A feigy good read

It’s not often (well, hardly ever) that a book is so good that we read it through from cover to cover in one sitting – but that’s what happened with this one.  The story of how Michael Volland, with help from one or two others, brought feig to birth as a fresh expression of church in partnership with Gloucester cathedral.  The combination of a personal story really well told with reflections on how and why certain things happened is a winner.  So thanks to Michael for giving us the book.  One to be cherished – and full of wisdom, humour, and spiritual insights.

Intimate prayers

A regular reader of this blog sent us this link to a prayer specially written to be said before having sex.  Since getting it, we haven’t tried it (the prayer, that is), but it made for an interesting conversation piece because on the one hand all our instincts tell us that prayer and a sense of the divine presence should infuse the whole of life.  But praying like this before getting down to the business?  We’re tempted to ask, ‘is nothing sacred?’ – but that would be altogether the wrong question!

Ecumenical encouragements

This blog has been quiet for a while – a combination of some complicated family situations, intense writing to meet deadlines, summer weather and the garden needing attention, and a whole lot of preparation needing to be done for engagements in the next month or two.

One of the more encouraging events we’ve been part of recently was with a Roman Catholic group who are exploring creative forms of mission.   It reminded us (as if we needed it) of the many ways in which churches of all sorts, and in all parts of the world, are wrestling with the same things as we all try to work out what it means to be spiritual and Christian in a fast-changing culture.  We shared what we thought we know, even led worship for them, but of course there’s always an elephant in the room when Catholics and Protestants meet.  Known as the mass, eucharist, communion, whatever.  It’s not the first time we’ve been to a RC event and been unable to participate in the mass, of course, so we knew what to expect.  But there’s something very odd when you’re invited to be the main speakers at an event and still banished from the sacraments.  A bit like taking the food to a party, even setting the tables out – and then being sent to the naughty corner because some long deceased ancestor had a fight about something nobody really remembers.  Not that this would prevent us going to similar events in the future – but somebody somewhere needs to realize that this is itself a missional issue.  Paradoxically, the other place where we could regularly expect to be similarly excluded would be in Plymouth Brethren type churches, which also think (for roughly similar reasons) that they are the only ‘real’ Christians on the planet.  Two traditions united by an odd mixture of self-confidence and fear.