Buy Nothing Christmas?

This is an interesting concept, to get back to the roots of Christmas! Unfortunately we have already missed the boat, sorry!

Theology via Snoopy

I used to have the book "the gospel according to peanuts", but don't know where I have put it. Will need to look for it sometime.

Has the Internet changed your life?

Emergent - South Africa

If you are into the Emergent Church, or would just like to hear Brian McLaren speak, he is touring South africa from the 7 - 26 March 2006

March 6 Johannesburg
March 14 East London - you could probably contact John Benn at First City Baptist Church for more details.
March 20 - 27 Capetown

Delirious tours South Africa

from futurechurch.co.za...

"In spite of the usual appalling lack of advertising and local websites about the upcoming Delirious tour of SA, it's official!

They will perform 5 times in 5 cities, according to their website. The dates and venues are as follows:

• Nov 30 05 Johannesburg Word & Life Church, Cnr Fisher & Trichards Rds, Sunward Park, Boksburg, Johannesburg, South Africa Doors: 7pm Info + Tickets: www.wordandlife.com tel: +27 (0) 11 913 4567
• Dec 01 05 Durban Jesus Dome, Durban Christian Centre, Garth Road, Mayville, Durban, Soth Africa Doors: 6pm Info + Tickets: www.dcc.org.za www.computicket.co.za tel: +27 (0) 31 242 5000
• Dec 02 05 Port Elizabeth Word of Faith Christian Centre, William Moffett Expressway, Mangold Park, Port Elizabeth, South Africa Doors: 7.30pm Info + Tickets: www.wordoffaith.org.za www.computicket.co.za tel: +27 (0) 41 399 4400
• Dec 03 05 Cape Town Good Hope Centre, Sir Lowry Road, Cape Town Doors: 6:30pm Info + Tickets: www.goodhopechurch.com 083 915 8000 or 011 340 8000 www.computicket.co.za tel: +27 (0) 21 703 9400
• Dec 04 05 Pretoria Hatfield Christian Church North, Corner of Willem Cruywagen & Brits Rd, Akasia, Pretoria, South Africa Doors: 6pm Info + Tickets: www.trev-concerts.co.za tel:+27 (0) 12 542 9000 tickets@trev-concerts.co.za, Impact Bookshops; Hatfield Christian Church North"

I hope people in SA enjoy it!

Well done, Kelly

7th World Title

Death by Caffeine

You have to have a look at this... link

A really cool costume for Halloween...

a tough time connecting...

I apologise for the lack of content in recent posts. The network I use to connect to the Internet has recently received some upgrades and I have been experiencing connectivity problems. Hopefully this will all improve in the next couple of days.

Rosa Parks

Apple displayed this image on their website, really cool to remember Rosa in this way...

good question

A really cool reflection...

I like this site

Check this out to create your own fights on Google - http://www.googlefight.com/

Is Microsoft leading the way?

from an article by Giles Turnbull...
"We Mac users are often given to gushing. It's easy for us to lean over someone's shoulder as their Windows laptop shudders to a halt with a Blue Screen of Death, and whisper: "There's a better way, you know. My Mac never does that."

And it's easy for us to scoff at Windows Explorer, to point and laugh at Outlook Express, and to roll our eyes skywards when we hear about Yet Another Virus. We have it so good, we tell our Windows-bound buddies, because we use Mac OS X. We have great software, a great OS, great applications, and none of that rubbish with viruses.

But you know what? There's something that Microsoft is doing much better than Apple. Not only doing it better, but improving with each and every day that goes by. It is a cutting-edge activity for large corporations, something that few businesses today have even tried, let alone got right. But Microsoft has got it right and is reaping the benefits.

What is this mysterious activity I'm talking about?

Opening up.

Microsoft is opening up like no other company I have ever seen. Just take a look at all the detailed information about Office 12 and Windows Vista that is coming out on weblogs written by the coders and managers working on each project.

These weblogs are not professional PR. They are not written by flacks on behalf of the coding team. They are not full of dumb marketing speak and pointless slogans.

But they are full of detail, full of facts, full of stories of success and sometimes failure. When something goes wrong, these MS webloggers tell their audience about it, they fess up. Then they get back to work, and fix the problem.

As a result of their open policy, we know a great deal about forthcoming versions of Windows and the applications that will run on it.

No other company the size of Microsoft is opening up to this extent. Most companies a fraction of Microsoft's size are terrified of being so open.

But I think it's about time we collectively recognised that MS is right at the leading edge of corporate communication, using weblogs as a tool to directly connect MS employees with users, Windows developers, and excitable nerds. Microsoft is going on a journey as it works on Vista, and its customers are being invited to tag along.

This is business weblogging the way it should be done. Microsoft hasn't insisted that all the staff blogs are on the same site, nor that they should all look alike, nor even that they should carry the MS logo. Instead, they are found in all sorts of places - some on blogs.msdn.com, some on msn.com, some completely independent ones (the best-known and most obvious being Robert Scoble's Scobelizer). The company webloggers have been allowed to get on with it, to get the information out there. They haven't been held back by branding, or the need for senior management to approve what's OK to post, and what's not. (I have no doubt that there are some things internally declared "Unsuitable for weblogging", but what remains is far more than most companies would normally be prepared to reveal.)

Compare with Apple's corporate communication strategy. Apple releases information when it is ready to, on its terms. Steve makes a keynote speech at some conference, and within minutes apple.com has been updated. Otherwise, Apple tends to remain silent, unless it wants to say something.

I think it's about time Apple opened up. I think Apple's most valuable asset, the coders and designers and developers who work inside 1 Infinite Loop, should be allowed the same kind of freedom that Microsoft has granted its employees. Wouldn't it be nice if we Apple users could watch Leopard take shape, and comment on its progress, rather than meekly accepting it as a finished product when the launch day arrives?"

Giles Turnbull is a freelance writer and editor.

What an awesome idea!

Read this today...

harvest at tesco

a mate decided to take harvest into his local community. so he got in touch with tesco to see if he could use their premises to set up an display around their shop in hove. i must admit, apart from being a very good idea, it was also very well put together and many people seemed to be interacting with what was on display.

basically, you were handed a sheet explaining what it was about as you entered the shop, and then it was your choice whether to partake or not. he had printed various bible verses, pictures and a some sort of short message on large boards, and placed them strategically around the shop, the idea was that as you went around and did your shopping you were challenged to take a minute just to read what was printed in them.

certainly an original idea, and a great way of people connecting with the idea of harvest, and the fact that most of us have far too much. well done martin poole!

Some interesting thoughts about the emergent church

Eddy Gibbs's view of "emerging church" and his list of emerging church characteristics...

• Their churches are worship inspired with everyone playing an active role in creating the worship experience.
• They are mission focused, committed to responding to the needs of their community and especially in serving the poor.
• They are shaped by context, i.e. seeking an indigenous expression of church that is culturally appropriate.
• They seek to contextualize discerningly, ensuring the integrity of the message and refusing to soften its radical impact.
• They disciple intentionally, which means that they are more concerned to challenge people to live as Christ-followers rather than gathering a crowd.
• Their churches are structured relationally rather than hierarchically. This means that everyone has their place to belong and ministry to which they can contribute.
• Their churches grow organically, which means that they are reproducible, much like a strawberry plant sending out runners that set down new roots and produce more strawberries.
• They network extensively, usually by means of regular contact with the internet, with chatrooms and blogs.
• They gather together periodically the smaller cell churches for times of celebration and re-tooling for mission.
• Lastly, they serve compassionately, in that they are committed to holistic spirituality, rejecting any separation of the spiritual from the secular, which occurred under modernity.

A cool email...

I received an email from one of the men in our church, saying he felt it important I read the following scripture - Ephesians 3 : 14 to 21.

Here it is quoted from MacSword, "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."

Thanks

Weather today...

Which one is the UK and which one is South Africa, remembering one is summer and the other is winter?

Back at my desk again

Arrived back from a sojourn in Africa. Thanks to all our friends for warm conversations, friendly hugs, lekker food, cold beer and good times. We looking forward to seeing you all in December again. To the locals it will be great to see you soon and remember you are more than welcome to visit us in Eastbourne!

Have fun and enjoy the sun!

A Church Worth Staying In

Thanks to Richard Sudworth

Here is a list of characteristics that would keep people in the church:

• churches that provide space for spiritual development rather than spoon-feeding their members
• churches that focus on God rather than the minister or the programmes
• churches that offer authentic community and friendship rather than institutional forms of belonging insipid forms of fellowship
• churches that engage creatively and senisitively with contemporary culture and social and ethical issues
• churches that equip their members for the world of work
• churches that treat adults as adults
• churches that allow room for dialogue as well as monologue
• churches that allow doubts, anger and lament as well as joyful certainty
• churches that are realistic about the rythms and pressures of modern life
• churches that have a holistic vision rather than a privatised spirituality

This is some great food for thought as I consider the path to take over the next couple of months. Prayer is appreciated!

Building websites for the small screen

A cool QUOTE!

"Computer games don't affect kids, I mean if Pac Man affected us as kids,
we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive music."
Kristian Wilson

A cool site with free images

Found this while surfing the web today, check it out!

interview with bono

Thanks to Derek Spencer

"not long back i came across an old edition of the christianity today magazine in a cafe. out of bordem more than anything else i started to browse through it and actually came across this interesting interview with bono from U2. i was that impressed by the peice i decided to see if there was a copy of it somewhere on the internet to post up here - and to my utter amazement i found it! no doubt you're all regular paid up members of the christianty today magazine...but maybe, just maybe you missed this edition...enjoy!"

A really cool pic!

Martin Luther on Education

"If I could leave the preaching office and my other duties, or had to do so, there is no other office I would rather have than that of schoolmaster or teacher ... for I know that next to that of preaching, this is the best, greatest, and most useful office there is ... It surely has to be one of the supreme virtues on earth faithfully to train other people's children...." ~ From Martin Luther on Education

Something new for the new year

I will try to keep this blog updated as much as possible from now on. Random thoughts and links are the way forward. Will keep you posted!