jonnybaker

happy piano day 2018

i always love piano day - i wish now that as a kid i'd stuck with learning then i could buy and play the tunes in the erased tapes solo song book out but i'll stick with guitar for now. but here's a playlist for 2018 with a beautiful opening track from nils frahm as ever. and don't know if you are a 6music fan - i am. if so mary anne hobbs recommends show is a piano day special which of course you can download and listen to on the bbc iplayer radio app which i also love.

do it from the inside - chicago paper published

back in october i gave the annual louis luzbetak lecture at catholic theological union. its focus is always in mission and culture and i chose to use an old mission book 'the primal vision' as a conversation partner to think about mission in the west. it's called 'do it from the inside' and has just been published in new theology review - it's available online for free. love to hear any reaction to it...

ninefold path of jesus - may 11th day with mark scandrette

mark scandrette has been a good friend for years (decades actually) - i think i first bumped into him eons ago when there were conversations in the usa about the changing nature of christianity and church and parallel ones in the uk - it felt like a small conversation then which has since gone in all sorts of crazy directions. anyway the last couple of years it has been good to reconnect with mark and i'm excited he is going to do a day in may in london on the ninefold path of jesus - this is his take on the beattitudes (saying of jesus) as the basis for a spirituality in today's world. it's at home cafe in earlsfield on may 11th and costs £25 including lunch. 

this is not especially an event for pioneers only but if you are one i think it will be a great event for you and a place to touch base with loads of others. hope to see you there

book tickets here

What if the Beatitudes contain the keys to our liberation— a nine statement manifesto of a new way of thinking and being that can change our lives and our world?

During this one day training we will explore the revolutionary invitation of the Beatitudes, including group learning and exercises, periods of silent reflection and space to relax, recharge, connect and have fun. Participants will come away equipped with tools and resources to lead a Ninefold Path Beatitudes journey with others.

the luxury of unavailability - on silence

on retreat last week i read silence in the age of noise by erling kagge - i have added ten photos with accompanying quotes here. i loved some of his ideas and quotes such as the luxury of unavailabilty. in today's world of always on and always available it's good sometimes to switch off and say i am taking the luxury of being unavailable.

seriously is this any way to run an empire?

i was preaching at st mary's in ealing on palm sunday today and like the idea that jesus riding on a donkey was an act of subversive street theatre counter to the military parades of other kings and empires. it struck me as almost comical that you would choose a donkey as a sort of symbol or icon of an empire. it reminded of a passage by tom sine in one of his books which i love...

when jesus began teaching he made it clear that his new empire would be unlike any empire the world had ever seen. it came on a donkey's back. it's imperial council was comprised of a handful of unemployed fishermen, a couple of IRS agents, a prostitute and some hangers on. jesus demontsrated how to wield his imperial power by washing feet, telling stories and playing with kids. jesus' empire is based on the absurd values that the last should be first, losers are winners, and the most influential in the empire should clean the toilets. members of the empire are instructed to love their enemies, forgive their friends, always give twice as much as people ask of them and never pursue power or position. jesus insisted that those who are part of his empire shouldn't worry about finances, but simply trust god. the resources to run this empire were basins, towels, and leftover lunches. this empire also developed a reputaion for constant partying - almost always with the wrong kind of people.

seriously is this any way to run an empire? imagine what would happen if you ran a political, economic or religious institution with these bizarre values. clearly it wouldn't have much of a future. these values might even get the leader assassinated...

open day next tuesday for pioneer training

come and join us next tuesday for an open day if you are interested in pioneering mission. you can do modules, certificate, diploma, degree, ma. we are a really good option for ordained pioneers. we also now have a pathway for pioneer youth and children and family workers. 

the new prospectus is here

how to disappear completely

the wonderful si smith has published a graphic novel with valley press. it's gorgeous drawing as ever and a powerful story in its own right, a story of loss and withdrawal. it's also clearly informed by christ's journey to the wilderness though i don't think you need to make that connection necessarily. it was originally commissioned as a piece to work with schools but is good news that is has made it to a wider audience. si says...

I’d previously produced work that relocated biblical narratives to present-day Leeds, and also explored the story of Christ in the wilderness, so this comic felt very much like a natural progression for me,’ Si explained. ‘It was a way of reflecting on the season of Lent, packing it with references and layering up the meaning so it bears repeated reading. It’s also deliberately quite open to interpretation, so readers can invest the narrative with their own meanings

you can order it through valley press here