the front of The New Humanist magazine.

The ante was upped by Frank Skinner in an interview with the Archbishop of Canterbury in which he spoke about his faith and commented on comedians who speak about their atheism in order to establish their credentials as a ‘cool modern comic’.

On the back of the Skinner interview Christine Odone wrote a piece in The Telegraph called Subversive believers will have the last laugh. In the article Odone is really complaining about what she perceives to be an anti-religious bias at the heart of the liberal establishment, including the BBC. Odone goes on to identify various Christians operating in the media as a ‘subversive’ group. There is very little in the article about what Frank Skinner and Rowan Williams actually discussed as she uses a couple of brief quotes to hang a rather vague and meandering argument together.

On Saturday The Times magazine published an interview with Rowan Atkinson in which he made a disparaging remark about Church of England clergy being smug, arrogant and conceited. The comment was picked up by Ruth Gledhill, The Times religious correspondent (no link as it’s behind the paywall), who tried to spin the brief remark into a news story. If you read the original piece it was little more than a throw away line as Atkinson reflected on how he had portrayed clergy in sketches and on film. I found Atkinson’s portrayal of a vicar in the film Keeping Mum sympathetic and endearing. I do, however, find it ironic that an established member of the Oxbridge comedian set dismisses others as being smug and conceited.

Today, Brian Logan, comedy critic for The Guardian, has written a piece Divine comedy: how sacred is standup? in which he challenges the notion that there is an ‘atheist establishment’ in comedy. His article is as much a critique of Odone as of Skinner and Logan lists a variety of comedians and shows where faith is portrayed in positive terms. Logan’s own stance is clear as he argues: ‘In the bigger picture, religion remains, overwhelmingly, the establishment, and atheism a still-revolutionary challenge to that, which needs constant reassertion’.

It will be interesting to see how the debate develops. My suggestion would be a Mock the Week style face off in which Christian comedians are lined up against atheist colleagues to riff on a variety of topics. Personally, I think the combination of Frank Skinner and Tim Vine would be a hard act to beat and if they found themselves up against Ricky Gervais then on current form there would be no contest.

Tom Selleck's Moustache

Well it made me smile.



h/t Andy Campbell

How to choose an Archbishop

There is only one way to choose an Archbishop and it is this:

Has God unfollowed me?

There's a debate kicking off on Twitter as various people have either given up or decided to stop following other tweeters. The reason given is the amount of spam doing the rounds in the twittershpere. I saw this cartoon the other day and it made me smile.



h/t @FisherPeter

USB typewriter

Up and down the land in many church vestries and clergy studies still lurks that once essential but now obsolete piece of office equipment, the typewriter. Do not fear, for just as you were tempted to dump the apparently useless piece of outmoded technology comes news of redemption. So now we can cling to the past while embracing the present and watch as parish administrators despair and secretaries throw themselves off the nearest cliff. And there are still some colleagues who have never forsaken the typewriter, convinced that, along with the ubiquitous Filofax, it is an intrinsic part of one's vocation conferred at ordination along with the Bible.

The USB Typewriter is a new and ground breaking innovation in the field of obsolescence.  Lovers of the look, feel, and quality of old fashioned manual typewriters can now use them as keyboards for any USB-capable computer, such as a PC, Mac, or even iPad!  The modification is easy to install, it involves no messy wiring, and does not change the outward appearance of the typewriter (except for the usb adapter itself, which is mounted in the rear of the machine).  So the end result is a retro-style USB keyboard that not only looks great, but feels great to use.  

Marriage ( for @RevdLesley )

Congratulations to Fellows blogger Lesley who is getting married to Alan today. In celebration here is a short reminder of that other great wedding a couple of months ago. With thanks to Peter Cook and The Princess Bride.

Shallow home group

If you are fed up being part of a group trying to get you to share your feelings, build relationships, discuss your past, study theology or confess your sins then this is for you: Shallow Small Group Bible Study. Putting the ‘super’ back into superficial!



h/t Will Taylor aka @bigdaddywhale

More goodbyes

Easter is a time that holds great significance for us as a family. Primarily, Easter is at the centre of our faith as Christians as we rejoice in all that God has done for us through the Lord Jesus Christ.

However, Easter also marks some important milestones in our family life. At Easter ten years ago I celebrated my last service at Becontree West in Barking and Dagenham, and it was an occasion made more memorable by the baptism of our son. This Easter Sunday I celebrated and preached at our last service in Great Leighs.

The whole weekend was very special. On Good Friday we met up with my wider family to celebrate Dad’s eightieth birthday in Suffolk and then later with Kate’s sister and brother-in-law who spent the rest of the weekend with us. On Saturday evening the parish held a farewell party for us and finally the Easter Sunday service. We were touched by all the kind words and generous gifts which will be treasured mementos of our time in the Leighs. Although we are saying goodbye to some very dear friends, we are only moving a few miles down the A12 and so will see them often.

Now we are looking forward in Easter hope to what lies before us in Great Baddow. At the moment it is difficult to see beyond the packing boxes and all the hassle of moving, but we already feel very welcomed and encouraged by the warmth of the messages we have received and by the prayers of people in our new community.

On Route 66 #SH2011

This year we forsook Minehead to visit Skegness for Spring Harvest 2011. It was a good call as the weather was dry and warm with a healthy dose of sunshine. Last time I went to Skeggie for SH it snowed. I mentioned in a previous blog the theme of this year’s celebration was Route 66 and focused on the Bible. As in previous years I haven’t planned a full review but offer some reflections on the experience.

Bible Reading: SH returned to its more established style of exposition for the morning Bible readings. I had been concerned that over the last couple of years these sessions had drifted away from engagement with the text and become little more than a springboard for the speaker’s observations and experiences. However, the series of readings based on the book of Malachi had a healthy balance of exposition and application and were ably led by Dave Steell.  During the four mornings we explored a variety of themes including worship, justice, complaint against God, money, sex and power. The teaching was accessible without being superficial. As I’ve mentioned before I tend to take phrases away to chew over and some thought provoking comments included:

Justice isn’t just about Mugabe or Libya. Justice is about when we go to buy a T-shirt for £1 and don’t ask how that’s possible.

Richard Dawkins’s ignorance about God is born out of the witness of Christians.

If we can’t honour our highest human covenant relationships, how can we expect to honour the rest.

The problem with tithing is that it often stops us thinking about our giving.

The mistake we sometimes make is to complain about God when we should be complaining to God.

Worship: One of the themes running through the Bible readings concerned our understanding of worship. I think there is a problem with the way that worship is often presented as being about the singing. Singing and music are an important and valued part of worship but worship is to be the offering of the whole of our lives to God. So when the person leading the singing is referred to as the Worship Leader it reinforces this partial understanding. I would prefer it if the person was referred to as the Music Director as that is a more accurate description of the role. To be fair this isn’t only Spring Harvest’s problem but an issue for the wider church.

This year the music was led by Ben Cantelon and he did a good job, drawing on a variety of material appropriate for the context of the celebrations. It helped that Ben didn’t have an album to promote and so it didn’t feel as if we were being force fed his own material. I did fear for my life at one stage when we sang a song inviting us to dance and jump; not a good move for those of us on the risers at the sides of the Big Top and I was not surprised when we were asked to stop jumping by a message on the stage screen (not that my pals paid any attention to that instruction).

Dave Steell gave a helpful example of the problem of defining the secular and the sacred when thinking about worship. Dave’s father had a huge record collection and the records were carefully categorised and labelled. One of the key categories was to distinguish between the secular and the sacred. What Dave noticed was that from time to time various artists were transferred by his dad from one category to another. So one week Johnny Cash was classified in the sacred, at another time he would be moved to the secular and then a few weeks later Cash was back in the sacred. As Christians we are called to see everything as sacred, belonging to God and honouring to him. That is a challenge to offer every aspect of our lives to God and it also challenges us to have a much broader view of what can be seen as reflecting the glory of God.

Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Malachi 2:10

There was plenty of space to enjoy time with family and friends, including the annual go-kart race and a daily splash with the kids. I gave the teaching zones a miss to do my own reading and thinking. Enjoyed watching lots of football, not least Man Utd’s win over Chelski and an evening vigil with the Bishop of Willesden as he watched his beloved Spurs go down to Real Madrid in the Champions League. A bonus was the free wi-fi courtesy of Costa coffee.

Lowlight of this year was the book stall at the resources exhibition. I realise that SH’s usual supplier has gone out of business but this year’s offering was not very inspiring and there were a couple of tables dedicated to different ‘versions’ of the Bible that chilled the blood. Prize for the worst offering was shared between the Precious Moments Bible and the Princess Bible. This fetish for creating different versions of the Bible has got to stop. If the Bible is for everyone then why do we have to manufacture these different versions to appeal to different groups? My suggestion to Bible publishers is that they waste less time creating these atrocities and devote more energy to making the Bible available to different communities throughout the world who don’t yet have the privilege of the Bible in their own language.

Two final challenging comments about the Bible that have stuck in my mind, both from Krish Kandiah:

The Bible should be a kiss of life but it is often heard as a text of terror.

You may be the only Bible some people get to read.

Thanks to the Spring Harvest team for all their hard work in preparing this year’s programme and theme. Next year’s theme is Church Actually: God’s Brilliant Idea.

For reflections on the second week of Spring Harvest at Skegness check out The Beaker Folk.

Rooney – the managers speak

Reflections from some of Europe’s top managers on the Wayne Rooney ban for swearing.



With apologies to a certain Archdruid who can't cope with watching videos.

A city united

Manchester may be a city with two football teams vying for power at the top of the Premier League but we supporters seem to share something in common, a problem with spelling.



Above a banner displayed as Manchester United played Chel$ki in the Champions League. Below a rather less sophisticated offering from a Manchester City fan during an F.A. Cup match.



I post this as a Manchester United fan.

h/t Off The Post.

What time is it?

Lots of people getting excited about the Super Moon this weekend. If you don’t know what this is about, basically the moon is going to look bigger in the sky for all sorts of scientific reasons. For a more erudite explanation check out the Beaker Folk, though personally I find this explanation from Bruce Almighty more convincing.

My blog isn’t particularly known for its scientific content, however, I have been taking a close interest in the question of time and relativity. My interest has been aroused by my close observations of an extraordinary and empirically verifiable phenomena known as Fergie Time. FT refers to the way in which Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United, is able to bend time with the use of his watch.

Briefly, if Man Utd are in need of extra time in order to score a goal then by tapping his watch and pointing at the referee SAF is able to cause time to stand still. When the requisite goal is scored normal time resumes. FT also works the other way round. If Man Utd are holding on and under pressure towards the end of a game then SAF taps his watch and points at the referee and the final whistle is blown. Scientific opinion is divided on whether SAF’s habits of mastication also affect the passage of time; it is certainly an observable fact that he chews his gum more frantically when deploying Fergie Time. The other aspect of FT is the fact that it works more effectively at Old Trafford Man Utd’s stadium.

In order to develop my understanding of Time I have turned to a rising star in the firmament of television scientists. This man manages to make even the most complicated aspects of cosmology accessible to the average viewer and he combines his intellectual prowess with a sharp dress sense and a cool haircut. Rather than say any more I’ll let you judge for yourself. Oh, in case you are interested the other guy is Professor Brian Cox.

St Patrick's Day

In celebration of St Patrick's Day

It’s Pancake Day… again.

Here’s the excellent Maid Marian and her Merry Men to remind us what today is all about.



I posted this last year but make no apologies for a repeat.