URBANarmy

Its funny you have a break and 5 minutes being back you are ready for another. Kate and I walked to church having been away and we had heard enough to know that there were issues. Ulimatiums, tantrums, projects had collapsed, people were giving up. All in all a tense atmosphere - I was glad that we weren't leading the service. The congregation was ministered to in many different ways no more so than by Victor. Victor is worth reading up about ( Victor - GBH and living in a soap opera ; Victor and his talking flute ). If you haven't enough time, it is enough to know that Victor is 'interesting'. If you haven't enough time it is enough to know that Victor is waiting for his court case for GBH. If you haven't enough time it is enough to know that Victor was hounded out of his flat because he is ... well ... interesting! The last time I sat next to Victor in worship as we sang our last song together he checked to see if anyone was looking then went into his jacket,...

Incidently our church was 139 today which probably to my Anglican friends makes us a 'whipper snapper' - but to The Salvation Army - it makes us the oldest in the world!!

I love where I live but it is good to get away. We try and take a meaningful break every half-term. So I'll be trading this view from our front door for a week. (I struggled to upload the picture but I leave the code incase it is a temporary blogger glick - If it remains a little box with a cross in it please be assured that that isn't actually the view from my front door - use your imagination and think of the oldest remaining building in the East End - St Matthias Church dwarfed and shadowed by the 50 storey Canary Wharf Tower)

"The price is commit apostasy and join the fold of Christianity…" to make sense of that you will have to read the whole quote from "Graceless Mission – what price to pay?" found here Carl tagged me. Quite interesting to plough through what was written nearly 2 years ago! I tag anyone who wants to give it a go!

Officers Councils/ Retreat? I've learned to take responsibility for my time and go with an agenda. I've still got some Meditations on the pictures of Sieger Koder - so I go expectant. I find space and find myself over the two days alone with Sieger Koder's pictures. I come away challenged. The first the unfamilar 'Insight' . The walls dominate but it is the walls that can't be seen that speak. The Woman at the well adept at self protection but at what cost? Associated prose delves deep questioning... "Over the years we build the walls of self protection, blocking out light and truth..." Self protection - not part of me or is it? My mind wanders in the various sessions at Swanwick. Background noise to my thoughts as I wonder. I think of conversations and there is a niggle within. The second familar 'Real Me!' almost laughably obvious. The clown image, the mask, the title ... oh please? I give a cursory glance over the image then I see something...

Off here for a couple of days to be inspired and refreshed at what is affectionally known as Officers Councils! I'll be taking some Sieger Koder .

Mother Teresa speaks of love's amazing ways in finding opportunities to serve others. She comments, "Love has a hem to her garment that reaches the very dust. it sweeps the stains from the streets and lanes." Ringma comments: "...this is no ordinary love. Love in our contemporary world, while it may serve family and friends, is largely understood as self-serving. And contemporary love is more about comfort than the love of risk-taking and towel-taking so that we may wash the feet of the forgotten ones." Make sure you don't take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship--a different kind of "sacrifice"--that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets. ( Hebrews 13:16 The Message)

"do you know the Lord...?" I hear the voice and see my 'friend' the 'blanket bombing' American Evangelist (strangely having lost his accent!). Read about him ( here ). Good relationships take time, there are several groups that we are getting to know us and there is something authentic about the relationships that are growing. In walks my friend - not knowing anyone, no relationship, no context - sits down and while a local street cleaner eats his breakfast - let's fly. "No? so what are you going to do if you are run over tonight? What are you going to say to the Lord when you stand naked before him?" I watch on helpless. "You don't know... you're not interested.....well my friend I was like you until ..." etc... The street cleaner, the one he was taking to got up and walked away. I watched on helpless. Did I mention that we were gradually getting to know this guy? Did I mention we were gradually getting to be trusted by him? Di...

Nothing much stereotypical about it really. Patronising? Offensive? I'm not sure. I wish Anon had been there. (Check the comment slap here ). I wish he'd/ she'd seen the picture of reconciliation that 'Lift Him Up' International represented. I wish he'd/ she'd seen the picture of deep love and respect - to be honest I am sure that not everyone who was there wanted to be there really - but there was an identity that goes beyong tolerance which speaks of a deep love and respect. I wish he'd/ she'd seen the picture of oneness.

After the beauty of yesterday... the storm. It hasn't been a good Patrick day. I had to stop half way through my sermon to have a conversation with Patrick to try and stop him talking at the same time. It culminated after the service with him throwing cake at Kate before storming out - me raging in hot pursuit! :o)

Another Story of Patrick... It had to be a quick call. Our evening of cultural unity 'Lift Him Up' International had come to a close. I'd given a benediction to an evening of beautiful chaotic multicultural worship. Then Patrick chirped up with "Can I sing 'now the day is over...?'" . A lot of eyes were on me. I made my call "You know Patrick I think you can..." He came to the front, took the mike, and sang. Now the day is over, Night is drawing nigh, Shadows of the evening Steal across the sky. Jesus, give the weary Calm and sweet repose; With Thy tend’rest blessing May mine eyelids close. Grant to little children Visions bright of Thee; Guard the sailors tossing On the deep, blue sea. Comfort those who suffer, Watching late in pain; Those who plan some evil From their sin restrain. Through the long night watches May Thine angels spread Their white wings above me, Watching round my bed. When the morning wakens, Then may I arise Pure, and fresh, ...

Prodigal Kiwi(s) point to an interesting article by Alan Jamieson - who wrote A Churchless Faith - on faith development stages as described by Fowler - here .

"I'm Adolf Hitler..." I sigh. "No... you're not Adolf Hitler, he was white, Austrian and male... you are firstly a Somalian and secondly a woman." I'd been called into the Charity Shop there was an issue! Her crack crazed eyes look into mine, she smiles and her alcohol drenched breath breaks across me. "I... AM... ADOLF HITLER!" I look back and say "Did I mention he killed himself in 1945?" She rips her head scarf off and throws it across the shop "Can you see it now?" "no" She ruffles her hair - goose steps around the shop saluting and saying 'Heil Hiter' "can you see it now?" "urmmmmmmm... no!" "Well may be you'll recognise this" with this she pulls up her dress and exposes herself! I have to say at this stage of our inner city ministry there is not much that shocks me anymore. I was stunned. I was shocked. I hadn't been trained for this moment! I also have to say ...

I'm not sure it has worked as I thought it might. I figured typing "Salvation Army Grid::Blog" into google would list everyone together - what would I know!? However using a mixture of 'googling within the blog' and also 'technorati' I guess the grid::blog has thrown up roughly thirty sally bloggers from the UK to Canada and from Austrailia to Latvia which is kind of fun. Original thought here

(Alexlivesey/GettyImages) More here

Patrick has been nonsense all week. But today for a window of 10 seconds he stunned everyone. Chuntering, muttering, giggling, pointing to some imaginary adversary all service apart from 10 seconds when we our small congregation this afternoon were invited to suggest why we should want to praise God. "...because he came back after three days - a real person!" If you are new to Patrick go check him out in my key blogs and be stunned with us. He may have threatened Kate this week, he may have sworn at me more than once this week - but Patrick is the best gift God could've given Poplar Salvation Army. What's more he for 8 years has given us papers to read always weeks out of date. Tonight he gave a paper dated 2 October 2005 - what a day!!

I got bored on friday and started playing around with my template. I've added a watermark of a graphic I built for the Mission Studies course handbook that I teach. An image of Christ superimposed on a fragment of the area we are called to minister in. You probably wont recognise the docks and the bend of the River Thames but that is us. For the watermark I darkened it and blurred it. What I need now is a bit of HTML that will centre the graphic in the background. Any HTML geeks out there? Help!