jonnybaker

grace new web site

grace web site has had a makeover...

still work to be done especially in the archive but go have a look.

give me a drink - 21 sketches for mission

ian adams has produced give me a drink available on proost - it's a really fabulous resource with 21 sketches for mission. ian describes it...

Give Me A Drink is a series of sketches or reflections around the possibility of mission as the healing of all things. It is offered as a resource for all who find themselves transfixed or intrigued by the tradition of Jesus, as we seek to work out how the idea of mission in his name and in his spirit might be rediscovered and offered as a gift to the world. Give Me A Drink is for individuals and for groups, for communities and for churches, for those undertaking new projects and for those in long-established settings. It is of course not a definitive statement on mission, and I hope that readers will find themselves considering what they might add in to the conversation

one of the things i really like about ian's writing is language. he carefully selects words and phrases that make what might be jargon make sense so it has a depth but is expressed in simple ways. it is interspersed with his photos. great for reflection, for group discussion. i think it would look good on a series of postcards!

lighting beacons - worship trick and it's free...

lighting beacons is a set of daily prayers and liturgy - short simple creative. you can download a pdf of it free from proost - yes that's right it's free. or you can visit this web site online and click on the day and time you are on and read there. i have just downloaded it myself and am yet to give it a whirl (that is if you can whirl liturgy?!). 

thank you tim watson (who is becoming one of the most prolific emerging liturgists i think…), dot woods and josh walker for this gift.

if you want a physical copy you can order a paperback at cost price here.

so this is a worship trick - 59 in series 4 i think….

congrats harry!

congrats to harry on graduating this week and looking like a jedi!

now onto making a life as a poet :)

song of the sea - pain, loss and the magic in life

song of the sea is an amazing animation - go see it! sadly lots of people think you have to have kids to go and see a film like this but this really is not the case! it's an extraordinary film. it's a beautiful tale and stunning drawing - worth seeing for that. but it's also moving and powerful leaving you with a lot to think about. there's a mythical tale that runs parallel to a story of loss with some of the mythical characters played by the same voices as the characters they resonate with in real life. brene brown would have a field day in relation to the numbing of emotions to avoid pain - which leads to numbness across the board. in the case of the film it leads to losing the magic of and in life. i have been reflecting since that it is song in the film that frees trapped emotions - and art has that power in a way nothing else does… anyway i don't want to spoil the story. but it's a bit like where the wild things are with it's parallel of max's life and the monsters on the island. the forthcoming pixar film is also set to explore emotions which looks fun (though the trailer suggests it won't succeed in avoiding clichéd gender stereotypes). song of the sea has 99% on rotten tomatoes 100% on flixster, mark kermode gave it 5 stars - so i am not alone in my being wowed.

nice to hear from the jones...

nice to hear from the jones family

rewilding britain

great to see the launch of rewilding britain today

grace bbq this saturday

july is the last grace of the year (yes we still seem to live in a rhythm of the year as though we are at school) - a bbq and discussion of the rule of benedict. come and join us...

end of year five...

i can't quite believe it but it's the end of the fifth year of the cms pioneer mission leadership training. five years ago we launched a pilot year with students doing a foundation degree and since then have added in various other things - certificate, diploma, ma, pathway for pioneer ordinands, and admitting people as lay workers in the church of england. we have had loads of people do modules with us who are not dong a university award - which works really well. this year we have had to transition to a new university which has had its own challenges but it's been a great year with an amazing group of new students. it was wonderful to celebrate on tuesday with students who were graduating, getting ordained as pioneers, completing their modules with us, and those being admitted as lay workers. i absolutely love what i do and i think that the gift that pioneers bring is much needed and hope that we help encourage it and those entrusted with the gift.

we're now into that time of year where people are signing up for next year (i.e. september). if you are pioneering in mission or wanting to in any way come and join us. do a module, do a diploma, do an ma… give me a shout.

jesus is my bulldozer!

i have written an opinion piece for fresh expressions that is published today entitled jesus is my bulldozer! which is a reflection on mission and african christianity in the west...

listen up - pioneer research

george lings and ali dorey have just published a report on pioneers who are ordained and how they might be supported in in initial training post. this has come out of a gathering of pioneers and their training supervisors in the context. i admit this might sound a bit niche so i realise you might take persuading but it is fantastic. the research these guys have produced continues to be so helpful and insightful. i am so thankful for what they are doing. if you are someone who is in training as an OPM download and read it, if you are a DDO read it, if you are someone who is a training incumbent read it, if you are a bishop read it, if you work with fresh expressions read it, if you are a missioner in a diocese read it. you might think this is all good common sense but trust me this sense is not currently common in the wider church. although the church of england has had 30 years or so of new forms of church bubbling up around its edges and ten years of officially saying it wants this mixed economy, and about 8 years of creating the designation of ordained pioneers as a much needed gift in the church there are huge challenges. there is anxiety, fear, lack of understanding, a risk averse culture, a culture of hierarchy and control etc etc - i won't spell these challenges out though i meet them almost every week with people training with us or who get in contact but this is certainly an invaluable piece of research laced with practical wisdom. i have actually just agreed to be an external supervisor for an ordained pioneer and we will definitely be talking this through.

download and read the report here

thank you george and ali!