GB 08

Just back from Greenbelt.
It was a different kind of festival for us this year. This was mostly because Lily is now 19 months old which meant that this year was the 'in-between' year: last year she was still a baby and not mobile and so we could just take her around in the pram and that sort of thing. And next year we will probably register her in the fantastic kids festival.
But this year she is walking and needs more stimulation so much of our time on site (we were staying with friends off site which was great but also made us a little more disconnected) was spent entertaining her - which was fine and often lots of fun but it did mean we didn't do as much programmed stuff as previous years. And I ended up doing bits of different things (half a talk etc.) so it was all quite fragmented.
So because of that there's not a whole host of highlights to mention (at least as far as the programme goes) but here's some stuff I did enjoy:

- Julie Lee in the Performance Cafe on Sunday : exquisite songwriting and singing in a rootsy, folksy, bluegrass americana style with excellent contributions from her co-musicians
- One Giant Leap 'What About Me' : again could only stay for the first bit of this but seeing excerpts from the film and listening to one of the film-makers made me want to immediately go out and buy the DVD. Amazing.
- Seth Lakeman on Saturday night : I think he's invented a new genre - stadium folk

Didn't go to much prayer/worship stuff this year and to be honest the one or two bits I did go to didn't do much for me (but that probably says more about where I was at).

As usual one of the most brilliant things about Greenbelt was connecting with people: really enjoyed chatting to Karen from Seattle, the two Ians (Adams and Mobsby), Nadia from Colorado, Si Lockett from the Shire, as well as the usual Oxford posse.

So there we go - another festival over. I always end up leaving my wristband on for a few days afterwards...can never bring myself to immediately cut it off..it's like some sort of umbilical cord that still connects me to the fact that I was there with my tribe even if I am now back in normality.

So - what was your highlight?

some people just don't get it

How about this for an image that totally misses the point of the cross?!! I'm hoping it wasn't supposed to be serious.
(from Bob Hyatt's blog)

silence please

I am increasingly becoming aware of the importance of silence for a healthy spiritual life.

I have recently begun reading the blog of Maggie Ross/Martha Reeves (she is an Anglican solitary who spends her summers in a remote part of Alaska and her winters teaching in Oxford and elsewhere (though I've never had the chance to hear her). She writes under the name Maggie Ross.

Here's a couple of lines from a sermon she preached at Mansfield College in Oxford back in February to whet your appetite (and provoke you no doubt!):

"silence....will help you in every aspect of your lives if you will simply sit down and make room for it."

and

"....if you pursue the work of silence even for six months, your life will change dramatically, and if you persist you will find the joy that no one and nothing can take from you, no matter what happens."

Read the whole sermon (and subscribe to her blog) here.

olympics: when is a sport not a sport?

I'm enjoying the Olympics. The sheer diversity of sports and athletic disciplines is staggering.
Last time the Olympics was on I remember having a pub conversation with some of the guys from Home (that's you Jim and Rich!) about what makes a sport a sport. The conversation came out of the fact that some of the events seemed a little silly (thinking now of things like that gymnastic nonsense when the gymnast throws a ball around or waves a stick with some ribbon on the end - stuff like that).
I seem to remember we put forward the idea that to be included in the Olympics a sport had to have an objective element - longer, faster, higher , the most goals etc. Something that was objectively measurable. So anything with a panel of judges and scores for artistic merit etc. HAD to go.
Off the top of my head that means that these 'sports' would no longer be in the Olympics - synchronised swimming and diving, trampolining, gymnastics etc.
Some of these are great to watch (the gymnastics is amazing) but I'm not sure about it as a sport.
Am I being a sports fascist?

reading scripture

For some time now I have tried to follow the lectionary scripture readings as part of my daily spiritual practice. I like being in step with a global community of believers and I like the rhythm of daily readings from the Old Testament, Psalms and New Testament.

I have often struggled to maintain this discipline for various reasons however. Recently I came across this volume which helpfully puts all the readings together in one place for each day (so no more flicking around or trying to remember where to stop reading etc.)

I have been using it for 2 or 3 weeks now and it has really helped. So 6 days a week I try to use this first thing in the morning but on Sundays there are no readings as that's the day when I read scripture with the community (Home) instead.

If you think you too might find this helpful pop over to Amazon and get yours here.

Greenbelt daily diary available for download

Starting to get excited about Greenbelt now - a week today we'll be there.

I was tipped off today that you can download the Daily Diary in advance (for £2) so you can begin to plan your weekend now! They don't want you to disseminate it or print it and they don't want you to not buy one when you get there - because they need the income from the sales, which is fair enough. Get yours here.

Anyway - just downloaded it and had a quick look. Very frustrating that all the things I'm interested in all seem to clash with each other or be at a very inconvenient time!! Oh well.

Too cool for (nursery) school

Michael Phelps

I thought this (from Patrick Moberg) was most amusing!
He's a wonderful illustrator - check him out at his site.

emerging and contemplative

A few days ago I blogged about the conference next year featuring both Richard Rohr and Brian Maclaren. Rohr very much represents the contemplative tradition and Maclaren is often seen as a spokesperson for the emerging church movement (though I know he wouldn't be comfortable with that and I'm not particularly but let's go with it for now).
It's fascinating to me that they are connecting.
Yesterday I was speaking to someone who said that they thought we were beginning to see real crossover between these streams and I too see a convergence of the contemplative and the emerging streams. It's certainly true in our experience.
As usual there is real diversity in the fresh expressions of church we're seeing - so this wouldn't be true for every 'emerging church'.
But I think it's quite an important thing to notice and pay attention to. Anyone else been thinking about this?