Clapham Calling

Not a typical Wedding Photo!

This is so appropriate for me

In the immortal words of the Sesame Street song "one of theses kids is doing his own thing can you tell me which one!

Conversation tonight between Jacob and his grandmother – “Why doesn’t the Prince of London allow kids on Bendy Buses?” Grandmother:“do you mean the Mayor of London Boris Karloff? “

Recycling junk

I just found my old blog and thought I would send some of the old stuff over here!

From my old blog Events at a funeral

Last week I took my second West Indian funeral. I thought after all that happened at my first funeral the next would be less eventful.

As I waited for the coffin to arrive at the Church a phone call came to say that the horse drawn coffin was running 20 mins. late. I knew this would have a knock on effect to our very tight time frame. It would turn out not to be a problem at all. The service went well and we managed to keep everything going including the viewing. Until that is another phone call this time from the cemetery to say that as they were digging the grave a water pipe was hit and the hole was rapidly filling with water. It wasn't to be a burial at sea so a new grave had to be dug this meant there was no rush for us to get there in fact they wanted us to go slowly.

Once there I wanted to use the toilet but as I tried to unlock the door it wouldn't open. No matter what I tried nothing worked. I did have my mobile so I thought that I could ring Abigail and ask her to look up the telephone number of the cemetery on the Internet then I could give them a call to say I was stuck in their toilet. I prayed and tried the lock one last time, it worked, what relief!

At the graveside, just before the committal (that Pastor Paul Read was going to do) the funeral director came to me and said "we must release the doves now" I replied "what doves?" It turned out that the family had arranged for three doves to be released but they didn't tell us. As it was getting dark and cold the doves might have refused to fly off. They did but took a very short flight path back to their boxes. Then hail fell hard for 15 minutes, long enough to soak me right through. At the reception there was industrial sized heaters that I warmed myself on. In five minutes my suit was dry but steam poured out as though I was on fire. As I sat down at the table a plate of curried goat arrived in front of me. Being a Pastor means you don't have to queue for food - I can cope with that, just.

January 30, 2008

As I waited for the coffin to arrive at the Church a phone call came to say that the horse drawn coffin was running 20 mins. late. I knew this would have a knock on effect to our very tight time frame. It would turn out not to be a problem at all. The service went well and we managed to keep everything going including the viewing. Until that is another phone call this time from the cemetery to say that as they were digging the grave a water pipe was hit and the hole was rapidly filling with water. It wasn't to be a burial at sea so a new grave had to be dug this meant there was no rush for us to get there in fact they wanted us to go slowly.

Once there I wanted to use the toilet but as I tried to unlock the door it wouldn't open. No matter what I tried nothing worked. I did have my mobile so I thought that I could ring Abigail and ask her to look up the telephone number of the cemetery on the Internet then I could give them a call to say I was stuck in their toilet. I prayed and tried the lock one last time, it worked, what relief!

At the graveside, just before the committal (that Pastor Paul Read was going to do) the funeral director came to me and said "we must release the doves now" I replied "what doves?" It turned out that the family had arranged for three doves to be released but they didn't tell us. As it was getting dark and cold the doves might have refused to fly off. They did but took a very short flight path back to their boxes. Then hail fell hard for 15 minutes, long enough to soak me right through. At the reception there was industrial sized heaters that I warmed myself on. In five minutes my suit was dry but steam poured out as though I was on fire. As I sat down at the table a plate of curried goat arrived in front of me. Being a Pastor means you don't have to queue for food - I can cope with that, just.

Meanwhile over at twitter..

@JohnPiperWho's doing the work? “Work out your salvation, for it is God who works in you, to will and to do his pleasure” Phil 2:12-13

Jamie Oliver's Recipease

Not far from us, down the Northcote Road (which is painfully trendy and where only the beautiful people are allowed to walk.) Jamie Oliver has opened Recipease. It has a great looking interior and is stocked to the brim with everything that represents brand Jamie or Jme as the logo reads - you can have a hot water bottle and an eye mask right through to "Real" Tomato Ketchup. I absolutely loved the aesthetics of everything.  The Spencer squirrel nutcracker is a triumph or form, function and fun.

However at the till I noticed the Jamie Magazine, there were a number of issues each with a cheery photo of our eponymous hero. I asked the guy behind the till if every issue had a picture of JO on them he said "of course it is his magazine". It does make sense of course but I asked is there no sense of self effacement "not at all why should there be?" I explained that I would never want to subject the public to endless images of myself and then I asked the till operator would he want the same he said "yes if I had the same life's accomplishments and success." I pressed the point a bit and said "where does being humble and humility come into it" He said with great magnanimity JO had proven the possesion of this characteristic by way of his school dinner project and the fifthteen restaurants. So I realised I should never had raised this question here of all places and sculked out the door to eat Humble Pie not branded Jme but JG.

 

James 4:6  "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

One more time

Ok I am sure I have said this many times before but I am giving this blog some much needed cardiopulmonary resuscitation. I have the defib. out so lets charge it up and spring this back to life.

 I admit it I have been lured away by facebook and twitter - its just that a blog is more of a singular - solo endeavour, social networking sites are better for interaction. So as with all my previous efforts this blog is going to have have all manner of things in it about my family our Church and those things on the internet that really grab my attention from what really is a sea of mediocrity. 

Here we go again.