Just a thought

Came across this today  

EAT AND DRINK TOGETHER; 

TALK AND LAUGH TOGETHER; 

ENJOY LIFE TOGETHER; 

BUT NEVER CALL IT FRIENDSHIP 

UNTIL YOU HAVE WEPT TOGETHER. 

(AN AFRICAN SAYING) 

Made me think that's all so thought I'd share it.....

Forgiveness!!

Yesterday afternoon I was invited to a meeting about a project that the parish and circuit will be involved with in December this year... The forgiveness Project 

It's a exhibition of photo's and stories of people learning to forgive in many different circumstances.

The F word normally it's a way of speaking about a particular four letter word in the english language..  so using that phrase for Forgiveness !!! why is it so hard to say and mean and give it.  To hold onto a hate of someone because they hurt you.... 

Within the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples the words we know as the Lord's Prayer 

      Our Father in heaven, 

      Hallowed be Your name. 

      Your kingdom come. 

      Your will be done 

      On earth as it is in heaven. 

      Give us this day our daily bread. 

      And forgive us our debts, 

      As we forgive our debtors. 

      And do not lead us into temptation, 

      But deliver us from the evil one. 

      For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen

To be forgiven as we forgive....

No it's not easy nor do I have the answer....

But watching the film presentation my thoughts went back to 2002 when I spent time in Israel in Jerusalem and heard the story of a elderly Palestinian man who's house was searched by the army they pulled every draw and cupboard apart leaving the place a mess.... the mans response was to continue doing what he was doing making tea he offered those in the house a drink..... 

Not sure if I would have been able to do that..... 

forgiveness is letting go of the right we think we have to hold things against those who knowingly or not hurt us...

Desmond Tutu writes 

To forgive is not just to be altruistic. It is the best form of self-interest. It is also a process that does not exclude hatred and anger. These emotions are all part of being human. You should never hate yourself for hating others who do terrible things: the depth of your love is shown by the extent of your anger.

However, when I talk of forgiveness I mean the belief that you can come out the other side a better person. A better person than the one being consumed by anger and hatred. 

Being angry isn't the problem Jesus got angry turned a few tables upside down and caused chaos in the temple yet just a few days later He went to the cross out of love His dying words at the cruel treatment and those who did it..

Father FORGIVE them for they know not what they do  

What impact would there be on our own lives how we treat others out of a place of forgiveness rather than reacting out of our place of hurt... for families or communities to do the same... 

The Exhibition will be on at St Anslems Church kennington Road Kennington London from 29th November until 9th December 2010.

Hmmmm

Not sure what's happened over the last few days with the posts :(. There's been a lot of paper work to sort out and on sunday had a trail service for my local preachers course... it was a very interesting morning it was at a church I haven't been to before. 

I got there with my friend early and had chance to walk around it was a lovely crisp sunny morning. 

looking round and taken pictures there was a voice behind us.. if you want to know about the place you want my mum and dad... a passerby commented we spent 20 or so mins standing there on the street talking to a stranger as she asked what we we doing. and then called out to a guy walking past then there were four standing there talking about her patch it's history how they had been bombed during the war the rebuilding that happened. the change in the community over the years...

not the normal way I prepare but was privileged by the open  way she told her story... stories are important... listening to each others stories is special...  

I may never see that lady again, but her story is now part of me 

LionKing

Tonight was the end of a long wait for my friends daughter. She had never been to the West-end theatre though me and my friend have been a few times over the year I've been in this patch. We've seen.....

The Phantom of the Opera

Les Mis 

We Will Rock You 

Dirty Dancing  

Sister Act 

Les Mis for my friends 50th had to be the most special of shows that we have seen, the struggle between grace and law of hope. It being the first time my friend and I had been together and had the most wonderful seats in the stalls on the front row....

Lion King was great the look on my friends daughters face when she realised where we were going was priceless... again we were back in the stalls surrounded by colour and sound... 

How my friends daughter hadn't worked out where we were going I don't know sunday we went to see the lion king exhibition at the national geographic store and watched the film.


 two things really hit me at the exhibition the detail in the masks and clothes

With Rafiki 

n the costume was amazing and unlike the film Rafiki in the show is a woman 

the second thing was this quote on one of the walls 

That made me wonder how would someone sculpt me whats the trait that comes through in me to the world around me 

Natwivity

No that's not my bad spelling again but rather the name of a way of spreading the story of christmas...  through interesting thought from mary and joseph to the wise men through modern media, Facebook and twitter the messages given in 140 characters the limit for a tweet 

What's it all about 

THROUGH THIS PROJECT WE AIM TO…

• Reinforce the story of Christmas
• Allow the 21st century audience to engage with the story in a new way
• Create a space for Christians during a cluttered time of the year to remember the story
• Create a way for Christians to engage their friends with the story in a thought-provoking, yet fun way

Want to join in then follow the links 

through the link at the top of the blog 

or 

Facebook 

Twitter 

Web

If it's not for you then pass it on to someone else who might :)

Writing this I'm thinking this doesn't really have much to say about my patch or does it... 

I think it brings a very relevant question about how we relate to those living in our patches..  How we share the message of Gods love in the world both by word and by deed...

How do we pass on the message to those in the 21st century who are inundated with so many other things vying  for their attention, time, loyalty....

to present the gospel in a way that is accessible to those who are now so far removed from having any connection with a Christian community... who no-longer no the "stories of old" those that even my generation can just about remember.. those like the young boy who walked past us at easter and turned to his father asking dad why are all those people standing round that cross?? an innocent question but one his father couldn't really answer.. or the young girl walking past a nativity scene asking mummy why is that baby surrounded by animals.

Introducing the gospel to a new generation in a fresh way.... the gospel is always relevant how we present it and live it isn't always.

Tonight at guides was a moment when one guide present a argument as to why the part of the guide law she had to defend was important spoke about caring for creation being good users of resources. and then said this is important as in genesis 1 God said thats what we were to be.... then looked at me, and semi puzzled semi questioning said i got that right... the grin when it was affirmed was worth the cold walk up on a dark night. Questions coming from this group over the last few weeks have been a mix.. from what the bible says about tattoos and pearcings, to s-x before marriage.... it started by being real, trying to live and speak the gospel... 

being relevant, not trying to be cool, or trendy, but real......

Epsom part 2

early tomorrow I'm off to Epsom again for the second part of my placement... Looking forward to it. one of the really interesting things about doing the placement is seeing how others use their gifts and skill and how they work in their patch. 


as indifferent parts of the country the soil is different more acidic or clay based so to with the way we live and are.


so that somethings that work here in my patch may not work in others... just as in the garden some plants will in acidic soils but not in clay soils.


so it's early to bed and early to rise :)

Westminster Central Hall

I'd planned to be at the service at Central Hall today for quite a while... I'm just completing my studies to be a local preacher, and as part of completing the section portfolio i have to write areport on a service that I haven't lead or been a part of... having done this for my last three sections and used my colleagues' services to give feedback on, I thought I'd make the short journey over the river to central hall and see how they do it there ....

I've been at at a service here once before (two years ago while on placement at the White Chapel Mission).. It's a place that doesn't really do what you expect it to do. Let me explain ...

It's a central London church. It's a HUGE building, set just past parliament and Westminster abbey .

The first time I went there, I was pleasantly surprised by the warm and friendly welcome that was given by those who were at the top of the stairs to welcome everyone. They seemed to make a extra effort to speak to those who they didn't recognise. I know this might sound a strange reflection but, trust me, I've walked into churches and had no one speak from the moment I arrived to the moment I left... but here in the heart of London was such a warm acceptance...

This was reflected in something that was said during the sermon by a visiting preacher

Any stranger should expect two things when they walk into the house of God a welcoming acceptance and the presence of God

That was my experience today!

One of the stewards had attended the Wesley course at Cliff (which I'm now studying too) He was there while I was a undergraduate and he made a point of come to talk to me. That's always a special touch isn't it? I did not think that he would remember but he did :).

The service today was actually the anniversary of the church. Central Hall was built in 1912 and is now 98 years old.... it was specially good as Ron Frost (the father of a man of God who had a impact on me and so many of my generation and went home not so long back )was there and we sang happy birthday to him. Not quite 98 but not far off...

To hear his story about his trial service to become a preacher - a sermon that was interrupted by the sounding of the war alarm was great! He's been preaching since a teenager and still going strong

After the service I met with my friends from Finland for lunch and wandered home ... back to my patch on this side of the Thames

That was the week that was

I'm a little bit too young to remember that this was the name of a BBC programme in the 1960's ( find a snippet of what it was here) 

I haven't manage to post here or on my daily photo blog all week...

Friday night was film night and 6 teenagers and the lion king it was sick! ( under good authourity that means its a great film) we spoke about forgiveness and knowing who we are.

it's been a busy week here in my patch this week Last weekend was our harvest festival so saturday saw teams coming in during the day to set up different things ready for sunday morning...

After the service was a superman style change into by scout uniform for a trip out with the cubs it was to be a walk along the river looking at different things around our patch which would go toward one of their badges.

Unfortunately the weather wasn't as helpful as we would have liked so it was on the bus to the science museum 


Cubs on Tuesday night saw a visit from one of the local police officers it was great to see the young cubs asking some really great questions and getting to try on different parts of the uniform... 

 my prayer is this will be the only way that these young lives will get to wear this type of jewellery 

thursday some friends from finland ( not the normal visitors they arrive next friday)  arrived  they leave monday I'm away for three days in between and really wondering if I'll manage to catch my tail at some point... 

last night we watched shrek the third very funny film well I say we watched.... half of us watched while the one who wanted to watch it snoozed.....

Turku

This time last week I was in Turku. 

Turku was the capitol of Finland until it was moved to Helsinki. 

It is also the home of Moominworld airport not far is is the town of naantali 

I've had a fascination with these little guys for a long time... last winter I got to eat a picnic on the porch of muumin house :) 

For 2011 Turku will be the European capital of culture.. and while I was a way this weekend I got to plant a bulb at Ilpoinen school..

Photo By STF

It was a great morning lots of activities and lots of parents turned up to support what was taking place. 

I was told that I have a nose for coffee and pulla as yet again I found where it was being sold ( when on holiday in Tenerife  last year I found a church selling Finnish coffee and homemade pulla)

I also got to have a really nice bread with berries in it and sausage with apple juice 

Photo By STF school meal 

not only did I get to plant a bulb at the school I got to help in my friends garden doing a bit of pruning :) and gathering leaves. Living in a flat I really miss this side of life this weekend 3rd october is the harvest service in north lambeth. 

Photo By STF Pruning 

Ok so that may be a little pushing it for pruning, though cutting back can be very good for a plant : good job my friends hubby was away for the weekend...:)

part of the open praise of praise that we will use is 

God of the harvest we thank you for all those who represent us all in tending creation.

For gardeners and allotment owners

For foresters  and For farmers

For fishermen

That all might share from your garden

We thank you and praise you lord

and a couple of helpers with the leaves