Biblical Living

HT to Doug Pagitt for alerting me to this interesting - and funny – piece on an agnostic guy who tried to live by the rules of the Bible for a year….religiously.

A few select quotes from the article:

“There’s a lot about gratefulness in the Bible, and I would say I’m more thankful. I focus on the hundred little things that go right in a day, instead of the three or four things that go wrong.”

“…during the experiment I wore a lot of white clothes, because Ecclesiastes says let your garments always be white, and I loved it, so I look like Tom Wolfe now. Wearing white just made me happier. I couldn’t be in a bad mood walking down the street looking like I was about to play in the semifinals at Wimbledon”

…made me smile….

I might just buy the book, although I think you’ll find THE Book a lot more useful.

Having had a chuckle, it has really made me think about those who call ourselves Christians….and/or followers of Jesus… sometimes struggle to live a life that falls into line with what we learn about in Scripture, and most specifically one reflects the teachings of Jesus. So often, we get so wrapped up in our systems & rules & regulations that the simple words and wonderful life of that Man, born in Bethlehem, get shunted way down the list of the things that make us who we are.

PARTAAY!

...been reading Luke 14 in The Message:

"When you're invited to dinner, go and sit at the last place. Then when the host comes he may very well say, 'Friend, come up to the front.' That will give the dinner guests something to talk about! What I'm saying is, If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face. But if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself."

Then he turned to the host. "The next time you put on a dinner, don't just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You'll be — and experience — a blessing. They won't be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned — oh, how it will be returned!— at the resurrection of God's people."

Wise words:

HT to Shane Claiborne for reminding me about this passage, when he writes about it in his massively challenging book, The Irresistible Revolution. I recommend the book - go and read it, but I would avoid it if you want to stay comfortable.

Surprise

Janet surprised me with a little unBirthday present (or early Christmas present, whichever way you look at it) when I got home from work last night.

She managed to pick up a copy of Jamie Oliver’s latest tome for me, which was very welcome indeed, as I’ve just started to really enjoy his latest TV show. Some great bedtime reading with this chunky book!

For my money, Jamie’s a top fellah, and an inspiration to us all.

(Probably more of an inspiration than is healthy, if you read this old post from the Headphonaught who very flatteringly describes our house as a

quintessential Naked Chef-style contemporary English farm house with the huge kitchen come dining room with a range cooker and a large, sturdy table.

Now, that I’ve got also just got a shed, constructed with the very able help (I helped, he built it) of a local buddy, I guess I'll have to get out there, start pottering & grown me own veg! :-)

Just cause I want to

Just cause I want to put a picture of my wife on my blog...

...love you, Baby!

Sally Bash

I've blogged before about those times when my tribe gets hauled over the coals in the media.

Although I don't go searching for this kind of stuff, I've stumbled across this tirade, titled "We need salvation from this greedy army" which is pretty hard to swallow.

The Salvation Army is described as "right-wingers in uniforms" and "homophobic religious fundamentalist".

Now, I'm not sure what response - if any - a piece like this should demand. I'm short on facts about the specific cases discussed. The article has been written with the broadest of brush strokes, with....and I'm guessing here....only a limited knowledge and experience of The Savation Army as a global movement. As is so often the case, it's also written from a very North American perspective.

However, as I said in my original post...

we’re not beyond criticism – we do wrong things. Lots of them….and often! Let’s be humble – take the criticism on board when it’s justified – and be gracious in our response when it is not. Sometimes it’s good to be metaphorically hit square between the eyes, just to keep you alert and awake.

For the record; I am neither right-wing in my political views, or homophobic.

All member ministry?

Although this post is heavily weighed towards my own tribe, if you’ve got an opinion, I’d love to hear it.

I’m rolling around some thoughts, which are not necessarily mine, but are worth consideration:

What do we actually understand by “all member ministry”, and can we take it that this is still our position of The Salvation Army as a movement in reality?

In the early days of The Salvation Army, converts were quickly employed in service. Their testimony and their involvement in the mission were powerful weapons in the sharing of the Gospel.

Over the years has this changed? Has our theology over the place of each believer altered? Have we developed a different concept of the place of Officers? (Full time pastors)

If we were to assume and believe that God has given The Salvation Army all it needs today to move our mission (whatever that is) forward today , what action steps would need to be put in place to more effectively promote the concept of all-member ministry?

Any thoughts?

(HT to The Salvation Army Youth - Western Territory, USA site for the pic)

Told you...

Told you I've gone grey/gray.

Hey! It works for Mr Clooney! ;-)

Mia

Today my little baby started school for the 1st time...my independent, funnny, beautiful little lady has started on her journey of full time education, so I figured I'd celebrate with an old pic to remind me of the early days.

Man, my hair's gone so grey since then! ;-)

Happy Birthday James!

My nephew James hit 17 today.

Happy Birthday James.

Now you are a man!

Nunkle J :-)

I'm blessed with THE BEST nephews & niece a man could have.

What a time to visit Scotland

Blogging buddy, and MOSAIC Pastor Eric Bryant is visiting Scotland next week.

Here's the schedule

If any of my Scots blogging buddies are able to make it, tell Eric I sent ya!

J

Get in!!!

My word, what a result!!

France 0 Scotland 1

..and top of the "Group of Death", with World Cup Finalists France & Italy in our wake. It's almost unbelievable.

You made us proud, boys!!

“The thing I love about The Salvation Army is that it is peculiar”

Having previously posted about Shane Claiborne, and his visit to Roots next year, it’s good to be able to read a little interview with Geoff Ryan of the 614 Network at theRubicon*

*theRubicon is an independent, volunteer-driven online magazine. We are Christians with our roots in The Salvation Army. We are doers who have learned that we need to think deeply, rigorously and critically about what we do, why we do it and why there are things we don’t do. “Contemplative activists,” is one way of putting it, or “field theologians.”

The piece was originally written for The Salvation Army in Canada’s Salvationist mag way back in June this year.

September 11th

Time for me to revisit this post, and remember those who died..

Gerroff the table!

ASBO Jesus

A lot of the guys & girls on my blogroll have been directing me to a cool - and very insightful - little blog called ASBO Jesus.

'Toonist Jon Birch gives a helpful explanation:

for the non british among you… an ‘asbo’ is an ‘anti-social behaviour order’… the courts here award them to people who are deemed to be constant trouble in their neighbourhoods… presumably according to their neighbours!

Vox Veniae: 1 year on

Just over a year ago I blogged about a new ministry in Austin, TX, which had grabbed my attention.

Vox Veniae have just celebrated a year together, and it's been quite a story.

They've updated their site, so remain on the cutting edge, with a aesthetically pleasing look that I love.

Check 'em out.

J

Hat Tip

I want to share this post, not to take a pop at a particular congregation, or to heap specific criticism on my own tribe, but simply to hi-light that sometimes in Church we are so easily tempted to get hung up on all the wrong stuff.

Check out what spasmodic but hard-hitting blogger Matt Little has to say about the time he went to Church wearing a hat.

Books for the last part of the year

I treated myself to a bit of a blow-out on books this weekend. This should keep me in reading material for the train ride to the office...probably until the end of the year.

Here's what I picked up:

Adventures in missing the point

- Brian McLaren & Tony Campolo

An Emergent Manifesto of Hope

- Doug Pagitt & Tony Jones

God is Closer Than You Think

- John Ortberg

Intelligent Church

- Steve Chalke with Anthony Watkis

The Irresistible Revolution - Shane Claiborne

Looking forward to some serious reading.

Do you having any books you are planning to read soon?

CCAT in The Guardian

Good to see Croydon Community Against Trafficking getting a mention in The Guardian in this piece.

Stop The Traffik!

2love

I’m loving these new Tees from The Salvation Army in Australia’s new youth department, 2love which I guess has been influenced by ALOVE in the UK. (The department…not the tee shirt)

…the best of times…..

Just once in a while you have a near perfect weekend.

Last weekend we hooked up with some friends from way back….to catch up, eat some wonderful food in beautiful tranquil surroundings, laugh together, and revel in each others’ company.

…the best of times…..

Who cares if it rained nearly all day!

Peace & blessings

J

Emerging in the news

Thank you to Andrew Jones AKA TallSkinnyKiwi for hi-lighting this piece in the Austin Statesman.

The article features - for the most part - the ministry of Vox Veniae, and the personal journey of lead Pastor, Gideon Tsang and his family, as they

sell their spacious North Austin home and move into a modest 800-square-foot house in an East Austin neighborhood.

I've kind been interested in the ministry of Vox Veniae for quite a time now. Looks like they are doing some great work down there.

In a cool little piece of synchronetic frisson , one of Pernell Goodyear's Freeway buddies, Kev Chen is heading to Texas to work with Vox Veniae, as mentioned in this post.

I like the quote from Gid at the tail end of the piece:

The message of Jesus that is preached in church services means nothing, he says, "if it doesn't change how we live seven days a week."

HT directly to Gideon for the pic. It's him! He has a hugely impressiveFLICKR collection.

Church website story

...if you are involved in the web for Church, you could do a lot worse than checking out this post at Drew Goodmanson's blog.

...really interesting to read about the evolution of Kaleo Church's web presence.

Top work, Drew! (..and thanks for the pic from your blog)

BTW - any Facebookers out there, might also want to check out the Blogging Church group.

Shane Claiborne coming to Roots

It’s way,way...way off, but it’s exciting to hear that Shane Claiborne will be speaking at The UK Salvation Army’s Roots conference next year. The theme for 2008 is “Going Public”

I’m yet to have read his book The Irresistible Revolution - living as an ordinary radical, but Shane sounds like the kind of guy that should be given a hearing at Roots, so I’m pleased he’s going to be there.

For more on Shane Claiborne & his ministry, check out The Simple Way

If you were planning on going, it’s best to book early, as there are usually is a “sooner you book, the less you pay” deal in place.


Other speakers will include Nims Obunge and Jeff Lucas.

LivingHomes

I’ve been meaning to share this beautiful bit of flash about LivingHomes that I picked up via WIRED over a month ago. Check it out.

The whole eco-architectural project is exciting, and there’s some pretty fine & elegant Flash work on the site too.

Take the tour….makes you wanna put down a deposit, up sticks & move there!

Things & saw and did on holiday…in no particular order:

Hung out with Janet & the kids

Slept

Bought some more books in addition to the ones I already had bought to read (Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope & Brian Bailey & Terry Storch’s The Blogging Church ) , and started to read them too.

Worked on the garden….

Enjoyed a ruby with Mr & Mrs Parker

Started to watch Heroes…finally showing on UK terrestrial TV.

Ate

Discovered the joy of sitting down in a Krispy Kreme Restaurant for breakfast

Shopped

Went to the beach at West Wittering

Barely blogged at johnnylaird, but lurked a little on some of my favo(u)rites

Hung out with friends…and usually ate with them

Succumbed to the notion of getting a Blackberry. My Curve arrives any day now

Finally gave into Mac lust, having visited the Mac Store at Bluewater…I want one!

Ate…again

Did the Brighton thing – nearly lost one of my prized Ocean Minded flip-flops/slippahs to the crashing waves on the beach.

Had lots of late evenings, and lazy mornings.

Saw Bob the Builder with the kids at The Science Museum

Facebooked

Visited Winston Churchill’s old stomping ground at Chartwell.

U2 Yahweh

HT to Danielle for reminding me about this vid.

Time to read

...just kicked into a couple of weeks vacation time at home.

No schedule, no plan...just time with my wonderful wife & kids. Time to kick back & relax, time to READ!

I hooked myself up with a couple of new books to delve into: Brian McLaren's The Secret Message of Jesus, and Tom Wright's "Simply Christian"

He’s on a roll….my blogroll

A little while back – in April 07 - I became intrigued by a conference that was being held in the States called Q, and blogged about it here:

One guy, who as far as I can figure out, had clocked whatever info was around about it before the event, and took himself over from Scotland to attend Q in Atlanta, Georgia.

So, Duncan McFadzean clearly is a resourceful guy, so worth giving some of your blog reading time to you his blog What’s Your Point Caller?

Teatime!

Now …that’s a cup of tea!

I’ve just been given a beautiful cup of African Amber tea from Mighty Leaf Tea to try, and this is a premium tea experience.

I’m used to raving about quality coffee, so to bang on about tea is something of an oddity for me.

At nearly six quid for 15 bags, it ain’t cheap, but as a one off generous gift, I’m happy to partake.

Mmnnnn….

Square

I’ve been dreaming of having a home office for some time, and for the moment it remains a dream fueled by sites like Web Worker Daily.

As part of that dreaming process, I’ve been checking out The Garden Escape for inspiration.

Skimming through the links page led me to a little nugget of a magazine, which is rammed full of beautiful design ideas to appeal to the aesthetes out there.

Check out Square Magazine…..it’s a wonder to behold!

Independence

OK. I’m going to nail my colo(u)rs to the mast.

I love America. I’m not American – I’m a “Scot with an English Accent” - but I do think the America is a truly great country. It’s not so hip to say so in Europe right now, but I just did. I said it.

So, to all my family & friends in the USofA I say “Happy Independence Day.”

For BBC Reporter, Alan Johnston, today really is an independence day - a day to celebrate his freedom after 114 days in captivity in Gaza. I caught a few minutes of news before I headed for the train station this morning, and it was just great to see some good news coming out of the Middle East. Alan seemed remarkably together for someone who has been in captivity for so long. The guy’s a hero and a credit to his family who have displayed similar courage and dignity throughout the period he’s been away. Alan & his parents are inspirational, and I expect I’ll be keeping a close eye on what he gets up to in the future.

For me, the 4th of July marks six years to the day since I asked Janet to marry me. Thankfully, she said “yes”, and continues to be my love, my rock, my inspiration.

God Bless America!

Some words about Freedom:

Galatians 5:13 (The Message)

13-15 It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom.

Mahalo! Love nice Hawaiian Tees….

I love nice tee shirts, and I love Hawaii, so it’s good to see that the Revolution Hawaii blog seems to have lurched back into life again after a long hiatus and includes a post about a sweet new tee shirt which has just become available Stateside.

Hopefully they’ll keep up to date on their work with postings now.

The Revolution Hawaii site was one of the most elegant Salvation Army sites out there when it debuted, but the content was slow in coming, so I’m encouraged to see some new stuff on their blog.

The shirt comes from the same stable as the Sayrevolution range of tees & sweats.

Link Love

It’s time for another jig of the johnnylaird blogroll.

Some folks have very kindly added me to their blogroll, so it would be churlish not to reciprocate:

In comes….

Dan Rous
Mel Cooke
Vicki Adams
Victor Estrada
Yucan Chiu

Thanks guys!

Some have become blogs I read, on the basis of knowing the bloggers personally:

So, in comes….

• Craig’s blog was one of the first I started to read, but he had not been posting for quire a time. He’s started again, so he’s going on the blogroll.

• Jon-Mark used to play in the Sally Army Band with me, and is currently working as a sound engineer on cruise ships in the Med.

• Richard & Ann are married Salvation Army Officers (Pastors), running a Church in Romford, England.

One comes in on the basis of having a great blog, and the blogger being courteous enough to respond each & every time I post. Welcome Eric Bryant…an elder, speaker, and navigator overseeing the leadership team at the innovative Mosaic community in Los Angeles, CA.

On top of that I’ve added a few mags I read, which you might enjoy too… Dwell, Fast Company, Leadership & WIRED.

Check out the links – they’re invariably more interesting than the stuff I post here!

Eco Campervan

Huge hat-tip to the wonderful Dwell mag for pointing me in the direction of this funky & eco-friendly update of the classic campervan.

It’s worth a few seconds of download time to watch the super cool animation trailer for this object of desire, with hard-core green credentials.

For more eco-friendly stuff why not check out Worldchanging.com

Mr & Mrs Headphonaught

When I blogged about Headphonaught & Olly’s visit, I knew we were going to have a good time on their visit to Croydon, but I’m not sure I really expected to hook up with such a really great couple. Thomas & I have so much in common it’s scary, and Olly is just a darling, with a voice that far exceeds all the expectations I had based on various posts on the nanolog.

My little girl Mia sobbed uncontrollably when they left, so they made an impact there.

Good to spend time with you, my friends.

Here’s to the next time!

J

R U ready to start blogging again, Olly?

ALOVE

...looks like ALOVE have had a nice update job done on their site.

I'm a little late in discovering it, but it's a really nice one. Well done to whoever's been behind it.

I've been searching the web for some Salvation Army Corps sites that are effective, elegant and up to speed with todays web standards. Anybody seen one that falls into that bracket?

J

On Tour! ;-)

This weekend is going to be good!

I’m hooking up for the first time with my blogging buddy, Thomas AKA Headphonaught, and his lady Olly, when their Sally Army Band from Bellshill, Scotland visits our Church down in Croydon. It’s gonna be good to spend some time together, and sink a cup of joe, or three!

(If you haven’t already clicked on the link to Bellshill Band, I’d suggest you put on some suitable protective eyewear. Spinning bells & whistles abound! ;-)

I’ve been avidly reading Thomas’ blog for over a year now, and it’s full of good stuff. I highly recommend it.

My buddies

...just thought I'd share this pic of me & some of my closest buddies in the world...

Happy days!

Peace & Blessings

J :-)

Rob Bell

Rob Bell was excellent at his Calling All Peacemakers night at church.co.uk in Waterloo on Tuesday night.

It was entirely Jesus focused, stripped down, and intimate, much like the venue itself.

There was so much good clear teaching that I don’t feel equipped to unpack on this blog, but the evening just really confirmed to me that Rob is a very smart guy with the gift of teaching the stories of Jesus in a way that make them fresh & accessible in the 21st Century. On top of that, he comes across as a top geezer who appears not to play upon the almost celebrity status we have convened on him…..and I emphasize the we. He seems pretty down to earth in himself, and his message was straight ahead & challenging.

Catch him if you can!

A big shout out to the guys & girls of church.co.uk’s Hub Cafe, who provided great Fairtrade Latte & chocolate muffins, and were ideal hosts.

Good to see a fair smattering of Sally Army people there too, so it was good to hook up with a few familiar faces.

Energized church...

With Headphonaught's permission I wanted to share his synopsis of Chick Yuill's preach at a recent conference in Glasgow, Scotland. Chick opened the conference by reading from Acts 1:4 - 2:5 and describing four attributes of an energized church...

1) The church learns to wait on God - the reference here is not hanging about aimlessly killing time... but focussed attention - like expert waiters in a good restaurant. Watching for the time they will be required. We need to learn to wait and watch for God.

2) The church concentrates on worship - the reference here is to our lives being acts of worship. We are not solely talking about Graham Kendrick style music... but lives that act and in doing so worship God. Their good work comes from the wellspring of worship.

3) The church works out the things that need to be worked out - In the verses... we see the nomination and appointment of Matthias. They worked out what needed worked out... they sought God's blessing and guidance... and made decisions. An energized church is about the King's business and should be run (at times) as a business. To this end, we need to bring the skills we have from our various workplaces to the church... and use them.

4) The church is focussed on witness - We need to continually focus on bringing the Gospel out of the church and into the streets... just as the church in Acts did. And we need to do it in the language of the people we meet. No point speaking if we are not understood.

Thomas comments....(at least I think this bit is a Thomas quote, and not a Chick one.)

The(Salvation) Army has a longstanding tradition of taking the gospel to the streets - we were relevant in our day... Uniforms relate to the British Empire's fondness for Militarism... and our music comes from the Music Hall. To honour the Army (and ultimately God) we need to learn new things and not just repeat the past.

Some cracking stuff from both Chick & Thomas (AKA Headphonaught)

Tag Team Double Whammy

There's been a tagging thing bouncing around the web, and Daniel Rous at Rous Ramblings and Brian at Brian's Blog hit me within a day or two of each other.

Here are the rules: grab the book closest to you. Turn to page 161. Print the 5th complete sentence on your blog. Tag 5 others.

I tried the tagging thing, but remarkably Page 161 of the nearest book to me is a Chapter Heading, so no 5th Sentence.

However , here's what it says: (It's from Rob Bell's new book, Sex God - Exploring the Endless Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality.

"9 SEX GOD CHAPTER NINE - WHOOPEE FOREVER"..."

Rest assured...it's not as profane as you might imagine.

I'm going to tag:

Ubertech
Lard
Matt
Thomas
Anita

Zechariah 10:

There's a verse of Scripture that's been rolling around my head for a few days now:

God-of-the-Angel-Armies will step in and take care of his flock, the people of Judah.

He'll revive their spirits, make them proud to be on God's side.

God will use them in his work of rebuilding,use them as foundations and pillars,
Use them as tools and instruments, use them to oversee his work.

They'll be a workforce to be proud of, working as one, their heads held high, striding through swamps and mud,courageous and vigorous because God is with them, undeterred by the world's thugs.

Zechariah 10:3-11 The Message

You’re havin’ a laugh!

Jan just chillin’…she’s my love.

Little Matt Little

Matt’s Metabolic Catalyst makes the johnnylaird.blogspot.com blogroll, on the basis of him being a top fellah, and a long standing & highly prolific commenter on Lard’s blog.
I’m positive that Matt will have lots of interesting things to say. My guess would be that it would be occasionally hard hitting, sharp & once in a while very silly indeed…..straight outta Openshaw, Manchester, England, via The Message.

Anyone who’s living out their faith & calling in a place called Ambush Street has got to be worth a read!

As an added bonus, if you want to get a feel for the Ministry Mattoid is involved in, check out his buddy Gary Bishop’s “Darkest England and the Way Back In”. I read it in a single sitting a couple of weeks ago, on a Tuesday when I was unwell, between bouts of heavy duty snoozing. It’s a hugely challenging read, which makes me feel quite uncomfortable about my lifestyle & surroundings in leafy semi-rural Surrey.

These guys are on the frontline.

Get Out of Church

Graeme Smith has posted a really interesting piece called The Great Escape at TheRubicon this week.

And I quote....

We need to throw off the shackles of the mindset that sees Church as a specific place, towards a mindset that sees the Church as a community of believers. We must turn aside from evaluating our missional effectiveness in terms of numbers through the doors of our buildings, and instead look at the way lives are being touched. Most important, we must begin to see that each of us who claims to be a Christian is part of the Church, and we must start acting like it.

Check out the full article to get the skinny.

J

Succombed

I finally succombed to hooking up with Facebook.

I haven't figured out everything it can so for me, and at some point I'll get round to posting a pic on the profile!

Lard's Leg

All ground graphic/arty creative fellah, and soon to be Relevant employee , Lard has recently had some work done on his knee. My pic shows Lard reclining, with a hugely impressive leg brace, and incidently flanked by his Big Sis and Ali.

For less palatable pics, head to Lard's blog post, here:

TCSpeak

There are not so many senior Salvation Army leaders around the world who are blogging.

I guess the two that spring to my mind are Commissioner Jim Knaggs, the Territorial Commander(i.e. Big Boss) of the Australia Southern Territory, at his TCSpeak blog, and Retired Commissoner Joe Noland at Slightly Irregular.

Commissioner Knaggs' recent post really nails it for me:

Our Army is loaded will all kinds of people. We need every one of them. We need you. There is a place for all who love the Lord and desire to serve Him and there is a place for those who don't. The Kingdom of God is open. Hallelujah!

Now we need to be open as well. We need to be open to all people, whether they like us or not. They can even say some pretty rough things or treat us poorly. We still need to be open.

We need to be open to God...open to His love and to His forgiveness...open to his commands and open to His discipline...open to His people.

The sign on the door of our heart needs to be "open."

One for the road

Just once in a while you discover a new blog that really grabs your attention, and you just know you’ve discovered one that you will keep going back to again & again.

Today is one of those days.

As is usually the case, a happy accident led me to Paul Mayers’ One for the road, which is jam-packed with good stuff related to Emerging Church etc. Paul’s writing is good, and the pics he uses are often really good. I guess sometime I’m going to have to trawl through his old stuff as well as the new, because there really is a mine of interesting posts here.

Glad to have found your blog, Paul.

As an added bonus, one of One for the road’s links hooked me up with The Q Café in Seattle. This place has a lot of common ground with The Freeway, who I’ve regularly referenced on johnnylaird.blogspot.com Judging by their smooth looking blog, it’s definitely worth dropping by if you’re ever in Seattle. At the very least, check out .

Salvation Army ... Fading Brand?

I can't claim to be a regular visitor to The Agitator website. In fact, it's a totally new one on me, but I was struck by this new post, Salvation Army ... Fading Brand? (Go ahead...read it, otherwise the rest of my scribblings won't make much sense.)

I guess many, if not most Salvationists would baulk at the "Army" being described as a brand in the 1st place, and also would perhaps take issue with commentor, Tom Belford's assessment of the movement.

Much of what Belford says about our website(s) may ring true, but he seems to have quite a one-dimensional view of TSA. Clearly, he's coming from a particular perspective, so you have to take that into consideration. Also, it appears to be a very US-centric view. The guy can't be blamed for only seeing TSA through his own personal pair of glasses, but even as Salvationists, we are also sometimes guilty of only seeing the Army from where we stand. We are an incredibly diverse family!

Having said that, one phrase that does resonate with me was the following:

Certainly the needs addressed by the Salvation Army are not fading away. Let's hope the organization can successfully renew itself and re-confirm its relevance for meeting those needs.

However, if that means we simply become a hugely efficient, highly visible non-profit organisation at all costs, what have we really achieved?

Now, I know this is an old chestnut that's been rolled around in SA circles for years, but I'd be really interested to see what anyone else thinks about this particular post.

Peace & Blessings

J


(Hat tip to SAYTUNES for the pic)

Rob Bell at church.co.uk

...mananaged to secure a couple of tickets for the Rob Bell Calling All Peacemakers tour at London venue, church.co.uk. on June 19th. Should be interesting to see & hear Rob.

What a building!

It's almost worth taking a trip to Madrid solely to visit the amazing Barajas Airport. I haven't seen it in the flesh so far, but the pictures I've seen have been staggering.

Hat tip to psfk for drawing my attention to it, and to Headphonaught for alerting me to psfk

As far as I understand. Uber-architects Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are behind Barajas. If you are into architecture, check their site out too.

Croydon Expo

As my Church family grapples with how we can more effectively engage with, and serve the community around us, it would do us no harm to check out this month's Croydon Expo exhibition at the Croydon Clocktower.

There's a lot of activity happening right now and I believe it's right to keep our ears close to the ground.

Randy's Back

Having had to report the sudden demise of Randy Bohlender's excellent blog in this post here, I'm really pleased to be able to say he's back!

I recommend you check him out regulary. His postings are thought provoking, funny & creative. Always worth passing through.

He's going back on my blogroll.

Rob Bell in The Times

It's a shame I didn’t manage to pick up a hard copy, as I was in Milan….but serious UK broadsheet, The Times, ran a piece on Rob Bell over the weekend, which is definitely worth a read.

Read the article here.

I finally picked up a copy of Rob’s Sex God at Roots, but won’t start reading it until I finish God On Mute.