Election Fever?

So elections are coming on us again in 6 weeks, but with Northern Ireland having the lowest turnout of 18-35s at around 33% it seems our generation have given up on politics. To be honest its not hard to see why: politicians more interested in point scoring than doing anything, arguing over minutiae while Peter Hain forces through all sorts of stuff our politicians wouldn't allow if they were in power. The death of David Ervine was a further blow depriving us of someone who despite his past was trying to look forward and show some leadership.

We look around waiting for leadership and there doesn't seem to be any on show that's too appealing. 80 year old Big Ian with Martin as his deputy doesn't exactly promise solid long term leadership in many peoples eyes. We need a restoration of hope, we need people of vision to step up to the mark and paint a picture of the future as opposed to the past that makes us say 'yes'. But maybe we also need to step up to the mark and make our voices count. If that other 60 odd percent of the 18-35's out there voted - it can and will make a difference. In fact if all the middle of the road voters who keep complaining about the extremism of politics voiced their opinion at the ballot box and not just over dinner - who knows what the political landscape could be? A Green Party First Minister? A friend recently commented that election day is the day when the people are sovereign - not the government. Its the day when we can make our voice count positively and be a part of creating a hopeful future for this beautiful yet scarred corner of Ireland. (And if when they are elected you badger them with a few letters you'll be surprised just what they will do!)

What is your vision of the future for Northern Ireland? What are the big issues for you?

Glory

Chelsea winning three titles in a row with players that weren't £30m flops, lifting that trophy to the adulation of thousands...

glory. One of those words that's used in lots of different ways. Growing up in a christian environment its one i heard a lot of but never really understood what it was.

Christians talk a lot about glory, but sometimes I wonder if we really know what were talking about (like a lot of things). If you checked out the dictionary link there you'll see how the dictionary doesn't seem to be sure what it means either with 14 defintions.
Some people use it to mean heaven, but mostly we refer to God’s glory. It’s an idea the bible is full of. Jesus is the revelation of God’s glory. John in his gospel talks about how we have seen his glory. But what does that mean? So often God’s glory seems to be an ereathral concept. It seems to me that God gets glory when we recognise his greatness, goodness, mercy, justice, compassion – when we begin to recognise God for who he is, he is ‘glorified’. God's glory seems to involve recognising his character and his character being displayed. So it seems to me that when we talk about wanting to see Gods glory, or for his glory to fill the earth, instead of looking for some weird shining light to eminate from everything maybe we need to not miss the ways God's glory is already present. In small acts of kindness and compassion. In fighting for justice for the oppressed. In giving hope. In freeing people from guilt and duty to embrace the life and potential God gives. In a smile.
Is it possible that when we reflect God’s character – especially in ways so often we don’t notice, God’s glory is present?

Tom Cruise Scares Me

Heard this on The radio last night. You can listen to the complete version here

"Every generation tries to put its doctrine on a high shelf where the children cannot reach"

the lonely prophet speaks again... listen well

thoughts from a lonely prophet part one...

Walter Rauschenbusch (once referred to as a lonely prophet) is certainly not a name that trips off the tongue but this theologian was an important voice in the beginning of the 20th century. Several years pastoring a church beside the infamous 'Hell's Kitchen' area of New York (Gangs of New York territory) left an indelible mark on him and moved him to consider the social implications of the gospel. His book 'Christianity and the Social Crisis' is fascinating reading.


"The salt of the earth will do its work best if not stored in casks by itself but rubbed in evenly and generously where needed. "

This is obvious that grace must permeate society not be stored up.
So often people express a frustration of mine more succinctly than I ever could.

"The wiser leaders of Christianity do not desire to monopolise the services of Christian people for the churches, but rejoice in seeing the power of religion flow out in the service of justice and mercy. Religion is less an institution and more a diffused force than ever before..."

So often it seems our churches are geared towards maintaining their own programmes and getting people involved in those. You feel guilty if you're not committed to church stuff outside Sunday, yet often pastors and ministers forget that the job of the church is to release people to impact the world around us. To inspire us with faith, to get us believing the gospel again and to send us out to rub that salt in generously where it is needed, not in keeping it in countless 'church' activities. Now don't get me wrong. I passionately believe that the local church is the hope of the world, however we need to recognise with Mark Greene that the places we spend most of our time are the places that need our Christian service most...

"Services rendered to church get a higher religious rating than services rendered to the community, thus the religious value is taken out of the activities of the common man and the prophetic services to society"

The world is your oyster?

It frightening to think that in the 10 years since I have left school I have travelled more than my grandparents did in their entire lifetime. Nicked a cool site off Neil's blog where you can paint the parts of the world red that you've been to (great for all those members of the socialist workers party out there). Here's mine. Make your own here


Of course you may not know where half those places are but best way to learn is via competition, and here I unashamedly steal from zoomtard. See how many countries you can name - great way to while away the hours when you're supposed to be trying to understand John Hick's influence on religious pluralism. I have a high of 69 (after starting on 34) and obviously have no clue about asia, lets get some competition going...

While we're on the subject of maps, always good to check out the Peters Projection for a less Europe/America-centric and more accurate view of the world.

Duke Special on Jools Holland - No Cover Up

you know youre getting old when...

1. People who come to your Christmas soiree (and who are younger than you) bring their kids

2. You've been out of school (and yes its a pretty awful website) so long that the 'class of 96' has their 10 year reunion.

After almost getting the wrong night (another sign of getting old - or just not reading things properly), I rolled up to White's Tavern last night intrigued as to what would ensue. To be honest I had feared it may be just a chance for people to let everyone know how successful they were, or that after the 'so where are you living now?' and 'what are you up to?' questions were exhausted it would descend into an awkward silence. I'm glad to say it was a good night - some people i hadn't seen for 10 years, others I had. Its strange that most people outwardly didn't seem to have changed that much (well, most of the guys have acquired a bit of later twenties spread) and some of those relationships were pretty easy to pick up again. Be interesting to know how much people really have changed. I know as I look back my time at uni was very significant and shaped a lot of who I am now. The shy geeky Samuel with the sideshade of 1M has become the slightly more opinionated (and still geeky) Sam who thankfully has lost the sideshade! I guess my last 10 years have been shaped by realising that if I believed God was real then I needed to take him seriously. That has meant launching into the journey of following Jesus and trying to figure out what it looks like to follow him. That's taken in rebellion against the nice easy answer tickbox Christianity I grew up with, trips to Africa and South America have pushed me deeper into understanding how God and justice fit together, its taken me through some tough times of various sorts of broken relationships, and the more recent strand of trying to understand better who God has made me to be so I can figure out how best I can be part of what He is doing. Looking back the last 10 years have been pretty exciting, God has been doing a lot of work on me, bring on the next 10!

Road rage in the Christmas traffic

Sitting in traffic and driving in general can do strange things to us. It can turn the most mild mannered person into a raging psycho. I moved house recently and am spending more time in traffic. I can lack a little patience at times, so sometimes it can be interesting. Today, driving along the inside lane (which at certain times of the day is a bus lane), I started indicating to pull out to avoid a few parked cars. All of a sudden the car on the outside sped up - definately not letting me out. I casually glanced round to see the woman in the passenger seat angrily gesticulating at me. Maybe she didn't quite get the bus lane is only in operation 8-9.30 and so figured since i was transgressing, no way was her hubbie going to let me out. It had a strange effect on me, overcoming the temptation to gesticulate back, it made me all the more determined to let people out as i drove along. Driving along can be a time when I am so absorbed in my journey and me getting there that i forget about others. Letting people out in front of me is a tiny way i try to teach myself and remind myself to be generous, to show grace to others. Today the example of ungrace or a lack of generosity drove me (sorry - unintentionally bad pun) to be generous in how i treated others on the road. Living generously doesn't come easy - to me anyway - so its something i need to teach my self to do. I guess today was a start - just the rest of my life to go now...

Its amazing the effects a run can have. Although i like to enjoy those effects in moderation, the need to run off a few sizeable meals kicked in. Running along rediscovering U2's How to Dismantle an Atomic bomb, wrestling through a few things with 'the big man' thrown in for good measure. I've been writing a few bible studies on the beatitudes for my day job, and those crazy words from Jesus (that sadly the church tends to ignore, myself included a lot of the time) are starting to seep into my consciousness again.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.


Would you deny for others what you demand for yourself
You speak of signs and wonders, but i need something other
I would believe if i was able, but i'm waiting on the crumbs from your table

Where you live should not decide whether you live or whether you die
Three to a bed
Sister Ann, she said
dignity passes by....

This Tuesday is World Poverty Day. A few years ago governments across the world signed up the millennium development goals
They involve halving extreme poverty and halting the spread of HIV/AIDS. Tuesday is about more than just digging out that white band that was so trendy a while ago, but standing up, getting our fingers out and holding our government to account

Jonah

I've been reading Jonah recently - the more I read it the weirder it is. I've struggled to get past the sunday school bits, but have really appreciated seeing a fresh perspective. Jonah really is a strange character - the reluctant prophet who despite experiencing God's grace doesn't want the people of Ninevah to experience it. He wants to see them judged and destroyed. It seems scandalous to Jonah that the God of the Jews should demean himself by offering his graciousness and forgiveness to pagans. Maybe there is also an element of shame - that a pagan people are quicker to trun to the living God than his own people, the Jews. So many of these things resonate with attitudes in my heart and the christian culture i've grown up in. How often are we more interested in pronouncing judgement and wanting to see people experience that, than realise that God created and loves those people as much as us? Are there people I think aren't as deserving of God's grace as I am? How many contradictions are there in that question. Do I want to restrict God's work to people just like me? In my writing off certain groups of christians (often the groups i've rebelled against), am I becoming just like them? Exhibiting the very attitudes and lack of grace I rebel against? And then there's the shame. As we look around this world we live in that God created, at the people made in his image who are suffering, is it shameful to us, the church that secular prophets are the ones calling for justice. Where are God's people to declare the dignity of people above profits? Where are God's people who are prepared to stand up and fulfill our mandate to care for creation, fopr the earth 'which he has given to humankind' (Psalm 115.16). Oh yeah, they are the people in the church with dodgy theology, they're not sound, you don't want to listen to them, stay in the nice safe place that sees things in black and white...

Pink

I've just been converted to pink. No, I haven't just gone and purchased a new wardrobe. The singer. She of the crazy hair. I did think, she's just into shock value, but then an interview on the Chris Moyles show changed that when 'Stupid Girls' was on the go. Art in my understandng is about comment and asking questions. Pink has certainly done that with her last two singles, taking on celebrity culture as personified by Paris Hilton and now asking George W some hard questions. Yes he's an easy target, and it is trendy to bush-bash, but Pink's latest song is thoughtful not just about Iraq but raising questions over other policies of the Bush Government. She cares and isn't afraid to show it and she's doing something with that. I respect that.
check out this observer article

Dear Mr. President
Come take a walk with me
Let's pretend we're just two people and
You're not better than me
I'd like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly

What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street
Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep
What do you feel when you look in the mirror
Are you proud

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye
How do you walk with your head held high
Can you even look me in the eye
And tell me why

Dear Mr. President
Were you a lonely boy
Are you a lonely boy
Are you a lonely boy
How can you say
No child is left behind
We're not dumb and we're not blind
They're all sitting in your cells
While you pay the road to hell

What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away
And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay
I can only imagine what the first lady has to say
You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye
How do you walk with your head held high
Can you even look me in the eye

Let me tell you bout hard work
Minimum wage with a baby on the way
Let me tell you bout hard work
Rebuilding your house after the bombs took them away
Let me tell you bout hard work
Building a bed out of a cardboard box
Let me tell you bout hard work
Hard work
Hard work
You don't know nothing bout hard work
Hard work
Hard work
Oh

How do you sleep at night
How do you walk with your head held high
Dear Mr. President
You'd never take a walk with me
Would you

here we go...

So i'm finally making my debut in the blog arena, venting all my rants somewhere into cyberspace in the vague hope some people may read them...