Distinctly Askew

Perseverence

2009-06-24T13:43:00.002+01:00

Here's a weird little story. On Monday I had awful hayfever, every year I get it for about a week and it sucks. Anyway, I was lying in bed, bunged up and snotty and Helen asked if she could pray for me. She put her hand on my nose (bold, given the amount of nastiness) and had a little pray. Straight away there was change, exactly one half of my face got completely better! My left sinus stopped hurting and my nose was cleared, the right hand side stayed exactly the same. We were tired so I accepted that as gift from God and went to sleep 50% more comfortable and 50% still blah. Funny.

Since then I've been thinking; why did that happen? Its an experience that's not unique. Often when I pray for people that Jesus would heal them they tell me things immediately get better; not totally but substantially improved. I talked to a friend recently who has been asking God for some big provision too - car MOT, holiday, that kind of thing - and been finding that he's giving them about 1/2 the provision. The rest they have to save for or work for.

Why is that? I don't know. But I have to admit I quite like it. I guess it fits with the weird life we live right now where we are in the kingdom of God and at the same time waiting for it. The trouble is that there is still this gap with what I see in the bible stories (everyone who came to Jesus gets healed, everyone gets what they need in terms of provision) and my experience. Maybe God allows that frustration at times to keep us hungry, to keep us going back and persevering but he also gives enough so that we'd keep hope and keep going.

The only bible story I can think of where this sort of happens are in Mark 8 where Jesus heals the blind guy. First time he puts his hands on the guys eyes and he can see things like trees walking around, second time he does it and the guy can copletely see again. I guess its encouraging that even Jesus had to persevere.

Whatever, I am increasingly confident that God wants to do good things with people, he wants to heal, he wants to provide, he loves. I'm excited I'm starting to see of that happen in my own life and at the same frustrated that its still only partial. I'm going to keep asking him to help me and I'm going to persevere.

Back

2009-06-24T13:21:00.001+01:00

So I think its time to resurrect the blogger Distinctly Askew. As I've thought a bit about my (ahem) web strategy I've realised I actually want 2 different things. 1. Somewhere to share God stories and thoughts with people who are interested in that sort of thing. 2. Somewhere to talk about mucic, shiny things, pretty pictures and genearlly have a bit of a (even bigger ahem) lifestream.

So henceforth (or until I get a different idea) Distinctly Askew Blogger will be strictly Godtastic. I want to get in the habit of writing about the stuff I'm thinking through and would hope some of you out there will talk to me about these ideas. Distinctly Askew Tumblr will continue to be what it is, a messy scrapbook of pics, tweets, links and stuff that excites me. I'll make sure you get a little teaser summary of each of these posts over there but you'll need to click through in order to get the full thing.

Got that? Ok, lets go.

New Year Changes

2009-01-14T07:43:00.001Z

Hello there, happy new year, I hope you had a great Christmas.

So you've probably noticed that blogging has been infrequent here for a while. Other people are making some great changes to their blogs to gear up for 2009. I'm choosing a different path; abandonment.

I've been running a second blog over at tumblr for a while now. It just fits with the whole reason that I blog; which is to have fun sharing things with other people and open up conversations that can spill over into "real life". It also plugs into my other online presences, like flickr and twitter so it works as what geekier types call a life stream, holding all my online activities in one place.

I'm not totally leaving this place. I'll keep the blogger Distinctly Askew going and think I'll probably put up the very occasional, longer post. They'll more than likely become more and more faith based. When I post here, I'll also put up a summary over on the tumblr page too.

Thanks so much to the people that have read the ramblings here, have commented and got involved or said nice things to me. I hope you'll come over to the new place and continue to keep up with things there.

See ya.

Slow Down

2008-12-18T14:02:00.002Z

A little meditation I’ve written for Church on Sunday:

Slow down, Christmas is coming,

don’t worry it will arrive.

The unwritten cards really don’t matter;
you don’t need to fret about presents still to buy.

The office party is all in the past.
The long journey home, on Christmas Eve,
through sleet or fog or freezing rain;

for now, it doesn’t matter.

Forget about Nigella’s, or Jamie’s or Delia’s time plans.
Don’t fret about what you’ll say to Mum, or your uncle, or your brother when you see them,

or about having to be nice for a whole day.

Don’t worry about what you’ve spent so far,
or haven’t bought yet
or whether they’ll like it
or whether they’ll be there.

Don’t worry if this isn’t how your family does Christmas
or if it doesn’t seem right,

or if you just miss them
and this time of year hurts most.

Slow down,
Christmas is coming,

it will all happen soon.

But there is something more.

God loved people like you
so much that he gave his son.

Slow down,

Christmas is coming

Slow down,

stop,

remember.

God loved you
So much that he gave his son.

Celebrate what he’s done.

Form blogs

2008-12-07T20:55:00.000Z

A couple of good blogs from other people involved in Form this year.

Hannah leads some of the student work at St Toms and is also on the team helping lead Form with me. She writes really well, particularly about her experiences with God and Church.

Pete is one of our trainees. I love his blogs name. He goes for a more current affairs/cultural critique approach.

Its cool to see how much people's personalities show in the way they write.

fickle

2008-12-07T20:51:00.000Z

I am properly trying out tumblr now. I really like it, it just seems a bit more fun.

I'll probably keep this blog going too - at least for a bit - for the more thought out things I occasionally do but over there I'll post lots more.

2008-12-03T14:39:00.001Z

I really hope it does snow tomorrow like everyone is saying.

2008-11-15T19:51:00.000Z

After a busy but fun wek its been great to have a couple of days mainly doing Dad type things.

2008-11-12T15:34:00.004Z

You are beautiful!
Pure and simple.

Call + Response

2008-10-22T11:27:00.002+01:00

Is this coming to the UK?
find out more, respond, join.

What can I do?

2008-10-15T16:45:00.006+01:00

So today is blog action day. The idea is that bloggers around the world all post today about poverty.

I thought for quite a bit before I signed up to this. Not because I didn't believe in the idea but I guess because I didn't believe in myself. My hesitation was all down to insecurity. Surely my blog is too insignificant, my readership is too small, who am I to take this on?

To be honest, this is my dilemma whenever I think about some of our worlds big problems like poverty, global inequality, the environment... The issues just seem so big, so complex that anything I do feels tokenistic.

But the more I've thought about it, the more I've realised that my seeming insignificance is a big fat lie. Sure, issues of global trade, debt and justice are massively complicated and I don't pretend to understand them very well. But I can still do something and my little action can be part of a larger change.

I can't help but look at the whole issue from my Christian perspective. The man I follow said that his kingdom was like a mustard seed. It started small but grew big and powerful. Within Jesus' parable lies hope for anyone who has ever wanted to tackle poverty but felt powerless. My little acts of hope, resistance or love can join with other people's and grow.

I'm starting to see myself not as small and insignificant but as powerful and capable. I am not able to bring about transformation on my own, but can be part of conversations, communities and movements that together lead to change.

I thought it might be fun if I turned things over to you now. What are you doing to challenge poverty? Why not tell me your small mustard seed ideas, and be confident that they will grow.
Related article: 88 Ways to DO Something About Poverty Right Now
technorati: blog action day 2008

I

2008-10-10T17:08:00.008+01:00

Katherine tagged me a while ago, I quite like these kind of things so here we go:

I am: spending a few moments on my own.
I think: a great deal.
I know: That sometimes myconvictionscan seem strange and alarming to other people.
I have: a lot to be thankful for.
I wish: Others could see the world the way I do (and maybe vice versa too).
I hate: rice pudding.
I miss: seeing my brothers.
I fear: less than I used to.
I hear: The Portico Quartet.
I smell: Coffee, mmm.
I crave: sweet things.
I search: for stuff I've misplaced with alarming frequency.
I wonder: as much as possible. This world is so amazing.
I regret: losing my mobile.
I love: H and C.
I ache: from cutting the hedge.
I am not: that keen on competitive sport.
I believe: that the creator loves us.
I dance: like a crazed loon.
I sing: often but not very well.
I cry: at the strangest things.
I fight: because sometimes that is the only option.
I win: now and again.
I lose: often but don't let it get to me.
I never: poof read posts quite enuff.
I always: find things take longer than I expected.
I confuse: names, birthdays and codes (but only wihin type, not with each other).
I listen: to radios 1, 3, 4 and 6 but never 2 or 5.
I can usually be found: at home, or at church.
I am scared: very rarely. I used to be afraid about much, the dark, being alone, and most of all what people might think if they saw what I was really like.
I have learnt to do that less.
I need: little. To be honest I'm pretty content right now.
I am happy about: having a fairly chilled out weekend after a very busy month.
I imagine: You'd like to have a go at this yourself, go ahead.

Strange Attractor

2008-10-10T15:56:00.003+01:00

Mercury Rev have a new album out. They've been a band who've always interested me but I've never really got into. I think the album covers have but me off, I mean come on - its not 1970. Anyway things are looking much better cover wise for the 2008 Rev, just a black Rabbit and some nice lettering, and from what I've heard Snowflake Midnight sounds ace too.

Now the Rev have taken a novel approach to using the internet to advertise their wares. On the day Snowflake Midnight came out they released a second companion album for free. Its called Strange Attractor and it is rather lovely; ambient, instrumental, warm and fuzzy.

To get hold of Strange Attractor, and hear some of Snowflake Midnight head over to the official site.

Very eery little film...

2008-10-10T15:39:00.000+01:00

from Banksy 's new Village Petstore and Charcoal Grill in New York. It looks full of unpleasant and strange animals. via Life in the fast lane and Wooster .

Where will life take you?

2008-10-08T10:54:00.002+01:00

I was sent a link to this the other day. Ok, so its just an advert for some fashion label but I still love the feel of it.

The long version is cool too - doesn't have the wording but does get more story-ish.

Celebrate

2008-10-03T15:43:00.002+01:00

It's was our little boy's birthday last week. We had three of his grandparents up over the weekend. On Saturday we did a little trip to the city centre to take in some of Sheffield's many fountains. On Sunday we took a trip to Western Park Museum. For lunch we went to The Milestone in Kelham Island. Its a great place and a lot of their food is organic, seasonal and locally sourced. My roast beef was delicious and even though its quite a trendy, stylish place no-one seemed to be too bothered by two excited shouting kids. He got some great presents; proper boy things like diggers, trains and a ruc-sac.

H had made a helicopter cake for the occassion, one of C's favourite things. Isn't it good.

On his actual birthday he had more presents and some friends round for tea. He can tell us how old he is now, and thinks every package is a present for him.

Hope Explored

2008-10-03T14:23:00.002+01:00

Great little interview with Brian McLaren from Hope Info.

Boredom

2008-09-25T18:18:00.000+01:00

Thanks for the comments. Not sure I'll take a total break from blogging, there are a few things I really want to mention over the next few weeks, but might take a bit of a step back from it for a while. I think I just need a bit of a re-think about it all.

Man

2008-09-18T19:55:00.000+01:00

I'm bored of blogging again. This seems to be happening more and more often. Hmm.

Happy

2008-09-16T21:26:00.001+01:00

I've really enjoyed the first week with our new Form guys. We've got a great bunch of people here to learn with us, representing 8 different nations. It feels a real privilege to be able to lead them this year. I do like my job!

Award

2008-09-10T12:26:00.003+01:00

I'm very pleased the Mercury went to Elbow. They definately deserved it.

2008-09-07T09:04:00.001+01:00

Introducing 29 new Form and Access trainees at church this morning. Very excited!

Esbjörn Svensson Trio

2008-09-06T12:59:00.006+01:00

I read in the paper last week about Esbjörn Svensson's death in a diving accident earlier in the summer. I first heard E.S.T.'s music in a Virgin Megastore in Milan on our honeymoon. I had just been flicking through the cds and was blown away by their spacious, epic, jazz. The Swedish Trio were often called "The Radiohead of Jazz" because of the experimental approach they took to music, mixing elements of rock and electronica with their jazz. It was a lazy term but one that often fitted.

H and I loved them. They were one of a few groups that provided a soundtrack to our married life as it developed. We went to see the trio a few years back in Buxton, it was breathtaking, one of the best gigs I've been to.

The band had just recorded an album, Leucocyte, before Svensson's death. It was released at the beginning of this month and is the last of their groundbreaking recordings.

August to September

2008-09-05T08:04:00.003+01:00

Its a wet September morning and no-one else is up yet, so I thought I'd let you know the things we've been up to this last few of weeks.

Since I got back from Peru it feels like we've been busy! At the end of August we went to Momentum, which is Soul Survivor's festival for people who have grown up a little bit. There were a whole load of us going from Sheffield and it was fun to be with such a big group. We ran a little prayer room based on the Chinese 5 Elements and had an area for each; Earth, Fire, Wood, Water, Metal. People came in during the day to use the room and pray and we finished each night saying Compline together. The folks we talked to seemed to really appreciate it.

It was our wedding anniversary while we were there. Which means I've been married for 7 years to this beautiful lady.

Gerswhin's Piano Concerto in F major, Stravinsky's Rite of Spring and a New Commission by Steven Stucky called Rhapsodies. It was excellent!

After a few more days rest we were back to Sheffield for a smashing end of summer party at the Lovell's and then that was that, August over!

September so far has been all about getting ready for Form. We start this weekend and I think we're just about ready.

2008-09-04T22:00:00.002+01:00

Trying out google chrome after a friends recommendation. Not sure yet. http://ping.fm/t4Ew6