Scanning some recent film reviews on IMDB, found a current film where the entry included the comment "This plot synopsis is empty". Looking at some of the reviews, it'll probably stay that way. Any guesses what the film was? Post your suggestions below so we can all have a giggle(there's plenty to choose from that fit the description).

Picked up this nugget equating church related fees to the "cost of living"

The Parochial Fees Order attracted a remarkable amount of discussion ... Dr [so and so] successfully sought to increase the fee for burial of cremated remains to half that for burial of a coffin; seemingly he won the day by his comment that the £19 increase was “only the price of a half decent bottle of wine.”

I'm sure many clergy will join me in yearning for occasional £19 to blow on such delights - or maybe £38 for the joy of a "fully decent" bottle ... ?

Found this today

"I'm not usually one for posting warnings about scams but I had a near miss the other day.

Those less suspecting might not be so lucky - be on your guard."

I picked up this thread here which made reference to one of those acronymns for people-groups. I'd not heard this one, so I thought I'd share it:
IPOD:
Insecure,
Pressured,
Over-taxed and
Debt-ridden.

Kind of rings some bells ... (or do I mean .mp3s?)

There's been a few posts in the church blog-world recently noting the elements of stress in clergy life. I found the thread through Maggi's note here . It got me thinking about life beyond clergy's particular stresses into the wider arena of cultural forces in matters of stress-at-work for people in our churches.

1) Many of the comments centre on hours worked and ill-defined priorities/roles. On time, should we look not just to "chronos" -the ticking of the clock - but also to "kairos" - "the right moment"? The wisdom on relationships is that we should not just squeeze moments at the butt-end of the day/week for our key relationships, but to identify time when we're at our best to use for our priority relationships. My hunch is that we feel most at ease when we've spent even short, quality, "kairos" moments doing things which enliven us or meeting people who spark imagination, joy, hope etc. Question: Can those "moments of grace" over-ride the inevitable dull / mundane / frustrating task or meeting.

2) I've met a whole range of (too many) people in our churches who (imho) put a death wish on their fellow church members. Have you met one? They come in various shapes and sizes, but the jist of it is "Oh you're only working 60 hours a week - I'm lucky if I get away with 70 on top of a five hour commute and home's a nightmare too". It doesn't take a genius to work out how clergy and congregational members alike are demeaned and undermined by these comments. Surely in church of all places, we should be upholding the goodness of God's creation - he made the day of 24 hours and declared it not only adequate but "good". And if even Mars can reckon that work, rest and play are part of oru existence, why are we so driven by work alone?. For those competitive overworkers and misguided boasters, I can only suggest counselling and a course in time management and priority-analysis! (end of rant)