Ok, I need to hear from you all. Does anyone else ever have this experience when they are reading the Bible? These days I frequently read passages which I am familiar with and which I know ought to make sense, and find myself thinking “Yes..but… what does it actually mean?”

The gospel of grace is brutally devalued when Christians maintain that the transcendent God can only be properly honoured and respected by denying the goodness and the truth and the beauty of the things of this world
Brennan Manning “The Ragamuffin Gospel”

“Counselling in Context: Developing a Theological Framework”
by Francis Bridger & David Atkinson

Hi Folk, have just started reading Francis Bridger and David Atkinson’s book, a few months after completing a diploma in Person-Centred counselling, I’ve put off reading this critical book, as know they were going to have a pop at some of my hero’s, however, as a very serious and thoughtful book I had to have a look.

the authors are concerned about how church pastoral work has let go of the historical traditions, and taken up with ideas from 20th cent influences like Freud (dread the thought!), however, they look at details of contemporary writers in pastoral ministry, and I’m now enjoying reading this book.

It was a bit of a blow, having slogged away to train my counselling skills, to then read about the damage counselling can do, however you don’t need to spend long in counselling to see some of the ego trips counsellors slip into, and want to ask some questions.

has anyone else read this book?, or another in the same field?, I’m going to read ‘The Beautiful Risk: A New Psychology of Loving and Being Loved’ by James H. Olthuis, when I can get a copy.

am wondering if this post is a bit out of place on this blog, but know there’s a few philosophers and ministers writing on here occasionally, and I do think it’s an important aspect of church life to discuss, so very much hope to get some interesting comments.

I understand there’s an Ignatian practice of reviewing the day, as though sitting there with God and watching the day unfold in retrospect, I try to do this and am just struck by the comic extremes of city life, and my sense of lostness and exhaustion, but hey, I’d love to hear a little about other people’s days.

today I met an organic food seller who tried to persuade me to buy a joint of pork, it looked good, but when could I cook? Then at work a women tried to ask me for a leaflet on depression, I tried and tried to get someone to find me one to give her, I tried to make sense of the discordant laughter of the staff and desperation of the patients. Into the evening my faith slipped, as I looked with fear and rage at the dreams slipping through my fingers. I phoned my folks as Mum has been unwell, Dad was stressed as she’d been ranting and raving at him - ‘Mum, please don’t have a go at Dad!’, ‘Oh darling, I’ve got to go, …..’ she hates people not being completely on her side. As I wobbled through despair and frustration I tried to read the Sacred Space page - ‘Teach me to slow down, to be still and enjoy the pleasures created for me.’ enough energy left just to eat some tea - and celebrate the flavour.

just wondering how other people’s days have been

Saw this link on Jonny Bakers blog- go and have a look at it.

http://www.chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?icl=7 

 It is very sobering, and quite shocking. I’d be interested to know what you think.  

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death

and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!  

So, Easter is over, and tomorrow everyone goes back to work. Here’s a lovely tradition from the Orthodox church that I thought I would share with you. I phoned an orthodox friend a couple of days after Easter one year. He answered the phone  ‘Christ is risen!’ I was a little taken aback by the exuberance of the greeting, and after responding rather hesitantly ‘er..He is risen indeed’,  I wondered if he knew it was me calling him. No, he assured me, that was how they answered the phone to everyone! For forty days after Easter, it is traditional to greet one another with the words ‘Christ is risen!’ It is a continuing reminder of the joy of Easter, which is not just about one day, but about the ongoing redemption of the whole of creation.

by Sonia Mainstone-Cotton

This is the last week of our lent blog; my theme is Hope.

The final part of the Easter story tells us about Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. For me this part of the story is full of hope. God has sacrificed his only son so that we can be saved, and then Jesus rises from the dead, so that we can one day be with him in paradise. So many of our recent conversations on the blog have been around how we inadequately prepare ourselves for Easter and spending time with God. For me the hope of this story is that Jesus died for each one of us, just as we are, accepting us fully.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” Rev 21

I remember vividly the preparations for my wedding, although it is almost ten years ago. As someone who forgets to brush her hair before leaving the house as often as not, it was an unusual experience to spend a whole morning being prepared, by my long suffering friend Diane, to greet my bridegroom. My hair was put in rollers, my nails painted, my make up expertly applied (for once!). Every detail was attended to until finally it was time to step into my gown and make the journey to the church. And although I fidgeted like mad throughout the procedure, the time was not wasted. By the time I left the house, I felt confident that I looked my best for the man I loved.

by Mark Roques

During the Lent period it can be an excellent discipline to allow yourself to be challenged by someone from a tradition that you might find strange or even off-putting. George Muller (1805-189 was a founder of the Open Brethren tradition. For many that smacks of a rather conservative brand of evangelicalism and yet the Prussian geezer’s life is rather astonishing.  Consider the well-established facts. He set up an orphanage in Bristol and cared for a staggering number of orphans (10,024). He fed, clothed and educated these orphans in an incredible way. And yet he never asked anyone for a penny! He prayed that God would provide the accommodation, grub, clothes, condiments and cash. Consider the following vignette.

One morning the plates and cups and bowls were empty. There was no food in the larder and no money to buy food. The children were standing waiting for their breakfast when Muller began speaking in his thick German accent:

“Children, you know we must be in time for school.” Lifting his hand he said, “Dear Father, we thank Thee for what Thou art going to give us to eat.” There was a knock on the door.

by Charlie Inskip

The desert can be an extremely frightening place to be if you’re alone. The idea of being lost and unable to find your way out is always at the back of your mind. No map accurately leads you without the use of sophisticated technology such as GPS, and there are no constant landmarks you can point to. You grow afraid of the quenchless thirst that strikes in the midday heat, the chill that hits you as the sun goes down.
But although the desert is a strange place, the longer you spend in it, the more you become accustomed to the wide open expanse. You see the world in a new way, devoid of time and space as you traditionally know it. The night sky fills you anew with awe, the dunes come and go with the wind. And all at once it’s exhilarating – you’re exposed to nature and free from the constraints of the rest of your life.
In Bahrain, in the middle of the desert, stands the Tree of Life. The 400 year old tree stands alone, and its source of water a mystery as there is none in the area.

At Lent we are reminded of the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness. Matthew 4 tells us of how he was tempted, and yet he found the strength to resist.

How hard it is for us to resist the temptations in our own lives. All too often we struggle with difficulties, alone in our own wasteland, and we give up on our resolve. And yet, occasionally, we find the strength to resist. We find a source of help that, like the water for Bahrain’s Tree of Life, can feel like a mystery.

This lent, let us not be afraid of being in the wilderness, but embrace it.