VICTORIA CONCORDIA CRESCIT

Welcome to a new blog by someone who 'never has an unpublished thought' (was it Andrew Greeley who used that expression of himself first?)

I've borrowed the title from Arsenal Football Club's motto, and I reckon it's good for anyone's life: 'Victory grows out of harmony!'

Unfortunately I'd learned from somewhere that victory comes from succeeding, or not making too many bad mistakes, or not being thought a fool, or moving from 'outsiderhood' to belonging... Sad.

Today I finished reading Tom Butler-Bowdon's brilliant 50 Spiritual Classics. The last chapter is about Gary Zukav's The Seat of the Soul. Zukav invites us to explore the worlds beyond those of the five senses, to become 'multisensory' (like Jesus). Authentic personal power is based on love, humility, compassion, and 'aligning our personality with our soul'. Watch the John Mark Ministries website for a summary review of Butler-Bowden's book.

On that website you'll find My Story. This will be a different version - haphazard, a mix of faith and philosophy and confessions and journeyings and insights I've gleaned along the way. I invite you to share the journey and comment on it. If you want to email me use the CONTACT button on the JMM website (my various email addresses are on too many junk-lists :-(

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On Friday I had a Sabbath in Melbourne, alone. I visited half a dozen secondhand bookshops and took a nostalgic journey back through my life via the books on the Religion shelves. About every 20th book brought back happy memories. Then last night I joined Jan and some friends at the Hamer Concert Hall to jive with the Harlem Gospel Choir. It was very good: first time I'd experienced several thousand people celebrating charismatically in that place! Being a 68-year-old (forgive me!) I'd have changed three things about their presentation: I'd give people more contemplative songs as well as loud ones; I'd have more choir items as well as solos with choir-as-backing; and I'd suggest they go the extra mile and give the half-audience waiting five minutes at the end an encore (even if they were tired, or we weren't as responsive/loud as a black audience/congregation)... Oh well...

In the next episode I want to write about coming second all my life... Some of you might identify...

Shalom!

ROWLAND CROUCHER