Misc musings

The slacker summer
pace gives opportunity for catching up with various things and preparing for the
autumn; which will include a sermon series based from Proverbs called ‘wisdom
for living’.

I’ve read the
latest instalment of Willow Creek’s reveal series in the last couple of days. ‘Follow
me’ follows on from the previous research Willow did on the main factors in spiritual growth. I know some people are critical of Willow Creek but I think they deserve credit
for their willingness to reflect on what they do and their openness to learning
from others. If I have a criticism of the research it is that the picture of
maturity which underlies the work is insufficiently nuanced. As often with Willow, there is much to be positive about but also the sense that it would be better still if they interacted more with the breadth of the Christian tradition.

The news is filled with swine flu, covered with a mixture of panic and complaint. Panic because we don’t seem to have any points to give a sense of proportion; complaint because every time a Doctor or
politician speaks they are accused of giving mixed messages. The problem seems
to be our inability to handle nuanced answers or balance risk. As mentioned in
previous posts this is a problem not just in the media but for church life as
well.

The Tour de France
nears completion after nearly three weeks cycling. Whilst I enjoy riding my
bike I couldn’t even begin to handle the distances they cycle every day. The
Tour is an excellent example of the benefit of teamwork. The successful riders
are all members of successful teams. Teams which have room for strong
individuals, but who know how to ride for the team when needed and teams which
allow different people to shine on different days as well as containing people
who just get on with riding for the benefit of the team. An object lesson for
the church perhaps?