I'm never sure if posting prayers constitutes hypocrisy of the street corner variety, but here, for what they're worth are my draft intercessions for Sunday.  If they're of any use, feel free to plagiarise or copy...

Holy God we give you thanks for your precious gift of the Holy Spirit, our helper and encourager along life’s way.  As we ponder some of the images used in the Bible, we allow them also to shape our prayers for our world – your world.

Sometimes like a gentle breeze on a hot summer’s day, cooling and refreshing us.

Sometimes like a powerful hurricane sweeping away everything in its path.

We think of the people of Burma whose lives have been torn apart by the cyclone just a week ago.  As the death toll continues to rise, and as aid agencies begin to be allowed entry to that proud and troubled land, we pray that you will inspire all who seek the good of that land to work together to restore hope.  Bring comfort to those who mourn, and healing to those who suffer.

God of love, hear our prayer.

Holy Spirit, Living Water

Sometimes like a playful brook, bubbling and babbling as it crosses a meadow

Sometimes like a rushing ocean, waves crashing on a distant shore.

We think of those whose lives are blighted by water – its lack or its excess.  We pray for those whose fields have been washed away by floods, and for those whose crops die in parched earth.  We pray for the work of organisations that seek to bring clean water to distant villages, to develop irrigation schemes and to develop coastal defences.  Refresh those who are thirsty, renew those who grow faint and weary.

God of love, hear our prayer

Holy Spirit, Free flying bird

Sometimes like a gentle dove, fluttering down, cooing softly

Sometimes like a hawk, hovering over the chaos that is our world

We think of those places known to us where there is violence, hatred and disorder, seeking you healing peace.  Especially we recall the lands of Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel-Palestine, Zimbabwe, but know also that there are countless wars and violent acts that we will never hear about.  We pray for all who seek to bring an end to violence, for peacemakers and peacekeepers.  We pray for all whose lives are torn asunder by human sinfulness.  Bring peace to broken lands, order instead of chaos.

God of love, hear our prayer

Holy Spirit, Oil of Gladness

Sometimes like the oil used to anoint powerful men and women for service

Sometimes like the balm of eucalyptus oil rubbed on the chest of snuffling child

We pray for all who hold positions of power and authority, in government, commerce, industry and in public service.  Please give them wisdom in the decisions they make, and compassion in the execution of their duties.

We pray also for those known to us who are sick at this time, in body, mind or spirit, asking for your healing balm to be upon them and those who care for them at this time.

God of love, hear our prayer

Holy Spirit, Flaming fire

Sometimes like the cosy glow of red embers on a winter’s night

Sometimes like the white heat of a furnace melting ore and refining metal for service

We pray for ourselves, aware of our own shortcoming and need to be purged of all that hinders the fulfilment of our true humanity and our discipleship of Jesus.  Please cleanse from failure and sin and renew us to continue our journey.  Where we have grown cold or complacent, revive the fire within us, to strengthen our resolve.  Where we are tired and over burdened, please grant us rest and release.

God of love, hear our prayer

Holy Spirit, Wisdom of God, Comforter in our sorrows, Counsellor in our confusion, Intercessor when words fail us, we implore you to present our prayers to the Living God in the name of Christ Jesus our eternal hope and salvation.  Amen.

(My congregation think our church is like 'The Apprentice' because I'm always giving them challenges!)

This weekend is our, now annual, Pentecost Party, a virtually free community outreach event, through which we have contact with anything up to 300 people and usually attract a few to the Sunday afternoon open air service. With a fraction of the 'staff' levels available for the Baptist Assembly event last weekend it is hard work with a capital 'H'; in fact, to be honest, all the letters should be capital.  My loyal team of workers include people well into their 80's and the youngest is me (look elsewhere on this blog to track down my age, but it's not especially young).  We will paint faces, serve cream teas, offer kiddies crafts, decorate plant pots and then plant them with flowers, supply a bouncy castle and outdoor games all for free.  There will Fairtrade gifts on sale and Fairtrade chocolate for free (Green & Black minis in tubs of 200 for £20 - fantastic give aways), handmade cards - and for the first time this year a pocket money tat stall selling off some of the leftovers from past events (plus a bit extra I bought this time!) at knock down prices and all proceeds going to charity.

On Sunday as the dust settles, we allow the 'post party flatness' to form a starting point for our service as we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit for always, for everyone.

At the moment, my dining room looks like, in the expression favoured by mother, 'Paddy's market', not really a good phrase with its racial under/overtones, but I don't know a better one.  Lengths of bunting, boxes of bubble mixture, goody bags, tubes of paint and dozens of plant pots hide my dining table.  There are still things to be done between now and Saturday, and I will once more wonder why I didn't buy a van last time I replaced my car, but it is a great opportunity for this little church, tired and tattered, to show this community something of the amazing God who inspires our living.  So, just need the weather to hold and all will be well...

Oh yes, and at the end of the task no one gets fired - just a bit more fired up, I hope.

At Assembly I attended an afternoon seminar where one woman said that her son, a drummer in their church's worship band, "prophesied with the drums."  Can anyone tell me what that means?  ... and how on earth (or heaven or the other place) anyone would know what was being prophesied.

Baptist Assembly should not be taken toooooooo seriously, so here are some more flippant observations/questions....

In how many Christian traditions would someone lead worship wearing flip flops? (Go Simon....)

In how many Christian traditions would the (male) head of ministries be seen in a barbie pink jumper, (let alone look good in it)?  (Go Paul...)

Why was Alistair Brown standing on a trolley being pulled along by Phil Jump on the last morning?  Was this a case of buggy envy? (Jonathan Edwards using a buggy due to recent surgery)

Why do Baptists suddenly become ridiculously polite when you get 2000 of them in one place?

Why do non-Baptist speakers always feel the need to tell us how/why they are really Baptists or even more Baptist than we are?

How did Jonathan know that the 400 non-Assembly people who went to the outreach event were non-Christians?

Why does it always take three days for conference venues to learn how to serve 2000 cups of tea/coffee at morning break?

How many rashers of bacon did those of us who stayed at the Norbrek consume?

Why was the bar full of beer drinking Baptists who will go home to feigned abstinence at least on church premises...?!

(And why have I nothing better to do this morning than ask daft questions?) 

As one of those rather sad individuals who loves Baptist Assembly (songology not withstanding... we did sing that song I so do not like, even if it was twice 'unpacked' before we did so - ha!  Finally people are beginning to grasp that a  bouncy tune does not automatically a good hymn/song make) I feel that I am returning from Blackpool well blessed.

Of course there were niggles and bits I didn't much like, but that's part of the wonder of Bappyness, so I am going to choose to note mostly what was wonderful.

I loved the two morning prayer sessions I attended, the first led by Clare McBeath & Tim Presswood, the second by BMS.  At 8:15 to be still, to pray for God's world, to slow down (or slowly crank up, whichever it was) was fantastic.  Very different styles of prayer but each special.  Indeed, I loved the whole 'Open Space' experience and the artwork by someone I knew from one of my former placements which formed a version of a crucifix/cross: very striking and thought provoking.

I enjoyed Prism Bible study - because it is closer to Bible study than the big stage event where you are addressed for almost 60 minutes.  There is nothing wrong with the latter, I just preferred the former.  Thanks Ruth, Simon & gang for making it so good - even in that dreadful space you were assigned.

Recognition of ministers & missionaries and In Memoriam are always special moments.  The usual request for restraint from cheers & applause and the usual wilful refusal to obey will no doubt raise the usual comments.  I did think this year's batch of ministers looked a bit scruffy and it seemed the dress code we were given last year had not been followed this time around.  As someone who is not a fan of dressing up, but who also thinks that there are times to do as you are told, I was a smidgeon disappointed to see people on stage in jeans and teeshirts but it remains a very special moment.  10/10 to Geoff Colmer for best turned out RM!! (See photo below, Geoff on rhs, photo nicked from Assembly website) I hope, and pray, that this year's batch will have found it a special moment in the way we did last year (notwithstanding being reduced to a number to allocate their seats)

The closing All Age worship was great fun.  Not everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed the party atmosphere and slightly irreverent ending to the power points - perhaps a few scowled at the frivolity of the latter, but it sent us out smiling.

The thing that made me think the most was called 'The Full Monty'- a session on spirituality preference/types and (allegedly) mission.  Using nine types including naturalists, sensates, ascetics, intellectuals, enthusiasts, contemplatives, activists, care givers - and one I've forgotten! - should enable a person to understand what helps them to engage with God, and can also be used to understand how a congregation encounters/relates to God.  This should in theory be able to shape or inform mission.  What intrigues me then, is that Assembly is predicated very much on two of these: the worship is designed to suit Enthusiasts - bouncy, loud and fast moving - whilst most others sessions suit Intellectuals - lots of information to listen to and try to assimilate and understands.  So what happens to the contemplative or sensate (presumably Open Space is in some way a response to their needs)?  What happens to the caregiver or ascetic?  Is it the case (alas I think it probably is) that Assembly meets the needs of only some people and that there are those of profound faith and spirituality who would find the whole event a total turn off.  I am fortunate, I think to have a spread of preferences, so can enjoy the bouncy worship and feed on the long talks, but I also need the interaction, multi-sensory and silence that the 'fringe' that is Prism and Open Space provide.  I guess I hope that we can one day find a way to bring the rainbow diversity of authentic Baptist spirituality into the main arena not to 'offend everyone equally', but so that we may learn with and from those who encounter God differently.

I reckon I met around 50-60 people I know, and was introduced to a few people who are kind enough to read this twaddle.  I hope that they, too, had a good Assembly, were in some measure able to encounter God (rather 'do business with God' a phrase I really dislike because it reduces faith and spirituality to a transaction).  Assembly is not perfect because none of us who takes part is perfect... but it does help remind me why I love being a part of these whacky people called Baptists.

Apologies to Scottish Baptist readers for whom this is probably unbearably dull... but we did have Fischy Music all the way frae bonnie Scotland to lead our closing worship.

More photos can be found here