The News

It has been a week of strange experiences.  I mentioned in passing to our lovely local journalists that I was involved in a service at Dewsbury Minster called the “Rock Mass”.  Obviously we have done a few of these before but this time it seems to have legs.  Something to do with it being in a “Minster” and something about it being a “diocesan event”.  I talked with our lovely local journalist for a whole three minutes whilst she wrote everything down in short hand.

Last night I discovered that our paper had a massive pic of me in it and a half page article about the event.  I was a little shocked at how much it focussed on me (I’m shy).  For our local paper this makes sense as the Rock Mass isn’t happening here.  For the people who live here I am the curio.  The Dewsbury paper has a preview of the event in todays issue and it is very much about the event.

Yesterday, I received a phone call from the Dewsbury Reporter asking if they could do a photo shoot for the event.  Could I bring my motorbike down?

The next thing I knew, I was riding a Harley into the Minster and plonking it in the centre aisle.

That is a sentence I never thought I’d be writing!!  I’ll link you to the proper photo when it has been published.

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Are You Gonna Go My Way?

It hardly seems two minutes since this was playing on radio stations around the globe and yet my calendar informs me that it was released 18 years ago in 1993.  This month’s Classic Rock Magazine has an interview with Lenny Kravitz about the iconic song he wrote on the back of a paper bag that took the world by storm.

I’m singing lines like ‘I was born long ago’ and ‘I’m the chosen I’m the one’, but obviously it’s not about me,” he clarifies.  “It’s about Christ, and it’s coming from the Jesus Christ Superstar kind of place.  I’m singing in role, y’know, as if it was a musical, and the question means:  are you gonna go the way of love?  Let’s think aboutn what Christ really said.  His methods were all about love.  So the question is, are you gonna continue to live in this way, full of hate, or are you gonna live in the way of love?  Are you gonna go my way?

I was born long ago
I am the chosen, I’m the one
I have come to save the day
And I won’t leave until I’m done
So that’s why you’ve got to try
You’ve got to breathe and have some fun
Though I’m not paid I play this game
And I won’t stop until I’m done
(But what I really want to know is)
Are you gonna go my way
And I got to, got to know yeah

I don’t know why we always cry
This we must leave and get undone
We must engage and rearrange
And turn this planet back to one
So tell me why we got to die
And kill each other one by one
We’ve got to hug and rub-a-dub
We’ve got to dance and be in love
(But what I really wanna know is)
Are you gonna go my way
And I got to, got to know (I got to know)

Are you gonna go my way
‘Cause baby I got to know, yeah

I was always called idealistic.  Y’know, ‘This guy is always singing about love, peace, spirituality and equality’ but they are pretty great ideals.

Possibly one for the Alt:Hymnal if I could get the right images to run with it.

Alt:Hymnal – Him, The Sacrament

I humbly perform before you an act of contrition.  Dr Ruth pointed out that for the last few years she has wanted to play this song in church, probably at a Rock Mass and that she told me about it a long time ago.  I have to admit that I may have heard her say this but I never got around to doing something about it.  So here I offer my humble apologies to my wife.  I also offer you The Sacrament by Him as an addition to The Alt:Hymnal.  It’s very ‘igh.

“The Sacrament”

I hear you breathe so far from me
I feel your touch so close and real
And I know
My church is not of silver and gold,
It’s glory lies beyond judgement of souls
The commandments are of consolation and warmth

You know our sacred dream won’t fail
The sanctuary tender and so frail
The sacrament of love
The sacrament of warmth is true
The sacrament is you

I hear you weep so far from me
I taste your tears like you’re next to me
And I know
My weak prayers are not enough to heal
Oh the ancient wounds so deep and so dear
The revelation is of hatred and fear

You know our sacred dream won’t fail
The sanctuary tender and so frail
The sacrament of love
The sacrament of warmth is true
The sacrament is you

The sacrament is you
The sacrament is you
The sacrament is you
The sacrament is you

You know our sacred dream won’t fail
The sanctuary tender and so frail
The sacrament of love
The sacrament of warmth is true
The sacrament is you

You know our sacred dream won’t fail
The sanctuary tender and so frail
The sacrament of love
The sacrament of warmth is true
The sacrament is you

The Environment – Global Warming

I don’t know if you’re looking for resources for a harvest festival service.  Unfortunately mine was a couple of weeks ago.  In this clip David Mitchell says something incredibly obvious.  It is almost so obvious it doesn’t need saying.  Never the less he has said it anyway.  Good for him!

The Internet – A Basic Human Right?

I was reading an interesting article from the BBC entitled “The myth of free wi-fi”.  I am a tech savvy guy with more computers and iStuff floating around my house than it is possible to use.  To be honest I’m surprised my fridge isn’t wi-fi enabled – perhaps that is my next step.  My thoughts on social media and faith are well documented.  I believe that the internet a shift in the way information flows that is as significant as the invention of the printing press.  So reading an article on open source public wi-fi was right up my street.  However, what caught my attention was this quote from Sam Churchill:

“But it’s a basic requirement these days, just like water and power in a civilised society, that helps people communicate and keep informed.”

We live in a world of serious inequality.  I struggle to reconcile this quote with the picture above.  Having wi-fi in public spaces is a ‘basic requirement’?  If there is one thing that the article has inspired me to do it is “donate some money to water aid“.

Tell, Show, Be.

This looks like a great campaign from the Methodist Church.  The Christian life is often built into some ‘mystic art’ that only qualified people are capable of doing.  The Tell, Show, Be campaign seeks to shatter the mystique and encourage the whole body of christ to get on with being followers of the way.