Rob Bell :: In Conversation

by | Sep 8, 2009 | Faith, Travel

I was at a couple of Rob Bell’s events at Greenbelt, ‘Drops Like Stars’ and ‘In Conversation’. Despite the huge queues for Drops Like Stars, it was worth it. I knew roughly what he would say, having read the book, but I like watching how he presents things. It’s one of the reasons I enjoy his books so much: he writes the way he speaks.

The ‘In Conversation’ piece was really interesting… I’m interested in what happens when it’s unscripted, when you’re put on the spot and it’s just a dialogue between people rather than a full-on presentation. A couple of things he said stood out for me.

“The point of the church is to break our bodies and pour ourselves out for the healing of the world.”

I’ve heard him speak about this before, but it gets me every time. I wonder what it would look like if we really started to live that out? In so many churches I fear we’ve turned communion back into this religious ritual, rather than it being an everyday occurrence. Wasn’t that the point initially? It’s bread and wine.. it’s whatever you’ve got to hand, that everyone has access to, and it’s not kept just for the religious people. If the Eucharist truly is the Good Gift, what does it mean for us to be a Good Gift to our communities? We become the body, that was broken, and we become the blood, that was poured out. We break ourselves & we pour ourselves out… on their behalf.

“Every little bit of hope you stumble across is real.”

This phrase just grabbed me. Hope is real. Hope is not a myth.

Anyone else there? What did you think?

Here & Now

by | May 18, 2009 | Faith

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about my story, my journey. Chatting with Stewart for the Something Beautiful podcast sparked it a little. I’ve been going back again and again to that list I wrote last year, of the person I want to be.

I’ve been really unsettled today. Something within me has been disquieted. In the busyness of the day, and in the stillness of the night, I’ve been asking God to reveal what it is. And I keep coming back to this:

Community. Relationship.

I fear that I will end up alone. I struggle with intimacy in relationships (of any kind); even though I crave it, when it starts to appear, I get fearful that it won’t last, so I push people away. Crazy, eh? I even start to feel like that in relationships that are really strong. I start to wonder if the friendship will last. I get caught up in wondering if it’ll still be there in a years time that I miss the fact that

it’s

here

now.

I’m learning so much to revel in the now. That I am here, I am alive, now. Enjoy it! Life’s too short. We all screw up, we all have our flaws.

We’re all broken… but God can make all the pieces fit together.

I want this to be a safe space for us… and God knows I’ve bared my soul more than I normally do! If you want to share a bit of your story, feel free to leave a comment, or drop me an email.

Hope is real.

Something Beautiful

by | May 16, 2009 | Faith

Last week I sat down with Stewart Cutler to have a chat for the Something Beautiful podcast. I can’t say I particularly enjoy the sound of my own voice, but I’m fairly happy with the directions our conversation took! The episode went live yesterday, and you can find it here if you’re so inclined!

Congolese Dawn Exhibition

by | Apr 30, 2009 | Faith, Photography, Work

Come along to Offshore Coffee (Gibson St, Glasgow) for a chance to see some photographs from my recent trip to the DRC with the other Christian Aid gappers…

congolese-dawn-flyer-small

Christian Aid Week takes place from May 10 – May 16 this year. Find out more on the website here: www.caweek.org. For more than sixty years Christian Aid has been providing relief to those hit by disaster, helping people help themselves out of poverty and speaking out against injustice. We’re about helping people, regardless of religion or nationality, on the ground and in the corridors of power.

We live in a world that needs miracles
When the days of signs and wonders look
As distant to us as Kinshasa skies.
When God speaks, we expect the earth to quake
When God acts, surely everything changes.
In prayer, in scripture, we see
A time when miracles spit fire and blood
And faith burns like a star
When lives change in a moment
A word, a touch, a breath
And that change changes all.

Do we live in a world without these miracles
Or are we just too close to see?
Our noses pressed up against a masterpiece
That stretches from horizon to horizon
A miracle of subtle complexity:
A voice amidst the gospel chorus
A needle pulling thread
A choice to love someone in need
Paper envelopes that fall like leaves
And all of these, they have a place,
a time, a reason
Small actions that defy expectation.

The earth turns,
Songs are sung and stories told.
And no one notices the glory of God,
As inch by inch
Step by step
The world alters by faith’s miracles.

These resources were written for Christian Aid by Liz Baddaley, Laura Bardwell, Helen Barratt, Pippa Durn, David Hardman and Chris Mead.
© Christian Aid 2009

Denying The Resurrection

by | Apr 6, 2009 | Faith, Words

Without equivocation or hesitation I fully and completely admit that I deny the resurrection of Christ. This is something that anyone who knows me could tell you, and I am not afraid to say it publicly, no matter what some people may think…

I deny the resurrection of Christ every time I do not serve at the feet of the oppressed, each day that I turn my back on the poor; I deny the resurrection of Christ when I close my ears to the cries of the downtrodden and lend my support to an unjust and corrupt system.

However there are moments when I affirm that resurrection, few and far between as they are. I affirm it when I stand up for those who are forced to live on their knees, when I speak for those who have had their tongues torn out, when I cry for those who have no more tears left to shed.

[Pete Rollins]

HT: Holly