An orthodox view

Years ago when Off the Beaten track was first published I did a training session, and described a street based communion (coke and crisps style) and asked participants – Is this church? Oli was present and has been thinking and working on his eccelesiological position in response to the question. He has published an interesting short read exploring the need for orthodoxy around the issue of eccelesiology and communion that is well worth the read and download. Find it here.

I really like the fence model he proposes and it presents a good challenge, but before I post my responses i would be interested to hear others views.

young people and technology

I was listening to radio 4’s technology show the other day and there was an article on young people and technology and one thing that stuck out was the comment that the reason adults struggle with new technology is that it breaks into our world and have we have the choice of interaction. However young people inhabit / live in the world of technology. It was the inhabiting word that struck me. There are lots of articles on how computers are changing the way we think, but I wonder now if as digital natives young people have already been socialised in different conceptual frameworks and if this is some of shaping factors the changing approach to commitment and faith.

Tuffty and Clive

Congrats to Clive on her year 6 SATS, she received an award this week as she was the first student in the school to come top in all three subjects of Maths, English, and Science. Although rather embarrassingly as the head teacher noted the glass plague looked smaller in the catalogue, so she just needs to make sure she doesn’t leave it on the window sill and burn the house down one sunny day! Tuffty now is revising for his Maths GCSE course work but motivation for the 80 page workbook from the school is heavy going!! So glad I am not at school anymore!

Feeling the way – incarnation

James helpfully reminded me of the nature of the incarnation (the word became flesh) as way to feel beyond the words that probably lead us to inhabit a dualist way of being. As I have reflected on this in the past few days all sorts of connections spark off. I am reminded of seasons when I have religiously practiced spiritual disciplines, or times when I practice raising my general awareness to keen my senses to God and just simple things like ensuring I read the whole bible every few years. I have often existed between the extremes of discipline and relaxation but never really lost a sense of connection. I also don’t seem to reach the point where I feel I need to return a discipline or do a read through, it just sort of happens. This connection is not generated or sustained by the disciplines, nor does it wane over time. It is a relationship that is as much about presence as absence, as it is an experience of the swimming in the ether of the incarnation in every encounter, conversation, tree, leaf or young person.

“To indwell a story is to live so much within its framework that we are not so conscious of the story as of what the story allows us to see”

“Naming the Elephant” by James W Sir HT to Youthblog ?????? ????? ???? ?????? ????? ???? ?????? ????? ???? ?????? ????? ????