New blog

Yes, I know there's been very little published on this blog over the last couple of years. But this serves to formally notify my faithful readers (both of them) that any future content will be found here.

On being a student

Some advice to his colleagues on what to read from Lesslie Newbigin (Church of South India Bishop from 1947 to 1974):

1. Always try to have one big book on which you are working. It may have to be read a few pages at a time over many months. You may have to read each page several times. But just as the physical needs of the body cannot be met by a continuous series of snacks, so your mental and spiritual needs cannot be met by a continual series of little devotional books, sermons and booklets.
2. Try to read original works rather than summaries and digests. Read the people who were really struggling to say something fresh, even if you finally disagree. You will learn far more by doing so than by reading the second-hand opinions of those who came after.
3. Always keep some Bible work going. Try to take one book of the Bible and work through it with commentaries slowly and thoroughly.
4. Keep on always reading something which is not theology. Salt needs to be in the food and theology needs to be in contact with the secular. Have some secular interests of your own which you keep up and develop. Your theology will be kept fresh if you do so.

(The Good Shepherd - meditations on Christian ministry in today's world)

Finding our way again by Brian McLaren

Brian McLaren's "Finding our way again" is the first in a series of eight books on ancient spiritual practices. McLaren provides a general introduction that prepares the way for subsequent books to cover a range of disciplines in more detail: sabbath, fasting, tithing, fixed-hour prayer, the Eucharist, the liturgical calendar and pilgrimage.

McLaren begins by acknowledging that for many, the Christian faith is perceived more as a system of belief to be defended than as a way of living. The fact that there often seems to be very little to distinguish the lifestyles of Christians from those among whom they live suggests that we have lost our way. McLaren argues that returning to the ancient spiritual practices will help Christians once again to be a people 'on the Way' – whose characters are being intentionally formed, but more than that, who are learning what it is to be human and what it means to be alive.

I found the book to be wonderfully accessible. McLaren is readable, without being at all superficial, and although I read the book quickly, I immediately wanted to go back and revisit some of the concepts he raises. He freely admits his own struggles along the way – there is a memorable section involving a doughnut that I will work into a sermon some time soon! It was also a liberating feeling to get the sense that this book (although written primarily for Christian readers) could be studied with Muslim and Jewish friends – such is our shared heritage.

All in all, a wonderful introduction to what promises to be a very helpful and timely series. I'm looking forward to reading the next instalment.

Thanks to Booksneeze (www.booksneeze.com) for supplying me with a copy of this book for review.

Lessons from an aggressive dog

During our year of ministry in a rural community, one of the families we got to know quite well kept a dog tied up in their yard. The dog was there purely for security reasons (he wasn't named Tiger for nothing!) and lived his entire life on the end of a 10m rope with minimal contact with the family.

We had no pets and being starved for canine friendship, I would go and talk to him on our weekly visits to the home. Initially Tiger was incredibly aggressive and I would stand well out of reach as he snarled and snapped at me, and just speak softly. Over time he softened visibly, until the memorable day when he let me scratch his head. From that point on, every time we came to the house, Tiger would strain excitedly at his lead and drool spectacularly as I rubbbed his head. He loved the contact and seemed a different dog altogether to me.

This has been a really helpful picture for me to bear in mind when dealing with difficult people. Some people snarl and snap through no fault of their own - they have been on the end of a chain all their lives and have not been spoken to softly. Tiger's transformation is also a picture of the dramatic change that can take place in the lives of wounded people when we are willing to risk loving someone who has been written off.

Dad

It's nine years today since Dad died very suddenly from a stroke. We still miss him so much.

As I've been thinking about him I've been struck by the value of the African and Jewish attitude towards ancestors (not that we'll be a slaughtering a goat today - though if we did, the steaks would need to be very rare...). Because despite his absence, he remains actively present. In the first weeks and months after his death, he was never out of my thoughts; it's different now, but he continues to influence the way I see the world, what makes me laugh, how I tackle problems. Although I could have used his physical presence the other day when replacing some broken floor tiles...

He never met my wife or son, but he certainly has been an influencing presence in their lives too. Western Christians particularly are very twitchy about the role of ancestors in Africa, but I can relate to the ongoing presence of this ancestor of mine. And I understand why devout Jews would consistently root themselves in their significant ancestors. Even God identifies himself as 'the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob'.

I do miss him, but am grateful this morning for his presence. I don't think I could manage a Texan, but a Castle tonight would be nice.

Importunity

Jeremy Taylor has this to say about persisting in prayer:

"Easiness of desire is a great enemy of a good man's prayer. It must be an intent, zealous, busy, operative prayer. For consider what a huge indecency it is that a man should speak to God for a thing that he values not. Our prayers upbraid our spirits when we beg tamely for those things for which we ought to die".

Eugene Peterson writes how he bristles when, as a pastor, he is often asked to 'say a little prayer' to kick off some event. Taylor would feel the same way...

Addict

In a fit of enthusiasm (maybe to do with all the healthy resolutions one makes at this time of year) I have been drinking decaf coffee and Rooibos tea for the last few weeks. I've tried this before and was up for a couple of days of mild headaches, but this was different. The caffeine withdrawal symptoms presented themselves in all sorts of ways - headaches as expected, and then strange muscle and joint aches (we always described them as growing pains as kids) and what one website quaintly described as "fatigue incompatible with productivity". The same website suggested that irritability would be common and while I saw no evidence of this, my wife tactfully suggested that maybe they were onto something there.

All of these things disappeared within a couple of days, but they forced me to recognise that I have been an unconscious addict. My body was addicted to a substance that it was getting on a daily basis, and I was completely unaware of the hold it had over me. It made me wonder what else I may secretly be addicted to - what other things may have a hold over me that I am completely unaware of.

It's harder getting up in the mornings now, but I'm actually starting to enjoy Rooibos more (instead of just pretending to...)

Boxing

No, not the type that ends up with blood on the floor. The putting people in boxes type.

I've always had an interest in understanding temperaments. So if at a wedding I ever land up sitting next to a psychologist with an interest in temperaments, don't anyone else try and change the subject. Or talk to me...

I've looked at the Myers-Briggs stuff for some years, but at the moment I'm finding the Enneagram very helpful. If you're a bit twitchy about pentagrams and the like, this is actually a respected, widely studied approach with a long-standing Christian history. What is particularly helpful about the Enneagram is that it maps out a hopeful pathway/way forward for each temperament type.

My profiles under both systems are displayed in the links column on the far right of the screen - you can click through to sites that give more info about each system if you're interested...

Respect

I spent a few days this week with other Methodist ministers visiting families in the far western part of our district - near Kuruman, which marks the start of the Kalahari desert! It has been a couple of years since I spent time in this area and I had forgotten the very high regard in which ministers are held. The woman who opened her home to us was so generous, hospitable and respectful - every sentence was punctuated several times with the SeTswana word 'Moruti' (Reverend).

It was only a couple of days later on reflection that I realised how much her attitude had prompted a similar respectful attitude in me. Respect it seems is contagious.

Wedding

Nobody pays a great deal of attention to the minister at a wedding - I am conscious when standing in front of a wedding party that I am so not the main attraction of the day. And that's how it should be. Quite who is the main attraction of that service of worship is a discussion for another day...

But this weekend I was very nearly the main attraction, or at least the main talking point of a wedding service. John, a retired minister in our congregation, travelled with me to serve as marriage officer (I can't carry out the legal bits in a wedding until ordained). The venue was somewhere near Pretoria and we had three (mostly similar'ish) sets of directions to get us there. We set off in plenty of time but knew that things had gone awry when we were driving cluelessly around Central Pretoria half an hour before the ceremony was due to start.

All ended well (after some polite, but anxious calls from the bridal party) and somehow we got there. About a minute before the bride. The groom looked a little nervous (as one does), but my hands were still sweating when I got home two hours later. I am resolved: from now on reconnaissance missions in advance for unknown wedding venues.