We are in the middle of The World Buskers Festival. I have written previously about busking as a model for worship – particularly for leading worship. So this post has a throwback-Thursday component. I want to add to previous reflections a new thought. Busking is essentially street theatre – gathering a spontaneous crowd. I think
Busking and Worship Read More »
Church services have shifted from being the Body of Christ worshipping God to being primarily focused on evangelising the unchurched. With this shift, congregational prayers, affirmations, responses, and, singing were replaced with the “worship”-preaching-worship format. The music shifted to primarily being intended to create an emotional response. So, in summary, begins the hard-hitting post by
The Day Church Singing Stopped Read More »
As we reflect on the atrocities in Beirut and Paris and elsewhere, James Alison’s talk on Worship in a Violent World is worth a careful read and reflection. I have a passion for apophatic spirituality, and so I was taken with his starting quote from the Fourth Lateran Council (1215): Between Creator and creature no
Worship in a Violent World Read More »
I use the word “contemporary” as much as, or more than, the next person. In fact I use “contemporary” when some use “modern” because, naysayers notwithstanding, I think much of our contemporary world is more “post-modern” than “modern”. Sometimes I joke that some contemporary artists, on their deathbed, will go, “ha, ha – gotcha!” [We’ve
I was delighted to meet Rev. Dr. Phillip Tovey and welcome him to my place for a meal. The conversation roved from India to Africa, the UK, USA, NZ, with much laughter and some deep reflection. We kept discovering bizarre connections – a monastic community we both knew, an important point we were both firmly
Conversation with Phillip Tovey Read More »
Once again Ben Myers hits the nail on the head. The liturgy, when celebrated well, is the matrix in which all are welcome – including all ages and stages. He talks about how we too-often encounter churches approaching children and church; and then how it might be done, and in many places is: …The best-loved
Children in the Liturgy Read More »
Habit 1 – Focus on God Church is for God. For spirituality. For meditation. For prayer. For liturgy. This should be self evident. Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου προσκυνήσεις, καὶ αὐτῷ μόνῳ λατρεύσεις Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him. Matthew 4:10 προσκυνέω proskyneō worship God If people want the experience of a café,
Seven Habits of Highly Effective Churches 1 Read More »
I have been researching web best practice in order to keep this site cutting edge, and user-friendly. There are some obvious conventions: a clickable header/logo in the top left that sends you to the home page. a navigation bar across the top or down the side links in the footer to some secondary level importance
break conventions only if you know what you’re doing Read More »
