My friend, Fr Martin Magill, rang this morning and asked me to record a Thought for the Day for him to use on his parish website tomorrow. I agreed, so here it is - five minutes instead of two - but a first attempt at self-recording. I wonder what else I'm going to learn to do!
I'm posting it here because I recorded it on my phone, and it seems to be too big to send. I hope it doesn't spend so long buffering that you give up and go elsewhere...! Oh well, it's all about learning...
Saturday, 21 March 2020
Monday, 6 January 2020
2020 - Time to pick up the blog!
So, six years on, it's time I said Hello again to the Blogosphere. Been a busy time, raising a teen, travelling internationally and carrying on my education whilst working full time. There's lots, of course, I won't say here... suffice it to say, I'm back, with more to learn, more to wonder about, and lots of things to be grateful for.While there's life, there's hope
Mass extinction may be underway, but while there's life, as they say, there's hope. And sometimes even death isn't the end. Thinking of folk in Australian bushfires - and feeling their relief at news of a little rain to dampen things for a few days. Thinking too of USA interactions with Iran and Iraq (inter alia) and wondering where all of that is going to lead us. Meanwhile, we have responsibilities and things we CAN influence for the better...
I'm pondering the possibility of starting a new blog, to address the challenges of continuing to grow and learn and overcome obstacles in the face of adversity, failure and plain stubbornness! Or maybe I'll save the effort and just keep going here for now! Happy New Year, 2020.
Thursday, 7 August 2014
Thought for the Day, BBC Radio Ulster, 7 August
I was always intrigued by those signposts that said, “The
Ulster Way”.
I have always intended to follow them, ... but never got round to
it.
I once believed that roads were objective and absolute
facts. I never questioned them.
They were just there. I travelled the same roads each day for years.
Then they made the Westlink,
and I discovered that roads can be moved,
everyone’s path redirected,
by civil servants and planners,
potentially influenced by politicians
and by the people who take enough interest to think about what is happening,
and protest if they don’t like it.
Roads are a process, not a final goal.
They appear as the process of human interaction.
As ants follow ants,
most people follow people,
a crowd follows a crowd,
and their beaten track becomes the road
around which everything else is built.
In the words of the Dire Straits song:
“The dirty old track...was the Telegraph Road.”
They were just there. I travelled the same roads each day for years.
Then they made the Westlink,
and I discovered that roads can be moved,
everyone’s path redirected,
by civil servants and planners,
potentially influenced by politicians
and by the people who take enough interest to think about what is happening,
and protest if they don’t like it.
Roads are a process, not a final goal.
They appear as the process of human interaction.
As ants follow ants,
most people follow people,
a crowd follows a crowd,
and their beaten track becomes the road
around which everything else is built.
In the words of the Dire Straits song:
“The dirty old track...was the Telegraph Road.”
In his book, “We make the road by walking”…
Brian D. McLaren encourages everyone to take responsibility for their part in leading others,
in making the road.
We all shape the direction of society by the choices we make,
the ways we choose to go.
But there will always be what Robert Frost 's poem called “The Road Not Taken",
AND the title of M. Scott Peck's book, "The Road Less Travelled.” It’s a Way of integrity,
of oneness with God and with Creation.
Jesus of Nazareth
spoke of the Road being narrow – Brian D. McLaren encourages everyone to take responsibility for their part in leading others,
in making the road.
We all shape the direction of society by the choices we make,
the ways we choose to go.
But there will always be what Robert Frost 's poem called “The Road Not Taken",
AND the title of M. Scott Peck's book, "The Road Less Travelled.” It’s a Way of integrity,
of oneness with God and with Creation.
“Enter through the narrow gate.
For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction,
and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life,
and only a few find it.” (Mt 7.13)
In the same chapter, Matthew 7, his words are reported:
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way as you judge others,
you will be judged,
and with the measure you use,
it will be measured to you.
And take the plank out of your own eye
before you tackle the speck in your brother or sister’s eye.” The Traditional Routes
of comparison and resentment,
condemnation and hypocrisy,
of polarised communities
and blind following,
can be changed…
when you and I choose to change direction,
to follow this Different Path.
To love our neighbour
- and our enemy,
to live fully as created and creative beings,
and to be free.
Following this man, - and our enemy,
to live fully as created and creative beings,
and to be free.
who calls himself the Way, (John 14.7)
is a long tradition of eccentrics.
Their path is neither safe nor mindless.
It leads through the valley of the shadow of death,
but also through green pastures. AND it restores the soul.
This could be a new Ulster Way.
If enough of us would get round to following Him.
If enough of us would get round to following Him.
Thursday, 31 July 2014
31 July Thought for the day - Radio Ulster 94.5FM
Twenty years ago, I was living and working for the Groupes Bibliques Universitaires (that’s the Association of University Bible Groups) in
the South of France. French people reminded me regularly: the French are much
less clubbable than the British or Americans.
Individualism appeared to be key. I learned the phrase, “Tall poppy syndrome:” Anyone who stands
above the crowd gets their head chopped off.
At that time, it seemed to me, the French were still living
under the memory of the guillotine. Every 14th of July they
remembered the storming of the Bastille and the “Freedom, Equality and
Brotherhood” mantra of the French Revolution. I sometimes encountered a
critical spirit that I called the Spirit of the Bastille. Fear of
authoritarianism made leadership a real challenge. People seemed to dislike
taking responsibility or authority themselves and they were quick to criticise
and depose those who did. I know now that this is not just a French phenomenon.
Though it has a particular flavour because French state schools teach children
philosophy instead of religious education: the idea is to equip citizens to
think and engage critically and not accept everything they are told. The
positive side is that they don’t easily hand over their autonomy to any petty
autocrat who wants to run a club or a political party – or a church for that
matter. The negative, lazy option is to be critical without engaging.
Today I am a university chaplain and I think a lot about critical
minds. Critical minds are crucial to the functioning of any good human
organisation. We need critical minds to see abuse, name it, engage to find
better solutions and devise ways to bring about change. Critical minds are
essential to free people from all kinds of oppression. But a critical spirit
brings its own oppression, crushing fresh thinkers, replacing passion with
cynicism. A critical spirit destroys community and relationships . A critical
mind constructs better alternatives.
Some of the best people I know – both French and from here
use their critical mind with a spirit of generosity. What would this day look
like if we engaged in our world with a critical mind and a generous spirit.
Monday, 14 April 2014
Duelling with God: Dandelions at Dawn
There comes a point where I have to go looking for God.
"What is this all about?"
Death. Restructuring. Cancer.
and the Democratic Republic of Congo...
Suicide.
Syria. South Sudan.
Gloves off
thrown in the face.
Honour is at stake.
We met at dawn.
I drew a dandelion
laboriously
in grey pencil.
He drew the sunrise
at the speed of light
and tipped the blades of grass
with dew.
The wildflowers faced the rising sun
and I was lost.
No paint bright enough.
No gold pure enough.
I can't do justice to it.
I can't do justice.
Love mercy.
Walk humbly
Unappreciated
Wild flowers grow and glow,
hated for their perseverance,
glorious in their persistence,
bringing invaluable gold to the wasteland
amidst the empty houses of delapidated estates,
indifferent to ideologies,
kerbstone colours,
ancestral legacies
and bank balances.
They warm and open
to simple sunlight,
are food for insects,
food for birds,
which bring song to barren streets
and silent building sites.
Enough
Enough that joy
seeps through the gloom and grey
Enough that life
peeps over decrepitude, dereliction and decay
Honour is at stake.
And life.
And where is God?
Not answerable to me.
Yet answers.
A kind of answer
And a kindly one.
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
For God and... the people made in God's image
I grew up in Belfast, where the phrase "For God and Ulster" was present on walls and banners in a way I didn't think about. I guess I didn't feel it represented my faith... As an undergraduate I was given a copy of "For God and His Glory Alone" in 1988 by our Christian Union staff worker. (I won't name him here, though I'm sure he'd be happy to be outed on this. Funny how that old NI fear of irrational reprisals lingers...) The International Fellowship of Evangelical Students has great potential for challenging culturally acceptable idols such as the uniting of faith and political ideology, and also to nurture broader Biblical thinking about how Jesus-followers engage in the world as a whole. Poverty, oppression, structures that damage human beings and inhibit human flourishing. The Prophets are full of that stuff. I remember studying Amos... What a hero. (Let justice flow like rivers and right relationships like a never failing stream...)
ECONI produced the For God and... document as Bible study material to challenge evangelicals about how we relate to our neighbours - in a way that challenged the Paisleyite public rejection of the Roman Catholic Church and implicitly - to loyalists, at least - seemed to sanction attacks on Catholics. It comes down to simple biblical teachings around justice, forgiveness, loving neighbours and enemies - all basic Jesus teachings.
The book has been relaunched. Here's Steve Stockman's review http://stocki.typepad.com/soulsurmise/2013/10/for-god-and-his-glory-alone.html
I think, all these years on, I would like to have renamed the book. But how?
For God.
For God and God's Glory alone (I don't like reinforcing the masculine pronoun for God in a culture where masculinity is often defined as against femininity. A recent article I read pleaded for men to man up against the feminisation of the Church - as if the full participation of any of God's children in Church was a loss to their brothers and sisters!)
Or how about this: For God and the human beings made in God's image...?
What should we be willing to live and die for? (and for what should we be willing to kill?)
ECONI produced the For God and... document as Bible study material to challenge evangelicals about how we relate to our neighbours - in a way that challenged the Paisleyite public rejection of the Roman Catholic Church and implicitly - to loyalists, at least - seemed to sanction attacks on Catholics. It comes down to simple biblical teachings around justice, forgiveness, loving neighbours and enemies - all basic Jesus teachings.
The book has been relaunched. Here's Steve Stockman's review http://stocki.typepad.com/soulsurmise/2013/10/for-god-and-his-glory-alone.html
I think, all these years on, I would like to have renamed the book. But how?
For God.
For God and God's Glory alone (I don't like reinforcing the masculine pronoun for God in a culture where masculinity is often defined as against femininity. A recent article I read pleaded for men to man up against the feminisation of the Church - as if the full participation of any of God's children in Church was a loss to their brothers and sisters!)
Or how about this: For God and the human beings made in God's image...?
What should we be willing to live and die for? (and for what should we be willing to kill?)
Sunday, 10 November 2013
Remembering - What we're here for
This morning's Remembrance day sermon was a real challenge... There is so much emotion about. So many sensitivities. And so much opportunity for Remembrance to be co-opted for jingoistic, unthinking and implicit justification of the unjust use of security forces. Stuff that I think stands in the way of faithful allegiance to Jesus Christ, and prevents Protestants in NIreland being effective witnesses to the love of God for their neighbours. Where to *begin* to unpack all that in 20 minutes? I began by reading from Ephesians 2.
Ephesians 2.
14For Jesus Christ himself is our peace, who has made the two groups (Jews and Gentiles) one and has destroyed the
barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in
his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create
in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and
in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put
to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you
who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For
through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
19 Consequently, you are no longer
foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also
members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In
him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in
the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to
become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Remembering
is a kind of faithfulness. We remember with respect those whose suffering was
the price paid for freedom.
But certain kinds of remembering can be faithless.
Selective remembering, remembering that asks no hard questions of those who
sent them to their deaths, remembering that makes saints of one side and demons
of the other – these kinds of remembering dishonour the true memory of those
real human beings whose lives are destroyed through war. If we remember we must
remember the whole truth. Our great respect for those who suffer and die must
not stifle the very freedom for which they suffered.
Proper
remembrance, to honour those who died for democracy, must make full use of democratic
rights and freedoms, never take them for granted, always defend human dignity
and encourage the thinking and challenging education of all our people towards
full human flourishing. A truly free nation should always ask hard questions of
anyone sending others out to kill. If remembrance or wearing a poppy or
flying a particular flag becomes an excuse to glorify war-making or killing or wanton
destruction, the poppy, the flag and those remembered are dishonoured by that
kind of remembering.
So here, in a Christian Church, living under a flag, but subject only to the King above all kings, what Good News shall we
preach, on this day when we remember war? What good news, when the First World
War, called the war to end all wars, has been followed by war after war after
war, slaughter upon slaughter upon slaughter. Genocides, war crimes, crimes
against humanity, atrocities… Korea,
Vietnam, Cambodia, Chile, Guatemala, Argentina, Israel-Palestine, Lebanon,
Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya… Those are only the ones
that came to mind. Even in our own land, Human lives are sacrificed for causes
sold as the greater good, sold as justice.
Tyrants may, perhaps, occasionally,
be stopped, dethroned, even brought to trial, or killed; Great evils may be
challenged, but war never achieves real justice: How can there be justice
for the child whose mother was raped and killed by occupying soldiers; or for
the child whose father comes home from long periods of absence physically
unharmed, but violent, angry, emotionally distant, or dependent on alcohol to
forget the brutality in which he has participated?
In human terms, there is no justice, no adequate
mechanism for taking an eye for every eye taken: If one old man gives an order
to invade or bomb or massacre, how can those deaths be avenged? If one woman
soldier kills a thousand villagers, how can she ever repay even one of those
lives? If one child soldier is forced to torture and kill his own parents, who
is the victim? And who is the perpetrator? Who is righteous?
And if all have sinned, and if all of us fall short
of the glory of God, for which we were made, is there no righteousness? No true
justice in the world? What good news is there, when there is no justice? If
young men or women from East Belfast or Seymour Hill, with limited education
and few options, are being brought up on the heroism of the Somme, in such a
way that they are led to believe without question that it is noble to fight and
kill and die for a flag, are they being trained to serve a false god? Where is
the Good News of Jesus Christ?
The Good News begins, not at the Cross, but in the
nature of God, who is love. The Good News begins for us in this: that we were
created within the good Creation of a Loving God; and so all people are made in
the image of God. No matter what they have done, every person is a precious
fragment of the human race; every person should be respected as an important
part of our picture of God, a sculpture or a holy temple dedicated to God. Not
every person believes that they are a temple dedicated to God, but it’s what
every one of us was made for.
Ephesians takes a more corporate view: We are being built together to be a living temple, held together by Jesus
Christ. It is in relationship with each other, as Christ reconciles us to God
and empowers us to make peace with each other, with neighbours and with
enemies, we are being built into a place where God’s presence is made manifest.
Those of us who believe in the God of the Bible must honour God’s image in
every person we meet, and encourage them to grow in body, soul and mind, to
think and thrive as fully as they can, using every gift God has given them...
I spoke of how Jesus saw beyond the labels and empowered the real human being to step up... and how his torture and abuse, nakedness and grotesque (though for the Romans, banal) death united God with our misery. His resurrection proclaims that even if we lose our lives, we have not lost our humanity - the image of God...the temple of God's Spirit, being raised up and built into a home for God's living, loving presence on earth.
and I concluded with this:
Remembering that God's very nature and Creation are Good;
Remembering that God’s image is in every human
being;
Remembering the human being behind the label;
Remembering the human
capacity for great evil;
Remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus;
Remembering to follow Jesus to the cross rather
than collude in oppression;
Remembering to love our neighbours as ourselves;
Remembering to love our enemy and seek the good of those who may seek to do us
harm:
This is the Good News: that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world to himself;
This is the Good News: that while we were still sinners, Christ saw us as God’s beloved children, and died for us;
This is the Good News: that Christ died and rose again, so no powers of death or hell can destroy the temples of God;
This is the Good News: that there is now no condemnation for all whose lives are hidden in Christ Jesus, because the Spirit of life in Christ has set us free.
This is the Good News: that the deepest human divisions are bridged by the love of God for us in Jesus Christ. Christ himself is our peace.
This is the Good News: that while we were still sinners, Christ saw us as God’s beloved children, and died for us;
This is the Good News: that Christ died and rose again, so no powers of death or hell can destroy the temples of God;
This is the Good News: that there is now no condemnation for all whose lives are hidden in Christ Jesus, because the Spirit of life in Christ has set us free.
This is the Good News: that the deepest human divisions are bridged by the love of God for us in Jesus Christ. Christ himself is our peace.
Let us Remember what we were made for: “For we
are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 1) Go then, to build peace
in this world of conflict, to bring wholeness to the temples of God, to build
God’s temple, God’s church and God’s kingdom in, through and over every nation
on earth. Start here, where God has placed you. Be leaven in the dough. And may the peace of the
Prince of Peace empower you to live and die and bring resurrection life into
every dark place.
And this prayer: Ephesians 1.15-21
And this: Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name
Thy Kingdom come
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who sin against us
And lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil
For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory
For ever and ever
Amen
Well, it was a start...
The question now is, what will we do differently tomorrow?
Saturday, 21 April 2012
Worth coming back for
Facebook has tended to encourage my brief musings and online spare moments... writing my own blog fell by the wayside. But I am angry. Angry enough to put one more page on the internet in protest. Only Virtual Methodist knows the details better, and he is more measured than I, so follow the link and have a think.
Alternately...
My rant starts here: This is Northern Ireland. People under threat (often police and paramilitaries) can have their house bought so that they can repurchase somewhere safer. So, a black African family receives concrete through the window, hitting the little girl, and somehow, without anyone being arrested, charged or convicted (or cautioned?) for that attack, they are supposed to believe that it is magically safe for them to return to the house where they were attacked. Has all racism suddenly been removed from Ballybeen estate? If so, tell us how - I'm sure there are other parts of the world that could benefit from such wonder-cures. Has someone leaned on a paramilitary "community worker" to lean on the idiots who threw the concrete? And that's supposed to make the family feel secure in their beds? They are as safe as the particular paramilitary leader's power and influence. Given the capacity of Loyalism to tear itself apart, I wouldn't want my daughter's wellbeing to be resting on that kind of security. Nor I suppose would the dear person who has decided this family don't qualify for the rehousing scheme.
I believe the Chief Constable would not stand over blatant injustice or discrimination... so I'm curious as to how this family don't qualify for rehousing.
Come on, Northern Ireland. We can do better than this. On so many levels. (Credit where it's due - I'm glad to hear the Church has been supportive... and some notable politicians... But come on, guys. If this family's name was... well, the right name... I'm convinced they wouldn't be having to try so hard to avail of the help they need.)
This is the land that got us the Good Friday Agreement. When it's the right thing to do, it has to be possible. Make it possible.
Alternately...
My rant starts here: This is Northern Ireland. People under threat (often police and paramilitaries) can have their house bought so that they can repurchase somewhere safer. So, a black African family receives concrete through the window, hitting the little girl, and somehow, without anyone being arrested, charged or convicted (or cautioned?) for that attack, they are supposed to believe that it is magically safe for them to return to the house where they were attacked. Has all racism suddenly been removed from Ballybeen estate? If so, tell us how - I'm sure there are other parts of the world that could benefit from such wonder-cures. Has someone leaned on a paramilitary "community worker" to lean on the idiots who threw the concrete? And that's supposed to make the family feel secure in their beds? They are as safe as the particular paramilitary leader's power and influence. Given the capacity of Loyalism to tear itself apart, I wouldn't want my daughter's wellbeing to be resting on that kind of security. Nor I suppose would the dear person who has decided this family don't qualify for the rehousing scheme.
I believe the Chief Constable would not stand over blatant injustice or discrimination... so I'm curious as to how this family don't qualify for rehousing.
Come on, Northern Ireland. We can do better than this. On so many levels. (Credit where it's due - I'm glad to hear the Church has been supportive... and some notable politicians... But come on, guys. If this family's name was... well, the right name... I'm convinced they wouldn't be having to try so hard to avail of the help they need.)
This is the land that got us the Good Friday Agreement. When it's the right thing to do, it has to be possible. Make it possible.
Saturday, 11 December 2010
Reflective Blessing
Our forefathers chose to use this
cold and dark, inhospitable season,
to mark the hardness of the world
into which Jesus was born,
and into which many children are born each day,
in poverty, in conflict,
without a safe place to rest and live and thrive.
“Jesus” means God Saves.
And for many people today, as in Jesus' day,
salvation is a really physical, material thing:
safety from enemies, from abusers,
salvation from hunger and thirst,
from cold and disease.
And all of us, at some stage in our lives,
sense a need for salvation,
healing from sickness of body or soul,
freedom from oppression, bullying,
and the internal and external voices telling us:
"you’re not good enough"
"you can’t change the world"
"you can’t do things any better",
oppressing us with guilt
cynicism
cold and dark, inhospitable season,
to mark the hardness of the world
into which Jesus was born,
and into which many children are born each day,
in poverty, in conflict,
without a safe place to rest and live and thrive.
“Jesus” means God Saves.
And for many people today, as in Jesus' day,
salvation is a really physical, material thing:
safety from enemies, from abusers,
salvation from hunger and thirst,
from cold and disease.
And all of us, at some stage in our lives,
sense a need for salvation,
healing from sickness of body or soul,
freedom from oppression, bullying,
and the internal and external voices telling us:
"you’re not good enough"
"you can’t change the world"
"you can’t do things any better",
oppressing us with guilt
cynicism
fear.
Into the remotest reaches
of the most marginalised people in the world
- and into the cold darkness of our hearts -
the Light of the World comes:
One, short Life,
lived in one small country,
yet transforming hundreds, thousands of lives
in his own day
The light was passed on,
other Hearts were warmed
till they too glowed with the love of God.
He died.
Cruelly
abominably
tortured
flogged
stripped and paraded before the people
hounded out of town.
Into the remotest reaches
of the most marginalised people in the world
- and into the cold darkness of our hearts -
the Light of the World comes:
One, short Life,
lived in one small country,
yet transforming hundreds, thousands of lives
in his own day
The light was passed on,
other Hearts were warmed
till they too glowed with the love of God.
He died.
Cruelly
abominably
tortured
flogged
stripped and paraded before the people
hounded out of town.
This is how God chooses to be Immanuel
God with us.
God in Christ
God in Christ
doesn’t avoid the dirt or the darkness.
God in Christ
God in Christ
reconciles the whole world, through his death.
As wick touches wick,
As wick touches wick,
we are united in the darkness of death;
but the Warmth of God in Christ
but the Warmth of God in Christ
brings life that death cannot destroy.
Rekindled to a new life.
Everything is possible.
Rekindled to a new life.
Everything is possible.
You don’t need to be good enough.
You don’t need to change the world.
You don’t need to do things better.
Christ, the Light, is in you,
and his Warmth is Bright enough for all to see.
In him all things are possible
You don’t need to change the world.
You don’t need to do things better.
Christ, the Light, is in you,
and his Warmth is Bright enough for all to see.
In him all things are possible
all things are new
and the world will never be the same.
and the world will never be the same.
Light, in our darkness,
kindle a flame.
Let your warmth glow in
Let your warmth glow in
and through us.
Let us like Mary be willing
Let us like Mary be willing
bearers of your light,
trusting you
trusting you
for outcomes and consequences;
Let your Holy Spirit bring
Let your Holy Spirit bring
the new life of the children of God
to dwell in us,
so that the whole world may have
light in place of darkness,
so that the whole world may have
light in place of darkness,
hope in place of despair.
In the Community of all your children,
May the cold be warmed,
May the homeless find refuge and rest;
May the hungry be fed,
May the thirsty be satisfied,
The sick healed
In the Community of all your children,
May the cold be warmed,
May the homeless find refuge and rest;
May the hungry be fed,
May the thirsty be satisfied,
The sick healed
and prisoners find true freedom
May we be united in peace
May we be united in peace
as children of Light
This Christmas, and in eternity.
Amen.
This Christmas, and in eternity.
Amen.
I wrote this for our Christmas Carol Service in the University of Ulster last Tuesday, to be co-read with my wonderful assistant chaplain, Katherine Rush.
The picture is my own. If you'd like to use it, please let me know.
An Advent Prayer
A number of people seem to have found this prayer helpful, so I thought I should post it here.
Week 2 - HOPE Came Down at Christmas : Isaiah 9:1 -7
“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan —
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.
For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.”
Loving God, you know the anxiety of poverty,
the gnawing fear of the next bill,
how to feed the children, care for the sick.
You know the brokenness of dreams and ideals,
and the cynicism that hardens hearts
and crushes community.
You know too the foolishness of faith in wealth
and the mystery of great generosity in times of crisis.
This Advent season, we look to you, God,
Father of Jesus, our humble and joyful Lord,
who laughed and cried,
lived abundantly and died terribly
to be with us in every season of life and death.
We look to you, because you have been there;
be our Counsellor, our wise guide through these dark days;
fill us with the hope of those who know their Saviour is coming,
fill us with the love of those who know ourselves deeply loved
fill us with the songs of those who know our struggles are not eternal.
Give us hope in you so that we may be generous and not hoard,
fill us with confidence in your goodness
and gratitude for your faithfulness,
so that our children may live lives of hope.
Shine in us as light in the darkness,
a testimony to the end of war,
an alternative to violence,
and abundance instead of poverty and injustice.
May your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth...
Amen
The prayer was written in Geneva, while discussing Mission, Justice and Partnership between churches in the strategic planning for World Communion of Reformed Churches. I was thinking of the implications of the economic difficulties facing the Republic of Ireland and beyond. The Bible text was the one I was given, when Margaret Clarke asked me to write the prayer.
The full set of prayers written for Advent is on http://www.transformations-ireland.org/
Week 2 - HOPE Came Down at Christmas : Isaiah 9:1 -7
“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan —
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.
For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.”
Loving God, you know the anxiety of poverty,
the gnawing fear of the next bill,
how to feed the children, care for the sick.
You know the brokenness of dreams and ideals,
and the cynicism that hardens hearts
and crushes community.
You know too the foolishness of faith in wealth
and the mystery of great generosity in times of crisis.
This Advent season, we look to you, God,
Father of Jesus, our humble and joyful Lord,
who laughed and cried,
lived abundantly and died terribly
to be with us in every season of life and death.
We look to you, because you have been there;
be our Counsellor, our wise guide through these dark days;
fill us with the hope of those who know their Saviour is coming,
fill us with the love of those who know ourselves deeply loved
fill us with the songs of those who know our struggles are not eternal.
Give us hope in you so that we may be generous and not hoard,
fill us with confidence in your goodness
and gratitude for your faithfulness,
so that our children may live lives of hope.
Shine in us as light in the darkness,
a testimony to the end of war,
an alternative to violence,
and abundance instead of poverty and injustice.
May your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth...
Amen
The prayer was written in Geneva, while discussing Mission, Justice and Partnership between churches in the strategic planning for World Communion of Reformed Churches. I was thinking of the implications of the economic difficulties facing the Republic of Ireland and beyond. The Bible text was the one I was given, when Margaret Clarke asked me to write the prayer.
The full set of prayers written for Advent is on http://www.transformations-ireland.org/
Saturday, 28 August 2010
Ups and Downs
Walls Investments
Jericho. Jerusalem.
Berlin. Belfast.
Your investment
may go down as well as up.
Jericho. Jerusalem.
Berlin. Belfast.
Your investment
may go down as well as up.
Saturday, 21 August 2010
The First Blackberry
I started with the dandelions,
the various rampant weeds huddling around the front door
as if they couldn't wait to enter
the empty house.
Trimming, pulling, uprooting
I wreaked order on the encroaching wildness of things.
Inside cobwebs sought to restrain me, restrict my entry
but I pushed through
door after door, room after room
reclaiming my old home, its ownership,
from its new arachnid inhabitants
The enclosed suburban garden silently flourishing
since my absence, convolvulus in spindly seven league boots
invades the jasmine
and I - now I am here - tear it out.
Untangling, painstaking, shearing as necessary
to assert my hope of life and love growing here again.
The hedge has gained feet of thickness,
reaching out for its old comfortable chaos
but the shears are in my hands,
the grass collects the leafy twigs in loose piles
till they too are consigned to that plastic brownness on wheels.
But the blackberries, shining there in sunlight, promising fruit for days to come,
for these, I hesitate.
And there are apples on the lawn. I look up.
The tree, baubled like a Christmas fir,
holds out one branch at hand-height,
offers me a single share of its wealth.
In this old, hard-won garden,
unrequested, quite in grace,
the fruits of summer,
hope of warm puddings for colder, harder days.
I gather the blackberries,
rinse,
consider storing them,
then eat
One.
Sweet
refreshing
moment of eternity
present gift.
Tomorrow, I will gather for the winter.
These firstfruits we must celebrate today.
the various rampant weeds huddling around the front door
as if they couldn't wait to enter
the empty house.
Trimming, pulling, uprooting
I wreaked order on the encroaching wildness of things.
Inside cobwebs sought to restrain me, restrict my entry
but I pushed through
door after door, room after room
reclaiming my old home, its ownership,
from its new arachnid inhabitants
The enclosed suburban garden silently flourishing
since my absence, convolvulus in spindly seven league boots
invades the jasmine
and I - now I am here - tear it out.
Untangling, painstaking, shearing as necessary
to assert my hope of life and love growing here again.
The hedge has gained feet of thickness,
reaching out for its old comfortable chaos
but the shears are in my hands,
the grass collects the leafy twigs in loose piles
till they too are consigned to that plastic brownness on wheels.
But the blackberries, shining there in sunlight, promising fruit for days to come,
for these, I hesitate.
And there are apples on the lawn. I look up.
The tree, baubled like a Christmas fir,
holds out one branch at hand-height,
offers me a single share of its wealth.
In this old, hard-won garden,
unrequested, quite in grace,
the fruits of summer,
hope of warm puddings for colder, harder days.
I gather the blackberries,
rinse,
consider storing them,
then eat
One.
Sweet
refreshing
moment of eternity
present gift.
Tomorrow, I will gather for the winter.
These firstfruits we must celebrate today.
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
Blair's Bloody conscience? A hill of beans?
The story that emerged yesterday, that Tony Blair is planning to donate a substantial amount of revenue from his forthcoming publication of memoirs to a rehabitation unit for injured soldiers is a mediatic delight. It's poetic. It's political. It generates conversation, discussion and even motivates me to write a blog post!
I'm fascinated with the instinct - in myself and other observers - to judge Blair, to call it blood money for his guilty conscience, to assume that he's trying to buy himself a better place in history. Well, he may be... and it may be the job of commentators to comment. And comment sells better if it's outspoken, i suppose...
For my part, I want to try to remember that Blair stepped up to the plate, took difficult decisions that someone had to take, and lives with the consequences, if not now, then this is what eternal judgment is for. Whether he turns out to be only a cold and calculating media manipulator, or in fact a human being who was trying to make the world a better place, and who is now trying to make peace with his conscience, let's have mercy on our own souls, by choosing to withhold judgment of others... I'm told by a reliable source (that'd be Jesus...Matthew 7v1) that we will be judged by the same measures we use for judging others.
At certain levels of public life, (and if we're honest, in almost anything we do!) it's hard for motives to ever be totally pure. God alone knows the heart.
But Tony, if you're reading this, there's other important stuff in Matthew. Chapter 6v1 would be a start. "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
On the other hand, if you don't care about what the rest of us think, then your £4m is still money well spent! You could do worse than give the rest of it away too. There's a great social welfare system in this country, if ever you find you don't have enough to live on...
Who needs millions anyway? Pakistan, perhaps? Africa... Afghanistan... if you could get it to them. (Check out http://www.threecupsoftea.com/ ) I was just tonight reading about a mother of three who couldn't scrape together the 5p a week needed to access a micro-lending scheme in Ethiopia. Tony, if you want to make the world a better place, you have been given the means to do it.
I'm fascinated with the instinct - in myself and other observers - to judge Blair, to call it blood money for his guilty conscience, to assume that he's trying to buy himself a better place in history. Well, he may be... and it may be the job of commentators to comment. And comment sells better if it's outspoken, i suppose...
For my part, I want to try to remember that Blair stepped up to the plate, took difficult decisions that someone had to take, and lives with the consequences, if not now, then this is what eternal judgment is for. Whether he turns out to be only a cold and calculating media manipulator, or in fact a human being who was trying to make the world a better place, and who is now trying to make peace with his conscience, let's have mercy on our own souls, by choosing to withhold judgment of others... I'm told by a reliable source (that'd be Jesus...Matthew 7v1) that we will be judged by the same measures we use for judging others.
At certain levels of public life, (and if we're honest, in almost anything we do!) it's hard for motives to ever be totally pure. God alone knows the heart.
But Tony, if you're reading this, there's other important stuff in Matthew. Chapter 6v1 would be a start. "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
On the other hand, if you don't care about what the rest of us think, then your £4m is still money well spent! You could do worse than give the rest of it away too. There's a great social welfare system in this country, if ever you find you don't have enough to live on...
Who needs millions anyway? Pakistan, perhaps? Africa... Afghanistan... if you could get it to them. (Check out http://www.threecupsoftea.com/ ) I was just tonight reading about a mother of three who couldn't scrape together the 5p a week needed to access a micro-lending scheme in Ethiopia. Tony, if you want to make the world a better place, you have been given the means to do it.
World Communion of Reformed Churches
In June, I went to Calvin College, Michigan to witness a birth. On 18th June. REC and WARC united to become WCRC... You can read the official story at http://www.reformedchurches.org/
For me, it's the start of a new element in my life - connecting the Presbyterian Church in Ireland more intimately with the other member churches of this new communion - at least for the duration of my service as one of the four European members of the WCRC executive committee.
What difference would it make to us, to be more consciously connected with other churches flowing from the Reformation? As Ireland becomes more international, might it be a key time for us to relate to churches and cultures that expand our imaginations to assist us in connecting with the new Irish on our doorsteps?
Meanwhile, our local "government" has at last seen fit to produce it's paper on "Cohesion, Sharing and Integration" - which should have appeared at least two years ago. Glad it's here... and hope they mean it! Sadly, I'd have been more inclined to be convinced if it had appeared back then. Still, let's work with what we've got , hey?
For today, I just want to pick up one little statistic in the document:
In 2009, respondents to the Life and Times survey were generally supportive of the rights of EU citizens to live and work here with 69% saying they were very or fairly welcoming of the idea.
Only 69%? Don't they realise this is the same mechanism that opens up the whole European landscape for them too? I guess one third of our population can't imagine ever wanting to live anywhere else than here... What can we do to encourage a more outward view?
I've got so much learning and growing to do myself, it's hard to see how to share what I'm experiencing. Can one person making occasional trips to committee meetings make any difference to a culture of fear of difference, and glorious isolation? God alone knows...
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
Chaplaincy through the eyes of Chris Bennett
Chris Bennett is "chaplain" to Titanic Quarter in Belfast... and free to imagine and engage with fresh expressions of Christian ministry, mission and church. He's developing a vision for "The Dock Church".
Here's what he came up with after his visit to 5F01. You'll see a glimpse of our own work at the chaplaincy at University of Ulster at Jordanstown.
Here's what he came up with after his visit to 5F01. You'll see a glimpse of our own work at the chaplaincy at University of Ulster at Jordanstown.
Saturday, 9 January 2010
Three Cups of Tea
The most inspiring book I've read in a very long time, Greg Mortenson's story is of the mysterious love a human being can have for strangers, and that understated love's capacity to inspire them to do the impossible. Greg has nothing... except a United States citizenship and a heart that carries his childhood of loving, inspiring strength.
To take on the building of one school, without any personal or institutional resources, in remote Karakoram mountains below K2 seems idealistic madness... To achieve it, and the many, many schools for boys and especially for girls, in this region, is the stuff of miracles.
Well worth the read, it has opened my heart and eyes and imagination to Pakistan, and also to Afghanistan - though I gather I now need to read the sequel, Stones into Schools, for more on the ongoing Afghan story. It's pre-ordered...
I work in education; I believe in its importance for opening minds and hearts to others, to possibilities that may be creative rather than destructive. Education without love can create monsters... And so I wonder how to encourage "my" students and staff to appreciate what an opportunity they have here, and also what challenges may face them if they are willing to share those opportunities with people of different backgrounds and cultures. Greg's respect and love for his country's perceived enemies has won hearts and is transforming lives, communities, and perhaps the face of future conflicts.
I'm touched by his humble simplicity - this is no hagiography. The account of his life and work is full of his mistakes, ignorance and naivete, not to mention the sacrifices made by his wife and children - and yet, and yet... it is this very honest humility which inspires us. If he can make such a big difference, with so little resource or proper organisation (at least at the outset!) what couldn't the rest of us do if we put our minds to it!?
Well-written, intriguing insights into a part of the world hitherto known to me only in two dimensions, I want everyone to read this and be genuinely inspired to make the world a better place.
To take on the building of one school, without any personal or institutional resources, in remote Karakoram mountains below K2 seems idealistic madness... To achieve it, and the many, many schools for boys and especially for girls, in this region, is the stuff of miracles.
Well worth the read, it has opened my heart and eyes and imagination to Pakistan, and also to Afghanistan - though I gather I now need to read the sequel, Stones into Schools, for more on the ongoing Afghan story. It's pre-ordered...
I work in education; I believe in its importance for opening minds and hearts to others, to possibilities that may be creative rather than destructive. Education without love can create monsters... And so I wonder how to encourage "my" students and staff to appreciate what an opportunity they have here, and also what challenges may face them if they are willing to share those opportunities with people of different backgrounds and cultures. Greg's respect and love for his country's perceived enemies has won hearts and is transforming lives, communities, and perhaps the face of future conflicts.
I'm touched by his humble simplicity - this is no hagiography. The account of his life and work is full of his mistakes, ignorance and naivete, not to mention the sacrifices made by his wife and children - and yet, and yet... it is this very honest humility which inspires us. If he can make such a big difference, with so little resource or proper organisation (at least at the outset!) what couldn't the rest of us do if we put our minds to it!?
Well-written, intriguing insights into a part of the world hitherto known to me only in two dimensions, I want everyone to read this and be genuinely inspired to make the world a better place.
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
Beauty and Danger
This morning I wrote on Facebook: "it's snowing... again! (beauty and danger) -not so good if you're queuing for an op. UDA are supposed to have decommissioned (worth waiting for? I hope so!). I wonder what mixture of beauty and trouble lies ahead... "
At 6pm, I heard another dangerous and strangely beautiful thing. Deeply saddening, and at the same time humanising, Peter Robinson barely held his composure whilst telling us of the crisis in his marriage and Iris' affair and suicide attempt. I've never met either Peter or Iris, but I have often disagreed with what I saw of them in the media. I have judged them for their apparent judgmentalism, and what has appeared to me their ungracious engagement with political opponents. Most recently I was angry with the First Minister for failing to show the minimum grace to the Catholic population and some normal humanity by issuing a statement on the passing of Cardinal Daly.
My heart was transformed by seeing him as a weak, pained, human being. How danger and fragility brings about beauty!
It was a beautiful thing, to hear him speak of his journey from wanting to ditch Iris, to realising he loves her, appreciates what it has cost her to be married to him, and wants to save their marriage work.
But the danger note was struck again when I heard him say, "I have done nothing wrong." I think he meant in terms of his role as First Minister, but it had broken the spell. For a second, I had thought he was saying, "I'm the victim here!"
So many righteous people think we have been injured and wronged (and so we have) but we fail to see how our way of being, our words, our rightness, have quietly crushed our neighbours, denied them access to our God, left them feeling that they could never be good enough... and how our failure to walk in others' shoes has led us to effectively exclude them from things that might have enabled them to live peaceably as our neighbours, even embrace us as brothers.
God, forgive me for judging the Robinsons, as if I knew what it was to be them. Teach me to let you be judge, while I learn to love as graciously as Jesus. Surround them with wise advisors and loving friends, and above all, let them find that their one real strength is in this: that you loved instead of judging, that you chose to die rather than punish... and so may the future of our land be found in the story of grace. As you give our First minister courage to forgive and rebuild, let us all be empowered to build a seriously better future. And let the powers that would drag us backwards to competing with each other instead find that the only real victory is in listening, giving, forgiving and sharing.
At 6pm, I heard another dangerous and strangely beautiful thing. Deeply saddening, and at the same time humanising, Peter Robinson barely held his composure whilst telling us of the crisis in his marriage and Iris' affair and suicide attempt. I've never met either Peter or Iris, but I have often disagreed with what I saw of them in the media. I have judged them for their apparent judgmentalism, and what has appeared to me their ungracious engagement with political opponents. Most recently I was angry with the First Minister for failing to show the minimum grace to the Catholic population and some normal humanity by issuing a statement on the passing of Cardinal Daly.
My heart was transformed by seeing him as a weak, pained, human being. How danger and fragility brings about beauty!
It was a beautiful thing, to hear him speak of his journey from wanting to ditch Iris, to realising he loves her, appreciates what it has cost her to be married to him, and wants to save their marriage work.
But the danger note was struck again when I heard him say, "I have done nothing wrong." I think he meant in terms of his role as First Minister, but it had broken the spell. For a second, I had thought he was saying, "I'm the victim here!"
So many righteous people think we have been injured and wronged (and so we have) but we fail to see how our way of being, our words, our rightness, have quietly crushed our neighbours, denied them access to our God, left them feeling that they could never be good enough... and how our failure to walk in others' shoes has led us to effectively exclude them from things that might have enabled them to live peaceably as our neighbours, even embrace us as brothers.
God, forgive me for judging the Robinsons, as if I knew what it was to be them. Teach me to let you be judge, while I learn to love as graciously as Jesus. Surround them with wise advisors and loving friends, and above all, let them find that their one real strength is in this: that you loved instead of judging, that you chose to die rather than punish... and so may the future of our land be found in the story of grace. As you give our First minister courage to forgive and rebuild, let us all be empowered to build a seriously better future. And let the powers that would drag us backwards to competing with each other instead find that the only real victory is in listening, giving, forgiving and sharing.
Monday, 4 January 2010
How far have we come?
Found this tonight, remembered, and wondered.... how long will it be before we're back there again? Please, God, make it a long, long time...
Thankful for Cara Dillon's soul... and the many like her who draw us towards a new future. Pity our "leaders" seem to be having such a rough time leading as statesmen, putting the good of the whole population ahead of the short-termism of perceived party priorities... Short term, because ultimately it is not in the interests of the parties - or at least, of the people who vote for them - to be stuck in the polarised hatreds and fears that enslaved us.
Please... please give us leaders who can see the bigger picture, statesmen and women who can rise above the next election and inspire another generation to integrity, generosity and courage.
Thankful for Cara Dillon's soul... and the many like her who draw us towards a new future. Pity our "leaders" seem to be having such a rough time leading as statesmen, putting the good of the whole population ahead of the short-termism of perceived party priorities... Short term, because ultimately it is not in the interests of the parties - or at least, of the people who vote for them - to be stuck in the polarised hatreds and fears that enslaved us.
Please... please give us leaders who can see the bigger picture, statesmen and women who can rise above the next election and inspire another generation to integrity, generosity and courage.
Thursday, 13 August 2009
Too much information - You have been warned
The One Thing I hated about France... 
I lived there for five years, but never went to the swimming pool. Well I did go there twice, but was refused entry. Why? Because I wanted to wear cycling shorts (clean, bought for the purpose of swimming only) rather than the glorified underwear that passes for swimwear. I even offered to buy another clean, brand new pair, and leave it at the swimming pool, so they would know it was only used there, but of course, that wouldn't be practical, if everyone did it... so they wouldn't let me.
In a hot climate, it's understandable that they didn't want people wearing the same shorts in the pool that they had worn all day. Maybe they didn't want the homeless using the pool as a bathroom. (Another argument for another day, I think.) But the rule they apply is far too general and officiously applied, and results in cases like this. It was only a matter of time before an Islamic woman would demand her right to use public amenities wearing a swimsuit that would allow her privacy and personal integrity in line with her religious beliefs.
In a country where identity is so closely linked with sexual identity, it is not surprising that Sarkozy believes that to hide women behind veils is a denial of their individuality. "In a major policy speech that month, President Nicolas Sarkozy said the burka - a garment covering women from head to toe - reduced them to servitude and undermined their dignity.
"We cannot accept to have in our country women who are prisoners behind netting, cut off from all social life, deprived of identity," Mr Sarkozy told a special session of parliament in Versailles.
Certainly, a burka may be imposed by others, but imposed nakedness is not the solution! Surely if we want women to be included in social life, it would be really good for them to be able to make use of public amenities like swimming pools, (especially as a way to mix with other mothers with small children) without having to deny their personal modesty or their religious beliefs!
That will take a long time to change... In the meantime, may we not choose to keep private any parts of our bodies which we choose to reserve for intimate relationships? The French rule is enforced nakedness - in my view, a breach of human dignity and social exclusion on the basis of religion, ethnicity and hirsuteness!
I lived there for five years, but never went to the swimming pool. Well I did go there twice, but was refused entry. Why? Because I wanted to wear cycling shorts (clean, bought for the purpose of swimming only) rather than the glorified underwear that passes for swimwear. I even offered to buy another clean, brand new pair, and leave it at the swimming pool, so they would know it was only used there, but of course, that wouldn't be practical, if everyone did it... so they wouldn't let me.
In a hot climate, it's understandable that they didn't want people wearing the same shorts in the pool that they had worn all day. Maybe they didn't want the homeless using the pool as a bathroom. (Another argument for another day, I think.) But the rule they apply is far too general and officiously applied, and results in cases like this. It was only a matter of time before an Islamic woman would demand her right to use public amenities wearing a swimsuit that would allow her privacy and personal integrity in line with her religious beliefs.
In a country where identity is so closely linked with sexual identity, it is not surprising that Sarkozy believes that to hide women behind veils is a denial of their individuality. "In a major policy speech that month, President Nicolas Sarkozy said the burka - a garment covering women from head to toe - reduced them to servitude and undermined their dignity.
"We cannot accept to have in our country women who are prisoners behind netting, cut off from all social life, deprived of identity," Mr Sarkozy told a special session of parliament in Versailles.
Certainly, a burka may be imposed by others, but imposed nakedness is not the solution! Surely if we want women to be included in social life, it would be really good for them to be able to make use of public amenities like swimming pools, (especially as a way to mix with other mothers with small children) without having to deny their personal modesty or their religious beliefs!
That will take a long time to change... In the meantime, may we not choose to keep private any parts of our bodies which we choose to reserve for intimate relationships? The French rule is enforced nakedness - in my view, a breach of human dignity and social exclusion on the basis of religion, ethnicity and hirsuteness!
Since I came back from France, I've been wearing an adult-sized sunsuit to the pool, usually over the top of an ordinary swimsuit. For sure, people still stare, but they are staring at the tellytubby suit, not me. I choose when I want to be different, where I want to draw the line between fitting in and challenging cultural expectations. I choose when I want to look sexy and when I want to be relaxed and comfortable. Isn't that the Freedom the French should be offering to the world?Liberty, Egality, Fraternity ... Hmm.
P.S. There is a real fear of Islam in France. I have a hunch that the fear of the Burka is a symbolic one, because it is so visible. Many French women will find freedom in the modesty and respect of Islamic practice; if Sarkozy hopes to minimise the influence of Islam in France, attacking some of Islam's more liberating qualities will not be the way to go about it. Making sure that Women get every opportunity to be included in and participate in society, and rise to the top as Muslims, and raise their children as successful and responsible citizens, will be one way of ensuring that the Islam that prevails for future generations in the West is benign, rather than hostile.
P.P.S. Alan in Belfast sent me this, which serves to remind me that men, as well as women, may be uncomfortable with enforced near-nudity.
Monday, 20 July 2009
Mental Health ward suicides
Wondering... are there chaplains appointed to work within mental health care institutions?
Ekklesia's daily bulletin is one of those emails I don't usually manage to read, but today I did. And found there something I didn't hear mentioned on any of the national radio news bulletins so full of swine flu and the death of someone or other (though I now see the Daily Mirror had it in all of three sentences!) - The final report of the Mental Health Act Commission (which is now replaced by the Care Quality Commission) says that 39& of deaths on wards by hanging or self-strangulation between 2001 and 2008 happened when the patient was subject to observation by staff at 15-minute intervals or less, including some under continuous observation. In the case of one suicide, there was evidence to suggest the patient was not checked for three hours, despite being subject to 15 minute observations. Six patients who died of hanging or self-strangulation since 2005 were supposedly under continuous observation.
I can't imagine what it must be like to have as one's job the constant observation of someone unhappy, but of a number of deeply distressed and suicidal people... The stress of prison staff and of staff in mental health wards, of having a constant presence of negativity, of self-destructive (and other-destructive) minds and behaviour must be either hellish or numbing.
Add to that short-staffing and the possibility of many other things to do, and the sense of pointlessness - I can imagine thinking, "She was fine every time I checked her all of the last three weeks... She'll be fine."
Over time, I can imagine the frustration too, of trying to protect miserable people from "putting themselves out of their misery". Some people's lives may just seem too painful, too hard to fix, too difficult to re-envision with purpose and joy. If I didn't have faith in a Lord who does transform the hopeless, (albeit not in the way or the timescales I would like to dictate) I can see how easily I would lose a sense of purpose in such a role.
I'm inspired to pray more for the people who endure the violence and negative atmosphere of difficult places and people. And I'm wondering how many of my sermons or services and prayers would ever have encouraged or empowered my congregation to go into these dark places to love the most hopelessly lost.
Ekklesia's daily bulletin is one of those emails I don't usually manage to read, but today I did. And found there something I didn't hear mentioned on any of the national radio news bulletins so full of swine flu and the death of someone or other (though I now see the Daily Mirror had it in all of three sentences!) - The final report of the Mental Health Act Commission (which is now replaced by the Care Quality Commission) says that 39& of deaths on wards by hanging or self-strangulation between 2001 and 2008 happened when the patient was subject to observation by staff at 15-minute intervals or less, including some under continuous observation. In the case of one suicide, there was evidence to suggest the patient was not checked for three hours, despite being subject to 15 minute observations. Six patients who died of hanging or self-strangulation since 2005 were supposedly under continuous observation.
I can't imagine what it must be like to have as one's job the constant observation of someone unhappy, but of a number of deeply distressed and suicidal people... The stress of prison staff and of staff in mental health wards, of having a constant presence of negativity, of self-destructive (and other-destructive) minds and behaviour must be either hellish or numbing.
Add to that short-staffing and the possibility of many other things to do, and the sense of pointlessness - I can imagine thinking, "She was fine every time I checked her all of the last three weeks... She'll be fine."
Over time, I can imagine the frustration too, of trying to protect miserable people from "putting themselves out of their misery". Some people's lives may just seem too painful, too hard to fix, too difficult to re-envision with purpose and joy. If I didn't have faith in a Lord who does transform the hopeless, (albeit not in the way or the timescales I would like to dictate) I can see how easily I would lose a sense of purpose in such a role.
I'm inspired to pray more for the people who endure the violence and negative atmosphere of difficult places and people. And I'm wondering how many of my sermons or services and prayers would ever have encouraged or empowered my congregation to go into these dark places to love the most hopelessly lost.
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