New media training day

Our department at work are having a day learning about using facebook, twitter, blogs etc. I haven't tried twitter yet - I can't quite see how it could be useful in my work.

One question was about the way that some people can't access the new media as they can't afford or get broadband. My colleague said that this meant that there were 'pools of privilege' which had the effect of disenfranchising those who aren't broadband enabled. So this means that rather than being a way of flattening society and getting rid of hierarchies, the 'flat society' is limited to those who have rapid online access.

My sister is a farmer in deeply rural Herefordshire.  She can't get broadband, and if she could, wouldn't necessarily be able to afford it.  So her ability to communicate by anything but her mobile phone is stricly limited. When will things change?!!!

Designing our 3rd garden

After being at our new house for a year, we have had our garden (very steep, falls towards a stream) landscaped. Unfortunately, we didn't employ landscape gardeners, but a local builder instead. That has meant that we have had to do the gardening bit by ourselves, and to do that we are digging out 14 terraces which the builders filled with rubble and lumps of granite hardcore when they constructed the terrace walls of recycled railway sleepers. All good fun, if backbreaking!

It does get me in touch with nature - there is a friendly robin and a blackbird, both of whom wait till we finish work and dive down on the worms which we are bringing to the surface.

Doing this rather penitential task in Lent reminded me of the way in which the Holy Spirit works (if we are open to God working in us this way).  I find myself praying as I dig, "Lord, what are the hard lumps in my life that you want to 'dig' out?" How can I become good gound for you to cultivate? I am reminded of Hosea 10.12 - a hard verse, especially in context, and the parable of the sower.

Poetry and prayer

Today I started a new blog, mainly to ensure that the work I have been doing on my father's translation of Evagrius of Pontus's book How to pray can be kept together rather than each chapter being separated by random jottings in this blog. The book has 153 chapters, all succinct to the point of terseness. But  Evagrius chose to write 153 chapters as a reference to the 153 fish caught by the apostles in John 21. Evagrius wrote that he has 'published them in a basket of love', so I have subtitled the blog 'The basket of love.'

An overarching vision for the Church?

Some one recently asked me what my vision for the Church in the next 15-20 years was. It is interesting thinking about such things which are normally the purview of bishops, but perhaps should be in focus for us all, even if we might be dead and gone to glory before the vision is achieved! I waffled a bit, knowing what I wanted to say, but having too severe a headache to be coherent at that point. After rest and migraine tablets, my answer is:

Centred on Christ, in 15-20 years, the Church will be

Growing in depth of love for God and other people, in discipleship, and in numbers,

Giving financially, and in using our God-given gifts to serve the purpose of God (‘if everyone does a little, no-one has to do a lot!’)

Gathered, and going out in the power of the Spirit: gathered in worship and koinonia, and going out in love and service to communities: local, national and global.

Some people might feel that this leaves out a great deal, but for me, as a minister, as Paul Avis says in his recent book Ministry shaped by mission, all ministry is engaged with the missio dei, even leading worship, preaching the Word of God, and pastoral care. So my vision for the church has mission written right at its heart, and just like a stick of rock, every 'bite' needs to reveal the message!

In future blogs, I hope to look at some strategic steps to achieve such an ambitious goal, while recognising that these will differ from place to place and context to context.

Roman archeology and theology

Our younger daughter Claire is a primary school teacher. Julian and I, together with Claire and Simon, our son-in-law, had a week this month staying in Frascati to visit nearby Rome to help inform Claire's teaching about the Romans in history and RE . The highlight of the visit, for me, wasn't the Catacombs (though I thought it would be), or the Coliseum and other Roman ruins and remains (sites where many people died make me feel physically sick, so I didn't hang about for long there!), but the Vatican. We had a wonderful guide called Vincenzo, who shepherded his large group of touristi with grace and godliness, making our visit a gospel experience. Speaking to us through his throat mike and our headphones, he patiently and gently led us through the courtyard of the pines, the Vatican museum, the Sistine chapel, and into St Peter's. Here, almost at the end of our tour, he showed us a large sculptured tomb above a door, made of three different kinds of marble, in contrasting colours. Under the deep, carved folds, we could just make out the carving of a skeleton. He told us that this represented death, and that the doorway signified that death is not the end, but simply the doorway to the future, and life in eternity, life in all its fullness, if you had faith in Christ. I'm pretty sure that there were quite a number of people in our large party who were not Catholics, and who weren't Christians at all, and I realised that this could be a moment of conviction for some of them, so I was praying pretty hard. I hope the visit was even more special for them than it was for me.

Go Vincenzo!

Welcome to our new vicar

Yesterday, our new vicar, the Revd. Barry Jackson was installed, licensed etc etc. The rather formal language of the legal part of the service was tempered by the music group singing a tender song invoking the Holy Spirit - one I hadn't heard before, unusually.

The church was so full that people were standing at the back, and the singing was brilliant - hearty and joyful. Rafters were definitely raised - I could see tiny white bits of plaster drifting down - or was it dust from angel wings?!!!

The Bishop of Coventry was his usual eloquent self, and the whole event was followed by a marvellous celebratory reception in the village hall. Who says rural Christianity is in decline? Not here, it ain't!

Welcome Barry and all your family!

Earth Day

I 've just found out that it is Earth Day today! According to Wikipedia, 'Earth Day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the earth's environment', and it started in 1970. Google has lots of ideas for going green.

As I live with a daughter who is of this turn of mind and heart, I guess we already do much that they suggest, recycling, energy saving light bulbs, etc. There's always more my family and I can do, though, and our new garden is not yet productive, sadly, although Katie has a tomato plant growing in a pot on the kitchen window sill.

But as 'To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth' is the Anglican' Communion's 5th mark of mission, perhaps churches could think about ways we might celebrate this day in future, maybe with a fun and feast day, or by churchyard guerrilla gardening, or, as our diocesan Environment Adviser suggests, we could all get up close and personal with the (at least at present in the South of England) rather dried up grass and soil we normally step on and forget. Me? - I'm just going outside from our office to hug a tree! (Yes, really!)