Little boxes on the hillside

Lottie in a Box

Well I haven’t written too much recently which in part because I have had less time to procrastinate and thus an inability to muse and also just because… The other day however I found my kids bible which I had when I was around 9 or 10 years old. In the notes section at the back was a note which said, ’Get Even with Andrew’. This left me with more questions than answers really, who is Andrew? What had he done to cause me such rage? Did I get even with him or is there perhaps a debt outstanding? I just don’t know… the moral teachings of the bible evidently hadn’t made any significant impact on me…

Anyway, did you (or do you) like playing in boxes? I was definately a person who secretly hoped people would give me huge toys so I could turn the box into a house (for illustrative purposes there is a picture of my sister hiding from my mum in a box last year). Actually I also once built a space ship out of wood so I may just have had a rather optimistic view of the sturdyness and usability of materials (and obviously a lack of understanding about space travel also).

I was thinking about how easy it seems to get stuck into ways of thinking about things and neatly packaging ideas up and getting them stuck in boxes (theres the link to the theme sort of…), though on the whole these tend to be more imaginary and less cardboardy boxes. On sunday evening I was at a youth group where they were discussing images of Jesus and it is interesting to see the different representations that exist… This one below is my favourite though (from a church advertising campaign in 1999 I think) as it is a bit less pious and serene as some of the others. A bit outside the box? A bit more real?

Sometimes people act as if thinking about things differently is scary…

There is this idea within the church that culture and technology are bad, that new thinking waters down the bible or God. But when we make firm decisions don’t we all get a bit too comfortable, I love the way that in the bible Jesus answers questions he is asked with questions… turns it back around…

Thinking about God, about Jesus, isn’t simple but isn’t that why it is good to think about it? Never stop moving or thinking. I love fresh ways of expressing and of re-envisioning things and ideas. It doesn’t mean what has gone before is bad or is entirely irrelevant but it is exciting to relate Jesus to new people, to new ideas. Or just to do things a bit differently. Fresh doesn’t mean bad, I don’t think it means not as good, I don’t think it means watering down. I think it just means fresh. Different maybe. Exciting even.

Jesus didn’t pick the obvious choice of friends – he picked the taxcollector and the prostitue, the keen but a bit hopeless at following instuctions, the generally not that perfect but actually quite brilliant later on.

And Jesus didn’t do the expected – he wasn’t an Godly soldier warrior, he was countercultural, he suprised the Jews with his views on law and his morals.

It was all a bit outside the box.

According to Stephen Fry the Eskimos actually don’t have hundreds of words for it

So it snowed… muchly…

Having been ski-ing recently (and it having snowed before that) it is maybe not quite as exciting as it might have been (but still quite).

It is amazing however how quickly that white stuff changes the world. Makes it prettier, quieter, slower, impossible to do anything except have a snowball fight with any ease and makes the people more enraged (with the exception of children and probably teachers).

Aside from the annoyance though, I strangely do quite like the fact that I am not more powerful than the snow. I could not make my car drive all the way home, it just wouldn’t quite make it there. There is this feeling like it wont be a problem, it is only snow, so you can stay out a little longer… then 4 inches of snow appear in about an hour and traveling is somewhat more tricksy. But abandoning the car in the snow (admittedly only 5 minutes from my house) was something you should probably do at least once in your life!

Anyway not quite sure how I’ll get anywhere tomorrow but I’m only slightly bitter that I never had any snow days and now all the kids are having them… its all the rage!

Snowy house

*Yes that is a desk in my garden… we are considering a whole outside office actually (it may work out to be more of a summer thing however)…!

Retreat and Advance

My introduction into the shady criminal underworld came at a young age as I was the grandspymaster of the internationally notorious Spy Club, what we stood for was uncertain except there was definetly a code book, definately an overwhelming desire to find secret passageways and we were once terrified by a nun jumping out on us in a library. Well over the years the Spy Club met a little less frequently but our hosting venues continued until a couple of weekends ago they maybe finally came to an end. I not quite sure how to describe ‘the weekends’, they are a crowd of people (from a wide range of around 100) who have (not all at the same time) over the years up, they are really retreats (though not in any way the silent type) and have been going on bi-annually really all my life and mainly at convents.

 

There are so many random memories of these weekends, like my Dad scaring people by jumping out dressed as a pirate; kids being pulled down a slope on a bedsheet by nuns; a hallway of splinters that could get you through shoes; early morning walks and ponderings; 1000 green bottles at 2am not to mention the self-evident truth that nobody loves a fairy when she is 40. One of the best things however is that it has been such fun to be a part of this extended family and see the way that people have changed and relationships have developed. The funny thing is that in retreating we advance (that’s my one slightly deep thought for this blog, and its not really mine its my dad’s).  So it may have been the last one but they have been a lot of fun and a lot of good and in honour of them here is a photographic tribute over the ages.

When glasses ate faces

Rent a crowd at Sayers Common

The one with the mysterious music stand

A serious medical ailment…

For a long time I knew about a very serious medical condition known as, a bone in my leg. I was taught about this (possibly terminal) illness by my trusted babysitters Biddy and Doris who explained on many occasions that they couldn’t carry us up to bed, or watch our play, or jump over us on account of having bones in their legs… it was tragic.

So this goes along with numerous other mistakes or misunderstandings my younger self assimilated. I was also somewhat confused by the fact that though at Rainbows the manjority of leaders were bird names, the chief was called Goldfish. That myth was debunked only last week when I discovered it was in fact Goldfinch (which is similar I think).

But the more traumatic element of growing up is not so much working out how gullible I was as a small person but learning that the world isn’t as black and white as it seemed as the afore mentioned small person. When we got into the sixth form at school friends who started their A level science course (in either physics, or chemistry or possibly biology… one of them anyway – they might enlighten me) they were told that what they had been taught in their GCSE’s in the subject was wrong, probably not all of it but elements anyway, a partial truth perhaps.

My study of history has often seemed to be moving between discoveries that history isn’t quite as it is remembered and that great historical heroes (and sometimes villains) are not as black and white as they are remembered.

I’ll give you one partial and brief example (basically just to carry on the quest of passing pearls of historical wisdom to youall), William Wilberforce was a important person in the Abolition of Slavery movement in this country and especially through parliament, but there are many others who were also key people within the movement. To a certain extent Wilberforce is remembered in the way that he is commemorated and imagined, and such images which were in part created by his supporters and family members in particular and sometimes at the expense of others (such as Thomas Clarkson). Many figures have commemorations but have you considered how such commemorations are crafted? Does just anyone famous/worthy get to be buried in Westminster Abbey? Is it significant if a historical figure who was a politician is remembered in on a military style column (Wilberforce memorial in Hull)?

All this is a round about way of saying things aren’t as easy to understand as it might appear. The other thing I guess that meant is that growing up matters of Faith and of God were a bit easier, so it is a bit disconcerting to grow up and find the black and white to be more multicoloured (so grey would be more traditional but it is a bit boring). And doubt and questions and life and more questions are more linked, more on the horizon.

Not that that is bad necessarily. Working though the multicoloured maybe more challenging but maybe more rewarding, has more depth.  It is maybe better though to take the challenge, try the question, re-envisage the premise… because the underlying words/facts might be the same but they might just have a different meaning, a wholer meaning. Biddy and Doris, as I understand biology, did indeed have bones their legs but, as it turns out so do I so maybe I’ll try it out on my Goddaughter… (but I fear she might be a bit less gullible than I was).

Lies to tell children?

Being right

Well the news is in and though I had convinced myself otherwise, I have passed and therefore for the purposes of this blog my title should perhaps be Limey Rathgam, AM, AM. Or maybe AM squared. It could catch on.

I have a weakness, well truth be told I have many but for today we will focus on one… I’m great at thinking I am right. As many will probably attest to I am great at holding opinions (often cynical ones)… I have been reflecting recently however about the fact that many other people also feel that they are right. Though I don’t doubt this, or maybe I do, but wonder what we can do with all this rightness?

Particularly within a faith context this can be hard to understand. I had a blogersation with someone a while ago and we were talking about bible interpretation and she said that not everyone has the right interpretation of the bible (which I imagine may be true), but I suppose my question is how do we know… that we are right? It is challenging for me as a Christian when I come accross people with faith in God who have radically different opinions as me, am I right? Are they right? Is anyone right? Does rightness even exist? Or I suppose more pertinantely does truth exist? What is truth? (although that sounds a bit pretentious).

Well I don’t know because in the words of one of my RS teachers at school, ‘I am not God’… however I suppose a better question might be what do we do with all our different rightness? How can we find a dialogue between opposing poles? And I think perhaps its better than we do;  angry argument, or in the most extreme cases, running off to Rome or or splitting from the church is not really going to help.

We must try to understand that other people’s views are not (largely) whimsically held… that they too have deep beliefs (in God) and perhaps the problem is that our own views need checking. Need challenging. I have a friend who is great at putting things into perspective for me, in one word sentances or in conversations she often challenges me mainly into stopping thinking so much in my own head… but the challenges tend to lead me perhaps to better views/beliefs (which are also of course obviously right). Perhaps it is in being in dialogue that we can work through things…

This evening I was at an Alpha course and we were talking about the way that God guides us, there are easy ways and hard ways, times we hear and times we don’t. They suggest 5 ways we hear this guidance; scripture, spirit, common sense, advice from others and signs around us (although they put it a little more succinctly).

Hand of God?

God himself is in the equation too, but so often when we come to a debate or a discussion with God has told me that or God has said to me this… it can be quite an intimidating start… I guess I greatly admire people who are that sure but is it ever that clear?  I heard someone say recently that to believe in God they would need really big proof… like a hand coming down from the sky and pointing… now if I heard God this clearly it might be easy.

Perhaps dialogue can be helpful. I heard recently about the origin of the phrase devil’s advocate… it was a lawyer appointed by the Roman Catholic church who argued against the cannonization process of a saint candidate (in opposition to God’s advocate) to point out the problems etc with the candidate, strike up the opposing view.

I suppose the best that we can do is as far as we can discern the right views and beliefs. But we should perhaps at least once in a while think them through… consider a different one and play devil’s advocate. And by being less isolationist, less in my own head, perhaps I can come to better understandings.

Barriers and translation

The other day I spent the better part of half an hour changing my password for my university email account… it is admittedly slightly pointless as I am in fact not a student anymore but I am mildly interested in how long I have access to it. The problems however occured due to the password restrictions, like it cannot be a real word, or my name, or an anagram of my name…. etc. So in the end I had to give up choosing one I had any chance of remembering and went for something I would have to write down, which may defeat the object, and then of course promptly threw away the piece of paper in a room sorting spree. It wasn’t the most successful exercise.

What barriers do we create, perhaps for good reason but then get a little bit too complicated? Recently I went to a worship leaders conference in London and some of the guys running it (Resound Worship) were talking about their aim to write simple songs without ‘churchy’ words like thee/thou or proclaim, exalt, salvation and magnify. Not that there is anything intrinsically wrong with such words but just that they are not the sort of words we use in everyday speech. There are different ways of doing things but I sometimes wonder if we accidentally make church something that we have to translate?

My Dad has recently been trying to organise meetings between some Americans, some Russians and some Englanders and he observed the process of back and forth translation;

I used to be good at communication but now I’m not so sure

 

Я имел обыкновение быть способный к коммуникации, но теперь я не являюсь настолько уверенным

 

I was in the habit to be capable to the communications, but now I am not so assured

 

Я был в привычке быть способным к коммуникациям, но теперь я столь не уверен

 

I was in a good connection, but now I’m not sure

 

Я была хорошей на связь, но я не уверен#

 

I was good for us, but I’m not sure

 

Мой страховой агент поразило освещение, и теперь он не может общаться

 

My insurance agent was struck by lighting and now he can’t communicate  

So I guess sometimes the message gets a bit lost in the translation… but perhaps its only a problem if we forget that some people need the translation (and I suppose do it incorrectly).

One thought and another thought…

Bonnie Greer

Well last night after watching Question Time I was going to offer a rant to the general debate but then I fell asleep and I’m pretty sure I have nothing extra to add other than the obvious… Free Speech = Good, Nick Griffin = Very Strange Man (to put it mildly). But laying that aside I was most impressed by Bonnie Greer who was I think the sharpest person there and doing her bit for the historians (I feel inclined to visit the British Museum in support). Anyway it certainly has caused discussion and numerous people have said to me in a very serious voice, ‘did you watch question time last night?’

Having slept on it and decided not to offer my pearls of wisdom on Question Time I thought I would briefly reflect on a service I went to this evening… that is of course unless I fall asleep and think better of it.

Full regalia at St Albans

This evening was the 30th anniversary of my childhood vicar, Doris Staniford’s, time in church ministry. The service at my old church, which is quite different to the style of church I worship at regularly now, but even as the incense grew so thick the back of the church was invisible and began to choke the choir children, it was nice to be in a packed church celebrating the work someone in that way. For me, forced back in to a choir robe once again by my mother’s wiley guilting ways, it was actually nice to sing in the altos section of the choir… the Von Magrath Family were out in force.

Being a woman vicar in the Church of England has, and this may be a suprise to many of you, been a tricky career and to manage 30 years is pretty amazing. However the service was not just about this and so it was nice that people came together from different, chruches and styles of churches and celebrated this achievement and the service itself was lovely . Then we had a party afterwards so a win win evening really.

Well these were two fairly unrelated reflections… but that seems to be the way my mind is working this week.

To Christmas and beyond…

To Christmas and beyond

So yesterday I bought a Advent calender. It is admittedly a little early and I was rather dismayed to see a Christmas store open in the town already, but its a nut free one and I couldn’t get one last year. However it got me thinking about how often in our culture we are thinking ahead, its back to school in June, Halloweeen in August, Christmas in October and Easter in January.

For me so often my life seems to be defined by what is ahead, next week, month, year and how many days until x or y event. And it kinda creates a rush, I always seem to be busy with one thing or another, and always seem to think that in the future I will have more time. When I was studying I was always looking to the holidays, when I was doing my MA I thought I would have more time when I started my job, but now I’m working and I’m still busy. I think the problem is that I am always busy, or I always find ways of being busy and filling time even if it is just busy blogging! So that really there isn’t a magical space in the future when thing will get less hectic and because we are all rushing for one thing to another

On sunday evening at my church, Godspace, a theme that came up for many people was that we can easily make excuses for how busy we are and believe that in the future there will be more time, and that it is in this that we don’t make time for God. So that we should re-commit, stand now for making time for God and acknowledge  that it is only through making that time that we can be refreshed and fullfilled.

Anyway hopefully I wont get bored or looking at Woody and Buzz by the time Christmas comes around and at least I have the benefit of knowing I’ll have a toy-tastic Christmas.

Finally you may have noticed I’m trying out a new picture… it is arguably a little creepy and my eyes might follow you around but there you go.

YES

Well I have now officially been saying YES to everything for two weeks now so I thought I would tell you a little bit of what I have been up to. YES stands for Youth, Equipped to serve and the scheme is also called Encounter (which is a little trivia I threw in for you there).

I have started off mainly shadowing Tim, the vicar at St. Mary’s where I work, and getting an idea of all the things the church gets up to. Amongst the many things I have been to; two funerals, a deanery synod and a pcc meeting, been to a couple of kids clubs, shredded and folded some paper, been to an away day of evangelical ministers, done some Alpha course training, mastered song pro, visited some elderly people and carried on working my way through the Earl Grey tea at the coffee shop. So it has been fairly varied.

I have largely done away with sleeping into the morning and have rotated my day away from student style living for the first time in 4 years and am remembering it is possible to do lots when you are busy (rather than busy studying!)

Certainly I have got to see more of the practical nature of the church and also the people that the church reaches out to during the week which in some ways are quite different to sunday mornings. It has been nice also to finish work and have free time… I keep thinking what do I have to do? So I am making use of my cinema unlimited card, rewatching the West Wing (well why wouldn’t you) and finding out what all the fuss over farmville is.

Charity:water

Charity:water campaign advert

Have any of you heard of Charity:water?

Charity:water is an American charity which has only one current aim which is to provide clean drinking water accross the world.

Did you know that one in six people don’t have clean drinking water in the world? 

Charity:water is a different from most charities (though not all) in that it has such a specific focus, on water. It has developed a powerful brand, a specific design and hard hitting advertising campaigns. They ensure 100% of donated money goes to projects by linking with partners who provide services and money to cover the administative side of the charity even down to card charges on donations. Finally they frequently and quickly update people on projects they are involved with such as on twitter where they have a photo of the day.

The story of the founder of charity:water is also interesting. Scott Harrison previously worked in New York promoting nightclubs and fashion events. He was however unhappy and sought a change of direction which led him to a Mercy Ship bound for Liberia which later led to the founding of charity:water (he was then able to use previous contacts to fund some of the admin side of the charity).

 

 

 Check out this video:

Finally check out these photographs of two girls who were able to benefit from charity:water projects: 

If one out of six of your neighbours didn’t have clean drinking water what would you do? 

Makes you think doesn’t it?

Check out http://www.charitywater.org/ for loads more info (including on Scott Harrison’s story)