Hi folks, I hope you are doing ok? This week we will be meeting on zoom at 8.00pm, if you don’t normally get the link but want to join us then please send me a message and we can hook you up.
Over the next few weeks, alongside blogs from other members, I want to go through the key components that make up BeachcomberFX.
Some of you may not know that Sunday@thepub is the public face of BeachcomberFX, but Sunday nights are just one element of all that we are about.
BeachcomberFX has four elements: Scavenger, Wanderer, Gatherer and Collector. Sunday@thepub sits under one of those, more about that in another blog.
This week we will focus on Scavenger.
This aspect is about exploring what it means to be a pilgrim walking in creation and ‘seeing’ God in the everyday. We seek to find altars in the world, we do this intentionally through regular walks or pilgrimages, night hikes and through lent and advent reflections. Our daily activities of life: exercise, dog walks and our daily commute all give us opportunities to ‘scavenge’.
When I was thinking about BFX in its early days I was intrigued that much of what we experience as spiritual people or as followers of Jesus takes place in specific places and spaces. We are programmed to connect with our faith through what happens for example inside church buildings: singing, hearing a preacher, saying formal prayers, seeing ikons and other such things. In some ways scavenger is about digging deeper into that which we see and experience all around us and ask the question – could this connect with faith and spirituality, if so how?
Of course some signs of God or spirituality are more obvious than others. It’s also ‘easier’ to find connections as you gaze at the wonders of creation. Yes, I am thankful for these more obvious signs, but I wonder if this mutes our ability to wonder and seek meaning in the mundane and the ordinary.
Over the years I have tried to find signs or connections that are not so obvious and it means I have to intentionally look for them. Maybe it’s a road sign that gives directions that’s partially obscured by a tree – how could this speak to me? It could be a sign that the way of spirituality or connection is obscured for me or that I need to cut things back to see where I am being led.
So a challenge before we meet on Sunday, can you take a photo of something that speaks to you somehow as you go about on your daily walk? It will mean being observant as you walk.
Or could you share something that has happened that makes you go ‘wow, I wasn’t expecting that!’
Questions:
Scavenger hunt…
Show or tell where you saw a connection.
How does the word scavenger relate to spirituality for you?
What ways during covid have you found to help you connect with your faith and spirituality?
In what ways have you been able to find connections or signs to your faith/spirituality through the mundane?
Rob Wylie is the founder of BeachcomberFX and guides its leadership team. He has worked in the North East for over 20 years and has vast experience from various roles he has held. He has a passion for Fresh Expressions of Church and Pioneer Ministry as well as beer, beaches and Miniature Schnauzers.