Eternal Echoes

Being real

I was complimented today ( well I took it as a compliment) on my preaching... not a lovely sermon compliment.I always worry when I get those as it tells me one of two things, either I had nothing to say and the congregation were bored but comfortable, or that no-one was listening... but the service ends with the blessing of the congregation to the minister in the immortal words... lovely sermon! Only one stage worse is when someone says...lovely sermon dear!

But that was not what I heard today- today I was told that I made it possible for people to have questions, and that because I am real and open about my faith that my hearers don't feel alienated or put down.

I am pleased if that is the case for I struggled with masks (not roles Mike) for many years, always feeling that I must look right, have life in order, have no struggles or problems ( small ones were acceptable).

I would wear a mask of confidence when I felt like life was falling apart.... I would smile and declare all to be well,and I really thought that was how a Christian should be, and that because I wasn't, that there was something wrong with me.

So now, having been released from a lot of that I am me when I preach... and I am me when I go to meetings ... I do assume different roles for different occasions... on Saturday I officiated at a burial of ashes, and used the formal prayer book service etc...the widow, who had held herself together for weeks fainted as soon as the service drew to a close, she had been unable to cry or to express real grief and all became too much for her. She was terribly apologetic, feeling that she had let everyone down... it wasn't right to display emotion in her thinking. I am planning to visit her next week, but fear that she will feel so embarrassed that she will once again put on a mask of self control... I am praying for her. I will assume a role for the occasion, but I will not wear a mask.

We give ourselves too many restrictions in faith, and in our relationship with God, fearing to approach him as we are, we create a barrier between ourselves and the one we call Father (or Mother), and so we do not ask what we need to ask, and we do not pray as we need to pray.

I have been reading Clark Pinnocks book on the Holy Spirit this afternoon ( in between snores) and am struck by his description of the Spirit as one who lovingly draws us into the divine circle and moves our feet to join the dance. He speaks of the Spirit as love and joy, coming into our lives and bringing fresh music to our souls... and yet we can only receive that music, only hear that music if we are open and willing to give ourselves to it no masks for we are not invited to a masked ball but to a celebration of life.

It occurs to me that as we enter into the dance that we will find ourselves freed, music and movement have that effect ( makes you wonder why some denominations frown upon it...) .Freed in spirit and in truth we will be able to worship God as she is and as we are.... there is a deep need within the Christian Church for reality... for freedom to ask questions, for freedom to express belief and doubt, for joy and pain to be received in a spirit of acceptance and openness...

If we insist on wearing masks on bottling up our emotions we will fade away...

I found it hard, find it hard to receive compliments about my preaching- but today I sensed that I had assumed a role as the worship leader/preacher, but I was not wearing a mask and for one glorious hour I knew what it was to be Gods representative in that place... and it was good...

I am not giving myself the credit, for the transformation has been long and slow... and too often I reach for a mask to hide behind ... I pray those times for me, and for many others will become fewer and farther between

More changes

Yes I do have a life....., but the light on the beach yesterday was amazing and there was no way around it- the photo called for a template change- welcome to the New New look Eternal Echoes... same old waffle though!

Transformation

                                    My 17 year old daughter is a talented musician, a grade 8 violist (distinction ) , she is preparing a recital for her A'level, she is a Baroque specialist, but has just discovered a liking for the Romantic era... we love to hear her play.

A perfectionist always she has been very hard on herself, this led to a period of self harm... she would cut her arms with anything she could find, then ashamed of what she had done would become reclusive.

We had prayed about this as a family, she went for a couple of counselling sessions but did not get on with the navel gazing exercises...

Her older sister pin pointed her need to get out of herself and suggested at cost to herself that Jo take over as crew no. 1...

Today Jo ran down the beach pony tail swinging, a confident and joyful young lady... she is an excellent sailor and applies her intelligence to racing...

She has been transformed, and is no longer the insular person she was, God by is grace has brought about deep healing... through Emma's sacrifice of position, through prayer, and through a sport and an environment where the pressures of life can fall away, if only for a while...

Jo is still a talented musician, Emma is too, she has just completed her BMus at Canterbury Christchurch University.

Emma will helm her own boat this season... there has been a transformation... in Jo and in Emma... and I thank God for both of them...

Light

The light was amazing at the beach this evening- a few photos- they don't really do it justice...

there is something amazing about light like this, almost spiritual, the whole beach had an other worldly quality about it...with reflections and just in the way the suns rays were touching the water... as I have said-nthis is my slice of heaven.

Who is this man? Mark 4: 35-41 Sermon blogging

Pressure of work  we often assume is a 21st century phenomenon - coming home on the train from Sheffield on Thursday I might have acknowledged that this was true, stop after stop and people settled themselves down, opened laptops, got out diaries and made phone calls, they had left work only to work more on the journey home.... and when they got home, I wonder how many would stop and spend time with the rest of their families...

I listen to conversations at church meetings where it seems that life is a contest- the more meetings you have and the less free time you have in a week the better...

A quick reading of Mark 4 and the chapters surrounding it and we see Jesus under pressure...

Under pressure from the Pharisees who were continually goading him and testing him...

Mark 3:2     The Pharisees had their eyes on Jesus to see if he would heal him, hoping to catch him in a Sabbath infraction.

and spreading slander about him:

Mark 3:22
    The religion scholars from Jerusalem came down spreading rumours that he was working black magic, using devil tricks to impress them with spiritual power.

He was under pressure from the crowds whose presence was constant, even when Jesus tried to get away they followed him, asking for teaching, looking for healing....

Mark 3:7-8
    Jesus went off with his disciples to the sea to get away. But a huge crowd from Galilee trailed after them—  also from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, across the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon—swarms of people who had heard the reports and had come to see for themselves.

... and so Jesus taught them and healed them, taking no time out to eat or rest,.... his friends feared for him;

Mark 3:20-21     Jesus came home and, as usual, a crowd gathered—so many making demands on him that there wasn't even time to eat. His friends heard what was going on and went to rescue him, by force if necessary. They suspected he was getting carried away with himself.

His mother and brothers came- Jesus responded by declaring that a new order had come about and those who were obedient to his teachings were now family- and rebuffed and probably feeling rejected his flesh and blood family withdrew...

Mark 3:32-35
    He was surrounded by the crowd when he was given the message, "Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside looking for you."
    Jesus responded, "Who do you think are my mother and brothers?" Looking around, taking in everyone seated around him, he said, "Right here, right in front of you—my mother and my brothers.Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

And he did not stop, he could not stop, there was an urgency about his teaching, he was driven by something both outside and inside himself- in this urgency we see something of the mystery and the power of the trinity.... something his friends and his family could not understand... the disciples were swept along with him...

... and yet Jesus was human- and in his humanity he reached the point of exhaustion... teaching and healing, then with the disciples unravelling the knotty bits in his teaching he reached the end of his human strength... and once again needed to get away and suggested they put out to sea...

So just as he was they helped him into the boat and pushed away from shore, even then other boats accompanied them...... but Jesus curled up in the stern of the boat and was soon fast asleep... sleeping so soundly that even though a storm started battering the boat he slept on.... just as he was..

It didn't take long for the disciples to wake him, fearing for their lives, the experienced fishermen knew the danger they were in...

So they turned to Jesus, who waking from his much needed rest, rebuked the storm- calling on the sea and the wind to quiet down- it obeyed- he then turned to the disciples rebuking them

Mark 4:40: "Why are you such cowards? Don't you have any faith at all?"

Staggered they responded in awe ;

Mark 4:41 :"Who is this, anyway?" they asked. "Wind and sea at his beck and call!"

Who is this ... this man who becomes tired, and yet is driven by something more real than the need for food and drink?

Who is this man, who embodies wisdom and teaches with a holy  authority ?

Who is this man who heals with a word or a touch... withered hands restored, sickness gone?

Who is this who can sleep in peace through a storm, then quiet it with one command... peace be still...

How did the holy come close, come amongst us in power and with authority, calling us to have faith, to follow and to be bold... calling us to a new way of living... to receive his kingdom come amongst us, calling us to receive his teaching into good soil

Mark 4:20
    "But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams."

Even now he challenges us to hear his teaching through the words of scripture ... to respond to his commands... to have faith...that like him we might find peace and rest even amidst the storms of life...

The disciples took him into the boat just as he was...

That is how he calls us to come to him... just as we are...for he will lead us on.

Serious stuff- RevGals Friday 5 - Ice Cream

Without further ado:

1. Ice cream: for warm weather only or a year-round food?

All year round food- though in winter I can easily be tempted to fruit crumble and custard...

2. Favourite flavor(s)

From Texas days Blue Bell Medieval Madness and Rocky Road.... can't buy either of them here ... sob!!!

3. Cake cone, sugar cone, waffle cone, cup?

Waffle cone....

4. Childhood ice-cream memory

Coke Floats and Ice Cream Sodas  in the Singapore Hilton, these were a childhood treats, I grew up in Singapore and Kuala Lumper.

5. Banana splits: discuss.

Banana, split of course length ways... vanilla ice cream... strawberry jam/ sauce... or fresh strawberries in season (now)... whipped cream and roast hazelnuts for toppings...

whats to discuss just eat it already...

Teaching, train journeys and sailing...

Well I did promise I would blog about yesterdays short excursion to the Wilson Carlile College in Sheffield to teach at the Summer School on Alternative Spirituality/ New Age outreach and using the Essence Course as a tool.

I decided to travel by train- great idea because it gave me time to read and prepare myself for teaching rather than fight my way up the A17 (horrible road!!!). I also decided- because I hate station coffee to make a flask of really good coffee, bad idea- because when I changed trains at  Ely I discovered the stupid flask had leaked- I had even wrapped it it two Waitrose bags... and it leaked all over my handouts! Bl***y flask I muttered...

Threw it in the nearest bin in disgust...

Thankfully the presentation was all PowerPoint- thankfully my lap-top was in another bag...

Arrived in Sheffield calmer having played with the MP3 player on my new phone listening to a mixture of Coldplay and Arvo Part.

Found a Taxi- eventually explained through hand signals and a map where I wanted to go....steam rising again..

Arrived at the Sheffield Centre, lunch... then the afternoon teaching session... I had the largest seminar group of the week...

Power Point worked well a good inter-active session looking at culture and using my favourite shock tactic-The Ace of Cups - to draw out the use of symbolism- such as the hand of God, mystery the Holy Spirit as a dove, streams of living water etc etc, before I explain it is a Tarot card..

Go read John Drane's Beyond Prediction  (co authors Ross Clifford, and Philip Johnson) if this challenges you, or feel free to e-mail me and I would be happy to enter into a deeper dialogue on the subject.

The remainder of the teaching looked at The Essence course in depth finishing off with a deeper look at session 3 which takes the themes of creation, ecology and stewardship suggesting we can become partners in the kingdom of God, also looking at John 3 :16 from a holistic standpoint.

I am both a fan and a severe critic of the Essence Course as I feel wrongly used it can be all so much froth and bubble, entered into at a deeper level it can prove a useful tool for starting a deeper dialogue with spiritually minded people.

I like teaching in an interactive environment, it forces me to think on my feet and to be well prepared for I do not know what questions or comments are going to be made.

As for the handouts I have e-mailed  copies to any that wanted them (almost everyone)...

Long  journey home thankfully a window seat all the way and a section to myself 3/4 of the way (I can be so unsociable at times)...

Today I have done almost nothing, blogged, done a bit of housework, tidied the garden, and then this evening Tim and I went for a sail...

Light winds, sun over the water, birds and seals- this is my slice of heaven....

                                                                         

Wild Goose, (Celtic imagery for the Holy Spirit) Is a 15 foot Enterprise racing dingy.

New look...

I have changed my template again- no surprise there...

just a word about the picture, the church is in a small Norfolk village- nestled between the trees all looks idyllic... but like many it is a church that struggles with an ageing congregation and falling numbers... it grapples with the daily need to be relevant and usually fails- but it remains, rooted in a rich past with a future hope....it remains

Lord breathe on these bones

On experience....

A collection of posts around the blogosphere have been looking at experience

First this from Maggi Dawn

sea spray

The author C. S. Lewis once wrote that there is all the difference in the world between reading a map of the coastline and feeling the spray of the ocean upon your face. People come to church, he said, not to be taught to read maps [about God], but to feel the spray.*

(Found in TAD, Pentecost 2003, in an article by Rev. Virginia L. Bennett: hat tip to Jason at Gower Street)

Steve Hollinghurst has been watching The Convent  and return to The Monastery and has some interesting comments to make:

the church I think is still very often operating in the world of doctrinal fact, thinking it needs to convince people of the truth of Christianity. The monks wisely took another course, the discussed feelings as well as thoughts but above all they invited people to an experience, and experience of God but also one shared with others. How might we make evangelism about an invitation to an experience rather than to a change of opinion?

Experience of God , is a vital part of what it is to be a Christian, relationship is essentially experiential, even a letter from a loved one evokes emotion, it is by God's Spirit that we come alive and dry words of Scripture become charged with life and meaning.

Providing the opportunity for experience is vital, watching The Convent I was struck though by the balance the Nuns provided between experience and explanation.

Commenting on Steve's blogging (following my link ) Matt Stone has this to say

Steve said: "...though many came with intellectual questions about the Christian faith what they found was experience of the faith which made the questions seem less central."

Following that I would say that doctrinal issues are certainly less central for post-moderns, but I would not say they're irrelevant. In my experience, while post-moderns are more interested in the 'does it work' questions than the 'is it true' questions, sooner or later those questions do come up if they explore deep enough.

At that point we need to be prepared for listening to and working through the doctrinal issues with them, and here critical contextualisation is every bit as important as for the experiential issues.

We must then hold in tension the need to provide places and opportunities for people to experience God, then  be very careful to listen to that experience and help them to interpret it, bringing in issues of doctrine when and where appropriate. So even if we do not make doctrine our start point, we are not throwing it out.. I think the key lies in the questions becoming less central in the light of the experience not irrelevant, indeed the questions may change but they will still be there.

Listening to the culture around us has shown me that more and more people are experiencing spirituality and are trying to explain it, they need a framework to hang these experiences on, enter the realm of Alternative Spirituality's and New Age ( which as Matt Stone and Phil Johnson are so right in pointing out has buried itself and its influence deep into the mindset and prevailing culture of our day). The Church as Steve so rightly points out has been left behind, sticking to doctrine first we so often neglect the opportunity to help people to interpret their experiences. In fact too often experience is discouraged and seen as almost if not quite irrelevant, and hardly useful... form my own perspective experience of God is vitally important, and often what keeps me going through desert times when experience is absent is the fact that  I can look back... (see psalm 42!) and so look forward.

Let us rise to the challenge then, not to deny the spray on our faces but to savour it, and in doing so come alongside others in their walk along the seashore, learning to navigate, we will need the map... but only because we are making the journey.

The author C. S. Lewis once wrote that there is all the difference in the world between reading a map of the coastline and feeling the spray of the ocean upon your face. People come to church, he said, not to be taught to read maps [about God], but to feel the spray.*

(Found in TAD, Pentecost 2003, in an article by Rev. Virginia L. Bennett: hat tip to Jason at Gower Street)

Too tired to blog

Been out all day- up to Sheffield from Norfolk- 8 hours train journey, 4 hours teaching for the Church Army Summer School- I am going to bed.... tell you how it went tomorow!

Good day...

God was in it..

Watch this space....