Jude Smith

Imagine a school classroom: an old school one before the days of a smart board and ipads. this one has a chalkboard dominating and contaminating the teaching space. A lot of people think its obsolete and unnecessary but there it sits, a home for wisdom and feedback; for instruction and rebuke. In one particular class a kerfuffle broke out one day: as a student, invited to the front to write some feedback on the board, clips its surface with the edge of a watch (it could equally have been a nail or an especially squeaky piece of chalk). The sound, familiar to many and almost universally uncomfortable, resounded through the classroom and before anyone could notice, a previously quiet and serious child in the class sprang to their feet shouting “I’ll kill you!”. As you can imagine it took some time to restore order into the room. The scribe seemed shaken- but defiant that all he was doing was writing. Later at the staff meeting, teachers gave a variety of responses. The senior lead...

UKIP AND ASKING THE WRONG QUESTION Fellow clergy will empathise that it is always on the day off that the ‘interesting’ information reaches you. For me, that dose of said information came when I picked up the junk mail off the mat to find a UKIP flier. As I went to deliver it to recycling I took a cursory glance to see if I could send it back at cost to the party. And that is when I saw the face of a churchgoer from one of my congregations. Two weeks later, we got the news that UKIP had scored a healthy second in the local election. Around the country I watched UKIP rack up council seats in a lot of areas like mine. Rotherham had a gain of nine seats, and there were large swathes of Essex which have a purple hue. Many of my friends have took the approach in the run up to these elections that is marked by parody and ridicule of UKIP. Its become a social media badge of honour to point out the foibles and failings of any UKIP candidate. And yet, my friends, that hasn’t worke...

I did something brave this week. My friends tell me it was brave. And yet it didn’t fit the image of bravery that perhaps we all hold in our minds (I didn’t jump in front of a car to save a pet meerkat or anything like that). What I did I think I may have only done once before- and given that I’m not quite ready to tell what I did this week I will tell you about the previous incident. It was about 17 years ago- on a street in downtown Johannesburg. I was walking with a friend and suddenly I was aware of people a little too close. Someone suddenly placed their hand on my bag. I tugged a little to get it back. And then I glanced down and noticed a grubby blade pointed at my belly. I glanced up and noted a knife at the throat of my friend. * an aside* At this point there is a Hollywood plot that still emerges in my head: one where I kicked the knife out of the hand of the assailants, pushed them to the floor and ran off. There is a redeemed version where David Wilkerson styl...

I had the privilege of preaching at Chapel A on Sunday. Here are the rough scribblings of what I said, loosely based around the theme of Jesus the teacher. I went home a few weeks ago, back to my parents house.. They presented me with two large boxes from their loft. They were triumphant that these were the last of my belongings that were cluttering up their home. And in these boxes I found, amongst other things, these.. (show exercise books) I threw away most of my school books a few years ago, but these were important because these were in subjects that I went on to teach.. And as I sat and had a look at these books I was struck by memories of particular teachers- rather than the notes of what they taught. I wonder if I were to ask you what you learned when you were 14 if you would remember.. But I bet you could tell me your teachers and what they were like. Are we more influenced by the teaching or the teacher? Thats kind of what I want to journey with this morning as ...

I posted just a couple of weeks ago about 39 steps before I am 40. And I have to say that its going alright thus far- and without wanting to sound too cheesy there is a real sense that God is at work in some of these things: some examples follow. I sat with a potential piano teacher who has pointed me to some really beautiful worship music. Lessons start in a couple of weeks where I will learn to play by ear (over time and with practice). I'm booked in to teach at a university. I have a friend who is going to teach me to mix curry spices in a couple of weeks. I've done something that scares me (which may or may not have been the same as going on a date). Other things are harder to get going: I am struggling to be social media free. I have drafted a letter and not sent it. And it keeps snowing so I am a bit behind on my travel! But I'm enjoying it.. and do send suggestions for other things my way!

Over the last few weeks I have been pondering what I should give up and take up for Lent. It has finally crystallized today. There is a lots going on for me just now- but I can't use that as an excuse. I can be desperately inattentive- I can be thinking about what is next or has just been, and can be texting, tweeting or anything while I am actually present with real people. So- my Lent resolve is to be where I am. I am giving up multitasking. So when I am with you I will be with you, not on something else. It will mean giving up some habits, it will mean my phone battery lasts longer- But I hope it means I will be where I am.. I look forward to seeing you there.

At the end of my last post I prayed, show me Lord how to fight. I meant it. As I tapped away at my keyboard last night, with every comma and alliterative device I was aware that I was putting my head above an enormous and intimidating parapet. For much as I talk of fighting, I have little energy, fewer ideas and not much will. I feel hypocritical and exposed. However, as some of you will know, during my curacy I have lost almost six stone in weight. At the start of that journey too I had little idea of what I was doing and very little will power. But going public with my intention helped. Keeping a record of what I was doing also helped. And so in that spirit, here is a record of how I have learned to fight today. It ran like this- for the first time in nine months I didn't have a communion at lunchtime to head off to after morning prayers. It freed up a two hour window where I had a choice. And for once I chose to get out from behind my desk and go and see people. ...