Simon Says ...

1. Advent Calendars are wrong this year - unless you have a special 'youth group made' one that starts on the 27th November. Mine has a remarkable special feature, lots of blank spaces where I didn't finish drawing my pictures! 2. Power cut this morning - hard to miss getting up without heating or lighting! 3. My first Christmas card arrived yesterday - does it count if it's from the Church Commissioners and came with my payslip? 4. The Guardian site has this wonderful article about comedy vicars - it's not like there are any real comedy vicars with ginger ponytails! 5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - the reason God invented youth groups (other than to provide accurate Advent calendars) was so that curates can go and see films and call it work! It even gave me a sermon text (told you it was work) - "the time is coming when you will have to choose between what is easy and what is right". Not sure if it's in the book (or even i

The Church of England bench of bishops have banned the Bible. That's a bit tabloid, but it's true. Today the ban on religious imagery in civil weddings was dropped. The BBC is excitedly telling people that they can now have Robbie Williams' 'Angels' played at their weddings (how religious this is anyway, let the reader decide). But also things like The Prophet , and indeed most English poetry before 1850, had caused problems for this rule. The truth is that it was never a well observed ban anyway. At the last civil wedding I went to the bride entered to 'The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba' and the whole ceremony took place in a country house with pictures illustrating the beatitudes. Another I've attended included a reading of poetry by John Milton, who can hardly be described as secular. The whole non-religious thing was nonsense. So changing the rules was long overdue. And prior to doing so, the government consulted with the Church of England t

It's now official - I am to be the priest-in-charge of what Queen Elizabeth I described as 'The goodliest, fairest and most famous parish church in England' - St Mary Redcliffe Church in Bristol. It is a large church (allegedly the largest parish church in England, at least in floor space), with the third highest spire in England. It also has a maze (more accurately a labyrinth) in the roof. There are loads of tourists, two church schools, a flourishing choir, civic occasions in the church, a large parish with some of the most desirable housing in Bristol along the riverside and some less desirable tower blocks. I'm a little daunted, but hugely excited about what can be done there (as well as what already happens). I fully intend to have some fun there! I'm not sure yet when I will start, but it won't be until the new year. Please pray for me in the months to come.

... began today - the Christmas Charities Fair at church. We bought some cards, in a rather haphazard way, and some bits of rubbish to put in Christmas stockings. I have an ambivalent relationship with this. I know its not exactly environmentally friendly to do it. I know its consumerist and speaks volumes about my spirituality (or lack of it). But there's something quite wonderful about being able to say, those [ name of item omitted in a vain attempt to surprise people at Christmas ] are really hideous - we must buy them for [ name omitted for similar reasons ]!

New Cybermen. New Danger. Can't wait! (Slightly better than silver sprayed moon boots and a big zip up the front of the costume! Will we finally learn why they have handles on their heads?)

Leading Morning Prayer this morning had some unexpected giggles. We read Psalm 150 , and just as I said 'Praise him with trumpet sound', at least two people blew their noses in unison. 'You can praise God in lots of ways Dougal', as Father Ted might have said ...

Really good day at a conference on 'Building a Mission Shaped Church' with Steve Croft who runs Fresh Expressions . There were some great stories, from which I enjoy stealing ideas. There is the church in Norwich which has 're-branded' itself as a Center for Spirituality and runs a course helping people to look at their spirituality. Only at the end do they offer an introduction to Christianity and the Christian tradition of prayer and mysticism. Also the church in Canterbury that runs a mid-week Breakfast club where as well as breakfast there is a discussion of a life-issue which leads into prayer. I think these are being done around the country, so if you get the chance do go! Otherwise check out the Fresh Expressions site and download the training day material . As well as good stories there were good questions arising from the day. How to tell a fresh expression of church from an evangelistic tool; how to deepen discipleship within a fresh expression; how to