Silicon Roundabout - Riding the zeitgeist

Every once is a while a new buzz word hits the streets…looks like the latest one describes the little cluster of web companies in and around London’s Old Street, which has been dubbed “silicon roundabout”.

Yesterday’s FT and today’s Evening Standard each had a feature on Dopplr’s Matt Biddulph, who coined the pithy little phrase.

Let’s see how big it (the phrase) becomes.

Karl at Q

Glad to share this little vid from this year’s Q conference, which Duncan McFadzean posted at What’s your point caller?



The speaker is Karl Martin of Edinburgh’s MBC.

…really good stuff….and inspirational if you are involved in Church transition.

For a little more background, check Duncan’s post here

Thanks, Duncan!

Something Beautiful Podcast

It’s taken me aeons to get round to downloading these onto my iPod, but I heartily recommend my buddies’ JB and Thomas’ Something Beautiful podcast.

I’m very happy to give them a shout out.

….and while I’m chatting about iPods, podcasts and all that webby stuff, I’m finally on Twitter….or at least I think I am!

Follow me…

Moot thoughts

Love this Summer thought from the guys at Moot

Think about how the warmth and long days allow us to practice presence
Think about how the heat and the sun affect our practice of acceptance
Think about how the light shapes our creativity
Think about how the summer break allows us to practice balance
Think about how the change in routine affects how we practice accountability
Think about how the holiday times form our practice of hospitality

…also gives me an excuse to borrow one of the staggeringly beautiful shots of Scottish – yes, Scottish – beaches at Silversprite.

this fragile tent

It’s encouraging to hear that http Aoradh’s* Chris Goan has stepped up to the plate with a small group to tackle Mike Frost’s Exilio.

I’m looking forward to hearing how it goes.

Chris’ has a new blog – this fragile tent - which already has some really excellent content. It’s well worth a visit.

You’re going on the blogroll Chris!


Aoradh (Gaelic for adoration) is a Christian arts group based in Dunoon, Argyll, Scotland. Members come from many different traditions and church backgrounds, and greatly value the creativity and diversity that this brings to their experience.

Shrinking numbers?

I’ve always thought of these guys & girls as urban heroes of a sort, probably fueled by my love of William Gibson books, so I can appreciate the pathos of this piece in WIRED, which reports the shrinking numbers of of bike couriers in the major western cities.

* William Gibson’s “Virtual Light” had a bike courier, Chevette Washington as it’s main character

Big thanks to CogMag for the amazing images

The Old Forge

...was glad to meet Nigel Coles of The Old Forge at a recent Alan Hirsch event in the UK.

Go visit!

Pax

J

Russ off

Interesting news about ALOVE's Russ Rook...top man, that he is.

Wise words from Mosaic

Some wise words I picked up from my buddy Eric on his blog:

They all bear repeating....

The “conqueror” is the more common strategy for leadership. The “explorer” excavates the talent of those already there. We need to become explorers.

If you keep looking for a new place to speak, you will never become a better communicator. We need to look for ways to have something important to say whenever and wherever we have the opportunity to speak (one-on-one conversations, team trainings, youth ministry, and so on).

If we don’t translate building community with us, then we won’t be able to do this in our teams. We need to move fast but never at the cost of creating community!

We think we have to tone down the Gospel to attract people to Jesus, but we actually need to elevate the understanding of the Gospel (to where Jesus intended) to offer life-transformation to those out there who are looking for meaning.

We need to initiate relationships and conversations with the people others see as invisible.

Not everything has to grow large, but we need to be honest about what we have and are doing and always be a place for outsider.

The more people feel you are speaking to a person, the larger the church can become. The more people feel you are speaking to a crowd then fewer people will want to come.

We need to ask the question: “How do I help the people around me become the people God wants them to be?” We are spiritual leaders, not just leaders.

HT to Keith and the guys at Core Magazine for the pic.

For more of the same, check out MOSAIC & Erwin McManus

Pax

J

Alan Hirsch in UK

Next Tuesday I’ll be popping down to the West Country to hear Alan Hirsch speak at a West of England Baptist Association event at Clevedon Baptist Church

…looking forward to hooking up with Alan, whose books The Forgotten Ways and The Shaping of Things to Come (with Michael Frost), have had such a profound effect on my view of mission.

HT to Willow Creek for the Hirshy pic