Gigging

My band Silverthorn have our first gig. We’re playing at Joseph’s Well in Leeds on Sunday 27th April at 10PM.  Please come along and support us as we play some classics and some original material.

Alternative Worship and Emerging Church in the North of England

The inspiration for starting a blog a couple of years ago was a challenge by Jonny Baker to get the alt worshippers together in the north.  At the time I was in the North East but now I am in West Yorkshire.  A community of alt worshippers is starting to develop near here and I was wondering who to put them in touch with.  So here’s my question: 

What is going on in and around Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield or Manchester that is I any way alternative worship, emerging church or fresh expressions?

I think it may be time to start I directory of events and communities in and around the M62 corridor and up and down the A1/M1 areas so that we can promote a sharing of good practice.

Worship Idea – Radical Prayer

I was handed an email by a colleague with a prayer given by the Rev. Joe Wright to a Kansas legislative session.  My first reaction was that must be an urban legend but having looked it up, it is apparently true. 

Heavenly Father,

We come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance.

We know Your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good’
But that is exactly what we have done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.

We have abused power and called it politics.

We have coveted our neighbour’s Possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and Pornography and called it freedom of speech and expression.

We have ridiculed the time Honoured values of our Forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh, God, And know our hearts today;

Cleanse us from every sin And set us free…Amen!’

 

How many times have we heard asinine intercessions that have no impact upon our past, present or future?  I think if you are going to use this as a worship idea however, it needs to be well thought out.  It is an abuse of prayer to use it as a personal vehicle in which you preach at those who you are intercessing on behalf of.  However, it can be a really powerful vehicle to raise the major issues of the times we are living and our own part within them to God.

 

Guisborough Priory

I may have mentioned before that I sell prints of my photography through redbubble.  I just received a very nice message that one of my shots is now the group avatar for the ruins, ancient and derelict buildings group.  And next, the world…. bwa-ha-haaaaaa

Dissertation

I have put the finishing touches in to my dissertation.  Hopefully that means that I can now have my life back!  The first thing I did to celebrate was watch some mindless television.

Hopefully now I will have more time to blog too!!

Out of the mouth of babes…

Preparing bidding prayers for a school mass.

Dear God,

Thank you for everything iv Got, Food, Shelter, Clothing And my Parents

I am Greatful For everything you have Given Us, there is Just one thng I dont like, School, you Could oF just brought us down to Earth with an Education

Im sorry for the things Iv done lie shoving eveybody, my attitude to other And my work and more

Amen

Reimagining Monastic Vows

A Franciscan Monk from New York has just told me the vows he took.

No Money, No Honeys and A Boss!!

Christian Calling

A Franciscan Monk just gave a talk to a bunch of 16 year olds about Christian vocation.  He said some interesting things about how God doesn’t just call people to The Church but to their own vocation – whatever that may be.

Find the place where you are most happy and then die to yourself there.

Ritual as an Evangelical Device

A quote from JS Reed’s Glorious Battle of 1996 (p150).  He is talking about the opinions of one of the early tractarian, Richard Littledale.

Even London gin-palaces…competed in “internal decoration, abundant polished metal and vivid colour, with plenty of bright light.”  If spectacle and music were necessary to promote drink, he asked, how much more so to persuade people to take up something, religion, that they have never learned to care for and may indeed, actively dislike?

Alternative Worship Photo Resources

Just to let you know about the alternative worship group on flickr.