Prayers for Advent 2011 - used in 3 of my Churches to pray for God's leading

Advent Prayers 2011

Hosea 6:3 (NLV)

So keep on trying to know the Lord. His coming to us is as sure as the rising of the sun.

He will come to us like the rain, like rain giving water to the earth.

Prayer

Light stirs through the rain clouds

I remember your deep love,

I long for your warmth.

Sunshine and rain

Wake seeds deep within me,

I hunger for light.

Light of God living water

Heal me, refresh me, make me anew.

Each day make time to be still, to listen for God’s voice and prepare for His coming. Pray that God would open your eyes:

-         to see yourself as He sees you: loved so much that Jesus came to shower you with grace.

-         to see our community through His eyes: the opportunities for service that God has laid before us, and to awaken vision within us.

Week 1

A candle burns the sign of our hope.

God of hope, come to us again this Advent.

May your hope live within us, burning as bright as a light in our lives.

Pray that God would open your eyes to those who live without hope in our community. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you afresh and surprise you with hope.

Week 2

A candle burns the sign of your Word.

God of the prophets, come to us again this Advent.

May your Word be a lamp to our feet, and a light on our path.

Pray this week that God would give us fresh vision for our community and this fellowship.  Ask the Holy Spirit who gave vision to the prophets to give us the courage they had as they walked in fresh paths for God. Pray God would give us strength to follow where He leads, even if that means there are things we need to change.

Week 3

A candle burns the sign of our faith.

God of the baptising one come to us again this Advent.

May we have faith that renews our lives, may we live in the light of your promises.

Pray this week that God would continue to renew your life. As you seek the reforming renewing power of God’s grace for yourself ask God to fill you with a passion for those in our community who do not yet live in the light of His love. May we dream Kingdom dreams and see visions of God breaking through into the driest places.

Week 4

A candle burns the sign of your love.

God of Mary, come to us again this Advent.

May the light of your love be born anew in us.

Pray this week that God’s grace that led Jesus to live amongst us and serve us, shows us clearly what it means to be good news for our community and beyond. May the Spirit of Jesus fill you with dreams & visions of how we can live among and serve our community.

Christmas week

A candle burns the last of our Advent journey.

As we arrive at our journeys end may we arrive with wonder and worship.

Pray this week that God would continue to work deep within us long beyond this season. Pray that God who inspires His people always be on the move; in our worshipping and our sharing with this community that we may be inspired and relevant. Pray that we might have wisdom as we plan our way forward.

Prayers – Revd. J Neil Adams November 2011

Light stirs through the rain - Annie Heppenstall-West

A Candle burns - David Hamflett

Candles and Conifers (Wild Goose Publications - Iona Books)

M5 Accident

In light of the jaw dropping carnage on the M5 last night  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-15606278

 I was really surprised to hear that a firework display close to the motorway may have contributed to the accident. Why the hell was there an organised firework display so close to such a major road?

Listening to the news reports today one witness said that they could hear the cars ramming into the crashed lorries & cars at over 60 miles an hour.

An enquiry may give us information about why this happened but if the fireworks & speed played a part i hope people will sit up & take notice.

Today on very narrow winding rural roads on the way to Bishops Castle I couldnt believe the speed & risks drivers were taking. The worst were 2 idiotic young lads clearly racing over took me & nearly crashed. I caught up with them not 5 minutes later.

Why the hell have the government given people the idea that speed is ok by raising the speed limit on motorways to 80?

mrhedad: Memorial service at Eccleshall

mrhedad: Memorial service at Eccleshall: Thanks for the memories’ Eccleshall Methodist October 30 th 2011 Led memorial service yesterday morning at Eccleshall. Had an almost ...

Memorial service at Eccleshall

Thanks for the memories’

Eccleshall Methodist

October 30^th 2011

Led memorial service yesterday morning at Eccleshall. Had an almost full church with quite a few we dont normally get to worship, & a few i didnt recognise at all. 

Everything seemed to work well, apart from 2 candle lighters that were almost impossible to use! 

Very moving, & clearly met a real need for so many to remember, give thanks & seek comfort from our faith. 

The order we used included bible readings, secular readings, 2 songs, 1 hymn & some classical music - Gabriel’s Oboe (Ennio Morricone) , The Lark Ascending (Ralph Vaughan Williams) & Adagio for Strings (Samuel Barber). 

Tiring but well worth it.

A messy study

My study looks like this once ive had a tidy up!

mrhedad: Tinker tailor solider spy

mrhedad: Tinker tailor solider spy: Seen this tonight with my wife, our anniversary treat; don't get to go to the pictures much & really enjoyed it. A proper film, good believ...

Tinker tailor solider spy

Seen this tonight with my wife, our anniversary treat; don't get to go to the pictures much & really enjoyed it. A proper film, good believable acting & excellent story. No special effects to help you forget the film has no real plot here! Good to see so many quality British actors shinning too.
Well pleased.
Only gripes were about the cinema not the film; why do they chill the room with ice cold air con? (Madness) & I do wish cinema seats were more comfortable

mrhedad: New Mission Statement for St John's Stone

mrhedad: New Mission Statement for St John's Stone: Sharing the love of Jesus Shaped by God’s presence Making a difference in our community We believe God’s undeserved favour and love h...

New Mission Statement for St John's Stone

Sharing the love of Jesus

Shaped by God’s presence

Making a difference in our community

We believe God’s undeserved favour and love has been poured out on us and our world; so we want to share that love with those we meet.  

We seek to see our lives shaped by God’s Spirit so that we grow in faith hope and love; so we meet regularly to share our lives with one another.

We know God cares for our neighbourhood and especially that His heart is for families, the poor, widowed, lonely and the bereaved; so our premises are here for our community not just us.

St John’s Stone is a United Church which shares the values and traditions of our parent denominations (Methodist and United Reformed Churches).

Our worship is broadly informal, often led by lay people and usually has those of all ages present.

Our Church government and organisational structures reflect those found in our parent denominations.

Mission Statement

St John’s Church Stone

26^th September 2011

mrhedad: Eccleshall 2012

mrhedad: Eccleshall 2012: Launched a consultation process at Eccleshall today asking what the future holds for us. We will be meeting every week for the next 6 initia...

Eccleshall 2012

Launched a consultation process at Eccleshall today asking what the future holds for us. We will be meeting every week for the next 6 initially to continue to listen to one another & seek God's will for us.

Was very encouraged today that 20 or so people came & everyone contributed. I got them talking about how they came to faith & how they came to attend our chapel. Setting the scene, this is where we have come from & where we are now, not oh woe is me, but Praise God for His faithfulness.

Its a long road but an exciting one too. I wonder where God is leading us?

mrhedad: 1 year on

mrhedad: 1 year on: I have been asked repeatedly lately how much weight i have lost, how i lost it & why i allowed myself to get so big. The post below answer...

1 year on

I have been asked repeatedly lately how much weight i have lost, how i lost it & why i allowed myself to get so big. The post below answer these questions. 

That horrible picture above is me & my lovely wife taken in the summer of 2009. September 2010 i was still the same size, in fact the trousers in that picture are the suit trousers i wore at a funeral almost exactly a year ago before i went off sick. They were size 48 inch waist, as are the ones in the after picture below.

I got that big & really the main reason is i like my food & ate too much. I ate lots of healthy stuff, but loved rubbish too especially chips Indian & Chinese food. The car accident 3 years ago scuppered my plans to use my sabbatical to get fitter & loose weight but really i was well on the way to being that size before then.

I was ashamed i got so big & there are very few photographs of me standing up without someone else carefully hiding me. I don't know how heavy i was because when i did try to weigh myself the scales didn't go high enough, & anyway i really didn't want to know, it was so embarrassing. 

I was very unhappy. That thing you hear about fat people being happy & jolly was never true for me & I suspect its not for lots of people. I knew my health was at risk & I was depressed about it. I wanted to do something about it, but didn't know really how to start because feeling pressure or feeling down always fed into wanting to eat & especially at my last appointment i was under more pressure than i can explain.

Last September, the 26th i think I was signed off work sick & I knew i had to do something because the back operation i was waiting for was more dangerous if i didn't lose some weight. Big problem was i didn't know how to start because i physically couldn't do anything. I started to try hard by cutting down anything that was fattening & inputting less calories as i was flat on my back almost 24 hours a day.

Watching mind-numbing daytime TV reduced my world to a very dark place & one day in October i stumbled on the USA show Biggest Loser. I had always thought it was a terrible programme & I guess thats how most people view it, but its really helped me see that i could change how i looked & felt - if they could do it why couldn't i?
I noticed that i was the same size as some of the men on their & watched everyday & saw how they exercised & ate to loose weight. Sometime in November i got up & started trying to walk slowly on the spot for 5 minutes or so at a time. It was very hard; it hurt so much I would cry, but i knew i had to try. I kept going.

After the operation on the 2nd December i decided that i would do everything in my power to get fit. If i didnt my back wouldnt recover. I had to do it.

So within 3 days i was out walking 100 metres or so in the snow - hanging on to Jane because i was scared of falling! The next day we went a bit further, then again the next day. Then the next day i went out on my own. Within not much more than a week i walked around the estate. It took so long but it felt so good.

In January i walked everyday, a total of 108 miles across the month in some bloody awful weather. I kept up the healthy eating & continued to see weight go. Biggest Loser continued to motivate me & I started to do some very light weights work & a little walking on the spot as & when i could between the long periods of rest.

These exercise periods were very hard at times - several times i walked with tears streaming because the pain relief had started to wear off while i was still miles from home; its amazing what your body can do though if you push it.

Sometime in January i started making my own soup because i thought being liquid it would fill me up & stop what were quite serious hunger pangs. I got quite good at it!

The exercise has got harder since i went back to work in May, partly because of time & partly because at the same time i was trying to stop taking so much medication. Yet I am still loosing weight even though i cant quite do so much. I am though very strict about what i eat & don't ever think i will go back to treating food in the same way again.

I am off a very large amount of the medication now & was discharged by the Consultant today.

I said to our Hannah a month or so ago that i wanted to put the horrible picture above on the fridge to remind me not to eat stuff i shouldn't & she really made me feel proud because she said 'you don't need to because you have more will power than anyone i know'.

So one year one i am down 14 inches round my waist & about 6 around my neck. I feel happier about how i look than at any point in my adult life & looking forward to life.

Saluting Policeman & respect

It seems to be normal these days when in a funeral cortage to see other drivers jump in between the hearse & the other cars, or race past dangerously; happened today & always is so infuriatingly disrespectful.

At the start of my ministry you would sometimes see older people generally stand still & bow their heads or take off their hats when a hearse went past. Cant remember the last time i saw that happen.

Seeing as we all have to one day make the same journey you would think that people would so a bit more respect.

Then today out of the blue I saw a Policeman while travelling to the crematorium stop walking, turn to face the road & salute. First time I've seen that for a very long time.

That should surely be the kind of respect we show those who have died. Shame it isnt.

Circuit Meeting

Tonight was Circuit meeting, it ran as smoothly as one would expect, with one real highlight.

It was an absolute joy to listen to the testimony & call to ministry of one of our local preachers who is candidating for the Methodist Ministry. The lady in question is a member at one of my chapels & it has been a privilege to be part of God's moving her along on this journey. I have seen her ministry & faith at close hand & am a big fan!

She spoke tonight with such passion vulnerability & heart; it was so inspiring to hear how God by His Spirit had kept gently speaking until she was ready to answer the call. It was brilliant to see that the whole meeting could sense God's Spirit working in her life & leading her on, & she was given a unanimous vote in favour.

The worst Preachers I have seen in action are those who think they know everything & can do the work in their own strength. Thank God this lady's greatest asset is that she is so aware that in her own strength she cannot do what God is calling her to, but in His power all things are possible. 

It was a joyful privilege of be at Circuit meeting tonight - now you dont get to say that very often do you!

Harvest challenge

We plough the fields with tractors,

With drills we sow the land;
But growth is still dependent
On God’s almighty hand.
Organic fertilizers
Will help the growing grain,
But for its full fruition
It needs God’s sun and rain.

All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above;
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord
For all his love.

To gather in the harvest
Machines now lead the way.
We reap the the fields with combines,
We bale the new mown hay;
But it is God who gives us
Inventive skills and drive;
Which lighten daily labour
And give us fuller lives!

Then why are people starving
When we have life so good?
And some in crowded cities
Search dustbins for their food;
And even some go hungry
Who farm in distant lands;
Lord, help us learn more swiftly
To share with open hands.

I do not have a Harvest Festival service to lead this year & I am quite sad about it. It is an odd feeling to be honest because until this point in my ministry I have had multiple harvest services every year, in Churches & in the community in different schools & residential homes. Next year I will have to make sure that the plan takes me back into this highlight of the Christian year!

If I did have one I would use the hymn above, an alternative version of the classic harvest hymn ‘We plough the fields & scatter’. I like it because it brings us up to date with the real world & the reality of life of so many of our neighbours who work in the field & with livestock. I like it too because it throws down a challenge to each one of us – if God has blessed us like this, what about those who are struggling?

There has been much rubbish written & spoken about the poor recently, & especially that ugly & divisive phrase the deserving poor. No one chooses to be poor & to struggle to afford the necessities of life or to live hand to mouth. At various points in my life since we entered the Ministry as a family we have struggled & had to rely on charity to help us clothe the children, send them on school trips & even buy food. Asking for help has always been humiliating & we have felt ashamed, & to this point I have never talked about it. I mention it now only because I think these attitudes to the poor need to be addressed.

The poorest in our nation are bearing the hardest burden by far in the austerity measures we now live under & things are set to get a lot worse especially if you are unfortunate enough to be at the bottom of the wealth & earnings ladder. Yet we still get lectured about the deserving & undeserving poor.

Were my family deserving or undeserving? 

Is the pensioner terrified of the winter fuel bill deserving or undeserving? 

Is the unemployed middle aged man who cannot find work & has run out of savings deserving or undeserving? 

Is the homeless teenager on the streets of our cities deserving or undeserving? 

Are the starving thousands in East Africa deserving or undeserving?

What gives us the right to stand in judgement?

I do wish the old phrase ‘there but for the grace of God’ would tumble from our lips more readily before we make comments about those at the bottom of our society.

Judgemental attitudes towards the less fortunate should not be found in the Christian especially if we are blessed by God to live in positions of comfort & security – they are attitudes that should be alien to any Disciples of Christ Jesus. 

Remember the warning to each one of us in the parable of the sheep & goats in Matthew 25? We need to make sure that this gospel warning is not ignored, God forbid that judgement would fall on us & our nation & that we would hear this kind of message from Jesus (Matthew 25:41-45):

‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,  I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

This Autumn spare a thought, a prayer & if you can some cash for those who are worst off. Write to your councillor & MP, & be one of those voices raised in warning that fairness & justice should not be lost as we cut budgets, & please let’s stop talking about the undeserving poor.

God bless you

Revd. J Neil Adams

Sunday

This must be what Sunday's are like for people who don't work on Sundays.
A lazy relaxing good day.

The morning began so early - wide awake aas usual at 5.30 a.m.but managed to fit in loads because of that. The morning listened to the final 1/2 of Isaiah in one go which was really great - inspiring & challenging. What incredible pictures these guys painted, & how deep it goes within when you stay within a book for so long.

Early afternoon Jane Elisha & I went to the swimming baths & had a great time. Swam 50 lengths & really enjoyed it. 12 years ago we were last at Fenton Manor when we lived in Newcastle Under Lyme with Elisha just a few months old & it was a lovely being in the pool with her today 12 years on.

Had a lovely slow cooked chilli for tea with some yoghurt flat bread - thank you Janie.

Good day, but miss Church now LOL

Tangled

Good Disney film; images are sharp & beautiful, lots of humour in there, & the story is actually a good retelling of the story of Rapunzel. Its kinda like the really old Disney films in that its a really old story given a new spin.

The music is naturally sugary vomit inducing stuff with the occasional nice song thrown in ;-) but this is certainly the best Disney film I've seen for ages.

Entertaining clean family fun.

Little Fockers

Really enjoyed the previous 2 of the Focker films, & this one has some of the same great laugh out loud moments but certainly less of them.

Ben Stiller is good as Gaylord (Greg) Focker & the rest of the cast too I guess, though Owen Wilson less so.

No doubt it will be played a lot like the previous ones in the series have been in our house.

Limitless

Loved this sc fi film so much. Its about a drug called NZT which allows you to use 100% of your brain.

Its a great thriller & the only thing that stops me saying 5 star is that the end is a little open - we sensed a sequel would be in the pipeline if the film made enough at the box office.

I think De Nero is the greatest actor of his generation & a real hero of mine & he is the reason I picked this up - glad i did.

Kings Speech

Not my favourite though everyone else loved it, I guess I cant get over the subject matter, that said though as a story its good & the acting is top notch.

I thought Geoffrey Rush was just as good as Colin Firth to be honest.

Certainly wont be rushing to watch it again but glad that I saw it once.

True Grit

Now this is a real film, loved everything about it especially Hailee Steinfeld.

I remember watching the original & wondered if this would just be a cheap rip off, but it isnt at all. It really is worth all the hype & for me is better than the John Wayne film, though I do want to watch that again now :-)

Cant think of anything bad to say about it at all & will be watching it again for sure.

Talladega Nights

What can I say - ridiculous, daft, funny in parts & way too over the top.

I'm not a huge fan of Farrell, though I loved Blades of Glory, & there is way too much of him here. Couple that with the fact that NASCAR is earth shatteringly boring & that the film is so predictable, I should have hated this . . .  but I'm kinda glad we watched it.

Sacha Baron Cohen's French racing driver Jean Girard steals the show & has some brilliantly funny lines, but the best bit is without doubt a scene where Farrell says grace before eating a meal & prays to 'little baby Jesus'.

I've copied the script for that bit below because its just so funny; one day I'm going to use this in a service because there are an incredible number of people inside Church let alone outside it who prefer the sweet little baby Jesus not the real Christ.

Glad we saw this, it brightened up a rather wet dull day.

Carley: Supper’s ready! C’mon ya’ll. I’ve been slaving over this for hours. Ricky: Dear Lord Baby Jesus, or as our brothers to the south call you, Jesús, we thank you so much for this bountiful harvest of Domino’s, KFC, and the always delicious Taco Bell. I just want to take time to say thank you for my family, my two beautiful, beautiful, handsome, striking sons, Walker and Texas Ranger, or T.R. as we call him, and of course, my red-hot smoking wife, Carley who is a stone-cold fox. Who if you were to rate her ass on a hundred, it would easily be a 94. Also wanna thank you for my best friend and teammate, Cal Naughton Jr. who’s got my back no matter what. Cal: Shake and Bake. Ricky: Dear Lord Baby Jesus, we also thank you for my wife’s father, Chip. We hope that you can use your Baby Jesus powers to heal him and his horrible leg. And it smells terrible and the dogs are always bothering with it. Dear tiny, infant Jesus, we…. Carley: Hey, you know, sweetie, Jesus did grow up. You don’t always have to call him “baby.” It’s a bit odd and off-putting to pray to a baby. Ricky: Well, I like the Christmas Jesus best and I’m saying grace. When you say grace you can say it to grownup Jesus, or teenage Jesus, or bearded Jesus or whoever you want. Carley: You know what I want? I want you to do this grace good so that God will let us win tomorrow. Ricky: Dear tiny Jesus, in your golden-fleece diapers, with your tiny, little, fat, balled-up fists…. Chip: He was a man! He had a beard! Ricky: Look, I like the baby version the best, do you hear me? I win the races and I get the money. Carley: Ricky, finish the damn grace. Cal: I like to picture Jesus in a tuxedo T shirt, cause it says, like, “I wanna be formal, but I’m here to party, too.” Cause I like to party, so I like my Jesus to party. Walker: I like to picture Jesus as a ninja fighting off evil samurai. Cal: I like to think of Jesus, like, with giant eagle’s wings. And singing lead vocals for Lynyrd Skynyrd, with, like, a angel band. And I’m in the front row, and I’m hammered drunk. Carley: Hey Cal, why don’t you just shut up? Cal: Yes, ma’am. Ricky: Okay. Dear 8 pound, 6 ounce newborn infant Jesus, don’t even know a word yet, just a little infant and so cuddly, but still omnipotent, we just thank you for all the races I’ve won and the 21.2 million dollars – woo! (the rest of the family says “woo” too) – love that money, that I have accrued over this past season. Also, due to a binding endorsement contract that stipulates I mention Powerade at each grace, I just want to say that Powerade is delicious and it cools you off on a hot summer day. And we look forward to Powerade’s release of Mystic Mountain Blueberry. Thank you for all your power and your grace, dear baby God. Amen.

The Boat that Rocked

The Boat that rocked was a much better film, really really enjoyed it; a good comedy.
It's about a pirate radio station in the swinging 60's & the governments attempts to shut them down.

The sound track was excellent; the cast including Bill Nighy, Philip Seymour Hoffman & Nick Frost were too.
Good fun.

Gullivers Travels

I mentioned in a previous post that over my two weeks holiday we sat & watched a few films - most family films & not new releases.
I don't tend to watch many films - I am generally too busy & if I'm honest I get bored quickly!

It was a nice change & I really enjoyed it. It was great to spend time with the family & watch things together, especially as these days we all tend to watch different things or have our noses buried in laptops.

So Gullivers Travels with Jack Black




It was OK I guess. In parts funny but never anywhere near as good as it could have been.
Jack Black I always find is very grating after a while, & this is certainly not a patch on 'School of Rock' which is still the best thing I have seen him in.

Certainly wouldnt recommend it!

Summer Holiday 2011

Almost at the end of our holiday. Had a lovely week in Churchill in North Somerset thanks to a good friend who allowed us to stay at her manse while they were on holiday. Things didn't get off to too good a start when being so manly & strong I managed to pull the door knob off when shutting the front door!!
Thankfully the Circuit repair man came along & put it back on - phew!

Sadly the weather was pretty wet to say the least but still we had a good time.
Trips to Bristol Glastonbury Cheddar & Weston Super Mare together with 3 trips to the swimming baths as well as some lovely walks & a fair few pints of local cider & beer made for a lovely holiday.



Two highlights would have to be walking up a fair bit of Cheddar gorge http://www.cheddargorge.co.uk/ on the one quite sunny day we had, & a trip to Glastonbury abbey http://www.glastonburyabbey.com/.


In both places it felt like the thin place Revd George MacLeod described Iona as - a place where only a thread separates the material from the spiritual.
The splendour of the Gorge & the holy feeling of the Abbey - wonderful. 


Sadly the rest of Glastonbury felt very oppressive - never felt like that in a place before, goose bumps & a heavy almost evil sense. We couldn't wait to get out of the town when our visit to the Abbey was over. 


The second week has been spent with the 2 two big girls who didn't come to Somerset with us before they both go off to Uni. Lovely day out at the Black Country Living Museum http://www.bclm.co.uk/ was great.  




Read a book & a few newspapers, wasted hours watching films & doing very little.
Relaxing but next year can we please find some sun. 

Funeral problem

Very embarrassed at a funeral today. Announced & then had to sing the wrong hymn, then managed to spill water very visibly down my shirt moments before the final prayers. Seriously wished the ground would open up & swallow me.

The family were wonderful & accepted my apology, & thank heavens the rest of the day with them went off very well, but still feel terrible.

Clerical collars

This is a very personal post written to answer those who have asked why I am now wearing my clerical shirts again after years of avoiding them like the plague!

Clerical collars & I have been on an interesting journey; I have swung between wearing mine always, sometimes, never, & now back to almost always.

When I left Theological College I wore my collar proudly everywhere; in Church, out of Church, shopping at ASDA, even at home doing the washing up!  

Sometime in 1998 after that first year I stopped wearing them unless I was leading worship service or funerals & weddings, partly because it was expected of me I guess. 

I had grown quite tired of the way the collar made me feel around other people, & particularly with people who had no contact with Church. The collar seemed to make some people nervous & stop me from being able to interact with them. Given that I felt called to work beyond the Church not just within it that was a huge problem. 

One group of people accused me of not wearing my clerical shirts because I was ashamed of God & doubted my calling which really hurt.

Though my faith is very different to to when I entered the ministry I have never been ashamed of God. 

I have always been immensely proud of being a one of Mr Wesley's preachers, & always felt called to be a Minister of Sacrament & Word. The collar though felt more & more like a barrier to doing that & being relevant in this generation.  

Sometime around 2003 I stopped wearing my clerical collar completely. I guess because the Church, Schools etc were used to me working without a collar no one seemed to notice, & very very few people asked me about it. 

I felt a lot more comfortable & I think I was more effective in communicating with those on the fringes of Church because I was just like them. I didnt have that ring of confidence, & people seemed to treat me as one of them instead of being different. 

But quite a few in senior positions in the Church especially in one appointment have made taking the collar off a big issue & there has been a big personal & professional cost for me & the family to bear. 

That said I wouldnt do anything different at all. I took the collar out because I felt led by the Spirit of God to do so. 

This last year, most of it spent off sick because of my back, I have reflected long & hard again & when I returned to work in May I felt led to do so wearing my collar, & it has felt really right to do so. I feel completely at ease with the decision even though I still think the collar is at times a barrier & when I need to I will take the collar out. 

That little bit of plastic does open doors too though, & I always said I would do as I felt led & all this time later the collar is back; I have come almost full circle, perhaps if I hadnt got so much abuse in another place I would have done so earlier!

Weight loss

Brought a new pair of jeans today & again they are a size smaller. 

Back in September 2010 I was wearing a suit with a 48 waist, & today my new jeans are a 36 !

Cant tell you how pleased I am.

:-)

When I started trying to lose weight a 36 waist seemed an impossible dream, but here I am. 

I have had to set a new target for myself, but today I just feel really proud of myself.

Yesterday in Norway

Yet again we are forced to ask how any human being could be so filled with hate that they would attack so many people so indiscriminately. To hear Anders Behring Breivik talk about his murderous spree being 'gruesome but necessary' makes my blood run cold. He seems to believe that racism & hatred of people of other faiths is in line with Christian gospel; he could not be further from the gospel of Jesus if he tried.


I have a feeling Anders Behring Breivik & those like him are no different to the Nazi's that went before them. 


We must make sure that civilised people of all tribes & faiths stand against evil people wherever they are & whatever banner they carry; racism is an evil we should never stop working to banish for we are all made in the imagine of God.


It is impossible today to get our heads around how the families of those bereaved must be feeling & as bland as it sounds all we can do is pray. Amongst the lectionary readings today is Romans 8:26f where Paul talks about how the Holy Spirit helps us as we pray. I have copied it below. 


'In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.'

Lord Of The Rings Trilogy

   

Have watched these over the last month with the family having managed to avoid them the first time around.

I know I am on dangerous ground here given that everyone else seems to think they are wonderful films, but I cant believe I have wasted so many hours of my life watching this rubbish.

Endless fight scenes, endless death, endless boredom. Dire.

Piece of My Heart: A Chief Inspector Banks Novel - Peter Robinson

My wife gave me a signed copy of this for my birthday this year & I have finally got around to reading it.
I am so pleased she brought it for me.

We had seen a TV dramatisation of an Inspector Banks story last year, but I had read none of Peter Robinson's books before & didnt really know what to expect but it is a really good read.

Robinson weaves two seemingly separate stories together, one in the 1960's & the other in present day.
The novel pulls you & you cant wait to get to the next part of the story in both eras.

Impressed & will be going along to the library so I can read the rest of the books & journey with Banks from the beginning.

Ordination - a week on

Exactly a week ago I wrote that the highlight of my ministry so far would be that weekend when I was an assisting minister at the ordination of my friend. Well a week on I can honestly say I was right!

What an incredible day we had together at Chester Cathedral & then in Liverpool. 

Praise God my back held out - doubled some of my med's - & I was OK with the travelling, but to be honest I would have walked there if I had to. 

The service was superb - Methodism at its best. Great singing, good preacher, if a little repetitive!

My only minor gripe was that more modern stuff was only used while Holy Communion was distributed & not within the main body of the service, but perhaps having them all together meant that a really worshipful atmosphere was created.

The ordination part of the service was so moving it brought a tear to the eye, & at the end when the President asked the newly ordained presbtyers to turn & face us the applause was huge. At the end of the service we processed out & the congregation clapped & some cheered it was a wonderful joyous memorable moment. 

The picture above will be treasured for ever. Such joy on Julies face!

Afterwards catching up with the friends & family was a precious time & the next day we explored some of Liverpool's Dock & especially the Beatles museum which surprisingly I enjoyed!

For the umpteenth time thank you Julie! and Praise you Jesus!

Highlight of my ministry so far

When God called me to the ordained ministry in the Methodist Church I began wondering what on earth He saw in me. Yet at my ordination service at the Southport Conference (in Birkenhead Methodist Church) the Church said they saw in me what God had laid on my heart, & set me apart for leadership as a Methodist Presbyter / Minister. 

Since then there have of course been ups, downs, joys & sorrows but in everything I have known that God has walked with us & ahead of us; He has always given me the words to share with people.

I wouldn't have missed this roller-coaster journey for anything!
I am proud to be one of Mrs Wesley's preachers - I cant imagine ever being anything else.

I never imagined though for one moment that I might be used by God to help inspire someone else to give their life in service of God in the same way & actually be part of the ordination of another, yet at this years Methodist Conference again at Southport things have come full circle.

In the Methodist tradition those being ordained get to choose someone who has been part of their journey to be part of the ordination process & I am am so humbled that tomorrow I will be one of those Assisting Minister's at a Methodist Ordination service in Chester Cathedral. http://www.methodistconference.org.uk/ordinations  http://www.chestercathedral.com/

I feel so humbled that God used me to encourage my friend & am so proud to stand with her & assist in her ordination.

Praise God!

The Archers & coping with grief

My dad used to listen to The Archers on the radio at the garage he owned when i was there sometimes. Sadly it was a radio that broadcast all over the garage he owned which meant I got to listen to it too even though i didn't want to! 

Back then it was very annoying; all this talk about sheep & milking cows & the rural life, I didn't get it. Then about 5 years ago I started listening to odd episodes just because it was on Radio 4 when i was driving to or from a meeting. 

I started downloading the previous weeks episodes as an omnibus episode podcast to my Ipod which meant that I slowly got to know the characters & the area & didnt have to miss anything in Ambridge, & now I am hooked. 

I have just finished listening to last Sunday's omnibus episode this morning while driving, & I know this makes me really sad & uncool, but to be honest i dont care, I love the Archers! I am worried that if Kate takes Phoebe to South Africa she wont want to come back; I do want to know whether Kenton & Joleen will be able to last as a couple, & I cant stand Matt or Lillian -  I'm hooked!

One of the big story lines on the show is just now is grief & loss, all stemming from the death on 2nd January 2011 of Nigel Pargetter, a long standing character who fell to his death from the roof of his house. His death caused a great storm of protest with regular listeners saying they would stop listening - very odd! - but the way the story has played out since has been really good. 

The portrayal of grief & the dreadful impact a sudden death has the family of the deceased, & the wider community has been sensitive & I think quite real to life. Nigel's wife Elizabeth has not coped well & I am glad that they are showing how death / grief  does indeed rumble on & can wreck day after day, month after month, year after year. 

She is trapped like so many people I have seen in the 'if only' trap & because she cannot face the terrible truth that life sometimes is terribly unfair & accidents do happen is blaming her brother for her husbands death. It is of course also easier than blaming Nigel himself. 

Death, especially sudden death always brings out a wide array of emotions, & anger / rage at people close to you as portrayed on The Archers is common. 

As a Minister I obviously have a lot of contact with people coping with grief, & often I have advised people to get some counselling or at least find someone they can talk things through with. Children in particular often need to have someone outside their circle of friends & parents fiends who they can share their fears with. 

In The Archers Elizabeth has reacted very badly to being advised to do just that. People have reacted badly to me too, & in one case I can think of the parent involved has never spoken to me since even though I have seen her. I think she must think that her child needs only her. 

The problem is it is all too easy to get trapped in the vicious grief merry go round because to get off would mean dealing with reality. It is sometimes easy too to even quite like being trapped. I hope Elizabeth's family don't give up on her & keep trying to get her some help. 

Tennis

As always nice to have Wimbledon back on TV & the bits I have managed to watch have been good; would be even nicer if work didn't keep intruding of course ;-)

I only very rarely dip into tennis during the year until the circuit reaches the grass & though I guess it sounds daft that is partly because Tennis just looks better on grass - the red clay especially looks awful!

One day i really do hope I can take a seat on Centre Court & watch a match or two, but in the meantime i will have to make do with catching bits of matches between work.

mrhedad: Fatherland - Book Review

mrhedad: Fatherland - Book Review: "Somehow managed to miss this when it first came out but saw an interview with Robert Harris on TV & so thanks to my local Library have man..."

Fatherland - Book Review

Somehow managed to miss this when it first came out but saw an interview with Robert Harris on TV & so thanks to my local Library have managed to read it now. Very impressed.

It is April 1964, Hitler managed to win World War II & the world is a very different place; Germany has become the world's super power & is what the Third Reich wanted it to be. We view this terrifying world through the eyes of  a Policeman called March & a case he investigates which opens up a dangerous can of worms.

Harris story weaves together real people & fictional ones & the story really draws you in - I couldn't put it down & most of my free time this last weekend has been spent buried in this.
Highly recommend.

Fighters against Fascism (British Heroes of the Spanish Civil war)

A friend gave me this book a few months ago & though I started it then, reading others has made finishing it difficult -  I'm sure I am not the only one who this happens to!

It is a collection of personal stories about how ordinary people left the UK to fight against fascism in Spain.
I knew virtually nothing about this period of history & found the testimonies at times to be riveting. The courage & single mindedness they showed is very impressive.

There is though an assumption that the reader has a good knowledge of the era & at least a basic working knowledge of the Spanish Civil war. I don't understand why the author didn't put a brief factual note to ground the testimonies (battles, sites & time lines etc) alongside these personal accounts.

It would have been  far better read too had the author included a chapter or two explaining the reasons the war happened, including the political situation in Spain before & after, & how that all related to the rest of Europe.

I will certainly have to do some more detailed serious historical reading to answer those questions for myself.

Thank you John for the book.

Hugh Laurie 'Let them talk' review

Really enjoying this cd.

Saw Hugh on Later with Jools Holland a few weeks back & was so very impressed I had to get the cd, & my lovely wife downloaded it for me, thank you Janie!

Always knew about Hugh's piano playing from the old 'Bit of Fry & Laurie' days - Lord that programme was wonderful & i miss it! I was genuinely gob smacked at his performance though, his passion for music & especially the blues / New Orleans was inspiring. You can see a little from that nights show here - http://youtu.be/Absu5pTFqH8

Anyhow 'Let them talk' is very good 7 or 8 out of 10 & certainly well worth a listen. My teenage girls disagree, but they would wouldn't they!

It has made me want to know & learn more about the music that has inspired him so much.
'You dont know my mind' which is on the clip above is great, 'Tipitina' & 'Six cold feet in the ground' are stand out tracks.

This man is way too talented!

A lovely visit

Had a wonderful visit this morning with a remarkable lady. Listening to her talk about her trials & joys - such a huge privilege. She has been quite ill recently, but seemed to come to life as she told tales of her long eventful life, & her journey of faith with Jesus - none of it easy but what a rich tapestry God has woven in her life.
She thanked me for going & yet as I left it felt like I was the one who had been blessed.

Love wins - Rob Bell

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Wins-Heart-Lifes-Questions/dp/0007420730/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306758163&sr=8-1

After so many terrible reviews & aggressive posts I couldn't wait to read it for myself.
Rob Bell's style of writing is conversational & the book is easy to read & i got through it very quickly.
It's worth a read, & if your in the Stafford area you can borrow my copy as long as you return it.

I am not sure he said much that I haven't thought & believed for a long time. I am unsure why so many people have reacted so badly to Love Wins - i suspect that many who have commented have never read it.

Its not a deep theological book but i don't think that's what he was trying to write.
I do however think that more needs to be said about how judgement / justice fits in.

I think his vision of God's grace & enormous love is needed though, especially when so many who claim to be in a relationship with Jesus (like Harold Camping but sadly too many mainstream preachers & believers too) shout so loudly that God's great desire is to judge & punish for all eternity. Personally I think that message is devoid of the hope & grace of Jesus, & that it is way more dangerous.

Yes we need to hear about the vastness of God's grace & of course this isn't a new message. A hymn i use a lot in worship 'There's a wideness in God's mercy' by Frederick Faber (Hymns & Psalms 230) deserves to be the final note here.


There’s a wideness in God’s mercy,
Like the wideness of the sea;
There’s a kindness in His justice,
Which is more than liberty.


There is plentiful redemption
In the blood that has been shed;
There is joy for all the members
In the sorrows of the Head.


There is grace enough for thousands
Of new worlds as great as this;
There is room for fresh creations
In that upper home of bliss.


For the love of God is broader
Than the measure of our mind;
And the heart of the Eternal
Is most wonderfully kind.


But we make His love too narrow
By false limits of our own;
And we magnify His strictness
With a zeal He will not own.


If our love were but more simple,
We should take Him at His word;
And our lives would be illumined
By the presence of our Lord.

Testing the waters

3 years on & another attempt at a blog!

I hope to float ideas & concerns about life & faith, & get some conversations going.

Please remember these are my thoughts & not those of anyone else.