jonnybaker

bbc at st marys ealing for the christmas day broadcast

  bbc at st marys ealing for the christmas day broadcast 
  Originally uploaded by jonnybaker.

happy christmas! - and congrats to jen for holding her nerve and preaching on bbc 1 today for the christmas service broadcats from st marys ealing in front of a few million viewers...

happy christmas (how to have one)

how to: have a happy christmas

moby's christmas message

moby's christmas mesage (ht mark)...

i'm a weird sort of christian myself...
christ compels us

london - a new jerusalem

christianity is collapsing everywhere except london (thanks shannon)

just like a star...

  just like a star... 
  Originally uploaded by jonnybaker.

make your own wrapping paper

make your own wrapping paper with your flickr images using xpapr

fun idea but i'll never bother printing it out as my printer is a)knackered and b)ink is too expensive

[ht dave]

new 100 most useful sites from guardian technology

the new 100 most useful sites from gaurdian technology section of today's paper.

i also really liked the editorial in praise of the bbc as one of the best innovators - the bbc is fab especially in its interaction with new media.

design anarchy

i always look forward to adbusters end of year big ideas magazine - a bumper issue. i finally managed to get hold of it this week and there is lots of thought provoking stuff as ever. the art of slow protest includes a suggestion for doing the jesus walk...

i realise that i haven't blogged about kalle lasn's design anarchy either. this is a huge fat book that i think is amazing. it condenses many of the themes of adbusters over the years into one huge volume. it's available from somewhere like magma. my favourite ever adbusters issue was no 37 called design anarchy and seems to have been the inspiration for the book.

worship trick 89 - 8 christmas presents

i love this - 8 christmas presents.

steve taylor and co do it again - taking the best instincts of alternative worship and doing it out in the city rather than in the church. i am looking forward to seeing some photos at some stage of what is involved but they sound similar in concept to the sheds at greenbelt in the summer. steve says

This is public mission, taking Jesus back out of church and telling his story in our marketplace, in the City Square and outside the Art Gallery and Museum

this seems to me to be an instinct to nurture - how to take the good spiritual stuff that nurtures and inspires inside alt worship and do it outside. barky and co are on a similar quest taking part in the winter solstice parade in brighton tomorrow.

worship trick 88 - advent reflections

over at sundaypapers, there have been some fab reflections for advent. i had assumed they were by richard but have just realised they are written by james hawes, a friend from years back. good to see him on the blog scene. anyway i am adding his advent reflections as a worship trick...

god giggled

the thirst quencher

christmas is all about receiving

jen live on bbc 1 on christmas day

the christmas morning worship service on the bbc is live from st marys in ealing. jen is preaching! the programme is from 10am and the service starts at 10:20am if you want to tune in....

magical kew

magical kew, originally uploaded by jonnybaker.

kew gardens was open to the public for free on saturday. mulled wine, roast chestnuts, free innocent smoothies being given out, carol singing led ny london community gospel choir. and the buildings lit up at night made for a few magical night shots. see kew at night set for a few more.

happy christmas!

2006 bakers mosaic
Originally uploaded by jonnybaker.

this year we have sent a virtual christmas card with a link to this photo mosaic of some highlights of 2006 in the baker family. click on the image to go to the mosaic and you can then link to the individual photos if interested....

dj shadow outsider tour at brixton

dj shadow, originally uploaded by jonnybaker.

dj shadow was enjoying his elevated status behind nine video screens at brixton academy last night. i always like concerts with lots of visuals going on. i actually prefer his old stuff to the new but he played plenty of both. a few of us from grace met a few mooters. ian even seemed to have mastered the art of dancing with one arm...

dreaming dreams in the north east

well i finally got to visit newcastle. admittedly it was only short but i enjoyed seeing the angel of the north for the first time from the train window, sitting in a cafe 3 yards from bobby robson at the quayside, and visiting the baltic where there was an exhibition of street art spank the monkey.

the reason i was there was to meet a few people gathered together by phil smith to talk about emerging church and mission in the north east, including exploring the potential of starting a blah sometime next year. it also transpired that there was an alternative worship service sanctuary that night in ryton which we went along to which was very mellow and reflective, led by tracy and andii bowsher.

it was an exploratory conversation so we'll see what happens next... having visited the north east only a couple of times i don't feel i am in any position to hold forth on it and i am convinced the resources for re-creation already exist within the region itself and don't need to be imported. the energy in our meeting and conversation was about creating space(s) for gathering together and forming a relational network of people interested in creativity, imagination, new ideas, risk, innovation, entrepreneurship in mission, and reconnecting with the inspiring monastic heritage of this area. hopefully this could become an incubation unit for dreaming dreams and whacky ideas for what could happen in this part of the world and who knows what might get set loose if a few of those dreams were brought to birth? a couple of words that came up in the conversation that captured the feel of the church in the area were traditional and/or beleaguered. dreaming/innovation/risk seem suitably counter to that prevailing mood. if you are in the north east and fancy a bit of dreaming and adventure let me or phil know...

am now en route to telford to meet up with mark berry and the community of st brendan (what i call their nascent mission community). will be fun to join in with a community meal...

Technorati Tags: newcastle

5 things tag

i've been tagged by roger and asked to share 5 things you probably didn't know about me...

1. i was sat about 3 yards away from former england manager bobby robson yesterday in a cafe in newcastle - he was looking fairly frail.

2. i have a statistics degree - yes i know it doesn't make sense and i would do something different if i rewound the clock but i did meet jen at university so it had its pluses!

3. my great great great great great great great granny on my mum's side of the family was flora macdonald who rescued bonnie prince charlie

4. i am apparently descended on my dad's side from the explorer baker of the nile

5. i went to see the ddo (diocesan person) when i was 20 about becoming a vicar. they sent me away for a couple of years but i never went back.

i tag theoldbill | cheryl | sarcasticlutheran | thomashawk | phil

a few links

off to newcastle today, telford tomorrow, back to london on friday...

a few links:

christmas is all about receiving

ben hanbury podcasting

specialten.tv

gill poole blog

alan hirsch blog

creative class blog

it gives me hope

re-imagining worship week at lee abbey in february 07

in case any of you are interested i am leading a week at lee abbey from 19-23 february

re-imagining worship: exploring creativity in personal and corporate worship.

here's the blurb...

In this week (half term for some), Jonny Baker looks at how churches can develop a culture of creativity, especially arts & media, and how to make the traditions of worship live again. Jonny works for Church Mission Society, developing and supporting mission and new ways of being church. He is part of ‘Grace’, an alternative worship community in St. Mary’s, West London.

the lee abbey programme is here - scroll down the page for that week.

i haven't been to lee abbey before but have heard wonderful things about it. looking forward to it.

as you can tell from this blog post and the last i am getting my head round what i am up to next term. the other trip i have lined up before easter is a visit to lancaster theological seminary in march where i will be lecturing/training on faithful improvisation: worship and mission in postmodern times (see programme for term here - again sctoll down page)

dangerous living - soliton sessions in northern ireland in february

si johnston is hosting the celtic soliton sessions dangerous living in february in northern ireland. i'm looking forward to going over and taking part. info about dangerous living is here. click on the two images below to see a larger flier.

wonder strike

enjoyed our first chelsea game of the season yesterday (we only do 2 or 3 becuase of the price!). the last 15 minutes were sensational. arsenal looked like they might end chelsea's unbeaten run at the bridge but essien's wonder strike levelled it and chelsea then hit the woodwork twice in the last 5 minutes. one arsenal fan said in a text to me 'relief' after the final whistle which summed up the way the flow was towards the end.... but it was a great game in spite of drogba and lehman's laurel and hardy routine. there's a long way to go to the end of the season - but man united have created a gap of 8 points (5 if chelsea win on weds). i reckon we'll catch them but we'll see...