Jude Smith

There is no hashtag on the front of this: mainly because this isn’t a piece about a one day wonder of prayer following something tragic. This is a piece about the alarming trajectory of Russian foreign policy and how I might respond. A caveat. I don’t know enough about Russia to write this entirely from intellect. I do know a bit about twentieth century world history though. Anyway: A UK minister has warned about Russia’s expansionist ambition: suggesting that the Baltic states are next after a comprehensive subjugation of Ukraine. The same day, RAF jets are scrambled to get a look at Russian aircraft off the Cornish coast. This is the second time in a couple of months that UK airspace has been titillated by Russian jets. The last time they caused considerable disruption to UK air traffic. So far so Top Gun. As I’ve said, I don’t know much about Russia: please recommend some books.. But, I know that in some Russian thinking, the greater Russia (the old USSR) has never been...

I've held off from talking about my thinking on the Green Report: mainly because I haven’t read it. However, I’m dipping my toe in the water of comment because of today. Today, I spent the morning presiding at a communion for a Church Of England Academy where I have been invited onto the trust board. From there I went 200 yards up the hill to one of my parish buildings where I talked with the congregation about reimagining church there. The archdeacon and I talked about how we might rework the building: what sustainability means, how we might need to get a change of use from the council. We are trying to find a way to meaningfully minister to part of the parish without losing a building to what would inevitably become flats. Then into the diocesan office for training where I caught the diocesan secretary and the registrar about the same issue. We talked about terms of lease, whether its faculty or chancellor jurisdiction. The training itself was on running a PCC and APCM...

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!