Moderating comments

Rather usefully, I've learned how to delete comments that are fabulously unhelpful. The anonymous comment left on the post about our U2charist which seemed to be an inordinately long ramble about nothing at all has gone.

I've decided not to moderate comments on this blog because I want people to comment freely. But I reserve the right to delete anything that is against the spirit of the free exchange of views. So if you're passing, please leave a comment but please try not to comment at a greater length than the post you're commenting on.

After all blogs are meant to be conversations not monologues...

Welcome to the blogosphere

I don't often do this, but I thought I'd welcome IBTS to the blogosphere. Various luminaries from that august institution are posting on a college blog. Good stuff so far, including a post on IBTS hero James McClendon by our very own Ian Randall - well worth a read.

The picture of Vanessa is priceless!

Hopefully Phil and Alex will be posting soon on the joys of cats...or is that CATs....?

You can get it here

Other bloggers

One of my morning rituals - usually done before breakfast but after I've collected the overnight emails - is to trawl through a collection of mainly New Testament blogs (yes, I know I should get out more, but it's early!)

The one that I've found most stimulating over recent weeks is Michael Bird and Joel Willetts' Euanggelion. you can access it here

Today Michael bird is recommending Scott McKnight's book on the atonement but adding his own reflection on why it matters what we think about this central doctrine of the Christian faith.

So, if you want some stimulation, check it out.

Acquiring language

Ah well, it's back to German for the instructions - I'n obviously going to have to enroll in a night school!

Sprechen Sie Deustch?

Good news - I can now read the on-screen commands as they are (as predicted by Hazel) now back in English

Baffled of Bromley...

For some reason all the instructions on my version of blogger have turned into German - which might be good practice for all those German texts I will have to read in my studies but is a little puzzling and I can't seem to find the button that turns it back into English!

The big day arrives

I was at the Mainstream conference this week in rain-swept Swanwick. We had a good time. Mike Breen and Ken McGreavy did the main sessions and were, on the whole, excellent. The seminar strand focused on discipleship and particularly Lifeshapes and, again, they were full of useful stuff. I'll blog about Lifeshapes later.

Since returning on Wednesday, I've found getting ready for today a bit like pulling teeth. It's taken ages for the sermon to come together - even though I have known in broad outline for a week or more what I want to say!

Today is also the day when we are holding our lunchtime church meeting. Around 150 people have signed up for lunch - and no doubt others will stay who have forgotten to do so. This means that there'll probably be twice as many adults there this lunchtime as there are at a normal Wednesday gathering. This in itself suggests it might be worthwhile repeating.

It'll be interesting to see the quality of conversation that happens and how many people who aren't yet members in the formal sense but who feel some sense of attachment or belonging to our community attend and participate. It'll be even more interesting to see how members - especially members of long-standing - respond to their contribution.

I think I'm looking forward to it - though I'm nervous too.

On another - tangentially related note - I see on Maggi Dawn's blog (www.maggidawn.typepad.com) that some Anglicans are getting nervous about their church leaders or employees blogging. As she says, blogs are a good place to float ideas and have conversations. They also give interesting insights into the character and interests of the blogger. I agree. They are not places where anything gets decided. I'm not sure I've said anything here that I haven't said to people in other contexts face-to-face. Since when has conversation been a bad idea?!