6/29 – Life in technicolor

What I did:

I got to sleep in a little today, but got ready to go and checked out. This was the same hotel I stayed in the very first week of my time here. Both when I was checking in and out this time, the same guy that was there last time recognized me. That was kind of cool. The first time was probably just because the computer told him, but this morning he knew me by name.

I decided to go to Regent’s Park since I had a little time before my train would leave and it is on the way. So I walked over there and looked through Queen Mary's gardens. It was nice, especially the shade on this really warm day (although I still just kind of laugh at the 80 degree weather). It was a very colorful place and I tried to get pictures of some butterflies and mice that I saw in the flowers, but they were both too skiddish and wouldn’t stay still long enough.

It got to be time to head to the station, so I walked back down Baker Street, and now have proof of walking the street of Sherlock Holms. I also walked past the Methodist Church House, which I think may be where Graham works, which seemed kind of ironic. But I made it to the train station and grabbed a sandwich before getting on my train and heading back to Sheffield.

It was still pretty early in the day, so I took my time and walked through Sheffield some. I don’t know why, but I do really like just walking through big cities with no particular purpose and just taking in the normal life of people. Even in Dallas. So I walked back through the center and sat outside a big fountain for a while. I saw lots of kids (and grown-ups) playing in the fountain and getting really wet. Eventually I decided to go ahead and head back. So I made it back to Matt and Rachel’s house and went in to see Wimbledon on. I watched the game for a little while (and got to see the roof close – how exciting). Matt came back in and we both went to look around a store called Curry’s, which is kind of like Best Buy.

We went back and watched some more Wimbledon. Matt invited one of his neighbors over for dinner and we had a nice dinner of baked chicken which watching Murray struggle through his match. But victory was his in the long run. I had never really watched Murray play before tonight (mainly because I have not watched any serious tennis in way too long), but it was an excellent match. I feel that it is compulsory to root for him now that I am over here, and it is really crazy how much the entire country is behind him.

A nice evening and I look forward to a bit of a restful day tomorrow.

What I learned:

St. Pancras International rail station is very modern and not a half bad place to spend time waiting for a train.

Crowded London underground starts to get a little miserable this time of year. But I still really like it because barring any major construction work, you don’t really have to plan anything to use it, you just go and jump on whenever you need to. So it is great for last minute plans and decisions.

There is a type of flower (rose) called sexy rexy. While it is a nice flower, the kind in the garden was a pale pink and I don’t think it completely suits its name.

6/28 – This is it. This is it? This is it!

What I did:

I woke up early to grab a train to take me from Sheffield into London. I had planned to meet with a couple of people today. It went very well, and I made it into town in plenty of time. I got to my destination a little early, so I saw a park across the street and went to sit in it for a while to kill some time.

Finally, Shannon called me and we met up and walked several minutes over to a park where we would meet two of her friends for lunch. But first we went a grabbed a coffee from a friend of hers. The area we were at was right by a street market that was mainly a flower market, but had lots of other stores open just on Sundays. We did not really look around, but went back to the park – Jesus Green – and grabbed a spot to wait for her friends. She told me a lot about the history of the area and about her life up to that point. This also involved the current ‘ministry’ things she does now. It actually took me by surprise, because I was expecting her to be another church planter, but she was not at all. She has done some really cool things though involved in the arts and justice issues in the country. Oh yeah, and she is originally from Texas.

After a while her friends showed up and we had a nice picnic. One of her friends and I went to have a more extensive look at the market and there was one cool shop that sold stuff from some artist who cuts designs out of paper that were really cool. Soon it started to rain, so we headed back and all left to go to Shannon’s place for a little while (which I later found out was right by the Tower Bridge). We talked a little more and she showed some pictures from one of her projects (I don’t really know what else to call it). It is a really cool thing they do in repurposing old items like jewelry and letting the customer set the price. Kind of flies in the face of markets and consumer culture but shows that everything has value. She also showed me some prints that a friend of hers did in an art project called Doxology, where he would go into 15th or so century churches and study a picture then close his eyes and meditate while he draws what comes to him. Then he goes back through and highlights a certain part in gold. Seeing the prints was really cool and I did not like them all, but there were some really cool ones.

Soon, one of her friends had to leave, so I left with her to go check into my hotel and figure out how to get to my next stop. There was a lot of work on the Tube lines today, so it took a little ingenuity to get where I needed. But I figured it out and made my way to St. Mary’s church to go to the legendary and popular Grace’s small service. I knew there would not be many people there, but I walked into a small room in the back of the church to find 8 people gathered on couches. One guy had to leave at the beginning, but the remaining eight of us had some time of focusing on life journeys. We listened to a couple of songs, read some Bible passages, discussed some questions in two groups, and prayed. Very straightforward and really nothing alternative about it. But like I said it is not their main service. I really enjoyed it though and I got to know almost all of the people that were there pretty well, especially after some time at the pub immediately afterward.

I got to talk to one of the guys even longer as we both walked back to the tube station. Then I was back off to my hotel, exhausted from a very intense and busy day.

What I learned:

Some people are 12ft tall green lizards and are trying to control the world. Google David Icke for the full explanation.

A lot about Shannon’s life (but it was actually all very helpful).

The churches in east London (and probably lots of other places across the country, but especially here) have gone through some of the greatest amount of transitions from Catholic to Anglican to Synagogues and now to Mosques. The same buildings are often used for so many different religious purposes.

There is a tube station in west London called White City, and it is not very aptly named. I saw 3x as many black people there as any other race.

6/27 - Party Time

What I did:

I didn’t know what time graduation stuff started today for Cliff, but I woke up just in time for some breakfast and found out that the service would start at 10:30. So I went and got last things packed up and got ready.

I knew I would be leaving with Matt at around 12, and didn’t really know what all the graduation ceremony entailed, but I wanted to support my new friends (plus I didn’t really have anything else to do). It started with some worship and we sang some songs and prayed. The students had an opportunity to share some testimonies and then right as a lady was about to begin a sermon type of thing, me and Matt had to go.

So I went back into Sheffield and arrived at Matt’s house where they were preparing for their street party. I helped out a little, then went with Matt to pick up some sound equipment. We arrived to find a lot more stuff than we expected and Matt displayed his superior Tetris/puzzle solving skills by trying to fit as much of it as he could in his small car. It took two trips, but soon we had everything over to the street and got some music going. There was one resident of the street who was a real DJ, and had some good music going on for most of the time (plus it is always really cool to watch that stuff in action). There was also a really good duo (guitar and keys) that came to perform for us.

Other than that, there was a lot of food (an overflowing cooler of meat) and a lot of friendly neighbors. We sat around for a long time talking and hanging out, listening to the music. After a while, one guy who is some sort of fitness instructor, organized some silly group games for us. It worked out nicely because everyone could participate. There were a lot of young adults and families, so there were also a lot of young kids. There was a whole section for the kids and their games, but we got to join in with stuff like three-legged race, a game of French cricket, and a game of real street cricket (which involved a trashcan as the wickets and one batsman).

All that was a lot of fun and people stayed out from about 2-10 by the time we finished cleaning up. I got to meet a lot of great people and got to eat a lot of tasty hamburgers. I could tell a good amount of work had to go into preparing it, but it is definitely something I will tuck back into my mind for a possible future event if I ever live in a neighborhood where something like that is possible (which should be any, I guess).

What I learned:

In one sense only staying in one place for a max of a week makes it easier to leave and move on (no really deep relationships), but I definitely don’t like it and would trade this moving around for staying in one place for eight weeks any day.

I should go into politics (according to one guy at the party). Haha.

Jumping Jacks have a somewhat similar equivalent here called star jumps. I have never heard that term before, so either it is something new or a UK thing. Either way, I find the new term (especially compared to jumping jacks) excellent.

6/26 - Living on the Edge (or at least taking a trip out there)

What I did:

After a nice, but what felt like a very early, breakfast this morning I got ready for morning prayer. It has been going on all week at Cliff led by the students, but today was a little different. We met and then all walked up to what is called the Edge. It is the top of some cliffs somewhat close to the college. It was a nice long walk up there, but the weather was great. When we finally all got there we congregated right near the edge of some rock face and had some time of worship through singing and praying. It was really nice standing on the large, steady rocks that reflected the strength of this community founded on the unchangeable and immoveable faith in an unchanging and ever-present God; and the wind rushing over our faces seemed like it was carrying our prayers and praise straight up to Heaven.

We spent a pretty long time up there, but eventually headed back down in time to grab some lunch. I ate and watched some of the Wimbledon coverage. Eventually my tiredness (and probably the effects of the allergy medicine that I took just a little too late in the day to work when I really needed it) took its toll and I laid down for a little nap. I came to a couple hours later and realized I needed to go settle my account with the college. Unfortunately it was just a few dollars over my limit for my card (grrr exchange rate), but mom to the rescue to get it worked out. Also during this time I began to stress out a little since I realized I had nowhere to sleep tomorrow night (for sure), or for that matter, the next ten days. But I finally calmed down, realized it was ultimately out of my hands, and just waited to see what God would provide for me.

I watched some more Wimbledon as I ate dinner and eventually got ahold of Matt and sorted out staying with him. I managed to book a hotel for a night in London that I need and so far so good for all of that. I have almost got all my accommodations taken care of for the rest of my trip. I also realized that I will have to return the book I checked out of the library tomorrow, so I have been hurriedly trying to finish it. My rollercoaster of brief anxiety has returned to a reasonable low and I am ready for a restful night.


What I learned:

I get stressed out over little things that just don’t work out and are barely in my control, which is silly and unnecessary. But I have also learned through this that dependence on God and the provision he provides through his people is to never be overlooked or forgotten, and can make for a much more peaceful day.

Take allergy meds first thing.

Sunny evening with light breeze = beautiful opportunity to sit outside and read, but necessitates a jacket. However, as soon as you go get a jacket, the breeze stops and the bugs come out. This is especially frustrating when reading about how we should live an example in being content and not complaining.

Anything over 470 pounds is just too much for my debit card limit.

I really don’t think the people at the bank know why I can’t buy train tickets online.

6/25 - I just wanna tell you how I’m feeling; Gotta make you understand...

What I did:

I had some tea and spent a little time in my hotel room this morning after waking up. But it soon became 11 o’clock and time to check out. I figured I would go check out Nexus café in normal working hours for lunch, but I had some time to kill before that, so I went shopping to get some food and laundry detergent. I walked around town some more, too. I just followed the signs that point out the important attractions around the city. I went and saw town hall, and then it was getting to be lunch time, so I walked back.

I was pretty much the only one in the café. But it was really good. I had a nice jacket potato and some tea. I took a closer look at one of the exhibits on display there that had something to do with keys. It was interesting, and I definitely enjoyed having a nice meal there. I finished up and still had some time before my train was leaving, so I figured I would go check out the John Rylands Library.

As I walked to the library, I saw a giant statue of Abraham Lincoln. Last thing I would have expected, but I am sure there is some important history behind it or something. Then, on to the library. A guy that works at SMU sent me an email with some church people he knows in Manchester and also suggested I stop by that library. I did, and it was pretty interesting. They have one of the oldest pieces of a printed Gospel. It is just a little sliver of the Gospel of John. They also had several other interesting pieces in their collection and hundreds and hundreds of books. It is really more a museum than a library, although I think students can study some of the collection they have there.

I walked back towards the train station, although I still had a lot of time. I made my way back through the shopping center and saw a bunch of different street performers. One old guy who was doing some horrible dancing (but also drawing the largest crowd), and a string trio were two things that attracted my attention, but for very different reasons. I finally got tired of just walking around, so I made my way back to the Piccadilly Gardens and sat for a while to read.

Soon, it was time to go get the train, which was nice and relaxing. Maybe a little too relaxing since I dozed off quite a bit. But I soon got back. And this is where things really got interesting. I was walking out on the street behind two guys. I was still a little tired from the ride, but I heard they were talking about Methodism and churches, so I listened in a little more carefully. Before long, I overheard one guy explain that he is the general secretary of the Methodist church (which is pretty much the head guy, and one of the first guys I contacted over here thanks to Elaine). Not long after that they split up and I passed them, but then I stopped and decided to go back and at least say hi to Martyn, the general secretary. I introduced myself and explained how I knew him and said that I just wanted to thank him for the help he had been months ago. He of course did not remember, but offered me a ride back to Cliff. I graciously accepted and got to talk with him for a good 10 or so minutes as he drove me right to the door of the college. It was probably the most unexpected, astonishing experience I have had while I have been here. Not to mention I did not have to wait or pay for a bus.

After that, I cleaned my clothes (which my mom will be thrilled about) and hung around my room a little. I knew there was going to be a barbeque this evening and knew that it started when I heard music blaring throughout the grounds. I soon went down and joined them. We had some delicious burgers and hung out for a while. I do have to comment that whoever’s ipod we were listening to has great taste in music – Rick Astley, The Final Countdown, Smash Mouth, (later) some BSB, Queen, all the good classics to make a good party. This whole time of being at Cliff has definitely made me feel right at home, and has reminded me a lot of my time back at SMU (with some very noticeable differences, of course).

A game of boules started and I at first watched to see what it was, then jumped in. We played for a very long time, but it was a nice game that does not require a ton of concentration, so we could talk and sing and just chill outside in the wonderful evening. Eventually, a group went to go see Transformers, but I stayed behind. Some of us wound up watching Prince Caspian, which just seemed more appropriate to watch over here.

It was a good day with lots of expected, and unexpected fun.

What I learned:

Apparently the United Methodist church in the States (through the Bishops) has recently established a committee of people to function very similarly to the Fresh Expressions team over here. It is a big commitment with some money being put into it. I think what he was talking about is called “Rethink Church.”

You never know who you’ll meet on the streets.

How to play boules, which I learned is a French game but highly associated with Southern, posh Britain.

A couple other students here are DMB fans, but most British people do not know who the band is.

"Never Gonna Give You Up" was Rick's first video and was shot in 1 day in a West London athletic club. Gotta go find that place next week.

6/24 - New sights and sounds

What I did:

I woke up, but too late for breakfast. I did have plenty of time before morning worship though, and eventually made my way down there. It was just so much nicer to know faces and names when I walked in. The other guy named Patrick was leading it this morning and we sang some dance-y songs and some other songs and had some good time of prayer. It was over before I knew it, so I headed back up to my room to continue to get caught up with stuff.

At around 11:15, I went to find Veronica, the receptionist, to try to find the office of the guy I was supposed to meet with today. I met her as she was coming up the hill and she showed me. I waited until it was time and went in to meet with Phil. He was great and very helpful in getting me to think about my project in its original terms of fundamentalism and globalization. He seemed very interested in that and kept everything he said related to that in some way. It was a great meeting and he gave me a lot to think about as far as what does it really mean to be “fundamental?” We met for a pretty long time, and as I left his office, I realized I missed lunch too. So I dug into my tuna stash for a quick lunch before I packed up and headed out to Manchester.

I went to visit Sanctus1, one of the most popular and longest running emerging churches, today. I had been in contact with one of the leaders, and although I knew he would not be there, I went to check it out. I got into Manchester pretty early intentionally and did a little more work before heading out to check out the city. My first impression of Manchester – It is like a condensed London on crack. That probably deserves a little unpacking, but take it as my initial reaction with my limited experience of both cities. My hotel is right by the Piccadilly Gardens and in the center of the city. So, I walked out among the chaos of moving people and cars. First I found the Nexus café, which is where Sanctus would be meeting later. Then I walked around the ‘Gardens’ some, which is really just a grassy open area with a fountain and some statues that was filled with people. I kept walking around through the Arndale shopping center (gigantic mall). I walked past a huge ferris wheel and down to Manchester Cathedral. I looped around again and it was about dinner time, so I backtracked to a place I passed by.

I had my dinner at Barburrito, the British Chipotle! Then I sat in Piccadilly Gardens for a while before Sanctus started. I made my way over to Nexus and walked in. I think I may go back there for lunch tomorrow, because it seemed like a really cool place. I met a few people who had already arrived. I talked with some people, including Chris who is a leader and would be running the service tonight. More and more people trickled in and eventually we got started. It was a very interesting and different service. Chris was the only one that spoke at all, and it was very centered around images and videos that were projected on a screen and music that played behind that. The focus was on the phrase, Love your nieghbour as yourself, which Chris dissected word by word looking at how God loves us, how we should love ourselves, who our neighbour is and how we should love them.

There were some really interesting images and funny clips (including a scene from Forest Gump). I really enjoyed it and could definitely see myself going to something like this. They also had communion and Chris explained that it was his last time leading. I realize that they do very different things each week, and even have people from the ‘congregation’ lead some (I think). After the service, we cleaned up and went to the pub, which they do every week. It was a good opportunity for me to meet with some of the members and talk with them. We talked some about past services, American politics, Texas in general, my research, the differences in pronunciation and definition of words (I got made fun of a little bit on behalf of all America), and British things that I absolutely have to experience. It was lots of fun and I really got along with all the guys that were there.

Unfortunately, the time soon came to go. I feel like going to one Sanctus service gives me absolutely no idea about the whole picture of what they are about. I didn’t really get to talk to any of the leaders either. All in all, I wish I would have some more time with them, but I don’t know if that will be able to happen or not. Maybe.

What I learned:

You haven’t lived until you have heard a British man try to imitate Forest Gump.

Don’t pronounce the ‘h’ in Birmingham.

Fannie means something different over here.

We (being any church I have been a part of) haven’t even begun to enter into creativity in worship compared with Sanctus1.

Manchester is crazy (but filled with some really good people).

6/23 - Jumping In

What I did:

I woke up and left with Matt to go to Cliff. We had a nice talk about his church that helped me understand it a little better and helped for my research. When we got there, Matt gave me a schedule of all the activities that are going on at Cliff this week. Apparently graduation week is full of lots of fun activities planned and run by the students. So, I saw that there would be some worship at 9:30 and went to get some breakfast before heading to worship.

I got to the common room and saw a bunch of people I did not know. I kind of slipped in the back of the circle and we sang and prayed for a while. I actually did not know many of the songs we sang. It is always interesting what songs come up that I have sung hundreds of times back home and then the few that come up that I have never heard before. After it was over, I sat for a little while, trying to figure out how to introduce myself to everyone. I am not bad at introducing myself and talking in a small group, but when it is a roomful of unfamiliar faces, I don’t really know where to start. Luckily, a guy named Ernest (sorry if it is misspelled) came up to me and introduced himself, then introduced me to the whole group. I talked to a few of them about why I was there, then Ernest took me to a kind of students only lounge called “Diggs” (that is my best guess at what it is called). It was a nice lounge area with some TVs and game systems.

Then we went back to the common room and I went back to my room to get some scheduling stuff sorted and to try to get caught up on computer stuff. I went back down for lunch and ate with several students and kept explaining what I am doing there then went back to my room to kill some time before a game of rounders.

I walked down to the bottom field, which is a little field close to the road with moderately cut grass. People trickled in and we divided into teams for the game. Rounders is kind of like baseball (like a little girls version of baseball is how I think it was described :) ). There are 4 bases not including home plate and you have a very short bat that you can only swing with one hand. We played with a base ball for one game and a tennis ball for the other. You can run whether you hit it or not and you have to make yourself around the bases to get back to bat. The only runs we counted were rounders, which would be the equivalent of a home run. My team lost both games, but it was very fun.

After we played, we were all very hot and tired, but some people decided to go down for a swim in the river. I joined and in a little while we walked down across the road to the river. We looked around and could not find a place that looked safe and clean enough to jump in (not to mention it may not have been completely legal to get in at that point). So we decided to hop in some cars and travel to Chatsworth. This is a place that has a nice clean river (actually I think it is part of the same river, just in a better spot) and has a large stately home where some movies have been filmed (like the more recent Pride and Prejudice). It is the home of the Dutchess of Devonshire. We found a nice spot to jump in. The water was terribly cold, but refreshing. We walked around some and saw some guys jumping off a stump into the water. So we went to try too. Brought me back to my cliff jumping experience several years ago, only much less terrifying. We stayed for a while, then headed back for the evening meal.

We went to dinner wet and smelly, but it was worth it. Then, I went and got cleaned up and came back down for Celebration. It was kind of a years end worship service for the students and faculty. It was really great. We sang some and danced (led by some men from Africa), prayed, and had some testimonies then a message and some reflection time. It was really powerful, and if for no other reason than this, I am glad I came. That might sound cheesy, and I have probably said the same thing about other parts of this trip, but it really was a great time to spend with God and some new friends.

After that, I was invited to go to the pub with some of the students, so I tagged along and ended the night rather peacefully relaxing and talking with them.

What I learned:

This week is going to be much more exciting and busy than I thought.

The kind of end of the year week that I have always thought would be great (and I think Blake is with me on this one) is what is going on this week at Cliff. So, that kind of thing does happen, just not at SMU.

Jumping into a nice cold river sounds great right after a game of Rounders, but not so much an hour later after you have cooled down.

How to play rounders. Although it may take me a while to really develop my style and get good at it.

I am probably going to butcher this story, but here it goes. All of the houses around Chatsworth had to be moved centuries ago when someone living nearby said that he did not want to be able to see the houses of the workers. All the houses were torn down and moved further back except one that is now separated from the others and lasted just long enough to not have to be moved.