Last night I attended a service where the reflection used metaphors of a plumb line and a measure to reflect on the need to align our lives with God's law/teaching and then subverted itself with the image of a heart to signify the central tenet of love.  Very simple, very straight forward and somehow quite helpful.

Grace is about that... about love over-ruling legal minutiae when the intent is right.

Compassion is that which allows a person to recognise the need to exercise grace.

Today I encountered compassionate officialdom, grace in the ordinary, and a reminder that God's love will ultimately overcome any and every challenge.

Thanks be to God who is in all and who can use even fallible, stressy me as a medium for incarnating grace.

I vaguely remember a somewhat cheesy worship song that had a refrain along the lines of  "seventy times seventy times seventy times seven..." an extension of the Biblical mandate designed to capture its intent: times without number.

This morning we focussed our thoughts on part of the story of the apostle Peter and his stumbling, bumbling discipleship.

As much as anything I was preaching to myself... the need to kind to oneself, to forgive oneself, to believe that God never gives up on us or runs out of forgiveness for us.

I had some lovely positive feedback from many people that was really enouraging, and some conversations during the week had helped me think through more clearly some of the needs of others.

Lots of fun, and very grateful to those who are involved with various aspects of making it happen.

Tired in a good way.  Looking forward to week three and a focus on Stephen.

This afternoon I spent an hour that was pure privilege, in the company of people I'd never met before, gathered around a hospital bed.  To be allowed into the lives of people you know is privilege enough, this, then, was maybe privilege tenfold.

To see people freed, if for a moment, from fear, dread and sadness...

To play a tiny part in the making of memories that will last forever...

To witness the healing of hurts and the transformation from empty ending to hopeful completion...

To be allowed in...

To be handed fizzy grape juice, to be kissed and thanked for - what? - being a person with two inches of white plastic at her throat...

This goes beyond ordinary privilege

This puts into perspective niggles and annoyances

This is pure blessing

And, yes, this is mine to name and to share glady.

Much of this week I have been away, accompanying someone to deliver very precious archive material to the Angus library at Regents Park College and being treated to a couple of days enjoying the city.

You can't go to Oxford and not vist either the OUP shop or Blackwells, so we did both.

And I got this amazing bargain... 75% off on a book with the eye-watering cover price of £69!  But for £17.25 it was a bargain.  I first encountered Adele Reinhartz when doing my under grad essay on anti-semitism and the gospel of John (note 'and' not 'in') so I am looking forward to reading this one.

I also bought a little book called Theologygrams which is a publication of the best of this website.  Something that can make me chuckle and make me think has got to be worth buying.  Some of the cartoons might yet find their way into church stuff...

Today I am very, very proud of my church.

Today we started a seven week run of all age services using a 'zones' approach.

We began all together with a hymn and prayer before listening to a retelling of the Bible story for the week.

Next, whilst some music played, everyone was invted to move around, take a look at what was on offer in the zones and then choose where to spend the next twenty minutes...

Creative zone - using carefully chosen craft activities to create an artefact relating to the theme; this week it was 'hope stones'

Quiz zone - using themed word searches and puzzled to prompt futher thought on the topic; there were also copies of the Bible text and starter questions for private reflection and some colouring pages.

Active zone - in an adjacent room, an opportunity to explore through play or simply let off steam!

Contemplative zone - a guided reflection and interactive prayer - today we used candles

After the 'moving music' was played a second time, we all came together again for the offering, a simple communion, a final hymn and a blessing.

The feedback has been positive and encouraging.  For sure, I am tired - it was a long morning and I was VERY nervous beforehand.  But it is good tired.

Very proud of people who stepped out of the comfort of all that is familiar and tried something new,

Very proud of people who weren't sure it was for them but gave it go anyway.

Very proud to be part of this wonderful, slightly crazy, community of people trying to follow Jesus.