Young at Heart and David Byrne

If you have seen the wonderful Young@Heart film then you will know that it's a wonderful documentary of an American choir of OAPs who sing unlikely music choices - Smells Like Teen Spirit, Burning Down The House, American Idiot - that kind of thing. It's a very warm and moving film, with the battles some have with their ailments and the tears that they bring to hardened criminals when they sing in a prison. I'd recommend it. The latest Our Friends Eclectic features some amateur film of them performing Heaven in a bar, only to be joined by Talking Heads dude David Byrne halfway through. Heart warming stuff.

Creating a bit of a splash

We had a great day on Sunday with something that hasn't happened in our church for many a year. Despite being a Baptist church we were in danger of being prosecuted by the Trades Descriptions people as baptisms were becoming such a rarity. However on a glorious morning we baptised four people yesterday. One was the mother of a friend from Canterbury who had been a Christian for 32 years and had only just got to the point of being baptised. And I thought my reactions were bad. Another became a Christian a couple of years ago in a different church, a woman in her early twenties. The other two were a married couple who first came to the church exactly a year ago for our over 60s holiday club. They stayed on and did the Christianity Explored course and made commitments to follow Jesus and now they have been baptised too.

It's a real joy and privilege to be a part of this. One of the veterans here reckons we have had, perhaps, five other baptisms in the past ten years and so this has been a massive boost to us as a church family. With some of the nonsense that sometimes takes the attention in church life this is a terrific encouragement to us as we start our second over 60s holiday club this week and a reminder of what is truly important. A good day!

Following the calm, the storm

Great weekend away last week (a rare and precious treat as a Church minister) especially when followed by a Bank Holiday! What they say about ministers and only working one day a week might be true. Ha!

Then down to earth with a bump. One of our best people sends an email to resign from leadership and membership. It is not unexpected, we had been talking about it. It is, in fact, one of the rare ones. His reasons for leaving are solid - they need to be in a church that the family want to go to and that's not here as far as the kids are concerned. I think he's right to be concerned for their spiritual lives in this way. The leaving is entirely amicable - and that's a rare enough thing!

It was expected. It is for good reasons. We will part as friends. But still, it hurts. I was thinking about why this is so. People have left firms that I have worked for, or sports teams that I was a part of, and you are sad to hear the news but you move on. One of the side effects of trying to build a church that takes biblical family and community seriously (and we aren't nearly as far on in that as we could be) is that you care a lot more when this sort of things happen. It's hard to say goodbye to family.

They leave behind a huge hole in all that they do but it's really about who they are. We can fill (just about) the jobs they did but we can't replace them.

On a personal note he was one of the two that came and recruited me. I've managed to see them both off now. One left because he didn't like the changes, one left because we haven't changed enough. It's little consolation to consider that this could be a sign that I'm steering a reasonable course.

I'm typing this on Thursday and not publishing till Sunday when we will have announced the news. I am not as miserable as I sound and certainly happier than I was on Monday - I promise. But if, on top of all this, Exeter City got relegated on Saturday I may require counselling.

We are staying up, we are staying up!

What a game. We give away a soft goal in the second minute and then play superb football to win 2-1 with a winning goal eight minutes from time. Even when it feels like time is running out I still feel this is a terrific game of football. So, over 46 games it was decided in the last ten minutes. In front of a capacity crowd (the best atmosphere I've ever experienced at St James Park) we beat play-off qualifying Huddersfield to stay in League One.

I am kept in touch with the other games thanks to the sterling efforts of my Tranmere supporting mate, Geoff. His texts turn out to be more reliable than the half time scores given at Exeter at half-time. I ring him at full-time in the bedlam and cannot hear a word he says.

As Steve Perryman says to me at the end of a game, "This is as good as a promotion". (I find myself stood next to him as we applaude at the final whistle. In case you don't get the heavy name drop he played 866 games for Tottenham, one for England and is an MBE. He is Director of Football at Exeter and sits in the Family Stand leading the singing. It's one crazy club.) I take up his offer of a handshake and garble something incomprehensible before thanking him.

I embrace the club on-pitch announcer (in fairness I know him from a church in Exeter) and I think everyone feels like this is a promotion.

It's been a funny old week and to be honest it feels good to blow off some steam at a football match. Now for the peace and quiet of the cricket season. Until June 11th that is, and the start of the World Cup Finals.

Photo: Steve Perryman MBE and Paul Tisdale - what a team!

Ironically...

... I am preaching about why work can be hard and even futile at times, from Genesis 3 on Sunday evening. I spend an hour and a half researching good quotes, images and a sound track (Work by Hockey) for a groovy PPT and only then remember that we will have no projector at this particular service.

Man, it was mean!

Too many years ago Steve Harley played at Greenbelt and it was magnificent. Most of the people I was with didn't like it but they were all wrong. This is my favourite track of his. You won't like it but hey.

I see he is touring before playing Glastonbury but fear the chance of my persuading my significant other to attend such an evening are extremely remote. Click on the top right hand side if you like. It's a clip with just 4318 views so far - let's make it 4320!

First date

Twenty years ago today the chain fell off my bicycle and I nearly didn't make it there at all. I managed to get the bus and turn up very late. It was the height of romance, we went to see the movie Batman in a lecture theatre. (The film was in the lecture theatre, not Batman - before Andy comments).
Twenty years on we are in Stratford-upon-Avon sans kids to celebrate. I can't believe it's twenty years.
Holy matrimony, Robin!

Hot Chip - One Life Stand

I have a bit of a liking for this kind of thing, possibly because it sounds a bit like disco era Sparks. the new Hot Chip album is possibly the best yet and the chorus to the title track is lodged in my brain and stuck on repeat. I am too old for this by about 25 years but, hey, it's not like anyone knows. Click the link in the top right hand corner to be appalled at my taste.

Memo to self - switch off the mic

Poor old Gordon Brown - caught out by forgetting that he was wearing a microphone as he drove off from an engagement. He was heard to be complaining that the woman he was speaking to was a bigot. You can hear it here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8649853.stm

Some observations:

• I must be careful to be sure that I turn off the microphone after church - there is an (apocryphal?) story of a preacher who didn't do this before he used the toilet.
• What Gordon said was very restrained and pretty mild - I have done much worse.
• Jesus warns us that what you have whispered in someones ear in the inner room will one day be shouted from the rooftops. (Luke 12:3) A very sobering thought. He is warning his followers not to be like the Pharisees - the top religious people of the day. They looked great in public but were pretty lousy when they were not on show.
• The last thing I can do is point the finger here because I have been guilty of far worse - I need to watch my mouth whether there is a microphone within a ten mile radius or not.
• I am especially grateful for forgiveness as I think about this.

Great Hospital Visits Of Our Time

Popped around the corner to visit a lady from the church who is in hospital today. She seems quite bright when I see her, announces that I am her second visitor that day; her pastor was in this morning. We then talk for maybe 90 seconds before she falls asleep. I go home.

Mind the Gap!

It's that really nervy time of the year for those who follow a football team. Exeter have had their first season in League 1 for some time and are hanging on for dear life. Three games to go and a good time to stop and take stock. Mike Blackstone has a great piece on his blog http://darkrockdiaries.blogspot.com/2010/04/rotherham-seems-long-while-ago.html which reminds us how far the club has come ion the last few years.

In summary - administration, a corrupt board who went to prison over it, Michael Jackson and Uri Keller, conference football, Man Utd in the cup, relay on TV, financial stability, the only fan Trust owned club in the league, employment of a (genius) manager whose previous management of a team was that of a University football team, promotion back into the League two years ago followed by another promotion into League 1. There is a great book on the recent history if you are interested. Which I doubt.

Which takes us to this year. Playing Norwich, Leeds, Charlton, Southampton - all far bigger sides than us with much deeper pockets. The bulk of our side are the same players who were playing in the conference two years ago. Our playmaker was signed from Weston Super Mare for crying out loud. They have done brilliantly to get this far. It's a measure of success on and off the pitch that we paid money for a player for the first time in (I think) eight years. Troy Archibald Henville (think of the merchandising at £1-50 a letter!) then was immediately sidelined for the rest of the season with an injury sustained warming up.

Six weeks ago we looked doomed and then a nine game unbeaten run saw us looking good. Then last week we lost and EVERYONE around us won. We are now two points and one place off the drop zone. Home to Charlton, away to Hartlepool, home to Huddersfield; four and a half hours that will decide the season.

I'm excited. I'm scared. I love this game. I hate this game.

New Word Alive

The age of miracles is not over. Last week we spent in Wales and didn't see a drop of rain. Consequently we had a lovely week of holiday in beautiful surroundings. But the main reason for being there wasn't the weather but the event itself - New Word Alive.

This is such a terrific event. 4000 plus people descend upon a Haven camp in Pwllheli for a Christian conference. That might sound weird to you but it is a fantastic time. The teaching from the Bible is good solid and sensible (you can download talks for a measley quid from the NWA Media website) and the music (lead this year by Stuart Townend) was excellent. The kids loved it too because they got to be with a large group of like-minded people and realise that they aren't the only ones in a small church.

We love bumping into old friends and catching up as well and with the great weather even managed to sit outside and eat a few times. This year my cousin and her family came for the first time and it was ace to spend time with family and pray and praise together. I also went a week with no internet and, you know, it was okay!

We have attended this conference nearly every year since it started and it never gets old, we still love it and we already plan to be there 10-15 April 2011.

Far away in time

The latest Our Friends Eclectic is one of my favourite songs, despite the fact (or perhaps because) I have never owned a copy until downloading it a few weeks ago. What with this and the Robertson Davies novels I seem to be on a Canadian vibe at the moment but I think I like this so much after spending too long in an accountancy office and dreaming of freedom. It's Martha and the Muffins everyone!

Punks not dead, it's pretty poorly though

Like thousands of middle aged men I dug out some old punk and new wave tunes to listen to after the news of Malcolm McLaren's passing. These were inflicted on the rest of the family. Upon hearing Iggy Pop's seminal Passengers a family member old enough to know better told the kids, "You know the old wrinkly man on the car insurance adverts - this is him."

By the way, anyone ever see him with a shirt on?

Malcolm McLaren

Heard tonight the news that Malcolm McLaren has died aged 64. He was a well known as manager of the Sex Pistols and a few other things, mainly trying to stir things up and get some good publicity as a result. Wasn't the greatest fan (can you tell?) but I did have the cassette single of Waltz Darling which I played quite a lot in the car if I remember rightly. Think it should have done better than it did and still sounds fairly fresh today, though none of my passengers of the time thought anything of it. Judge for yourself by clicking the link in the top right hand corner.

On the shelf

Back along when I was only 40 a kindly soul gave me a book to mark the event. It was by a famous Canadian writer and it wasn't Douglas Coupland and so I thanked them and put it on the shelf. Where it remained for five and a half years (and indeed moved with us across the country).

Well, I've just finished Robertson Davies' The Cunning Man, his last novel before his death, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Enough indeed to go and buy another. Makes me wonder how many other gems lie undisturbed on the bookshelves here.

So thanks Sheila and Reinhard, I got there eventually.

He has risen!

“People have not gathered for the past 2,000 years to say, "The stock market has risen. It has risen indeed." They have not gathered to say, "The [pound] has risen. It has risen indeed." Or, "the employment rate has risen." Or, "the gross domestic product has risen." Or "the value of your [pension] has risen."

Here's the one hope that has held up human beings across every continent and culture for two millennia of difficult times of poverty, disease, pain, hardship, [and] death itself: "Christ is risen. He is risen indeed." (John Ortberg)

Joe Jackson

Treated myself to two double CDs of Joe Jackson this week; after all it is Easter. One is a "Best of" giving a pretty good idea of what the man is about and the other is made up of live tracks from BBC sessions, mainly from the early 80s. Needless to say, both are excellent, always was my favourite Jackson. Ridiculously, both are less than a fiver on Amazon.

To celebrate, the latest Our Friends Eclectic (top right hand side of this blog) contains something a bit different from him. He is in concert in Switzerland in this one, two tears ago, covering one of my favourite Bowie tracks.

When the cat's away the mouse gets sick

I am getting a bit sick of getting sick but the latest cold virus thing has got me again. This is the fourth (and truth be told, least) illness since I started to blog. Can't see that there is a link but for someone who enjoys good health normally it is all rather tiresome. Been some tough work things going on and me thinks my body doth protest.

I'll spare you the details but had to leave suddenly during the church AGM last night which goes, once again, to underline the wisdom of the man who said not to worry about tomorrow as it will have enough worries of it's own. All that time spent in preparation...

Time for a break, I'm looking forward to Easter. For so many reasons.

PS - oblique title refers to the fact that my wife gone and left me, sur le continent for a few days.

Something to celebrate

Been a couple of tough weeks in church life but some disgruntled people seem to be more gruntled (?) after a some long and painful conversations. Obviously can't go into any details but the receipt of an email this lunchtime was the first cause for celebration.

Second cause of celebration is that today I got an email saying that They Might Be Giants are playing in London in June and so I was straight on it and have booked the family in. I now want England to be runners up in their World Cup group so that the football doesn't clash but even so, TMBG don't make a habit of coming over and this is something I'm really looking forward to.

Simple pleasures for a simple chap.