to be frank

Pentecost preparation

Next Sunday is Pentecost. I have a sermon to preach, at an Ecumenical Service. More of that in a later post.
I love Pentecost. I love the creativity and dynamic sense of the Spirit with us.
One of the rich resources I use for personal prayer is the Irish Jesuit's website Sacred Space .
In preparation for Pentecost, this week it offers some delightful invitations to recognize the Spirit's presence.

Prayer of Ignatius

Millions of Christians know a prayer written by Ignatius of Loyola (16th century): I like it very much: but only if we get the sense of it right. Otherwise, it could bring us down!

'Church membership': is it dead and dusted?

This week we had a faculty discussion about church membership. Most pastors I know say that the majority of people attending their churches do not wish to be 'members' of the church.
What has changed? People are participating in Christian community, but resisting the formal expressions of 'membership'.
Is this a good thing, or a serious problem?
I see some big opportunities here to reclaim a biblical understanding of church, and of Christian identity.

Mother's Day Classic

Mother's Day—which was today, May 10th in Australia—is for so many people a day of slight discomfort, as we resist the commercialization, yet feel a little guilty, too. We all have a mother, to thank for the gift of life. For  some this is a day of grief, and for others who longed to able to have a child, a day of quiet sadness. Usually in my family, this is a day of special gifts, and a meal prepared for my wife, and her mother.
This year, we did something really different. We took part in the Mother's Day Classic, a walk to raise money for breast cancer research. Approximately 40,000 people gathered to run or walk around the Domain gardens, a circuit of 4 kilometres. The event included two rounds, so in all we did just over 8 kms.