enterprise

A week off blogging

2011-04-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

I have had a week off blogging as my mind and occassionally other bits of me have been otherwise occupied. Today I am largely reoccupied with my AGM chair's address. I am deeply conscious that for many people AGMs have to be endured not enjoyed but I have always seen them as opportunity to reflect and to set out some possibilities for the year. So I find myself sat at the computer looking back thankfully for a year when many things have turned around, looking at the present with a kind of puzzlement at where God has put us as a church and looking forward well with bafflement if I am honest. As usual the question is: "There is so much we could do? What should we do?" This year we have another question for Mytholmroyd, what next? We have more or less finished the big project on the hall and the land: what should we do next? I suspect our friends at Cragg have given us a clue by beginning reordering the church. Mytholmroyd needs to do a bit of moving the deckchairs too. Some deckchairs, some moving!

Size Matters

2011-04-05T15:30:00.001-07:00

Tonight I have been to Bishop’s council where we have been discussing the joining of three dioceses: Bradford, Ripon and Leeds and Wakefield. It’s a very emotive subject, in other words in some ways everybody loses and so everybody is equally unhappy about it.

I must say that it was being discussed in quite a grown up way with a lot of humour and good grace. As if to emphasise the problems our diocese has in order to have this meeting of an hour and a half I had to go on a hour and a half journey.

There was an interesting discussion as to whether we ought to be turning three diocese into one or whether it would be better to have six diocese. It was pointed out that just as the rest of the world was abandoning mega organisations the church was discovering them.

Is small beautiful? In terms of effectiveness probably yes.

Is big beautiful? In terms of finances probably yes.

So what we need is a big organisation for finances and a small one for effectiveness.

Hmmmn.

Anyone fancy medium sized?

Finance

2011-04-04T15:17:00.000-07:00

I came all over emotional at a finance meeting today. I am not so geeky that the beauty of pattern and number overwhelmed me. Nor am I overly impressed by the balance of audited accounts. No what overcame me was the amount of work the church accounts represented. There was the work of our wonderful treasurer in producing them and the work of the many members of our church who had worked so hard to balance the books, pulling us back from a financial meltdown to a place of sustainability and longevity.

What moved me most of all was the realisation of how much God can do when you pray, think and work to change things.

Laser Quest

2011-04-03T15:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight it's off to Laser Quest with the youth group and after being equipped with guns and lasers we have a very jolly time shooting at each other. I am, it turns out a middling assasin as I keep apologising for shooting people! I also accidentally run into a wall when escaping being shot at. When we get back to the town square there is a bit of a drama after a waiting parent had seen someone climbing out of a window and the police had been called. There then follows a gentle performance as they borrow a ladder and close the offending open window. It strikes me that a lot of policing must be like this: pottering about, talking to people and chasing them away before any real damage is done. Thank goodness it's not like Laser Quest!

Synagogue

2011-04-02T16:22:00.000-07:00

To manchester where it was lovely to see jewish families coming home from synagogue. As they walked young and old were talking seriously and passionately I expect about what they had heard at the service. On street corners we saw little clusters of arguing people. It struck me that this animated family discussion is precisely the right response to worship: meeting God should stir us up. I wonder if tomorrow going home from church we will be similarly animated... I hope so.

Predestination

2011-04-02T02:42:00.001-07:00

So here it goes, you've had my thoughts on oranges and holes now here comes my random thought for the day: are all gardeners called "Steve"? You see it turns out following discussions at our excellent pie and pea quiz night last night that there are three gardeners working on my street and they are all called Steve. What does this mean? Could you be predetermined by the name given at birth to do only one job. I mean I had my suspicions when I heard of a chemistry teacher called Mr Funnel. Maybe Happy Familys is a coded message about the nature of the universe. If you are called Mr Bun you will be a baker.... If you are called Steve you have to be a gardener. It's all predestination. Or maybe it's Saturday and I ought to go back to bed.

mothers

2011-03-31T14:53:00.000-07:00

I have spent the day talking to mothers, thinking about mothers and I am about to go to bed with a mother… somehow none of that comes out right.

The talking to mothers was at Angels which continues to gather over fifty people of all ages and stages to play, pray and sing silly songs. Around the edge of the playing with the children there is a lot of hard talk goes on. Today a number of newish mums were talking about how being a parent makes them feel guilty… there is always something to be done that hasn’t been done. Margi and I were talking afterwards about how we need to keep telling the mums how good they are at what they do.

The thinking about mothers is as I prepare for Sunday’s Mothering Sunday sermon which I hope will address that guilt a bit. I am wondering if that ten commandment about “honouring your father and mother” also includes “honouring fathers and mothers” generally… maybe if we respect what parents do, they wouldn’t feel quite so guilty about what they don’t do.

Time for bed… and where is that mother I was talking about.

Migraine

2011-03-30T01:30:00.001-07:00

I had a migraine last night and so no blog. Migraines are funny things. I only started getting them in my forties and even now I get them very infrequently. Usually mine are quite mild but I have had one or two with visual effects which are quite pretty.

They are linked in me with a combination of stress, tiredness and driving usually. Before I had them I always thought that they were like a big headache but the changes they bring about are much more profound than that. There is a headache but also what I can only describe as a kind of travel sickness and a strange feeling in your head that lingers a bit the following day. A bit like when you have had a muscle cramp you can still feel in the muscle the next day.

Why I was stressed I don’t know, I had had some time off during the day so maybe things had just crept up on me and as for tired I suspect the change in the clocks has knocked my body clock out.

Anyhow this morning it’s all gone… apart from the vague feeling that something has happened and now I have to go to Riverside School to talk about freedom…

Oh I feel another headache coming on!

Census

2011-03-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

I filled in my census today and despite it being a great feat of memory to remember who was here last night I think we are all right. I had the usual trauma about being asked if I am an employee. I am not I am an office holder but that wasn’t’ on the list. If I am employed by anyone it is God! Although I am not sure of his address: the Lord’s prayer would suggest heaven but I think that’s a bit limiting.

Another problem was the nature of my work which would have been all right but the number of letters was limited so I ended up putting: “Preaching the Good news of Jesus and helping.”

I hope I have been helpful today as I have been doing a lot of talking and not enough listening probably.

Never mind tomorrow appears to be a whole day off!

Except for the evening and emergencies and sorting out my study of course.

I finished a wordel of words used by the Youth Group to describe themselves... I think it turned out well, what do you think?

Denial again

2011-03-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

After a suitably bizarre morning sermon on the woman at the well that involved me drinking Strongbow to demonstrate the concept of a refreshing change I headed to Kirkheaton for a meeting about a weekend away I am doing for them in September. They’re an interesting church that experienced spectacular growth in the past only to watch it ebb a bit to be followed as far as I could work out by more sustained growth now. It was a great meeting where we prayed, discussed and ate cake. All bodes well for the summer.

I returned just in time to meet with Youth group to talk about among other things abortion. Clearly they knew about it but as we talked it seemed that they all had the idea that it was the kind of thing that didn’t relate to them personally… they had been taught the theory, but it was irrelevant as it would never happen to them. Maybe that’s why we have one of the highest abortion rates in Europe. Along with everything else we are in denial about the consequences of sex.

We went on to play a great game with a very large football. They were like big kids and seemed to have had a really good time. I wonder when they will be old enough to talk tough about this stuff.

Adjustment

2011-03-26T15:44:00.000-07:00

I just got back from picking my wife and son from the station after their triumphant return from the protest in London. Catherine was carrying a flag and Ben had got hold of a Vevusala(?). apparently he had been playing hymn tunes on it!

The march had been so long that many people were just setting off when the march and speeches were going off in Hide Park. An estimated 250,000 had travelled to let people know that they were unhappy about the cuts. About 150 others had been arrested for causing a nuisance but my two protestors had seen no trouble at all.

My other two children amused ourselves after finishing our work by going in to Leeds to see the film “The Adjustment Bureaux.” Which was a really good film basically on the tension between predestination and free will, would you believe! Is our path fixed or do we have a choice.

It did make me think about current political dilemmas which seem to run on similar lines: “We have to do this because of the economic situation” or “We can choose our own path through free will.”

As Adam and Eve showed free will is always a tricky business but worth it in the end because through it God gives us the freedom to truly love. Which was kind of the theme of the film… you ought to go see it. Click here if you want to see a preview.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZJ0TP4nTaE

Politics is a slow business

2011-03-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of activity in my house as my wife gets ready to go on a protest march tomorrow. She’s off to London to join anything up to 250000 people (how they know I don’t know) as they protest against the cuts. There’s a bit of anxiety and worry about how they will be greeted and whether there will be kettling. Given that the march includes protesting police officers it seems unlikely that there will be any trouble.

My wife is going with my son and I am very proud of them both, active engagement in politics is the right and duty of the subjects of any society. The bible even tells us to pray for those in authority. So why is it then that there is so much apathy about politics?

I think it’s because we expect things to change quickly and politics is a slow business. We need to become more patient with our politicians.

pushing back the boundaries

2011-03-24T18:09:00.000-07:00

I have just finished very late a funeral sermon.
Reflecting on the day a high point was visiting someone who I thought would be very ill only to discover that due to an experimental treatment he is just ill. To be ill is definitely an improvement.
I thank God for those pioneers who through pushing back the boundaries have given him chance.

Where does the vicar stand.

2011-03-23T16:05:00.000-07:00

I spent a bit of the day sorting out my council nomination for the forthcoming town council election.

Every time I stand I face the same dilemma... I am a busy person, do I really need this?

But every time I come up with the same solution, not sure, so stand and see what happens.

I hope that as an independent I bring some objectivity to the council.
I hope that as a busy well connected person I bring some insight to the council.
I hope that as a minister I am in touch with all phase of life.

I fear that I don't put enough effort into my role or that it detracts from my vicaring role.

I was at a conference once, where they were talking about where the vicar should stand. Are they inside the church building caring for the flock? Are they at the door welcoming people in? Or are they out in the community, on the edge bringing the love of God to a needy world.
The smart answer is "rarely either or usually both and!" so the answer to where the vicar stands is "Yes."

Today I stood on Scout Rocks again... it was magnificent.
At that moment in time I knew exactly where this vicar should be standing, about the town praising God for the beautiful place I live.

I found this picture on Hebweb so I hope nobody minds me borrowing it to show you what I mean.

And as someone pointed out to me the other day if you hold up your hand Mytholmroyd disappears!

I find that kind of comforting but I am not sure why.

Cancer

2011-03-22T15:07:00.000-07:00

To Leeds this afternoon to visit someone who was looking remarkably well given that they had just come out of surgery. They were in a new wing of St James’ hospital which is dedicated to the treatment of Cancer. It was an amazing building and quite different from how we all picture hospitals.

For a start off there was a museum in the entrance way to the building and a lot of art. There were shops and a balcony café. You could have been anywhere except for the odd person walking about in their pyjamas or pushing one of those trolleys that have a drip bag hung from them.

I had a coffee on the balcony and pondered whether this new building had been built in denial of the fact that although a lot of healing went on in this place a lot of dying did too.

Maybe we have grown up enough to acknowledge that as Forest Gump once wisely said death is part of life and that although we wish it wasn’t, it is.

They serve nice coffee.

Despite this, I hope and pray my friend is home soon and that I don't have to go there again for a while.

Working together

2011-03-21T16:32:00.000-07:00

At the end of another long day with a particularly long stint at my village church Cragg Vale. Beginning at the Archdeacons at 3-00p.m. and finishing with PCC at 8-15p.m. the whole discussion went around what we were going to do to reorder or renovate the church. This is a difficult time for us. We have spent over ten years planning to do something and now we are actually going to have to do something… which should be exciting but also feels a little daunting.

I often wonder what my predecessors felt like when they were doing things like this. The first vicar of Cragg Thomas Crowther who had to build the church twice. He built one and then ten years later it fell down with the weight of snow on the roof and he had to build our present church. A later vicar who couldn’t get the PCC to pay for the new pews he had had installed and so had to be bailed out by his predecessor’s wife. Ironically these are now the pews that we want to remove to carry out our scheme.

I guess they felt like I feel: a bit tired, a bit scared and a bit faithful that things will work out.

In Romans 8 Pauls says this: “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

It’s just hard sometimes waiting for that moment when they all work together!

Random

2011-03-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

Sunday is a random day which never fails to surprise.

Church at Cragg had an outbreak of birthdays which resulted in 10% of the congregation having happy birthday sung to them... three if you're interested. One of them Joy is 95 and wasn't there I understand because she was recovering from her parties!

Mytholmroyd was... kind of stunning, just one of those days when God turned up for lots of people. The music was lovely, we communed in communion and the singing of To God be the Glory was only mired by the lack of tambourines! We also discovered that some of the stock of the fair trade stall had gone over date so we all ate too much cheap chocolate and biccies! To put a cherry on it Amos arrived to demonstrate new abilities sitting up and eating pretty much everything (at least putting everything in his mouth.)

Three O'clock saw youth group tonight and twelve of us trekked up to the top of Scout Rocks which is a large cliff opposite our house. After overdosing on chocolates and doing drugs, talking about them of course, a quick dash down the hill and to my Brother in Law's methodist church to take a random Celtic communion that included one of my Lenten oranges. It was lovely to be with this group of twelve disciples who were warm and gently Christian.

After a bit of discussion off to the pictures to see "Never let me go" which is very sad and poignant but ultimately life affirming.

Then it's a brief time sitting comfy with the family and I am about ready for bed.

A random day.

I quite like random.

Creativity always comes from the random.

God created the world from chaos...

He's still at it today.

Betty's

2011-03-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday and a day off takes me form Durham to York to Leeds to buy Rebecca, my duaghter an interview suit.
Thos of you who know me will klnow that for me you can't go to York without going to Betty's.
Betty's is an amazing teashop where everything from the drinks to the food to the service is just perfect. I have always said that Betty's is how I want heaven to be.
There is just one problem it is very hard to get in. Today was a case in point with visitors queing right round the corner and up the street. If we had had two hours to queue, which we didn't we still might not have had enough time to enjoy our tea.

The funny thing is that the tea served in Betty's is Yorkshire Tea by Taylor's of Harrogate and the coffee is made by Taylor's too so it is perfectly posssible for me to go now and taste the taste of "heaven" and drink it too.
And isn't that what heaven's all about?
"The Kingdom of Heaven is here" said Jesus
There's no need to queue.

comic relief

2011-03-19T03:08:00.000-07:00

It's red nose day and pirate Margi once again appears and leads our 5-11's group as we raise another £30. The atmosphere has been a bit manic as the children have been doing all sorts of madness in school also no doubt raising even more money.
Later we hear they have raised over £70 million and people are amazed in such difficult times that people are so generous but the combination of cheerfulness and giving is always a winner.
The bible says that the Lord loves a cheerful giver so I can confidently say God loves comic relief.

Playing at change

2011-03-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

Today is Thursday so my opportunity to play with the under fives at the Angels group. Angels is what church looks like if your under five or you care for an under five. Hymns are replaced by action songs, bible readings are replaced by bible stories, and communion… snacks and juice: shared around a table, it certainly looks like communion.

A funny thing I’ve noticed is that since Amos my grandson was born I am much more comfortable getting down on the floor and playing with the children… they just seem more interesting. It's almost as though I am learning to play again from them.

Today was, the beginning of red nose day so many of the children were dressed up as anything from Noddy to a bee. Margi came as a very convincing pirate, I came as a very convincing vicar… because I forgot. Incidentally it is a cause of constant regret that since I became a vicar I have never been invited to a vicar and tarts party. All the same we raised the best part of £100.

Tonight I was talking to the wives’ group at church about renaissance and it reminded me how much I miss Yorkshire Forward. They were willing to invest in Mytholmroyd and more surprisingly prepared to invest in me. I am literally a changed man because of meeting them. We are a changed community because they came to town. Change is a bit addictive or rather being changed is addictive.

Now, rather than relying on others to change us we have to become agents of change and it’s much harder work. Perhaps if we can find a way of making change more like playing it might feel a bit easier. Because children change through play could we change by playing. Playing with ideas instead of toys, learning to try and maybe even to fail. That's how children change, that's maybe how we change.

Lambs

2011-03-16T16:30:00.000-07:00

Today we began the extreme bit of Lent.

Forget eating oranges... actually I didn't but that's by the by

Forget switching the radio off in the car... still very difficult

Today... I went for a walk!

To put this in context:

three vicars meet once a week to pray

three vicars go on retreat together

three vicars climb hill and don't die (private joke don't worry about it)

finally three vicars make rash promise to change pray time into walking time.

So today we walk... and as before on the retreat our mighty leader takes us up a hill. His theory is that it's best to get the hill out of the way first. To be honest in our area there is always a hill. I am sure that this time, despite the fact that we went on a circular walk we went up more hills than we came down!

How did that happen?

Anyhow on the walk we saw some of the first signs of spring notably lambs.

It reminded me later as I thought about the lambs of the way in which they link together Christmas and Easter. Lambs are associated with Christmas because they appear in Crib scenes although not in the Gospel stories. Apparently they are not there to be cute but were deliberately put in Nativity Scenes by artists to point to Easter.
They are not in the Easter story either but the idea of Jesus as a "sacrifical Lamb" is there adn pointed to by John the Baptist who says: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."

We saw some baby pigs as well but I couldn't think of anything clever about them except that one had ginger hair and looked a bit like me.

Holes

2011-03-15T15:29:00.000-07:00

They're digging a hole in the middle of my village and when I say a hole I don't refer to one of those ones with four blokes with pick axes holes but one with a large thing like an oil drill or rocket launcher attached to it. Incidentally have you noticed how many people are digging up the road at this time of year... they always say it's the year end spending up of the councils' money but I'm sure that can't be true.

Anyhow the hole in the middle of Mytholmroyd is now taking on epic proportions as somebody today told me it was going to be 500m's deep and that men were tunneling under the river.

All I know is that it is supposed to be part of the flood aleviation scheme so that when the river floods it has somewhere to go.

That's what they told me but that doesn't sound right either.

Wouldn't it be great if every workman wore a t-shirt explaining what they were doing... then we would really know.

I bet they would say things like "Yup, we're digging a hole!"

Then again Vicars could have t-shirts folowing on from St Augustine with: "filling the God shaped hole" on it.

Shares or chairs?

2011-03-14T15:27:00.001-07:00

I've just got back from a one and a half hour round trip for a one and a half hour meeting. It was hard especially as I am not listening to the radio in the car but great for a very long chat with God. It bothers me a bit that I talk to God more frequently and for a longer time when I have nothing else to do. I hope I don’t treat God like the friend of last resort.

The meeting was for some of the Canons of the Cathedral to try and work out how we can raise a million pounds. It’s a long story but it was funniest when we ended up talking about whether we should get people to sponsor chairs or we should issues shares. It became a serious debate about shares or chairs!

It reminds me of when we first brought the idea of a “bring and share lunch” to Mytholmroyd. One lady said she didn’t know if she had a chair that she could carry to church!

oranges

2011-03-13T16:50:00.000-07:00

Carrying and eating an orange for Lent is proving to be a bit of a revelation.

There are two things I have discovered about oranges.

The first thing is that the best bit of the experience is not eating them but peeling them. It's the smell as the peel releases it's oils and they fill the space where the peeling is happening that is really, really nice! Wherever you are eating one becomes an orangey space!

The second thing about oranges is that when you have peeled and eaten one it sticks to you, oils and all so that you can always tell that sometime that day you have eaten an orange.

Even if the flesh or juice is disappointing the experience isn't.

Go on... eat an orange!

You know you want to!

And they said I was too honest to go into marketing!

Generations

2011-03-12T15:22:00.000-08:00

It's been a long day as I have been on tour with my family including Grandson Amos whilst at the same time wrestling with Temptation... which is not as bad as it sounds, it's my sermon for tomorrow.

It's been fun as we have visited two great grandmas to see how both of them lit up when they were playing with Amos. When I commented on this in the car coming home: how good they were with him, my youngest son wisely reminded me that they had lots of practice on previous generations so I shouldn't be surprised. It makes me wonder why we always think that the best people to help the young are the slightly older and not those who as Joseph said have had lots of practice.

I guess I am becoming one of those older ones now and I would hope that no one will ever suggest that it's time I retired from working with the young just when I am beginning to get the hang of it.

Incidentally talking of getting the hang of it this is Amos tackling his first chip!

Blending

2011-03-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

Day 3 and today has been one of those days where everything has run into everything else either showing a seamless diary or a confusing overlap.

The day began with prayer which rapidly melted into a slightly confusing discussion about notice boards. Once we had solved the conundrum I spent a happy hour moving stuff.

Moving stuff is one those things that vicars do… you find a pile of stuff that shouldn’t be in place (a) and move it to place (b). In this case it was electrical stuff but it could have been food, clerical gear or even people. Moving stuff is such a big part of vicarage life that I have been told that if you are at an event and you see people randomly moving furniture they are probably vicars or vicars’ children.

The task was made more jolly by the two amazing cleaning ladies in church. All our church cleaning people are volunteers and most seem to enjoy the work. The two this morning always make it a morning out, beginning with coffee and bacon sandwiches, picnic fashion before they get on to the serious dusting and cleaning. Sat in the pews they might as well have been on a day out to Blackpool!

After the moving came the sorting and a pretty complex wedding planning session with a young woman whose partner comes from abroad. It was so complex I was happy to eat my Lenten orange to revive me.

Popping into the hall to see what the noise was I discovered the Luncheon club who invited me to join them for some really scrummy food. It would have been rude to say no ( see yesterday ) and also Luke 10:8 "When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you.

A session of spiritual direction followed with much laughter as well as serious talk, mostly around the question: “who am I.” Answers on a postcard to everybody who asks that question …

This melted into The Mix our 5-11’s group where we built the tower of Babel out of boxes and knocked it down. There was a point to this but I'm not sure we got it across.

Straight from that to governors and from that to home and a frustrating evening trying to write a sermon on temptation… which has finished with this… a blog.

A productive day? Not sure, but a day of many encounters, many mistakes and much blessing from those whom God has sent me to minister to.

I have a lot to pray about before I go to bed and I think the sermon can wait a day!

Day 2 and Lenten promises begin to feel a bit extreme

2011-03-10T13:41:00.000-08:00

So here's the thing about Lent.
You make these promises and commitments and you think when you are doing it you know which ones you are going to have trouble with. I knew that I wouldn't have too much trouble eating an orange every day... I thought I might have trouble reading gospels or studying Tom Wright but what I didn't realise was that I am totally addicted to listening to the radio in the car.
So much so that this morning I was driving my son to the station and I discovered that the radio had somehow or other mysteriously switched itself on... obviously I thought my son had done this.
But no! Apparently I switched it on without thinking.
I know it's not a big deal but I do wonder how much else I do without thinking.
The point is that I have discovered that when I don't switch the radio on without thinking... I do a lot more thinking!

There a circle here that Lent is helping me break: because I listen to the radio I don't think and so because I don't think, I listen to the radio.

The aspiration to lose weight is also not going well after a baptism visit yielded a very large and yummy piece of chocolate cake which I just had to eat because:
a) it was yummy and
b) was obviously a special treat made just for the occasion which it would have been rude to refuse.

It's hard being a vicar in Lent...

First Day of Lent

2011-03-09T14:37:00.000-08:00

So I've had ash put on my head and I am now ready for Lent except I am not quite sure what I am giving up etc.
At the moment the list is somewhat random:
1 Giving up listening to radio 4 in the car (long story, sermon point, don't want to be a
hypocrite)
2 Eating an orange every day - habit formed on retreat thought it would be an interesting discipline for Lent.
3 Read all four gospels in Lent... slight problem - in a fit of holiness I have already read two on retreat.
4 Reading Tom Wright's book Matthew for Lent - a bit a day for Lent.
5 Losing weight - not sure about this one - Catherine's idea
6 Go for walk with retreat buddies every wednesday instead of praying.
7 Do blog again... hence this blog.
8 I have already given up clergy chapter for Lent.
9 I think there's another one but I haven't come up with it yet.
Suggestion on a postcard to...

But please don't tell me that I should take something on for Lent because I think it's a cop out and I haven't got any space in my life.

Key word for today: Balance

rule of life

2011-03-09T11:11:00.000-08:00

I'm back to blogging after having a very long sabbatical.
Here are my Lenten thoughts on rules of life...
I know it's a magasine article but I thought you might be interested

Do any of you follow a rule of life? Many people do, even if it’s only that we usually buy Vauxhall or Ford or Rolls Royce cars, we prefer Scarborough to Blackpool (or vice versa) or we shop at ASDA/Sainsbury’s/Co-op/Morrisons/locally*… *delete as appropriate.

Most of our rules are fairly trivial but some can affect us deeply and certainly in our spiritual lives can be part of what helps or hinders us in our faith. Someone who has part of their regular rule of faith that they always go to church on Sunday is going to have a very different experience of faith to someone whose rule is to always pray alone.

In order to prepare for Lent this year I have been on retreat for a few days at the newly reopened Scargill Community. In its setting near Kettlewell in the Yorkshire Dales it is an extraordinary complex of buildings and a perfect place to spend time. It is an unusual religious community consisting of many denominations, families, couples and single people who open their home to wayward vicars and groups to come and rest a while. Such a disparate group could easily fall apart and so they have a rule of life to guide them. It’s a very simple rule, but it is one that all community members have to formally sign up to. It struck me as something we all could learn from and it made me smile! This is how it goes:

Scargill Pathway of Life

With the creative assistance of the Holy Spirit, by following the example of Jesus, and with encouragement and guidance from the brothers and sisters who share this pathway, we try our very best to…

1. Speak often and regularly to our heavenly Father, on our own and with others, as well as unwrapping God’s gift of the Bible, allowing it to teach, illustrate, comfort and discipline.
offer everything we do and are to our heavenly Father to use as he wishes, trusting that he will enable us to mean it, and to endure the consequences.

2. Enjoy and carefully look after whichever part of the world has been generously entrusted to us by God.

3. Strengthen community through kindness and love, being sensible enough to keep the moaning inside and a smile on our faces until the right moment arrives to honestly release our complaints. Our goal is to consistently, constructively loving.

4. Welcome visitors and strangers as we would welcome Jesus himself, putting their needs before ours and treating each one as a royal guest.

5. Speak up bravely for people who are rarely heard, helping our heavenly Father to fulfil his dream of seeing the hungry fed, the sick looked after, the naked clothed and victims of injustice released from their chains.

6. Enjoy giving and receiving lots of treats - and laugh often.

Lent and Easter are a good time for reflection and in particular to examine our rule or way of life. Scargill community seem to be moving along the right lines. I wonder if we could sign up to a ‘rule’ like this or perhaps we need a different one for Cragg that includes Dock Pudding Breakfasts.

Incidentally the people at Scargill were lovely and I have had a wonderful retreat.

James

Old Mr Grace

2010-02-10T03:33:00.000-08:00

A very rare morning finds me without an entry in my diary apart from morning prayers. Prayers finished I bump into two worthy gentleman fixing the light bulbs in the hall... both volunteers we have a happy time working as a team. Them doing the work and me telling them what a good job they are doing basically. I often feel that my job is like young Mr Grace in “Are you being served.” He used to come in at the end of the episode with his famous catchphrase: “"You've all done very well!”
I have been a lot of thinking about volunteers recently; it’s so easy to forget that most of the people I work with are basically pursuing their hobby. Or is that it? Most of my thinking about volunteers has focussed on them. Maybe I need to think about what it means to be paid.
We had the entrepreneurs event on Monday and what was striking about many of them was that they saw their work as what they did and that if they made money it was a bonus. Perhaps we, and by that I mean I am too hooked up on the paid thing... work is work whether we are paid or not. Maybe we need to find ways to value what we do which don’t relate to whether we are paid or not.
Hmmn, I need to do some thinking about that.

As for now I just want to say: “"You've all done very well!!”

Given that's what he said how appropriate it was that he was called "Mr Grace."

circle of life

2010-02-07T12:28:00.000-08:00

As another thirteen hour Sunday draws to a close I find myself as taxi for the youth groups ten pin bowling. They are a small but really nice group of the young people every other organization forgot or at least lost touch with. Most of our current batch are church goers as well so I guess in all departments they are a bit odd.
It's been a busy day, highlights of which included a mad rendition of with jesus in the boat at cragg and holding baby lucy at mytholmroyd.
Tomorrow I will, with help conduct the funeral of Emily Foster one of my older members... Thus completing in a kind of circle of life thing something rather wholesome.
What it is to be part of a community.

new for old for new for old

2010-02-02T11:42:00.000-08:00

Today I have been investigating potential furnishing changes at cragg... as we move towards a more concrete discussion about reordering the church.
We have quite an anomaly at Cragg in that we have the original font for the church. It's being used as a bird bath! We wonder if "modernising" the church might involve bringing the old back. We also want to remove the late victorian additions to restore the early victorian / late georgian box. We might take out the organ, a late victorian addition.
To make it modern we need to go back to an older state. An aweful lot of modernisation is a turning back of the clock.
I am now sat in another very boring meeting about safeguarding children... waiting for it to finish.

Broken

2010-01-30T02:22:00.001-08:00

I'm in Bradley to lead a wokshop on baptism strategy. There are a lot of people here which either means people are really excited about this part of what churches do or we are all a bit lost and need help.
In the past we talked a lot about baptism policies... but it all got a bit legalistic and a bit lost.
People heard the church say "no" and rightly were hurt to be turned away.
I want to talk about how we can say yes.
It's a dangerous thing.
I guess saying yes is at the heart of all I do.
Like the song says: "I'm just a man who can't say no."

Another song is in my mind it's by julie miller.
It reflects the way in which many people come to us.
If they come like this how can we say: "no"

You can have my heart
Though it isn't new
It's been used and broken
And only comes in blue
It's been down a long road
And it got dirty on the way
If I give it to you will you make it clean
And wash the shame away

You can have my heart
If you don't mind broken things
You can have my life if you don't mind these tears
Well I heard that you make old things new
So I give these pieces all to you
If you want it you can have my heart

So beyond repair
Nothing I could do
I tried to fix it myself
But it was only worse when I got through
Then you walked into my darkness
And you speak words so sweet
And you hold me like a childTill my frozen tears fall at your feet

Broken

2010-01-30T02:22:00.000-08:00

Tension

2010-01-29T01:48:00.000-08:00

This has been a week for visiting the cinema. Without a proper day off I have takent he opportunity to run away whenever I can to watch a film. So I went to see Avatar one afternoon... a bit wow. You will believe there are seven foot high blue people.
I went to see Up in the Air last night for Catherine's birthday... it was brilliant - a picture for our times. It's about a man who's job it is to tell people they are fired. It's also abotu our need to have a home. Go see it!
I am also trying to prepare for Sunday and Candlemas, which marks the fulcrum between Christmas and Easter an our need to keep the two things in tension.
I remembered a poem abotu this and wondered what people thought.
Christmas Is Really For the Children
Christmas is really for the children.
Especially for children who like animals,
stables, stars and babies wrapped in swaddling clothes.
Then there are wise men,
kings in fine robes,
humble shepherds
and a hint of rich perfume.

Easter is not really for the children
unless accompanied by a cream filled egg.
It has whips, blood, nails, a spear
and allegations of body snatching.
It involves politics,
God and the sins of the world.
It is not good for people of a nervous disposition.
They would do better
to think on rabbits, chickens
and the first snowdrop of spring.

Or they'd do better to wait for a re-run of Christmas
without asking too many questions
about what Jesus did when he grew up
or whether there's any connection.

Steve Turner

Holocaust Memorial

2010-01-24T10:46:00.001-08:00

Today I am at an interfaith debate at Halifax Minster. There is a lecture from a rabbi and response from the other faiths on the subject of Zionism. No fireworks, little emotion and a lot of sensible talk.
I don't know why but the fact that the rabbi is called Brian" seems a bit incongruous.
Brian talks in a calm way about being in a place of pain... refering to the event that defines modern Jews - the holocaust. We are all survivors of the holocaust because who knows who would have been next.

"Do we blame christians for the holocaust?"
"No," he said.
"Could it have happened without christianity?"
"No, because christianity made jews a bad thing and from this point the jump was smaller."
Jews were made powerless first... the rest follows.

As a Christian I accept sadly my part in the holocaust - Israel is their response to their powerlessness. Much of the terror in the world a consequence of Israels existance.

But as someone who has christians in my congregation who were once jews, I worry that for Brian no-one is allowed to convert...

"Where was God in the holocaust?" he says.
"God was weaping with me in the camp..."

God is weaping in Haiti.
God is rejoicing with those who find faith in Jesus... because there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over many righteous people who don't need to repent.

I hope we can continue to weep together but also have the grace to rejoice at the new life of faith people find in faiths other than our own.

no regrets

2010-01-23T21:50:00.000-08:00

I am out to the wive's dinner and we are being entertained by an aging rock star. It's really very good... As the lights flash and he works his way through the back catalogue.
"there's no regrets" he sings but I can't help thinking he might have one or two as he sings to this select bunch in a Mytholmroyd church hall.

Square Eggs

2010-01-19T08:57:00.000-08:00

It's been a frustrating day when nothing has been easy and every bit of writing a struggle. Like laying square eggs! I don't know why it varies so much... Some times you can only wait to be inspired.
So I have got out of the house and come to get my hair cut. The place is packed which makes me wonder if other people have writer's block as well.
I am talking at the methodist lady's group tonight so maybe that will fire me up... Or maybe not.
In the meantime I am hoping my haircut has the opposite effect to samson's close shave.

Thaw

2010-01-16T05:43:00.000-08:00

Today the big thaw is really kicking in and I find myself in durham taking my daughter back to university. It is tipping it down but not in the metro centre which for short while was the largest shopping centre in Europe.
What is perhaps more surprising is that it was built with church finances partly as a contribution to regnerating the area.
I'm not sure we would do this now but I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's too risky, or perhaps other people are now leading. Needless to say the church is no longer an investor in shopping malls... Which is probably a good thing... I wonder if we could make a church in a shopping mall?

Lucy

2010-01-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

I have just heard that Tim and Sara Ordway have had, after a laborious labour, a little girl called Lucy who is 7lb 4oz. I am so excited and wish all of them the very best.
The coming of a baby to a family is an interesting thing...
When Jon and Jo had Matilda they said it was a community baby and sure enough within a very short time she had been baby Jesus three times and probably talked to by every person in our town. She will be brought up by her parents, by her church and hopefully by her community as well.
I can ask for no more for Lucy and can't wait to meet her.
The concept of the Commmunity baby is really important I think and even is the basis of why we all pay for the schooling of children even when we don't have them ourselves.
If as John Donne says no man is an island but all part of a great continent then if the death of someone effects us all so does the birth of someone does as well.
So let's all raise a glass and give a prayer of thanks for Lucy.
We don't need to go to the extent that my father did, when my brother was born he wasn't there, he went out for a drink with the doctor!

Snowy days

2010-01-08T14:37:00.000-08:00

After ninety seven years Ernest Hill was sent on his way today after what was a simple but kind of heroic life. The chapel at Norland looked beautiful marooned in the snow and everything went off well... I suppose, though, everybody was a little quiet and reflective. So much for the day job.

The morning leading up to this was somewhat surreal as I was invited with quite a small select group to meet the Diocesan boundaries commission which is looking into whether we should merge diocese. One idea that came up was to have a diocese of West Yorkshire. As we talked and theoretically moved deaneries and parishes around I wondered as to how people would feel on the ground.

I am not sure how bothered they would be after all in there day to day parish life it would have little effect on them.

A bit like the looming election - on the day after it would we really have a brave new world?

Or rather the same world slightly "tweaked."

I don't think Ernest Hill would have cared two hoots, he certainly wont now.

The end of the world

2010-01-06T15:15:00.000-08:00

Went into Hebden for a strategy review committee which went remarkably well and quickly. I was surprised when I called at the local corner shop to discover that it had sold out of bread, as had the coop...
"Panic Buying" the girl explained.
When I got back I discover the house is in semi darkness, a rare thing, because my teenager had decided that with the snow we mgiht have a blackout and it was our duty to reduce the amount of electricity to prevent it.
"How near civilation is, at any time, to collapse" he said cheerily.

First we ran out of sledges
Then schools
Then bread

We might run out of grit sometime soon and then where would we be?

Sweden probably.

Not so bad then.

Snow

2010-01-06T08:51:00.000-08:00

Stuck at home with the snow again... woever is dreaming of a white christmas needs to wake up. We had our first Wii related incident today and after an over vigorous tennis slice resulted in a right hook to someone's jaw we have consigned it to the dining room.
We had snowy bus ride to Hebden and ooed and ah'ed at the snow which was beautiful but annoying.
Tomorrow we will all have to start trying to be normal again as people carry on working round it... but for now the fire is blazing and the strategy meeting I am supposed to be attending in Hebden tonight looks even less attractive!

Mental Health Day

2010-01-03T13:47:00.000-08:00

It’s been a mental health themed day today. Following an early journey to Cragg in the very thick ice and light snow that looked very pretty but froze the car up solid and reduced the congregation by half to the young and the really keen, bless ‘em.

From there to Mytholmroyd and a slightly manic family service in the hall. The service arose from a conversation about what church would like to our community… a party was the answer and so that’s what the worshipped looked like today. We had balloons, freaking out our balloon phobic, party poppers and bouncy choruses. We posted letters to ourselves making pledges for the New Year. We had a lovely time.

The mental health theme followed the jollifications – that’s the danger of “jolly” worship.

I once talked to someone about why they liked Anglican worship and they said that it was still bearable even when you were feeling well… miserable! Church should not be a place that you can only go when you are happy.

“come to me you are heavy laden and I will give you rest” said Jesus, not “come to me if you’re really happy so that we can have a good time together.”

Still it was good to be happy together and share our sadness’s after the service.

This afternoon a quick visit to Todmorden to a sick lady who made a warm scene surrounded by her family. On hearing my voice she told me to go away , she didn’t want to see me… she’s not well so I slipped away but was a bit hurt anyway. Our mental health is so precious it’s a wonder we don’t take better care of it.

We have gyms for our bodies, should we have gyms for our mental health…

Perhaps that what churches should be.

Getting Ready

2010-01-02T09:56:00.000-08:00

It's family service tomorrow and I am agonising how to make the thing more celebratory. I find myself stressing like the host for a party... but what host would decide before hand what we were going to talk about?
The celtic types at Iona have a lovely bit of liturgy for communion that has pinged me back into place:

He was always the guest.

In the homes of Peter and Jairus, Martha and Mary,

Joanna and Susanna, he was always the guest.

At the meal tables of the wealthy

where he pled the case of the poor, he was always the guest.

Upsetting polite company, befriending isolated people,

welcoming the stranger, he was always the guest.

But here, at this table, he is the host.

Those who wish to serve him must first be served by him,

those who want to follow him must first be fed by him,

So I guess I am not the host at this particular New Year party, merely a steward...

where did I put the party poppers?

New Year's Day

2010-01-02T09:53:00.000-08:00

It's new year's day and a resolution to start blogging again. It has been a happy sabbatical but I have missed the discipline of thinking things through at the end of a day.

I have also missed the open conversation with the world... Or who ever is reading.

Today has been a clearing up day after yesterdays very successful party. Not sure what makes it successful but the combination of a mixture of ages and a colision of the various universes that our household travel in made for a very jolly time.

The food and alcohol probably helped too.

2010 Parochial Fees Table (Acrobat) for colour printer

2010-01-02T09:51:00.000-08:00

2010 Parochial Fees Table (Acrobat) for colour printer

Safeguarding?

2009-10-22T08:23:00.000-07:00

I have just entered another world!
After a lifetime avoiding governor meetings in Calderdale I am sat in a meeting at the Heath training centre in Halifax waiting for what promises to be a serious talking to about our need to safeguard children. One would have thought it would be no brainer... however as one of the topics points out safeguarding involves locking external doors and fire officers assume they must be unlocked.
The depressing thing is that this is not really about safeguarding children but rather passing inspections.
So will children be safer after today?..I doubt it.

Arena of Dreams

2009-10-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

I am at the manchester arena for joseph birthday treat... to see, in the distance Michael McIntyre a comedian. Iam not sure what the capacity is but it's full and I guess there are more than 10000 people here.
What must it be like says catherine to have so many people want to listen to you.
I wonder if this kind of entertainment rally was even possible before the stadia were built.
It really is a case of build it and they will come... Like building a market square when you don't have a market.

karaoke

2009-10-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

I am at a karaoke night at Catherine's school... We sing Thank you for the music by Abba. People applaud... politely!
What is lovely is the mixture of cultures. Funny how music brings us together. Perhaps whenever there is a need for conflict resolution we should sing together before we talk.

Ninjas

2009-10-13T00:30:00.000-07:00

Finaly I wake up two hours into an early morning comute to Melton Mowbray for the action for market towns conference. Early morning comutes are always interesting confirming that I am an owl not a lark.
It was a 6.20 train at Mytholmroyd and a group of passengers all wearing black with brief cases, and scarves around their faces for the cold... corporate ninjas on the way to some city killing.
Now I am nearing Peterborough and the wraps are off and the morning sun is blazing and I am beginning to wonder how I got here!

Trust

2009-10-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

Great consultation gathering at Hebden Bridge Town Hall today with those key ingredients of creative group work, friendly and open facillitators and lovely buns. We all got very excited at the possibilities.
Tonight that was followed by a rather tetchy Hebden Bridge community association meeting... which was about lots of stuff but really about trust.
Trust is at the heart of so many projects... and lack of trust behind the failure of many others.
Trust can take years to build, and minutes to lose and if I think about it that might keep me awake at night...
So best not think about it.

Fiddling

2009-10-07T02:00:00.000-07:00

My hard drive is full and because it’s full I can’t remove any of the files! I have spent a frustrating few hours trying to put this right with no success.
My capacity to lose hours fiddling about with computers appals me.
It would be nice to think that without computers we would have nothing to fiddle with ... but I can just about remember my dad standing on one leg holding up an arial trying to tune the TV in . No doubt before that it was the cats whisker on the radio.
Primitive peoples sit around the fire fiddling with that.
Did Jesus live a fiddle free life?
There is that story of Jesus drawing in the sand when the woman caught in aduitery’s fate was being decided...
There seem to be lots of times when he is with people but not teaching or healing or doing stuff...
Is our aim as Christians to have a life that is full of activity or is the occassional moment of distraction allowed?
Don't know...
Back to fiddling with my computer.

A bright beginning

2009-10-02T03:45:00.000-07:00

Somewhat buoyant today after a very successful opening of the square and facilities. Tom Reorden the chief executive at Yorkshire Forward came along with over fifty people, mostly friends and supporters from our various partnerships. We had two mayors and sunshine which everybody say the usual thing about me fixing the weather.
There were lots of lovely things said but the one which made me think most was when Tom talked about how Yorkshire Forward worked best when they helped local groups to realise their vision, rather than bring one of their own.
If only others had grasped that vision.

Tired

2009-09-30T02:59:00.000-07:00

Very tired today after a busy day yesterday. PCC had been moved from 6.30 to 7.30 p.m. because it's "easier for people to get to." Unfortunately "people" didn't find it easier in relaity and we had half the number we should have had. A later meeting also meant we had a later ending and so I was veery sllepy at 9.20 p.m. when we ended.
It was a bit of a difficult meeting.

we need a new treasurer because our current one is moving south soon.
we have a bit of a financial crisis
the tower has developed a few menacing cracks
someobody is not happy with something
we are hopeful and happy about our future as we look forward.

Pretty normal then. Frustrating and inspiring all at the same time!

As St Paul writes: "I am Frustrated but not crushed!"

Conkers

2009-09-29T03:07:00.001-07:00

Is it just me or are there a lot of conkers on the ground this year?
Maybe it’s been a bumper year for them, with the weird weather we have been having lately anything is possible. I always thought it a shame that there was nothing else you could do with a conker, like make conker jam, or conker pie. It seemed a shame that so beautiful an object had so limited a use. However I heard recently that during the war school children were paid to collect them because they were used in the manufacture of bullets, something to do with the wadding in the gun cases but I am not sure.
Maybe there are a lot of conkers because the children have stopped playing with them... which would be a shame. They were always such fun, and well, yes a bit dangerous. Not so much the game itself, although you could “take someone’s eye out with it” if you tried really hard, more dangerous were the concoctions we came up with to harden the conker. Boiling in vinegar was a favourite of many but petrol was also mentioned by one friend and of course nail varnish and superglue.
Whatever the reason they are beautiful and always set me in mind of a meditation by Mother Julian of Norwich who when praying one day found a hazelnut and holding it her hand she thought about how God held her life in his hand.
“In this little thing I saw three properties. The first is that God made it. The second that he loves it. And the third, that God keeps it.”
A simple truth but one which is a comfort whatever we may face at this time.
So the next time you pass a conker, pick it up and as you hold in your hand think of your own little life held safely in God’s life. Made by him, loved by him and kept by him. You might like to keep it in your pocket as a reminder.
Or if that doesn’t do it for you, why not play conkers with it? You might end up with a champion!
James Allison 2009

Gildersome

2009-09-26T02:34:00.000-07:00

To Gildersome today for Diocesan Synod, the governing body of Wakefield Diocese. It can be a depressing experience, especially when they follow that organisational problem, consultation by presentaton... Here's a twenty minute powerpoint of what we are going to do... All those in favour raise your hands...
Today it was better, beginning, because we are a church body with communion, which was, as always moving.
The bishop followed with an impressive presidential address and a great quote : "if Dawkins thinks that religion is a dead corpse then why does he keep kicking it!" Another good point was that here had been a shift in the last century so that the redistribution of wealth from the rich to the poor now accepted by everybody.
Back to old ways with a presentation for approval on clergy pension matters... but I feel encouraged.

Progress?

2009-09-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

Three assemblies, lots of love and a creative afternoon in the study prepared me well for chairing a meeting of the Upper Calder Valley Steering Group. An interesting gathering of keen regeneration types from across the valley and those from local government who seek to support them. It was great to hear how things were coming together and many of the projects outlined in our twenty five year plan are beginning to happen.

So no problem then...

Not exactly, we are still a small number

We still receive many complaints of the "but I will lose my parking place kind."

Still progress is being made and we are still talking.

Early Days

2009-09-23T01:45:00.000-07:00

Following the "success" of my bl0g about my travels: aroundtheworldinninetyishdays.blogspot.com I thought it was time to have a new start and so here it is. It's going to be on our entrepeneurial activities but also on my thoughts about being an entrepeneurial christian.
What does that mean?
Not sure but it means that I am really busy and need to go and do an assembly right now. As it is on being practical I better nto be late...