Simon Says ...

Hooray - I can podcast. I don't even know what they're really about, and I certainly don't use them, but I've just put one up! Over at virtualtheology.net , where this summers must-do lecture course is going on, I've just put up the fourth in our series of talks. Nothing new then, except that this week I've had to do it all myself. Paul , who usually does the techno stuff, is away. But hurrah! I've done it. I'll have to hand back my membership card in the Honourable Company of Luddites! This week, the two small subjects under consideration are the Holy Spirit and the doctrine of the Trinity. All in one session! Give it a spin!

Dr Who mark 10. Coming for Christmas!

Back from a break of about four days. Time to chill out and take a step back from things. Much needed. Back for a frantic Sunday (with visiting missionaries and cancelled youth group barbecues); a thought for the day early this morning; several baptisms to sort out and a funeral tomorrow. Oh and a leak in the roof and a telephone line out of order. Busy, busy, busy... But a needed break, and one which (I hope) will continue to bear fruit as a source of refreshment and time to sort some things out. The summer's work is upon me! PS And I read Harry Potter - one of the best yet and much better than its rather turgid predecessor.

What do you call someone who orders the new HP from Amazon and then is asleep when the postman tries to deliver it? Ah, well. Didn't have time to start reading it until Tuesday anyway!

Last night the Bluffer's Guide did Jesus. Great fun, bit of Bible, bit of doctrine and a room full of people singing heretical songs in the original Greek. It's worth checking out the mp3 of the talk just for that! As usual, the recording of the talk is available online , together with the handouts/outlines (not up yet). This now has a podcast feed for those who go for that. We're trying to make this open access theology, theology available for everyone. Do pass on the link. Check out virtualtheology.net for updates.

On Thursday night, with transport crippled by the bombs, thousands of people in London walked the many miles home. It was quite a sight, people consulting their A to Zs, looking for a way to carry on. Yesterday I watched a parade of Second World War veterans walking to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of the War. It was moving and humbling to see those who had given so much walking in step together. And on Saturday in Bristol a group of people walked around different religious sites, from church to Mosque to Synagogue to Temple to show their solidarity in times of difficulty and their commitment to mutual respect and understanding. Walking is a basic human activity. Walking is not rushed, but makes steady progress towards our destination. Above all, walking allows us to talk to those we meet, rather than rushing past them in a car. Walking allows us to encounter people on our way. It is no accident that the Bible tells us that God walks with us. He does not run with us or dri...

Last night was the first installment of The Bluffer's Guide to Christian Doctrine . We had about 35 people in Bar III, which contains the interiors of the Mauritania ship. Very elegant (with hints of brothel!). Theology teaching with cocktails. We began with a minute of silence as a response to the events in London, and then began a more lighthearted evening. We covered some quite dense material but tried to have some fun as well. The talk is available to down load here . Be warned - it's quite a large file (31 MB). I enjoyed it anyway. It felt a bit rusty (it's been a while since I did any lecturing), but it seemed to be well received. If you download the file and listen to it, do let me know what you think.

Lord, in the face of terror we seek your mercy - be present with those who suffer; comfort those who mourn; strengthen the emergency services and all those who work to help; turn the hearts of those who plan and carry out these acts; for Jesus' sake. Amen. Lord have mercy Christ have mercy Lord have mercy God of love, turn our hearts to your ways; and give us peace. Amen.

Well, Paul and I spent this morning hurriedly trying to find a new venue for some informal theology seminars. Our original venue had pulled out (with good reason) leaving our Thursday kick-off without a home. We've now found one, which could well turn out to be an improvement! God is in the house. So, cue fanfare, Simon Says proudly presents Vitual Theology - theology for everyone. There's an advert for this year's Summer School, The Bluffer's Guide to Christian Doctrine , and after Thursday's launch we hope to podcast the talks. This is either a) very cool indeed or b) exceedingly frightening. Currently the latter is winning. I'm actually very excited about Thursday - it should be great fun. If you're anywhere near Bristol come and play. The scarey bit is the technology. I now co-own a domain name and am shortly to learn how to podcast. Damn him, Paul has got me into this computer stuff. Stay tuned ...

Well, we were there. All 225,000 of us. It took hours just to get onto the route of the march. There were loads of church groups, Islamic Relief, Jewish groups, trades unions, NGOs and thousands of folk who just thought it was important enough to be counted. I rather like the fact that there were more of us in Edinburgh than at Hyde Park! We made a white band around the city centre that began at noon and was still going on when we flew home at 6pm! And of course it was fun. Even Edinburgh Castle entered into the spirit of things and the TARDIS got the campaigning bug. Lots of locals joined in, leading chants from windows over the route and making us feel welcome. There was live music, and we even got to see some of Live8 from London (Macca and U2 play Sgt Pepper - fantastic!). Having seen the press coverage, and heard some interminable crap on the radio about whether it was worthwhile, I find myself remembering that in 1998 I was in Birmingham in a human chain of a mere 70,000...

As refugees from the evil galactic empire, it seems that Jedi knights are being given asylum in Bristol. Yoda, for example, has a job writing signs for Bristol City Council. When job you have none, what comes you must take.