Yes, so I watch Desperate Housewives. So shoot me. It started off being related to a chapter I wrote for a book (sex and the cynics) and also an article online… and then i just carried on watching… escapism at it’s v best!!

any-hoo, the other wk on the show i witnessed a fab model of the church (as in the sunday morning service). yes, really. Lynette decided to start going to church so went along with Bree (presbyterian). Mid-sermon Lynette raised her hand and asked a question related to the sermon: why was there so much suffering in the world. When the minister had given a bit of an answer she asked a couple more questions. Bree was embarrassed and humiliated: “we don’t do that sort of thing at church, she said. Church is for answers, not questions.” “Yes, Lynette replies, but how can you get any answers if you don’t ask questions first?” When Bree apologies to her minister he says he’s always thought church should involve more participation and hoped she’d come again!

I have waffled on about this before, i know, but why are so so many churches stuck with the monologue sermon? Since when did we all want to hear a 20 min lecture on a sunday morning? Now, i’ve actually nothing against a lecture now and then, but just how many other approaches to God’s word we could explore! I like the idea of a short talk (5 mins) then split into discussion groups and feedback afterwards, followed by perhaps another short talk to finish up. Or discussion in pairs even.

Even if we did this slightly more ‘radical’ (though I would rather see it as being normal) learning together just once a month, say, it would be better that nothing. How about having a 4 wk cycle: monologue sermon one wk, prayer the next, small group discussion the next and sharing/testimonies the next? Why are we so hung up on the sunday morning service being just as it’s always been throughout the ages? Tradition is not something to be obeyed… we reserve that honour for God and God alone, don’t we?

it has to be said that ultimately i’m a lot more interested in us ‘being church’ aka the body of christ, than i am with what we do on a sunday morning. it’s how we live as church that’s important. but still, that doesn’t mean sunday mornings have to continue to follow the same pattern for the next trillion years, does it?

come on guys… someone say you’re with me on this…?!
if those desperate housewives can manage it, surely there’s some hope for the rest of us…!!

stage 3 of the tour started today in… Chard… where i live!!

Chard is famous for being the birthplace of powered flight…. and also for the invention of artificial limbs. But today… we had cyclists in tights!

Mark and I volunteered our services and helped our kids’ school take year 5 and 6 to go and see it (about 140 kids!). It was all v exciting… not quite the tour de France (that we saw earlier this year) as pouring with rain but hey… it was groovy.

I especially liked all the police motorbikes… loads of ‘em… reminded me of ‘Chips’ (american police drama of days of olde!)

a couple more piccies here

a very nice lady from CEL sent me some piccies of the generous session I did at GB this year (see previous post for details) and they are here (in one of them it really looks like i’m picking my nose but i like to think i was just giving it a good scratch, but you can judge for yourself!)

i have also just found this piccie from GB 07, generous area, when i interviewed Janey Lee Grace (author and used to be in Wham!).

finally, whilst wandering around flicker i found this piccie of someone with their v fave books balanced on their head, and one of them was dearbob, so am dead chuffed!!