Twitter Resurrection

I stumbled upon this video.

Tents

There seems to be a lot of conjecture and hyperbole around at the moment.

If all the people in the world camped out in your back garden,
Would you write and tell the king or would you grab a tent and join ’em,
I can see that all the possibilities for freedom,
Could just sway your first decision to subject them all to oblivion.
And do you feel your life is threatened by fabricated stories,
Dreamt up by the sons of campers that you killed back in the forties,
I could see that all the possibilities for conflict,
Could just back up your decision to subject them all to oblivion.

I can’t stand the things that they do to me,
I won’t wait for Jesus to prove to me.

When all the people in the world move out of your back garden,
Would you celebrate the passing of your life as Mr. Badman,
You could see that all the possibilities in peacetime,
Should force a new decision don’t subject them all to oblivion.

I can’t stand the things that they do to me,
I won’t wait for Jesus to prove to me.
I can’t stand the things that they do to me,
I won’t wait for Jesus to prove to me.

Oh goodness, my gracious, I hope its not contagious,
Although it seems its catching it’s best not to get careless.
Oh goodness, my gracious, I hope its not contagious,
Although it seems its catching it’s best not to get careless.

Oblivion

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Dry Bones

Kore posted a link to this wonderful video by DanDifelice.

A Window into the Soul

I came across this wonderful image on Richard Littledale’s blog.  It is a wonderful reimagining of church art in a contemporary way.  I love the guy in a hoodie praying!

Lectionary

Each year Simon Kershaw produces a lectionary that works with most forms of computerised diary and digital devices.  This is one of the things my phone does that I use most often.  Here is the common worship almanac and lectionary for 2011-12.  In the past I’ve used it with an SPV, a Blackberry and now an iPhone.  Thank you Simon, you make my life a lot simpler.

Rock Mass @ Biblefresh Wakefield – Thanks

From the “Paradise City” cam

Changing worship blogs are like busses.  You wait for over a week and then they all turn up at once.  I want to say a few words of thanks for the Rock Mass at Dewsbury Minster last Saturday night.

The event was great to be part of.  In the six years or so that we have been involved in this sort of worship event it has grown and grown.  To think that an idea I had for an MA essay would grow into this huge event is astonishing.  Previously we have been used to smaller local churches.  All told there were 355 communicants on Saturday night and countless numbers of others.  There was standing room only in the minster – for most of the people who were there!  Lots of people travelled great distance to be there (Liverpool, Nottingham, Newcastle and the Isle of Man!).  Several youth groups came along and many who have never been to church before came out of curiosity!

One of the great things about this experience has been collaborating with people.  The staff at Dewsbury Minster were exceptionally helpful, supportive, relaxed and groovy.  This was a great help because we were describing a concept that no one there had previously experienced.  Thanks to the many people who came from around the country to help set up – Newcastle seems to be a good location for summoning roadies!

The tech support for the service was brilliant.  A big thank you to Pete and Ken who both did an amazing job in exceptional circumstances.  As well as that I don’t particularly envy Julz at trashiitreasure who is currently editing down hours of footage from four cameras into a DVD.  Thanks for that!

The serving team with Revd Rach at the helm were brilliant.  Thank you for getting on with it without the need for too much direction.  Sorry you didn’t get to see the visuals.  Thanks to the Cathedral staff who stepped in at the last-minute when some of our plans fell through and provided some stunning vestments and a massive icon.  Thanks to Charity who preached a wonderfully cheeky and highly inspiring sermon about embracing the gifts of our young people.

As I say, one of the key things with this type of worship is collaboration.  Whilst I made many of the visual aspects of the service from scratch, some of this would not have been possible without Fr Simon Rundell.  He has been producing resources and making them open source for many years.  When one and a half hours of visual material is needed, this is an invaluable resource.  Thank you very much Fr.  Even though you were not present in the minster, some of your images were and for that we thank you!

My last vote of thanks goes to the band and especially my wife.  You guys worked really hard to put together the set and were professional throughout.  You guys also did a brilliant job of keeping me sane!!  ROCK ON!!

All of those who I have forgotten to mention, I apologise.  Thank you for all your hard work.

Timothy Reading Video

This is 1 Timothy 4:9-14 read by a couple of peeps I know.  The images came from YouTube.  The music from a CD.

Under Pressure Intercessions

This is a set of intercessions based upon the Queen and Bowie song Under Pressure.

Advent Conspiracy

You may remember last years Advent Conspiracy campaign.  The premise is to make our celebration of Christmas mean something:

The story of Christ’s birth is a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love.

So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists.

And when it’s all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed purpose. Is this what we really want out of Christmas?

What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?

Check out the site and get ready.  Christmas is coming!

Going to Church for the First Time?

Phil Ritch posted this on his blog with the simple question, “is this what church feels like”?  What a wonderful video.  I have struggled to articulate what it is like for a hairy biker like myself to enter the church for the first time.  It is two evenings ago that I was trying to explain this to a group of cradle Christians using the metaphor of going into a betting shop for the first time.  I won’t be doing that again, I will be showing this clip!!

I must mention this to the Canon Missioner for his “Welcome” training day!