Fuzzy

Posted by Paul Northup at 10:44 AM | Comments (0)

February 08, 2007

Who dares wins : the Christian life and Risk

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells a story about a wealthy ruler who gives his servants some money and says “operate with this until I return.”

“When he came back bringing the authorization of his rule, he called those ten servants to whom he had given the money to find out how they had done. The first said ‘Master, I have doubled your money’.

He said ‘That’s what I mean: Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag.”
from The Message

Share an example of when you have taken a risk – eg:

• Stood up for something against the opinion of others.
  
• Revealed something personal about yourself to someone.
  
• Refused to join in with something you did not feel was right.
  
• Tried something that could have led to failure or disappointment.

“If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.”
Matthew 10:38,39 The Message

Another translation
“If you try to save your life, you will lose it, but if you give it up for me, you will find it.”
Matthew 10, 39

What do we feel about this?

Can we help each other to live more riskily?

Edge
Come into the deep
where the ocean floor
shelves steeply away
under the thrust of your feet.
Swim out
beyond your depth.
Plunge into waters
cold and sweet.

Come into the free,
cross the boundaries
of home or foreign place,
out into open space
where earth and heaven meet
and land recedes beyond our sight.
Taste the wide air,
sharp and sweet.

Come over the edge,
where the rocky ledge
gives way to vastness,
sudden stark. Dive
into wild air, wide time,
beyond your sense.
Freefall into space,
sheer and sweet.

This is the leap
into life and death
way out beyond
all sense and sight and depth,
where the empty air
and water and abyss
call
Come.
Nicola Slee

Final Blessing
The blessing of God, in all the manifestations of God, rest upon each of our heads this night and bring us joy and love and hope.
The blessing of Jesus, who showed us what love might be, enter each of our hearts.
The blessing of the Spirit, who gives renewed life and energy and wisdom delight our spirits.
Monica Furlong

Comment:
This may sound a bit 'pseuds corner' but I've been thinking that there might be a connection in our fearful, risk averse times with the rise of casino culture. People (our Government included) are quick to exploit the very human impulse and intuition that 'taking a risk' is a necessary thing for fulfilment and personal growth. In a play safe world obsessed with 'risk assessment' gambling has a head start - casinos are places where risk taking is sanctioned and encouraged. Sadly it's not the sort of risk taking that leads to life. Casino's greedily rob the vulnerable of their limited resources, disabling them from taking the 'good' risks that can lead to happiness and the enrichment of communities.
Gillian

Posted by Paul Northup at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)

December 18, 2006

Fuzzy's Nine Lessons

FIRST LESSON
God tells sinful Adam that he has lost the life of Paradise and that his seed will bruise the serpent's head. Genesis 3

And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Rose played Damien Rice's track Cold Water to refelct the alination and isolation Adam and Eve must have felt that day. (Listen here – track 8.)

SECOND LESSON
God promises to faithful Abraham that in his seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. Genesis 22

And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Jem played a spoken-word trach from Johnny Cash's Christmas album

THIRD LESSON
The prophet foretells the coming of the Saviour. Isaiah 9

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Nive played a background slide show during this reading. Click here to download Nive's slides.

FOURTH LESSON
The peace that Christ will bring is foreshown. Isaiah 11

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots: and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord. With righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

Chantal wanted us to think about the ecological peace which Jesus came to bring and would have shown the end clip of the Blue Whale from this last series of 'Planet Earth'. You can download HD clips from the series from the BBC website here.

FIFTH LESSON
The angel Gabriel salutes the Blessed Virgin Mary. St Luke 1

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Paul played U2's Running to Stand Still from the 'Joshua Tree' album to evoke some of the sort of jumbled panic and serenity that Mary must surely have felt as she ran to stand still in the light of the Angel Gabriel

SIXTH LESSON
St Luke tells of the birth of Jesus. St Luke 2

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Gillian read a piece written by a 13-year old girl from Doing Christmas Differently by Nicola Slee. You can download it here as a PDF.

SEVENTH LESSON
The shepherds go to the manger. St Luke 2

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

Helen got us to chant "Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace" three times and then to pray sliently for peace over Sufjan Stevens' instrumental 'O Come, O Come Immanuel' (from his Christmas album) before returning to the chant again.

EIGHTH LESSON
The wise men are led by the star to Jesus. St Matthew 2

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judæa: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts, gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

Jake used a couple of his wonderful 'Hands of the Magi' series and explained some of the gestural significance of the hands pictured here.

NINTH LESSON
St John unfolds the great mystery of the Incarnation. St John 1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Steve played the wonderful opening track from Sufjan Stevens' album 'Illinoise' and then led us in a closing prayer – words to follow here soon.

Posted by Paul Northup at 11:27 AM | Comments (0)

November 30, 2006

Le Grande Voyage

Last night we watched Le Grand Voyage at Fuzzy. Great film. Very evocative. On many levels. Thanks to Jake and Gillian for brining it to our attention.

Posted by Paul Northup at 01:14 PM | Comments (0)

October 26, 2006

Valuing the polarities (25.10.06)

What are Polarities?
Polarities are interdependent opposites which function best when both are present to balance with each other.

What is Polarity Management?
Some challenges are polarities to manage, rather than problems to solve. Polarity management involves moving from focusing on one pole as the problem and the other as the solution (either/or thinking), to valuing both poles (both/and thinking). Good polarity management gets the best of both poles while avoiding the limits of either.

What is a Polarity Map?
A polarity map identifies the upsides and downsides of each pole, resulting in a whole picture of the polarity to be managed.
Steps in Creating Polarity Map

1. Identify a key polarity. Agree on names for the poles. Write them into the map.
2. Brainstorm together the content for each quadrant.

1. Remember that to pursue the benefits of one pole, you must also pursue the benefits of the other pole. The solution is not static.
2. You may want to identify indicators for each pole which will let you know when you are experiencing its downside. Putting feedback mechanisms in place aids in managing the polarity.

1. Identify a key polarity. Agree on names for the poles. Write them into the map.
2. Brainstorm together the content for each quadrant. Write this into the map.

Posted by Paul Northup at 10:58 AM | Comments (0)

The Holy Fool (18.10.06)

Click here to see the images Jake used as part of the evening – a mixture of his, Cecil Collins' and Picasso's! He likes to keep good company.

And here are the quotes and notes from the evening:

Fool's Eye View

"If anyone of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of the world is foolishness in God's sight."
I Corinthians 3:18 -19

Can a saint be subversive?
Can folly be saintly?

Saints

Every saint is troubling. Every saint reveals some of our fears and makes us question fear-driven choices.
St Francis and Brother Juniper (see-saw man).
St Genesius of Rome - supposedly converted whilst performing in a theatrical routine ridiculing Christianity.

Russian holy fools - have the audacity to say what's really going on in code
Reminders of God's presence

English painter Cecil Collins in his book The Vision of The Fool argued that 'the saint, the artist, the poet and the fool are one. They are the eternal virginity of the spirit which in the dark winter of the world continually proclaims the existence of new life, giving faithful promise of the spring of an invisible kingdom, and the coming of light'

Clowns represent the underdog, the lowly, the remnant people. Their foolishness is a call to unpretentiousness. They take many risks, balancing on tight ropes, eating fire, keeping silent, being poked by others or getting soaked in water. Clowns are parables in themselves, spending great amounts of energy uncovering small things, then showing forth the hidden treasure of life (like the kingdom of God) and, surprisingly to us, giving their most cherished possessions to others. Clowns look at the world, like parables, inside out and upside down: the last shall be first, the smallest seed is the greatest tree, and those who work all day get paid the same as those who worked an hour.

For most people, clothing serves as a message of how high they have risen and how secure or insecure they are. Holy fools wear the wrong clothes, or rags or perhaps nothing at all. This is a witness that they have nothing to lose.

Holy fools pose the question: are we keeping heaven at a distance by clinging to the good regard of others, prudence, and what those around us regard as "sanity". The holy fools shout out with their mad words and deeds that to seek God is not necessarily the same thing as to seek sanity.

Does fear of being regarded by others as insane confine me in a cage of 'responsible' behaviour that limits my freedom and ability to love?

Is it such a wonderful thing to be regarded as sane? Adolph Eichmann, the chief administrator of the Holocaust, was declared as "Quite sane" by the psychiatrists who examined him before his trial.

"The Feast of Fools speaks of the topsy-turvydom of the Kingdom of God, where the first are last and the last first, the weak strong and the strong weak, the wise foolish and the foolish wise. The clown in all his vulnerability speaks of all of these by his very existence."

Village Idiot – Van Morrison
from Hymns to the Silence

Did you see the lad, on the corner
He was standing drinking wine
Wears his overcoat in the summer
And short sleeves in the winter time

Takes his holidays, down at the bookies
Well he knows how to pick a horse
Village tramping round the countryside
He wears a smile, but he doesn't say much

Village idiot, he's complicated
Village idiot, simple mind
Village idiot, he does know something
But he's just not saying

Don't you know he's onto something
You can see it, you can see it in his eyes
Sometimes he looks so happy
As he goes strolling by

Oh village idiot, he's complicated
Village idiot, he's got a simple mind
Village idiot, must know something
But he's just not saying

Well you all know he's onto something
You can see it in his eyes
Sometimes he looks so happy
When he goes walking by
Sometimes he looks so happy
When he goes walking by
Sometimes he looks so happy

Posted by Paul Northup at 10:37 AM | Comments (0)

March 20, 2006

In a dry and waterless place?

Fuzzy – Wednesday 22 March 2006

Following our skirmish with contemplative prayer last week at Charlotte and Rose's you'll need to be in the mood to visualise this week!

Lent is traditionally seen as a wilderness time, a dry time, a desert space, of waiting and want. But on Wednesday we want to take some time to picture the landscape through which each of us is journeying at present. Maybe we're in a wilderness place. Maybe our space is a lot more watered and welcoming than that right now.

We'll supply paper and pencils and we'll be asking you to sketch out your spiritual situatedness. There'll be readings from Quarrantine by Jim Crace. And perhaps also from Soil and Soul by Alastair McIntosh (which got me thinking along these lines in the first place).

For some reason I am always reminded of Elijah being fed by ravens when I think about a person's spiritual inner life being connected to and mirrored by their surroundings. If you want to read that and imagine, then turn to 1 Kings: 17: 1 - 6.

Posted by Paul Northup at 09:19 PM | Comments (0)

March 09, 2006

From the mountain top (8.3.06)

(Pictured: an Austrian mountain scene, courtesy of Charlotte)

"Jesus took Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain, and was transfigured before them" Mark 9 v.2

The word Transfiguration means a changing of appearance or form. In Christianity The Transfiguration is a miraculous event in the Synoptic Gospel accounts of Jesus (Matthew 17:1-6, Mark 9:1-8, Luke 9:28-36). Jesus led three of his apostles, Peter, John and James, to pray at the top of a mountain, where he became transfigured, with his face shining like the sun. Elijah and Moses appeared with Jesus and talked with him, then a voice from a cloud proclaimed ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’

Confronting the unexpected

From the mountain top we can see things from a different perspective.

From the mountain top we can try to look at our lives through God’s eyes - see the world bathed in light instead of darkness.

The Waterboys - Christ in you

‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him’

We too have been called sons and daughters of God.

Like Jesus we can be ‘transfigured’.

What would that mean for us?

Space

Allowing ourselves to be bathed in the light of God’s love.

Music – Sigur Ros - Anduari

I come down from the mountain,
in the company of Jesus,
trying to hold in my mind, heart,
all those times in my life
when I have realised God’s great love for me,
of when I have experienced love from others
when I have least expected it-
and when I have found the light of life,
even when the clouds of difficulty, hardship,
have threatened to overwhelm me.

Lord Jesus,
after your Transfiguration you travelled on towards Jerusalem.
May the times of your consoling love that I experience give me the courage to continue to travel with you.
Amen.

Posted by Paul Northup at 12:41 AM | Comments (0)

February 16, 2006

TV monsters

As Lent approaches and we think about something(s) we might give up as part of that spiritual discipline we thought we'd look at the place of the gogglebox in our lives.

Two great resources to draw on.

1. Amelia Hill's article from the Observer last summer. Click here to read it.

2. Simon Jones's talk from Greenbelt last year. Click here to read the precis and order the MP3. (To buy the MP3 as a download, select the MP3 option at the top – it's £2 and you'll need to know / remember your mailing reference from Greenbelt – it's on your mailing envelopes. If you can't remember it or haven't got one, the system will send you a password or remind you of yours.)

And then let's meet next Wednesday to share in what we learn.

Posted by Paul Northup at 09:09 PM | Comments (0)

February 07, 2006

Light of the World – Mark and Soph's this Wednesday (8.2.06)

This from Mark: "I've been reading Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything". The sections on light and sub atomic particles basically conclude that our brains can't fully comprehend the behaviour of either...Many biblical metaphors related to light sprang to mind, some of which I hope we can explore.

I sure I'm not alone in having a moth-like attraction towards many types of light source. As a young child I was (and still unashamedly am) fascinated by all things incandescent... from fireflies to rainbows the wonder will always be.

So please, please tomorrow eve bring with you one or more favourite lights / lamps / glowy /sparkly things... or simply some wood to burn 'coz we're running low:-)

(You'll notice that I haven't yet disconnected the Christmas lights yet.)"

Posted by Paul Northup at 09:56 AM | Comments (0)

February 02, 2006

Searching for the Wrong Eyed Jesus

Watched a fascinating extract from this road movie last night. Go here for more.

I have the video and will watch it with Chantal this weekend.

Thanks Jem and Helen.

Posted by Paul Northup at 05:57 PM | Comments (0)

January 23, 2006

Interconnectedness - The world wide web? (25.1.06)

"True spirituality is to be aware that if we are interdependent with everything and everyone else, even our smallest, least significant thought, word and action have real consequences throughout the universe." Sogyal Rinpoche

We thought that we'd spend some time this week thinking about 'interconnectedness'. Hope that you are free to join us.

Jake and Gillian

Posted by Paul Northup at 05:25 PM | Comments (1)

December 19, 2005

Christmas gathering – Wednesday 21 December 2005

A reminder that you are all welcome to ours this Wednesday at 3pm for a time all together before those who want to and can dash off to carols at Hailes at 5pm.

What we propose is that, rather than the usual (wonderful!) food-fest, Chantal and I will do mince pies and drinks and you all bring along what you would have spent on food and, in the spirit of Living Generously and the sort of thing we discussed at Nive's the other evening, we pool what we've got and make a collective decision about a Fuzzy just gift and / or donation on the afternoon. Hope that's OK?

Posted by Paul Northup at 04:12 PM | Comments (0)

December 06, 2005

Wednesday 7 December 2005: Incarnation; what does it mean?

"History involved itself" (Sufjan Stevens)

An advent evening of music, reflection, quiet, wonder, a little doodling and some chat around The Incarnation.

As part of the proceedings I will ask you to try and represent what incarnation is / means pictorially, without using any imagery of mother and child. Just so you're forewarned...

===============================================

This general stuff from Wikipedia

Incarnation, which literally means enfleshment, refers to the conception, and live birth of a sentient creature (generally human) who is the material manifestation of an entity or force whose original nature is immaterial. Incarnation should be carefully distinguished from the phenomenon of apotheosis, which is the temporary manifestation of a divine or archetypal force, entity or energy within and through a human being during the course of ritual, religious exercise, meditation, or other spiritual activities.

While Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism are perhaps the most widely-known traditions to employ this concept within the context of their respective belief systems, they are by no means the only ones to do so.

===============================================

And here's a little scriptural and theological prompting from the The Catholic Online Encyclopedia

The Incarnation is the mystery and the dogma of the Word made Flesh. ln this technical sense the word incarnation was adopted, during the twelfth century, from the Norman-French, which in turn had taken the word over from the Latin incarnatio. The Latin Fathers, from the fourth century, make common use of the word; so Saints Jerome, Ambrose, Hilary, etc. The Latin incarnatio (in: caro, flesh) corresponds to the Greek sarkosis, or ensarkosis, which words depend on John (i, 14) kai ho Logos sarx egeneto, "And the Word was made flesh". These two terms were in use by the Greek Fathers from the time of St. Irenaeus--i.e. according to Harnack, A. D. 181-189 (cf. lren., "Adv. Haer." III, l9, n. i.; Migne, VII, 939). The verb sarkousthai, to be made flesh, occurs in the creed of the Council of Nicaea (cf. Denzinger, "Enchiridion", n. 86). In the language of Holy Writ, flesh means, by synecdoche, human nature or man (cf. Luke 3:6; Romans 3:20). Suarez deems the choice of the word incarnation to have been very apt. Man is called flesh to emphasize the weaker part of his nature. When the Word is said to have been incarnate, to have been made Flesh, the Divine goodness is better expressed whereby God "emptied Himself . . . and was found in outward bearing (schemati) like a man" (Phil. ii, 7); He took upon Himself not only the nature of man, a nature capable of suffering and sickness and death, He became like a man in all save only sin (cf. Suarez, "De Incarnatione", Praef. n. 5). The Fathers now and then use the word henanthropesis, the act of becoming man, to which correspond the terms inhumanatio, used by some Latin Fathers, and "Menschwerdung", current in German. The mystery of the Incarnation is expressed in Scripture by other terms: epilepsis, the act of taking on a nature (Hebrews 2:16): epiphaneia, appearance (2 Timothy 1:10); phanerosis hen sarki, manifestation in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16); somatos katartismos, the fitting of a body, what some Latin Fathers call incorporatio (Hebrews 10:5); kenosis, the act of emptying one's self (Phil., ii, 7).

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Posted by Paul Northup at 10:19 PM | Comments (0)

November 15, 2005

16th November

Fuzzy round at mine this week - not entirely sure of content sure of content yet but rest assured you are all very welcome........

Hope to see you there

Nive

Posted by Nive Hall at 04:33 PM | Comments (0)

November 07, 2005

Sweet Sixteen

Paul and Chantal's this Wednesday, 9 November 2005

At Fuzzy this week we'll be thinking and feeling our way back to when we were 16 – the way we felt, what we were wearing, thinking, doing, and the sorts of things we wanted to do with our lives back then, who we thought we might become, what we would go on to do.

The point of the evening will be to explore our ideas of vocation, calling, career or just bumbling along. And to wonder at the place of God in that journey. Is looking back all about bemoaning a sense of thwarted ambitions and opportunities? Or is it about learning to recognise God-with-us and the sense of the journey and our (and God's) faithfulness in it.

There will be readings, music and space and silence – a chance for reflection and prayer. And, of course, communion.

Posted by Paul Northup at 09:22 PM | Comments (0)

June 27, 2005

How art changed our lives............

Fuzzy round at mine this week (29/06/05) - I'm hoping we are going to explore the role that specific pieces of art have played in our lives. This might be where a song, a poem, a picture etc. has "opened a window" for us to better understand the world or an issue or, if anyone is feeling brave, where a piece of art enabled us, for a moment, to see through the glass a little less darkly and a little more face to face.

Please can you all therefore come prepared with your bits - I can accomodate most formats for music but if you are bringing vinyl or cassettes please let me know beforehand and I will bring down the old technology from the attic. Pictures may be more of a problem. Obviously if you have prints or originals that will be perfect. If not perhaps if you can find .jpegs on the web you can e-mail them to me beforehand and I can get them ready on a laptop. The same applies to the written word.

Obviously for this to work various things will need to happen.
We all need to bring things to share.
Those of us who feel less "arty" need not be intimidated, we are going to share how the art has impacted on our lives not debate it's artistic value.

If you can't make it on Wednesday, please feel free to e-mail me your stories and I will be delighted to share them on your behalf.

Look forward to seeing you Wednesday

Nive
xxx

Posted by Nive Hall at 12:55 PM | Comments (0)

June 22, 2005

Fuzzy – 22.6.05 – at Mark and Soph's

... so on the seventh day he rested (NIV)

For some unknown reason, the start of the Summer is always a busy time, as
is the period preceding a holiday. Is this just the carrot at work?

I'd like us to look at our own work/life balance. What juggling tricks we
have and especially at how we define 'resting'

If you have any biblical refs, please note 'em down.

So we don't disturb the kids, could we meet at the back of the garden. :-)

Posted by Paul Northup at 08:30 AM | Comments (0)

June 21, 2005

Watchers and Holy Ones – the music

This from our evening at Jake and Gillian's last week. Wonderful as ever!

Track number and image title / composer / title and date / timing / recording CD details

01 Watchers / James MacMillan / For Ian /James York piano 2002 /4:46 / Raising Sparks CD BBM1067 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd

02 Seraphs / J.S Bach / Goldberg variation 25, 1742 / glenn Gould piano 1981 / 6:02 / Complete Goldberg Variations CD SM3K 87703 Sony Classical Legacy

03 Sanctus / John Taverner / Sanctus from Mass ‘’The Western Wynde ‘’ c1520 / Harry Christophers and The Sixteeen 1991 / 4:46 / John Taverner Mass ‘’The Western wind’’ CDH55056 Helios

04 Gabriel / Iranian traditional / Lalalala Gohle Laleh / Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat vocals 2004 / 3:50 / Lullabies from the Axis of Evil CD FXCD 269 Kirkelig Kulturverksted

05 Raphael / Gyorgy Ligeti / Etude ll 1985, Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano 1995 / 3:16 / Ligeti Works for Piano CD SK 62308 Sony Classical

06 Wrestler / J.S Bach / Goldberg Variations 5, 1742 / Glenn Gould piano / as 02 above

07 Wrestler ll / Gyorgy Ligeti / Etude XlV 1993 / Pierre-Laurent Aimared piano 1995 / 1:41 / as 05 above

08 Michael / Erkki-Sven Tuur / Passion1994 / Tallinn Chamber Orchestra performed 1998 / 6:46 / Changing Platforms: 30 years of the Contemporary Music Network CD UP13 Unknown Public www.unknownpublic.com

Posted by Paul Northup at 04:38 PM | Comments (0)

June 12, 2005

Listening and slow reading – Fuzzy on 8.6.05

Steve encouraged us to think about whether and how we hear God. He also introduced the idea of 'slow reading' – a pleasant antidote to an accelerated, information-driven culture.

Some of the thinking was drawn from the BBC's Monastery website which is well worth a visit for more reflective tips and stories – especially Big Tony's!

(We were joined by Steve Butler from Edinburgh and Sue Mayfield from Christchuch.)

Posted by Paul Northup at 11:03 AM | Comments (0)

June 09, 2005

How art changed our lives............

Been thinking about art a lot recently so................In the spirit of previous fuzzies about art and the way it can sometimes touch us in a way that we can't really explain, i would like the next fuzzy I do (29th June) to explore the way art has moved in our lives.

So between then and now can everyone find a piece of art or two (could be a song, picture, poem etc. etc.) and bring it along together with an explanation of when and how it spoke to you. It may not have been about faith, it may have been about your life. It may have been about truth...it may have been anything.......please bring along your stories and share them.

Posted by Nive Hall at 01:35 PM | Comments (0)

June 01, 2005

Fuzzy 01/06/05 - Identity

This week I thought we'd look at where our sense of identity comes from. Get your thinking caps on as my prep time is limited with Indigo here and Wychwood looming. Hopefully see you later.

x Helen

Posted by Helen Maynard-Watts at 03:30 PM | Comments (0)

May 26, 2005

Decision-making or dancing

Thanks for last night. We mused. We pondered. We pushed the limits: "God told me to" at one end. And "because it feels right" at the other.

Jake shared about a particularly intense period of decision-making that he and Gillian had lived through when they felt as if they were being beckoned to risk, to dance.

So, keep dancing. Don't get so hung up on decision-making. It was typically fuzzy.

Posted by Paul Northup at 10:38 PM | Comments (0)

May 22, 2005

Fuzzy this Wednesday – 25 May 2005

Decisions, decisions, decisions

How do we make them? How does our faith inform them? Do we avoid making them? Do we relish making them? How do we know if we've made the right or wrong decision?

Having just been through a process which required a fair amount of heart searching, questioning, discussion, testing, and – dare I say it – prayer, I thought it would be good to have a look at the way we, as Christians, make decisions. Does our faith just add a superstitious dimension to our decision-making? Or does it shape and inform the way we make our decisions?

And in all this, I am reminded of the way the replacement disciple was chose after Judas committed suicide. (See Acts 1:12-26). There were two candidates. Both would have been fine. So the disciples drew lots. Now, that's pragmatism for you. Isn’t it?

Posted by Paul Northup at 08:35 PM | Comments (0)

May 17, 2005

Wednesday 18th May – Mark and Soph's

If we get a chance on Wed, could we continue the food theme by skimming through the Children's Food Bill which is currently before parliament (perhaps Nive can explain the passing of bills process)

Go here to read about the bill online

On the catering front, Sophie and I will take care of the main courses. Are there any veggies among us? Bring a little salad dish, drink or dessert if you feel the urge.

Posted by Paul Northup at 08:44 AM | Comments (0)