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Gathered here are thoughts on literature, faith, technology, education, culture and anything else that interests me. I hope you enjoy your stay.

Posts may be written quickly... this is a blog not a book, and there is a difference! Feel free to add comments; I won't edit them, if you promise not to sell meds ;-)

Off to Greenbelt | Heretic’s Guide to Eternity

I’m off towards Greenbelt tomorrow, via a stop with some friends in Devon, so probably won’t be blogging. Before I go, I promised to post a review of Spencer Burke and Barry Taylor’s book ‘A Heretic’s Guide to Eternity‘. First, an apparent paradox in the book, which I think helps unlock its position quite well. [...]

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The 3rd Economy: Gift, Market and Plunder [1] | Christian Leadership and the Leisure Class

As some of you may know, I’ve been working on a novel for the past few months, playing with themes, among others, of the links between identity and consumption. One of the books I’ve picked up to feed the furnace has been Thorstein Veblen’s 1899 satire Conspicuous Consumption (an excerpt from his longer work The [...]

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Surface Tension | Lost Worlds

“One of the great losses of the Information Age is texture. Consider the pre-computer desk: a litter of papers, large and small, handwritten, printed and typed, course and fine; letters in varying hands, envelopes of various sizes bearing stamps from all over the world. Here are books, annotated and bookmarked; here is a typewriter with [...]

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Contemplative Youth Ministry | Being Present to ‘The Other’

I volunteered to be part of the ‘grid blog’ flagging up Mark Yaconelli’s book ‘Contemplative Youth Ministry’, and duly received a copy to read from the publisher. It’s very good. We were traveling up to Iona with some friends, one of whom was also reading it, and she was also very positive. A quote I’d [...]

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Coal | Does Urban Development Require Exploitation?

I’ve been reading ‘Coal – A Human History‘ recently. It’s a fascinating look at the profound impact coal has – and is still going to have – on our history. Used as a soft jewelry stone by the romans, it was only later taken up as fuel in London because of the rapidly retreating forests [...]

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A Message From My Publishers

Save the SPCK! So say’s Dave at CartoonChurch. Their shops are threatened apparently. So don’t buy Pete’s book online. Get down your local SPCK and make the men in sandals happy.

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Emerging Leadership Day | Churchless Faith Follow-up Book

Two quick links: Firstly, I am looking forward to sharing some thoughts on leadership in emerging organizations at the blah… learning day. I’ll be joined by Maggi Dawn, who will reflect on trying to re-imagine leadership in the ancient structures of the Anglican church and Ana Draper of L8R, who has recently completed her MSc [...]

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The Last Post…

…is due. According to the Financial Times. “…which brings us to the spectre haunting the blogosphere – tedium. If the pornography of opinion doesn’t leave you longing for an eroticism of fact, the vast wasteland of verbiage produced by the relentless nature of blogging is the single greatest impediment to its seriousness as a medium” [...]

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Solition | Endings | Merton

Just spent the weekend with Si and Gareth over in Northern Ireland. Good to see Pete Rollins too (his book is going to go ballistic). They also had the guys over from The Bridge in Ventura for a few days, and it was excellent to spend time hanging out, doing some Guinness, and doing the [...]

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Release Your Inner Mr Man/Little Miss

Make your own Mr Man or Little Miss here. Resistance is futile. You know you’re going to have to. The Mr Emergent™ competition starts here. Technorati Tags: Cartoons

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