The picture below has been lying on my desk top for a few months. It reminds me of a car that I once owned. Indeed it was the same make and model only it was in black. I used to love running round all the scrapyards looking for spare parts. Alas its all in the past. You know I even bought another car that was an older model and used it for the spare parts. It looks good today all spruced up painted yellow. So what has this picture to day with the title? Nothing I just wanted to post the picture

‘m sorry that I’ve been neglecting the blog. I’ve been writing the
Church without Walls Report for the General Assembly this week and its
taken up quite a bit of my spare time. Later on today we’ll have
visitors from all around Scotland attending a meeting at St Andrew’s to
discuss the internet project that we’re putting together based around
extending SANCTUARY FIRST across Scotland. I’m excited about the
prospects of working with the rigght partners. Tomorrow is all about
helping others grasp the vision but also to leave enough space so that
others who join us feel they have ownership of the idea and feel they
have contributed to the shaping. We are living in really exciting times. there are great
opportunities for more and more of us in Scotland and beyond to network
and share our resources. I’ll post something later tonight about the
meeting.

One other good thing about today – I believe U2s latest album can get downloaded. So I’ll try downloading it later- its bedtime

I’ve been pretty busy recently thinking about the future of Church Without Walls. I’ve been involved in a number of meeting at 121 ( For those not in the know that is the Church of Scotland Central offices), trying to establish the best way forward for the work that was started way back in 2001 when the General Assembly embraced the permission to change the way we do church.

I think the miracle is that we are still around reminding the church of the vision that was set out eight years ago. There are some who think that its time for CWW to come to an end and trust God that the work we have started will be absorbed into the DNA of the church. In many ways that is not a bad ideal, however it is a counsel of perfection and also a counsel of niavity. While some 600 churches have engaged with some of the ideas in the CWW Report few have become transforming centres of worship and renewal.

So we believe we still have a long way to go. However the debate now arises how do we go about influencing the structure of the church in such a way that the church not only talks about CWW in reports but actually lives it out in their structures and even lack of structures. This is the area that we as a Planning group are reflecting upon.

Much of what we are been asked to consider centres around structures and governance that reflects the old order of church. For many Church Without Walls has been all about beyond the structures.Herein lies the dichotomy can you change a structure if you are outside of it? Or will the structure change you because you have become part of it? Or are we part of the structure anyway, and can it be argued that a structure which has allowed CWW is perhaps more flexible than imagined. one thing is for certain I sure we;re going to have to do a lot of trusting God and each other over the next few months. maybe that’s not a bad place to be.

Here I am back on the blog again. I’ve been finding it more difficult to get back into the habit of regular posting but I am now full of good intentions.

I went to see “Slumdog Millionaire” last night I thought is was quite an outstanding film. It was well put together and the music was excellent. It reminded me of my visits to India and the challenges that face so many people throughout the world. Many of the children playing on the rubbish dumps, could equally be Peruvian street boys. Got me thinking that every nation has their underclass. Danny Boyle made a good job of exposing the Edinburgh drug scene with ‘Train Spotting” back in the nineties.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAHI3bH0rbc

. In “Slumdog Millionaire” once again you have a film that doesn’t take prisoners. Your left facing the reality that many children around the world live with everyday. Even here in our so called enlightened Scotland children are facing up to the fact that their future happiness may depend on a lottery ticket. What i liked about this film is that the hero Jamal is not motivated by money. Indeed there are a number of quite powerful moments in the film. While under questioning he breaks the stereotypes that so many hold regarding a street boy from the slums. this boy tells the truth and it is the truth that eventually sets him free. It interesting that freedom is the quest of the Ewan McGregor in “Trainspotting”

Here are some pictures reflecting the preparations that were going on this afternoon to get ready for the Sanctuary First Service. Some of the musicians internet on getting things right. You can see the whole service as a download fro www.standonline.org.uk It should be up on the server by tomorrow late afternoon.

Going to worship is like going to the dentist.

Two Talking silhouette heads facing each other ….
Reader 1 says…

Don’t mean to be rude
But I’mmmm…
kind a
struggling here !
I’m trying to work out
Why God wants us
To worship him
Reader 2 says
Oh I heard a sermon about that topic
I thought it was good
Well, maybe not good
You know what I mean.
it made sense
at the time

Reader 1 says
Aye your right
I think most sermons are not good.
Reader 2 says…
No No you’ve got me wrong
I was meaning
Sermons aren’t here to be
classed as good or bad
they’re there to make you think
Reader 1
You mean sleep!

Reader 2
Look anyway
I’ve forgotten the point of the sernon
You know , the one about
Why God wants us to worship him.
Reader 1 Says
Well I’m still looking for an answer
Do you not think its a bit
OTT if you were God
to expect people to worship you?
Does it not make God look
A bit big headed?
I mean
Do you not expect God to be humble

Reader 2
Okay, I’m not sure about all this
But you know what?
I think God wants us to worship him
because its good for us.
Reader 1
You mean singing hymns and saying prayers
is good for you – Like taking medicine?
You don’t know how uncomfortable I feel in Church
I get restless edgy and irritated I can’t wait to get out
So if that’s worship its not good for me.
Reader 2
But maybe worship is more to do with attitude than
simply action.
Maybe God wants us to bring something of ourselves
Even the bad stuff
the agitation
the restlessness
maybe that’s more deeper worship than you think
And perhaps
worship is more about
struggle
pain
and even doubt

Reader 1
You mean facing our demons
Like confronting our demons in worship.

Reader 2
Yeah!
I think your right
We can have our demons playing about with our heads in worship
But you know what
When we face up to them
they flee
Maybe we all need to worship
using different expressions
Paint a picture
Listen in silence
Make a dance movement
Perhaps just change a mindset.

Reader 1
Funny you should say something like that
See when I dance
I feel free
Something inside me
says this is what you were made for.
Reader 2
Well I never put you down as a dancer
maybe you need to connect your dancing
with worship. Worship Its about expressing your gratitude
to God for all you have and are.
Its about taking you out of yourself
Into the heart of God

Reader 1
So its not about church buildings and hymns
Your saying its all about relationsips
Well I could maybe rethink my position

Reprise – which eventually fades out as they walk away off stage
Reader 1
How did you do that
Reader 2
Do what
Reader 1
Change my mindset
Reader 2
Nothing to do with me
Reader 1
I bet you church will be as boring as ever
it never works for me.

I appreciate the comments made by Michelle about the last post. Here is an extract from the sermon I’m going to preach tomorrow. If you like you can listen in on the internet at www.standonline.org.uk we stream our services out every Sunday 10.30 and 6.30 tomorrow eveni is an alternative style service andit starts at 7.00pm

THE LOST GENERATION

This morning I’d like to talk a bit about this lost and wayward son because in reality he is everyman and every woman. I think we are all looking for direction and meaning in our lives. Very often this story is told in such a way to represent the lost sinner looking to find his way back to God. But for some it is a story of alienation from God. God seems distant and uninterested in their situation. But they also feel distant and uninterested in God because they have a wrong notion of the Character and attributes of God. Sometime we are alienated from God because of the actions of others. And the way others have described God to us. Is it just possible that many who are rejecting God are rejecting something that is indeed a lie in any case. they are rejecting a false concept of God.

UNDERSTANDING OUR CONDITION

The story of the lost generation is the story of classic mess and distrust of hurt rebellion and fear. And if we were being honest it is a story that represents part of all our lives.

The longer I’m a minister the more I realise that the church is not for good people – we are a community open to embrace the lost the broken the lonely the sad the proud the fearless the fearful the arrogant and I could go on.

THIS IS WHAT A CHURCH WITHOUT WALLS IS ALL ABOUT . IT IS ABOUT A PLACE WHERE LOST PEOPLE CAN DISCOVER THEIR CONNECTION> WE HAVE NO WALLS THAT EXCLUDE PEOPLE – WE ONLY OFFER A TOUCHING PLACE THAT CONNECTS PEOPLE>

So what o earth is the touching place? I have come to the conclusion that God has created us all with an inbuilt homing device. There is something in the nature of God and his home that never leaves us. We may be lost but we remember, smells, feelings, and attitudes in people that remind us of HOME God’s Kingdom home.

However we have too often blanked out the strains of home with the fear of our present situation. In doing so we lose the one thing that would save us our spiritual survival kit… to hear more listen tomorrow or download the podcast from www.standonline.org.uk.