They Might Be Giants at the Royal Festival Hall

More than a bit tired after a fantastic day out in London on Saturday. It was a hot day and London was looking great; good to walk along the river and take in the sights and sounds - so many different accents and languages. We trained in from Reading to Waterloo and then walked further than we realised to the Tower of London. A lot of bling.

The reason for the big day out was the rare appearance of They Might Be Giants (TMBG) on UK soil. They played the Royal Festival Hall as part of a Science Festival, one of their kid's shows in the afternoon and then a show for grown ups in the evening. We were in the audience, along with Mark Ronson, Jonathan Ross and a whole bunch of nerdy middle aged people.

It was a brilliant gig. They are known as quirky and clever but you'd be daft to overlook the hook laden songs and the musical virtuosity of them. 14 albums (I think) and still going strong(ish). The trip to London being such a rarity TMBG were greeted with such obvious affection that they would have struggled not to have had a good time. They didn't disappoint. Some storming rock, much whimsy and sock puppets added to a heady mix. Highlights for me were "Why does the sun shine?" in pirate style followed by "Why does the sun really shine?", a later song written in the face of new scientific eveidence. "Doctor Worm" and "Don't Let's Start" are great songs and a rip-roaring version of "Your Racist Friend" was possibly the pinnacle. A good time had by all (with the possible exception of my son) and so many encores that we missed our train and then the next one. And not caring, even though we didn't end up rolling back into town until just after three this morning. A long and expensive day out and one that I think will live long in the memory.

Postscript - Found someone's ticket in the bar before the gig and handed it in at the door that it was valid for. A minute or so later I have a grateful German fan wishing to buy me a beer. He had flown to London especially for the gig as he feared that this might be the last time he would get the chance to see them. He was flying out again the following day. And I thought I was putting in a bit of an effort! I declined his kind offer, though after the football today I wish I had taken him up on it.

Invite people!

It has been interesting that in the screening of the football World Cup games that we have been on local TV and radio, newspaper and website and though we had around 50 people in for the second game, only one of those was a stranger - and he was there because he was invited by a friend. This is a lesson for when we take part in Back To Church Sunday in September. All the posters and publicity in the world will be no substitution for a personal invite.

Church does something normal and interesting shock!

Read all about it!

Following my previous blog entry I thought I would report that the local paper didn't run anything on the Cumbria shootings in the end, seems like the story faded quite quickly.

As an after thought I wrote them a quick press release about the fact that we are screening the World Cup football on the big screen in the church building and asked if they could give it a plug in a corner of the paper somewhere.

Well, it must be a quiet news week because they sent a photographer and I am your page three stunner this week. (Knocked off the front page by the theft of lead from another church building in the town). The town's website (which has three times the circulation of the paper - interesting sign of the times) also sent a photographer, local radio have picked up on it and I just stumbled across our local TV news reporter in the car park and did a brief piece for Points West, the local TV news, tonight. I'd have shaved if I knew he was coming.

All makes for an interesting day at the office but it feels odd as well. Because what we are doing just seems so normal to me. We are screening a football match and inviting people to join us. Just basic low level outreach and hospitality. Quite sobering to think that this is deemed newsworthy. I'm not sure if this is an indicator that the church is so out of touch with the rest of the world or vice versa. Could well be the case that the world is so out of touch that they are surprised when a church does something very slightly out of the box.

Derrick Bird

It's Monday morning. I have a call from the local newspaper asking for a comment on the awful events in Cumbria last week. Where do you start? I am sure I could do better than this but this is what I came up with. Wonder if they will use any of this...

The terrible events of the Cumbrian shootings, as well as the terrific response of people in the aftermath is a reminder to us that we are all capable of both great good and great evil. For most of us our actions are nowhere near as extreme but we have all given vent to our anger at some time and we have all been responsible for acts of courage and compassion.

More will probably come out about Derrick Bird’s actions and motives in due course but these tragedies underline what a dangerous thing anger is in our lives. We are said to live in an increasingly angry society but here we see how awful the fallout is if we store up bitterness.

Seeing the awful consequences of these shootings underlines for me why the Bible’s advice to deal with anger before you sleep each night is so sound. Hoarding up grudges does us no good and in more extreme circumstances is literally, sadly, deadly.

The alternative is to deal with anger and bitterness. Forgiving other people is rarely easy. I cannot imagine how long it will be before relatives of victims of these shootings can have some kind of peace in their lives. But the alternative to forgiveness is to be eaten up with bitterness for the rest of your life.

As well as praying for the families and friends of everyone involved we would be wise to drop the grudges we carry around. Our anger will cause less pain than Derrick Bird’s did but we’ll end up hurting others and ourselves if we don’t get rid of it.

Grace, it never gets old.

I have been annoying my (very) significant other recently by reading a book over the last few weeks and raving about how good it is. It is Extreme Righteousness by a man called Tom Hovestol and it is brilliant, one of the best books I have read in a long time. It is about the Pharisees and the lessons that we can learn from them. Here’s an illustration from near the end that underlines how pathetic our efforts at building up spiritual brownie points are compared with what Christ has already done for us:

“Imagine that you were a shrewd businessperson who had built a nest egg of $50,000. Bill Gates, the multibillionaire founder of Microsoft, befriends you and later decides to bequeath much of his considerable wealth to you. What would you do? Probably you would view all the money you had worked so hard to accumulate as unworthy of your attention. You might even eliminate it from your accounting, for it is as rubbish next to your newly acquired billions. In the asset column you would have great difficulty writing an amount because the figure is too large. Instead you may simply write “Inheritance from William Gates.” Furthermore, any future assets that you would accumulate from your job would seem inconsequential in comparison.

So it was for the apostle Paul:

If others think they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. Philippians 3:4b-7

So it should be with us.” (Hovestol, pages 219-220)

Pere Ubu

Bit of a cult band that I know nothing about. But I had Cloudland on cassette pre-university and liked it enough to download in due course. Die hard fans aren't sure about the album apparently, on the grounds they went commercial but I have nothing to compare it to. Cloudland is patchy but I love parts of it.

I found them via the Chart Show or some such vehicle when Waiting for Mary appeared. Some digging on the internet shows it is their only US hit and it didn't chart in the UK.

Love, Love, Love on the other hand was a hit in the UK. Reached 88. Their only hit here.

They have a great song called Ice Cream Truck as well about how too many people make music that no-one wants to hear. Hmm..

Guess it's a minority interest... See what you are missing in the top right hand corner of the screen under Our Friends Eclectic.

The future, not terribly orange. And yet...

The latest church predictions are in and, guess what, it isn't looking good.

A full report can be found on my 'bishop's' blog and can be accessed here:

http://nigcoles.blogspot.com/2010/05/10-years-time-2020-vision.html

In precis, the church is getting older and therefore getting smaller over time. No surprises there really, my generation onwards is largely missing. (I have often thought that two of my great loves, the church and cricket, are both aging and in danger of dying out. Perhaps we need to investigate some form of Twenty20 church?)

And yet...

Can't help thinking that there are rays of hope, thanks to the grace of God.

• In a national picture where 59% of churches have no kids between 15-19 we do (just) and a few 14 year olds who are keen enough to come to extra meetings. We also had 73 secondary school kids from 12-17 in youth club the other week. Most of them completely unchurched and yet not put off coming by the fact we insist on (lovingly) telling them about Jesus each week.


• Some pupils have set up a Christian Union in the local secondary school and they held the first meeting yesterday lunchtime. It was encouraging to see the ten of them having the courage to come and find out more, including four who don't go to a church.


• On Sunday we had a man make a commitment of faith in the service and two weeks before that a young teen prayed with a couple to do the same.


• We had four adult baptisms this month and more are lined up.

None of this is because any of us are much cop or because we are doing anything different. It's a God thing.

I guess whether the tide is in or out for the church at the moment, or in ten years time, it's clear what we have to do. Carry on regardless. Trust God. And see what happens.

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!