Thursday 23 July 2009

Vestry Prayer Ordinary 17 year B

Here's this weeks prayer:-

Ordinary 17.
Readings: John 6 v 1-21; Psalm 14;
Eph 3 v 14-21; 2 Sam 11 v 1-15.

Wonderful; and glorious God from whom we receive life and love everlasting, we ask that you would be real to us today in our time of fellowship.
Help us to bring you the honour and praise that you alone are worthy to receive. Help us to hear your word through our Brother/Sister as they share the good news with us today.
Enable us to rejoice and be glad because we know that we are citizens of an earthly and heavenly realm.
Bless us we pray in Jesus name. Amen

Tuesday 21 July 2009

HYmn tunes - to change or not to change?

Richard Hall over at Connexions has started an interesting conversation around the use of hymn tunes and changing them. A number of folk have commented and this may be a topic I will revisit but I felt I had to comment on the use of the Muppet Show theme music for the hymn 'O Jesus I have promised' which had been suggested. I am sure my wife thinks I have gone mad as I have just downloaded a midi file and sat here singing along to the Muppet them. I think she is worried I might use it at one of our more traditional churches - now there's a tempting thought.

Global Warming - an interesting thought or 17

Thanks to Dave Warnock over at 42 for pointing us in the direction of a fascinating post at No Impact man: What I'd say if I was wrong about Climate Change which I found to be quite unusual in the way it put across the message of a better world through positive action around climate change and the associated issues.
I was as I have already indicated quite sad that the debate last week seemed to go badly awry and ended up almost as an argument. Personally I have not really decided what I think on the whole issue of global warming - looking out of my window as I write this I do not see much evidence and I would say it is more like an October day than July, but I am always willing to listen and absorb information that may be helpful in formulating a viewpoint or opinion and I think this item is really helpful.

Swine Flu - Is it it really that bad?

I suppose like many people I have been following with some interest the story of swine flu and it's growth to 'pandemic' status. I have to say thought I am a little doubtful that is is as bad as the media seem to be painting it and whether we are not into some knee jerk reactions to the whole thing. Where I work we now have hand protection similar to that available in hospitals and we are supposed to use this at regular intervals to protect us from swine flu and we have had to be 'trained' in how to apply it to our hands. While I applaud the responsible approach of my employer I just wonder if it is really necessary or is it just a way for someone to make money out of the whole thing.
The one thing I have said on a number of occasions, and which seems to have been missed or ignored by much of the media are the statistics relating to normal flu and the number of deaths a year from this. The Daily Telegraph featured an article last week in which it said "A normal flu season will kill between 6,000 and 10,000 people, many of them elderly, although more than 20,000 can die in a bad year." While I realise that any death from swine flu is very sad and would be better not to have happened it would seem that it is not quite the pandemic people would have us believe given the facts on normal flu.

Sunday 19 July 2009

I don't believe it!!

There I was sitting in the barber's yesterday morning glancing through the Daily Mail while I waited (it was there paper by the way) when I saw the article that police officers have been allowed, apparently with home office backing a pagan police association. I could not believe what I was reading but then later on Richard Littlejohn takes up the same story.
If you want to read the news item it is here and you can read Richard Littlejohns comments too.
I just wonder if we have gone totally mad in this country or is this just another sign of the ends times?

Something strange going on here.

I can not work it out but I went to my blog and found a couple of posts missing so re-posted the vestry prayer and then when I went to view the blog the posts were back. I really am not going madand posting stuff twice.

Prayer for today

Here is today's vestry prayer which I posted on Thursday but for some reasons has disappeared from the blog.

Ordinary 16.
Readings: Mark 6 v 30-34 + 53-56; Psalm 89 v 20 -37;
Eph 2 v 11- 22; 2 Sam 7 v 1 - 14a.

Lord of the miraculous we gather for worship today acknowledging that we abide in heavenly love and that we have no need to fear.
Help us to remember this Lord as we sing your praise, read your word and bring our prayers to you.
Use your servant N to speak to us today, help us to hear as they bring your word and to act upon that word being doers of the word as well as hearers.
We ask all these things in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Thursday 16 July 2009

Lectionary Prayer Ordinary 16 year B

Ordinary 16.
Readings: Mark 6 v 30-34 + 53-56; Psalm 89 v 20 -37;
Eph 2 v 11- 22; 2 Sam 7 v 1 - 14a.

Lord of the miraculous we gather for worship today acknowledging that we abide in heavenly love and that we have no need to fear.
Help us to remember this Lord as we sing your praise, read your word and bring our prayers to you.
Use your servant N to speak to us today, help us to hear as they bring your word and to act upon that word being doers of the word as well as hearers.
We ask all these things in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Wednesday 15 July 2009

Global Warming

I have posted two posts in the past few days giving some thoughts on this matter and mentioned other places where the debate was ranging but not linked to them as I wasn't really sure how to do this - I have now worked it out I think so here goes with some links for my reader who may wish to go to them and check out the robust discussions.
Methodist Preacher kicked it off and met with a speedy response from Richard Hall over at Connexions with various other people joining the conversation at both of these. Subsequently PamBG and Olive who is our senior blogger have also posted on the topic.There are other posts that have some relation to this but they will be on the sites listed and linked to. Hope these all work and this is helpful.

This is interesting

I have just been to have a look at Liz's lense on Squidoo about becoming a local preacher - well worth having a look at here
I have tried linking to it so hope it works - tried to watch the video on connexions of how to do this but after five minutes waiting for it to load nothing happened you can look here

Tuesday 14 July 2009

A few thoughts on my previous post.

Well the robust conversation on global warming/climate changes continues elsewhere and my last post generated some comment which has made me think I need to re-visit this to make clear some things that I may not have made clear.
I have to say that I have not read what the President of Conference said on this issue (I await this weeks Recorder)and have only picked up on the debate via the blogs that I visit.
I made some observations yesterday that were to a great extent in a very generalised vein with the hope of putting forward the way I see and understand the range of responses to the issues, and certainly the types of things I hear when I talk to people or when certain topics come up in conversation either in the workplace or at church. I used the word overzealous in respect of some of the people who put forward a view on this and again in very general terms many other topics. I wish to make it abundantly clear that if I had been referring to other bloggers I would have taken the step of saying I believe that blogger X is going over the top. (Sorry if you think you are blogger X)
I try very hard in posts like yesterdays to be a little bit of a peacekeeper, reading all the comments, going away and looking up words and phrases that I may not know or understand and then endeavouring to bring a common sense approach to topics. I thought I had achieved this without actually suggesting that any person or persons fitted into any of the four categories, the reality is that away from the blogosphere I know people that fit all four of the categories that I mentioned yesterday and it may be that fellow bloggers recognise themselves in one or other of the categories.
I have to say again that I do believe this is an important issue and while the readership of the various blogs may be reasonably small, and the robust debate that is taking place may not make the national news, it really does bother me that the whole things seems to have degenerated into the style of a playground argument with name calling and almost the 'if you don't let me play I will take my ball home' mentality. I am concerned too that a casual reader who stumbles across this type of debate on 'Christian' blogs may end up with a view of us that really is not true.
Come on guys (and gals) let's talk about things reasonably and as St Paul urges in Colossians 'Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful'.

Monday 13 July 2009

A few thoughts on Global Warming

I have watched the debate on a number of blogs around this topic with much interest and sense that there is quite a battle raging between two camps so to speak - in one corner the 'believers' and in the other what I have seen referred to as the 'deniers'. (I do understand the more serious connotation of this word)
I think that the issue of global warming/climate change is an important one that needs serious exploration and consideration by all of us and I am daring again to put forward some thoughts, even thought the last time I did I felt I was taken to task for having the temerity to do so. Please bear in mind when reading these thoughts that I do not have the benefit of the education some of the other people commenting on this subject have, I do not speak or read Latin with the exception of the odd phrase such as 'Nil Desperandum'and I think I am still in touch with a wide range of thinking from a diverse range of people on what some of the major issues of the day are. Sadly for many people this is a fairly low priority issue and they don’t even recycle saying it is a waste of time because it is all ending up in a mountain somewhere.
I often read or hear that there are two sides to every coin, and, while I have some sympathy with that I think there are more than two sides to this particular coin, or at least more than two viewpoints.
There are those people who believe wholeheartedly that there is a serious problem in respect of global warming climate change and are doing all they can to spread the message. One of the difficulties with this I believe is that some of them are overzealous in their propagation of the message and just get up other peoples nose. Unfortunately this is reflected in many other areas of life, and regrettably sometimes results in other people being turned off.
There are those people who adopt the opposite view, everything is ok, the climate changes naturally, and we have nothing to fear. Some will take that a little further and add that we have nothing to fear because God is in control. I wouldn’t argue with that concept but would perhaps quote the hymn ‘God in his love for us lent us this planet’ and suggest this could become a real basis for guiding our thinking about the range of issues involved in the whole global warming/ climate change scenario.
There are then what I call the middle groups and sadly I think there are two of them: The first one is the group of people who are genuinely concerned about a whole range of issues including this one, but they don’t really understand it and certainly in my experience many of them don’t understand the science or trust the scientists given that experience would say that scientists often change their mind. I suspect that many in this group just amble along thinking they ought to do something but not really sure what and possibly saying to themselves we’ll do something when the Americans or the Chinese or whoever do something.
The second middle group are what I would call the ‘So what’ group – the people who seem to have no interest in anything other than their own world and have no interest or care for anyone else’s. They will include the folk I mentioned elsewhere last week who are perhaps my age and older who hear terrible predictions of what will happen at some point in history 50 years from now and will respond by saying something like ‘Why should I worry? I won’t be around then.’ Yes I know some will see this as a cop out but believe me in the real world where I live, work and worship there are people who adopt this type of attitude.
Now I realise that this post doesn’t come up with any great pearls of wisdom and is probably fairly lightweight compared to some of the other posts that have gone on in the last few days on this topic, but what I will say is that this is how I see it as an fairly typical, working/middle class, family man living and working in a multi cultural area with many contacts from all over the world, including many in my own church who have come to Britain seeking sanctuary from some really dreadful situations.
What I will say however and I suspect it may get some comments is that the fervour that has been evident on some other posts and comments in the last few days has in my opinion done little to further the cause from either side of the coin. A more reasonable and balanced approach may well have swayed many people in one way or another but in reality I suspect that many will have been turned off by the apparent point scoring that has gone on.
I am reminded that my mother used to say that there were two topics you should never discuss at work and they were politics and religion I am beginning to think I should add a third ‘Global Warming’
I leave you with that thought and say that I used to think my Mother talked rubbish a lot of the time but now I realise how absolutely smack on she was on a whole range of issues – maybe she would have had some interesting comment to make on this one.

Wednesday 8 July 2009

Is it just me?

I have been very frustrated the past couple of days as I have tried to leave comments on a number of blogs and not been able to. Is it just me or is it anybody else.
I wanted to comment on the report about housing allocation and wrote a lengthy comment which I could not post and now the moment has gone (connexions)
I wanted to comment on the piece about global warming and use of the word sin for those who don't recycle etc. (Methodist Preacher)
I wanted to say well done to Liz over at Preaching with a purpose and wrote a fairly lengthy piece which again I was not able to post.
I think I have sorted the problem out so watch out just when you least expect me I might pop up again.,
Incidentally have a look at Preaching with a purpose and give Liz some encouragement.

Tuesday 7 July 2009

Vestry Prayer Ordinary 15 Year B

Ordinary 15.
Readings: Mark 6 v 14-29; Psalm 24;
Eph 1 v 3-14; 2 Sam 6 v 1-5 + 12b-19.

God of peace, the peace that passes all understanding be in our time of fellowship today.
May your peace flow like a river into our souls and help us to worship and praise you, making way for the king of kings to appear to us in splendour.
Bless each one gathered here today and your servant N as they bring you word to us. May it be a word that speaks to us, encourages us, strengthens us and calms us.
Grant all this in Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.