URBANarmy

I've enjoyed Alan Jamieson's Chrysalis - a good analysis of what it is to move from a pre-critical expression of faith, through a desert, darknight faith existence, into post-critical faith. Jamieson develops: French Philosopher Paul Ricoeur's description of move from 'naivete of faith through a desert of criticism and into a second naivete of faith'; Fowler's 'move from a conventional faith into a period of faith dislocation and self-focused exploration towards a paradoxical and mystical understanding of faith embraced with deep integrity'; Briege O'Hare's transition from certainty to searching and on to intimacy and Brueggemann's threefold description of movement in the prayers of the psalms from orientation to disorientation and on to reorientation. Jamieson uses the metaphor of the development of caterpillar through chrysalis to emergence as a butterfly to explain the stages of faith that for so many have either been ignored or left un...

This month has been good. As a family we have been to the Ballet to see Sleeping Beauty and last week we got to see Joseph. I was astounded that the girls sat riveted through three hours of the Royal Ballet, my attention divided as we watched the mind blowing skill, strength and grace of the Rose Adagio; divided as I was uncertain what was more beautiful, the ballerina's steadiness or Eryn's intake of the beauty. Joseph was a great experience for us as well; a great production, dreamlike, bizarre enough to keep a smile on your face throughout and on the bus on the way home. I still have a smile on my face four days later - because it was bizarre enough to fox Bethan's growing sense of theology. "Was Elvis in the bible...?"

We spent yesterday on a day's retreat with staff of WBC. St Katharine's Foundation was like meeting up with an old friend; I used to meet up with a contextual theology group once every couple of months and fell in love with this simple and open setting a stones throw from the bustle of Canary Wharf. It's beauty goes beyond what is inside and outside of the facilities but rests on the deep heritage of a community initiated in 1147 by Queen Matilda. If I had a favourite place - it is up there! A good chunk time was set aside for reflection in the afternoon and I found a copy of Cloud of Unknowing in the library and found it's emphasis of traveling into self, through self and then beyond self something interesting to think through! I jotted this quote down and put it in my pocket; it is currently spinning around in the washing machine - but googled the gist of it and found the quote elsewhere. "Toil and sweat in every way that you can, seeking to obtain for your...

Some helpful articles here from the likes of NT Wright, Elaine Storkey and more here "I see the launch of Fulcrum as a call to evangelical Anglicans of whatever background to work together, to play a full part in the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion, to make the running, instead of always reacting, to be in the front row of innovative Gospel-work." Tom Wright , Bishop of Durham, Fulcrum National Launch

I took a picture of a church last week encased in scaffolding its beauty hidden completely covered by plastic with a print of a church on it. It is just off the A4 on the way out of London; not easy to stop and take the shot - this was taken with my phone hanging out of the window as we shot by at 50mph! (obviously I wasn't driving!). I suppose the point is that the church didn't want to lose its sense of presence during exterior works. It got me thinking about the facade of church that is seen and rejected by so many. Ask people what they see of church and what they generally see is self obsession and inaction; a gospel that is merely words to ascent to and not the alternative way of life and of being that Jesus spelled out; any sense of hope destroyed by an impression of a cosmetic one dimensional community bothered exclusively about its self serving needs. Church defined by the songs it sings! There are those ( Mat ) in the past who have made a helpful connection with the p...

Someone pointed me in the direction of Encounters a Mission Ezine from Redcliffe College Here

This week it was my turn to put Koinonia (our weekly community gathering for prayer) together. I threw a bit of Isaiah; quotes found in Chrysalis , a Nicholas Mynheer image and a youtube video together hopefully to communicate something of Faith Development - I guess you had to be there!! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. Isaiah 43:2 “The days are just beginning. Before you emerge into the light again you will be stripped to the core. You will rage and scream at God. You will retreat into a cocoon of sorrow and breathe in slow motion. The colour will drain from the sky, the meaning from life. As a plough tears through hard earth, your heart will be broken up. You will make friends with pain, nursing it as the child of grief utter emptiness fills the earth, and the valley appears to contain nothing but the echo of your own ...

His disappointment was almost palpable as I said "Look I'm not trying to evangelise you but ... I found it in the life and purpose of Jesus and in the hope that is mine through that life..." As I waited for the bus to make my journey to Faith House I thought of Dan. I hoped he would be there. I met Dan for the first time at Faith House last week and had quite a conversation. It started when Dan asked me if I was a Christian and then proceeded to tell me that he had never met a Christian who was enlightened. I have to admit that the next hour and a half was heavy stuff! He explains his concept of entering the 'gap'; of techniques, methods of meditation; his desire to achieve this enlightenment. "Dan if you are talking about fulfillment, peace, purpose I've found it..." Dan's eyes widen in excitement - "what's your technique..." His disappointment was almost palpable as I said "Look I'm not trying to evangelise you but ... I ...

Looking through my drafts I came across a couple of links that I forgot to post for future reference. Prodigal Kiwi here Nathan Perry - Faith Development, Postmodernity and Church - New Zealand and Beyond

Spent some quality time with a friend last week at Tate Britain . It was good to let the art direct our conversation. The William Blake exhibition was worth a look . His picture of Isaac Newton and the associated inscription however caused me an element of concern - apart from the fact that I hope that rock was warmed up before he sat down; he might've been a clever bloke but he really should have listened to what his mum had to say about piles!! While clever William Blake has Newton missing out on the infinity of the endless circle. His inscription reads: "He who sees the infinite in all things sees God. He who sees the ratio only sees himself only..." Definitely something to be careful off - just to underline this for me, a daily meditation was waiting in my inbox from henrinouwen .org "As we look at the stars and let our minds wander into the many galaxies, we come to feel so small and insignificant that anything we do, say, or think seems completely useless. B...

Along the world famous Oxford street in London's Westend; nestled in among the classy frontage of designer shops there is almost an unnoticeable, unimpressive wooden door. It is more or less alongside The Regent Hall's main entrance onto the busyness of Oxford Street. People pass the wooden door oblivious to the equally unimpressive wooden steps that go up three storey's to what was Regent Hall's youth club. When I was 10 I played on these bare wooden steps totally unaware of the significance behind and upon which I played. Many years later I discovered a university youth work course - as an induction to Youth Work - stopped outside this insignificant wooden door to point out that Youth Work as we know it in the UK started behind this door. ...whether that be the surbanite flower people that flooded the Westend to express their free love; or the hard core drug community this unimpressive wooden door became the 'portal' that blurred encounter between church an...