the loveluton podcasts

Blogs, pods and audio tape. The ultimate emerging church status symbol - the church podcast.

Pictured are Mark Plane, the GarageBand king; and Fiona 'I can get through an entire podcast without swearing once' Green. Also present: John Whittaker and Gavin Shuker. You can hear the results at www.loveluton.org.

Isn't it funny,

when the things you joke about, really happen? Well, not always, but today, certainly.
Today I met a man called Abdul on the tube and we had a nice chat. And then he asked for my number. I couldn't tell in what capacity he might want to follow up our conversation, so I decided I would decline to give him it. He responded to my refusal very graciously; and I did take his number, so as not to seem too rude.
He was a wonderful chap, and although it was all a little ambiguous as to whether he was wanting to get it on or happy to make a friend (most likely, a bit of both, I think) I thoroughly enjoyed our encounter. He is originally from Iraq and has been in England four years, but is still battling with the language because he doesn't have any English friends to practise on. I think he might like to have some English friends as well as the Iraqi ones he has here. Despite confusing signals, there was genuine warmth in my meeting with Abdul, from both sides. He wanted to talk, to tell his story, and I wanted to hear it. There's something pretty good about meeting a new person, sharing a bit of who you are, and being liked and respected. I felt that today.
I don't really know why I am blogging about this; perhaps because chance encounters with strangers fascinate me. It's always a little odd and disturbing and makes you feel vulnerable, and yet, its the most natural thing in the world- it's what we were wired to do, to reach out to each other. I spend quite a lot of time longing to be someone whom people feel they can share themselves with; someone who can create a bit of space for people to be the powerful, wonderful, loving, broken people they are so often afraid to be. I wonder whether I need to chill out and not try so hard; because it is happening. It makes me more uncomfortable and vulnerable than I'd like, and sometimes (often) it all looks a little, well, messy. But maybe that's the point: I only make the space for people by opening myself up to them; letting them touch me (metaphorically, obviously), and change me and confuse me and surprise me. Hooray for human relationships, which explode out of the boxes we put them in. Hooray that however hard I try, I can never shelter myself from people and relationships which wreak glorious, gracious havoc in my life. Hooray for this Jesus whom I cannot escape. Whom I would never want to escape.
God bless Abdul.

Look wot John dun to me.

Dr Joe's Joy Card

How silly of me. There was I, thinking that Lyn Briant was the first entry in the loveluton gallery competition. But then it came to me - occurred, some might say, that Dr Joe Laycock had given us a card at our leaving do.

I have mixed emotions about this card. I love it's simple elegance and brilliant execution, but it also led Ruth Shaw asking, 'Who's that meant to be on the card? Is it Gav?'


Do keep those entries coming in...

The Gallery
City Life Church Luton
131 Hitchin Road
Luton LU2 0EW

Let's look at your work - in the gallery

A lovely entry from Lyn Briant of Cambridge has arrived in our postbag.
Please keep your artwork coming in - and you might see it, next time, in the gallery.

The hardships of planting a church

Sometimes you just have to dig in deep. Times when your church meeting is a banquet for example. I think this is one of the things Paul omitted to mention in his boasts about being shipwreaked and beaten, for fear that no-one would sign up for the church if they realised the level of sacrifice demanded.

Thirteen people were at St Matthew's as we ate and celebrated Jesus together. Even though everyone there was at a different place on their journey, Fiona shared what it is to be a community together, welcoming of everyone, and I think it was backed up by our actions last night.

Aperitifs
Gin and tonic with lime
Orange juice poured over ice

Starter
Seared carpaccio of fillet beef
with rocket and parmesan

Whole buffalo mozzarella on a bed
of fresh pea and baby spinach

Mains
Poached chicken with a spiced apricot reduction
Authentic fluffed pilaf rice
Charlotte potatoes with sicillian lemon
Salad of pear, fennel and watercress

Desert
French blueberry tarte served
with zingy creme fraiche

Coffee and mints

Wines
2003 Campo Viejo Crianza Rioja
2005 Wolf Blass South Australia Chardonnay