continued.....

http://www.christianitymagazine.co.uk/sexuality/stevechalkeextended.aspx ...

you see like i said i have met Steve Chalke allbeit briefly and to respond to some stuff ... a very charming man and public speaker who succeeded in having the company present in unholy titters about an unholy and misogenist joke which annoyed me intensely .... my short conversation with him did not make freinds i was talking to a trad evangelical .... and when he appeared on the radio some time ago but some time afterwards ... same ol' trad evangelical ... the whole penal substitution debate kindov left me cold ... but i tell you i wouldn't have expected a man of some conviction to have become quite so transformed in not only his thinking but following up with deeds what he wants to take on bullying of gays in schools!? nobody does that (except gays) GOD was in the house alright...  i was moved by his comments about the expectation of exposure to some flack from his fellow evangelicals and that that's what gays experience .... it was time for me to stand up again alongside him and so when one of my trad evangelical friends asked me about my week well i was and am pretty Amazed so i told them about my amazement at ... it's a miracle! said i... what you want us to legalize buggery! said they... i was a little taken aback by the terminology and politely suggested they should read the article for themselves.... a few days later the bill to legalize gay marriage was debated in parliament apparently with similar kinds of language used by one or two folks approaching their free vote...

last night i heard a cross the pond catholic nun asked about the future and the pope make some pretty interesting comments she passionately thought that the male enclave should spend some time listening to women...... and desired that same male enclave that have the role of selection of the next pope should choose one who has been a parish priest and been exposed to the real rough and tumble of life and especially one that comes from a family where they have grown up with some stroong feminist women and even some gays! ... i was amazed to hear this ... but enjoyed the refreshed perspective from which she spoke .. a woman with bounce full of life and joy and a sense of realness about real people and real lives

meanwhile back at the ranch.... GOD has got me to hang out at this church somewhat reluctantly though gradually with more enthusiasm as i have had some pretty amazing conversations ... it's one of those churches that could be described as successful by it's 'advance of the Kingdom' it's a juggernaut of an institution .... well back to dragging my feet a few weeks ago i arrive having missed everything... i hit a really interesting conversation with someone who introduces herself as somebody's wife (how very of the teaching traditions of that church thought i -see i don't like the teaching traditions there) i pick her up on that and discover that she is a career woman in her own right! i also discover that she is from far away and she waxes into her personal experience of christianity and church in that far away that is Amazing and miracles and the like abound ... not like here she gestures contempt.... and has me grinning.... the church where we are has planned some time of fasting and praying for the church and guess what! a relatively tiny portion of that is corporate prayer time ... this lady is used to all night prayer events.. Praise the Lord!....   still GOD makes sure i attend some of the corporate stuff......  i wander outside for a fag and wondering what to do next i hear GOD say stop here... and so i do .... i sit and i wait ... folks go past i pray for a few in my mind and then one suddenly spins around and engages me telling me to go to cell group!.. what? it's not actually the first time that this has happened over recent weeks a number of conversations have been of that ilk.. and everytime i explain some form of apologetics why this is just ain't gonna happen.... here we are again.... but there is something about this conversation... this time it is somebody who works for the church who i don't recognise at all he is accompanied by a friend who says not a lot but listens.... i am explaining my long and sporadic association with this church and what i don't like about it and why me being in cell group is just unlikely as an event because! ... i come out ... and we chat about this... i am more than a bit moved by the conversation but i am recognising something Spiritual for sure....  i feel very invited to cell group ... so ok GOD what do You want... i am mindful of the persistence of requests or exhortations to do church...

i go to a couple of fast and praying events ... i enjoy the first... and the second well now sojething rather weird happens i am delayed to get there i go home to eat first and then trundle there walk into a fullflow prayer meeting that is topic based and guess what!.... i want to turn round and walk right out... but something holds me there yup it's all about the gay issues seems thy have been talkin about it and it is on the agenda again...

gottago

GOD BLESS!

Peace and Love,