It's A Man Thing

Men don’t talk. We don’t, not really. Not since the tribal councils of centuries ago. Men might compare notes on football but that seems to be about it. You sometimes see a few of them scurrying about after church service struggling to find anything to say to each other or anyone else; and so it was in an attempt to provide a forum for communication, that a year ago, I set up the Men's Breakfasts at my church. We now have a turn-out of about 20 men aged from 12-85 once every six weeks who get together for a fry up and chat on the topic of the day. So it was, on Saturday morning, that the alarm clock went off at 5 past stupid o’clock and I crawled out of bed.

I need to make this very, very clear – I do not like mornings. Hate them. I am not someone who wakes up with a spring in my step – I wake up wanting to go back to sleep. Why, oh why, did the idea of Men's Breakfasts seem so sensible? I thought of it on an afternoon. Not first thing in the morning. That was part of the problem.

It should be noted that I had been to only one such thing before – many years previousy..and hated it..so why I thought I would enjoy it by running it I don’t know. Despite the ridiculous hour though, I really do. I tend to speak for a few mins on a topic and then throw it open for discussion, and with a clear topic to discuss we find ourselves talking, challenging each other, revealing our past to each other, and then on Sunday, there seems to be less scuttling; we seem to, at last, recognise each other.


So the next topic is... "Is God a Man?" (I want to call it "Has God got a Penis", but may have to tone it down a little!!)

So many books, articles, writers – talk about demascalising God – or rather showing the feminine of God, and yet although it's an issue that I have discussed with lots of women, I have never discussed with men. So much of the Bible is written by men for men (I can hear the cries already – "INSPIRED BY GOD!!! INSPIRED BY GOD!!") but when it comes down to it – whenever we describe God, we limit God – God is the great I AM. Anything more we say; any description we find is to small to contain God.

So we will see..but here and now, at midday, it seems worth getting up early in the morning to sit around with menfolk and put the world to rights…

Studying?

It seems that some of the people reading this blog are Christians; as I have mentioned I begin studying in September for ordination. As a vicar I will be required to both preach and prepare Bible Studies, and so I thought I would try some out on you, my hapless readers, if that’s okay?

Now being an interactive type I don’t want to post very long rambling Bible Studies that are of no interest to anyone but me; the plan is that we get interactive, that you tell me why what I am saying is wrong, that you take on the role of my guide. Maybe we could have a look at some of the questions together and have some discussion. It’s written that a friend sharpens a friend like iron sharpens iron. That’s the plan. So how do you want to do this? Do you want to do this at all? Its okay – I can take a "no" – I can handle it – I can – I won't cry – honest.

Studies I have recently tried writing are: Jonah, The Samaritan and the Theologian (aka the Good Samaritan), a character study of Joseph (father of Jesus), and The Circumcision of Jesus. Maybe we could take one of those, I could post part of it once a week, and we could go through it together. I'd love some new thoughts on them. If you have any friends who might have an opinion too, please invite them to pull up a chair - the more, the merrier.

So then folks – which one do you fancy? Do you like the idea at all? If you hate the idea of me posting this stuff do let me know. (I am more than happy to stick with just rambling on about my life). If you would be prepared to have a look at some studies with me, then please let me know that too.

The Broken Man