Wednesday 31 December 2008
Strictly Come to Church
Tuesday 30 December 2008
High School Musical Church
Sunday 21 September 2008
Join the Revolution
Saturday 20 September 2008
We Stand on Holy Ground
Friday 19 September 2008
The Story We Find Ourselves In
Tuesday 2 September 2008
Part of something bigger
Friday 29 August 2008
When Jesus met Zacchaeus
Thursday 28 August 2008
Fuzzy Faith?
Wednesday 27 August 2008
Changing Treasure
Wednesday 6 August 2008
Nobodies to Somebodies
Monday 4 August 2008
The Good Old Days
Friday 25 July 2008
An Emerged Community
Wednesday 23 July 2008
Love Changes Everything
Tuesday 22 July 2008
Putting Peace Around
Sunday 20 July 2008
Stand Tall
Thursday 17 July 2008
Mission Implausible
Wednesday 16 July 2008
Bus Timetables and Beatitudes
Tuesday 15 July 2008
On the Way
Thursday 10 July 2008
Ragged Trousered Philanthropy
Wednesday 9 July 2008
Challenging Church
Tuesday 8 July 2008
Hungry for Spirituality
Monday 7 July 2008
Prisoners of Hope
Sunday 6 July 2008
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Saturday 5 July 2008
Pilgrim Church
Friday 4 July 2008
Nehemiah - Chapter 4
Tuesday 1 July 2008
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
Sunday 29 June 2008
St. Peter and St. Paul
Thursday 26 June 2008
Taking the Pulse
Wednesday 25 June 2008
Mary or Martha?
Monday 23 June 2008
Taking Risks
Sunday 22 June 2008
Travelling Light
Thursday 19 June 2008
Where is peace?
Tuesday 17 June 2008
Place of Reconciliation
Sunday 15 June 2008
Creating Space
Saturday 14 June 2008
Spirituality
Thursday 12 June 2008
Servant Church
Tuesday 10 June 2008
Nautical Images
Saturday 7 June 2008
Church in Decline
Thursday 5 June 2008
Find Out What God's Doing
Tuesday 3 June 2008
Imperfect Church
Sunday 1 June 2008
Energy Efficient Church
Friday 30 May 2008
Pizza Church/Chocolate Church
Friday 23 May 2008
Downloaded Church
Wednesday 21 May 2008
Pushing Beyond the Boundaries
Tuesday 20 May 2008
Organic Church
Monday 19 May 2008
Characteristics of the Church
Sunday 18 May 2008
More Messy Church
Friday 16 May 2008
Mingling on Level Terms
Thursday 15 May 2008
The Real Church
Wednesday 14 May 2008
God is still speaking
Tuesday 13 May 2008
Church as Community
Monday 12 May 2008
All-Age Church
Saturday 10 May 2008
Community of the lost
Friday 9 May 2008
Vision4Church
Thursday 8 May 2008
Giants, Wizards and Dwarfs
Wednesday 7 May 2008
75 Minutes To Change The World
Tuesday 6 May 2008
Church as Aperitif
Monday 5 May 2008
Postmodern Church
Saturday 3 May 2008
A New Kind of Church
Tuesday 29 April 2008
Matthew 16:18-19
Monday 28 April 2008
A Panamanian Experience
Sunday 27 April 2008
Twinned with Romania
Saturday 26 April 2008
The Velveteen Rabbit
Thursday 24 April 2008
Church in a Tent
The Church as Alchemist
I have just been reading Charles Handy's The New Alchemists (Hutchinson, 1999) in which he reflects on the visionary input of twenty-nine individuals, very different, but holding in common a creative, innovative streak that has really made a difference. Handy identifies three common characteristics of such alchemists - dedication (otherwise described as commitment, drive, passion or even obsession), doggedness (the generation of energy and the capacity for hard work) and difference (that is, the wish to make a difference). Handy commends the combination of creativity and curiosity that such individuals demonstrate. They are about new possibilities and transformation - "without alchemy we would stagnate". The book sent me back to Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist and, thumbing through, I came across this comment - ""This is why alchemy exists," the boy said. "So that everyone will search for his treasure, find it, and then want to be better than he was in his former life. Lead will play its role until the world has no further need for lead; and then lead will have to turn itself into gold. That's what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too."" For me, there are some good images of church here - searching for your treasure and striving to become better for a start. Concepts like curiosity and creativity are also relevant to the church. However, perhaps the main point to be made is that the notion of transformation, at the core of what the alchemist is doing, is a key element in what the church is called to be engaged in. Transformation can happen in a whole range of ways, but surely needs to be part of what we are and part of what we are offering. I am making all things new - Revelation 21:5.