Thirst

Been meditating on John's letters... and these verses kind of jumped out at me ::

Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.

1 John 2: 15-17 [The Message]

This passage really challenges me... I have just finished No Logo by Naomi Klein and am reading Everything Must Change by Brian McLaren and my concept of the world is changing.

The world is about taking... about selfish desire and endless consumption... its about "me" with no thought for others... whoever those others are: the folk making the stuff or the folk living with the waste resulting from production and/or distribution.

The world is about the abstracts it uses: more... better... bigger... its about the next best thing. its about "look at me"... its about "keeping up with the Joneses"... its about competition: me winning, you losing... its about injustice... its about the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer...

There is hope, however...

The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.

This isn't a purely religious statement... you can do what God wants without necessarily believing in Him. I suppose this is a controversial statement from a card carrying follower of God in the Way of Jesus. Thing is... there are plenty of folk who believe in him who are part of the problem... it would be hypocritical for me to say anything other than to say I am part of the problem too... but am working towards the solution.

So anyway... what does God want? People who seek... who thirst... for justice... for what is right:

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Matthew 5: 6 [NIV]

People seeking justice are not limited to the church... and this needs to change. Not in the sense that we want all the justice-lovers to be part of the church (although that would be sweet) - its more that we need everyone within the church to become active justice-lovers. All of us... without exception... have to change our thinking... stop thinking about "me" and "my needs"... and start thinking about "us" and "our" actions.

Think about it...

...until you get your twittering under control

Thanks for this Chris... your concern is duly noted!

Why Don't You Just Switch Off Your Television Set and Go and Do Something Less Boring Instead?

Watch this video... take the time out (15mins) to soak it up. It has wide implications for the kind of things we are all about. Here's some notes...

Media that's targeted at you but doesn't include you may not be worth sitting still for.

Clay Shirky :: 14:51

The way Clay expresses it is basically... the new media (blogging/wikipedia/youtube etc) = consuming + producing + sharing > this is a shift from the old media that only expects you to consume.

People are watching less television and are doing something... making something happen... like just now as I create this post. It reminds me of the old Why don't you? motto :: Why Don't You Just Switch Off Your Television Set and Go and Do Something Less Boring Instead? :: kind of ironic, I know... but its real... and its now!

The ending is very inspirational and has me all fired up ::

We are going to look at every place a user or a reader or a listener or a viewer has been locked out... has been served up a passive or a fixed or a canned experience and ask ourselves... if we carved out a little bit of the cognitive surplus we now recognise we can deploy could we make a good thing happen? and I am betting the answer is yes!

Clay Shirky :: 15:55

This is the movement I see in church and is at the root of my unsettled nature - I am no longer willing to ONLY consume... why? because I am not included. I can't contribute. I can't add... challenge... question... I can only consume.

Thing is... I no longer want to just consume... I want to participate by producing content and sharing it. Is this not what we are called to do? Is this not the priesthood of ALL believers? That we all can come to Jesus... we don't need Clergy aka Media feeding us. We can produce and share... and in sharing we create heartfelt and real content that others can consume... and then feed off for their own uses.

I used to think consumption and participation were polar opposites... but this video has opened my eyes to something I have know all along... the future is PLURAL.

We may consume content and then produce a mashup based on the content as a means of sharing it in a fresh and new manner.

Watch the video and join me in discussion... what can we learn from this? and how can we share this idea with our brothers and sisters... so we can get them producing and sharing too?

Read the transcript here

My sincere thanks to Jody and Noah B for the independent heads-up. Appreciated chaps. My thanks too go to Clay Shirky for the inspiration.

the retreat :: a poem that means something to me...

Holy Fool

I am a fool
I look beyond reason
I stray beyond logic
I dance when I should cry
I weep when I should party
I am full of joy for the things I don't know
I am past caring about the things I do know
I love someone I've never seen
I admire people who I know are a mess
I hope things are fragile, I just don't trust stability
I long for the future and I love each step toward it
I walk on earth but I dream of the heavens
I know I am special because of my ordinariness
I find chaos confusing and confusion creative
I am of no influence yet I strive to make a difference
I have no voice yet I shout from the rooftops
I live a life that's a joke with a serious punchline
I am a poet who is lost for words
I love the world that turns its back on all that matters to me
I want to embrace the people who want to hurt me
I pray for those who hate me
I serve one who knelt and washed feet
I live for a deity who died for me
I am an innocent because I know what I have done wrong
I am free because my heart's not my own
I am strong because I am broken
I found God in a "Godless" place
I am a faithful rascal
I am an ordinary radical
I am a fool for God

Mark Berry

Thanks to Julie for identifying the author and to Mark for writing something so meaningful.

the retreat :: an overview of the weekend...

My good friends Jon and Lorna organised this weekend for a group of people... some friends... some people who had never met. The object was to get away... take time out to think and, for some, listen to what God wants to speak to us about.


View Larger Map

We were based in a small village between Moffat and Peebles called Tweedsmuir. A truly beautiful dot on the map... as I hope some of the pictures I took during the weekend will show. We were right on the river Tweed, which was used as a backdrop and as a focal point by Jon on Sunday (more about that later).

We arrived between 7ish and 8ish on Saturday night... and were welcomed by Jon, Lorna and a fab baked potato... with Jon's legendary Scotch Bonnet chili as one of the fillings.

Later on we participated in evening prayers... where Jon introduced the weekend and got us thinking on the topic of "there must be more to life than this" using the MGMT track "fated to pretend" as a thought aide... he then sought to encourage us to take time this weekend to be quiet and still (the opposite of the lifestyle described in the song) ::

A Prayer...

God of stillness and creative action, help us find space for quietness today that we may live creatively, discover the inner meaning of silence, and learn the wisdom that heals the world.

Send peace and joy to each quiet place, to all who are waiting and listening.

May your still small voice be heard through Christ, in the love of the Spirit.

Amen.

During the evening prayers we completed a "life wheel" where we rated the following:

• My Space
• My Faith
• My Relationships
• My Community
• My Life/Work Balance
• My Well Being
• My Leisure, and
  
• My Life Journey

I found this to be a useful tool for identifying areas of my life that need work... with each topic being covered through Saturday and Sunday's discussions.

Sleeping was, to be honest, kind of awkward... apparently I snore (I say apparently when I should say... my name is Thomas and I snore!) - in my defense, I was feeling badly congested and this didn't help. Didn't get much sleep... especially with Olly nudging me to tell me I was snoring. Thanks honey!

Saturday was overcast, wet and miserable. In the morning we discussed the first three topics:

1. My Life Journey
2. My Space
3. My Well Being

Although we covered the topics together with Jon... when we went into our groups... we didn't get deep enough... only covering My Life Journey.

This was disappointing for me. I have goals... I have an idea of what I am called to do... and this session did reinforce this, which I was glad for, but we just didn't spend enough time reviewing the excellent material that Jon had prepared or discussing the content.

I put this down to the fact that the group were varied in experience and the weekend was designed to appeal to everyone... at all levels and degrees of experience. Timing of sessions was 45 mins or so... which left me wanting more. I just felt we were scratching at the surface.

After lunch... we had some free time... which Olly and I used to get away on our own (which is such a rare blessing) > we headed to the lovely town of Peebles for a wander in the sunshine and sometime drizzle and, hopefully, some charityshopping. We had a great time... and found some fab stuff including another old teaset for £2.50...

some fab scones (£6 all in)...

and the soundtrack to the film Juno (£2) which is, btw, brilliant.

After dinner (which was cooked by Lorna's parents - Billy and Margaret - and my thanks go to them) we settled down for the second study session on...

1. My Life / Work Blend
2. My Community
3. My Leisure

This was a session of particular interest to me... coming off the back of reading "Everything Must Change" and my passion/gift for bringing people together / connecting people.

Group discussion centred around whether or not we "worked to live... or lived to work" and the implications for both... concepts of community and the third place... and being a neighbour. Valuable discussions were held... although, for me, it was too short.

Afterwards, Olly and I went for an unplanned walk... Olly needed time to clear her head and I wanted to be with her. We just went for a wandered and talked openly about the issues we currently face.

As I mentioned above... we were/are at a different life stage from some of the other participants and we saw this weekend as an opportunity to discuss our issues/baggage
with people with similar experiences. This never really happened... basically because of the level of generality needed when such a variety of people come together.

This was why we needed time out... and the time we had together was extremely valuable... especially when I saw this open metaphor for our situation:

In the middle of nowhere... on a road between healthy forests... we found a potted tree. This is so representative of where we are just now... we are trees whose hope/dream/intention is to grow big and tall... in a forest surrounded by likeminded trees... albeit at various stages of growth. Thing is... our growth is stunted by the pot we have grown up in and are currently situated within. What we need to do is understand what is stunting our growth... and deal with it. We also need to find the forest.

Later on... we joined in for evening prayers and meditated on some choice verses from the Psalms and the Gospels (such as the following) ::

• Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my saviour, and my hope is in you all day long. [Psalm 25: 4-6]
• Into your hands I commit my spirit: redeem me, O Lord, the God of Truth. [Psalm 31: 4-6]
• Truth springs up from the earth and righteousness smiles down from heaven [Psalm 85: 10-12]
• I tell you the truth, everyone who doesn't receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it. [Luke 18: 16-18]
• I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to the Father. [John 14: 11-13]
• And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. [John 8: 31-33]

Afterwards... we had some supper and watched The Goonies - good fun.

Sunday was different... the sun came out and it got nice and warm out.

We had our final study session... focusing on ::

1. My Relationships
2. My Faith Journey

We talked about relationships and defined those that are most valuable. For me it was ::

• Olwyn
• Dayna & Miriam
• My parents
  
• Janey and Roscoe / David & Yvonne / Kenny & Sarah
• Jon / Paul / Innes / Stewart
• JD / Johnny / Chris & Dawn / Dan & Carol Anne
  
• The Nanolog Community (esp. Laura, Roy, Adele, Matt and Paula) / My Twitter friends (esp. Darrin, John, Matt & Kerry) / My Facebook peeps
• My colleagues
  
• Summer School friends

I've probably missed someone out... but these are the relationships that define me... energise me... inspire me... feed me.

We then considered how balanced these relationships were? Positive, in the main... although they can be challenging at times. I think I give as much as I take. I think I have learned an important lesson in the last year... and things tend to be more equally balanced.

We then moved to My Spiritual Journey... and had a discussion about a revised set of Commandments. Our group kind of got hung up on violence (don't kill... never be violent). I spoke of trying to seek the third way... and about rejecting the myth of redemptive violence. Don't know if I made much sense.

Afterwards we had a period of worship in the outdoors... about which I will post later. It was a beautiful period of time and one that deserves its own post.

My thanks to Jon, Lorna, Rita, Billy and Margaret for their efforts in making the weekend what it was. All in... it was a good weekend. Challenging for us/me in ways I doubt were intended. I intend to feedback my thoughts to Jon... and hope to be involved in the next one.

We're back

We're back... Just uploaded some photos to Flickr (here) > will post some thoughts in due course. Thanks to everyone who left comments, sent tweets or texts... its appreciated!

A time for reflection...

As mentioned in the previous post... Olly and I are heading down towards the Borders for a period of retreat/reflection.

The retreat is the brainchild/vision of my good friend Jon Godfrey... and I am personally delighted to be part of the realisation of this dream.

I don't know what to expect... but am looking forward to spending time with friends like Jon and Lorna... Gordy... Chris and Lorraine... and Kev.

The intention is to go with open hands and an open heart... and see where that takes us. So from Friday night until sometime on Sunday... I'll be offline :: no posts... no tweets... no moby...

Keep Olly and I in your thoughts/prayers... and the other participants.

A busy day :: Wednesday, 23rd April 08

This is my Starbucks... its in Borders... in the centre of Glasgow and its my fave place just now for cups of tea... reading books... and having fab conversations.

The latest conversation was with this man:

Stewart Cutler [blog / twitter] - we met for the second time for a cup o' cha and a blether yesterday.

I talked about "Everything Must Change" and spoke of the dilemma / challenge I have with the "Prosperity" section -- the one that describes/discusses "Theocapitalism". We spoke of independent coffee shops, open source software and charity shops as means of subverting the consumerist agenda. Fab.

We then spoke of a joint dilemma we face... how we bring people from "consumption" to "participation" in the expressions of church that we create/facilitate/direct... and how "interaction" is an important stepping stone in the transition.

It was a good blether and one that I hope we can continue.

After work... I headed over to the Salvation Army's West of Scotland HQ for a ((deep)) planning meeting. The pic above is the office next door... it looked good in the spring light.

My meeting was with Rita Pearce (L), Lucy Mann (R) and Paul Clement (in hiding)... to discuss the future of the ((deep)) event.

The outcome of the meeting was extremely encouraging... ((deep)) has a future into next year with Lucy taking over the mantle of management/DHQ liaison under the guidance of Rita as Divisional Director for Evangelism. We are going to expand the team and look to expand ((deep)) as both a community and as a springboard for new adventures.

Watch this space... but I am totally excited with Lucy's plans/ideas and am eager to play whatever part I can... you know... keep dreaming the dreams.

The next ((deep)) gathering is on the 24th May... at the City Centre corps, Glasgow. I'll post more on it nearer the time... but the gathering will centre around an open mic...

Afterwards... Olly (library pic) picked me up and we headed through to Erskine to the home of Ian and Liz Pye. Olly and I are heading down to the Borders for a spiritual retreat tomorrow... and last night we met a couple - Pamela and Graham - who are new to the Army and joining us at the Retreat. They are a lovely couple... and I look forward to spending time in their company. It was sweet to see Liz too... here brie bagels and rocket salads are awesome! Missed Ian though... who was in Ireland doing some training or something.

All in... a fab day! Thanks to everyone who made it extra special!

This is cool :: Shout to the Lord on American Idol

I don't follow American Idol and don't know the context of this song... but thought it was cool. This would NEVER happen on British TV... maybe thats a good thing... maybe its not.

What do you think? Is having this song on mainstream TV a good thing?

U*P*D*A*T*E

The discussion in the comments is fab and I thank everyone who has tossed in their 2 cents worth. There is an interesting US / UK split that I am thinking about just now. Keep it going. If you haven't already... please let me know what you think.

Following Jesus is more like a wild Disney ride...

Modern church is so far removed from what's seen in the early Church: we don't sit around waiting in anticipation for God to show up, we don't go on exploits and put our lives at risk. Following Jesus is more like a wild Disney ride-- but still we refuse to get on the ride 'cos the line is too long, and Michael W. Smith is playing at the CCM Night of Joy Disney Concert Hall just down the road.

Free Donuts

Roy's on fire. Thanks for this, buddy!

Today...

Today was a good day.

Let me explain in words... I don't have any pics... so I am going to use bullets:

• Porridge for breakfast
• Went to the Motherwell Library and borrowed a book of speeches from Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr and some CDs - Hail to the Thief / Airbag / Blue Album & Tutto Mozart from Radiohead / Orbital and Bryn Terfel respectively.
• Olly made a fab cooked breakfast for lunch.
  
• Olly dropped me off near the station and I fought through an Orange Walk parade to get to my train.
• While on the train, a neighbouring passenger who heard my complaining to Olly on the phone said "empty vessels make the loudest noise" and we had a chat about marching. I believe in the right to march - as a celebration and as a protest - but I don't believe in the Orange Walks and would ban them as a celebration of hatred.
• While on the train, I read Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr's first speech... regarding the Montgomery bus boycott and was inspired.
• I got to Glasgow and walked from Argyle Street station to the Apple Store... where I spoke to a Concierge and booked my appointment with a Genius.
• I then walked (listening to WOLFMOTHER on my iPod) to the Centre for Contemporary Arts to see the Catherine Yass installation "High Wire" which was interesting but left me wanting more.
• I popped into TKMaxx on the way back but nothing inspired me - I am too fat for a "Members Only" jacket.
• I walked down Sauchiehall Street (listening to LCD SOUND SYSTEM) and then onto Buchanan Street marveling at the diversity of people ::
• guys with skinny jeans and ironic tee-shirts
  
• girls with fab tattoos
• girls with spikey hair and piercings
• guys with Guy Fawlkes masks
• Communists with a stall beside Muslims with a stall... both giving away their truth
• Big Issues salespeople alongside Socialist Worker salespeople
• Preachers alongside Falun Gong anti-Chinese protesters
• Buskers with guitars beside "chuggers" looking for donations
  
• I then grabbed a Chai Latte in the Starbucks next to American Apparel (where the cool wee bar Room used to be). I read "No Logo" (listening to a AEROTONE compilation)
  
• At 4pm I met with the Genius who tested my power cable and found it to be working. Felt embarrassed.
• I headed home (listening to SIMON AND GARFUNKEL)... reading more from "No Logo" on the train... enduring folks awful ringtones and claustrophobic seating preferences.
• Got picked up by Olly, Janey and Dayna. Headed over to Janey's where Olly was doing some gardening.
• Sat out of the way and read from my RSS feeds.
• Got fish and chips for everyone with Janey.
  
• Watched Doctor Who and loved every minute of it. Classic!
• Headed home with Olly, Dayna and Miriam.
  
• Panicked as my laptop powercable wouldn't work in the house. Eventually "rebooted" our mains electricity to get it working - weird.
• Had a bath. Read more from "No Logo".
  
• Pottered about. Uploading music to iTunes and emailing/twittering/reading etc.

I'm off to bed now. The house is quiet. Everyone is sleeping and I am tired. Just thought I'd share my day.

I love the following:

• My wife, Olly.
• My family (esp. Dayna and Miriam) and friends
• Glasgow - its amazingly vibrant!
• Apple - Service was great, although I had to wait.
• Reading.
• Listening to music.
• Chai Lattes.
• Sunny days.
• Fish and chips / cooked breakfasts / cups of tea!
  

I don't love the following:

• Celebrations of hate.
• Cramped seating arrangements.
• Standard ringtones.

That's enough bullets for one day.

This is cool :: Stussy, Philadelphia

Stussy have opened a chapter in Philadelphia above the fab wee street boutique ubiq > a store I was fortunate to check out on trip no.1 to Philly ::

Definitely on the list for checking out if I ever go back there. Nice addition to Walnut Street.

Their collab tee for today's opening is sweet... with reference to the Liberty Bell.

Nice.

Photos from my break... with narrative

On the way up to Blairgowrie... we stopped off at Loch Leven to walk Pippin. The water was pretty still and mirrorlike... reflecting the overcast sky. Beautiful.

One of the obsessions of the week was creating Mario and friends with Hama Beads > the whole family got into the act at various times... which was nice. Mario was one of mine.

On the Tuesday we headed down to the Sensation Science Centre in Dundee. Its a great place... with a number of wonderful hands-on exhibits. Good fun!

We managed a quick wander at the shops... which was nice. The public space at the shops has vastly improved since I last was there. I love the Desperate Dan sculpture, for example.

On the Wednesday we headed over to Loch of the Lowes to see the Osprey. There is an Osprey nest in this pic although this is what the close up camera shows:

It was an awesome sight to see the Osprey who, btw, laid her 50th egg later that week. The reintroduction of the Osprey has been a fantastic success.

After seeing the Osprey... Olly, Dayna and I walked from the Loch to Dunkeld. A nice wee leisurely walk in my new wellies. Yay!

Dunkeld is a lovely place - appealing for many reasons... including fab blue cheese quiche and no mobile phone coverage.

The Cathedral in Dunkeld is beautiful and peaceful.

On Thursday, we toured Forfar... visiting Restenth Priory. The main highlight was finding Kookaburras... a fab Australian themed restaurant on the A923:

Food was good... and the ambience was fab. Would have preferred some Aussie pop music like Men at Work but otherwise... it was great. Olly visited it when her band spent the day around Forfar and it was a great recommendation... thanks Olly!

All in... it was a good break.

Photos from my break...

I've posted some photos from our wee break up north. Check them out here. I'll provide a narrative tonight.

Son of Rambow

I took Olly to see Son of Rambow tonight... and thoroughly enjoyed it. Its a good film :: inventive... imaginative... funny... honest... and entertaining. It shows the coming-together of three completely different boys to make a film.

The mesh of themes are kind of hard to describe: strict religious upbringing... latch-key existence... flavour-of-the-month... and it takes time to bed down... but when it does... its beautiful.

Well worth seeing. Hammer and Tongs at their best!

Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

Not that I am celebrating the myth of redemptive violence or anything like that with this quote... I just love that line from Dirty Harry.

Oh and I love it when he "talks" to the jumper. Nice!

This is cool :: twitpic

I am a huge fan of twitter and love this new twist :: posting pics using twitpic. You upload a pic... put some blurb on it... and bud-a-bing a wee tweet appears announcing the pic to your peeps. Nice.

Check this out :: tekkonkinkreet

After spotting it on notcot... I have to say tekkonkinkreet looks fantastic and has a soundtrack from plaid.

I need to track this film down... as a matter of urgency. Check it out.

Geekin' Out :: FriendFeed

I've set up a friendfeed account... it brings all my various web thingys together into one RSS feed.

If you are even the remotest bit interested... find me here

Inspired by a cartoon "baddie"...

I was inspired when I watched Ratatouille yesterday morning - I love the voice over at the end from Ego, the food critic. It inspired me... because it reminded me why I blog... and why I love the blogs I read regularly.

In many ways the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and theirselves to our judgement. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read.

But, the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things... the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.

But there are times when a critic truly risks something... and that is in the discovery and defense of the new.

The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends.

Last night I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from an singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking, is a gross understatement-- they have rocked me to my core.

In the past I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau’s famous motto: “Anyone Can Cook”. But I realize only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.

It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau’s, who is, in this critic’s opinion, nothing less than the finest Chef in France.

I will be returning to Gusteau’s soon, hungry for more.

The new needs friends :: new ideas... new interpretations... new ways of seeing this world. Sometimes new means acceptance and closer inspection. Sometimes new will mean revisioning the old to see something new. New is not necessarily about consumption and more... its about seeing the core value and appreciating it... being the first to see it in this new way.

Celebrate the new... even when it is something old... or something borrowed... it is still your new.

Taking a break...

The family are heading off to Blairgowrie in Perthshire for a few days... the plan is to walk... talk... read... play the Wii and generally escape. I may post some tweets but that'll be it. We need time away, as a family, to come back together... strengthen our ties... heal the hurts of our lives and invest in the future so we come back fresh... revitalised and refocused.

If you are looking for inspiration then follow some of these links ::

• Geek-Speak - Chris Hinton's new fun project.
• Notcot
• PSFK
• Cool Hunting
• Ping Mag
• Click Opera - iMomus' livejournal
• SwissMiss
• WayOutWest - Mark Berry's blog - been a real inspiration this Easter
• Aurgasm - for the latest tunes
• Worldchanging

oh and one of the coolest videos I have seen in a while... from Radiohead

Speak soon!

This is cool :: Visionary Art Visionary

Christine Cambrea has inspired me to paint... Current_TV rocks!

This is cool :: 7 days into 4 mins

I love notcot!

"Today, I discovered that Michel’s brother, Olivier “Twist” Gondry, is an equally-impressive, if not as well known, film and video visionary. I found a short film of his on one of my fave sites, Fresh Creation. In “Behind”, he compresses a 7-day road trip from LA to NYC into this 4-minute (very) short film:

Get all the details here

((deep)) -- no.4

Been really busy... sorry its taken a while to post on the fourth ((deep)) gathering... which was wonderful, by the way.

It was another of those amazing times where everything came together to create a thin place... where Heaven and Earth almost touch.

The band were on form and led us in a rousing time of worship... bringing newer songs to those gathered in City Centre Corps. They brought us into the spirit of the time and kept us there... with thoughtful choruses such as blessed by your name.

I then read from the Bible - the Emmaus Road story - and set the scene for the evening.

Kirsty from Easterhouse created an awesome prayer path... throughout the main hall and into the other spaces. A journey mapped out in candles and stones that started at the cross and ended with the footprints of the famous poem. It was very well thought out and beautifully executed. She makes me proud! Her creativity is a gift... and she is so generous with it.

A number of people participated in this experience... and benefited from the time shared with others on the road laid out.

Afterwards, Ivor and Carol (our DCs) and Richard (our DCO) shared in a "conversation" - a mock blether in a Starbucks - where Ivor explained the Easter story. It worked really well. A tremendous recap of all the experiences of recent days... in the lead up to Easter Sunday.

I wasn't sure what to expect but then realised that was ((deep)) in a nutshell - new experiences of God... Jesus... the Spirit - unknown... scary... inspiring... exciting..! They spoke well and it worked because it was in keeping the experimental nature of ((deep)). Nice to see the DCs thinking out of the box...again!

All in... another fab night. My thanks to everyone involved... the band... Richard for the beverages... Carol and Ivor for their contribution... and Kirsty who stole the show with her prayer experience. Awesome!

Technorati Tags: ((deep)), glasgow

Radiohead at the BBC

Radiohead played two concerts today for BBC Radio.

Their evening performance was featured on the Radcliffe and Maconie show... and I not only got the chance to listen to it... but recorded it using the fab piece of kit called iRecordMusic. Full details of the show plus a chance to listen to it (tip: its worth a listen) go here.

They also performed a matinee which will be broadcast on the 12th April (I think) - check the beeb for more details.

Radiohead have become an important band for me... ever since I downloaded In Rainbows last October. I find their music timeless and enthralling... kind of singing for me as well as to me... if that makes any sense?!? I also find their approach to music, their fans and life's big issues also remarkably refreshing and inspiring. Consider the webcast from Hogmanay 07... and now this concert. Both safely on my iPod thanks to some sweet software.

Thanks Radiohead... and thanks too to the Beeb - makes the license fee a worthwhile investment.