Did you know?

Stephen’s Lighthouse linked to this today. I’d never heard of the ‘Did you know?’ series, but I was intrigued. Yes, some of the stat interpretations are a bit off, but food for thought none the less.

I’m going to think a little more on the final question before I post an answer. What do you think it all means?

Pictures this year

 

Opening Mass of WYD 2008 at Barangaroo

Today has been a slow day, of thinking, reading and randomly surfing the internet, which included coming across this picture meme on The Carson’s blog, which looked like fun so I thought I’d give it a go and see what I came up with.

This is what you do – go to the 4th folder on your computer where you store pictures, pick the 4th picture, post and explain the picture and tag 4 others to do the same.

This is the picture – well actually from the 5th folder as the 1st folder has no pictures and the 4th only has 2. I took this picture in July when I was in Australia for World Youth Day.

This is the stage or altar for the Opening Mass of World Youth Day at Barangaroo in Sydney, right by the sea. Although for most of us the WYD experience began the previous week with Days in the Diocese, this was the first official event for all pilgrims to gather together.

Getting to Barangaroo was an adventure. We had been warned that there would be lots of people, crowds like we hadn’t ever seen before… and they were right. Our big travel group split into smaller groups and headed off. From the centre of Sydney we walked out to the site, which took at least 1 1/2 hours. It was so much fun – we got to talk to some Kiwis, the Italians and Brazilians were singing and then we arrived at Barangaroo. The sun set as Mass went on and the lights came up. And the crazy randomness that is World Youth Day officially began.

I don’t really know anyone else to tag, but if you want to give this one a go, go for it.

to list word cloud

This blog, according to Wordle:

Listing from Wordle

There is also a ‘randomize’ button, which means that Wordle comes up with a different version each time you click it. This one was my favourite, particularly because of the ‘listen, like, live’ in the middle. But I also liked this…

Caffeine levels

I don’t drink coffee, but we did have family visiting today…

Created by OnePlusYou – Free Dating Sites

There probably is…

Just clicked on a link to this site through my RSS feeds (for youthworkblog.co.uk specifically). It made me smile

There probably is

This site is an attempt to simply present real people’s stories of their faith in God through Jesus Christ as expressed in modern day Chrsitianity. It is also an attempt to provide a centralised resource for churches across the UK to receive resources to engage in the debate openly and positively.

Welcome

The truth is most of the population of the world believe in God! Here you will find the stories of ordinary people who explain why they believe so you can think for yourself whether there really is or not.

Lessons and carols at Christmas

There was a question over on Comment is Free the other day asking

What lesson, or carol would you like to hear at Christmas?

What song or reading do you think best encapsulates the Christmas message? Or perhaps you’d prefer something secular?

I have different perspectives on the carols- which I like to sing and which I like to listen to.

If any of these were on schedule at a Carol Service or Christmas Mass for the congregation to sing or the choir if I was singing in the choir, I would be very happy.

1. In the bleak midwinter (Darke version)
2. O little town of Bethlehem
3. Good King Wenceslas
4. A great and might wonder
5. The three kings

Carols I like to listen to – although this is mainly because I haven’t had the opportunity to sing them yet.

1. Tomorrow shall be my dancing day (John Gardner)
2. Christum wir sollen (plainsong, text by Martin Luther)
3. Shepherd’s Pipe Carol (John Rutter)

There is only one reading that really means its Christmas for me.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. On those who live in a land of deep shadow, a light has shone…

It’s the first reading from Midnight Mass, from Isaiah  chapter 9. I have fond memories of reading it at a school carol service, where my drama teacher insisted on it being fully proclaimed. It was the first time I realised that the Word of God was meant to be proclaimed, not read and what that really means.

Living at ‘God-speed’

To be a spiritual guide, you have to spend time in the spirit. You have to slow down and live at ‘God-speed’, you have to be patient, give yourself permission to pray, to listen to people and to be humble and willing to wait on the Holy Spirit to lead the way.

Contemplative Youth Ministry by Mark Yaconelli

I am a spiritual guide to some people. This passage stopped me in my tracks, prompting the question ‘Am I enabling myself to be a spiritual guide?’

I do wait for God to guide me – I’m really good at the waiting… possibly less good at the doing.

I try to be the person that I am before God much of the time. I do get swayed though. I am not always confident enough to continue to be me-before-God in some situations, like in meetings at work or where I am aware of expectations on me.

Again with the listening: when I am being me-before-God and being present, I listen well. If I have an agenda or am aware of an agenda, I almost become distracted by that agenda, to the point I do not listen so well.

‘Give myself permission to pray’… sometimes taking time to pray can seem like an extravagance, especially when there is so much else to do, or I’ve prayed as a ‘duty’ with others already. To then pray personally can sometimes seem like overkill, or I just go through the motions again.

Do I slow down and live at ‘God-speed’? No. I live at speed imposed by other – managers at work or duty towards others (friends, family, people who need my help…). Except for those moments where I plan what is going to happen – which may or may not work. Then things happen at God speed, or live can slow down and become lived at God speed.

But when I live structured around God, around prayer, then I do live at God speed. I find that I worry less and live more. Things happen that I do not expect or predict, and yet, somehow, they are always the right thing at exactly the right time. And I am reminded of the verse from Matthew’s Gospel:

Seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.