...Mark Llamar and Sean Hughes having dinner in Little Yang Sing on George St. in China Town last night.
Made my day! :-)))
Not that any of you really needed to know that...
Sanctus1 Service: All Saints
There is a Sanctus1 service this Sunday at Sacred Trinity. I've been planning it with Andy & Katie and it looks good!! Starts at 8pm, hope that you can be there...It's worth coming just to avoid the trick or treaters!
Resonance
Resonance happened last weekend in the Cathedral and it was excellent. I was amazed at the creativity and the number of people coming into the building and staying for a few hours as they wandered around the different spaces. They are now thinking of taking Resonance to some other Cathedrals around the UK.
I constructed and facilitated a space in the Cathedral...but I'm not gonna tell you what it was as I'm gonna use it at the Sanctus1 service on Sunday!! So you'll have to come on Sunday...or watch this blog.
I constructed and facilitated a space in the Cathedral...but I'm not gonna tell you what it was as I'm gonna use it at the Sanctus1 service on Sunday!! So you'll have to come on Sunday...or watch this blog.
'Emerging Church' in the USA and the UK
Some thoughts from Maggi Dawn:
I'm left wondering at the fact that ALL the Emerging stuff in the USA seems harnessed very closely to Evangelical roots and theology, whereas in the UK it includes people who are still Evangelical deep down, some who used to be Evangelical but whose theology has dramatically shifted; and some who are 'Emerging' within a more Anglo-Catholic or Modern Liberal Catholic setting. This more varied mixture of theological point of view and liturgical over here perhaps makes Emerging less easy to pin down.If you're interested in her musings, you may also like to read her follow-up post.
Resonance
It's Resonance this Friday night and Saturday in Manchester Cathedral. Resonance is a worship and healing weekend at Manchester Cathedral and has been organized by a group of people from Wellsprings and Acorn Healing trust. I've been consulted about some ideas and it looks really exciting.
The Cathedral is divide up into a variety of different zones, such as a healing zone, a story telling zone, a world zone a liztening zone etc. each of these zones will be facilitated by a different person or group of people.
The idea is that people can wander around the cathedral and interact with the different spaces on the way. It's open from 10-4 on Saturday and 5-10 on the Friday night. If you're around the area come and visit...
The Cathedral is divide up into a variety of different zones, such as a healing zone, a story telling zone, a world zone a liztening zone etc. each of these zones will be facilitated by a different person or group of people.
The idea is that people can wander around the cathedral and interact with the different spaces on the way. It's open from 10-4 on Saturday and 5-10 on the Friday night. If you're around the area come and visit...
Geldof on Fathers
So, having taped Geldof on Fathers last week so that I could watch the equally fascinating "Who do you think you are?" on BBC2 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/index.shtml - last week Bill Oddie's journey to discover about his mother's mental illness and tonight apparently David Baddiel)...
...I finally got round to watching Geldof on Fathers. And cried all the way through. Just a really profound and involving piece of TV that I'm not sure that I'll ever forget. Images and words that are now burned into my brain - those men (and grandparents too - I'd never thought of them in all of this) struggling to keep their dignity intact and control their outward expressions of anger and pain and loss in front of a room full of strangers (that's the TV crew, but I'm sure court is no different). Them crying (not just weeping, or choking back tears) but really crying whilst confessing that all they wanted was to have real relationships with their own children in meaningful ways. And having spent the weekend watching my own brother's relationship with his 20 month old son, I think I can begin to understand how impossible that removal of the relationship would be for both him and the wee one. It just can't be right the way we are doing things as it stands through the family courts. Messy problems often lead to messy solutions, yes. But not to this sort of hurt and separation and anger...
The only other thing that struck me was the fascinating and potentially contradictory opinion (having watched himself on marriage the preceeding week as well) that men are both simultaneously silent brooding hulks who don't like to talk about how they feel, and also emotionally in-touch fathers who want real and open relationships with their children and partners. Now these two are not necessarily mutually exclusive I know - but it does show how massively complex this whole gamut of family life and relationships has become when we want to manage both our personal needs and behaviours with those of the people that we are living with and the children we bring into the world. I guess it shows that to generalise either gender into simply distilled versions of themselves is not only too basic but also potentially hurtful in the longer term.
(Just found this too - http://www.the-flipside.co.uk/f4jliverpool/2004/10/no-marriage-of-minds-tv-review-times.php - an interesting though more radical version of what I guess I'm getting at here..)
...I finally got round to watching Geldof on Fathers. And cried all the way through. Just a really profound and involving piece of TV that I'm not sure that I'll ever forget. Images and words that are now burned into my brain - those men (and grandparents too - I'd never thought of them in all of this) struggling to keep their dignity intact and control their outward expressions of anger and pain and loss in front of a room full of strangers (that's the TV crew, but I'm sure court is no different). Them crying (not just weeping, or choking back tears) but really crying whilst confessing that all they wanted was to have real relationships with their own children in meaningful ways. And having spent the weekend watching my own brother's relationship with his 20 month old son, I think I can begin to understand how impossible that removal of the relationship would be for both him and the wee one. It just can't be right the way we are doing things as it stands through the family courts. Messy problems often lead to messy solutions, yes. But not to this sort of hurt and separation and anger...
The only other thing that struck me was the fascinating and potentially contradictory opinion (having watched himself on marriage the preceeding week as well) that men are both simultaneously silent brooding hulks who don't like to talk about how they feel, and also emotionally in-touch fathers who want real and open relationships with their children and partners. Now these two are not necessarily mutually exclusive I know - but it does show how massively complex this whole gamut of family life and relationships has become when we want to manage both our personal needs and behaviours with those of the people that we are living with and the children we bring into the world. I guess it shows that to generalise either gender into simply distilled versions of themselves is not only too basic but also potentially hurtful in the longer term.
(Just found this too - http://www.the-flipside.co.uk/f4jliverpool/2004/10/no-marriage-of-minds-tv-review-times.php - an interesting though more radical version of what I guess I'm getting at here..)
The Windsor Report
If you're interested in what the Windsor Report on the future of the Anglican Communion says, but can't be bothered to read it all, this blog post gives a good summary.
UK Music Hall of Fame: the 80s
I wonder whether each Monday morning for the next few weeks we’ll get a post like this one (and Ben’s – see below) just wrestling with the 10 selections from each decade… Last night was the 80s.
I should probably preface what I’m about to write with a couple of musical caveats… I’m someone who was born in the late 70s and whose musical taste was lead by a new-romantic, metal-loving older brother (he’ll kill me for that!) through ABC to Iron Maiden to Metallica to The Black Crowes. Partly as a result, I am an essentially guitar-based indie child of the late 80s and early 90s, with rock and dance descants from the 70s and 00s thrown in for good measure. So, I’m obviously going to say that, of course, The Boss should be in there, as should REM, The Smiths, and Joy Division.
Obviously, the voting will be majorly influenced by people’s own personal musical preferences, but I also can’t help wondering whether these lists are a bit too weighted in any one direction– no women at all from the 80s? OK, so Madonna got automatic founder status, but really… And did some of these artists do their best/ most innovative/ highly recognized work into the 90s anyway (eg REM)?
(Sigh) Am exhausted just thinking about having to choose one and stick with it - so I’ll leave it to you all to tell me who I should vote for, in order that I can totally ignore your opinions and do the exact opposite. (ref: my 2 year old nephew – Me: “Matthew, don’t touch the buttons on the dishwasher.” Him: “Buttons. Wishwasher. Maffew. ” accompanied by a nappy-hindered lurch towards the machine in question…)
I should probably preface what I’m about to write with a couple of musical caveats… I’m someone who was born in the late 70s and whose musical taste was lead by a new-romantic, metal-loving older brother (he’ll kill me for that!) through ABC to Iron Maiden to Metallica to The Black Crowes. Partly as a result, I am an essentially guitar-based indie child of the late 80s and early 90s, with rock and dance descants from the 70s and 00s thrown in for good measure. So, I’m obviously going to say that, of course, The Boss should be in there, as should REM, The Smiths, and Joy Division.
Obviously, the voting will be majorly influenced by people’s own personal musical preferences, but I also can’t help wondering whether these lists are a bit too weighted in any one direction– no women at all from the 80s? OK, so Madonna got automatic founder status, but really… And did some of these artists do their best/ most innovative/ highly recognized work into the 90s anyway (eg REM)?
(Sigh) Am exhausted just thinking about having to choose one and stick with it - so I’ll leave it to you all to tell me who I should vote for, in order that I can totally ignore your opinions and do the exact opposite. (ref: my 2 year old nephew – Me: “Matthew, don’t touch the buttons on the dishwasher.” Him: “Buttons. Wishwasher. Maffew. ” accompanied by a nappy-hindered lurch towards the machine in question…)
The Shape of Things to Come
I spoke about Sanctus1 yesterday at CPAS's emerging church tour, 'the shape of things to come.' I enjoyed being there and sharing the story of Sanctus with a wider group of people. Michael Moynagh and George Lings provided the majority of the input and were excellent.
However, I was slightly concerned that all the input was from white men, and both Michael and George, whilst excellent in this field, are not of my generation but of my parents. What implicit message does this give of the emerging church scene? I have no gripes with with George or Michael but would really appeal to the organisers of these and similiar events to take a few more risks and showcase the emerging theologians and church planters rather than the established 'experts'. Granted, I was there, but only as a 15 minute slot in a 6 hour day...
However, I was slightly concerned that all the input was from white men, and both Michael and George, whilst excellent in this field, are not of my generation but of my parents. What implicit message does this give of the emerging church scene? I have no gripes with with George or Michael but would really appeal to the organisers of these and similiar events to take a few more risks and showcase the emerging theologians and church planters rather than the established 'experts'. Granted, I was there, but only as a 15 minute slot in a 6 hour day...
Sex Traffic
Did anyone see Sex Traffic on channel 4 tonight? It was traumatic but highlighted how important protest4 is. www.protest4.com. Second part next thursday at 9. www.channel4.com/health/microsites/S/sex_traffic/
Uk Music Hall of Fame
Did anyone see Channel 4's uk music hall of fame last night? I was quite surprised at a couple of them (Dr Dre and The Spice Girls) and was amazed that some other bands were not there. For example 'Primal Scream' the Album Screamadelica has to be one of the greatest albums of all time and took the uk by the scruff of the next with a fantatsic fusion of trance and guitar based indie music; and the Stone Roses...I guess that the first album was released in 89 but i bet that they don't make the 80's cut either. But of course this is all subjective.
The Rebel Sell
So whilst we on holiday recently, we bought a newspaper at the airport in Toronto - like you do while you're waiting for a plane... and there was an interesting sounding book reviewed in their unsurprisingly titled Review&Books section. I just didn’t get round to reading all the sections till recently! (Although according, to our friends who live there, it's a bit like the Tory-graph would be here - ahem!)
It's called The Rebel Sell: Why the Culture Can’t Be Jammed, by Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter. So it turns out that the book ain't published here until February 05, and then under a slightly amended title (How the Counter Culture Became Consumer)… but it seems like it might echo and challenge those books and thinkers that have followed in the Anita Roddick/ Naomi Klein vein.
The general principle is that even the simple act of seeking a countercultural alternative to mass-produced items (eg white sliced versus organic, hand-made bread) turns into an exclusive endeavour that is both expensive and elitist despite trying to get you back to a “more simple life”. People who say they are fed up with mass consumerism and seek alternatives are engaging in a myth – the authors argue that there is no difference between “mainstream” and “alternative” culture. In fact, counterculture is not a threat to the system, it is the system. They seem to be saying that buying organic food, using non-cash barter systems, living an outdoor life, repairing things rather than buying new, and so on, are all ways to prop up another business (be that DIY stores, booksellers, specialist food retailers, etc), and continue to engage in the consumer cultural reality. One conclusion of theirs seems to be that “if living like the Amish is the only way to avoid consumerism, then it really forces us to wonder what is wrong with consumerism in the first place?”
The link here is to an article that they published as a precursor to the book being published: http://www.thismagazine.ca/issues/2002/11/rebelsell.php
And if you want to pre-order the book in the UK (and keep adding to the consumer culture by buying a book on how we can’t subvert it from a major online retailer…):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1841126543/qid%3D1097487599/202-8290148-4756630
It's called The Rebel Sell: Why the Culture Can’t Be Jammed, by Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter. So it turns out that the book ain't published here until February 05, and then under a slightly amended title (How the Counter Culture Became Consumer)… but it seems like it might echo and challenge those books and thinkers that have followed in the Anita Roddick/ Naomi Klein vein.
The general principle is that even the simple act of seeking a countercultural alternative to mass-produced items (eg white sliced versus organic, hand-made bread) turns into an exclusive endeavour that is both expensive and elitist despite trying to get you back to a “more simple life”. People who say they are fed up with mass consumerism and seek alternatives are engaging in a myth – the authors argue that there is no difference between “mainstream” and “alternative” culture. In fact, counterculture is not a threat to the system, it is the system. They seem to be saying that buying organic food, using non-cash barter systems, living an outdoor life, repairing things rather than buying new, and so on, are all ways to prop up another business (be that DIY stores, booksellers, specialist food retailers, etc), and continue to engage in the consumer cultural reality. One conclusion of theirs seems to be that “if living like the Amish is the only way to avoid consumerism, then it really forces us to wonder what is wrong with consumerism in the first place?”
The link here is to an article that they published as a precursor to the book being published: http://www.thismagazine.ca/issues/2002/11/rebelsell.php
And if you want to pre-order the book in the UK (and keep adding to the consumer culture by buying a book on how we can’t subvert it from a major online retailer…):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1841126543/qid%3D1097487599/202-8290148-4756630
Hirsch and Frost in cyberspace
For those who lack either the time or the inclination to flick around the UK emerging church blogosphere, you may have missed out the recent discussions going on around the place about the visit to the UK of Antipodeans Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost, and their recent book The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st Century Church.
Jonny Baker (of London group Grace and general alt.worship guru, for the uninitiated) was responsible for organising the visit. Apparently Grace, like Sanctus1, have recently been thinking about mission, and he wanted to get some discussions going.
Well it certainly seems to have achieved that! Steve Collins, a fellow Grace-er, seems to have had some serious problems with some of what they were saying about ordeal/deadline/risk/survival, and has sparked off a very lively and thought-provoking discussion on his blog.
Maggi Dawn agrees, and also gives a fairly detailed critical review of the book, which also seems to have got some debate going in the comments section.
Finally, Gareth of (also London-based) Moot is more ambivalent, suggesting that while the ideas on mission may have some validity, their model of church as 'communitas' is quite flawed.
MBS
Here's an image of the mind body spirit fair that sanctus1 were at this weekend...see Laura's post underneath. I'll be writing a comprehensive article soon.
crowned heart
A really interesting weekend at the Mind Body Spirit Fair at Manchester G-Mex. So many poeple looking for something meaningful amongst so many options and so much spiritual junk (eg do toe socks REALLY help your energies flow better, or are they just great for keeping your feet cosy?). But aside from all the talking to people and prayer that we did at the fair, I was thinking a lot about a symbol that I saw in a Catholic cathedral we visited in Canada.
It was a heart with a crown, and it was stuck in my head all weekend for some reason - I think something to do with it being a chance to reconnect with searchers at a level where the cross seems too traditional/ institutional... Anyone know what this might be called? And is it related to what I might know as a gimmel ring?
(note to self and others: urgh, I hate posting on this! :-S Everything has the potential to seem so final and open to misinterpretation. And I also need to learn that keying Ctrl+S posts these musings, rather than saving them... ooops!)
It was a heart with a crown, and it was stuck in my head all weekend for some reason - I think something to do with it being a chance to reconnect with searchers at a level where the cross seems too traditional/ institutional... Anyone know what this might be called? And is it related to what I might know as a gimmel ring?
(note to self and others: urgh, I hate posting on this! :-S Everything has the potential to seem so final and open to misinterpretation. And I also need to learn that keying Ctrl+S posts these musings, rather than saving them... ooops!)
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