Simon Says ...

Back from holiday - ten days walking the beautiful Cornish coast. We reckon to have done about 100 miles from the Devon-Cornwall border to Hayle. That's a good chunk of walking. Me at the start Porthcothan at sunset We had some glorious weather, and when it wasn't glorious it was at least kind. We never walked in heavy rain, so that was OK. And the scenery was magnificent. We also discovered that Buffy is wrong - the Hell mouth isn't in Sunnydale, California - it's on the north Cornwall coast. There's even a cafe at which we stopped for a hot chocolate (' Marshmallows with that, Mr Lucifer? Yes, terrible weather for Hell at this time of year '). The first few days were hard work, both because we were less fit and because the terrain was hard (lots of steep up and down). Most of our energies, mental and physical, went into putting one foot in front of the other. That was just what we needed - an enforced shutdown and lots of sleep. Oh, and I did my...

This morning we were in York, having had a lovely weekend with friends. It culminated this morning in the baptism of the two children of friends. It was a really special occasion, a lovely service and a fantastic occasion. Jacky and I are godparents (one to each of the newly baptised) and I preached (not too badly). Joy was very much the note of the day. But this evening there were tears. Kathy, a friend and member of the congregation, died very suddenly on Wednesday night. This evening there were prayers and time to remember Kathy in church. There is still no explanation for her death. We last saw Kathy on Monday at Greenbelt. She came bounding over and gave me a huge hug. She was full of stories about her trip to Uganda. Kathy was full of life, that's the phrase on lots of people's lips at the moment. Kathy was in Edinburgh with us for the Make Poverty History march. We have a photo of her with a pair of MPH pants on her head. I'd like to say something profo...

Back from Greenbelt, if not recovered from the sleep deprivation. (The great thing about going without the youth group is that this year I was one of those getting told to shut up at 2.30am!.) Having resisted the urge to blog at Greenbelt ( four times, Paul? What else did you do? :) ), I'll try to get my reflections in now. Some highlights (in no particular order): David Ford and Micheal O'Siadhail ( pronounced Mee-Hawl O-Sheel ) - superb pair of talks from a theologian and a poet, which restored some of my vision. Well worth downloading from the Greenbelt website ! Holy Ground - a fantastic piece of art . Shoes and stories from around the world. Apparently I am a 'hard Christian' because I wear DMs! New Forms 2 - installation worship that has given me ideas. I particularly enjoyed the gazebo hung with pictures and quotations about Jesus. The Organic Beer Tent - words cannot express... Cricket - What a fantastic test match. A cheer went up around Greenbelt...

Now with this wonderful guide from the Cartoon Blog ! See you there?

No, not science fiction, but an offering from The Onion (an online magazine that proves some Americans, at least, get irony). Thanks to Tim for this story, which is that Evangelical Scientists Refute Gravity With New 'Intelligent Falling' Theory . For all those who've ever met with willful ignorance ...

Last night the Bluffer's Guide did the end of the world. And in putting it together I had a close look at the theology of the Rapture - the belief that when Jesus returns Christians will be taken up into heaven and spared the messy business of God's judgement. If you want to find out what I think of that, then look at the virtual theology site which should have the sixth talk up soon(ish). But in looking at that, I started to come up with a different take on it. Most proponents of the Rapture are American, and have a very America-centered view of the world. Take, for instance, the Rapture Index . This site is dedicated to working out how close we are to the Rapture, but looking at world affairs and putting them in Biblical categories. The role America plays in this is very odd. when talking about 'moral standards' it is very focussed on America. So the site suggests that since 'gay marry [ sic .] supporters lose every major political vote', this categor...

For those who like brief summaries of Biblical teaching, here is St Paul's letter to the Romans in one sentence: We're all in the same boat, but it's a Jewish boat. Funny what comes to me in Bible studies.

The latest Bluffer's Guide (Why bother with the church?) is now up on the virtualtheology site. It features one of the least effective wayside pulpits ever, a Bible study on Ephesians, and a risk to my marriage. Check it out (it's a large mp3 file, so you'll need broadband).

Let it never be said that I don't do requests. I have been tagged by a very old friend who gives her reason for including me 'so that he can be frivolous on his blog'. As if Thought for the Day on Radio Bristol wasn't enough! I don't normally do these things, so for the first (and probably last time) bring on the stupid questions. Three things you like about yourself My hair My patience My hairy toes Three physical things you don’t like about yourself The effects of beer and chocolate on my waistline The soles of my feet er, that's it Three things that scare you Newcastle United The Church of England Cybermen Three of your everyday essentials Books My wife Boots Three things you are wearing now A clerical shirt (I'm going visiting later) Boots Trousers Three of your favorite bands or musical artists U2 JS Bach Marillion Things you want in a relationship Equality Loyalty Dinner Two truths and a lie At some point in the next year I have to find a new job In...

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.