I just took a look at my site stats. It turns out someone recently came across this site after typing elven intentional communities into a search engine. Do those things really exist outside of Middle Earth? Perhaps this is the vocabulary that I've been looking for to describe what we do.

I saw The Passion last Thursday. I haven't really blogged about it because I needed time to work out what my response actually was. For me it brought everything back to reality, down to earth. It's made the reality of Jesus' life that much more tangible and as a result it has meant that I can better imagine what it means to be His follower.

That's it really, no major epiphanies - I don't think the film is particularly controversial, and I don't imagine it would be very accessible to individuals who don't already know the story.

Eastside vs. Westside
Reading the reaction to both Brian McClaren and Rick Warren’s comments on The Passion got me thinking. McClaren spoke out against the hype of regarding the film as “the best evangelistic tool in 2000 years,” arguing that it is the long-term living out of followership for people to see that really demonstrates something to live for.

Warren, on the other hand, argued against discrediting The Film altogether. He describes it as “a wave” of contemporary culture which, if the Church does its job and does some explaining, can draw people into relationship with Christ.

Now much of the dissatisfaction with Warren’s article was down to emphasis: the mention that “Mel” showed it to him, and that Saddleback have invited “leaders of communities” to watch the film at a VIP screening. He spoke of the numbers (3,000) added to the Church as a result of The Film. I was saddened that people got so riled at his language, while he may not envisage Church the same way we do, I don’t think that renders his perspective invalid. I also don’t believe he is ‘missing it.’

Warren may be a CEO of Saddleback Inc., and there is certainly no way that he pastors 23,000 individuals, but we can’t discredit the work he is doing just because his church is so large that he ends up using figures to describe their effectiveness. I’m sure the number game is a trap that is easy to fall into, and it must be difficult to ensure that so many individuals get discipled and don’t just become consumers. Their mode of presentation may, at times, even sacrifice The Message for the sake of presentation, but I would encourage us to avoid seeing our way as The Way.

Do leaders of communities need people to reach out to them? You bet they do! After all aren’t we supposed to make disciples of all people? Sure, we mustn’t focus on the rich at the expense of the poor, but maybe the work Saddleback does with the rich frees other communities to work among the poor in that area!

We watched The Life of David Gale last night. It's definately worth a watch: a tale of one man's fall from a life of prestigious academia to transient alcoholism, and then some. Kevin Spacey is great and in this instance demonstrates his ability to act true brokenness.****

Hiccups
Yesterday morning, while I was preparing some songs for our evening gathering, I got hiccups. They were the real deep, rather severe kind that linger even after drinking a lot of water. I sat down and chilled out for a while and eventually they went.

Then Lewis came around and, sure enough when I started singing the hiccups returned (grrr). We ran through the songs, amid many a "hic," and then went down to the YMCA to setup. I took the opportunity once everything was ready to just chill, sit down a bit, drink some water and just relax, and they subsided! I got up to lead the songs, got through King of Glory (which was the one that had got me hiccuping the last few times), got through all the other songs and even the rest of the evening with no obvious hiccup.

That evening when I returned home the dreaded hiccups returned and lasted until I fell asleep.

I've decided not to go to my graduation ceremony. It's such a huge money spinner and I'm really not that interested in the whole "pat on the back" side of my degree. I wanted the qualification, but not complete with photos of me in a cap and gown! When the time comes I will be looking forward to hearing how well I've done though.

Starting mid-September, Bristol Vineyard are running a years intensive discipleship programme called Form. If you'd like to find out more, or know people who are looking for something just like this, email Nicola, or visit www.form-uk.org.

Jobs I have done (in order):
1. Victoria Chip Shop - kitchen
2. Cyclopaedia - fixing bikes (work experience)
3. Sunset Cycles - building new bikes
4. ASDA - bag packing
5. Pizza Hut - kitchen
6. Salingers - waiting tables
7. Care for the Family - data entry
8. Care Wales - shadowing manager (work experience)
9. Café Europa - general bar work
10. Lloyds TSB/Blackhorse Retail Finance - 'New Business Adviser'
11. DWP Solicitors Office - admin.
12. M-Store - retail assistant (selling monkey - see right)

Keck is blogging about some interesting things recently, from a lack of practical teaching on ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit in the Emerging Church here, to the need to tell the story as well as live the story here. Check it out!

While walking away from the centre of Cardiff yesterday we were approached by a guy with a beard. He wore a check shirt, a hat and had wild eyes. He started a conversation "do you like the daffodils?" When we affirmed that we did like them he continued "look at the variation," as he pointed in the direction of the flowers, "they're lovely and most people don't notice them...look, the variation." I asked him where he was heading and he said he was off to get some cider, "do you drink?" I told him I didn't and he said "good for you, I drink, but I'm not an alcoholic." The the lights changed and we began to cross the road - "one last thing" he said, "God bless."

Happy Birthday Mum!
Yesterday we celebrated my Mum's birthday. Zoë took her shopping, while my Dad and I looked around music shops for a new skin for his djembe, then went for coffee. In the evening we went out for Burritos and ate Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. It was nice to just chill out together.

Eric, analyse this:

The night before last I dreampt that I was being held prisoner by a serial killer, who had an old house and wielded a machete. The first floor of the house (2nd floor for US readers) had a huge hole in it. The killer was making his prisoners jump barefoot from the first to the ground floor, onto the rough concrete below. Soon the guy became impatient with us and began to attack us with the machete. As he bludgeoned some of us I could hear a banging sound (which I took to be the impacts of the blade). Soon I woke up, but the banging carried on.

It turned out my next door neighbours were having a new kitchen fitted.

"The next step"
Over the last six months I've been trying to work out where it is that God is leading me once my degree is over. I have pushed a number of doors, aware that I want to learn more about starting, and leading communities of faith in order that one day I might do it myself.

About a month ago I heard God say something fairly concise, but which was to be unravelled as the weeks went on. He said "be patient," to which I responded "no, You clearly don't understand - I need an answer" (or something along those lines!) When I got to the Leaders' Conference two weeks ago I received that word once again from someone I had only just met.

I initially assumed that He meant "just you wait and I'll tell you where I want you." It turns out he was actually (or was also) saying that I wasn't to look on the next year as an end in itself, that He's willing to take his time with me!

So I looked at the guidance I already had on this issue and recognised that, of all the doors that had opened, only one seemed to be for now. So to cut a long story short(er)...next year I'll be interning with Andrew Wallis (aka Grommit) over at Bristol Vineyard.

This is one of the reasons I've been pretty quiet on here over the last few weeks - just trying to sort out some stuff before I commit it to web! Thanks for all of you who've been praying as this whole thing has been going on. I've already found somewhere to live, so now I just need to raise finances, wind down my involvement at CV, and pass those exams before I move over the Severn Bridge in September.

Hmmm...maybe I answered wrong?

You are Woodstock!
Which Peanuts Character are You?

Here's an interesting article on Marriage. [found thanks to instapundit]

Help my friend
Chris is one of my oldest friends. His girlfriend, Charlotte is a student in Bournemouth and has found a way of getting free rent next year. click here and vote for 'pixie' (Charlotte's housemate next year) and you'll give her a better chance of winning.

We returned yesterday from our week in Bournemouth at the UK Vineyard National Leaders' Conference. It was a great time. I've come away with a much clearer idea of my future direction. I'll blog some more soon, but for now something Andrew Jones said in this months Next Wave magazine that really struck me. It's on the issue of how 'established' Churches approach alternative ways of doing church:

"You should keep your church intact, but allow new structures to arise. Preserve the old wineskins, since they are keeping the old wine mature and that pleases God. If your people like church the way it is, let them have it. You can never catch up to emerging culture, and trying to transition all the way will spill too much wine. So why bother? Much better to allow the next generation to create new structures that make sense to them. You want life and growth, and they want freedom to spend their energy on the things of God. So send them out with your blessing to chase the Kingdom and support it. They understand the new scene more than you, so bless them and cover their backs." [read more]

I'm off to the Vineyard UK National Leaders' Conference tomorrow. It should be a good week. I'm hoping to hear some more from God regarding my activities on leaving Uni (June onwards). Speaking at the Conference will be Gordon Fee, David Pitches, Debbie Wright and Rick Williams, to name but a few.

Tonight I spoke at one of our gatherings on the subject of 'Giving' [read the transcript here]. It's the second time I've given a solo-talk in this context. It seemed to go ok - I used notes with the full script instead of just bullet points and I found that I was able to stick to a) my time limit and b) my subject more accurately, although my one struggle was giving plenty of eye contact and interaction. Any tips, leave a comment, or email me on jonathan[at] cardiffvineyard [dot] org.