unwrap our darkness
each year our ealing photo group all design a christmas card and we have a lucky dip at the christmas meal - you get to take home someone else's design. here's mine for this year (which is more an advent than christmas card)... the words are a line from an advent prayer christmas confession by cheryl lawrie in her book

more on advent...
more on advent...christine sine loves advent and has produced a movie this year which you can view and read the text of on her blog here. i-church have an online advent calendar - no idea what's behind the doors because it's not quite time!

catholics and the emerging church
andrew reflects on catholics and the emerging church. if missiology is anything to go by the catholics have some of the best mission thinking around - we've had the privilege of experiencing that through steve bevans in recent month (whose latest book is amazing - must review it when i get a moment!).  always think that the emerging church conversation is at its best and most interesting when it's framed by mission.andrew also blogs about the next chapter in the jones adventure having

advent on its way...
i have spent a couple of days hiding away writing for a book on curating worship which will be out next summer. a couple of chapters by me and then a series of around a dozen interviews with practitioners/curators who do amazing things in worship. this originally began life by me picking up a book on cuartion in the art world at an art gallery in oxford when i was early for a wedding! one thing led to another and i was inspired to interview a few people perhaps to publish on the blog but as much for my own interest. but it just got too interesting so it's now going to be turned into a book. the weather here in scotland has been gales and rain which has meant i have stuck to the task an

widows mite - do something small to make a big change for young people!
do something small to make a big change for young people - text the word MITE to 82540 and help frontier youth trust raise £100 000!ok it sounds optimistic right but if all of you who read this do so then that's a good start (i admit i am not in the league of 100000 readers) but then if you tweet or blog or facebook send it viral and keep pushing it on. how difficult can it be?! it's called widow's mite based on the story in luke 21 where jesus praises a poor woman who gives a little as more generous than the rich who make a display of their giving. in these credit crunched times it's a story that connects. here's why i am into it...