rev tc

farewell blogger, hello wordpress!

2006-12-31T12:00:00.000Z

that means that after one year blogging on this platform, i'm making the move to wordpress.
blogger have been having troubles in their upgrading, and i can't be bothered with problems of this type as i'm not particularly techy-minded. i'm not the only one suffering with blogger, as the message boards are chocka-block with complaints. shame really, as you get used to working with a particular platform....

anyhoo, my new site is here. the new address is http://revtc.wordpress.com/

please amend your rss readers and bookmarks accordingly, and thanks for journeying with me.

i'm wondering what the new year will bring. i trust that you'll enjoy the adventure in your own lives, and will continue to journey with me. god keep you all.

The longest night of the year

2006-12-30T10:13:00.000Z

i really liked this post from james hawes over at sunday papers.
it resonates strongly with me: being in tune with the natural rhythms of nature and adjusting our lifestyles accordingly.
as we draw to the end of the year, maybe its a time to reconsider how we approach the way we live in relation to the seasons of the year.
here are another few links i found that relate to it:
wikipedia
national geographic video
Winter Solstice Celebrations for Families and Households

tradition continued

2006-12-29T12:29:00.000Z

one of our current, and fairly recently invented, traditions, is to go to the movies as a family on boxing day. it all began in 2002, when we went into the city on a whim, just to wander about, look at the city and its people, drink some coffee, and enjoy being together after christmas day. i don't even remember what the movie was that year, but the following ones are more memorable:

2003 - the lord of the rings: the two towers
2004 - the lord of the rings: the return of the king
2005 - the chronicles of narnia: the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe
2006 - the prestige.

and i think for me, its become a way of giving my family a present that we can all enjoy together, that exists for that moment but is always talked about later as being a good time together.

tradition in itself is not necessarily a bad thing.

what traditions do you have?

arise (hon) 'sir' bono

2006-12-24T08:51:00.000Z

yep, its true. bono's being awarded an honourary knighthood for "his services to the music industry and for his humanitarian work".
you can read more on U2's website here, and the beeb's site here.
i think that's great, and i think its an honour for him - a great man.
i think 2 of his great quotes are:
"celebrity is currency, and i want to spend mine well"; and
"we can't do everything, but the things we can, we must".
congratulations to him.

juliet turner

2006-12-23T10:34:00.000Z

last night zoe and i spent a really nice, mellow evening at the concert of juliet turner, held on the southbank in london.
it was great to be able to drive in to london with hardly any traffic on the roads, park underneath the concert venue for minimal fee, listen to some great music in a relaxed and informal atmosphere, and then go out for pizza with juliet, her guitarist brian, guest cellist harry (and wife), and other friends of juliet's.
'twas good to meet up with her again.
wish all concerts were as stress-free as that....

podcasting queen

2006-12-22T08:54:00.000Z

yep, its official: the queen will be podcasting her christmas message.
it will be available via itunes on christmas day at 3pm gmt.
you can subscribe to the podcast via the monarchy website here.
go queen....can't wait!

tagged

2006-12-21T08:30:00.000Z

emily has tagged me, which means i need to share 5 things about me that you probably don't know.
this has started through roger von oech who tagged jonny baker and so its gone on.
happy to oblige....

1. i deferred a place at ballarat uni, where i was going to do a b.a. with the idea of becoming a journalist. i never did take the place at uni, as i found the surfing lifestyle far more agreeable than that of a student.
2. back in the 1960s, i played for geelong in the little league on the hallowed turf of the MCG during the half time game that entertained the crowd back in the day.
3. from 1994-99 i worked for john smith in australia, as a pastor in his church, and as part of the vfl (values for life) team.
4. my wife (who is right into genealogy) says that i have real convict blood in me that goes back to the days of sending convicts to australia.
5. its only been in the last 2 years that i've discovered the joy of cooking. i could never understand the idea of spending ages preparing food for it to be gone in 10 mins, and the net effect was the same as that of eating cheese on toast - the net effect being a full belly. my repertoire is not large, but it seems i'm not bad at what i do...

so now, i'm tagging kirbs, lewis, john davies, antony hanson, mark mossa s.j.

save paper at christmas

2006-12-20T08:33:00.000Z

great tip from friends of the earth about saving paper:

It is estimated that over Christmas as much as 83 square km of wrapping paper will end up in UK rubbish bins, enough to cover an area larger than Guernsey! Use less by re-using gift wrap, or wrap gifts with unwanted posters, wallpaper, pages from glossy mags - or even spare pieces of fabric. Use string instead of tape, so that the paper can be re-used.

For more practical advice, competitions, quiz and discussion forums see:

www.foe.co.uk/living/

U2 "Window in the Skies"

2006-12-19T15:03:00.001Z

check this fab vid of U2's new song.
and here are the lyrics, courtesy of @U2.

Virtual Christmas Card

2006-12-18T22:17:00.000Z

hi all,
hope this christmas is a ripper for you, that you enjoy the festive season, and that in the new year you become a little more adventurous than you were this year.
you can click here to go to flickr to see other photos that didn't make the mosaic.
this saves on a lot of paper, cardboard, and postage, thus doing our bit for being a little more environmentally friendly....
meeeerrrrry CHRISTmas,
with love and best wishes,
tony and zoe.

a song for advent

2006-12-18T11:27:00.000Z

watch it through to the end.
this is the kind of stuff that stirs me.
this is the kind of stuff that is dangerous.
danger is involved when you want to change the world.
changing the world is at the heart of why jesus was born.
if you're into dangerous living, then check out the next soliton gathering here.
Lazyb - Underwear Goes Inside The Pants

merton and advent

2006-12-17T13:42:00.000Z

“The certainty of Christian hope lies beyond passion and beyond knowledge. Therefore we must sometimes expect our hope to come in conflict with darkness, desperation and ignorance. Therefore, too, we must remember that Christian optimism is not a perpetual sense of euphoria, an indefectible comfort in whose presence neither anguish nor tragedy can possibly exist. We must not strive to maintain a climate of optimism by the mere suppression of tragic realities. Christian optimism lies in a hope of victory that transcends all tragedy: a victory in which we pass beyond tragedy to glory with Christ crucified and risen. …

But the Church in preparing us for the birth of a “great prophet,” a Savior and a King of Peace, has more in mind than seasonal cheer. The Advent mystery focuses the light of faith upon the very meaning of life, of history, of man, of the world and of our own being. In Advent we celebrate the coming and indeed the presence of Christ in our world. We witness to His presence even in the midst of all its inscrutable problems and tragedies. Our Advent faith is not an escape from the world to a misty realm of slogans and comforts which declare our problems to be unreal, our tragedies nonexistent.”

Thomas Merton. Seasons of Celebration. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1950: 88-89

support the cheerleaders!

2006-12-15T17:56:00.000Z

below is a message i just got from the director of the ascension eagles cheerleaders. they need financial support in helping them to represent england in the 2007 world championships.

Dear AEC supporters,

I wanted to let you know that Ascension Eagles are appearing on the X-Factor Final this Saturday, 16th December. Very exciting!

Despite our success, we aren't raising the funds we'd hoped for -- 58 people texted CHEER in November and 23 have texted in December. Please can you help us circulate our appeal and get more people to support us?

Encourage people to visit this link, where they can see our performance from An Audience with Take That, and remind them to text their support!

Thank you for all you do!

Email your MP about the killer in the kitchen

2006-12-15T12:05:00.000Z

here's something practical you can do this advent, as in your waiting for the return of the lord, his changing of your hearts leads to practical action in the way your behaviour affects others - particularly the poor and powerless (see luke 3:7-18)
follow the links that show the text of the early day motion, and which mps have already signed. if yours isn't there, then follow the next links to send them an email.
i've emailed my mp, neil gerrard today.

blogging set to peak in 2007

2006-12-14T13:59:00.000Z

the bbc report here that the rise in blogging will end next year. there are 2 main reasons: those who have a predisposition to blog will have already started; and, others get bored with it and move on.
interesting to see this, as i've been wondering lately when blogging will become yesterday, and how long the rising phenomenon can continue.
i've gotten bored with it at times myself, as you can see from the archive list for the middle of the year.
and sometimes i wonder what the value of a blog is if its not generating discussion. i know that there are some folks who like what i write, and some who look in everyday would be disappointed if i stopped.
i wish i'd started it 5 years ago when jonny baker was telling me about it when he first started. i could've done some good stuff then about the community work and the garden cafe that i was heavily involved in.
the main reason for starting this year, was actually so that i didn't have to write an end of year newsletter as those i would send it to could keep up with what's going on throughout the year. but even that hasn't happened very well.
it's also been interesting to see how many others have put down their blogs over this year for all manner of reasons, including the time it takes (tho a real good bit of advice is that 'if it takes longer than 10 mins/day, then forget it'); boredom; and the subtle one of idolatry.
i'm still open-minded about whether its worth it as my readership is not large, and my mood can swing.
but for now.....

The Moon- 2: Genesis 37:1-11

2006-12-14T08:34:00.000Z

Like David, Joseph was a shepherd, a dreamer, and probably a poet. He must’ve known his brothers hated him, so why continue to stir them up by telling them about his dreams? Either he was thick, a stirrer, or he had a deep trust in God that his dreams were from God and intended to be told. Perhaps he really believed the dreams and that they would come true, so whether his family liked it or not, Joseph would actually rule over them one day.

Dreamers, poets, adventurers, and kings….

Jacob must’ve sensed God in there somewhere because verse 11 says, ‘…he observed the saying’. Two shepherd boys, David and Joseph, believed in God, spoke confidently in the name of God, were tested severely by God, and rose to become extremely powerful people blessed by God, and who in turn, were a blessing to his people.

The imagery Joseph uses is, like David’s, that of creation: wheat sheaves, sun, moon, and stars. God used dreams as recorded in the Bible to speak to his people. There is no dualism between God’s Spirit and his creation, however marred by sin creation might be. Creation theology is so important. Is that why I love being amongst creation? Is that where I am truly closest to who I am meant to be?

The sun, moon, and stars bowed down to Joseph. David said we were crowned a little lower that the angels, and that all creation is subject to our dominion. O that we would take care of it all properly!

These readings have got my mind going because of the creation/dreaming aspects. The Australian Aboriginal creation stories came from the ‘Dreamtime’. Did God dream creation before he spoke it? How connected are some of our dreams to God, and should we speak them, thus doing our part in the creation/re-creation of the Kingdom of God?

Does God give us a glimpse of some of our future through the dreams we have? I suspect so!

reflections on institutionalised religion

2006-12-12T10:35:00.000Z

i wrote the following about 4 years ago following a visit to an anglican church in the suburbs of london. i think that even after all that time, it still sums up where my heart is.

My reflections

The church seems to have an underlying, and perhaps unconscious theology of pastoral care and maintenance, which doesn’t find creative, risky, thoughtful, and proactive ways of getting the congregation to engage with the local community.

It is good at having social clubs, is very welcoming to new people who come, and is probably characterised by a ‘belonging before believing’ approach. This does seem to produce some fruit.

The high church ritual is done well, and so is attractive to people who want that sort of worship. The teaching was very short, unimaginative, thin on content, and designed for an encouraging feel-good factor - more along the line of moralising, and of how to live a good life than grappling with the alternative vision of the Kingdom of God here on earth now, as it is in heaven.

I felt that the church was very much stuck in the Christendom paradigm – particularly around the idea that ‘being a good Christian means being a good citizen.’ So in their context, church was a place to come to be encouraged and confirmed in maintaining the treadmill of their middle-class mediocrity. There didn’t seem to be an inherent theology of mission at the heart of the church.

I couldn’t stand it.

In reflecting on what that experience means for my own future ministry, I could only pray that I don’t end up in that kind of situation. It looked like a treadmill that would slowly grind me to death.

It confirmed to me that I’m interested in exploring non-traditional forms of ministry, though I’m not sure I can adequately articulate what that might look like in practice.

What I do know, is that at base level there must be at least 3 core values:
1. a theology of mission that actively engages in creative, organic, and contextually meaningful praxis;
2. a prophetic heart that is willing to speak of the Kingdom of God to both church and world;
3. an active pursuit of spirituality that is given time and space to explore my relationship with God at a mystic level (without wanting to sound pretentious).

I want to find a community of people who are willing to explore these values and who encourage one another in their exploration of ‘life in all its fullness’.

I know that I’m good at conducting the ‘hatch, match, and despatch’ ceremonies that non-religious people want the religious community to perform for them. I know from what people say, that they sense God when I shepherd them through those times.

But I don’t want to walk on a treadmill.

I know that in church my teaching and preaching is able to articulate for people the joys and pains of life, and my stories connect with their story so that they are unsettled, comforted, challenged, and intrigued enough to want their lives shaped by the Jesus I speak of.

I love to administer the sacraments, and watch the ancient story come to life in people’s responses as they partake in God’s goodness to them.

I enjoy the exploration of new and different forms of living the story; of working with others who are different and far more creative than me; of seeing the untamed wildness of God in people when they realise that being who they are is what freedom actually means; of listening to the poetry and art of those who seek God outside of the forms of mediocrity which says, ‘but this is the way its always been done.’

I want to live in commune with the rhythms of nature’s seasons, and feel the movement of the ancient Christian story as it swells and ebbs with its own seasons. I want to see people’s lives shaped and re-shaped year by year as they connect their life story to the Jesus story, and allow their own lives to be moulded by his.

But I don’t want to walk on a treadmill.

I want to be involved in the unstoppable mega-swell of the ocean of God’s change, and be swept up in the waves that will sweep the beach clean of the edifices humanity has erected, leaving only driftwood, pebbles, sea-weed, and sand…and children to play in the gently lapping wavelets under an early morning sun.

I don’t want those children to be oppressed by the weight of faceless committees, to be denied the fruits of their forefathers’ stewardship, to be abandoned like unwanted babies by a mother who knows she is dying but who lives in self-centred denial. So I want to be in a position where I can help the children acquire the resources they need and which are their rightful inheritance.

I want to listen to the children as they speak of God, and watch how they play as his Spirit bubbles up in them. I want to speak into the halls of power to ensure that the children have the resources of their inheritance that their Spirit-bubbling requires. And I want them to feel the freedom and encouragement from a changed mother to explore new forms of living the gospel.

So I can’t walk on a treadmill. My heart is restless, yet aches for rest. My history shows that I am constantly moving, yet I yearn to settle and put down roots.

I live in the tension of the ‘here, but not yet.’

I am a traveller.

Inspiration for the Week

2006-12-11T08:42:00.000Z

Eric Prydz Vs Floyd 'Proper Education'
a great vid that turns the idea of little urban rats into little urban agents for positive environmental change.
how would christian youthworkers inspire their kids into radical acts of subversion done in the name of god?
thanks to sanctus1 for the tip.

romereo, an advent prayer

2006-12-10T09:11:00.000Z

thanks to me old mates geoff and sherry at the ashram for pointing to this fabulous prayer from the late archbishop oscar romero. its a prayer worth taking 15 minutes at least once a week in advent to contemplate:

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.

The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.

This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Amen

the sign of the sabbath

2006-12-09T10:24:00.000Z

the rest of the seventh day is a memorial of creation, but also a sign of the covenant between god's people and himself. if a king were to ratify a treaty or agreement this would bear a sign, usually an image of the gods he owed allegiance to, but israel was commanded to not make any such image - instead the sabbath itself would be the sign, and a representation of his nature. only israel had a seven-day cycle of weeks.
we do not sense today how unique israel truly was, for the seven-day week has since become the practice of the world.

adapted from Jewish Roots, as printed in the Northumbria Community's Celtic Daily Prayer

hollow ponds today

2006-12-08T18:21:00.000Z

zoe took this photo this morning while i was at whipps cross hospital at my physio appointment. you can see some more of her photos by clicking on the flickr link in the sidebar.

hollow ponds is a delightful bit of natural woodland just across the road from the hospital.

lovely init....?

all things coffee

2006-12-08T08:24:00.000Z

thanks to si kirby for this tip about a new, ethical coffee distribution company, ethical addictions.
this looks like a great little fair trade company, who even give you a free sample of their coffee delivered to your door! and make sure you click on the little movie link to get a look at the the promo for the plantation in tanzania.

and a fabulous new type of coffee machine that i'd love to get, the presso (that's it in the picture). you can buy it here in the uk through culinaire.

there are quite a few good sites about coffee, like caffeist (coffee geekery), and grendel's green coffee blog (passionate about home roasting - this looks like the thing to try).

mmmmmmmm........coffeeeeeeee

The Moon 1: Psalm 8

2006-12-07T08:35:00.000Z

As I read this psalm, I’m aware again that I bring my preconceptions to what I think its about, yet again.

But I’m trying to imagine David writing it. He wasn’t a mathematician, scientist, scientist, or scholar, but a poet and artist, a musician who developed his gifts as a simple shepherd boy out in the hills. In looking at this psalm, I found the juxtaposition of his imagery interesting:
∑ God’s name, earth, glory, heavens
∑ Strength from babies to still enemies and avengers
∑ God’s fingers made the moon, stars, and heavens
∑ Human beings seem so small in comparison
∑ But we’re only a little lower than the angels
∑ Crowned with glory and honour
∑ We’ve been given dominion over all the earth
∑ And God’s name is excellent in all the earth

Heaven, earth, humans, and all creation, while different are inextricably connected, primarily because their source is God.

But I wonder why David put in the bit about babies having God’s strength to still enemies and avengers? It’s right in the middle of two verses about the glory of the heavens. Perhaps it’s the shepherd in the poet that has a firm grip on the reality of earthly life, while also seeing beyond it to the glory and majesty of God as revealed in ‘the cry of a tiny babe’ (Bruce Cockburn).

Heaven and earth; and God is in both places simultaneously inspiring the poet to consider God’s glory in both.

too much common sense

2006-12-06T00:01:00.000Z

george monbiot has written a couple of cracking articles that make too much sense. i mean, they make so much sense that for the government to accept them and then adopt his proposals so that they became real in our country, would make the government look utterly ridiculous - and so, they'll probably never happen.
you can read the one on 'defence' here, and the other on the renewal of public transport, with particular reference to the coach, here.
i just sent an email to the today programme saying how great it would be to hear george, alan storkey and sir rod eddington debate the renewing of the coach and bus system, as described in george's article.
why not send them an email yerself?

The Sun - 2: Mark 1:32-35

2006-12-05T08:11:00.000Z

Why did they bring the diseased and possessed at night, after the sun had set? That thought occurred to me because I have this idea that night-time would have been a pretty scary time to be performing exorcisms. And I imagine people would have been pretty superstitious about such things back then. Well, some folks probably still are today!

Or was it simply that by the time Jesus had healed Simon’s mother the day was getting on anyway, and it just worked out that by the time everyone had heard about the healing and got around to her house with their own people in need of some form of healing, that it was night-time?

And Jesus, the great, divine physician, worked on into the night.

I wonder how much energy that took out of him. I wonder how much joy he got from seeing peoples’ lives changed as they were healed. I wonder if he was actually energised by his interaction with people in that way.

I know how drained I can become by being with people and giving out all the time. I need retreat times to re-energise. But there are other people who are the exact opposite of me, and who find energy when they’re interacting with others.

So Jesus worked on into the night.

Then, a long while before sunrise, he got up and went to a solitary place to pray. Jesus wasn’t scared of the dark.

I wonder if the moon was up that night, or if it was a starlit night. I imagine that if it was a cloudy, moonless night the disciples would have had difficulty finding him (verses 36, 37).

The creation of day and night, heavens and earth and the lights were all good and reflected the nature and purposes of God. Jesus would have appreciated and understood that better than anyone else. What is there to fear?

He may well have needed that prayer time to re-energise after a long and tiring day, full of healings and exorcisms. But he didn’t need to re-energise by the sun (as many pagans do). His power came from the Creator of the sun. His power came from God, who is not restricted to either day or night.

We must remember to worship the Creator, not the creation.

Inspiration for the Week

2006-12-04T08:18:00.000Z

Antarctica Time lapse: A Year on Ice

i'd love to spend a year in antarctica.
what a beautiful place to contemplate the wonders of creation....

advent - wait

2006-12-03T13:44:00.000Z

great picture from ben bell reminding us that the season of advent is actually about waiting.
but its not just waiting around for something to happen. its waiting with a real hope that causes us to be engaged with life. and its a hope that refuses to give up in the face of adversity.

world aids day

2006-12-01T10:36:00.000Z

today is world aids day.
aids is highlighted on 1st december every year.
every year more people die - they don't have to.
in first world countries, becoming hiv positive is no longer the death sentence it was 20 years ago. but it still is in developing countries.
you can watch bono's message about it here.
you can also watch his address to the american presidential prayer breakfast earlier this year, here.
you can learn about the red campaign here.
you can check out info on africa here.
you can join the 'you me us' campaign here.

there's no end of stuff you can look at, just google 'world aids day'.
but will you translate your looking into action?

jesus saw those people others didn't want to see. he went out of his way to include the poor, the lepers, the unacceptable into the party of god's kingdom. he did something about what he saw. hiv/aids is like the leprosy of today. christians at leat, have a duty to follow their master's example.

small actions by lots of people create a mass effect. small actions with visible symbols attached, like a wearing a red ribbon, create a heightened awareness that opens the door for conversation about what the red ribbon is for.
small actions like writing to politicians about the inequity of developing world health care compared to our own, and the protected interests of multinational pharmaceutical companies in comparison to the unprotected needs of millions of hiv infected people in developing countries is the chance to put the power of democracy into action on behalf of those whose voices go unheard.

go on, do something today - you really can; perhaps you must.

The Sun - 1: Genesis 1:14-19

2006-11-30T10:09:00.001Z

Don’t you think it interesting how we read what we want to, and project onto our readings our preconceptions of what we already think the reading is about?

Genesis 1:14 talks about the lights in the firmament being for ‘signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years’. My initial thoughts were around the ‘signs’. What could these signs be? The moon turning to red at the end of the age, perhaps? And the seasons; how does the sun tell us about the seasons? It comes up and goes down every day regardless of the time of year. Although, depending on your position on the globe, the arc of the sun will vary according to the season.

But verse 14 hadn’t even mentioned the ‘the sun’ yet – only, ‘lights in the firmament’. I had already projected onto the scripture my own preconceptions of what I thought it was talking about. The lights would have to include the stars, sun, and moon. The stars have always been connected with the thought and practice of interpreting signs, and the different constellations do change according to the seasons.

Its not until verse 16 that the scripture reveals something of the nature of those lights: greater light to rule the day; lesser light to rule the night; and the stars. They weren’t even called ‘sun’ and ‘moon’ then. Probably to keep to the point that it was God who created them, therefore, it is God who is to be worshipped, not the greater and lesser lights (many pagans were at that time worshipping sun and moon, which they saw as deities – some still do).

But my initial thought was around projecting my preconceptions onto the scripture: I already know what this is about! But maybe I don’t, really….

God’s creation had a purpose, and the purpose and creation were good.

I wonder what else I miss seeing and understanding because I think I already know what its about? The creation reflects the nature and purposes of God, which are quintessentially good. So, why do we continually seek to stuff everything up?

How should we be interpreting the lights for signs, seasons, days, and years in the context of them reflecting that nature and purposes of our good and gracious God?

muggings - cause, effect, and hope

2006-11-29T08:27:00.000Z

excellent interview on bbc radio4's today programme this morning, that looks at the question of why young people go around mugging others. you can listen again here.
youthworkers, camila batmangelidgh of kids company, and shaun bailey bring a damning critique and indictment on our liberal democracy that has neglected the care and safety of our children so that they actually feel unsafe in the world. that feeling of being unsafe coupled with a lack of love and care, along with a relentless media-driven diet of violence places too many children literally into survival mode that means the only way they can see that they can be safe is to become known as dangerous.
of course, this sounds like more liberal wishy-washy excuse-making for bad behaviour, but i find myself saying more often these days, that delinquent parents and adults are making delinquent children.
we do well to remember that jesus welcomed children into his circle in such a way that shocked his culture, when he said, 'to such as these (children) belong the kingdom of god'. in other words, the 'status' of children is second to none in the eyes of the king of the universe. that also means that the responsibility for the love and care and nurture and discipline of these first-class citizens of god's kingdom lies with adults.
the critique of the youthworkers mentioned above is that adults are the cause of their own misery because they have failed in their responsibility to the children they have begotten.
this is a complex issue that will not suffer simplistic solutions. it will require nothing less than a cultural shift, probably taking a generation or more to flow through.
but its not hopeless. einstein said that it only takes 8% of any given population to change for the rest of the population to change with them.
people like camila and shaun need to play a louder and more prominent role in helping our society to understand what's going on and develop strategies at a political level that are more effective than what we currently have.
churches need to take heart and realise that they have an enormous part to play in this issue too, as they provide most of the country's youthworkers. organisations like frontier youth trust and oasis trust do great work in training youthworkers and contributing at a significant political level by engaging in prophetic dialogue with the makers of public policy. youthwork programmes like ascension eagles cheerleaders take a long term approach to working with young people and their wider community that actually effect a cultural shift at a micro level.
the downward spiral of violence and revenge is not the only way to be feel safe in our world. the dear man whose son was murdered by 2 young men for his mobile phone and travel card has chosen to look for a better way.
the season of advent leading to christmas reminds us that god did not, and has not given up on the human condition, flawed as it is. the decision of god to live among us as jesus of nazareth, taking responsibility for the children he created continues to inspire a real, living and transformational hope that the way life is, is not necessarily the way it needs to be, and that the human condition is actually redeemable.
there is hope yet, and there are those who live hope.

stop the traffik

2006-11-28T00:02:00.000Z

check out this short film, with daniel bedingfield, about this most heinous of human crimes.
then check out the rest of the website, and join with me and sign and up to start the process of doing something about it.
see also the protest4 link on the side, one of the pioneers of which is me old mate si johnston, and emily's link that keeps us in touch with her work in bangkok with girls involved in prostitution, some of whom are there against their will.
this issue of slavery and trafficking of people will gain more momentum over the next few months in the leadup to the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the british empire.
but the tragedy is, 200 years later, its still an enormous worldwide problem that continues to grow.
and what's to be done? next year will see the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade, with many commemoration and other kinds of activities to mark it. today, the prime minister, tony blair, spoke of his 'deep sorrow' that it ever happened. you can read the full text of his speech here. you can also listen again to a couple of slots on the bbc's 'today' programme that open some thoughts on what might happen if the pm offered a full apology. there are people here who want an apology to include financial reparation.
i think that, while an apology would be a good thing, it will undoubtedly open up a whole raft of legal claims made for financial and other kinds of reparation. that in itself is not necessarily a bad thing, but the real problem with that kind of thing is that inevitably the legal fraternity gets involved and any pot of money put aside to pay claims to genuine claimants is significantly reduced after legal bills.
i remember listening to an example of the church in canada being taken to court by the aboriginal peoples of canada for damages in land settlements, and 90% of the money went to lawyers and only 10% to those who had a rightful claim.
in australia (when i left 7 years ago) the pm would not offer a full apology to the aboriginal people for their displacement from their ancestral lands for fear of opening a pandora's box of legal and financial woe (to the federal govt) that could be enormous. the aboriginal people did not want money, only an apology for the wrong done them.
the issues around slavery and peopletrafficking will increase over the next 3 months as the bicentenary draws closer.
what do you think about it all?

Inspiration

2006-11-27T09:15:00.000Z

i have come that you may have life, and life in ALL its fulness.

Jesus of Nazareth (John 10:10)

i'm rich!

2006-11-25T09:18:00.000Z

How rich are you? >>

I'm loaded.
It's official.
I'm the 319,576,092 richest person on earth!

i sometimes think it doesn't feel like i'm amongst the richest people in the world, but from a global perspective, i am. i've just got to think back to my kenyan trip for some perspective....

golding describes the rescue

2006-11-24T09:55:00.000Z

mike golding describes the rescue of fellow ocean racer, alex thomson, here.

sailing drama

2006-11-24T08:35:00.000Z

Between the hours of 04.45 and 06.30 GMT this morning a dramatic rescue operation took place in the treacherous icy waters of the Southern Ocean. Devastated solo sailor Alex Thomson (GBR) abandoned his yacht HUGO BOSS, after it suffered severe structural failure to the keel, and dramatically transferred via life raft to Mike Golding's yacht ECOVER. Thomson and Golding (GBR) both highly experienced yachtsmen and fellow competitors in the VELUX 5 Oceans race, carried out the rescue operation with the utmost caution. It took four attempts to get Thomson safely onboard ECOVER and the transfer took one hour and 45 minutes. from the velux5oceans website.

the double reality of sadness and heroics involved in this rescue has not been well reported by radio4. they talk about it as a capsize, which is only partly true, if the velux5oceans website is right. rado4 gives a picture that is open to speculation as to why hugo boss is being abandoned, whereas the cause is clearly gear failure of the swinging keel coming apart. this is not difficult to get right from a reportage perspective, so why not get it right? sailors all over the world will be annoyed at the amateurish attempt by the bbc in its coverage.

below is a very clear and well-presented precis of the situation from one of the competitors, the legendary sir robin knox-johnston, reported on the velux5oceans website: "The news that Alex Thomson has had to abandon his boat Hugo Boss in the Southern Ocean is only relieved by the fact that he is safe. His boat was one of the best prepared for the 2006 Velux 5 Oceans race, and the fact that he has suffered a mechanical failure is a tragedy. This was not a new or experimental boat. It is a well tried one with plenty of miles beneath its keel, so for a major mechanical failure - either something was slowly weakening or there was a sudden abnormal strain - but we may never know the answer to that now.

"It comes at a time when the IMOCA boats had had a very good safety record in recent years since the rules were tightened after the Bullimore keel failure, and members were congratulating themselves that they had not had the sort of problems that were experienced by the Volvo fleet last year. The IMOCA 60 boats are probably the most tested yachts before they can receive their certificate and take part in an event, so a structural failure like this may need some hard thinking about, to avoid such problems in the future.

"This also means that those of us at sea in the race are looking at our own keel arrangements and just wondering how secure they are, but few of us can give an answer. We are seamen and sailors, not engineers and designers, and not qualified to say whether what we have is safe or not. We take to sea what we are given but at the back of our minds is: 'What happens if?'

"This is not the first rescue of this type in the race. In the first event in 1982 Tony Lush was picked up by another American between Africa and Australia, and on the next leg Englishman Richard Broadhead beat back for three days to rescue French Navy Commander Jacques de Roux whose boat had been holed. This was the incident that led to the adoption of compulsory watertight doors for this race. In 1990 Bertie Reed picked up fellow South African John Martin after his boat had hit an iceberg.

"It is an axiom in these races that the nearest assistance will probably come from another competitor, apart from some excellent exceptions by the Royal Australian Navy. The good news is that Alex is safe and it won't be long before he is out racing again."

congrats to mike golding on his skill, courage, and exemplary effort in keeping the code of the sea in going to the aid of a sailor in trouble. i know what its like to be passed by when i've been in trouble (albeit nowhere near the scale of this one!)
and commiserations to alex thomson on having his race end in such a way.

Johnny Cash God's Gonna Cut You Down

2006-11-23T08:43:00.000Z

fantastic song, fantastic artist, fantastic album

music in america

2006-11-22T08:33:00.000Z

check this site out.
how cool is that!
this interactive website shows loads of music that's starting to play in different cities right throughout the usa right now. and you can do all kinds of interactive stuff through the site to influence the kind of music being played, along with more stuff that needs a better brain than mine to figure out how to do.
aaahhhh, i'm a simple creature, i know.....

deep comfort

2006-11-21T09:05:00.000Z

Oh, the comfort,
the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person;
having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words,
but to pour them all out,
just as they are,
chaff and grain together,
knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them,
keep what is worth keeping,
and then,
with a breath of kindness,
blow the rest away.

George Eliot.

inspiration for this week

2006-11-20T08:00:00.000Z

so......, what are you going to do this week?

Movement and Tension: Mark 4:35-41

2006-11-19T09:09:00.000Z

There’s a sense of movement throughout this passage; and a tension between the movement and stillness, which is its opposite.

Movement from day to evening – tension between busyness of day and stillness of evening.
Movement from sea to land – tension between stillness of land and movement of sea.
Movement from crowd to a few – tension between noise of crowd and stillness of a few.
Movement from calm to a storm – tension between safety and survival.
Movement from sleep to wakefulness – tension between panic and calm.
Movement from storm to peace and stillness – tension between fear and faith.
Movement from fear to awe – tension between normal and paranormal.

Life is full of movement and tension, and we are always faced with how we will respond to it. Jesus asked the disciples, “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” He obviously sees movement and tension differently to us. Equally obvious is that he understands our fears and lack of faith. But I suspect he wants us to see the movements and tensions of life with his eyes that will cause us to lose our fear because we will be so full of faith – faith in him who has created all that we are, and are part of.

Its so easy to see this stuff from the vantage point of being on retreat. So much more difficult in the midst of the busyness and chaos of everyday life. And there are people in our midst who would love to feel the closeness and calmness that Jesus gives, but whose lives are so demanding that they just can’t give themselves the time to draw close to him.

It would be great to bless the parents of some of our kids in consistently small ways that would enable them to feel God’s closeness and goodness, and help them to really live in the everyday reality of movement and tension.

Beautiful Creation: Psalm 65:9-13

2006-11-17T07:58:00.000Z

This reading gives such a wonderful sense of God’s care and generosity for the earth, and for us who live on it and with it. Because of his care and generosity, there is a palpable abundance and health of growth along with an uncontainable joy expressed in response – the joy of knowing and feeling and experiencing his care.

“The river of God is full of water; you provide their grain”. There’s nothing stingy about God at all.

I remember watching the sun come up one morning while on retreat. It looked as though it was coming up out of the sea itself. It was a deep reddy/orange colour that illuminated the sky above it, and caused the sea to shimmer in front. A most beautiful sight to watch first thing in the morning.

How many times has it done that? How many times has it been seen? How many times has God been thanked for his Generosity in feeding the world with the sun and the rain? And how many times have people worshipped the creation rather than the Creator?

But still it pleases him to care for us.

Thank you Father…..

new music

2006-11-16T14:17:00.000Z

enjoying a fabulous album that's been out a little while now. the puppini sisters sound fantastic as they do the great covers of the war and post-war years, along with a couple of more modern songs.
maybe i'm getting old, but when you hear class music it doesn't seem to matter what era it's from, it's just plain good.

you put your right foot in, you take your right foot out

2006-11-16T08:37:00.000Z

and this is what it looks like.
wound healed beautifully, and skin falling off. mmmmmmmmm.....tasty!
the cast came off on monday - what a relief. fantastic to be able to get my foot wet again in the shower.
i wear the robocop boot when going outside. its pretty comfortable as its got 4 aircells that can each be pumped up for maximum comfort and support. it has no flex at the foot's ball by big toe, so is somewhat difficult to walk in.
naturally, it hurts to put weight on the foot, and the tendons are all very tight so when physio starts next week i can imagine a whole new phase of pain and discomfort to come.
still, progress eh!

billy's values debate and bill(y) of rights

2006-11-15T11:38:00.001Z

just finished reading billy bragg's book, 'the progressive patriot - a search for belonging'.
i enjoyed it, even though i've had sod-all of a history with billy bragg. i remember hearing him for the first time on the radio in the car in australia, circa 1997. i'd heard of him by reputation through friends, but never bought an album or followed his career.
i saw him for the first time 2 summers ago at greenbelt festival, in cheltenham. i think he was there for pretty much the whole festival, and shared podiums discussing globalisation etc with such luminaries as dame anita roddick. he also was the headlining act for the last night on the mainstage, and played a great night - just him and his guitar. i remember him commenting that he really liked greenbelt, as it was 'a festival that had real soul'.
anyway, his book seems well researched. i say 'seems', because i'm no great shakes on history, but what he writes seems to ring enough bells for me to ring true enough. his own family history is very important to him as he unwinds his thesis on what being british, and english, means today. the history ranges from pre-roman times when his own backyard was an impressive hill fort that was important for international trade, through the purpose and signing of magna carta, the industrial revolution, the early dockers strikes that led to the early unions, the 2 world wars, his own musical journey, right down to today's debates about values, and his own desire to see a formal bill of rights that he wants to see on the back of the (inevitable?) identity card.
and that's where he gets to really: wanting a debate on what he sees as the traditional british values of fairness, tolerance, and decency; along with a debate on this country producing its own bill of rights.
perhaps i'm naive, but as an outsider, born and raised in the one-time 'colony' of australia, yet someone whose own history is directly connected to the mills of yorkshire, and whose family fought at gallipoli, i think billy is onto something. he's wanting to more readily define what britain is 'for', as opposed to having about it a history and air of what it stands against. for newcomers to anything, let alone a new country in which to settle, surely its a helpful, nay, needful thing for the newcomers to have a clear understanding of what the new place stands 'for'.
in my post last month on 'beneath the veil', is a link to a doco in which a muslim woman experiments in wearing a veil, as she doesn't normally do so. at the end of the doco she makes a marked plea to, 'not tell us what you're against, but please, tell us want you want us to be part of.'
we're finding out about this stuff in microcosm in our church in our current process of redefining our purpose, values, and vision.
here's a brief view of how we're going about it:
part 1: your purpose. this is about what you are for.
part 2: your values. this is about what you are like.
part 3: your vision: this is about what you do.
its a bit like a cake really:
the purpose of a cake is to be eaten and enjoyed. there’s nothing outstanding about that, as its probably true for all cakes.
the values of the cake are about its ingredients. the ingredients give the flavour and texture. highly important.
the vision of the cake is what the cake actually turns out like. (remember that metaphors have limited use...)
your purpose and values will determine your vision. what you are for, and what you are like will be worked out in a concrete context.
for example, if your group and my group had exactly the same purpose and values (and its quite possible for that to be true), but we were in different parts of the country with radically different contexts, then the ways in which our purpose and values are expressed in concrete terms would be very different because of the differences in context. but people who encounter us in our different contexts would encounter a deep and noticeable similarity in what we say we're for (purpose) and what that feels like (values) to be part of, even though the way that's worked out in concrete life will necessarily be different because of the different contexts.
it seems to me, that a real problem with the idea of debating 'values', is that for a country like this with such a long-established history, the inhabitants with a long historical connection with the country think that the established values are 'obvious'. but the problem is, that for newcomers, those values are not obvious because they're not actually written down and its very hard to get a consensus on exactly what they are.
you could say something similar about the way churches operate too.
anyway, there's another review of billy's book here by john davies, someone more erudite and intelligent than me.
but whatever you think of what i've written here, i reckon billy bragg's book is well worth a read, and offers something of substance, and a realistic suggestion for taking the current public debate on being british and english, forward.

humphrys in search of god 3 - judaism

2006-11-15T09:22:00.000Z

john humphrys interviewed dr jonathan sacks, chief rabbi, yesterday in the conclusion of his 3 part series in his search for god.

yet another really good interview that pulled no punches but where 2 men engaged one another with the big issues that so much of humanity grapples with. a big part of the interview was around the question of theodicy (the problem of evil), and, as you would expect with a jewish context, how god has allowed so much suffering with his own chosen people.

i think dr sacks tried to encourage mr humphrys, who seems genuine in his real desire and questioning to find faith, that he's not that far from it. dr sacks said that faith lies in the question - as the refusal of god to give easy answers means humans learning to wrestle with the reality of life, and so become more fully human in the process.

you can listen to it again here.

Text the Cheerleaders

2006-11-14T13:49:00.000Z

Fundraising is always a difficult and never-ending task in youthwork. But here's a way you can help the Ascension Eagles Cheerleaders in a really easy way.
People can text "CHEER" to 84424, and they will receive a message which says, "Thank you for donating £1.50 to the Ascension Eagles Cheerleaders. Please visit us at www.ascensioneagles.com AEC are grateful for your support!
£1 will go directly to Ascension Eagles, while 5p goes to Charity Technology Trust and 45p goes to the mobile organisers.
The phone numbers of all the people who donate will be entered in a prize draw that could take place in early January. London City Airport is donating £1000 towards the Worlds bid, and for the prizes is donating two round trip flights and accommodation to Edinburgh. Take That are donating signed copies of their Worlds Tour on DVD.

AEC Director, Shara Brice, needs to get some more prizes donated. If you can help her in this outstanding cause that is helping to transform young lives in one of London's most difficult boroughs, then please contact her through the Ascension Eagles Cheerleaders website. AEC has got to be one of the most effective youthwork programmes in this country, and would greatly value your support.

So whatever you do, at least send her a text to keep the CHEER coming, on 84424.

Free Hugs Campaign. Inspiring Story! (music by sick puppies)

2006-11-13T07:28:00.000Z

its monday again, and this video gives a warm feeling to the beginning of the week.
this is the kind of behaviour that we need to see more of in our public domain.
sure, you can be cynical about it, but why would you want to be? much nicer to be hugged than punched. must nicer to be hugged than ignored. and hugs, like smiles, are free and express kindness and goodness, don't you think?
to me, this video of free hugs speaks of the grace of god - a gift of love that is undeserved, unmerited, yet totally concrete in the life of the receiver.
what about trying to hug people instead of killing them....?
let's glorify goodness instead of badness.

Anger and Peace: Psalm 4

2006-11-10T22:17:00.000Z

The cry of an angry man; a desperate man; a man who has been some time without hearing from God. He seems to think of himself as a godly man whom God has set apart for himself and whom God will listen to when he calls out.

Is this arrogance? Or is it perhaps, someone who knows who he is in God’s sight? Someone who knows that he is known by God; loved, valued, and treasured by God.

I know that these thoughts are true for me, too. Is that perhaps why I feel a little frustrated, angry at the thought of having to prove myself and my call to the priesthood to those who don’t even know me? Verse 4 says, “Be angry, but sin not; commune with your own hearts on your beds, and be silent”.

It’s OK to feel the way I do, but keep it to myself and don’t let it distract me to sin.

Father, you know me, and you know what you’re doing with me, far more than I do. Give me your peace as I trust in you, please.

white and red poppies - lessons from war

2006-11-09T11:04:00.000Z

the red colour of the ubiquitous poppy at this time of year is a powerful symbol used to remember the dreadful cost of war, particularly in human terms. but this year, the colour has been brought into the wider public debate more than i've noticed in the past. there is a move, here and abroad (notably canada) to promote a white poppy to give people the opportunity to think and debate more critically the lessons to be learned from war. it must be emphasised that the white poppy is in no way trying to demean the red one or its symbolism. nor does it seek to detract from the valuable fundraising done for those who need financial support because of the ramifications of their loved ones being involved in war. rather, it seeks to engage in prophetic dialogue with the 'obvious' idea that war and violence is really the only final option available in dispute.
you can read an excellent article on the myth of redemptive violence, by walter wink, here.
you can also listen to a brief interview on the today programme on radio4 here, with jonathan bartley, director of ekklesia thinktank.
i've never been anywhere near war. i can't possibly know what it's like. i can only imagine it. last weekend included guy fawkes night that witnessed an incessant barrage of noise and fireworks lighting up the sky. it always makes me think about war and remembrance day more than the historical plot to blow up parliament, though both have their roots in the myth of redemptive violence. the bangs of fireworks bring to mind images from sebastian foulkes story of the british trenches of the first world war in his harrowing book, 'birdsong'. his vivid descriptions of the horrors of trenchlife, of the continual scream of metal in the sky along with the continual scream of men dying, being maimed, and going mad. and the fireworks bring to mind the classic book, 'all quiet on the western front' that tells the story from the german side. again, vivid descriptions of men being blasted out of their clothes and hanging naked in trees; of the mental dislocation of returning home to so-called 'normality' on leave; and of feeling the pain of killing complete strangers as they lay beside you in a shell hole.
strangely, on guy fawkes night, i remember things i haven't experienced through stories told by others, and hope i will never have to experience them. and on remembrance day, we remember those who died in the hope that we who came after them would never have to experience those horrors.
and that's the truth about remembrance day - that the hope of those who gave their lives in war was for a better future than the one they were experiencing.
as a christian, i have a hope for a better future too. my hope is based on jesus who, on the cross, took all the pain, hatred, and violence the world could throw at him and said that 'it ends here'. the cross, ultimate roman symbol of torture, pain, violence, insult, and death was transformed by jesus to become the ultimate symbol of peace and hope. the resurrection of jesus from the dead proves that goodness is stronger than evil, love is stronger than hate, truth is stronger than lies, and light is stronger than darkness.
this is echoed by an anonymous prisoner who scratched this prayer on his cell wall in world war 2:
“I believe in the sun,
even when it does not shine.
I believe in love,
Even when I cannot feel it.
I believe in God,
Even when he is silent.”
on remembrance day, we remember things we didn't experience through stories told by other people in the hope that we never will have to experience them.
in jesus, we remember things we didn't experience through stories told by other people in the hope that we will experience the strange reality of life beyond the grave - a resurrection life of a re-made world that knows no pain, suffering, or death - and which is translated into life NOW, and proved by how we live NOW.
we all long for peace. peace now. not just in eternity.
on remembrance day, we WILL REMEMBER THEM, and i trust, honour their memory by how we live.
the powerful symbols of the two poppies, one red, one white, and the transformed symbol of the cross call us to lives of peace and hope, through peaceful and hopeful means.

And there was light! Genesis 1:1-5

2006-11-08T08:27:00.000Z

I was imagining a real sense of drama as I read this. The drama of the darkness and moody feeling of nothingness as the earth was without form and void – with the Spirit of God moving around as though, perhaps, he’s searching for something.

And then, “Bang”, God says, “Let there be light!”, And there was !!

What that must have looked like when he did that, and there was light for the first time….

I have this dramatic image of an enormous lightning strike that pierced the darkness with forks spreading across the sky until it was all lit up. Or was it just like turning on a light switch and the darkness was instantly replaced by light?

We naturally associate the light with the sun, but he didn’t create the sun until the fourth day (verses 14-19), so was the initial burst of light simply an incredible burst of pure energy?

It’s interesting how questions raise themselves when you give yourself time to read and ponder. Usually, when preparing a sermon, there is the pressure of time to get it done by. That pressure can have the detrimental effect of causing me to skim lightly over the text and look only for the obvious things. On the other hand, time pressures can also have the positive effects of focussing the mind and being kept from distraction.

But is seems to me that there needs to be the spiritual discipline of producing the space to allow ourselves to consume God’s word, and like his Spirit, be ‘moving over the waters’ (of our souls).

If I give myself, and God, the space to move over my soul, then perhaps he will be searching me. And then, who knows? Bang! He may even create something new in me! Some light may be born in my soul where before, there was only darkness. And the light will be good, and a new day will dawn in my life…the first day of the rest of my life (so to speak).

humphrys in search of god 2 - islam

2006-11-07T11:13:00.000Z

the second installment of john h's search for god was an excellent interview with prof tariq ramadan, a leading islamic scholar. you can listen to it again here.
i was struck by prof ramadan's reasonableness and how critically aware he is of himself and of islam. of islam, he is willing to take a critical examination of the qur'an by looking at the text from an historical and contextual perspective, and ask what that text is saying in today's 21st century context. of himself, he is aware that he is a muslim living in a western liberal democracy and who wants to engage fully in that democracy as a fully committed muslim.
he seems like the kind of voice we need to hear more of - that the media needs to invest giving prime air time to. one of the great failings of our media, in my opinion, is that it gives too much time to extreme views (of anything really) as extremists create sensation, and sensation sells copy.
i think it would be helpful for our society to hear more debate between people like prof ramadan, who claims to speak for the silent majority of the muslim population of britain, and people like abu izzadeen, who claims to speak for a more extremist view of what islam is about.
see my other posts about this kind of stuff here and here.
perhaps mr humphrys and his colleagues might start to fill their agenda with better quality debate than the current crop of sensationalist trivia that fuels fear, isolationism, and bigotry.
this will not go away by itself.

daily contemplation

2006-11-07T09:53:00.000Z

check out this website for a proverb to contemplate each day. the proverbs, all 2866 of them, come from a wide variety of global cultures.

proverbs are wisdom.

wisdom is different from knowledge.

knowledge is about accumulating information.

wisdom is knowing what to do with the knowledge.

and wisdom comes from giving time to contemplation of life's accumulated knowledge.

so, take some time today.....

cheer up

2006-11-06T08:57:00.000Z

it may be monday, but take a look at this kid and let him/her brighten up your day.
'...for to such as these belong the kingdom of god'.
if that's true, then i reckon eternity will be a hoot!

i count a success

2006-11-05T15:08:00.000Z

from the icount website:

More than 25,000 people packed Trafalgar Square and closed surrounding roads to make their voices count, each one calling for urgent action on climate change.

The carnival-like event was the first of its sort for ‘I Count’. It brought together a huge range of supporters from the Women’s Institute members to Miranda Richardson.

Johnny Borrell, lead singer of Razorlight, who performed live on stage said:
“Today is all about showing that together we make a difference, together we can send a message, together we can stop climate chaos and together we count.”

wish i coulda been there, but my current state of brokenness forbade it.

did anyone go?

more pictures here.

new online world

2006-11-04T20:09:00.000Z

excellent post from jonny baker about the whole new web 2.0 phenomenon. he points to a hefty and well-written article in the guardian today about it.
i resonate a lot with the sentiment of the article, and as a boomer am only just hanging on to the coat-tails of the internet-based network world that is becoming more of the norm for the current crop of teenagers.
its little wonder that people born in the late 1950s and earlier have trouble engaging with the networked generation born after 1980 (or even 1990).
the reimagination questions jonny asks are both uncomfortable and necessary if the church is to engage with its theology of incarnation and mission. i have a hunch that most people in most denominational churches have little idea of how to engage with this web-based world.
but their kids will....

blah and new monasticsm

2006-11-03T11:54:00.000Z

New Monasticism with Roy Searle, Gareth Powell & Sue Wallace.
25th November, 10am-4.30pm. The day includes lunch and drinks and is being hosted by moot, at St Matthew's Westminster.

There has been a resurgence of interest in the monastic way of life recently and many groups have been considering developing their own 'way of life'. So should we all swear to 'poverty, chastity and obedience'? Or is there another way or rhythm that would suit our context?

So come and hear from Roy a founder of the Northumbria community; Sue who is the UK's original abbess and Gareth who is helping moot to think in urban monastic ways.

Book a place here. Places for each of these days are limited and if you book online you get a 20% discount so get in there quick.

Maybe we should get a group together to go. Let me know if you're interested.

life - a journey through time

2006-11-02T14:38:00.000Z

just discovered this stunningly good site, through stumblupon.

its a great slideshow of images that give frans lanting's idea of the evolution of our world. the photos are fantastic, and there's a gentle blend of music tracks running behind the slideshow. it also has a written commentary of lanting's evolutionary thoughts, and the option to stop the show, click on an image and learn more about where he got it.

the philosophy is purely evolutionary, and the christian will want to bring some critique to it, but nevertheless, you can't help but admire the sheer beauty of our planet home, its diversity, complexity, power and fragility. and the skill of the photographer/artist in bringing the beauty to our attention.

this kind of thing always brings to my mind the psalmist's wonder when he says in psalm 24:1, 'the earth is the lord's, and everything in it.' i wish we would take better care of the generous gift of god to us, and this website helps us to appreciate what we've been given.

following the release of the stern report this week on the economic affects of global warming, and the new level of debate that is happening world-wide about the future of our planet home, why not take 20 mins to sit and contemplate with this slideshow about how you may or may not value god's great gift to us, and what your lifestyle means to our common future?

humphrys in search of god 1 - christianity

2006-11-01T09:44:00.000Z

from the beeb's website:

John Humphrys as you've never heard him before - talking with religious leaders about his unfulfilled desire to believe in God.

How is faith possible in a world of suffering, much of it arguably caused by religion or religious extremism and to which God seems to turn a blind eye? Is there a place for religion in an age dominated by science?

the first in the series of 3 was john h speaking with the archbishop of canterbury, dr rowan williams. i thought the interview started off well, with the arch looking like he was going to get some of that lovely, 'under-your-skin' questioning of john going; trying to get john to articulate what was going on for him about his search for god. but then it seemed to get fuzzy, and i felt like the arch didn't do as well as he could have. who knows, he may have had a bad day....

you can listen to the half-hour interview again, here.

there are 2 other shows to come on bbc radio4. they are with Professor Tariq Ramadan, Tuesday 7th November, 09:02, repeated Tuesday 7th November, 21:30; and Sir Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi, Tuesday 14th November, 09:02,repeated Tuesday 14th November, 21:30.

merton on democracy from nearly 40 years ago

2006-10-31T10:39:00.000Z

"It is no exaggeration to say that democratic society is founded on a kind of faith: on the conviction that each citizen is capable of, and assumes, complete political responsibility. Each one not only broadly understands the problems of government but is willing and ready to take part in their solution. In a word, democracy assumes that the citizen knows what is going on, understands the difficulties of the situation, and has worked out for himself an answer that will help him to contribute, intelligently and constructively, to the common work (or "liturgy") of running his society.
"For this to be true, there must be a considerable amount of solid educational preparation. A real training of the mind. A genuine formation in those intellectual and spiritual disciplines without which freedom is impossible.
"There must be a completely free exchange of ideas. Minority opinions, even opinions which may appear to be dangerous, must be given a hearing, clearly understood and seriously evaluated on their own merits, not merely suppressed. Religious beliefs and disciplines must be respected. The rights of the individual conscience must be protected against every kind of open or occult encroachment.
"Democracy cannot exist when men prefer ideas and opinions that are fabricated for them. The actions and statements of the citizen must not be mere automatic "reactions"-mere mechanical salutes, gesticulations signifying passive conformity with the dictates of those in power.
"To be truthful, we will have to admit that one cannot expect this to be realized in all the citizens of a democracy. But if it is not realized in a significant proportion of them, democracy ceases to be an objective fact and becomes nothing but an emotionally loaded word.
"What is the situation in the United States today?"

Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander by Thomas Merton,
New York: Doubleday & Co, Inc., 1968 edition, p. 100-10

kenya 11b: 29 may (last one)

2006-10-30T09:35:00.000Z

after leaving the park, we went for lunch at the world famous carnivore restauarant. as its name suggests, its a place to eat meat - tons of it! they expect you to eat as much as you can, and when you 'surrender', you lower the white flag on the table so the waiters know not to bring any more.
i had the following for lunch: onion soup and bread roll, spare pork ribs, pork, chicken wings, lamb, beef, camel, ostrich, crocodile, fresh fruit salad and ice cream, coffee. i was one of the final 3 to surrender, and while full, was not bloated!
the crocodile was a white meat that tasted liek a cross between some kind of deep-sea big fish, and chicken. the texture was like chicken breast, but with the flavour ebing more fishy - very nice. my vote for favourite though, was ostrich which was a fragrant meat - difficult to describe. it was a great experience to go this fantastic restaurant, and i highly recommend it.
we headed back to the city, where we visited the catholic bookshop again to do a bit more shopping. i bought a red stole, a cross for zoe, a banana leaf and skin picture, and a couple of books. some of us dropped our shopping and bags back to the bus for justus to take back to the guest house, while we went to the nairobi java house to relax with some good coffee. i also bought some kenya aa beans there before we walked back to the guest house before dark. nairobi is not a place to be out walking once darkness falls. but it was good to stretch the legs and do some exercise after such a big lunch.
had a bowl of soup for dinner, with a small piece of cake and a cuppa before we headed out to the airport. it was sad to say farewell to justus, gilbert, and jim - such good guys and wonderful guides who had been so conscientious in their care of us during the trip.
there's nothing much to do at nairobi airport, and so we contented ourselves with people-watching for a couple of hours until we boarded the plane and took off at 0010hrs.
the flight was uneventful, as was the drive home. i got home at 1020hrs, and it was great to be home again. thank you jesus for such a wonderful experience!

i count

2006-10-27T22:12:00.000+01:00

this is something to DO!
this is something you CAN actually do!
this is something that is actually WORTH getting involved in!
this is something where you can join others and see that your care and efforts are NOT INCONSEQUENTIAL.
this is about YOU being involved and making a statement to yourself, your family, your friends, your neighbours, your country, and yes, even the world, and even yes, to GOD, that you are wanting to be counted amongst those who will STOP CLIMATE CHAOS.

so, let me encourage you to:
1. GO to trafalgar square on 4 november and make your presence felt;
2. visit the i count website, register, read, and DO the simple actions;
3. TELL other people about it.

go on. go on. go on. go on. go on. go on. go on.......

how to keep the lights on?

2006-10-27T08:38:00.000+01:00

great picture of the earth at night, eh. look at all those lights on. not sure exactly how this picture is constructed, given the different time zones and hemispheres....
but where does the power come from? well, various national grids and then down the power lines to our homes and offices and factories and farms and....just flick a switch and, magic, the darkness is gone!
its not been like this for most of the world's history. in fact, its just a blink in time from the beginning of humanity, let alone the world itself.
so, how much longer will it be like this? where will the power keep coming from? who will generate the extra as more developing countries come on stream, and how will it be generated? simple questions, granted, but very real nonetheless. those questions include macro issues like international treaties on energy security, and micro issues like personal home power production.
george monbiot has some interesting thoughts on the latter here. he thinks small is useless, and he may well be right in this instance. but i'm not sure that its a good, helpful, and right mantra to say that 'small is useless'. and i dare say that george is not saying that small is useless in an overall kind of way.
but give people an option to say that its all too hard and that its got nothing to do with them and i'm only one person so what can i do and its all the government's responsibility anyway and i'm just going to leave the lights on coz i can, and they will.
i do think this is an area where government can set a standard and say something like, 'by 2010 there will be no more manufacturing of ordinary, energy inefficient lightbulbs'. it can't be that difficult actually. but it does require a will to act. as bono as often said, we can't do everything, but the things we can we must.
there'll be a way to keep the lights on, and a small way can begin with a small individual acting out of a strong will to proactively do the things they can. have a look at the ban the bulb website that gives lots of info and plenty of links for more info including where to buy energy efficient lightbulbs. not to mention the generous website where you can join with others in making a measurable, sustainable, and cybercultural difference to god's good earth.

and who is my neighbour? (part 2)

2006-10-26T08:06:00.000+01:00

The stories I gave in the last post are simple examples of our church communities trying to discover natural ways of demonstrating expressions of Kingdom principles. The focus is around promoting a practical commitment to neighbourliness, which is rooted in the sake of a commitment to neighbourliness itself – rather than neighbourliness as an aperitif for a main course of more self-conscious (and often up-tight) evangelism. This is justice and hospitality etc. for justice and hospitality’s etc. sake. In the process of doing neighbourliness, principles of building God’s Kingdom here on earth (now) are employed. These principles subvert a more traditional and obvious approach to mission. It’s about developing models of mission for people who don’t do mission, church for people who don’t go to church.

When Jesus was asked by a smart-alec lawyer, “And who is my neighbour?” (Luke 10:29), he was really asking, “Where, within the boundaries of those with whom I naturally have something to do, does my responsibility end?” So, he was actually trying to get a theoretical and technical definition that would absolve him from having to do anything with people who fell outside of the definition of ‘neighbour’. But Jesus was ruthless with him by telling the parable of the Samaritan (note that nowhere in the text is the Samaritan referred to as ‘good’). And a Jewish lawyer hated nobody with as much venom as he hated a Samaritan. At the end of Jesus’ parable, in verse 36, he asks the lawyer, “Which….do you think was a neighbour…?” The lawyer must concede that the neighbour was the Samaritan because of what he did. Jesus challenges the lawyer to, “Go and do likewise”. In other words, be like the Samaritan, a doer of God’s word, not just a theoretician about God’s word.

So, who is my neighbour? Neighbours are doers of God’s word. They should of course, include those of us who say that we are followers of Jesus, committed to living fully alive, shalom-like ways that bring resonances of heaven here on earth. But they can also include the most unlikely ones who, by their concrete actions in everyday life, demonstrate the principles of the Kingdom of God. Let me encourage you to be a good neighbour for the sake of our community – a community that God loves.

astonishment at the importance of religion?

2006-10-25T14:56:00.000+01:00

at the end of the today programme this morning is a 5 mins interview where john humphreys, currently in iraq, speaks with canon andrew white, the anglican vicar of basra who is also working with the iraqi prime minister on religious reconciliation issues.
mr humphreys actually sounded astonished at one point half way through the interview when canon white referred to a genuine ignorance on behalf of the major players in the pre-emptive war about what place religion played in the life of the iraqi nation prior to the war. it seems the general thought amongst the 'allies' was that iraq was a secular country so that religion was not going to be a factor post-invasion. and the astonishing thing is that its only now, 3 years later, that the americans in particular are starting to wake up to the religious element and how powerful it is in what is happening currently inside iraq. but is it too late to do anything about it? canon white says it is very late. any engagement with efforts at reconciliation will take place outside iraq as its even too dangerous for the insurgency leaders to be inside iraq. they actually command their operations from outside the country.
you can listen to the 0854 interview here.
there are a couple of thoughts that come to mind:
1. one of the first rules of war is: know your enemy. why didn't the americans and british take more cognisance of this middle-eastern country's religious heritage so as to anticipate where religion would factor in post-war reconstruction? what's that you say, there was no post-war planning....?!
2. while there has been some move toward democratic government, the reality remains that the democratically elected leaders are completely under 'house arrest' by the insurgents, as the leaders are confined to the 'green zones' and are unable to engage with their local communities because of the levels of violence and manifest dangers. is democracy really what the psyche of the iraqi people actually resonates with? again, before you go to war, know your enemy.
3. canon white, and people like him, seem key in this next phase of negotiation between western governments and insurgent leaders. will the western leaders give sufficient credence and time to this humble, yet forthright anglican priest who has before him the ministry of reconciliation (2 cor 5:18,19) to find a way to bring together different worldviews and religious beliefs so that perhaps a third way of some hybrid form of government may emerge from the ashes of what was once the ancient seat of civilisation?
i for one, would like to hear more from the bbc on this.

and who is my neighbour? (part 1)

2006-10-25T09:21:00.000+01:00

What a question to ask these days! For those who live in Walthamstow, I’m sure you’ll have noticed the banners that the Council has provided that say, “225,000 people, 1 community”. The idea of the banners is to remind us that we are all in this Borough together, and so we have to (and the idea is that we are saying that we want to) live together as good neighbours. The banners come as a direct response to the recently publicised arrests of suspected terrorists plotting to blow up aeroplanes en route from Heathrow. Some of those terrorists were arrested in Walthamstow. Did any of us know them as neighbours? And how many of us really know our neighbours anyway, as a matter of course?

St. Luke’s continues the process of following God into the High Street, trying to discover what God is doing there that they may be able to join in with. During one Sunday morning in the summer, I led some of St. Luke’s congregation into a local café for breakfast. The owner very kindly agreed to us being there as a church to meet and discuss issues of mission, and explore another way of meeting as a church on a Sunday morning. A mutual sense of neighbourliness was experienced by both parties that left a good taste in the mouth (literally!).

But neighbourliness is not ‘risk-free’. Over the summer I got to know some of our neighbours a bit better as a result of an unfortunate incident with someone that I and the parish had tried to be neighbourly to and help, but who took liberties in a most disagreeable fashion. Our local neighbours were only too willing to help us in any way they could, and I felt blessed and comforted by them.

Again, over the summer, St. Mary’s was awarded a substantial grant from the Local Heritage Initiative to fund the new ‘Open Village Project’. The Open Village Project aims to create and sustain vibrant local engagement with the heritage of the Walthamstow village area. The project aims are to involve those residents already interested in their local heritage and to reach out to and actively encourage the rest of the community to take part in research and celebration. Open days and ‘School encounters’ will provide physical access to the project. An interactive website which will be linked to other local websites will also be produced and information boards will be sited around the area. In order to ensure community inclusion the group will engage 4 community development workers to work with groups on 4 specific themes including multicultural and social development. I will be chairing a group of neighbourhood partners to deliver the Project over the next two years.

In September this year, I was invited by the Metropolitan Police’s Safer Neighbourhood Team of the Hoe Street Ward to be part of their newly formed Neighbourhood Panel. The Big Idea behind the Panel is to get about a dozen people who represent the diversity of the Ward, and as partners to assess and express local concerns as identified through community engagement and analysis in order to establish priorities for policing in the Safer Neighbourhood area. The Panel will be meeting bi-monthly for two years so that good community relations and accurate and effective policing can take place. But its not just about policing, its about getting different players in the Ward to become closer neighbours who understand one another and work better at creating a neighbourly environment.

progress

2006-10-24T15:11:00.000+01:00

got the cast changed today, as it felt like it was rubbing underneath and blisters may be forming.
but when the good folks in the plaster dept took it off, thankfully there were no blisters. as the swelling goes down, there's more room in the cast for movement of foot. it's all looking good, but is still surprisingly swollen.
a coupla pix for good measure, thanks to wade.

and for those who have been following my blogging, you'll notice a different format. blogger have recently made some changes through changing their formatting to beta, which has advantages in simplicity of function. so i thought i'd change the way it looks and see how the new functions go. its certainly easier to manage this way. waddya think....?

stumbleupon

2006-10-24T10:54:00.000+01:00

just discovered this new add-on through mozilla. its called stumbleupon.
StumbleUpon lets you "channelsurf" the best-reviewed sites on the web. It is a collaborative surfing tool for browsing, reviewing and sharing great sites with like-minded people. This helps you find interesting webpages you wouldn't think to search for.
its an amazing add-on for the toolbar, and very quick and easy to use. some of the photography sites are incredible, and the bible sites found through religion keywords make searching so much quicker than google.
have a go.

kenya 11a: 29 may

2006-10-24T09:45:00.000+01:00

after breakfast we put our luggage in 2 rooms at the a.c.k. guest house for the day, and headed off to the nairobi national park for the morning. it's situated on the outskirts of nairobi, has big electric fences protecting the park from the city, and to prevent the animals coming into the city. but on its western side, the park is open to the countryside, and allows the animals to use the natural migration routes.
there's a problem developing with this tho', as some rich rich people, wishing to escape the bustle of nairobi, are purchasing land from the masai people. this purchased land is in the path of the animals' migration routes. people build houses, build fences, and keep dogs, all of which deters the animals from using the traditional migration routes. and there is also a debate beginning about turning the park into a cemetery as there is no space left in nairobi for burials. it all sounds so sad when you see such a beautiful place that contrasts so vividly with the ugliness and brutality of city life.
the wildlife in its natural element is wonderful to see, and makes me wonder why we want to live in cities. cities are conveneient for many things, but often not conducive to beautiful living.
in the park we saw the water buffalo. we hadn't seen them in samburu. they're a massive beast, and very aggressive. justus said they're the most dangerous animal in the parks. we also caught sight of a leopard just as it was climbing down from a tree. justus spotted it and was then able to see it moving away in the undergrowth - his sight is incredible!

over-egging by journos?

2006-10-23T18:09:00.000+01:00

our very own steve mawhinney as interviewed (mildly interrogated...?) by newswatch a coupla days ago. subjects discussed are the madonna adoption of the little malawian boy, and 'pop' journalism.
click on the link here.

a song of love

2006-10-23T13:14:00.000+01:00

Thanks so much to everyone who came over to see me after church yesterday. The special gift of a song by so many was wonderful. A song is something that can't be appreciated except in the moment, and later, in the memory. The magic is most immediate though in the experience, and in this case, made especially magical because about 70 of you were the magicians and messengers of a song of love for one of your own. Loving another is a sign of the love God has for each of us, and I was reminded afresh of God's love for me through your magical action. Thank you. I pray that God blesses each of you all who read this, and that you continue to pass on his love and blessings to the rest of the world he loves.

new links

2006-10-22T14:19:00.000+01:00

just added another coupla bits to the blog.
in the sidebar you'll notice under the 'links' section, a new name: malcolm duncan. malcolm is the leader of the faithworks movement. Faithworks is a movement of thousands of individuals, churches and organisations motivated by their Christian faith to serve the needs of their local communities and positively influence society as a whole. Malcolm's quite dynamic, very thoughtful, and an incisive commentator on faith and culture.
and directly below that is a section on faith and culture news that will be updated daily, courtesy of the ekklesia thinktank. i'm interested to see how this goes. last year, ekklesia were rated in the uk's top 20 thinktanks.
let me know what you think....

kenya 10b: 28 may

2006-10-20T15:58:00.000+01:00

afterwards, as we were trying to leave, we were besieged by students wanting addresses and photos - it was endless. some were after our details in the hope we would send them money. one guy even gave me his bank account details!
when we finally got away, we all went back to the women's flat to have tea and cake that their next-door neighbour had baked. it was good just to sit around and laugh and talk with one another and eat yummy cake.
this morning we left st andrew's and headed out to our various churches to preach. paul and i went to st john's with rev simon. we got there just after 9am and joined the large sunday school class of about 60 children, to say hello and tell them something about ourselves. then we went into the service for a local boarding school where paul was asked to preach a short, impromptu sermon.
and then the main service started at about 1015hrs. this was the one i was due to preach at. the service was held in the kikuyu language as most people who come are of the dominant kikuyu tribe in the area. consequently, paul and i could not understand or join in much. but we did get the gist of what was going on for the most part. we did notice that there were some significant departures from the traditional english form of the anglican liturgy.
there was a thanksgiving offering that was given with much singing and dancing. the offering consisted of things like eggs, milk, sugar cane, chickens, fruit, and a cow. these were auctioned later in the service. the cow went for 6000ksh. at one point, there was a raffle being held, that would be drawn later that afternoon at a jumble sale.
the mothers' union were presentd with new robes that a parishioner had made for them. so they went outside, put them on, and processed back into the church amodst much singing and dancing.
the choir got up and led a bunch of songs. then the offering was taken. they have a system whereby everybody comes to the front and places their offering in a large plate as they sing joyfully. they also have a large box beside the plate for the tithe - the 10% offering from their income.
as this was going on, i remarked to rev simon that our way is to pass the plate around the pews. he said they used to do that but he changed it to the current system and their giving went up substantially. i think the way they do it is far more biblical, and is obviously more effective.
then i finally got up to preach at about 1230! rev simon accompanied me to the pulpit to act as my interpreter. i preached from john 5 - the healing of the man at the pool - and spoke about the power and grace of jesus that changes lives. essentially, i gave my testimony to them. it seemed to go down really well, and as justus was sitting in the congregation, i asked him later whether rev simon had interpreted me faithfully, and he said that he had.
i'd also made a throw-away comment about how i supposed some of the 400 odd people there had come because they were curious about the mzungu. justus said that was spot on, as many were there to hear for themselves what we were like after reading about us in the media. justus said that we had done really well, because by the end of the service people were very happy. we were happy too!
so the service finished about 1330hrs, and they didn't do communion because they knew we had to get away to get back to nairobi. after the service we had a quick lunch in the vestry before heading off to pick up the others.
we stopped into thika again on the way back, so that some could buy some more souvenirs. after dinner, we had a meeting for briefing about tomorrow, debriefing what the week was like, and tidying up a few bits and pieces. and now its time for bed. a very big day tomorrow with our overnight flight back to heathrow.

green apples

2006-10-19T11:22:00.000+01:00

thanks to jonny baker for pointing this out.
i was actually surprised at how badly apple performed in the green stakes. have a quick read through the site and send steve some pressure about cleaning up the apple. it'll only take a minute, and hopefully will help the little people at the other end of the disposal process live a little longer.

relevance lost

2006-10-19T10:46:00.000+01:00

good thought from the late, great thomas merton. makes you wonder about the church's gyrations to be relevant, eh...

“For me the ‘worldly’ attitude which I believe is nefarious is not simply the ‘turning to the world’ or even the total and would-be uncompromising secularism of the ‘honest to God’ set. Still less is it the noble concern for social justice and for the right use of technology to serve the real needs of modern man in his indigence and his despair. What I mean by ‘worldliness’ is the involvement in the massive and absurd mythology of technological culture and in all the contrived and obsessive gyrations of its empty mind. One of the symptoms of this is precisely the anguished concern to keep up with an ever-changing, complex, and fictitious orthodoxy in taste, in politics, in cult, in belief, in theology and what not, cultivation of the ability to redefine one's identity day by day in concert with the self-definition of society. ‘Worldliness’ in my mind is typified by this kind of servitude to care and to illusion, this agitation about thinking the right thoughts and wearing the right hats, this crude and shameful concern not with truth but only with vogue. To my mind, the concern of Christians to be in fashion lest they ‘lose the world’ is only another pitiable admission that they have lost it.”

Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander by Thomas Merton,
New York: Doubleday & Co, Inc., 1968 edition, p. 284

new book

2006-10-18T09:33:00.000+01:00

as part of my recuperative process, a friend from my theological college training days visited the other day, and gave me a present that i've just started reading. its by the musician and activist, billy bragg. the book is called, 'the progressive patriot - a search for belonging'. here's a bit from the inside cover:
reflecting on his family history and revisiting the music that inspired him, billy bragg pits his own values against those of traditional britishness in a search for a sense of belonging that is accessible to all. the progressive patriot is a book we all need to read. it pulls no punches in delivering its insights, and its radical vision offers positive hope to a nation no longer sure of its own identity.
i've just read the introduction so far, and am looking forward to reading the rest.
its on at a good price at amazon just now...

the veil: a first-hand experience

2006-10-17T14:59:00.000+01:00

yet another take on the issue of the veil that some muslim women wear. today in the guardian unlimited, a muslim journalist, zaiba malik, writes about her experiment in wearing the niqab. she has never worn it before, and is shocked by what she finds when she wears it for the first time.

history matters - the biggest blog

2006-10-17T10:51:00.000+01:00

author sebastian faulkes, and historian andrew roberts talk with caroline quinn on radio4's 'today programme' about a major project happening today that aims to get a picture of what happens in all manner of people's lives on this particular day.
check out the history matters website website here, and take a few moments to engage with something that will produce a broad social view of britain for future historians to grapple with, and maybe even, enjoy.

hear no....see no....?

2006-10-17T00:13:00.000+01:00

another interesting take on the issue of the muslim veil and jack straw in this article from ruth gledhill. i know she's not everyone's favourite journo (esp amongst anglican clergy), but she does have some insights that don't make the headlines amongst the standard papers.

beneath the veil

2006-10-15T16:24:00.000+01:00

just been listening to a bbc radio4 documentary, unveiled, on the issue of the muslim veil in british society. this is a debate that has heated up over the past week, especially since the foreign sec, jack straw mp, wrote an article in his local paper and was subsequently interviewed on radio4's 'today' programme.
its a 30 min doco, and i was particularly interested in the last 7 mins, where the interviewer, Fareena Alam, editor of the Muslim magazine Q News, spoke with Navid Akhtar, an independent television producer whose work projects a positive image of Islam. he speaks about the existence of an already on-going debate within parts of the muslim community regarding this issue, and that that debate from within is what will cause a culture shift for the islamic community in britain, rather than any law passed by the govt proscribing islamic dress. he also speaks about the responsibility of the muslim community to take notice of where it is in its context - ie, a liberal western democracy, and that its ridiculous for the muslim community to pretend that it doesn't matter where it is, the 'where it is' will just have to put up with them. that individualistic idea is actually a liberal western idea that some modern muslims have taken for themselves, and is actually, un-islamic.
he goes on to talk about the responsibility the muslim community has to be proactive, good neighbours in the wider community. he says that muslims should primarily be practicers of kindness and neighbourliness - doers of good religion, not just lovers of the icons of religion (ie, veil, beard, etc).
this was a good documentary that asked pertinent questions. the interviewer was humble enough to begin with a mind open to be changed, and gave a good contribution to the national debate about 'what it means to be british'.

kenya 10a: 28 may

2006-10-15T11:22:00.000+01:00

we're back in nairobi, in the a.c.k. guest house for our last night in kenya.
yesterday we spent the day with a parish priest, revd. simon, from st john's, kigomo. the idea was that we just be with one of the priests during their normal working day, and also to see the context and meet the local people, as we would be preaching in their church the next day.
revd simon is a very competent man, something of a trouble shooter, a strategist, an entreprenuer, a fundraiser, and a powerful leader. he has 3 churches in his parish, 2 of which we visited. during the course of the day, we met his executive of the parish council - and a good bunch they were too.
revd simon has turned the finances of the parish around, from being well behind in parish share by 300k kenyan shillings (ksh), to now paying their parish share of about 750k ksh in 10 months instead of 12 months. they also have a parish budget of about 530k ksh, which they meet each year for their own expenses. they have plans for erecting a new church, they're refurbishing the vicarage, and they employ staff.
i asked them the difficult question of 'what happens in 25 yrs time when western culture has gained a greater foothold, when the current leadership is no longer around, and when their single-purpose worship building has become a burden to maintain for the then congregation, as has been our expereience in england?'
they had thought of that. they actively engage with western culture, teach their young people about it, and have different ways of engaging their youth throughout the different phases of their development. the leaders also give a positive lead and provide a solid measure of control that provides firm boundaries. this kind of leadership seems to work well in kenyan culture, as its quite dominant from the top down, but also provide plenty of opportunity for others to use their gifts in all manner of ways, and indeed, expects people to be involved and develop any good ideas they have.
we went for lunch at a local cafe that was owned by one of revd simon's parishioners. then he took us for a walk down the high street of one of his churches, and introduced us to more of his parishioners who were traders in all manner of things.
we were always followed by a band of small kids who were amazed by us. revd simon said that this was the first time some of them had ever seen a 'mzungu' (white person) in their whole lives. they loved it when we took their photos and showed them on the camera.
at the end of the day, we went back to st andrew's for dinner. after dinner there were farewell speeches and singing for us. i simply can't describe the sensation of being amongst such genuinely warm and hospitable people whose grace flows from them in waves of blessing that brought tears to my eyes.

what's inside the cast

2006-10-12T18:45:00.000+01:00

purdy, ain't it...?

kenya 9: 26 may

2006-10-12T11:37:00.000+01:00

breakfast at 7am after a good sleep. then took off to the diocesan offices. got shown around the offices, and also the partly constructed church and partly constructed new diocesan offices. in their current state they looked dangerous as they're just a bunch of concrete girders and columns joined together. our health and safety exec would have a fit if they saw them, and just about have a heart attack if they realized people were able to climb around on them (as we did) and have church services in the partly constructed church.
our group split into 2: one group going off to visit various schools, and the other (ours) to see some functioning parts of the economy. our first stop was at an a.c.k. (anglican church of kenya) hospital. its only small, but well used by the community. to use the hospital, you must pay a fee, as it needs to be a sustainable enterprise - though not everyone can pay. those who can't pay are not turned away as the hospital's christian ethic is to treat all as of equal worth.
its got quite an holistic approach to life and death, as they grow much of their own food, have a cow for milk and meat production, and have their own morgue. patients get out and work in the garden, thus contributing the food they eat, but also it helps their recovery - emotionally as much as physically. this is in stark contrast to our uk system, where new hospitals ensue they have all the technology available for patients to access the internet, tv, and radio for their bed. but there is nothing invested in getting the patients to take an interest in things like food production, gardening, helping themselves. one of our group is a nurse in the uk, and she was amazed at how the kenyan attitude to rehab was far better for the whole human person than what we do in the uk.
then we went for lunch, which lasted nearly 2 hours. in kenya, you just have to understand that from the time you order your meal to the time it arrives take about an hour! it was a good time to talk with each other, including our guide for the day, revd benson, and our driver, justus. benson is the rural dean, and knows his deanery well. he spends about 60% of his time visiting families - this seems to be the backbone of effective evangelism in kenya. it's all about relationships.
following lunch, we visited a tea plantation - the kangaita - set on the slopes of mount kenya. it was interesting to see the pickers at work and learn something of the process. from the time the tea is picked until its processed and packed is 24 hours. an incredibly short time when you consider the complex process that the leaf goes through. and the pickers are very skilful. we bought half a kilo of tea each, though justus bought 2 kgs for his wife.
on the way back we visited a coffee co-op, but there nothing to see but the sheds as the season was ended.

kenya 8b: 25 may

2006-10-09T12:09:00.000+01:00

after leaving isiolo, we made the long trek to meru, stopping at the izaak walton hotel for lunch. the national press were there waiting for us, so after lunch, we left (ignoring them) and made our way to kabare to stay at st andrew's theological college.
we arrived in time for arvo tea, and then attended the thursday evening communion service. we were a little apprehensive about what our welcome would be like following the press reports of the previous days. we needn't have worried though, as the principal, canon moses, made it clear in his sermon that we are all different culturally, and that we need to allow the law of love to cover our differences and be determined to preserve the unity of the bonds of peace in the body of christ. we were made to feel very welcome.
canon moses asked bishop john to say a few words afterwards, too. their communion services are fabulous and the words of their liturgy are meaningful and good - i think i'll use it in london sometimes.
after the service, we had a party! dinner was held in the midst of speeches from various people, as it was the last time they would do this before end of term. exams begin on monday, finish on friday, and everyone leaves on saturday. such a joyful, happy bunch of people i have never, ever met before, though they're reminiscent of maori people.
the whole night i was on the verge of tears - tears of joy and happiness at being accepted into such a beautiful body of people who are so willing to share anything they have with us.
please jesus, bless them with all your heavenly treasures, in your name i ask, amen.

kenya 8a: 25 may

2006-10-07T10:54:00.000+01:00

ascension day - wicked! so much to try to record. am feeling well, however, instead of diarrhoea, i'm now constipated....
after leaving samburu serena lodge, we went back to archer's post to pick up revd gabriel so that he could take us to a couple of villages on the way to isiolo, where we would spend the night. the first village was very close to archer's post, and was called the nachami wowen group. they herd goats, but also make money from tourists. so to visit the village costs 1000 shillings/person. they put on an official greeting ceremony, just like the one they did at the confirmation service on monday, then invited us into the village, where they did some more songs.
then the young man who was, or seemed to be, the head man for the day (his name was peter), showed us how to make fire using 2 sticks and dried donkey dung for tinder. when i asked him what the wood was, he said the bottom stick is from the root of the aguida tree, and the vertical stick is from the branch of the same tree. then he asked me if i wanted to buy them, so i bargained with him and settled on 600 shillings. i reckoned josiah would be pleased with them and be able to take them with him. i also bought a necklace for zoe.
they are a christian tribe, but they practice polygamy and male and female circumcision. this is part of their culture, and not something they will give up. when we spoke to revd gabriel about it, he said there are some things you've just got to accept as cultural and work around them. makes for some interesting reflections around cultural issues, particularly in the light of the gay rights issue we're faced with here.
after leaving the nachami, we visited the turkana people, who are nomads, and also christians. they are completely different from the people of the samburu district. revd gabriel is half turkana and half samburu. from there we moved on to isiolo, where we were to spend the night. on the way, one of our tyres blew out as a sharp stone ripped it apart. when we got to isiolo ccs (christian community services), we had lunch and got into our rooms.
after a short break, we went out to visit some schools: the school for deaf children, the school for partially and completely blind children, and a community hostel for abandoned children. all were fabulous and gave us a warm welcome.
the ccs station is set up as a multi-disciplinary environment. it has an agri-vet dispensary for animal welfare, a small clinic for people, a laboratory, a computer suite for training, a warehouse for storing maize, and a model farm for experimenting with new dry-land farming techniques. the farming is very difficult as it relies on rain, and up until a couple of months ago, it hadn't rained a drop for 3 years! then they had some heavy rains, but after a couple of weeks of heat and wind, the moisture had evaporated.
its a very harsh environment!

kenya 7b: 23 may

2006-10-04T12:34:00.000+01:00

then we left to come here to samburu. after checking in, we went for a drive through the game park and saw all manner of wildlife including elephants, giraffe, oryx, antelope, dicdic, birds, sqirrels, baboons, monkeys - fabulous to see them in their natural environement. when we went back as darkness fell, we went to an area where crocodiles come up to the fence to eat meat thrown to them by the hotel. we could see a big croc out in the river, but he didn't come in.
this morning we went out again for a game drive at 0630, and saw all the creatures already mentioned again, plus a lioness. she was very hungry, hollow belly, and was just sitting there. after a while, she got up and began to stalk a herd of antelope about 400 yards away. just now, i can see a croc swimming upriver - wish i had some binoculars...
on our way to breakfast, we drove down to the riverbank where a big bull elephant was drinking on the other side of the river. beside him was a green croc basking in the sun. after a couple of minutes, the elephant started crossing the river toward us, and as he got closer our guide drove us away as the elephant was not happy about us being there. our guide, justus, told us that they will warn us twice, and will charge on the third time.
came back for breakfast, and then went on a guided nature walk around the compound. a young woman guided us and showed us plants and birds - she was very knowledgable. this lodge is overwhelmingly different to the simple, poor people we've seen mostly in kenya. there's an enormous gap between rich and poor in this country.
there is a great deal to think about, but strangely (perhaps) i'm not feeling overwhelmed by it; i'm just letting it wash over me. i wonder if there will be some kind of delayed reaction....
and bishop john has just made the front page of the national newspaper, the nation. i haven't seen the article, but apparently the archbishop of kenya has withdrawn his invitation to us in kenya...

kenya 7a: 23 may

2006-10-04T12:05:00.000+01:00

as i write, its just after 3pm, and i'm sitting on the verandah of my room at the sambura serena hotel (room 50), situated in the sambura national reserve. directly opposite me, facing north, is a 4' high stone wall that keeps crocodiles out of the compound. beyond the wall is 15m of vegetation and some trees that leads onto 30m of sand that forms the banks of the eousa (spelling?) river - the name means 'brown waters'. on the river-bank, 75m either side of where i sit, are 2 maribou storks - very large birds that seem to hang about river-banks. the river flows steadily and is only about 2' deep at present, though 2 weeks ago it flooded badly covering the 4' wall and came into the rooms. the hotel staff had seen the flood waters rising and evacuated the guests to another hotel.
across the 50m wide river is bush with 2 large hills to the right. the sun is out, there are some cumulus clouds in the sky, and its about 35 degrees celcius i reckon, though its a dry heat.
this place is luxurious, set in a wonderful game reserve full of wildlife. there is a family of marmocet monkeys playing about me as i write this. i've just woken from an hour's sleep, as i've been feeling physically weak today following continual chronic diarrheoa for the last couple of days. i thought i was getting better yesterday, but after some dinner last night was feeling bad again and was advised to go see the doc, who gave me a course of antibiotics. i felt much better today and haven't been to the loo since last night - hallelujah!
yesterday was very full. we went to the ccs station at isiolo, which is some kind of model farm that i think we're going back to tomorrow. food and tea were served, but i didn't take any. from there we went to archer's post for a confirmation service for about 35 candidates. when we arrived, a group of local women in tradtitional dress greeted us with singing and dancing - fabulous! it was a very small church, but had a pa system and electronic keyboard that just seemed unnecessary and incongruous amidst the surroundings. to add to the incongruity, our bishop and the local bishop, daniel, were dressed up in their robes and were sweltering in the heat. as the service went on, i was wondering what was going on behind the eyes of these noble-looking people, and where the simple gospel message was making connections with their own history, stories, and traditions; and where this incongruous form of anglicanism was incomprehensible to them.
as usual, they put on food afterwards, and again i didn't take any. at the end of the meal, bishop daniel gave a speech that included something to the effect that 'not partaking in food prepared by hosts is insulting to the host'. so i spoke to him as we left explaining my stomach situation and he seemed quite happy and understanding.

kenya 6: 21 may

2006-10-04T10:23:00.000+01:00

didn't sleep well, as up several times with bad diarrhoea. it was also very noisy last night, with a disco going on in the hotel til early hours, cocks crowing at 5am, donkey braying about the same time, then the muslim minaret calling the people to prayer at 5.30am, and finally some early morning christian worship. my stomach is not good, and i decided to stay back today as i need to be close to a loo. i was due to go out with paul and bishop charles to some remote parish, but the travelling would be bad and the toilets non-existent so its best i stay at the hotel. i'm also feeling weak, and need a day to rest.
as i write this, its almost 11am, and for the last hour and a half i've heard some kind of christian church service going on not far away. it sounds like its an outdoor meeting that's being amplified. lots of singing - very long songs; a woman preaching, another giving testimony, some sung worship, and more singing. its quite comforting really, though in my present state i'm glad i'm not part of it.
i've noticed how much slower the pace of life is here, and the effect its had on me. for example, in london i'm always in a rush - i walk quickly, etc. i often wonder, when seeing how slowly africans walk in london, how they can physically walk so slowly. but now i'm here, i can understand. and now i'm walking slowly like them too, and it feels perfectly natural to do so. in the heat, its madness to try to do too much too quickly.
when we were in the outback yesterday, the roads were quite bad and very dusty. it felt bad to be driving past people who were walking, and showering them with clouds of red dust, especially knowing they would not be able to have a shower at the end of the day.
we saw many people herding their cattle (brahman) and various breeds of goats along the roads. when we went over one river, we saw a couple of young boys having a great time rolling down the muddy riverbank into the water. these are a people who enjoy living, difficult as their circumstances are, who are quick to smile, who welcome the stranger, and show generous hospitality. so different to us.

busted and addicted

2006-10-03T16:32:00.000+01:00

yep, that's me.
some of you may know that a coupla weeks ago i was chasing a burglar through my mate's backyard (after the burglar had already burgled their house and had come back for a second go), when he scaled the 7' paling fence to get out onto the street. i too scaled it (in a single bound), but landed badly and severly broke my heel. so badly broken is it that its now got 8 screws and a piece of meccano-looking steel inside it holding it all together. which means of course, that i'm house-bound and recovering. and also of course, the bloody burglar got away!
i'm also slightly addicted. and no, its not to the pain-killers, but to 'the west wing'. a mate very kindly lent me series 1-5, and i've been working my way through series 1 since this weekend. its a fantastic show, which i never watched when it was on telly. i never normally watch series shows, as i can't get into the continuity of it all due to work style. but i've got lots of time for continuity now!
for those of you with a mind to, please pray for me - and my mates - and the flamin' burglar....

kenya 5: 20 may

2006-10-03T10:40:00.000+01:00

well, today my guts have been somewhat evacuated of food! a mild case of diarrhoea first thing this morning meant that i haven't had much to eat today, save for some toast, bread, bananas, water, and a bottle of coke. apparently coke and bananas are an effective remedy for the runs. paul and sue also had it, but a bit worse than me and so they stayed at the hotel today as they didn't think it wise to travel. a good move as it turned out.
we set off this morning at 0730, as bishop charles wanted to show us around his diocese - it is enormous, and widely varied. our first stop was a little foster home for hiv+ children. you can read about them in a previous post. but to continue their story a little, the diocese has started a project of building a multi-purpose building that will serve the needs better. at the moment, they've only excavated the ground, as that's all they can afford to do. that's typical of their approach - they do what they have money for, and then stop until they raise more. very pragmatic!
after this, we headed off to the bishop's parish, where we saw his church and a brand new one they're building beside it. again, the new one is incomplete, and needs about 1.4m shillings (about £12k) to complete it. we had a very early lunch of meat, bread, and tea, before heading out into the wider countryside.
we went to the first anglican church in meru, started by canon john-peter back in 1963. he's a remarkable man, gifted in pioneering new churches and schools. he's started 17 schools in his time, and has served in many areas of the diocese that he knows so well. he and i got on well together. this first church that he started is in an area susceptible to drought, and the people are poor. there is a dispensary there, but its not well used as people can't afford the medicines, and there aren't many medicines stocked anyway.
from there we went to the lowlands, and the country changes from lush and green to become dry, red dust, rocky with vegetation more akin to the aussie outback. we visited several schools, all of which were empty as its saturday. then moved onto another township with a small, very poor church run by the rural dean, rev phillip. he has 4 parishes to serve, which he does on foot as he has no transportation. one of his big wishes is for a bicycle, so i'm going to suggest tonight that we all pitch in and get him one. they cost around 6k shillings, which would cost us about £10 each to contribute to.
it seems that the bishop's strategy is to show us how poor his diocese is, in the hope that we will provide financial aid. they are indeed poor and in dire need of better facilities, though they really have little hope of raising funds internally as their income is from predominantly poor people who are heavily dependent on weather and the success of crops and livestock.
in this country, there seems to be something of a connection between buildings and the gospel. rev phillip told us about how the poor state of their church - little more than a tin shack with red earth floor and benches for pews - is a distinct turn-off to new people who come. just down the road from his church is the government's district commisisoner's office. when new staff who are anglican arrive and come looking for the local anglican church find this tin shack, those new people only come once, and don't return. this has a direct effect on ministry as people like those in the d.c office have money which could be fed into the church. but if they don't come, they don't give. if they don't give, the parish can't pay its quota to the diocese. if it doesn't pay its quota, the diocese doesn't pay the stipend (wages) of the priest. and rev phillip has now been without a stpiend for a year! but still he is faithful and does his best with no money and no transport in a crappy little tin shed church that few people come to. bless him.
it seems that colonial anglicanism has left a legacy that demands its form in buildings, vestments, etc., be upheld and maintained at the cost of simply doing interpersonal ministry. if rev phillip was not tied to buildings then he would have finance available for a bicycle and a stipend. 'meaning' and 'form' have been fused and confused here as in the west. the propogation of anglicanism is as important to kenyans (and many english) as the propogation of the gospel. lord, have mercy on them and on us.
we had some strong conversation about gospel and culture over dinner in the evening.

world view clash

2006-10-01T16:54:00.000+01:00

was catching up on listening to podcasts from radio4 today, and was astonished to hear one of the 0810 interviews by john humphreys as he spoke with a young muslim. this young muslim, abu izzadeen, was the man who heckled the home secretary, dr john reid, when dr reid visited my izzadeen's community a few weeks ago. mr izzadeen said that dr reid had no right coming to a muslim local community. hhhmmmmm, the home secretary has no right to go to a part of the country for which he has parliamentary responsibility....

as you listen, i'm sure you'll be aware that there is a definite clash of worldviews going on here. there's an interesting point made my mr izzadeen that is indicative of the clash of worldviews, where he talks about allah making and owning the universe, therefore, all muslims have an a priori duty to obey allah, follow his laws (ie, from mr izaadeen's perspective, sharia law), and work toward implementing those laws wherever muslims live. so, the law of the land in which they live is of little importance to mr izadeen and people of his views.

christians say something similar, in that god created the world and all in it. christians would also say that the law of god - loving god with all you've got, and loving your neighbour as yourself - holds pre-eminence over the laws of the land. this approach allows the church to have a prophetic voice in the community where it can critique the laws of the land with the laws of love. i think it fair to say the muslim can also bring a prophetic critique to the government's laws.

but as i listened, there was something disturbing about mr izzadeen's approach. what do you think about it?

anyway, its an astounding interview that you can get through itunes by subscribing to the bbc radio4 podcast. the date of the interview was 22.9.06.

you can also follow a thread about the same kind of thing on kester brewin's blog.

kenya 4b: 19 may

2006-09-29T12:47:00.000+01:00

after that episode, we went on to st andrew's theological college, out in the bush. it has a very different feel to our hotel! its very basic, constructed predominantly from breeze-block and tin. we had tea with the principal and the dean of studies, before joining the whole college at the thursday evening communin service.
it was a very lively service with much singing, several 'presentations' by students, more singing that included clapping, dancing, whistling. it was fabulous to be surrounded by such happy people. and then, after church, was dinner. on the way to dinner the singing and dancing continued until grace was said. we had a table set for us, while the students did not. this is culturally appropriate, though it feels wrong and awkward to be on the receiving end.
following dinner, we gave our gifts of vlerical shirts and text books to the principal for him to distribute as he saw fit. he was dumbstruck - please bless all who receive those gifts, lord.
while there, the stars were out and for the first time since leaving oz, i saw the southern cross in the sky. it was a grand sight, so bright and clear in the dark night sky.
today we drove to meru diocese, a few hours up the road. on the way, we crossed the equator - the first time i've done that, apart from from flying. we arrived at our hotel, the three steers hotel, only to discover that they knew nothing of our booking! that got sorted out after a while, and we went to visit bishop charles, the bishop of meru.
he's a large man, with a large heart for his diocese, but his diocese only has very limited means. he provides lunch for about 40 streetkids, and he introduced us to them at their lunchtime. they get about half a loaf of bread and a large mug of maize porridge - very filling. they were all ages, from about 7-20 years old, some still stoned on glue, all with very poor clothing and personal hygiene, most with big smiles. after being with him for a couple of hours, we came back to the hotel to unpack and rest befoer bishop charles came to us for dinner with a couple of his senior clergy to discuss the programme for the weekend.
tomorrow is a very early start for a tiki-tour of some of the diocese. on sunday we will be split up into 3 groups of 2 to go to various churches. paul and i will go with bishop charles to a rural parish - very poor, uneducated farmers, and not many of them. looking forward to that.
and now its time to sleep. paul's already asleep and snoring. the lights just went out for about the fourth time this evening, and nobody takes any notice, so it seems to be quite normal.
my guts were a bit wrong on the drive up this morning, and i suspect its a reaction to the malarone as i was feeling fine until after breakfast (when i take the pill). i don't really think it was the food.
i've noticed that i'm just letting the whole experience wash over me. i don't have an agenda, just trying to be open to what god may want to teach me. i spoke to justus this morning about yesterday's streetkids episode. he said i had done the right thing. if i gave money, they would most likely spend it on glue. they don't understand the nature of tourism, and so they think that if i gave them something today then another tourist will turn up to give them something tomorrow, and so on. it keeps them dependent and they never learn to think about doing something for themselves. he thinks it better to encourage them, as he did, to go to st stepehen's house where they will be fed and given an opportunity to be trained in something.
and my guts are so full of food....

kenya 4a: 19 may

2006-09-29T12:16:00.000+01:00

we have 45 mins now, following breakfast, to relax. yesterday we left nairobi after breakfast and drove an hour to the blue posts hotel, at thika. thika is famous for its flame trees, but now is not the season. its a lovely setting, with at least 3 impressive waterfalls of about 15 metres height. the water is reddy-brown, like the dirt - similar to australian outback.
there were some semi-wild ostriches running about - very large birds. i bought a small coin pouch for 350 shillings - about £3. apparently we're supposed to haggle, but i just don't have the heart for it. i know i would pay a similar price in the uk, and these people deserve a fair price, so i feel i must give it to them. on the other hand, as one of our guides said, they wouldn't part with it for anything less than a fair price, and haggling is part of the relationship-building. but i'm not making a relationship, i'm simply making a transaction. i'll probably never see them again.
we moved on to our new base at embu, and checked into the izaak walton hotel. its a very nice hotel, but with a distinct colonial feel. following lunch, we visited the embu diocese cathedral, the stained glass windows of which were donated by our own chelmsford diocese cathedral. it was a very hot day, but inside, the cathedral was cool and comfortable. there were some large native birds resting on the rafters inside that brought to mind some words from psalm 84, '...even the birds find a place to rest in your house, o lord'.
leaving the cathedral, we went into the town to pick up some books from the church bookshop. as we parked outside, we were positioned by a group of streetkids, aged in their mid-teens to early 20's. they approached us. someone in our van had a bag of sweets they were distributing inside our van, which then went outside to the streetkids. one then approached me, and said something i couldn't understand, and i told him so. he tried again, and in very broken english said, 'buy me some milk and bread'. i told him that i can't do that. i had my dog-collar on. i felt terrible. having seen the way they dealt with the sweets, i could only imagine what would happen if i gave money - the van would be swamped with people wanting money. still, i felt terrible. justus, our kenyan driver, said something to them, but i don't know what it was. later today i will speak with him about it.
but the words of john the baptist were echoing, '...whoever has 2 coats, let him give to him who has none.' and other scriptures of that kind were in my head. 'lord, have mercy on them and on me...'

Kenya 3: 17 May

2006-09-28T10:23:00.000+01:00

as i write this, dusk is falling. because we're so close to the equator, the length of day between seasons only varies by about 10 mins. so, in essence, its dawn at around 0630 and dusk around 1830 - every day!
today was sunnier and warmer than yesterday, with our time split into 3 major chunks. the morning was spent visiting kibera, one of the largest slum settlements in africa with a population of of about 700,000 people living in about 5 square kilometres. its quite something to visit, and difficult to know how to describe it. we weren't supposed to take cameras in, as it was rude to take photos, so i don't have any photos of kibera. but if you've seen the movie, 'the constant gardener', then you'll see kibera as the scenes shot in the slums were shot there.
kibera seems to have grown up in a valley that has a railway line running through it. people live and work in appalling conditions with rubbish strewn about, open drains running down the middle of the tracks that serve as roads - tho the only vehicles that use the roads are wheelbarrows. the roads also look like they become open sewers, and must be diabolical when it rains. houses are made from corrugated iron, mud, and sticks, some concrete, and wood. very, very basic living conditions, though many have electricity (lines jury-rigged to mains supplies), tv, and stereo.
the smell is quite bad, and actually reminded me of the pig-stys on the farm - the smell hits you in the back of the throat. there are people everywhere - cooking, washing clothes, fixing bicycles, selling charcoal - and just about anything else. little children are running everywhere, tons of them, all coming up to us to shake hands and chanting together, 'how are you, how are you?', and when we asked them the same question they all replied, 'fine!' very cute.
our guides took us around to their friends' houses, who all invited us in and talked, and they all asked us to pray for them. our guide (we were in 3 groups) was a young man of 20 years named juma, who had been a christian for about 3 years. he had completed his 'o' levels in physics and maths and was hoping to go to uni and from there to become a pilot in the civil aviation industry. he was a really nice young man, and i prayed for him in his home of 2 rooms that god would bless him in his plans.
while there, we visited the centre for urban mission. this is the outfit where the cms guy we met last night - colin smith - works. he and some of his colleagues explained what they do and why. the big idea for them is that the gospel must be practical, and not just another good idea. they are passionately concerned about the whole person, and so get involved in projects that meet the practical needs that the people of kibera have. the main social concerns are: poverty, stress, sickness, hiv/aids. the anglican church is involved in all of these issues through various projects. there are 2 new anglican parishes in kibera: st jerome, and st phillip; and there are many other churches there too - the majority being independent pentecostal churches that just grow up out of the local community.
and while there is grinding poverty, there is also abundant hospitality. while we were at the centre, we were given traditional milky tea and mandazi (a large, triangular shaped doughnut). but before the food arrived, a young woman brought around a bowl of water and towel for us to wash our hands - very humbling to be served in this way.
the second chunk of the day was slightly surreal. after leaving kibera, we came back for a 3 course lunch with the archbishop of kenya, before going to his offices for discussions with him and some of his staff. he seemed a genuinely nice man, very interested in, and committed to the freedom and welfare of the whole person. this 'social gospel' is very important to the kenyan anglicans. he said something that struck me, 'peace is another name for development'. you can't have development without peace, and so he is concerned to be involved in brokering peace in places of conflict so that development can take place.
the third chunk of the day was a late afternoon visit to the national cathedral in nairobi. they have a gift of a photo from one of the american apollo space missions, with the caption, 'jesus walking on the earth is more important than man walking on the moon.' they also have an incredibly busy sunday schedule of 13 services per day, and a great many other things going on besides! but speaking to one or two 'on the side', it seems that the cathedral is really only for those who 'belong', and so the 'outsider' doesn't get much of a look in. it made me think of how we use some of our cathedrals in england, and how much more open they seem to outsiders and how they can be experimented with.
then in the evening, we went up to the 'fairview hotel' to have a drink and relax. its an incredibly plush place with a beautiful swimming pool. only rich people can stay there. after that, went back to the guest house to watch barcelona beat arsenal 2-1 in the uefa cup. my mate dave was at the game in paris, and we were texting each other throughout it.
what a day of contrasts: from poverty to luxury. uncomfortable to be in both. as rich people, we have options in life. the poor don't.

jet's new album

2006-09-27T10:23:00.000+01:00

the aussie rockers from my hometown are about to release their new album, 'shine on', on oct 3.
but you can listen to the whole album right now at myspace.
looking forward to the tour in november!

kenya 2 - 16 may

2006-09-26T18:31:00.000+01:00

thought i'd start a new series on sharing the journal i kept while in kenya in may this year. i've already done one post about kenya, so that's why this one is labelled as'2'.
so, here it begins on the flight over.

good flight, though didn't get much sleep. watched 'walk the line' - great film. magnificent colours in the sunrise through the plane's window. never seen a sky like it. flight got in about 0630, and then we were all packed into 3 minibuses for the trip to the anglican church of kenya provincial guest house on bishop's road, nairobi.
got caught up in rush hour traffic - incredible amount of vehicles. a very slow, and smoggy journey. interesting to watch the locals: so very many walking to work; all very well dressed, clean clothes, taking care to wash the mud from their shoes with water from roadside ditches. at one intersection, i saw a sight that would've made a good photo: hundreds of people, all walking in different directions at great speed, while one young man sat on a bench at the crossroads watching as everyone walked by him and traffic roared all around. it was a picture of human stillness in the midst of orderly confusion.
got to the guest house finally, and were allocated rooms. i'm with paul trathen and we got the new block (pictured). we got into our beds and slept for about 2 hours. got up to have cold showers as there was no hot water, before going into nairobi city centre. got dropped off at the catholic cathedral, bought a stole in the bookshop, and wandered around the cathedral. its quite large and made of prefabricated concrete that gives a stark, harsh appearance. but there is an impressive, plain east window of stained glass.
got some money from an atm and went with lee batson and dave gilmour to a very nice coffee shop. then got taken to yar yar shopping mall, which is quite small in comparison to western standards. while there, a little boy aged about 7, with thick glasses in school uniform, approached me and very politely asked if i could help him with money. i bent down to him and gently told him that i couldn't. he didn't press me, but walked away. we've been told that its not good to give to begging children, as you will soon be surrounded by hoards of them. i felt sad for the poor wee guy. the gap between rich and poor here is immense. and the gap in standards of living between kenya and uk is stark. nairobi looks tired and tatty and is trying hard to catch up with the developed west.
tomorrow we will see that gap in even more stark terms when we visit the slums in nairobi with one of the cms guys who has been working incarnationally here for 3-4 years. he's coming for dinner with us tonight and will speak to us about what he's doing and what we will do and see tomorrow morning. should be good, and i'm looking forward to it.
interesting to note that as we moved away from the city centre the quality of the roads deteriorated while the level of high security gated compounds and houses increased. there's a great deal of traffic on the roads, and while its very busy, there doesn't seem to be any aggression from the drivers - unlike the uk.
there are also more roadside stalls and mini-shanty towns further from the city centre. as we drove home from yar yar, we went through a police check point, complete with officers armed with fully automatic weapons. they were guarding the israeli embassy.

soul space

2006-09-05T12:28:00.000+01:00

tomorrow night is soul space at st mary's walthamstow, from 8.30pm-9.30pm.

come and enjoy the peace....

questions, questions, questions.......

2006-09-03T20:28:00.000+01:00

courtesy of me old mate, si johnston, i've subscribed to a podcast by conrad gempf on his new book, 'jesus asked'.
his publishers gave him permission to read the entire book so that it can be listened to online (though he also asks that you buy it - but that's another question!)
anyhoo, i'm really enjoying the first few installments, as he studies the ways in which jesus asks questions way more than he ever gave answers.
i find the power of questioning is in giving space and opportunity for the other person to really have a go at trying to understand themselves, and be given the opportunity to be heard.
worth having a listen to.

smouldering inspiration

2006-08-03T20:40:00.000+01:00

this is what i always feared about starting a blog - that i lose inspiration, and then, interest.

aaaaaarrrgggggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

and its holiday season which makes it even more difficult.

but last wednesday night, at soul space, we couldn't open the front door of the church as there was something wrong with the lock. the only way in was through the back door via a slightly treacherous track around the graveyard in the dark and light drizzly rain. i was going to call it off, as it felt completely wrong to be locked in a church without having the front door open so that anyone else could come in. but then a young mum with her baby boy came, and she was so disappointed that she couldn't have her hour of peace and space in church - i just couldn't say no to her.

and our delightful, atheist friend, lawrence was there too. he sent me an email this morning, part of which i put here:

Congratulations on last night’s Soul Space. I saw a man who had already “walked that other mile” the Man in Black sings about, and who was also abhorred at the idea of a closed church - but who managed somehow (with whatever inner feelings you had) to respond to a cry of pain and need from a mother with child.

I hope you got something yourself from the experience. I personally loved what you described as the “weird experience of being locked up in a church”. I felt we were reliving the beginning of Acts 2 which to me paints a picture of the followers being all huddled together in a (locked) building - feeling afraid, inferior and inadequate. So for me, last night was history and symbolism and reality and poetry. And I loved you for mentioning us all by name, along with yourself, at the closing prayer.

lawrence, and good people like him, help to keep inspriation smouldering in me.

contemplative prayer tomorrow night

2006-07-15T17:40:00.000+01:00

yep, tomorrow night at st mary's walthamstow, 7pm, (6.30pm for tea and cakes) i'll be leading an evening of contemplative prayer ably assisted by U2 and the man in black, the late, great mr. johnny cash.
come and be at peace....

rev tc

farewell blogger, hello wordpress!

The longest night of the year

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arise (hon) 'sir' bono

juliet turner

podcasting queen

tagged

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Email your MP about the killer in the kitchen

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The Moon- 2: Genesis 37:1-11

reflections on institutionalised religion

Inspiration for the Week

romereo, an advent prayer

the sign of the sabbath

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all things coffee

The Moon 1: Psalm 8

too much common sense

The Sun - 2: Mark 1:32-35

Inspiration for the Week

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The Sun - 1: Genesis 1:14-19

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Inspiration

i'm rich!

golding describes the rescue

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Johnny Cash God's Gonna Cut You Down

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inspiration for this week

Movement and Tension: Mark 4:35-41

Beautiful Creation: Psalm 65:9-13

new music

you put your right foot in, you take your right foot out

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humphrys in search of god 1 - christianity

merton on democracy from nearly 40 years ago

kenya 11b: 29 may (last one)

i count

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and who is my neighbour? (part 2)

astonishment at the importance of religion?

and who is my neighbour? (part 1)

progress

stumbleupon

kenya 11a: 29 may

over-egging by journos?

a song of love

new links

kenya 10b: 28 may

green apples

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new book

the veil: a first-hand experience

history matters - the biggest blog

hear no....see no....?