The Journey

I loved this when I saw it -  Mary Oliver-The Journey (illustated film by Connor Weekes)

The Journey

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice --
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do --
determined to save
the only life you could save.

~ Mary Oliver ~

(Dream Work

Friendship First visit Shah Jehan Mosque

Here are a couple of pictures I took from my Instagram Photos of the Across group of  'Friendship First' course students visiting the Shah Jehan mosque in Woking (Oriental Road)  on Saturday 23rd November.    I am always appreciative of their hospitality and welcome...... 

1 Visit of #Across #frienshipfirst course to Shah Jehan Mosque #Woking

  

2 With the Imam @ Shah Jehan Mosque #Across #frienshipfirst visit

holy::ground

holy::ground is now up and running. It is a merger between sacred:space (Christchurch Woking) and Holy Ground (Trinity Methodist)

holy::ground is a fresh expression (FX) of church, that meets twice a month at st michael’s sheerwater.  'we are creative,  experimental and believe in having fun as well as exploring what it means to live well and build community together.'

The website is coming on   worth having a look at....  and if you are interested in participating or finding out more there is a facebook group you can join

And here is the programme for autumn to give you an idea of what we have been doing (ground we have passed)  and what is still to come (the journey ahead) ....


WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING (ground we have passed)


 





the naming game
choose a name for the newly formed group, followed by night prayer
sun 8^th sept @ 7pm  st michael’sheerwater








reduced greenbelt 
share some of the experiences of greenbelt ‘40’ without the camping or the mud! 
sun 22^nd sept @ 7pm st michael’s sheerwater








little holy communion  share bread and wine together –but first help create our communion table. 
 sun 13^th oct @ 7pm st michael’s sheerwater










death matters  time to talk about death and funerals (and hopefully to stay fairly cheerful!) 
 sun 27^th oct @ 7pm st michael’s sheerwater








starry starry night
exploring the spirituality of vincent van gogh though his life and paintings. including some actual sunflower painting    sun 10^th nov @ 7pm st michael’s sheerwater

 




stir up sunday!
community bake-in to make christmas cakes & puddings to take home and to give away. finishing with night prayer.  sun 24^th nov @4pm st michael’s sheerwater

  
 STILL TO COME (the journey ahead) ......

a global christmas 
international carol service:  a multi-cultural service of songs and readings from around the world celebrating the birth of jesus      sat 7th dec at christchurch woking









welcoming advent
advent meditations ‘from darkness to light’, ending with holy communion
 sun 8^th dec @ 6:30pm  st michael’s sheerwater










christmas leftovers

share christmas leftover food, poems, stories and songs and to swap unwanted gifts – ending with night prayer  sun 29^th dec @ 7pm at venue to be confirmed



 





 orthodox christmas vigil  a holy;;ground trip to brookwood monastry
 to join in the orthodox christmas eve vigil.  ‘come when you can; go when you must’
 7^th jan @ 7pm   meet at trinity carpark to travel together or meet at brookwood

you can find details of this last event on the eventbrite site 
we hope to advertise all future events in this way .......

come and join us

The Honest Smuggler

I love this story of Mulla Nasruddin. I found this one on a site I hadn't seen before called alhaddad
which doesn't seem active at present. Great stories though and wonderful pictures.

  

Every first of the month Mullah Nasruddin used to cross the border with thirty donkeys, with two bails of straw on each.

Each time the custom person stopped him to ask about his profession and Nasruddin would reply, “I am an honest smuggler.”

So each time, Nasruddin, his donkeys and the bails of straw were searched from top to toe. Each time the custom folk could not find anything.

Next week, Nasruddin would return without his donkeys or bails of straw.

Years went by and Nasruddin prospered in his smuggling profession to the extent that he retired.

Many years later, the custom person too had retired. As it happened one day, the two former adversaries met in a country far from home.

The two hugged each other like old buddies and started talking.

After a while, the custom person asked the question which had been bugging him over the years, “Mullah, please let me know what were you smuggling all those years ago?”

Nasruddin thought for a few seconds and finally revealed his open secret, “Donkeys.”