Fernando

Big thanks to Fernando Gros, who has very kindly given this blog a mention in his post Sharing More Than Just The Love…

Fernando says of "johnnylaird" .... "Keeps sending me off towards a lot of fresh new blogs (and conversations) I wouldn’t have found otherwise and for that I’m very grateful."

Thanks to you, too, Fernando!

Maria's in the house!

Premier Christian Radio Breakfast show co-presenter, Maria Toth has a blog In His Hands which is pretty insightful.

I'm more than happy to give Maria a "shout out" on my blog cause she's visited here at least a couple of times already.

Check Maria's blog out - gives you food for thought.

Happy Thanksgiving!

...to all my American family & friends.

It's good to stop & think of all things that God has given us.

We are truly blessed.

Have a peaceful weekend.

Trippin'

Thanks to the wonderful www, I've been following a couple of my favo(u)rite bloggers, Carlos Whittaker & the Headphonaught, as they're bouncing around the world in different directions, catching a flavo(u)r of another place.

Los & his wife Heather are in South Korean as part of their bid to collect their new son, Losiah and the Headphonaught is in Philadelphia on business, and taking in all the new sights, sounds & smells whenever he gets a free minute.

It's amazing too that another one of the guys I read regularly, Scott Hodge, was able to talk online with Carlos in-flight due to the Free High Speed WiFi on Korean Air. The future is here!

Travel safe guys, and thanks for sharing your experiences.

Alive!

It's good to head that widely read highly caffeinated blogging Pastor, Scott Hodge is very much alive

Seems like a bit of misunderstanding, miscommunication and crossed wires sent a message bouncing around that he'd passed away, which of course was a massive shock to him!

Check out Scott's blog for the complete story.

It's a great reminder to take a deep breath, and check the facts before forming an opinion, and passing it on. In this case, though, every one did it out of the best intention.

Thanks for all the good stuff on your blog, Scott.

Figures & Numbers

I've never liked numbers - I prefer people. Numbers confuse me: always have and probably always will, so when I saw this quote from Walt Disney on Mark O'Brien's blog it perked me up no end ;-)


“I found out that the people who live with figures as a rule, it’s a postmortem, it’s never ahead. It’s always what happened.” — Walt Disney

Anything that shows me & my phobia in a good light, and even makes me feel superior has gotta be good! ;-)


Mark O'Brien is Senior Pastor of Warnbro Community Church in Western Australia

Whatsoever things...

Janet has been sharing the words of Phillipians 4 with me over the last couple of days. Let me share them with you, as transcribed in Eugene Peterson's "Message"

I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

...from Phillipians 4, The Message

If you've never heard of Eugene Peterson, why not check out this interview with Bono

Beaches

There are days when the daily commute to the office is quite a strain, and it's on those days when moving to somewhere staggeringly beautiful & remote is very appealing.

So, knowing I am where I am, I occasionally pop over to this site to see some pics of some amazing beaches....and almost unbelievably, they're in Scotland.

...one can dream... :-)

For us, this is church

Pernell Goodyear of the Freeway continues to inspire:


His latest post is titled "Coffee House As Community Commons, Music & Art Space, Funky Cafe" and outlines something of their current up-to-date story - and it's a really exciting one.

Here's just one paragraph:


"New Lifestyle Choices

It may seem small and insignificant, but we took donations for the local food bank as the cover charge to get in to the concert last night. We encourage very diverse people [particularly those who are vulnerable people] to have a space and journey with others. We recycle... and we have taken measures to cut down on waste. We welcome everyone. We always promote fair trade products, organic choices and friendships, healthy food, ecologically wise decisions, etc. whenever we can.

The combination of deep community, music, art, and urban renewal is a powerful one. We will continue to strive as a community to live differently. To treat people better. To subvert systems that oppress and hold back. To become wiser consumers of goods and services... and to not consume relationships. Basically, to live out the gospel.

Conclusion

For us, this is church."


I've watched Pernell & the FRWY from afar for a good couple of years now, and I continue to be hugely impressed by his passion, and heart for this project.
He & his family have committed to this - big time.

Reminds me of that passage from John 1: 14

"The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood"

You are in my prayers, Pernell.

Been through the desert...

There's something amazingly beautiful about the desert, and this place just adds to the appeal.

A little hat tip to Randy Bohlender for reminding me about Dwell in this post


Here's what he says:

"Dwell is a gorgeous magazine - incredibly well produced. Not only does it look killer setting there on the coffee table - it gets you thinking thoughts like "heck, yeah, a family of six can live in a treehouse...". I dig Dwell."

...and so do I, Randy - so do I!

The UberTech Branches Out

The UberTech has started a new blog, which promises to contain lots of his usual idiosyncratic mix of stuff about Getting Things Done, faith, Moleskine and breakfast cereal.

I would highly recommend you pass by, and say that I said "hi"

Peace & Blessings

J :-)

..a sight for sore eyes

TARTAN ARMY RECRUITS

I’m so proud to present a pic of Mia & Noah wearing their matching Scotland T-shirts.

Those who know me best know – that despite my English accent – I’m a proud Scot, so am duty bound to pass on that pride & heritage to my lovely kids.

Techno Ratty

Technorati Profile

resonance

I attend a lot of meetings as part of my role at Church, and to be honest...somewhat unusually...I kinda enjoy them.

However, I do feel some resonance with this quote from Henri Nouwen

“More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence. Still, it is not as simple as it seems. My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets.

It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress. But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn’t be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love them.”

Henri Nouwen

Noah's One!

This weekend we celebrated Noah's first birthday.

I hope I can always be the best Dad I can be for him...and his sister, Mia.

Family Man

I've slowly started to include pics of Jan & the kids to this blog, so it only seems fair that includes a picture of me.

2 Posts 1 Week

It's not often that anyone in my circle of blogging buddies gets a 2 posts in a week, but I just have to flag up Lard's entry into the world of the Moleskine.

Creative genius behind Lardmonkey & Larddesigns, Lard is a talented wee fellah!

I should be on commission for this kind of exposure.

FRWY

It's great to see some national (Canadian) recognition for the ministry of Pernell Goodyear at The Freeway in Hamilton, ON.The Freeway is a missional church community and coffee house located in Hamilton, Ontario

There's a great piece in Salvationist.ca - a Canadian magazine published by The Salvation Army which tells their story.

I've watched what's being going on there from a distance for some time, and Pernell is a cool guy worth listening too.

Read the article here

Carbonara 4 Lard & Becks

What a great weekend.

Jan & I spent Friday night at our place with Lloyd & Becky, just chillin’, eating, sharing stories about our kids & exploring the outer edges of geekdom during our meandering late night conversations. L&B are seriously good people, and we loved having them round. Cooked my favourite dish (to cook) - dairy-product fueled carbonara. We gotta do it again soon, guys!

We are blessed with some awesome friends.

On Sunday evening at Café Church we had a visit from The Salvation Army’s Korean Corps in London, based in Wimbledon. Top evening: it was good to spend some time with our Korean brothers & sisters, who had brought along their Singing Group & traditional Percussion Ensemble.

Mia & Noah nearly jumped out of their skins when the Percussion Ensemble started off their piece, but by the end of it Noah was clapping away like a good ‘un.

I’m hoping this new relationship between our two Churches can really flourish.