Author Archives: Richard Passmore

Awesome

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In college prayers last week we were asked to write about the awesomeness of God. Here were my thoughts

How do you begin to describe the indescribable?
Can you speak of the length of the one who goes on forever?
Can you fathom the depths of the fathomless?
How can you explain the love of the one who is Love?
Is it possible to tell of the deeds of the ageless one or contemplate the creator of the world and all that is in it?
What is it to say that God is this or that, when he is always more, always beyond. Yet to say he is always more, always beyond is just as inadequate, as he is always close always near.
How do you begin to describe the indescribable?

OAP in need of ASBO

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Over the Easter weekend we went with my 12 year old son and 9 year daughter out for lunch. It was great place with a large conservatory and plenty of tables outside. Being a sunny day we decided to eat outside. The children and I went in to get a menu and my son took one out to Lori, the sliding door he tried shut on the way bounced back and was left half open. After looking at the specials board an older very posh lady completely started on me complaining my children had no manners, and left the door open (bear in mind she was sitting in a conservatory and it was 20 degrees outside) I explained my son was not rude had very good manners and if she had asked him to shut the door he would have done so. I was told “don’t even bother, do you not know how to bring up children!” I started to reply arguing that my children had good manners, but she cut me off saying “don’t bother, go away you silly man” I stood there partly in shock, and said I was going no where. So stood there for a while whilst she grumbled and moaned at me some more.

Standing in line to get the food a older couple came up to me and said, ” your children were not impolite in the slightest and it is grumpy old people like that – that give us a bad name” Several other older people in the conservatory tried to protest to her that she had been unreasonable. A few even came outside to eat as the that atmosphere she exuded was so negative.

On leaving I wished I had taken a photo of her as I thought we could start a website titled “Is this the grumpiest person in Britain”El cártel full

Easter Saturday Loneliness

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After Good Friday how did the disciples cope? For us we know how the story ends, the hope of Easter Sunday. We tend to focus on the confusion and expectancy after the women have been to the tomb and discovered the body missing. Yet the in between period and turmoil must have been terrible, how do you cope after the expectancy of the previous three years, walking and talking with Jesus? Every time you see bread or wine, what is going through your mind, does it help when it seems your world has just come apart?

Trying to reflect on this in between time is hard. A way in is to try and imagine the disciples scattering after the arrest, and that feeling of loneliness. Most of us will have experienced loneliness from time to time but this must have been a loneliness of body, mind and spirit. A loneliness not just of missing the physical presence of a friend, but a loneliness of mind as all the thoughts and expect ions have gone and loneliness of spirit when God is distant or even seen to have died.

Rohtenburg

Volunteers

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The Commission on the future of Volunteering is holding a range of events exploring volunteering and the future of volunteering in the UK. As the faith communities make up a large part of the volunteer workforce it ay be good to give some input. Check out the website for more info but some of the events planned are below

– There will be 18 regional events (two in each region)
– There will be an event on crime and criminal justice in Manchester on 14th May (PM session)
– There will be an event on volunteering and public service delivery in London on 27th April (AM session)
To register for any of the above, please visit www.volcomm.org.uk. Flyer attached to this email for more info.

The Commission would also like you to complete the evidence forms answering: What do you think is happening to volunteering now? What do you think should be happening to volunteering in ten years’ time? (Evidence forms are attached or can be completed online – www.volcomm.org.uk)

Revelation, Revolution, and Rupture

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When I did the series of posts on redefining church I briefly explored the concept that the church has an intrinsic sub cultural weakness, and like many institutions this is a preference for evolution over revolution, yet I feel that the shifts we see in scripture are so dramatic that they are more like revolutionary change.

Pete Rollins has been exploring the concept Revelation as a rupture and you can check out some of his thoughts here which in many ways helps describe the type/scale of change and root of what I was getting at. However I find it quite hard to find which post to recommend on his site so would suggest as an alternative to check out the talk he gave at Greenbelt 2006.

Young people and emerging church

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I am doing some stuff around young people and emerging church and what we can learn from one another. My experience suggests that many yp and youth workers think of their youth groups etc as expressions of church and I am interested in how this sense of definition can either release creativity and growth or inhibit. By this I mean that groups who grow together towards an expression of church can be inhibited from further development when it is not openly acknowledged. When named as such and discussed as an expression of church it creates impetus to grow deeper relationships and outwardly but when not acknowledged outwardly i have seen groups loose momentum over time and dissipate.

Two areas I would value feedback on

Firstly if you are involved in an emerging church thing have noticed this process in the emerging churches that you are part of. Did people start getting together and once you defined what you were doing – did it release energy and creativity? Did people start to make more effort to meet together etc or am I way off the mark?

Secondly if you are a youth worker are young people or leaders describing what you do as church? Can you relate to the blocks/ creativity and definition?