A really relaxed and enjoyable weekend visiting a central London Baptist church whose minister said it was 'nice not having to explain' to a visiter what they were about.  And it was nice not having to cringe too!  Arriving on Friday I was a bit apprehensive, not least as my hosts would not arrive until Saturday and had entrusted their home to me.  Going into someone else's home always makes me a bit anxious, so the fact they weren't there compounded that - but all was well, and indeed the place had an 'air' or 'aura' of calm (at various times people have said that about my house but I've never really 'got' what they meant, to me it's home and it's noisy).

It was good to see this church at work, to share worship with them (morning and evening) and to have some very, very long chats with the minister who was hosting me.

Among the things that have struck me on my travels are

• that a lot of Baptist churches like to think they that 'there's no-one like us' when actually we are all far more alike than we realise
• that the myths that relate theological stance to size or dynamism are exactly that - myths.  Or at best generalisations; I've been to large liberal churches and tiny conservative ones
• that the best place to serve after service refreshments is in the same room as you worship, or failing that immediately between it and the main exit
• that the best after service refreshments are undisputably served at the Gathering Place
• that independent coffee shops rule!!

My travels have mainly been a source of encouragement... The Gathering Place holds its own among churches in similar contexts with similar challenges.  I don't think this is just a nice cosy consequence of visiting CLU (Churches Like Us), I think it it is a fair reflection on who and how we are.

I now have four full weeeks based in Glasgow - and I am glad.  Travelling hither, thither and yon is fun, but takes its toll.  I think I know the West Coast Main Line, and parts of the East Coast Main Line better than I ever wanted to, and could get a job doing Virgin safety briefings in my sleep.

Today is devoted to catching up on some domestic tasks with varying degrees of overdueness... booking someone to come and fix my washing machine (that's only taken me six months to organise) and booking my car in for its annual service and MOT (ouch).  I feel a big outpouring of stirling from my bank in the next couple of days... but it is only money and, as the saying goes, there're no pockets in shrouds!

It's been a happy summer, and I am really grateful to have been permitted to spend it as I have.

Goodies heading south for my hosts.... along with a nice piece of thoroughly English gala pork pie for me!!!

Scotch pies

Macaroni pies

Sultana pancakes

Oatcakes

Tattie scones

Tablet

Macaroon bars

Lorne sausage

Island cheese (sic 'cheddar')

Anyone heading north is invited to bring...

Proper Eccles cakes

Banbury cakes

Bath buns

Chelsea buns

Blue Shropshire cheese

Sage Derby cheese

Red Windsor cheese

Scouse

Tater pie (Lancashire hotpot)

Bedfordshire clanger

And anything from Oliver Adams or Lawrence's bakers in Northampton

Fair exchange is no robbery, I feel ;-)

Thanks to Simon Woodman for leading me to this article citing Rowan Williams talking good sense... alas I'm not convinced Lord Carey emerges so well.

Being teased, made fun of or ridiculed suggests that Christianity has - or maybe Christians, especially the stereotypical ones have - some degree of interest to other people.  I think that has to be preferrable to being ignored as irrelevent, doesn't it?  In any case, persecution it is not.

The wearing of crosses - which seems to lie at the heart of so many claims of discrimination or persecution - really annoys me, there is no obligation or recommendation for Christians to wear crosses, fishes, doves, WWJD, PUSH, clerical collars, flowing robes or anything else whatsoever.

Sometimes you might be forgiven that Jesus said: "if anyone would follow me let them go to their local jeweller, deny themself the price of a few large lattes and purchase an elegant silver cross which they will then wear visibly at every possibly opportunity" which was probably right after he said, "sinner, pray this little prayer with me and I'll give you a ticket for the glory train..."

Alternative scripture plagiarised from Veronica Zundel via Simon Woodman.

Tomorrow I head south again (I am getting to know Virgin's routes to/from Glasgow rather well!) to spend the weekend with a Baptist Church in London's theatre-land.  It will be interesting and informative, of that I am sure.

A bit short of things to post this week - nice domesticity, friends round for tea, catching up on jobs and the usual little things that fill up time.

After this weekend I need to do some concentrated writing up of my sabbatical reflections and begin to start the gentle stroll towards the reurn to normality come October.

No cupcake baking this time - but I will nip to the shops to pick up a few Scottish delicacies to take to my hosts...

Half way through my sabbatical and I decided I must be pretty chilled...

I have not thought about church (as in the one I belong to, not generic church) for at least a week - that was a shock to realise, but kind of a good one.

I regularly don't know what day it is until I look at my diary, switch on the radio/TV or check something online.

Every now and then I bump into someone from church (as I did today) and they very studiously don't mention it - which is brilliant.

Couple of days resting before the next (and final) major church visit - how blessed am I?

Thank you God

That though you will never forget me or us or anyone

You give to us the gift of forgetting

Of freedom from thinking about stuff of places or people

In order that we might rest and relax

Help me - please - to savour the moment

To enjoy the space and renew my energy

For when you lead me back to the place of doing...