We make the road by walking Advent 1 Prophesy

a fabulous 'prophetic' song by Sinead O'Connor (She looks great in a dog collar) 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8jjudZBWSI

What are your 8 good reasons to stick around? I found myself thinking of this in terms of Brian McLaren's question about prophetic hope in our everyday contemporary context and thinking about what I actually do ......... 
 My 8 good reasons include 

• FAMILY (R T J A J), 
• faith, 
• health, 
• work/ministry, 
• network of friends/contacts; 
•  home/house, 
• Pounstina, 
• Ceili&Walks... 
• and an open fire...

and my favourite quote so far from the book....... 

'to be alive in the adventure of Jesus is to have a desire, a dream, a hope for the future. It is to translate that hope for the future into action.... in the present and to keep acting in the light of it, no matter the disappointments, no matter the setbacks and delays. (p80)

Prayer of Bredan the Navigator

 I came across this prayer of St Brenden the Navigator  I've used his story before to frame my own journeying.  and on this occasion used the images and prayer on my twitter feed. I got lots of nice comments on FB about the 2 pastel pictures I did a while back. So decided to do the blog as well. The first picture is inspired by an image of the entrance to Clonfert   The second based on an image of a celtic saint praying by the sea

Help me to journey beyond the familiar

and into the unknown.

Give me the faith to leave old ways

and break fresh ground with You.

Christ of the mysteries, 
I trust You to be stronger 
than each storm within me. 
I will trust in the darkness 
and know that my times, 
even now, are in Your hand.
Tune my spirit to the music of heaven, 
ans somehow, make my obedience count for You.

Play Time in Seoul - Happy Armed Force's Day!

I was passing by the shops in the Bukchon Hanok Village area of Seoul,  when I was grabbed by an image in a window, and discovered an exhibition  ......

Play Time-Dana Ramon Kapelian Exhibition, 1-13 Oct 2013, Jongno-gu

The visual artist, a French-Israeli photographer, who studied in San Franscisco, was present and happily signed a card with the soldier image. I commented that it was an appropriate image for Korea's Armed Forces Day. (celebrated every 1st October, to mark the 38th parrallel being taken in the Korean War)  She hadn't made the connection ....

The image made me think of the thin line between play and reality, and how even great empires play at war. The war between the North and South Korea is still being played out, under an fragile truce.  Yesterday's parade was all about a show of strength (see BBC news) another type of exhibition. But it is a more costly game, and countless lives are lost. As the old protest song goes: 'when will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?' 

The exhibition is entitled PLAY TIME  and her other images are previewed here
It is currently on at Gallery Gahoedong 60, presenting the solo exhibition of the Israeli artist, Dana Ramon Kapelian.   She writes about the exhibition: 

The images are about the boundary between a child's imagination and an adults fantasies and actions. It is all in the seer's mind.Things can be interpreted as innocent or devious, playful or full of temptation.

and the text that inspired her .....

In many shamanic societies, if you came to a shaman or medicine person
complaining of being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of four questions.
When did you stop dancing?
When did you stop singing?
When did you stop being enchanted by stories?
When did you stop finding comfort in the sweet territory of silence?
Where we have stopped dancing, singing, being enchanted by stories, or finding
comfort in silence is where we have experienced the loss of soul.
Dancing, singing, storytelling, and silence are the four universal healing salves.
by Angeles Arrien Ph.D.
(the author of The Four-Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Healer, Teacher and Visionary)

Singing, dancing, stories and silence... I like that.   There is something about becoming like a little child in order to enter the Kingdom of God ....


I'm staying at the Doo Guesthouse.  It's a traditional Hanok style of Guest house. Very Korean.  
I'm taking the opportunity to catch up with some blogging. (I'm surprised to discover its been nearly 3 months - I'll try to fill in some of the gaps with some retro blogging - a new word I've just made up!)  

Not quite what you would call a typical day at the office  but #someonehastodoit. It's just a part of the life on the road, wandering for the love of God

My Daily Newspaper

 My Guardian:  This must be my favourite song at present  

 '

'You go before me, my Guardian' by Ben Cantelon #Guardian. We sing it a lot @CCWoking. You can hear it/ watch it on YouTube http://t.co/jnU9V5K5

King of love and grace
My Guardian
All my hopes and fears
Are in Your hands
I'm in Your hands

Where You go I'll go
Show me the way
Every step I take
Be now my guide
God on my side

You go before me
You're there beside me
And if I wander
Love will find me

Goodness and mercy
Will always follow
You go before me
My Guardian

When I hear You say
Trust in the way
I will walk by faith
And not by sight
God of my life

So let Your kingdom come
Your will be done
All Your promises will stand forever
You're my defender

You go before me
You're there beside me
And if I wander
Love will find me

Goodness and mercy
Will always follow
You go before me
My Guardian

You are God
Our Great defender
Strong in love
Forever faithful
We are Yours
And we will trust in You
(x2)

You go before me
You're there beside me
And if I wander
Love will find me
Goodness and mercy
Will always follow
You go before me
My Guardian

My Guardian

Wandering4theloveofGod

I wanted to change the words a bit - in fact I do sing the chorus slightly differently. The song implies there is something wrong with wandering. I suppose it is talking about wandering astray. But I do it (wander I mean) all the time. As you can see, my blog is called wandering4theloveofGod. 'Peregrinate pro Dei Amore'.   To me 'wandering is a good thing, it is part of our pilgrimage and involves being attentive to the winds of the spirit guiding us.

So I now sing:

You go before me
You're there beside me
And when I wander
Love will guide me 

Goodness and mercy
Will always follow
You go before me
My Guardian

I mentioned to a friend that this song is like me, left of centre and couldn't imagine an equivalent 'My Telegraph'. So during the service at the back of church (which is a very creative space!) he wrote the following:

My Lord, my God,
You hear my prayer
You listen to what I have to say
And in the silence     
When I'm listening                           
You speak to me
We talk both ways
My Telegraph 

 

Now I'm thinking of maybe a whole series on My Newspaper........   

In fact I seem to remember a conference I went to (Spring Harvest?) organising different streams based on Newspaper titles.

So how about 'my Mirror' (I Cor 13:12 or James 1:23?), 'my Sun' (of Righteousness? Mal 4:2)  'my Daily Mail' ( a bit like Daily bread readings), 'my Times' (1 Chron 12:32?), 'my Independent' (I Cor 11:11??) 

Any poetic contributions welcome.... 

Francisco d'Andrade, Reading a Newspaper

 

Still Point

I visited the Lightbox in Woking earlier and saw an excellent installation: Still Point by Suki Chan, a Hong Kong artist.

You can read more about it on stillpointfilm.co.uk and here

Suki Chan’s new work, Still Point, is a film installation that engages with sacred spaces and places of pilgrimage.

"Whilst filming in sacred sites in Jerusalem, I was struck by how some parts of the city have two names, one in Hebrew and the other in Arabic. How one population can ‘unsee’ another group. How one part of the city is closed off to another group – by borders which are sometimes physical and sometimes psychological."

Still Point transports the audience from the site of the humble wooden structures offering refuge along Pilgrims’ Way in Northumberland, to contested sacred sites in Jerusalem, and the interior spaces of abandoned Syrian villages in the Golan Heights.

Have a look at the preview on Vimeo  Well worth it.......

It's based on the poem by T S Elliot   The Still Point in a turning world.   
I loved the 2 sacred:spaces visited:  Lindisfarne and Jerusalem... Holy Island and Holy City

Pentecost

Two things for Pentecost. First of all a Painting by He Qi the Chinese artist, which evokes the spirit and fire and hints of Pentecostal wind.  He was the CMS Artist in residence a few years back and painted a wonderful image for the CMS office in Oxford. You can see it here: The Art of Mission 

And then a prayer by Walter Brueggemann from his excellent book: Prayers for a Privileged People

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8

We hear the story of the wind at Pentecost,
Holy wind that dismantles what was,
Holy wind that evokes what is to be,
Holy wind that overrides barriers and causes communication,
Holy wind that signals your rule even among us. 

We are dazzled, but then – reverting to type -
We wonder how to harness the wind,
how to manage the wind by our technology,
how to turn the wind to our usefulness,
how to make ourselves managers of the wind 

Partly we do not believe such as odd tale
because we are not religious freaks;
Partly we resist such a story,
because it surges beyond our categories;
Partly we had imagined you to be more ordered
and reliable than that. 

So we listen, depart, and return to our ordered existence:
we depart with only a little curiosity
But not yielding;
we return to how it was before,
unconvinced but wistful, slightly praying for wind,
craving for newness,
wishing to have it all available to us.
We pray toward the wind and wait, unconvinced but wistful.

Walter Brueggemann Prayers for a Privileged People

Candidates for Newness

Van Gogh seemed obsessed with the Cypress tree.  They appear in many pictures, almost church steeple like, pointing to the sky, encouraging us to look upwards. Where the heavens are a never ending movie of shifting shapes, full of Kaleidescopic possibilities.


My paintings  are both Oil Pastel drawings in my small A6, postcard size, stetch book. Copied from Van Gogh's images. They seemed appropriate images at this time of Ascension, when we seem to look intently into the skies (Acts 1:10-11).   

I  have also been reading a poem in Walter Brueggemann's excellent little book:   Prayer for Privileged People


'Candidates for Newness'   is a poem about Ascension, the space between Eater and Pentecost   anbout looking up to new possibilities but also staying close to the ground, and what we think of as reality. It  advocates a hesistant expectancy  
I found it very encouraging, when facing change and newness.....

 Candidates for Newness 

We live the long stretch between

Easter and Pentecost, scarcely noticing.

We hear mention of the odd claim of ascension.

We easily recite the creed,

"He ascended into heaven."

We bow before such quaint language and move on,

immune to ascent,

indifferent to enthronement

unresponsive to new governance.

It is reported that behind the ascending son was

the majestic Father riding the clouds

But we do not look up much;

we stay close to the ground to business and

to busyness

to management and control.

Our world of well-being has a very low

ceiling, but we do not mind the closeness

or notice the restrictiveness.

It will take at least a Pentecost wind to

break open our vision enough to imagine new governance.

We will regularly say the creed

and from time to time-

-in crises that

drive us to hope and to wish—

wait for a new descent of the spirit among us.

Until then, we stay jaded,

but for all that,

no less candidates for newness.

Walter Brueggemann Prayers for Privileged People

Prague Reflections

Prague is a great place for a City Break. Except that it was far too cold and we didn't bring enough warm clothing. That was back in February for half term (last year, 2011!). My first time in what I have always known as Czechoslovakia,  now the Czech Republic. 

Reflections - Charles Bridge, Prague 

Prague is a great city, built along the River  with lots to do - good food, plenty to see, especially the austere Prague Castle complex - including St Vitrus Cathedral with its wonderful gargoyles and Lobkowicz the Old Royal Palace. A great place to wander and watch over the city.  I particularly enjoyed the art galleries. Inspirational... 

We went on a free walking tour starting at the clock Tower in the Town Square.  

Charles Bridge (Karluv Most) joins the two halves of the City, crossing the Vlitava River and is adorned by 75 statues. It's full of tourists. We spent quite a bit of time there too. 

My Oil Pastel drawing is of Charles Bridge at night - reflections on the black Vlitava River.......  

I nearly went again this week for the ISAAC European Conference, 17th - 20th May hosted by Teen Challenge. In the end I'd done enough traveling recently and needed to be around home for a bit.  

ISAAC is a consortium of Christian Drug rehabilitation Programmes around the world  I've been involved since its inception in Florida in 1997. In fact, the first Gen Sec, Dave Partington and myself did a consultation of another Network in the Indian Sub Continent 'FORUM' for Tearfund earlier, that indirectly led to its formation. I continue involvement now, especially in the expansion of ISAAC in Asia. It's a great network of amazing people.  






Visit the ISAAC website. We also have a FACEBOOK page and community if you are interested.      

The Old Prague Astronomical Clock in the OLD Town Square, with the hourly 'Walk of the Apostles' 

The City tour starts near the Old Clock in the Prague Town Square. But it's not just the old astronomical clock  that has the hourly 'Walk of the Apostles'. Many apostles are apparent in the ISAAC Network as well.....  

Perception

I went to the opening night of 'Perception' in Southall

My colleague Jonny Baker is part of the London Independent Photography (Ealing Group).    He blogged about the photo exhibition and sent me an invite.  15 photographers were interpreting the theme of Perception in their own way. 

I thought it would be good to go with my son Jonny, who is studying photography and film making. He has his own website where you can see some of his images: a space for brief moments of introspection. There are sections for moving images and iphotographs (instagrams images) as well as a photo blog.

I like the ethnic make up and cultural mix of Southall, where the exhibition was taking place,  although that was not reflected that much in the photographs. There were some great images and a good turnout - wine and nibbles always helps. The Dominion Arts Centre seems to also have a great footprint with many diverse groups using the place.  If you are in the area (up til 6th July)  pop in and have look-see.  

Southall is also a great place to have a curry afterwards... 

Creative Spirit: The Methodist Art Collection

One of the Highlights of last year's Greenbelt 2011 was the Exhibition of some of the Methodist Art Collection. I wrote about it in a previous blog: Dreams of Home. The Collection had some stunning images under the theme 'Jesus in the everyday' and I spent a couple of happy hours staring at them. I also bought the CD Rom Collection and Study Notes 'Creative Spirit".   

There was a lot to inspire, but my favourite image was Dalit Madonna by Jyoti Sahi

Dalit Madonna  Oil on canvas 148cm x 119 cm  (c.2002) Jyoti Sahi,  b. India 1944 

Unlike in Europe , where midwinter is a time of darkness and cold, lifeless earth, in Asia the winter season is a time for rejoicing, and bringing into the home, the fruits of the earth.
That is why in this image of the Mother and Child, the relation of Mary to Jesus is symbolic of the transformed earth, which becomes like a full vessel of life. The Birth of our Lord is in this way celebrated every time we come together for the Eucharist.

 From the Creative Spirit notes on the Methodist WebSite

Jyoti Sahi

There are links to the images on the Methodist Website and the CD Rom is worth getting.

You can also watch a brief YouTube video on the Methodist Art Collection which gives you an idea of the variety of images available.



If you want to find out where they are being displayed next have a look at the calendar 

The Lodge at Istalif: I lift my eyes up to the Mountains

(1) Istalif: Mountain and Valley 

We were staying at the Lodge at Istalif  - a group of us having a  break from routine.  I was here to meet with some of our people - working mainly in Mazar. This was a chance to get away for a couple of days and have fun together.   We had to walk an hour from where the van dropped us off at a school in a village.  We were staying at a Lodge belonging to friends from the US. It is a small business they run

We were only 7 in all.  We talked and walked up the valley, sat and read. And relaxed together.  We ate mainly omlettes and toast in the morning and rice and beans in the evenings (fortunately suplemented by Chicken one night and very late Kofte the other)  Green Tea was plentiful and neverending.   Frederica ran an Art workshop..... looking at the theme of rock and water.

I did a couple of paintings -  One of the River valley, just below the lodge (2) - Oil Pastels in an A4 Stetch Pad.

(2) Istalif River, below the lodge 

The other of my pictures is a Oil Pastel (1) stetch from the balcony of the view facing us, in all its splendour and majesty.  A reminder to look up ......

I lift my eyes up to the Mountains where does my help come from  (Psalm 121)  

I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip — he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD watches over you — the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. 

Bamboo in the Wind - Dhulikhel, Nepal

The drawing is a Dhulikhel Mountain range visible through Bamboo bent over in the wind, based on a  photo taken from the balcony of my bedroom. It is  a drawing in Oil Pastel.  I have included the Instagram picture as a comparison (enhanced by Snapseed app on the i-phone).  The Oil Pastel drawing I have given to Simon a Korean Colleague as a momento.

We were in beautiful Dhulikhel, Nepal for a gathering of CMS people from all over Asia,  about 70 in all. It was a splendid occasion, full of encouragement, as people shared their stories. We had an AsiaCMS board meeting at the beginning and then the Trustees stayed on to meet the people-in-mission (PiM).  We heard from KangSan and Francis about their vision for the future. Vinod lead the bible studies on (modern) Parables of the Kingdom.   There were inspirational dramas based on the personal  stories shared.  Plus visits to local churches and projects. Good food.  And lots of time to talk and chat and catch up.   I led a day training at the end on Samaritan Strategy.  There was a camp fire and cultural evening and the Asia PiM all said farewell to the 3 musketeers: Adrian,  John and myself. It ended in dancing the conga !

The views from Dhulikhel were stunning when the clouds lifted

I came across this poem which combines Bamboo, Wind and Mountain. I'm not sure if Dhulikhel held any such romantic notions for any of the participants.  We'll just wait and see!

The Mountain and the Wind

The mountain stands
The wind plays with her
Leaving her treetops in disarray
The wind moves on, unaware
Of the rustling gossips
Of him and her.

The mountain stands
The wind serenades her
A sighing song among the leaves
The wind moves on, unaware
Of the thousand songs he gave
Echoing in the bamboo grove of her heart.

The mountain stands
The wind dances around her
A waltz, a tango one eventide
The wind moves on, unaware
Of the face he left behind
Carved forever in her heart. 

Angelina Pandian

And here is my attempt at a Haiku poem (5-7-5 stucture) after Matsuo Basho

The Wind blows silent,
As Mountain Peaks through Bamboo,
A prayer is spoken.

The Risen Lord and a new (Asian) Dawn

I drew my own very rough, pastel version of a He Qi painting, which started out as a biro sketch during a CMS Core Training Conference. It represents the 'Resurrected Christ' or 'The Risen Lord' and seemed appropriate to post on Easter Sunday......  

A large, transcendent, risen Christ, surrounded by 12 disciples. It looks like a dove has descended from heaven and is resting on his forehead. Echoes of his baptism: 'This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.' 

Now he is surrounded by 12 different disciples - women and men - of Asian, Chinese origin. A new era has dawned. It has been said that the 21st century is the Asian Century of Mission. The Pope. John Paul II even prayed for such on his visit to India:

“The first millennia saw the cross planted in the soil of Europe and the second in America and Africa. May the third millennium witnesses a great harvest of faith on this vast and vital continent.

And that is my prayer too, as AsiaCMS takes off, based in Asia. That's shy I left my pen and Pastel sketch with a friend in Pakistan. 

Here is He Qi's inspirational original drawing - a much sharper, clearer, more authentic Asian vision, than through my Western eyes!

Four Dimensions of the Cross: Good Friday Meditation

The 3 hour meditation service at the Foot of the Cross, at Christchurch Woking, had as its centrepiece the Cross we had painted in the previous sacred:space. 

The service was based on John 3:16  "For God loved the world so much that gave his only son (Length) that whoever believes in him (Breadth) should not perish (Depth) but have everlasting life (Height)" 

We looked at the 4 dimensions of the Cross with images, music, liturgy, prayers, thoughts (by Martin) and responsive activities. Each section was 45 minutes. In the background the DVD of 'The Passion' was playing silently (and often illustrated the reading of Scipture exactly!) ....

1. The Length of Christ's Love

Georges Rouault,  "Ecce homo", 1937-41. canvas on wood. Paris, Musée national d’art modern

‘The meaning of the story is found in every detail, as well as in the broad narrative…..  The death of Jesus…. is either the most stupid, senseless waste and misunderstanding the world has ever seen, or it is the fulcrum around which world history turns’Tom Wright: Simply Christian (p95) 

2 Breadth of Christ's Love 

‘The Yellow Christ’  Paul Gaugin 1889 Albright Knox Art Gallery Buffallo NY

‘God in Christ has united our human nature to himself…. And demonstrated to us that supreme love of which Christ himself speaks: ‘Greater love has no-one than this (John 15 13), We are thus joined through his grace to him and our neighbour by an unbreakable bond of love….’ Peter Abelard 

We think that Paradise and Calvary, Christ's cross and Adam's tree, stood in one place ;

Look, Lord, and find both Adams met in me ;

As the first Adam's sweat surrounds my face,

May the last Adam's blood my soul embrace.

John Donne; Hymn to God, My God in my sickness’ 

3. The Depth of Christ's Love

Crucifixion by He Qi, China  www.heqigallery.com

‘A god who cannot suffer is poorer than any human. For a God who is incapable of suffering is a being who cannot be involved. Suffering and injustice do not affect him. And because he is so completely insensitive, he cannot be affected or shaken by anything. He cannot weep, for he has no tears. But the one who cannot suffer cannot love either. So he is a loveless being’Jurgen Moltmann   (1974) the Crucified God

4. The Height of God's Love  

Mount Calvary  
William H. Johnson  1944  Smithsonian American Art Foundation

‘God’s act of universal forgiveness is the whole train of action he sets working through Christ, through the Spirit, through the Church, through all-embracing providence, towards the reconciliation of the unreconciled, whether in this world or in a world to come. And of this great process Christ’s blood was, once more, the cost.’
Austin Farrar Saving Belief (p 107)

    Benediction Prayer

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.  Eph. 3:17-21