The wiles of Santa

On one of those random, slightly pointless trawls around the net recently I happened upon this, at GraphJam Rather to my surprise, the comments there were dominated by angry dyslexics who felt that this represented willful misunderstanding and insensitivity towards them, though I was hearted by one whose comment included another dyslexic joke "I didn't realise I was dyslexic till I went to a toga party and realised I was the only person there dressed as a goat".

Anyway, as we try to mark Buy Nothing Day I am pledging myself to stand firm against the temptations of Santa.
Year after year, I panic that I haven't actually ammassed enough "stocking fillers" for my children, and year after year there are at least 3 strange and silly items that simply can't be crammed into the stockings, try as I might.
Since both economics and principles dictate that this is not the time to fritter finances away on plastic racing snails, glow in the dark eyeballs or any of the usual stocking fodder, maybe this time I really will revert to the "1 edible, 1 readable, 1 silly and 3 sensibles - plus a sugar mouse and a satsuma in the toe" approach that my parents perfected. I never remember feeling remotely disappointed.
Burrowing under the bedclothes to read the (newly unwrapped) "The Land of Green Ginger" by the light of a (newly unwrapped) ladybird torch remains one of my all-time favourite Christmas memories - even if it was 5.00 in the morning.

Here I stand

Early next year, I'm taking my two PCCs on an "away day" to consider what our churches are for, what it is that God requires of us as we seek to serve him in these wildly different communities.
I'm really looking forward to spending some time with them going "back to basics" and will hope to extend the discussions in our Lent course when the time comes.
Today, though, I've just opened my daily Henri Nouwen meditation to read these words...Hard to beat, I'd say...

How does the Church witness to Christ in the world? First and foremost by giving visibility to Jesus' love for the poor and the weak. In a world so hungry for healing, forgiveness, reconciliation, and most of all unconditional love, the Church must alleviate that hunger through its ministry. Wherever we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the lonely, listen to those who are rejected, and bring unity and peace to those who are divided, we proclaim the living Christ, whether we speak about him or not.

It is important that whatever we do and wherever we go, we remain in the Name of Jesus, who sent us. Outside his Name our ministry will lose its divine energy

Isn't that wonderful? A mission statement to follow to the ends of the earth.

One more step along the world I go...

...from the old things to the new
Keep me travelling along with you"

A good song, if rather overworked. I'll never forget Rabbi Lionel Blue persuading an audience of the worthies of Cheltenham to sing it along with him, as a present he could take to his friend the hymn's writer, Sydney Carter, then languishing in a nursing home with dementia. Suddenly, incredibly, the Everyman Theatre was holy ground....

However, this is by the by.
The reason "One more step" gets a mention today is because it's a particular favourite of my good friend who blogs as Marcella, and, as you'll see, it's currently particularly appropriate for her.
Marcella is a superstar, you know: long-time leader of Little Fishes and befriender of many a toddler-bound mother, OpenHouse team member, periodic accomplice with the Curate in the consumption of very large gins…and now...(roll of drums) charity fundraiser.

Marcella has experience within her family of the realities of eating disorders and being a woman of strength and resourcefulness has done a massive amount to educate herself and others about this rather neglected area. Frustration at the systems which ought to help but somehow can’t, occasional moments of joy as someone says or does a simple thing to make a difference…feeling helpless in the face of misunderstanding and ignorance….this seems to be very much the stuff of life for the families of those dealing with eating disorders.

In the UK there is a support charity BEAT and this is Eating Disorders Awareness week. Combine these facts with Marcella’s lifelong desire, as a Kentish girl, to emulate Chaucer’s pilgrims and travel from Southwark to Canterbury and you have the ingredients for
The Families Tale.

Today she and 2 friends set out from Southwark to walk a modern version of the pilgrim way…
They would welcome sponsorship and prayer but above all they are trying to raise the profile of eating disorders, which make life a huge struggle for so many.
I’m sad that my departure from St M’s is too close to allow me time out to walk with them, but they are very much at the forefront of my thoughts and prayers this week. Please do visit the blog and website and send a supportive message if you’ve time. I know it would be appreciated.

"We're off on the road to Morocco..."

Was one of my father's favourite songs, which was integrated into many a game in my childhood and the "piggy back" rides he offered me were always "camel rides" (possibly because my daddy was always distinctly boney.
However, it's not somewhere I've visited yet (indeed, the whole of Africa still waits and intrepid curate) so I'm having to make do...Matthew, the son of one of my special friends and the older brother of god-son J, has embarked with his beloved on a mammoth cycle ride from Cheltenham to Morocco - all to raise money for Water Aid.
On a sizzling June day, when wearing the full set of Eucharistic vestments was quite a trial, I was so glad to down pint after pint of water after the service - but my experiences in India have made me newly appreciative of this resource. Then I came home, went online and read about Matt's trip. Its such a great thing that they're doing - an amazing journey with a purpose. Worth reading about, I'm sure - they are blogging it here and if you did feel moved to contribute to the work of Water Aid, there's an online link too. Even if it's not your thing, it's quite inspiring to imagine those kids pedalling determinedly on their way - I'm praying God's blessing on their trip and on their fundraising too.

Mind the Gap (again)

During this morning's blog surf, I found myself commenting both here, and here
that it's disturbingly easy for me think I'd manage to live up to my principles, since most of the time I'm in very little danger of being asked to do so.

This afternoon I have the ministerial review that has been looming for a while. The form to be completed beforehand had some pretty clear categories, but finished with an "Is there anything else you'd like to say?" type question. With the woes of the Anglican Communion heaped about me, I added something about my longing for "compassionate inclusion" and felt as if I might have nailed some sort of colours to a mast.
But of course, as I was reminded by reading Tom's post, I've never actually been asked if I would bless a same-sex couple (this could, of course be because . St M's isn't the sort of church that is brimming over with brave souls who've come out and are asking God's blessing on their love...so the curate can rest secure in the knowledge that she won't actually be challenged to do anything.
Equally, this isn't the kind of community where individuals in need of refuge from a hostile world turn to the church for help (unless you count the occasional visit from Hamish, of course) - so again, I'm safe from having my behaviour actually challenged by reality

In the months ahead, I'll begin the process of looking for a new parish, a new situation in which to try and live out this calling. I've been hoping that this won't be somewhere too comfortable, that I'll find myself in situations where I might begin to bridge the gap between present reality and cherished aspirations.
But if it came to the crunch, I'm very much afraid I might just melt into the background, always smiling a friendly pastoral smile but doing precisely nothing.

Primates notwithstanding

there were some splendid moments yesterday, - mostly grouped around this

We've gone for it in a big way at St M's, and I had such fun handing out smiley booklets to some of the older members of the congregation, who clearly thought that I'd finally lost it, but took one anyway to humour me. Now all they need to do is open it!
It was a success, too, at the Youth Group...with even the cool footballing fringe taking their booklets away cheerfully, and sparked some great conversation around spreading kindness.
The idea is "to inspire you to perform acts of generosity that encourage kindness to ourselves, our neighbours and our planet" via a series of actions, one for each day of Lent. Some will demand very little of us, but one or two may push us beyond our comfort zones,- I certainly hope so, anyway.

Right now, though, I'm quite simply excited at the idea of Ch Kings becoming (even for 6 weeks) the sort of place where people intentionally do positive things for their community. The inside front cover of the booklet shows both of our C of E Archbishops in happier times, endorsing the project
"These actions could seriously affect you and the world you live in"
Wouldn't that be lovely!
You can sign up to have the actions emailed to you, or texted to your mobile too.
Actually, you can't. I got that completely wrong...but if you visit the website, the day's action is there. Apologies for confusion.

I did wonder if it might work for a blogging community, but suspect not - but it would be good to know who else is doing it (if only so I know which of my friends will understand if I turn up on their doorstep with an apple one day next week!),- so do post in the comments if you are going to join in.

Now...what do I have to do today? Ah...make someone laugh . Just had lunch with special friend - lots of laughter there...and another friend is coming over to watch "Life of Brian" tonight, so things are getting off to a good start, and it's not even Shrove Tuesday yet!