Pesky Baptists!

"At many of the pivotal points in my life I've found that the best way to make a decision is to find out what a Baptist would do, then do the opposite."                                Alan Partridge.



(It's from "I, Partridge: We need to talk about Alan", page 288. A Christmas present from my favourite parishioner - already finished.)

Favourite Image of 2011

Brixham Lighthouse

The last temptation

Somerset Sunrise

They will rise on wings like eagles

Apologies for the rather self-indulgent nature of this post (like that's new!). The first print competition of 2012 is simply entitled "My Favourite Image of 2011", the idea being you pick what you liked best of what you took.  I think it is one of these - any feedback on which I should enter?

Merry Christmas

Had a great Christmas Eve service with the puppets and lots of families visited us.  Dropped by some houses with lots of decorations on the way home (in case you think this is our house). 

Just wanted to wish the regulars who drop by here a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year; have a great one!

Crook Peak

Yesterday was a dry day and my day off this week so we went to breath some fresh air and get away from phones and screens and computers for an hour or so.  Inspired after reading Bear Grylls' account of climbing Everest, we set out.  Crook Peak is the hill near Weston Super Mare that you see on the left as you pass by on the M5.  Good to get out. 

Only 191 feet tall (and we parked part way up as it was) but the walk was rather spoiled by the thought in the back of my mind that each section of the Cotswold way would be five or six times further.  

The light was pretty hopeless and this was the best I could do. 

Richard Dawkins' tribute to Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens lost his battle with cancer today at the age of 62.  It's sad for anyone of his age in the Western world to die so young and you feel for his friends and family.  I have to confess to not having read him really, unless you count 15 minutes in Waterstones while waiting for the rest of the family to finish looking for books.  I was looking through God Is Not Great and thought it was a bit flimsy to be honest.  But then you would probably expect me to say that.

I heard of his death on the radio this morning when Richard Dawkins was interviewed about him by Nicky Campbell on Radio Five Live.  I checked out the interview again on the BBC website when I was more awake to verify that I wasn't misquoting at all. 

Dawkins described Hitchens as...
   

“A wonderful orator, a great thinker, a great intellect, a great atheist”.

He went on to say... 

“He hated tyranny of all kinds.  He was against Stalin, he was against Mao, he was against Kim Il Sung and he was against God.  He hated tyrants of all kinds, whether real or imaginary”. 

“God, he saw, as a supernatural tyrant, a supernatural dictator”.

I can understand that some people do believe and some don't.  What I struggle with is that a few (certainly not all) of the new atheists are so set against religious faith that they attack it so forcefully.  To bracket God with Stalin and Mao and Kim Il Sung is very odd to me.  People like Dawkins ppear to be very angry about faith and yet their atheism doesn't seem to bring them any happiness.  Sometimes they come across as the superior boy on school who sneers and looks down at the others and then wonder why they have so few friends.

This is not a fresh or new or clever opinion.  I find myself echoing the thoughts of Marcus Brigstocke (who I very much like) who says the same in his book God Collar.  He may tend to agree with much of Dawkins says but he ackowledges that Dawkins doesn't do atheism many favours in the way he comes across as a know it all.  I think I'd like a debate over a pint of lemonade with Marcus (who is teetotal) where as I don't really fancy the thought of seeing Dawkins for a drink. 

Merry Christmas everyone.

Cardinal Sin

Banksy's latest is this sculpture for the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.  It's called 'Cardinal Sin', and he offers this Christmas greeting, “At this time of year it’s easy to forget the true meaning of Christianity – the lies, the corruption, the abuse.”   


Merry Christmas everyone!


Footnote - Cardinal Sin was the real name of the head of the Catholic Church in the Philippines at the time of the overthrow of Marcos after crowds of people refused to accept the corrupt elections.  Some of those leading the line were nuns who sat in the path of tanks.  Grrrrrr - those pesky Christians, nothing but trouble!   

Snack Man...

... or should it be 'Pac Lunch'?  I wasn't sure, to be honest, but the thing is that only a month after my first placing in a monthly competition I managed to go one better and was the joint winner of the Food themed competition at the club last night. 

The only way is down....

An Interesting Pastoral Situation

In common with a lot of organisations these days, the church is facing a hole in the budget that will take quite a lot of filling.  It was already looking grim and then on having our electrics examined we find that we are not earthed and suddenly the question of what to do about the lighting in the main hall becomes a more pressing and more costly concern.  We have little in the way of reserves to fall back on and no central body to bail us out. 

So last night we voted through a budget with a deficit that is larger than our reserves with the huge provisos that we all need to reconsider our giving and that we need to monitor the situation monthly and take even more drastic action if necessary.  One of the savings we are making is that I will be paid as part-time from January 1st.  As a family this is fine, we are able to do that.  It is for an initial three months period, though I suspect it will be for longer.  We'll see.

The interesting pastoral situation?  I suspect that I need to help people to come to terms with the decision.  I think there is a tendency for some to feel that the church is failing because they can no longer afford a full-time or "proper" minister but actually, perhaps what we need to do is find a new way of doing church. 

We face an uncertain future as a church and I suspect that a number of churches will face this in time as well.  Suddenly we are forced to consider things from a completely different viewpoint, what the buildings are used for, what we are about as a church, and who does what.  It's a little bit scary.  And it's quite exciting to.  Who knows what God will bring out of this?

Wonder what 2012 will hold for us.

MiracleMaker - Delirious?

And here is another. Less successful due to some poor sound mixing but as I don't know what I'm doing with these it's not too surprising.

This is the Delirious song Miracle Maker and clips from the film of the same name.

MiracleMaker - In Christ Alone

Had a minor crisis yesterday (one of a series) when all the videos disappeared from the database of the computer we use for projection in the church building. So I've been hunting round for stray copies of things and lo and behold found this. Hardly remember doing this four years ago and then showed it once in a service. Since then it's laid forgotten and neglected on a hard drive.

So, time to let it fly (or flop) on the interweb. It's a series of scenes from the film Miracle Maker together with Stuart Townend singing In Christ Alone. Very much an Easter piece rather Christmas but I was surprised at the job I did on this. Not at all shabby.

The Cotswold Way

I've been thinking about it for a while and it's time to put it into print.  That way I can't chicken out.  Next spring I get a sabbatical for three months from my day to day responsibilities and as well as visiting other churches and researching new ideas for ministry here, I get to do some things that will replenish me. 

Hence I have decided to spend some of the time walking the Cotswold Way.  This doesn't involve mincing around or wandering around with a vacant stare whilst sucking on grass stems.  It's the 102 mile route which runs from Chipping Camden down to Bath.  I've wanted to do it since I was a kid and so here's my chance.  Nothing heroic (unlike my friend Natalie who walked the 630 mile South West Coastal Path with barely a day off) but I plan to take it in two day sections, taking eight days to cover the whole thing.  Having said that, I will be taking my camera and knowing me that will slow me down considerably, so it might take longer. 

Today I was in Taunton with my favourite parishioner and while searching the shelves at Waterstones for a walking guide to the Cotswold Way I found Part One of a two volume work on the walk from Canterbury to Rome.  Felt like my stroll was very small beer in comparison but then it's probably frowned upon for Baptist ministers to go to make the journey to Rome on a sabbatical. 

Looking forward to it immensely though and just wanted to tell people in case I felt like backing out nearer the time. 

How many Baptists does it take to change a lightbulb?

Called out to do a favour for a parishioner, last night.  Light bulbs blown and she was unable to get up to the light fitting to replace them; all the sort of thing that you get taught at Bible College.  Still, so easy that even a Baptist Pastor could fix it.

As I left she thanked me and joked, "Let there be light".  Then she stopped and looked genuinely puzzled.  "Now who was it who said that?", she asked. 

I'm having a great impact here....

A great weekend

After clocking off from youth club on Friday night I had a really great weekend this week.

Saturday: Breakfast with the family, met a friend to pray, met up with family and friends to watch my team win 3-0, food at Nandos and wine and talk with an old friend. 

Sunday: Enjoyed church with no responsibilities in the knowledge that I was in the safe hands of  good leaders and preachers, huge lunch, watched the big game and then missed the evening service to take the teenagers group bowling.  And won.  Drop or two more wine and more great conversation.  Fall asleep grateful for the weekend, a day of rest that actually felt like one and, I admit it, just a tiny bit envious of others who have weekends off on a regular basis and perhaps take the blessing for granted.    

Beatbox Nativity

What's not to love?  The Nativity as you've never heard it before, explained by a real-life vicar.  Already think about how I can use this in a service.  This was pointed out to me at 607 views on YouTube - think there will be a lot more before Christmas is over!

Dice

Hey, after a year of trying, for the first time I was actually placed in the top five in the monthly competition.  Tonight's competition had the theme Numbers and it was a stretch to know what to actually try to photograph. This was the best I could come up with and I got placed second.

Next month the theme is Food.

Mystery Worshippers

Some time ago we employed a researcher to come to church and give us some honest feedback, we did this through the Church Check scheme run by Christian Research.  I was contacted recently by The Baptist Times for comments on the scheme, so the article appears in this week's edition.

http://www.baptisttimes.co.uk/news4.htm

As does the news that the paper will cease publication at the end of next month. 

Not my fault - honest! 

Let's Get Married

Going through Ephesians in church and the chance to preach on Ephesians 5.21-33 this week - it's dangerous stuff folks!  Wonderfully, Tim Keller publishes his book on this very passage (The Meaning of Marriage) next week.  Or so it says on the websites.  I pre-ordered mine and got sent it last week.  As a result I have had the chance to read most of it before Sunday.  A true pleasure.

Enjoyed putting this together as well.  It's a sequence of pictures and great marriage quotes that I have done for service.  All with the uplifting sounds of The Proclaimers too, can't be bad.  Take a look and see what you think. 

It is on YouTube here...   http://youtu.be/9wfjU6sIOR8

Rugby - a first

Did something yesterday that I had never done before and watched a live game of rugby.  Only ventured round the corner for Burnham-on-Sea's game against Matson but had a great time.  17-0 to the home side and got a few pictures into the bargain.

  




 

Another small planet

This is a shot of Cheltenham Cricket Festival taken this summer.  Probably works better than most of my attempts at a small planet.

I want to be a clone...

...or at least learn how to use the clone tool in Photoshop better.  A friend at camera club blew us all away with a Little Planet view of the sea front and so I have been trying to work out how.  It isn't actually all that hard.  What is hard is to do it well.  I'd never used the cloning tool before and clearly need a great deal of practice.  Meanwhile, here are two of my first efforts. 

This is taken from a bird hide on the Somerset levels just this afternoon...

This is the cricket ground at Taunton, taken earlier this summer...

Not great, but the germ of an idea?