tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54728322011-09-11T13:08:22.886+01:00Adventures in following a call to be a human being, a father, a husband, a Christian, a priest and a theologian (in something like that order)simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.comBlogger2731100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-52454584165599833722010-12-14T10:31:00.003Z2010-12-14T10:35:00.301Z

Tonight. 8pm. The Undercroft, St Mary Redcliffe.Incarnation; Virgin Births; happy sins; and Christmas carols.Many thanks again to Marc for the picture.

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-22116827443691192702010-12-07T12:19:00.004Z2010-12-07T12:22:41.382Z

Tonight. 8pm. The Undercroft, St Mary Redcliffe.Reaching the parts of Christmas most carol services leave alone.Many thanks to Marc for the picture.

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-60622061903799399642010-11-17T15:42:00.003Z2010-11-17T15:46:11.261Z

We are celebrating the return of our newly restored pipe organ on Sunday. Two prayers I have written for the event:<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-22215190421536488642010-11-16T23:12:00.004Z2010-11-17T00:05:31.321Z

There is a lot being written at the moment about the proposed Anglican Covenant, not least because it is going to be discussed by the General Synod of the Church of England next week. Whilst not being totally against the idea of a Covenant - I am persuadable that something like it could be helpful - I am skeptical about this Covenant at the present moment. Some reasons:1. It does not address the

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-73208619697845079812010-11-11T00:06:00.002Z2010-11-11T14:14:40.933Z

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simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-29308917513839419832010-11-10T21:54:00.005Z2010-11-11T00:23:02.782Z

Silence is one of the important elements of my life, especially my spiritual life (whatever that is). So here are some more or less random reflections on why I find silence valuable:Silence is listening carefully and patiently for the voice of GodSilence is opening myself to the love, call and judgement of GodSilence is the best way of expressing the otherness (the holiness) of GodSilence is

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-4240138115814625432010-11-04T09:36:00.001Z2010-11-04T09:39:07.974Z

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simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-58200693549512050992010-10-20T22:07:00.003+01:002010-10-20T23:24:11.995+01:00

This evening we hosted a Taize service at church. About 50 people came, and it was a really refreshing change to be in the older half of the congregation!We were also fortunate to have Brother Paolo from the Taize Community with us. He gave a little encouragement on prayer and praying to begin with. Much of it chimed with my experience. Prayer, he said, is not something we can get better at.

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-4561006222939793312010-10-18T22:02:00.005+01:002010-10-18T22:11:52.431+01:00

Three of this years series of the Bible in an Hour are now available for downloading from virtualtheology.net.There's Job;John;and Jonah.Just James (pun intended) to go.Thanks to Paul for technical assistance (and the Noel Coward quotation)!

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-7553435747227774232010-10-14T09:31:00.003+01:002010-10-14T11:59:53.581+01:00

Pinned up on the noticeboard above my desk is this picture of Edvard Munch's 'The Sun' (nicked from the Boy's Cbeebies Art Magazine, I'm afraid to say). It was painted in 1912 as a mural at Oslo University.Munch's life is almost a catalogue of pain. He lost his mother and his sister when he was a child. He was something of a depressive, suffering a breakdown. He lived through two world wars

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-48066052949814607732010-10-13T09:03:00.003+01:002010-10-13T09:07:11.207+01:00

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-71421696977635038102010-10-12T11:54:00.005+01:002010-10-12T12:24:48.618+01:00

It was a great pleasure to spend tea-time of my day off yesterday at a service of blessing for a new school building. There were awards - Head Teachers gold certificates for the staff closely involved and for the contractors. I am the proud bearer of a Values in Practice pencil, given to Governors who had been involved in the project for putting our values into practice.Bristol City Council are

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-27370424509497731962010-10-08T11:44:00.003+01:002010-10-08T13:04:13.326+01:00

I've had a lot of conversations and encounters this week that have left me reflecting on space. There was a conversation about Lectio Divina, reflecting on how being strict with the method of doing this enabled participation. There was a question with a confirmation group about the rules for consumption of the elements after communion allowed Anglicans to remain united despite differences in

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-68975585711980279132010-10-06T09:31:00.004+01:002010-10-06T10:39:24.680+01:00

There's a fantastic piece on the Ekklesia blog by John Heathershaw called "God is in the (political) detail". Mostly about high level political decision making, Heathershaw argues that good intentions in making big decisions are not enough. The focus is mainly on the war in Iraq, and the claims of the likes of Tony Blair and George Bush that they had high motivations and good intentions. In

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-89930969561543517082010-01-09T21:24:00.004Z2010-01-09T21:38:59.755Z

A Chagall painting - the Apocalypse in Lilac - has been re-discovered and bought by a London Jewish gallery.It is one of the few (ten?) paintings by Chagall to feature a Jewish Christ on the cross. A controversial image for both Jews and Christians, but a highly significant one. Chagall is such a joyful painter that these images stand in stark contrast.Painting crucifixes is part of Chagall's

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-59260280208006389632010-01-06T13:05:00.006Z2010-01-06T13:27:52.446Z

Five centimeters of snow here and all has come to a halt. The kids are not at nursery, both today's scheduled meetings are cancelled and I've called off this evening's service.Instead, we've been out and had fun. Footprint patterns, snow angels, a snowman and a snow-dalek now grace our garden. Snowballs have been thrown. All in all lots of fun.Ah, well. Suppose I'd better get on with things.

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-92162401182729672892010-01-02T21:39:00.002Z2010-01-03T21:21:09.901Z

1. New Year, New ... Years Resolutions.I'm rubbish at these, but I do make a few - largely fresh attempts to do things I think I should be doing already.2. New Year, New ... Doctor.I cried at the 10th Doctor's demise. But number 11 (Matt Smith) looks really exciting. Roll on the new series.3. New Year, New ... School.The boy starts school in September. The first stress is waiting to see

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-3683926811900774092009-12-11T13:16:00.003Z2009-12-11T14:19:18.525Z

Finally, the final of the summer's talks is up on line at virtual theology.The Book of Revelation in an hour is now available for download.Many thanks to Paul for overcoming my technical inadequacies and to the many people who've emailed asking about it.

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-73026454629228110302009-12-02T09:49:00.003Z2009-12-02T22:47:13.500Z

Advent started on Sunday, the season of preparation for Christmas. There then follows a struggle for most clergy (and especially for any working here) to keep any sort of Advent in the midst of all the Christmas stuff. It's already started:1. First Nativity Play. This was on Sunday afternoon. It was very good (performed by Bristol Old Vic Theatre School).2. First Christmas Card. Received

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-76159572922994941302009-11-14T23:14:00.004Z2009-11-14T23:28:50.412Z

I collect versions of Leonard Cohen's song 'Halleluia'. Cohen's own version is superb, and there is a fantastic cover of it by Jeff Buckley on his album 'Grace'. I also find Bono's cover of it has really grasped the song. Needless to say the X-Factor cover of it last Christmas was a self-promoting travesty. And, sadly, the version that is on the soundtrack of Shrek is too relentlessly upbeat,

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-17271334793482972012009-10-14T00:28:00.003+01:002009-10-14T00:40:56.675+01:00

An afternoon with English Heritage and a Places of Worship Support Officer. Doesn't sound like the most dynamic event, but in fact it was excellent and even inspiring.This week is the biennial conference of the Greater Churches Group (a name that all-too-easily suggests that there are lesser churches out there somewhere, but shouldn't). The Wikipedia entry for the group describes it as a '

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-12692275818798513042009-10-01T15:33:00.003+01:002009-10-01T15:38:30.407+01:00

Things to do on the penultimate day of September:1. unwrap the last Christmas present (prolonging the pleasure, or just disorganised? You decide)2. make an application for the boy to go to school next year (aka parental-not-really-much-choice-at-all)3. finish summer holiday

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-80427683074428599622009-09-14T00:29:00.004+01:002009-09-14T00:38:34.467+01:00

It was the Sunday School picnic today, and one of the things we did was to make an ark out of junk. It revealed a great deal of talent (not least amongst the adults present!) and was a lot of fun. On our ark at least, elephants were classified as clean animals - there were nearly seven pairs of them!But the fun with our junk ark threw light onto two other arks. The first was this, which

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-51835417709579372992009-09-12T23:36:00.006+01:002009-09-12T23:46:13.045+01:00

Today was Open Doors Day - a day when normally closed buildings across Bristol are opened to the public. We qualify by opening parts of the church that are not normally accessible, like the roof and the bell tower. We also make displays of our vestments and silver and so on. Oh, and we serve tea ...It was a great day, with a lot of hard work put in by all concerned.I had to go out at lunch

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-33336486510645407952009-09-10T00:27:00.003+01:002009-09-10T00:32:31.382+01:00

"Make an elephant" said the boy, dumping a load of the most un-elephantine stuff on the breakfast table in front of me. So one lolly stick, one pipecleaner, two cardboard squares and a fluffy ball later, we had an elephant.And all before morning has any right to begin.

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-81830643656913838272009-09-08T23:36:00.005+01:002009-09-08T23:46:45.561+01:00

Piano art has come to Bristol. All over the city there are pianos simply left and waiting to be used. I've come across two in the past couple of days, and both have been played constantly (and very well). An improvised concert across the city!The artist behind this, Luke Jerram, is based in Bristol, but has only put pianos around Bristol after he's done this in Brazil, Thailand and all over

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-45658081061845920522009-09-02T22:11:00.001+01:002009-09-02T22:12:11.878+01:00

Three steps at nursery and two in our kitchen and suddenly we have a second toddler on our hands!

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1377253631271492172009-09-01T12:54:00.008+01:002009-09-01T13:26:58.248+01:00

So that was Greenbelt - a fantastic weekend of music, worship, talks and hanging out. I never fail to come back from GB with new ideas and resources.This year the theme was 'Standing in the Long Now' - an encouragement to take the long view, and to slow down. There was also a lot made of what seems to be Greenbelt's commitment to the Palestinian people in the midst of the conflict there.Some

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-60470617742683261172009-08-27T09:10:00.002+01:002009-08-27T09:18:20.760+01:00

This post on Heresy Corner should be compulsory reading.It's by Claire Lewis, who provides a disabled person's view of the euthanasia debate that is moving, motivating and challenges the shallow emotivism of most argument around this. She urges that the debate be re-focussed around life rather than death. "I want independence and dignity in life, not to be given drugs to kill myself"Call it

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-75347923743824317612009-08-25T14:00:00.003+01:002009-08-25T14:10:29.186+01:00

Have we reached the end already? Tonight is the final session of the Bible in an Hour and I'm looking at the Revelation to John.I confess that I put this on out of duty rather than joy, but that I've thoroughly enjoyed working on Revelation and want to do more!So come along tonight and find out how Revelation can help make sense of England's ashes win, but not the weather forecast, why Martin

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-82038464643529834012009-08-21T15:52:00.003+01:002009-08-21T16:24:21.209+01:00

A couple of weeks ago The Episcopal Church in America voted to cease their moratorium on ordaining partnered gay people as bishops.This provoked reactions from all over, but most importantly from the Archbishop of Canterbury. As part of his response, the Archbishop speaks of a 'two-track' Anglican Communion. One Track would sign up to the proposed Anglican Covenant. The other Track would not.

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-85102680306613726902009-08-20T12:03:00.003+01:002009-08-20T12:09:13.378+01:00

Last week someone ran into the back of my car. No injuries, just dents to bumpers (actually the car that ran into me came off worse than that). And the driver couldn't have been nicer about it (bar stopping before he hit my car). I went home and made a cup of tea. His insurance company had phoned me to make arrangements for my car to be fixed before I'd finished it.This morning my car was

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-5336216149317510162009-08-19T16:37:00.003+01:002009-08-20T12:11:02.123+01:00

Last night was the penultimate Bible in an Hour and the First letter to the Corinthians (or was it the second?) was the subject.I have to say it was one of my favourites, even if it did last 7 minutes too long.Should be up soon on virtualtheology.net for the interested and hard of sleeping.Hmm, talking about sex when your mother-in-law is in the audience ...Update 20.8.9.All talks are now up on

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-29771564902063278322009-08-14T13:43:00.004+01:002009-08-14T13:55:18.833+01:00

This summer at church we are having a series of talks at our main eucharist aiming to help people to pray. My first offering is a short Daily Office, and I thought I'd share it with you:<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-76129577326557653402009-08-13T11:47:00.004+01:002009-08-13T12:01:57.331+01:00

The letter arrived on Tuesday, just in time for staff meeting - "You have been blessed by a visit from The Mystery Worshipper".I won't pretend we didn't wonder which service had been visited (and I was a bit worried that it would have been when we had to explain our swine flu precautions!).Well, the write-up is now on the Ship of Fools website, and we come out quite well. 8/10 for the service and

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-69974428948234996422009-07-31T13:39:00.004+01:002009-07-31T14:51:59.486+01:00

The first of the Bible in an Hour talks is up as a podcast at virtualtheology.netThe first one is the Whole of the Bible in an hour - well, an hour and 3 minutes.See what you make of it!

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-36980944182152495782009-07-30T16:37:00.004+01:002009-07-30T16:44:45.087+01:00

So much for the "Barbecue Summer" - flooding in the Vicarage and the Parish Office today. So this morning I took my socks and shoes off, rolled up my trouser legs and was bailing out the top floor of the Parish Office. I was just like going for a plodge* in the North Sea - cold and the rain was falling on my head as I did it.Fortunately for your sake there are no photos!* A plodge is a Geordie

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-82808604843887109872009-07-29T10:02:00.002+01:002009-07-29T10:14:27.789+01:00

One of the features of life at St Mary Redcliffe is the fact that we receive a good number of visitors each year. The ministry of hospitality is an important part of our work.A new feature of this is Sacred Bristol. A group of churches (though, as the name suggests, we have left it open for other faith communities to join) with Destination Bristol to produce a leaflet and a trail showing some

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-22917918996878652032009-07-28T09:40:00.002+01:002009-07-28T09:53:13.233+01:00

The Bible in an Hour continues tonight with "The Book of Joshua".In it I will reveal how Joshua dishes out more land than he has to give, how the answer to some fundamentalist readings of the Bible is to read it better and, just because I'm feeling generous, a pacifist take on holy war."The Whole of the Bible" should be up on virtualtheology.net soon, for those who missed it or want a second

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-74481778453901958592009-07-24T14:03:00.006+01:002009-07-24T14:56:31.168+01:00

Working on how to react to the Swine 'Flu pandemic has taken a great deal of my time this week, together with that of other members of the church staff.First came the reading. There was a large document from the government on Faith Communities and Pandemic Flu. Then there was the Church of England's advice (at the beginning of the week) from the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds on the administration

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-49982786283480168712009-06-30T20:33:00.001+01:002009-06-30T20:34:59.535+01:00

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-52590288921759109572009-01-24T20:34:00.003Z2009-01-24T20:54:41.742Z

The BBC has refused permission for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), a group of leading relief agencies, to run their appeal for aid to Gaza.The reasons they give are pretty spurious. Mark Thompson, the Director-General of the BBC, explains all here.First the BBC are worried that they cannot be sure that the aid will get through. Well one would expect the DEC to have considered that

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-18826143431420724762009-01-20T17:59:00.000Z2009-01-23T14:48:05.838Z

Earlier this week I was in Windsor for a consultation on the Ministry of Cathedrals and Greater Churches. It's the first time I've ever had to get past armed guards to get into a church event!As well as the surroundings, which were fantastic (thanks to Graham for taking the photo), and the train journey, an opportunity to read and think, it was a worthwhile trip. We spent most of the time in

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-31477723355302577382009-01-20T17:50:00.003Z2009-01-20T17:59:12.666Z

I'm in Windsor this evening (more of that in a later post), and skived evensong to watch the inaugural address of President Obama. What a preacher! It was a moving moment and a crucial moment for our world. It was good to hear climate change mentioned. It was good to hear the affirmation that values and security should not be but in conflict.It was, frankly, too much to live up to. But the

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-62265105296480150912009-01-15T13:58:00.002Z2009-01-15T14:04:06.880Z

The Organ is on telly! Andrew, our Director of Music, tells it as it is, and some fool wanders around in the church looking up at where an organ may once have been!

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-24880411690407516602009-01-13T16:18:00.005Z2009-01-13T16:25:20.511Z

Today saw the first pieces of the organ start to be removed. It's quite a piece of work!It's also aroused quite a bit of local interest with the radio, television and newspaper all wanting a piece about it.There are about 4500 pipes in our organ. Each has to be removed, restored and replaced. It should take about 18 months, and costs a small fortune.

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-69910010307898940012009-01-10T23:02:00.003Z2009-01-10T23:15:28.944Z

For a short time we have two organs in church (our pipe organ is being removed on Monday so it can be restored). So this evening an assembled choir sang Widor's Mass for choir and two organs as part of a eucharist. What particularly struck me was the role of the great organ. The little organ accompanied the choir and the great organ played parts that threatened to drown out the human voice. It

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-79306218376022611122009-01-09T22:01:00.002Z2009-01-09T22:05:09.448Z

Well, new phone as well so change was enforced.My phone now has the dulcet tones of Lennon and McCartney's 'Here comes the sun' - call it a new year's resolution or just optimism in the cold of winter.And someone may yet be assigned the Imperial March from Star Wars as their own personal tone!

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-72916734969724536322009-01-08T21:42:00.005Z2009-01-08T21:56:59.779Z

So welcome to 2009 (only 10 days late!). Some pictures taken today (playing with a new toy):Bristol harbour is frozen:and Christmas trees are piling up!and I'm back to work tomorrow (no image supplied).

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-52604365718419220672008-08-08T12:25:00.001+01:002008-08-08T12:27:14.666+01:00

Finally, the build-up is over and the Olympic Games begin today. All the concerns and comments about the politics, whether everything would be ready, the pollution, and even the BBC graphics will take second place to the celebration of sport and human achievement. But through all the hype and the preparation, there has been a constant thread of concern about China’s record on human rights.

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-6883335113338576142008-08-05T23:08:00.004+01:002008-12-10T15:28:20.337Z

I found myself looking at some statistics on American attitudes to religion, demonstrating that on the whole the US has an undogmatic approach to religion. You can find them on the marvellously named Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.Indeed, so undogmatic are the Americans that it appears that 21% of atheists , and 55% of agnostics, believe in God. I've looked at this table several times and

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-14604488451827257482008-08-03T13:34:00.001+01:002008-08-03T13:36:07.559+01:00

Loyalty is the work of the week in the Labour Party. More specifically, does David Miliband have any? Loyalty is something that excites deep emotions within us. It creates bonds of friendship and commitment between members of a family, a profession, a group of comrades. Not for nothing did Dante consign traitors, the disloyal, to the deepest ring of hell. But like all virtues, loyalty

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-43880832227633253352008-02-27T13:28:00.004Z2008-02-27T13:34:19.433Z

A Reflection for Compline using Psalm 13.David Runcorn tells the story of being in Church and hearing someone pray to God about a famine in India. It wasn’t the normal sort of intercessions that the congregation was used to: ‘God why on earth do you let this happen? Why don’t you do something about it? How can you let all of those people suffer in that way?’ Runcorn comments that the man

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-39059149153720787662008-02-25T20:55:00.003Z2008-02-25T21:04:40.373Z

We have found a fantastic series of Bible stories for very small children. They are called the First Word Heroes/Heroines, and published by Pupfish. They tell the stories of various heroes or heroines from the Bible in 12 words. Fantastic.My favourite is probably David, whose story goes like this:DavidGoliathShoutStopFindStonesAimThrowSplatFallWinnerHooray!I'm still coming to terms with the

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-41521945515823676632008-02-20T16:29:00.002Z2008-02-20T16:34:51.349Z

At the Eucharist, one of the most important things that we do is we come to meet with God. All worship is offered in the presence of God. We come into God’s presence to make our offerings of praise and thanksgiving and to ask God for help and blessing. Standing behind this is Jesus’ promise that ‘where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them’ (Matthew 18.20). In the

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-19617707397116505162008-02-19T15:11:00.001Z2008-02-19T15:14:30.094Z

A reflection for compline using Psalm 77. Some words from the Psalm we have just said together: ‘You are the God who worked wonders • and declared your power among the peoples’. As we consider the Psalms this Lent, it is worth remembering that the Psalms are the ‘Prayerbook of the Bible’ (Dietrich Bonhoeffer). They are a collection of hymns and prayers that were in regular use in

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-11261119667911117072008-02-09T20:37:00.000Z2008-02-09T21:55:46.431Z

Jesus' temptation in the wilderness is a regular story for reflection at the beginning of Lent. This year I have tried to let my engagement with the telling of the story in Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 4.1-11) guide my Lenten discipline as a preparation for Easter.Some things to note about the story. First, Jesus goes into the wilderness immediately following his baptism, and God's identification

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-24939679074556776992008-01-16T11:17:00.000Z2008-01-16T11:21:41.556Z

This evening will see Bristol’s first ‘state of the city’ debate. Every part of the Council’s discussion can be followed online via webcast. It’s a new experience for Bristol, and one to which all Bristolians have been invited to contribute.Tonight’s debate owes much to the American President’s ‘State of the Union Address’. But there is an important difference in that Bristol has a debate,

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-50137515386169345242008-01-08T16:14:00.000Z2008-01-08T16:20:19.490Z

Whatever you think of Gordon Brown’s idea of a check-up on the NHS, he has his timing right. The New Year is a good time to be looking things over and putting things right. So may I suggest that now is a good time for a spiritual check up, to look at our inner-lives and see if they are working as well as they might? There is an ancient spiritual discipline called the examen that can help

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-87469309022924099712008-01-05T22:13:00.000Z2008-01-05T22:22:27.920Z

'Uncle Simon, were the dinosaurs before or after Adam and Eve?' A good question, that only a six year old could ask.How to respond? Option 1 - 'Well the dinosaurs were creatures that roamed the earth millions of years ago, while Adam and Eve are characters in a story to tell us that God made us, and that we messed up God's good creation. So they're not really before or after the dinosaurs.'This

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-79267086504511674402007-10-31T19:23:00.000Z2007-10-31T19:33:58.675Z

1. What's in a Name.I thought I’d begin this irregular series (also to be found in a certain Parish Magazine) by looking at the different names that the Eucharist has been called. Often these mark out a particular church or tradition or view of the Eucharist, but I think that they all have something to teach us about this act of worship. 1. The Lord’s Supper Calling this act of worship ‘The

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-74392912867150570022007-10-30T19:29:00.001Z2007-10-30T21:40:36.825Z

Year C: Daniel 7.1-3,15-18; Ephesians 1.11-23; Luke 6.20-31.To be frank the Daniel reading has been castrated by the lectionary - only the bare remnants of the vision are left, what remains is aimed only at getting to the punchline about the saints receiving the kingdom and possessing it forever. The struggle of the saints against the beasts has been removed.But it is the kingdom that is at the

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-44338137681030833952007-08-20T14:45:00.000+01:002007-08-20T15:06:40.717+01:00

The 'blurb' on some books can stimulate as many ideas as the content.I'm reading The Redemption, a collection of papers from a 'Redemption Summit'. The papers are on the whole superb, and bursting with ideas. However, on the back there is a quotation from a review of the book: "I would recommend this book highly to all involved professionally in the study of redemption".Who, I wonder, does this

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-39718662084293759172007-07-04T21:26:00.000+01:002007-07-04T21:37:06.303+01:00

What is good theology?Theology that is organically linked and firmly rooted in the sources and traditions of Christian doctrineTheology that opens those sources and traditions in a new way, or enables fresh insight from themTheology that comes from and sends one back to prayerTheology that is open to and engaged in life, with all its variety and messTheology that is humble, aware that there are

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-16807361630028457032007-06-18T16:43:00.000+01:002007-06-18T16:49:41.796+01:00

I haven't posted recently, largely because I had started to be bored by my own writing. Not good. Simon Says had become a bit of a 'what I did on my holidays' blog, and I'm not really interested in writing like that.So, with thanks to Bruce for helping me renew my ideas, Simon Says will relaunch soon. Expect cosmetic changes over the next couple of weeks and then new content will start once

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-83440423097576553762007-03-07T15:27:00.000Z2007-06-23T22:16:32.275+01:00

"Granted all the weaknesses of the church and the limitations of the ministry as a profession, where can one invest one's life where it can be made more effective in as many directions?"Here is a task that requires the knowledge of a social scientist and the insight and imagination of a poet, the executive talents of a business leader and the mental discipline of a philospher."Reinhold

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1171470659317515162007-02-14T16:23:00.000Z2007-02-14T16:30:59.336Z

This morning was in school presiding at a Eucharist for Valentines day. The students had put the service together brilliantly, including cutting lots of pieces of bread into heart shapes. What a great idea!When it came to the breaking of the bread, all I could think of was the mess in the Anglican Communion at present and how it must break the heart of God.But then, isn't the eucharist the

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1169588752540043272007-01-23T21:33:00.000Z2007-01-23T21:46:51.630Z

I went to hear a paper at the University this evening entitled 'The Apocalypse according to Johnny Cash: Examining the 'Effect' of the book of Revelation on a contemporary apocalyptic writer'. As well as some fine music and lots of humour from YouTube, the paper was examining how we detect the effect of the Bible on the world, and using Cash's The Man Comes Around as a means of doing this. One

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1168600314722754122007-01-12T10:56:00.000Z2007-01-12T11:11:54.893Z

One for Sunday's sermon (on John 2.1-11): A policeman stops a car which is driving erratically. When he approaches the driver, he sees that he's a priest. 'Excuse me Father', says the policeman, 'but have you been drinking?'. 'No', says the priest, 'I only drink water'. The policeman spots an empty wine bottle on the passenger seat and says to the priest 'So why do you have that?'. 'Well I

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1168380706016827722007-01-09T21:52:00.000Z2007-01-09T22:11:46.033Z

Just back from a deanery chapter retreat in Glastonbury, where Christianity nestles between homeopathy and Goddess (at least it did in one bookshop I went into - and that was the one the mentioned Christianity!).We were watching films (or at least long extracts from them) which was both fun and full of insight. On Monday night we watched the Life of Brian which is always entertaining. I seem to

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1168180108629092802007-01-07T14:25:00.000Z2007-01-07T14:28:28.746Z

Eliot's Epiphany poem worked well for us this year - the heating broke down yesterday (Epiphany).Apparently, it's the circuit board and 'these things just don't break'. That'll be why we drove 20 miles for a shower last night.Happy New Year everyone.

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1159128892561985152006-09-24T21:08:00.000+01:002006-09-26T11:31:43.393+01:00

Congrats to Paul who was canonised in a service in Bristol Cathedral this afternoon. His involvement with alternative worship was a crucial part of the 'citation', so it's recognition of the importance of this strand of the church. But 'Revd Canon Dr' is too much of a mouthful, so (since he's been canonised) 'St Paul' it is.Sancte Paule ora pro nobisUPDATENews has reached me of a priest in

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1159049266851271232006-09-23T22:32:00.000+01:002006-09-23T23:07:47.316+01:00

I spent this morning at Diocesan Synod, where the only item of business was a consultation on the future of clergy pensions. Basically, the CofE can't afford to continue with both the current levels of pension provision and the current numbers of stipendiary clergy. It's a hard place to be.But it got me thinking about what it is we're trying to provide. And that takes us to the Parish system.

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1158664535220358602006-09-19T12:13:00.000+01:002006-09-19T12:15:35.233+01:00

At SMR, if the high bulbs go it costs us £11,500 to change them. Apparently we can do them a few at a time for £7,500 ...

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1158065956948902022006-09-12T13:51:00.000+01:002006-09-12T13:59:16.960+01:00

It's back and this time it's heresy!Can you tell a heresiarch from ten paces? Do you have problems distinguishing docetism from donatism? Fancy some conspiracies that Dan Brown hasn’t got to (yet)? Do you just fancy being able to call people ‘heretics’ with authority? Or do you secretly fancy being a heretic yourself? If so, then the Bluffers Guide to Heresy is for you.What exactly is

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1157661142812640762006-09-07T21:12:00.000+01:002006-09-07T21:32:22.846+01:00

I've spent a good deal of this week doing things with the local secondary school. Last term, the deputy head who deals with worship and I decided that to try and fit the whole school into the church for a service at the start of term wouldn't work. So we concocted a plan to do a service a house (about 200 students) at a time.As the summer drew to an end, we found we had to create a service. So

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1157194912075586392006-09-02T11:49:00.000+01:002006-09-02T12:01:52.093+01:00

The internet was supposed to be about freedom and breaking down barriers. Yet censorship, to the level of torture, imprisonment and death, is still to be found in relation to the internet. Bloggers are particularly vulnerable. Unfortunately some of the big companies, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo in particular, have capitulated to the lure of money and are helping governments to do this. Google

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1156957195143725522006-08-30T17:21:00.000+01:002006-08-30T17:59:55.950+01:00

A different experience of Greenbelt this year - much lower key and fitting in around the routine of a certain six week old boy. But still enormous fun. Said six week old was absolutely enraptured by the Poet Laureate, and cooed over by loads of friends (many of whom we only seem to see at Greenbelt these days).Highlights (other than friends) were Michael Symmonds Roberts poetry reading; sitting

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1155996557221916192006-08-19T14:50:00.000+01:002006-08-19T15:09:17.236+01:00

It's been a while coming, but I have finally updated this blog to reflect some changes. most have been around for ages, but I have only now got around to changing my blog.1. Foundation now have a website. Alt.worship on the net; dates and news are available online.2. Some friends are now blogging, and therefore on the sidebar. Welcome to Steve, Jez, Tracy and John.3. Oh, and I became a

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1153121191282186032006-07-17T06:25:00.000+01:002006-07-17T08:26:31.340+01:00

Friday saw CMS bring their excellent Blah tour to Bristol. Featuring Ryan Bloger, an academic from Fuller seminary in the US who specialises in emerging church; Karen Ward, Abbess of the Church of the Apostles in Seattle; Jonny Baker from CMS; Ben Edson from Sanctus1 in Manchester; and loads of folk from Foundation.I was a bit of a grouch, I confess, but a number of things struck me:1. I am

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1152025966980478832006-07-04T16:02:00.000+01:002006-07-04T16:12:47.050+01:00

It seems that a woman has woken up after having a stroke and her Geordie accent has been changed into a mixture of Jamaican, Slovakian and Canadian. (She's widely travelled, at any rate!)It is important to note that Geordie is the only accent for swearing at referees or stupid players who get red cards or try to get their friends sent off. We know all too well the pain of 'forty years of hurt' -

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1150993916469259762006-06-22T17:21:00.000+01:002006-06-22T17:39:33.460+01:00

This is the most staggering story from the BBC news website:Insurers have withdrawn the cover on their virginity taken out by three sisters in the event of the second coming of Christ... The women from Inverness had renewed the policy since 2000. The cover was meant to pay for the cost of bringing up Christ if one of them conceived immaculately. Britishinsurance.com managing director Simon

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1150792885343692122006-06-20T09:30:00.000+01:002006-06-20T09:41:26.083+01:00

No. 1: Teddy Bear Bungee-jumping.This is a traditional part of SMR's Summer Fete, and if nothing else will convince you that ancient buildings are worth keepping, this should. Teddy is attached to the bungee. Then he is hoisted to the top of the building and released. Enormous fun follows, and waiting for him at the bottom is a certificate to say that he did it! 25p well spent, I say. First

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1150534017357556952006-06-17T09:35:00.000+01:002006-06-17T09:46:57.403+01:00

Blogs seem awash with online quizzes. And the worst thing is that they're often reported with great seriousness - I am an emerging Christian; the theologian I am most like is Moltmann; I'm only 23% evangelical, isn't that great?/what happened? (delete as applicable). Come on people, get a life.But finally, a quiz you can believe in - What Dr Who monster are you? The same annoyingly unsubtle

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1149978501172845872006-06-10T23:20:00.000+01:002006-06-10T23:28:21.240+01:00

When you have an eight months pregnant wife and England are playing their first game in the world cup it seems obvious to try and find a pub that is showing the match but that also has a no-smoking area.Finding such a pub, however, is another matter.Several pubs in the center of Bristol advertise outside that they have no-smoking areas. But go inside and ask where it is and you'll be told that

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1149842119559645182006-06-09T09:22:00.000+01:002006-06-09T09:37:53.056+01:00

It started yesterday with a phone call from Radio Bristol - did I mind coming to a school in St George to do my thought for the day, and could I do it on a football theme? Being an obliging chap I did what was asked. A small gathering on a bit of grass behind the school (the glamour!) was the Radio Bristol morning show. They interviewed people with names similar to England footballers and I

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1149514229119143372006-06-05T14:05:00.000+01:002006-06-05T14:32:10.520+01:00

Rush Sunday is an annual event at SMR, but this was my first time. It dates back over 500 years - this was the 512th Rush service. A former Lord Mayor of Bristol left a property, the rent gained from which was to be used for the vicar of SMR (or failing that, the Priest-in-Charge) to preach to the Mayor and Council of Bristol. Originally it was to happen for the three days after Pentecost, but

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1149165708168354072006-06-01T13:28:00.000+01:002006-06-01T13:41:48.253+01:00

This morning we went to an ante-natal class. It was pretty much as I expcted it to be, complete with slightly sheepish looking men tagging along with their partners (for some reason they all seemed to be called Matt).On previous visits the midwives have always appeared very empathetic, caring, sharing, in a slightly wet and occasionally drippy way.* Not so today. Today the physiotherapist

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1148650257659262072006-05-26T14:19:00.000+01:002006-05-26T14:30:57.730+01:00

The only Church of England secondary school in the diocese is right next door to our church, and they make good use of the connection. In the last two days I've led or spoken at two school services.Yesterday was the full school Ascension Day eucharist. The church was packed to the rafters with over 1000 students and teachers. We had a wonderful brass group playing a fanfare to start. Five

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1147944267654663612006-05-18T10:21:00.000+01:002006-05-18T10:24:27.663+01:00

This is probably the best view through a spyhole that I've come across. Can anyone top it?

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1147900567383347782006-05-17T22:06:00.000+01:002006-05-17T22:16:07.413+01:00

One of the difficult things about a new job is learning the new skills and acquiring the new knowledge that you need. More difficult than that is re-learning to do things that I thought I did well. I did, it's just that I can't do them the same way here. Preaching is probably the best example. I was really happy with my preaching style, but it simply doesn't work in a church this size. So

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1146602467026881332006-05-02T21:23:00.000+01:002006-05-02T21:47:52.410+01:00

Bank holiday Monday, and what better way to spend it than ignoring the various chores that need doing and going for a pub lunch and a walk in the sunshine! The good folk of Foundation were there in good numbers, and we wandered in the foothills of the Cotswolds. Stopping only to fly kites, retrace our steps (only once) and wait for one another. Blissful.

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1146236411560117802006-04-28T15:46:00.000+01:002006-04-28T16:00:15.676+01:00

Last night we went to see The Magician's Nephew, performed by some very talented young people. The whole thing was a delight, from the silent movie at the beginning to the radio controlled hamster. The leads were excellent (including one whose hair I could envy!). But the whole cast were superb - during the interval they moved among the audience and stayed in character for the whole time. No

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1145475562277854002006-04-19T20:19:00.000+01:002006-04-19T20:39:22.336+01:00

The Vestry, who look after SMR's investments, meet on the Tuesday after Easter. Normally, the Vestry meetings are like any other committee meeting. But the Easter Vestry is different - much more funny. I'm probably breaking the official secrets act (or SMR's equivalent) by blogging about this, but what the heck ...We all went up to a special room in the rafters of the church, only ever used

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1144876792237421272006-04-09T17:45:00.000+01:002006-04-12T22:19:52.296+01:00

There has been a lot of media excitement about the 'Gospel of Judas' that was discovered about thirty years ago, but which has only just been translated into English and published. You can find details from National Geographic and from the BBC. Steve Tomkins has also written a very sensible article about it. The text of the Gospel of Judas can also be downloaded as a pdf file.Judas is a

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1144257775037368572006-04-05T18:17:00.000+01:002006-04-05T18:22:55.050+01:00

It is reputed that Queen Elizabeth I once described SMR as "the fairest, goodliest and most famous parish church in England." It has adorned the church's literature ever since.That is until today when we had a group of about 60 young people in church to sing a Roger Jones musical, Jerusalem Joy. Around rehearsal and performance, they explored the church. Some wrote in the book we keep open for

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1144162007204965742006-04-04T15:40:00.000+01:002006-04-04T15:46:47.266+01:00

One of the new things I have to get used to here is being verged (or should that be virged?). SMR has vergers, who do very good things looking after the church, preparing for services and many other things besides. During the services, they carry sticks (called wands, I think) and lead the processions. Basically this means that the right people get to the fight places. I'm getting used to the

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1143464280704598212006-03-27T13:56:00.000+01:002006-03-27T14:01:54.236+01:00

Steve is now blogging. His blog is called Frank, which is an excellent name for many reasons (some of which you have to know Steve for!). Steve's a very good man, and his blog should be worth checking out.

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1143288429284130412006-03-25T11:41:00.000Z2006-03-25T12:07:09.310Z

Thanks to Rob (who I could have sworn had goven up alcohol for Lent!) for getting tickets to the Bristol Beer Festival. Great fun - beers to sample, good company and an excellent night out. I was particularly fond of a beer from Durham called White Amarillo.We sampled a few of the beers. The three of us who went had very different methods of choosing beers. Rob poured over the programme

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5472832.post-1143042832752164662006-03-22T15:51:00.000Z2006-03-22T15:53:52.763Z

My keys to the church were all helpfully labelled. But who lives behind this door? And do I want to know what they do there?

simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11353689859677140543noreply@blogger.com2