mayBe » inspiration

Pray-as-you-go

Rich — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 11:37:17 +0000

When we had the community meal at our place and were talking about prayer, I told you about the daily prayer I use from the Jesuits which you can download for your ipod – it’s called ‘pray as you go’. It is about 10min long and uses music, a scripture reading, some thoughts to contemplate and some time for prayer. I like it lot, it’s a good and easy way to incorporate some sort of prayer into your daily life!

So here is the link: http://www.pray-as-you-go.org/

For those of you who use itunes, you can access it via the itunes shop if you search for ‘pray as you go’ (obviously it is for free).

Hope that helps!

By Doerthe

simple ideas for daily prayer

Rich — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 08:01:34 +0000

may this inspire us all to find our daily discipline of prayer as part of mayBe’s pattern of community life. These came from discussions at community meals and worship gathering in our spirit of mayBe cycle.

communicating prayer online eg twitter or facebook
writing it in your diary
taking the time to be mindful – not always multitasking
be content with little things, little amounts of time
praying for each other’s concerns – perhaps have email list of words or names (no need for detail/info)
community exploring creative simple engaged and playful living in the way of Jesus – pause prayerfully on each of the 7 elements of our calling (as footsteps, using icons on our website, as words etc) – eg use ‘O Lord Hear My Prayer’ taize chant
wonder for mayBe community – what’s sprouted in the garden, what’s come back to life, new life? rebirth, new birth… new beginnings … look, hear, smell, touch and sing!
when wandering around on daily travels remember to look around, wondering at simle and magnificent signs from nature
time to make space in your life for presence – quiet and contemplative
laughter – sings a song (hymn, chorus etc) at the top of your voice! Louder!
time to spend more time making space for play – keep as light-hearted as a child
pause for thought every day
grace, space, wonder, grit, resistance, laughter, presence (the spirit of mayBe) – hold each word prayerfully for members of mayBe and others
remember to laugh everyday!
be thankful and focus on gratitude

we’re all together again, we’re here, we’re here!

Rich — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:25:49 +0000

It was wonderful to be gathered together at Bethlehem chapel in our wellies and hiking boots having braved the snow to start the year with a gentle but heartfelt statement of intent. Amazingly all seven members of mayBe taking on guardianship of different areas of our shared life were present to join with the community in making vows and receiving blessings. This is the start of my third (and final) year as guadian of space/exploring and it is such a privilege to serve in this role. I see it as a challenge to myself in the first place, and then to the community, to keep growing in faith and sharing our learning by offering one another the space to do so.

Not quite everyone was there in person – especially the proud parents of the newest member of mayBe born 5am that morning. What a beautiful way to start the year – a sign of fruitfulness and new life!

Sam

Poem: Forged

Rich — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:21:13 +0000

Thanks Ginny for sharing this poem, written on the mayBe retreat

We are forged in a crucible, round and warm.
Our phoenix community; family; burgeoning.
Watching the flames, Travelling with grace.
Our prayers lifting with the smoke and light.
Laughter and gurgling rising through the dark.
And in the stillness, the coals glow, and become useful.

Journeying : West Papua

Rich — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:54:17 +0000

mayBe’s journeying cycle welcomed Benny Wenda, a West Papuan independence leader whose village was bombed by Indonesia when he was a child and many of his family were killed. Later, he began to campaign peacefully to free the West Papuan people. For this ‘crime’ he was arrested, tortured and threatened with death.

Benny and his lovely family told us about their harrowing journey, and the ongoing plight of the West Papuan people.

I felt amazed by the sheer grace and love for all people in the voice of someone so wronged. When Thomas was invited to see Jesus’ wounds it was not only so that Thomas might believe, it was that we, who have not seen them, might be transformed by believing.

Well, you can meet Benny and he’ll show you his scars if you ask. But he’d rather talk about hope and the future. Again, we can be part of that transformation. If you’ve got ten minutes, read about what’s happening. If you’ve got ten pounds, the Free West Papua campaign will put it to good use.

Rich

Gravel – our community “sestina” poem

Rich — Tue, 26 May 2009 21:20:07 +0000

As part of our Sunday Eucharist improvisation in our engagement cycle, we – yes, all of us! – wrote this sestina. Thanks Rachel for leading us in this. Each verse is about one engagement hero: William Wilberforce, St Francis, Jesus, Julian of Norwich, Florence Nightingale, Activists.

Bred
from the upper class, a gravelled
accent speaking. Against the throes of leaving
the souls
of nations passed. He changed
a lifetime’s mourning to give a chance to the Earth.

He taught us to love the earth,
to drink the wine and eat the bread.
In this comes change.
The mix of life, flower and gravel
Held and transformed, skin and soul
Love left to us, for us to leave.

He had the courage; his father, his mother, his old faith to leave.
Like us, his body, his talk, part of the earth.
The people he met he nurtured their soul,
Until they broke his body like bread,
Then laid it shattered like us in the gravel.
So much suffering before, like him, we change.

In loving death-throes she sought to change,
Her all-well spirit, hurled, lost in fallen leaves.
With famished last-rites, she swallowed Christ’s hard gravel,
Her body longing to return to the earth.
Then wrapped in passion she saw her lover in the bread
Healing all in flesh; the risen kindness in her soul.

As a young girl, she felt a shining in her soul,
A call to be a healer, a call to bring change,
Breaking the boundaries of man and woman, poor and well-bred.
She had a comfortable home, but found the courage to leave.
Woman once more co-helper on God’s Earth.
A landslide began when she moved her piece of gravel.

They moved us from coils of confusion, to seeing hope in gravel,
They taught us to look for wells of change within our souls.
For the good of the Earth, for all the peoples of the Earth.
From morals to ethics to action to change,
From earth to root, to trunk, branch, leaves,
From flour and yeast, kneading, warmth to bread.

The rough Earth turns with a gravelled
groan. Crumbling crust of bread becomes a perfect soul,
eternally changing to reveal fresh new leaves.

How (not) to speak of God

mayBe — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 06:25:42 +0000

Being stimulated by this book recommended by Cara (thanks Cara): how (not) to speak of God by Pete Rollins of ikon, Belfast. He articulates (in an often very poetic way) some of the themes and practices that have inspired many in the alt/emerging church conversation like mayBe community, and gives us a push to explore them more deeply. I’ve finished chapter 2, and it’s the sort of book that, for me at least, needs and deserves repeat reading. There are some strings of big words eg this darkness represents a type of supra-darkness that stands in sharp contradistinction to the sub-darkness of a desperate nihilism but the stretching is well worth it. And some brilliant phrases that will surely help to change us if we allow them space: we must seek, not to speak of God, but rather to be the place where God speaks. Thanks Pete Rollins, keep on… [ian]