revmusings

Thanks to Glen for his response both here and on his own site here.

I love his idea of intentional listening in the market place both as in individual act and as a group. Sadly, I am heading south so Manchester is not possible for me but it is an idea I will take with me.

However, there is still something else that I need to explore: Glen said in his first post that 'God nudges you when you are still and empty-handed not while you are dashing about with an M and S shopping bag in one mit and a Gourmet Waffle in the other.'  There seems less intentionality about this encounter than what Glen is suggesting and surely that is the point.

Glen, it seems to me, heard God when he wasn't 'intentionally' listening - 'I must confess to being surprised'. I confess that when my spiritual discipline becomes lax my ability to hear God diminshes. However, when I am disciplined, which for me means jounrnally, practicing Examen, then I see where God has spoken to meduring the day and I missed it and if I continue the discipline then my ability to hear God at the time in the midst of whatever increases which, of course, is better for all concerned as I deal with situations better, I learn more quickly and deeply. This is my personal journey and struggle - how do do other people come to this I wonder?

How do we encourage ourselves and those in our churches to be able to listen to God at all times even in the midst of business so that 'intentionality' becomes unconsciously second nature (as well as consciously as Glen rightly suggests), running in the background at all times - a third ear that is atuned to the Spirit even when two ears are focused on the matter at hand.

This week we began an evening series on Peter. We began by thinking about his call and his first healing as recorded  in Acts.

How did a humble fisherman, full of weakness and failings, get to be the preacher at Pentecost and the leader of the church?

We thought, amongst other things, about how he learnt from Jesus both during his earthly life and through the Spirit after the ascension - that he was never the finished article but had to go on listening and learning.

So how do we listen -  Glen Marshall's article in BT and here on his blog got a big mention - finding God in the ordinary,even in the busyness and nosienes of our day to day lives just as God stepped into Peter's life as he went about his work. Glen talked about noisy retreats.

So far so Good.

After the sermon ended I invited people to ...... sit in silence to listen to God!

DOH!

As my husband rightly pointed out as we drove home!

But as I tried to defend myself and then reflected on it I remembered I had given another example earlier about needing to take time to quietly listen to God. Maybe its in the silence and quiet reflection that we learn to discern God's voice so that when we return to the noise and busyness  we can still hear that voice and it doesn't get drowned out. Maybe Glen could hear so clearly in the shopping centre because he had spent time in the quiet. ( I may be wrong Glen so feel free to correct me if you read this!)

I love quiet to listen to God. I once complained that I tend to get sermon ideas in the middle of the night so need to keep a pad on my bedsie table - one daughter retorted 'I know why - because its the only time you are quiet enough for God to get a word in edgeways' (out of the mouths of babes).

But seriously, learning to tune into God all day is quite some skill but a necesary one I need to work on!

I took part in a faith panel, as part of some training for our local police service. The person in change, as he introduced me said I was the minsiter of a minority church within the Christian church which is also a minority in this arae and that also as a white person I was also in a minority. (thankfully my gender did not come into it for once!)

Now whilst I know that is true: Only 10% of the population around me is white and Christian and as a Baptist I am minority within that Christian and/or white community, still it was quite a shock to be described like that in public. I suspect members of my church, whilst feeling different and out of place in what used to be their domain, would also not think of themselves as a minority group.

But then why is that a problem? - why do we feel so embattled and weak -why do we withdraw and full up the draw-bridge? - why are we so hostile to others of all faiths and none?

The early church was in exactly the same position but it saw it as an opportunity. At a conference I was at recently Stuart Murray  said  that the church is actually at its best when it is in just that position, on the margins. It is then that we re-discover the foundations of our faith, we stop being comfortable and complacent and actually get back to being outward looking Gospel people ?

There is a proposal going to BUGB Council next week on Interfaith strategy - I hope we have a positive and open discussion of the issues and agree on ways forward that are positive, non-aggressive and Gospel orientated and open.

(I forgot to publish this blog! - Council has already happened and the strategy given affirnation - Watch this Space as it develops)