A`week in Germany

At our German HQ:

Nice place for a walk - but not much time for it. We were comparing notes on "mobilisation" (recruiting).

I love the fact that my work is recruiting people for a task I believe is the most brilliant thing a person can do.

If my God is the true God, and mission is his purpose (introducing others to him and his ways), then I am most privileged. Which of course I am.

But with privilege comes responsibility. The plan of God in the bible has always been that he blesses his people, that they may bless others. Easy to forget the second bit...

As usual I come away embarrassed that I have so many facilities and so many people to work alongside in the UK.

We did walk down to Lidl on the last day - walked back clinking (wine is €1.99 instead of £2.99).

Today Flora joined me for a bike ride. So the distance was easy for me - but it was her longest ever at 16miles. We got to Fairburn Ings great for coffee & a loo half way...

Jono (youngest at 21) got a Wii on Satuday - so loads of over-repetitive jokes about Jono having a wii in the lounge. I've made a nice Mii (avatar) but it is rubbish at all the games. Can't think why.

Grace again...

I was watching/listening to this again:
I just love the fact that for the event Floyd demonstrated grace in such a way as to cover old differences. Maybe I read too much in - maybe not. It was good to see the 4 of them arm in arm the first time for years.

But as Simon says: (quoting U2)

Grace makes beauty out of ugly things.
Grace finds beauty in everything.
Grace finds goodness in everything.

U2, Grace

I was chatting this week to Ben & Mel - sorting out church.... (a bit like the sorting-out-the-wrongs-of-the-world-discussion but a lot more parochial).

Church doesn't do grace very well - we can do law really well. Ironic really - God moves us from lawlessness through law to grace, and we always seem to get stuck one step back.

Church so easily becomes about law. Whether that is law about "received dogma", or law about "this is how we do it".

My son says I have my blogging face on again - so better lighten up and log off...

Cynicism is the pits

Every time I listen to a news bulletin today I feel like crying. Its the "friendly fire" incedent that killed L/CoH Matty Hull . Read it on the BBC here.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not anti-war - I just don't think we should do war in cases like the last (or current) Iraq war. It was always wrong - and some British politicians are still in denial.

My big problem here is the way in which the west cynically manipulates its so called "citizens of democracy". I have worked with military secrets (I worked in defence), I know they fulfil a function - but that function is not to provide the correct "spin" in order to dupe the very people that the military claim to protect. That I believe is a cynical manipulation of power.

Within hours of a "good news" event gunsight camera tapes are released to the media. But when they get it wrong (as is sadly almost inevitable in war) they "bury" the bad news. As in this case. Were it not for a leak (which will make the american security services even more keen to control "bad news") we would probably never have heard that tape of the pilots who slowly realise they have just killed a soldier on their own side.

Good news - it's not secret.

Bad news - it is.

And some think our society is worth exporting.

The worst thing is that there are a whole bunch of people who think that this is a "Christian" way to behave - some of them are American & British, some of them are Muslims - in my view all of them are wrong.

I can understand why many Muslims don't think much of Christianity - if that is all they see.

What's on my iPod?

Nothing - I dont have one - not that I'm complaining - shouldn't after reading Simons excellent piece on how tough it is to be rich. You need to read the comments to get some balance though. I am cross that I never heard that the "eye of the needle" is NOT a gate into Jerusalem. (here and here) - what crap we sometimes hear from pulpits! (makes mental note to stop talking crap in pulpits but realise it is a vain hope)

In fact I am very rich compared to most of the world (otherwise I'd not have spent £1.80 on a bar of fair trade chocolate in Saltaire on my bike ride this morning).

And I do have an MP3 player (Creative Zen Nano + 1GB) It's great! - I can listen to music all the way from Rothwell to Saltaire & back - 38 miles with no repeats.

John Mayer: Continuum

My brother suggested him to me (with the aid of a thumb drive) - I like his bluesey style, and the fact that he likes Hendrix ("Bold as Love" has lovely Hendrix references)

Sting: Brand New Day

I've been enjoying this for a while now - "Fill her up" is a story of a man for whom love gets him turned around, and resisting the temptation of an easy way out. "Tomorrow we'll see" is the touching story of a prostitute. Jesus understood people like that too.

Lowground: Long Way from Home

A great band that my son Andrew played in when he was in York - soft jazzy style with a super female vocalist - Emi.

Lowground: EP

More great stuff from Lowground!

The Beatles: Love

When I was a lad you were either a Beatles fan or a Stones fan - looking back I'm sorry I was such a wimp - I like both. My favourite is the vocal track "Because".

Opeth: Damnation

Son Jono suggested I try them because he thinks my musical tastes are too narrow - I don't try enough new stuff - true. Judging by this I should try more new stuff - It is ok.

Porcupine Tree: Stupid Dream

More via Jono. They do seem to have Floydian influences. Enjoying getting to know them.

Tenhi: Maaaet

Jono again! - The band name sounds like an Ikea whitewood hatstand - but actually they are Finnish - and they sing/chant in Finnish - bit wierd - will try them a bit more.

Pink Floyd: The Division Bell

One of my all time favourite albums from my favourite band. Best track is a lament about the loss of youth's simple pleasures "High Hopes"

Pink Floyd: Pulse

Arguably one of their pinnacle gigs (thogh it is post Roger Waters)

Delirious

Some friends eschew listening to "christian" music - I sympathise, but I do love these songs - some are uplifting - some challenging. A selection of favourite tracks include: "History Maker" and "What a friend".

Keep talking...

Cycling again - (33 miles today). Thinking all the way - what will I blog next? No inspiration, - maybe it was the music. Then Floyd came round (as they do quite often on my MP3 player).

The song: "Keep Talking" from Division Bell - a favourite album.

For millions of years mankind lived just like animals
Then something happened
which unleashed the powers of our imagination
We learned to talk.

The song uses Stephen Hawkins' voice from the BT advert. Hawkins proposes a "new world order" based on the idea of talking, and using internet technology to facilitate that. It is an enticing vision.

My first reaction was - no that is not all that separates us from animals. What about imagination, emotion, creativity, the sense of the numinous (the "other", the divine, the spiritual). But then I thought about my favoirite creation narrative -The Gospel of John chapter 1:

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made;
without him nothing was made that has been made.
In him was life,
and that life was the light of men.

Here communication is at the heart of creation - in Genesis creation is a direct result of communication - IMHO the only thing we really do or can understand about how creation happened is that it is a result of God speaking.

Communication is important - but as the floyd song illustrates we shouldn't confuse it with talking:

I think I should speak now ____ Why won't you talk to me
I can't seem to speak now ____ You never talk to me

As the dialogue between the vocals and chorus indicate, communication has to be 2 way.

I talk a lot - but I'm not so strong on listening...

Talking of creation - try this from Kez...

Five things you didn't know about me

I was happily reading "English Hen" and "God School" (brilliant post on Hermeneutics) - both of them writing a fascinating "Five things you didn't know about me" - only to find myself tagged!

1) I used to be young. Really - I may be 55 next month, but I was young - in the 60's & 70's. OK so I'm cheating - but you may not have known my age now...

2) I got one "A level" - Physics grade E - that is the lowest pass grade... OK so I did go on to get an electronics degree (just).

3) I used to run a Hearse (with a mate) and we used it to operate a mobile disco called "The Undertakers" It was (partly) a rather naive attempt at evangelism. We used it for a grand day out to the Essex coast - the back filled up with friends from the church youth group "SPYF".

4) In my 20's, at one point I owned 2 cars:

• a Reliant 3 wheeler van - (Trotter style) - 600 ccs of pure masochism. (In UK)
  
• A Plymouth Fury coupe - 5 litres of unreliable tyre-squealing power. (In California)

5) I was nearly arrested for planting paper flowers in a roundabout in St Albans (don't ask why - I've forgotten - and I probably didn't know then)

I'm supposed to tag five people - but I can't think who to tag...

Maybe Rob - (he'll never read this anyway)

Why I don't go to church on Sunday morning

It's that time of year - another Sunday - another photo of a muddy bike. It was so bad today I had to hose it down when I got home.

Every Sunday I can I cycle in the morning. It's fun (if sometimes cold & wet), it is good for me (not so good for Flora's sense of humour when I traipse in - in more muddy gear), and it gives me space to think.

I used to go to church on a Sunday morning. Now I don't - and this is why...

1) I discovered to my horror that Sunday morning church had become a "duty". I felt guilty for missing.

2) The community I worship with (Wakefield Baptist Church) now have a "menu" system. We call it "Portfolio Church" - where we are encouraged to chose a balanced diet from a variety of "options" - For worship & ministry I choose the Sunday evening meeting as it fits me better. I look forward to going - most times - and that's how it should be I reckon. Most times I am asked to preach it is at the evening meeting too.

3) My cycle ride is good for me (keeps me a bit fit)

4) I enjoy the ride and feeling a bit more a part of God's brilliant creation.

5) I have time to reflect. (very occasionally profound - but sadly those bits don't seem to make it to the blog!)

Mark 2 vs. 27: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath..."