Listen on the Web!

St Catherine's broadcast on the BBC today - and by the way: Happy Easter! In case you missed it, click Here is the link, and then click on the "listen again" button. But you have to listen between today, April 8th, and April 14th 2007, as after this week the link will still be there, but you will be listening again to the next church to be broadcast!

I am happy with the spoken element, but a little disappointed with the BBC recording of our music, which 'live' had rather more to it than you'd guess from this recording. Still - have a listen, and let me know what you think.

Again: Happy Easter!

(later)

On listening again, I think that the BBC did a really great job with the spoken stuff, and the singing is very good too - especially as we could have had more people come to the recording. But I wish you could have heard how amazing the band actually were! Ah well, that's live recording and limited time I guess. I think on the whole I am really pleased - it is a good Easter service that tells the story well. My Asbury friends would recognise my narrative theology!

"Hands on" solutions

This term we have been looking at gifts of the Spirit in our Tuesday home group at church. Last week I did a practical session on how to pray for healing - because the week before people had offered to pray for me, cos they felt they should, but they really had no idea what to do.

Healing prayer isn't magic. It is simple, it is compassionate, it is gentle, it is godly, and it is common sense. I follow the Vineyard "hands on" pattern of prayer, and use a very clinical teaching model - not a technique - as I demonstrate how one might pray. Emotional it is not: we ask the Spirit to come, and trusting him to answer that positively, I then take every opportunity to show teh group step by step what is happening as we pray so that they may learn as much as possible from the experience.

We do ask for someone to volunteer to be prayed for. Kath stepped forward. I don't know how she is over the issue she asked for, but at the end I felt I should add a prayer for her sleep, something she hadn't mentioned. She was really touched by this, as she had been struggling recently and needed help. And has slept well since.

Then I asked for prayer, whilst others prayed for me following what they had learned, and I am pleased to report my migraine stopped at day thirteen - ie on Tuesday night. I have even started sleeping again, which is an added bonus! Recovery after a prolonged migraine is itself a bit of a journey, but one which is going well.

I love being in a church where people learn and discuss and share and experience God together. I love, too, having friends who ring me up afterwards and conduct the most bizarre phone calls... wonderfully de-stressing!