Well, this is a bit of an odd post. In that, normally, you would expect one like this to come at the beginning of a year. But I decided to leave it for a bit, because, although I can see some good in making resolutions at New Year, it's always felt somewhat artificial to me. And I think that resolutions can be done at any time, so it's better to think about them, and do them when you are clear on them.
So, my 'resolutions', such as they are, are a bit different to how you might expect. I've been thinking about what God has been doing, and what He has been showing me of what the future might hold; and resolved to try to go along with that, as much as possible.
Therefore, my first resolution is to keep working on relationships. Mainly those I already have, as that is difficult enough for me-and, as I get better at them, then I should get better at new ones, too. I have been putting a lot of energy into that over the past few months, and that has been good in several ways. I have learned a lot about myself by pushing myself in relationships, where previously I probably wouldn't have; and, though at times, it hs been exhausting, it has also been rewarding. I have changed for the better, in that I am finding relationships easier, and also enjoying them more. I am finding it more enjoyable spending time with people (though, as I'm an introvert, it can also be quite tiring at times, and I must watch that); and, more importantly, I'm getting to know new people. And I'm really glad I do.
My second is to try to be more open to God more often, and co-operate when He shows me stuff He wants me to do. He said a while back that the word He wants to use to sum up this year for me is 'surprise' (see here), and I'm kind of looking forward to that. But the important thing in that is that if I'm going to have anything change permanently, then I have to do things-but they have to be the right things. So, co-operation with God.
And, following on from that, the other resolution is to take opportunities more often. This goes along with both the previous ones; both in that God will offer me opportunities that I can choose to take (or not), and also, as I continue to build relationships, other possibilities will come up that I can choose to do something about. probably nothing bad will happen if I don't take them; but also, nothing will necessarily change. And change is an integral part of life, so, if I want to live, I have to be willing to change. Which I'm okay with, but, more importantly, I have to be willing to make change happen. I'm neither good at, nor comfortable with doing that; but, it is something that needs to happen. So I need to do it.
That's my resolutions. I'm putting them down here, for two reasons. First, to get them clear in my head; to know what I want and need, and what I have to aim for. And, second, to let others know, so you can help. Ask me about them, and encourage me in them. I hope you do. Thanks in advance.
Friday 28 February 2014
Thursday 27 February 2014
Comparing Clusters!
So, a couple of weeks ago, we finished the course on How To Make The Most Of Your Life; and the two clusters following have both stood out in completely different ways. In fact, I don't see how they could have been more different.
The first week after combined a prayer walk with a social, which sounds a bit odd; but actually worked quite well. A few of us met up at church (which is fairly central), and went off from there. We went up to our friends and cluster members who are now parents, as of a couple of weeks ago; and, after praying outside their house for a bit, turned and went down the High Street via the Sandford Ale House, that we also prayed outside. We went down through the centre of town, and then went on to the social part of the evening; which was already growing in numbers. We had arranged to meet one of our other cluster members there, and it was a mere matter of minutes before quite a few others joined us-more than double. You could argue that this was due to the relative popularity of prayer walks and socials, but nearly everyone seemed to have good reasons for being late-and, socials are at least as important for clusters as anything else. Possibly more important than some things, as relationships are vital for clusters to work; and there has to be occasions for people just to get to know one another without 'working', as it were.
So, we just generally chilled and chatted in the pub. To be honest, I found it difficult at first, for some unknown reason, but after a while I relaxed and just let things happen. All in all, it was a great time; and a great time was had by all. You could call it something official like 'building relationships' or 'fellowship', and either of those would be just as accurate; but all that happened was people chatted, people relaxed (even me, eventually), and there was lots of laughter. I can't speak for anyone else, but I know I enjoyed it; and it was just what I needed.
And last night was also outstanding for completely different reasons. It was the first session after the course, and I was leading it. And I had no idea what I was going to do. Or rather I had too many ideas. The title I'd been given was 'Creativity in your Prayer Life', and I didn't know how to do it. My prayer life isn't particularly creative. I just talk to God and try to listen; not much else, really. I couldn't see how I could build a session on that. I tried looking up various patterns of prayer that different people use, but it didn't feel like the right way to go. So, I got round to asking people a few questions, and seeing what came of that. I had my day off the day before, so I planned to write it then to let as many people reply as possible. In the end, about 10 people gave me some answers, so I had a look at what they'd written to see what similarities there were. One of the main things was that from what they said they did, everyone seemed to have a fairly healthy prayer life, but no-one felt satisfied with it; they all felt it should be better.
So, I felt that was the thing to address. If people felt they were unsure about prayer, to give them some encouragement that they could do it, as it were. But even up until I was about to start, I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do, or how well it might work. First, however, came the worship that Fay led. She knew I was doing prayer, as she was one of the people I'd asked; and had come up with something that led into it brilliantly. She asked us to write/draw/make a psalm. She'd written out a list of some of God's titles/attributes, and let us get on with it. The idea of 'HELP' was in my head; partly because I'd been working on this all week and still didn't know what was going to happen, and partly because I'd been feeling quite drained a few times recently, and just felt if I was only just holding on with God, what would it have been like without Him? Anyway, I started writing, and it just kind of poured out. It sort of reflected what my prayer times are sometimes like, kind of calling out for help, and then acknowleging that God is there and leaning on Him. It was actualy quite emotional-and unexpected. And then I started. We started by discussing the questions in small groups, and then the main point of the evening. Another thing that people had said a lot was that they felt they didn't spend enough time listening to God, so I'd arranged for us to have some quiet time just listening. What He said to me was that, although I do get distracted, He is always there, and I know that; and also that I should worry less-or not at all. I'll keep working on that one, I think. All in all, I think it was another great cluster, God was definitely there; even in the time afterwards, in different ways.
The first week after combined a prayer walk with a social, which sounds a bit odd; but actually worked quite well. A few of us met up at church (which is fairly central), and went off from there. We went up to our friends and cluster members who are now parents, as of a couple of weeks ago; and, after praying outside their house for a bit, turned and went down the High Street via the Sandford Ale House, that we also prayed outside. We went down through the centre of town, and then went on to the social part of the evening; which was already growing in numbers. We had arranged to meet one of our other cluster members there, and it was a mere matter of minutes before quite a few others joined us-more than double. You could argue that this was due to the relative popularity of prayer walks and socials, but nearly everyone seemed to have good reasons for being late-and, socials are at least as important for clusters as anything else. Possibly more important than some things, as relationships are vital for clusters to work; and there has to be occasions for people just to get to know one another without 'working', as it were.
So, we just generally chilled and chatted in the pub. To be honest, I found it difficult at first, for some unknown reason, but after a while I relaxed and just let things happen. All in all, it was a great time; and a great time was had by all. You could call it something official like 'building relationships' or 'fellowship', and either of those would be just as accurate; but all that happened was people chatted, people relaxed (even me, eventually), and there was lots of laughter. I can't speak for anyone else, but I know I enjoyed it; and it was just what I needed.
And last night was also outstanding for completely different reasons. It was the first session after the course, and I was leading it. And I had no idea what I was going to do. Or rather I had too many ideas. The title I'd been given was 'Creativity in your Prayer Life', and I didn't know how to do it. My prayer life isn't particularly creative. I just talk to God and try to listen; not much else, really. I couldn't see how I could build a session on that. I tried looking up various patterns of prayer that different people use, but it didn't feel like the right way to go. So, I got round to asking people a few questions, and seeing what came of that. I had my day off the day before, so I planned to write it then to let as many people reply as possible. In the end, about 10 people gave me some answers, so I had a look at what they'd written to see what similarities there were. One of the main things was that from what they said they did, everyone seemed to have a fairly healthy prayer life, but no-one felt satisfied with it; they all felt it should be better.
So, I felt that was the thing to address. If people felt they were unsure about prayer, to give them some encouragement that they could do it, as it were. But even up until I was about to start, I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do, or how well it might work. First, however, came the worship that Fay led. She knew I was doing prayer, as she was one of the people I'd asked; and had come up with something that led into it brilliantly. She asked us to write/draw/make a psalm. She'd written out a list of some of God's titles/attributes, and let us get on with it. The idea of 'HELP' was in my head; partly because I'd been working on this all week and still didn't know what was going to happen, and partly because I'd been feeling quite drained a few times recently, and just felt if I was only just holding on with God, what would it have been like without Him? Anyway, I started writing, and it just kind of poured out. It sort of reflected what my prayer times are sometimes like, kind of calling out for help, and then acknowleging that God is there and leaning on Him. It was actualy quite emotional-and unexpected. And then I started. We started by discussing the questions in small groups, and then the main point of the evening. Another thing that people had said a lot was that they felt they didn't spend enough time listening to God, so I'd arranged for us to have some quiet time just listening. What He said to me was that, although I do get distracted, He is always there, and I know that; and also that I should worry less-or not at all. I'll keep working on that one, I think. All in all, I think it was another great cluster, God was definitely there; even in the time afterwards, in different ways.
Monday 24 February 2014
What I Learned From Books 1: Dystopias, Then And Now
Well, I finally get around to writing the 'first' in this series after a year and a half. Let's hope it's worth the wait.
When I say I read almost anything, I mean it; and one of my favourite genres is what is called 'young adult'. Someone smart a few years back figured that there would be a market for books written for teens containing what had up until that point been thought of as 'adult' themes in nature. By which I mean anything and everything from vampires to divorce, with possibly a side order of politics and environmental destruction thrown in. The main difference being that the protagonists are themselves teenagers, and although the themes are adult, the stories are told with a background of more or less 'normal' teen life: school, cliques, crushes, that sort of thing.
Though this second difference isn't so much in certain books; for obvious reasons. There are a few books set in dystopian futures, some of them well known classics. Like 1984 and Brave New World, for instance. And it may be somewhat surprising to realise that this is quite a popular theme among young adult books. I didn't find it surprising at first, I just read and enjoyed them; but, after a while I began to think this was an odd choice of theme. I mean, essentially, dystopian novels are political allegories-why write something like that for a market that, as a whole, hasn't really expressed an interest in, or knowledge of politics yet?
But, again, there are differences. The first, and most obvious difference is in tone. The previous ones, for 'adults', are very dark in tone; quite grim in a lot of places. For instance, there is a scene in 1984 where Winston Smith, the protagonist, goes to visit a prostitute; something that I can't imagine appearing in one of these young adult ones. It's a scene that adds nothing to the story (so if you haven't read it, I haven't spoiled anything); its purpose, as far as I can see, is to underscore exactly how hopeless it is for the people living under the regime of Big Brother. Which it achieves brilliantly.
The second major difference is in content; which actually links to the first. The most common device used in these new dystopian novels is that they are set at some point after a major event/tragedy/holocaust, which is referred to, but never really described. This neatly sidesteps the problem of dealing with politics as such, because, although there always is a government, the whole set-up is so different from our world that the things the story focusses on are the things that are the same i.e. the people and their relationships. But it also has the effect of creating a completely different tone, in general.
Because the 'adult' ones are set in a world which is recognisably similar to our own, they serve two purposes. One is that they are a twisted sort of mirror, showing the darker side of human nature; and two, they serve as a warning. Basically saying if we keep going down this path, this is where we will end up-or somewhere very much like this. Whereas the 'young adult' ones are quite different; they are basically saying 'yes, the world is messed up, and if things keep going in this direction, it could be apocalyptic; but the story doesn't end there. There is always hope, as long as individuals don't give up'.
So, what can we conclude from this? That young people are more hopeful than adults-or that people think they are? Possibly, but why then are some of these dystopian novels classics, and still sell well? That it's easier to write about people than politics? Not really; I think that's always been the case. That it's easier - and more enjoyable - to both write and read about hope than despair? I think that is definitely the case, at least.
To point this up, I'd like to compare two recent dystopian novels, one for an 'adult' market, and one for the 'young adults'. They are 'Blind Faith' by Ben Elton, and 'The Cure' by Michael Coleman; and they have in common, apart from being recent, that they both deal with themes of religion and celebrity/fame in a dystopian setting. And they couldn't be more different. The first clearly comes from an attitude of anger and confusion, and, quite frankly, is a mess; while the second is all the better for being calm, it comes across with more force. The other main difference is that the first just doesn't describe a believable world; while, although the second is about as far from reality as the other, it is quite convincing. It is also more powerful by being hopeful, whereas the main (only) cause for hope in the other is that at the end, there is the possibility that the world as it is will collapse. I recommend reading 'The Cure', if you haven't already.
And a post script note, as it were. Some other recommendations: the 'Uglies' series by Scott Westerfeld and the 'Delirium' series by Lauren Oliver, and as a one off, 'The Last Book In The Universe' by Rodman Philbrick.
Also in this series: What I Learned From Books 0.5.
When I say I read almost anything, I mean it; and one of my favourite genres is what is called 'young adult'. Someone smart a few years back figured that there would be a market for books written for teens containing what had up until that point been thought of as 'adult' themes in nature. By which I mean anything and everything from vampires to divorce, with possibly a side order of politics and environmental destruction thrown in. The main difference being that the protagonists are themselves teenagers, and although the themes are adult, the stories are told with a background of more or less 'normal' teen life: school, cliques, crushes, that sort of thing.
Though this second difference isn't so much in certain books; for obvious reasons. There are a few books set in dystopian futures, some of them well known classics. Like 1984 and Brave New World, for instance. And it may be somewhat surprising to realise that this is quite a popular theme among young adult books. I didn't find it surprising at first, I just read and enjoyed them; but, after a while I began to think this was an odd choice of theme. I mean, essentially, dystopian novels are political allegories-why write something like that for a market that, as a whole, hasn't really expressed an interest in, or knowledge of politics yet?
But, again, there are differences. The first, and most obvious difference is in tone. The previous ones, for 'adults', are very dark in tone; quite grim in a lot of places. For instance, there is a scene in 1984 where Winston Smith, the protagonist, goes to visit a prostitute; something that I can't imagine appearing in one of these young adult ones. It's a scene that adds nothing to the story (so if you haven't read it, I haven't spoiled anything); its purpose, as far as I can see, is to underscore exactly how hopeless it is for the people living under the regime of Big Brother. Which it achieves brilliantly.
The second major difference is in content; which actually links to the first. The most common device used in these new dystopian novels is that they are set at some point after a major event/tragedy/holocaust, which is referred to, but never really described. This neatly sidesteps the problem of dealing with politics as such, because, although there always is a government, the whole set-up is so different from our world that the things the story focusses on are the things that are the same i.e. the people and their relationships. But it also has the effect of creating a completely different tone, in general.
Because the 'adult' ones are set in a world which is recognisably similar to our own, they serve two purposes. One is that they are a twisted sort of mirror, showing the darker side of human nature; and two, they serve as a warning. Basically saying if we keep going down this path, this is where we will end up-or somewhere very much like this. Whereas the 'young adult' ones are quite different; they are basically saying 'yes, the world is messed up, and if things keep going in this direction, it could be apocalyptic; but the story doesn't end there. There is always hope, as long as individuals don't give up'.
So, what can we conclude from this? That young people are more hopeful than adults-or that people think they are? Possibly, but why then are some of these dystopian novels classics, and still sell well? That it's easier to write about people than politics? Not really; I think that's always been the case. That it's easier - and more enjoyable - to both write and read about hope than despair? I think that is definitely the case, at least.
To point this up, I'd like to compare two recent dystopian novels, one for an 'adult' market, and one for the 'young adults'. They are 'Blind Faith' by Ben Elton, and 'The Cure' by Michael Coleman; and they have in common, apart from being recent, that they both deal with themes of religion and celebrity/fame in a dystopian setting. And they couldn't be more different. The first clearly comes from an attitude of anger and confusion, and, quite frankly, is a mess; while the second is all the better for being calm, it comes across with more force. The other main difference is that the first just doesn't describe a believable world; while, although the second is about as far from reality as the other, it is quite convincing. It is also more powerful by being hopeful, whereas the main (only) cause for hope in the other is that at the end, there is the possibility that the world as it is will collapse. I recommend reading 'The Cure', if you haven't already.
And a post script note, as it were. Some other recommendations: the 'Uglies' series by Scott Westerfeld and the 'Delirium' series by Lauren Oliver, and as a one off, 'The Last Book In The Universe' by Rodman Philbrick.
Also in this series: What I Learned From Books 0.5.
Tuesday 18 February 2014
Turning Thirty (Oh Alright, Forty)
So, after writing about my birthday party (two posts ago), I figured I should tell you about how I spent the following week-the one just gone. And I hope more people read it than the same post from this time last year, which is still my least viewed post. So far.
The party finished fairly late (or early, depending on how you look at it), but I was still quite awake; so I went online for a bit, and eventually got to bed about 4 in the morning. Thankfully, the next day was the first day of a week off, so I spent the day relaxing. I'm pretty sure I didn't see any more of the morning, and didn't do much in the afternoon. Except work on a blog post about my sponsored child, Benjamin. Which I didn't finish. I could have gone to a party in the evening, but frankly the thought of going somewhere where there were a couple hundred people didn't really appeal. However, relaxing did-so that's what I did.
Sunday was pretty much as normal, because I don't generally do much on Sundays anyway. Except go to church in the evening. It was a bit different, because a friend was celebrating her birthday, which actually was on that day. Not the same birthday either-she has a fair few years to go before getting here. So that meant fun and frolics at the pub, and, well, cake. Another friend had made her a cake, which was very nice. Cake is always nice.
On Monday, I didn't do much. Again. Except finish one blog post, and start another about the party. Oh, and join Twitter. Which is fun. I mean, that was the reason I got a smartphone in the first place-because God wanted me to join it. If anyone wants to follow me, you can find me at @neilfix.
But Tuesday was much more energetic. I actually got up in the morning. Without trying. I wasn't expecting that. I was meeting up with the friend who'd come down from Leeds for the party. He was staying with friends for a few days, and so we got to spend the day together. Well, the afternoon, anyway. Which involved wandering around town, reading books in Waterstones, and praying in a pub. Well, what else would one do in a pub? I was feeling a bit stressed due to a relationship that is not going well at the moment that I can't do anything about, except wait and pray. So we did that. And then in the evening, I went along to help with Alpha again. And got given a card, which I wasn't expecting.
Wednesday, I didn't leave the house all day, which I was glad about, as the weather was horrible-but that didn't mean it wasn't busy. People came to me. First, my mum, at about lunchtime. She stayed for a few hours, and appreciated the cards and presents with me. I got all sorts of things; some of which were sort of expected, like socks-I pretty much always get socks. Usually brightly coloured ones. Or black ones. Or a mix of the two. So that was nice. And then she left, in time for me to get ready for small group, which was happening at my house. I hadn't planned that specifically, but it was nice. I was hoping that some of the alcohol left over from Friday would be consumed; but, because the weather was so bad, everyone drove. So I'll have to come up with something else to get rid of it. I may even have to drink most of it myself. When we were praying at the end, someone prayed for me; praying that God would bless this year, and bring to fruition all the things I want from the year. I have a suspicion He wants more than that, and I definitely want to pray that what He wants happens, rather than what I want. Which, often, is actually quite limited.
Thursday and Friday, nothing much happened, except emotionally. Thursday, I didn't have any plans until the evening, which was definitely a good thing. I spent most of the afternoon praying about this relationship which has broken down. Which was quite painful. It gets that way at times. I went to Hungry in the evening, and I felt more or less fine when I got there; but at one point, there was a offer for people who felt exhausted for any reason to come up to the front, and I was then being ministered to for the rest of the evening. Friday I had been planning to visit a friend in Gloucester, but that didn't happen; so I got to recover from Thursday. Which I needed, as Saturday was another busy day.
My sister and my niece came over about lunchtime, and handed over my card and presents. Which were books that weren't books. My niece played the piano for a bit, which sounded nice. Which was amazing, when my sister mentioned she'd never played before. But before she complained too much, we went out for lunch. Sort of. We went to Bela Luna, which is an ice cream parlour that also does crepes and waffles. Thumbs up all round-I definitely recommend it. The assistants were all very friendly and happy to offer us free samples of some of their weird ice cream flavours-especially one girl, who was incredibly bubbly, and I had the weird feeling I'd met her before. But, frustratingly, I couldn't place her-if I even was correct in that.
Neil met us there, and then we all went back to my house, where the adults all tried our best to ignore my niece-as much as it's possible to ignore a very loud, incredibly energetic nine year old. Not much, is the answer to that. Then they left, and me and Neil hd some quiet to pray again, as we'd prayed on tuesday. But this time we had more time to listen and wait for God. Neil said he felt that God wanted to do some healing in ih of us separately at the moment, which is entirely possible. I just don't know what God is doing, which makes it difficult to co-operate with Him.
And then I went round out to tea at another friend's. Well, two of them, actually. We had a great conversation that started off talking about vision, and then moved onto watching funny videos on youtube. Just what I needed at that point. And Sunday night was pretty good, too. After church, I met our newest cluster member, Adelaide Read, who was 10 days old at that point. We actually have another new member now; name and weight currently unknown to me. And then I went out to meet up with another friend who I hadn't seen for a while, and it turned out she'd invited a few others. And a great time was had by all. Lots of laughter, and the posssibility of seeing her in a comedy gig in Bristol at the weekend...
The party finished fairly late (or early, depending on how you look at it), but I was still quite awake; so I went online for a bit, and eventually got to bed about 4 in the morning. Thankfully, the next day was the first day of a week off, so I spent the day relaxing. I'm pretty sure I didn't see any more of the morning, and didn't do much in the afternoon. Except work on a blog post about my sponsored child, Benjamin. Which I didn't finish. I could have gone to a party in the evening, but frankly the thought of going somewhere where there were a couple hundred people didn't really appeal. However, relaxing did-so that's what I did.
Sunday was pretty much as normal, because I don't generally do much on Sundays anyway. Except go to church in the evening. It was a bit different, because a friend was celebrating her birthday, which actually was on that day. Not the same birthday either-she has a fair few years to go before getting here. So that meant fun and frolics at the pub, and, well, cake. Another friend had made her a cake, which was very nice. Cake is always nice.
On Monday, I didn't do much. Again. Except finish one blog post, and start another about the party. Oh, and join Twitter. Which is fun. I mean, that was the reason I got a smartphone in the first place-because God wanted me to join it. If anyone wants to follow me, you can find me at @neilfix.
But Tuesday was much more energetic. I actually got up in the morning. Without trying. I wasn't expecting that. I was meeting up with the friend who'd come down from Leeds for the party. He was staying with friends for a few days, and so we got to spend the day together. Well, the afternoon, anyway. Which involved wandering around town, reading books in Waterstones, and praying in a pub. Well, what else would one do in a pub? I was feeling a bit stressed due to a relationship that is not going well at the moment that I can't do anything about, except wait and pray. So we did that. And then in the evening, I went along to help with Alpha again. And got given a card, which I wasn't expecting.
Wednesday, I didn't leave the house all day, which I was glad about, as the weather was horrible-but that didn't mean it wasn't busy. People came to me. First, my mum, at about lunchtime. She stayed for a few hours, and appreciated the cards and presents with me. I got all sorts of things; some of which were sort of expected, like socks-I pretty much always get socks. Usually brightly coloured ones. Or black ones. Or a mix of the two. So that was nice. And then she left, in time for me to get ready for small group, which was happening at my house. I hadn't planned that specifically, but it was nice. I was hoping that some of the alcohol left over from Friday would be consumed; but, because the weather was so bad, everyone drove. So I'll have to come up with something else to get rid of it. I may even have to drink most of it myself. When we were praying at the end, someone prayed for me; praying that God would bless this year, and bring to fruition all the things I want from the year. I have a suspicion He wants more than that, and I definitely want to pray that what He wants happens, rather than what I want. Which, often, is actually quite limited.
Thursday and Friday, nothing much happened, except emotionally. Thursday, I didn't have any plans until the evening, which was definitely a good thing. I spent most of the afternoon praying about this relationship which has broken down. Which was quite painful. It gets that way at times. I went to Hungry in the evening, and I felt more or less fine when I got there; but at one point, there was a offer for people who felt exhausted for any reason to come up to the front, and I was then being ministered to for the rest of the evening. Friday I had been planning to visit a friend in Gloucester, but that didn't happen; so I got to recover from Thursday. Which I needed, as Saturday was another busy day.
My sister and my niece came over about lunchtime, and handed over my card and presents. Which were books that weren't books. My niece played the piano for a bit, which sounded nice. Which was amazing, when my sister mentioned she'd never played before. But before she complained too much, we went out for lunch. Sort of. We went to Bela Luna, which is an ice cream parlour that also does crepes and waffles. Thumbs up all round-I definitely recommend it. The assistants were all very friendly and happy to offer us free samples of some of their weird ice cream flavours-especially one girl, who was incredibly bubbly, and I had the weird feeling I'd met her before. But, frustratingly, I couldn't place her-if I even was correct in that.
Neil met us there, and then we all went back to my house, where the adults all tried our best to ignore my niece-as much as it's possible to ignore a very loud, incredibly energetic nine year old. Not much, is the answer to that. Then they left, and me and Neil hd some quiet to pray again, as we'd prayed on tuesday. But this time we had more time to listen and wait for God. Neil said he felt that God wanted to do some healing in ih of us separately at the moment, which is entirely possible. I just don't know what God is doing, which makes it difficult to co-operate with Him.
And then I went round out to tea at another friend's. Well, two of them, actually. We had a great conversation that started off talking about vision, and then moved onto watching funny videos on youtube. Just what I needed at that point. And Sunday night was pretty good, too. After church, I met our newest cluster member, Adelaide Read, who was 10 days old at that point. We actually have another new member now; name and weight currently unknown to me. And then I went out to meet up with another friend who I hadn't seen for a while, and it turned out she'd invited a few others. And a great time was had by all. Lots of laughter, and the posssibility of seeing her in a comedy gig in Bristol at the weekend...
Friday 14 February 2014
Richard Branson, Haagen-Dasz, And Jesus
Quick quiz question - what do Mike Oldfield and The Stereophonics have in common? I'll give you a clue with a little fact about Richard Branson. Most of his companies are branded with the name 'Virgin', but there are 3 that aren't. His bridal wear business isn't one of them; the ones that are are Mates condoms, Storm Models, and his record company. Yes, there is a record company called Virgin; but he doesn't own that one-he sold it. And then he decided he quite liked running a record company, so he started another one.
So, what does that say about anything? Simply that image is important. I remember once a talk which started off saying -I'm going to talk about evangelism now, so I know what you're all thinking; Haagen-Dasz. Apparently, it was a family of Polish immigrants to the States who started it. They got a small loan and bought a shop, and they were thinking about what would make people come. They figured that if they gave it a Polish name, and gave the impression it was a traditional recipe, people would be intrigued-and after a while, word would get around and people would come because of the quality. And if you've ever heard of them, you'll know that it worked. So, what does 'Haagen-Dasz' actually mean? Absolutely nothing, they made it up. Apparently, anyway. Again, image is important.
So, what does that have to do with evangelism? And why am I writing about evangelism, when anyone who knows me well knows it isn't a subject I'm particularly interested in? To answer the second question first, I've been thinking about evangelism because we've been going a teaching series at church, and that was the most recent subject. There was a talk on Sunday, which basically said everyone should go and talk to people about Jesus; and some DVD material we studied on Wednesday which was talking about loving and serving people. It almost seemed as if that was based on a different talk, their angles were so different.
Now, I don't think all Christians have a duty to go and tell everyone they know about Him; I've mentioned this in passing before. However, one sentence in particular struck me from the talk:-we are not called to be witnesses, we are witnesses. When someone knows we are Christians, or even begins to suspect, the way they think about God will be affected by the way they see us. So, as I said, image is important. But, more importantly, the other lesson we should take from the two examples I opened with are that what we are once past the image is, if anything, even more important. I'm sure you've heard of Haagen-Dasz and you know how good it is; and the 'Virgin' label is enough to tell investors that this business will work, but without that label, he had to work harder to establish those particular businesses. And, in both cases, they were successful because they had quality and hard work to back them up.
And so it should be with us. I'll leave the last words to a meme I found online earlier today.
*For those who were still wondering, they were the first two artists signed to each of his record labels.
So, what does that say about anything? Simply that image is important. I remember once a talk which started off saying -I'm going to talk about evangelism now, so I know what you're all thinking; Haagen-Dasz. Apparently, it was a family of Polish immigrants to the States who started it. They got a small loan and bought a shop, and they were thinking about what would make people come. They figured that if they gave it a Polish name, and gave the impression it was a traditional recipe, people would be intrigued-and after a while, word would get around and people would come because of the quality. And if you've ever heard of them, you'll know that it worked. So, what does 'Haagen-Dasz' actually mean? Absolutely nothing, they made it up. Apparently, anyway. Again, image is important.
So, what does that have to do with evangelism? And why am I writing about evangelism, when anyone who knows me well knows it isn't a subject I'm particularly interested in? To answer the second question first, I've been thinking about evangelism because we've been going a teaching series at church, and that was the most recent subject. There was a talk on Sunday, which basically said everyone should go and talk to people about Jesus; and some DVD material we studied on Wednesday which was talking about loving and serving people. It almost seemed as if that was based on a different talk, their angles were so different.
Now, I don't think all Christians have a duty to go and tell everyone they know about Him; I've mentioned this in passing before. However, one sentence in particular struck me from the talk:-we are not called to be witnesses, we are witnesses. When someone knows we are Christians, or even begins to suspect, the way they think about God will be affected by the way they see us. So, as I said, image is important. But, more importantly, the other lesson we should take from the two examples I opened with are that what we are once past the image is, if anything, even more important. I'm sure you've heard of Haagen-Dasz and you know how good it is; and the 'Virgin' label is enough to tell investors that this business will work, but without that label, he had to work harder to establish those particular businesses. And, in both cases, they were successful because they had quality and hard work to back them up.
And so it should be with us. I'll leave the last words to a meme I found online earlier today.
Tuesday 11 February 2014
Party Time!
A few days ago, I had a party for my 40th birthday. I haven't actually had the birthday yet, that's in a couple of days time, as I write this; but, I was persuaded that I definitely should have a party this year. I don't generally make a big deal of my birthday, cos I'm not hugely keen on celebrating, or on large groups; and I'm really bad at organising. So I don't bother, usually, apart from taking time off work. Because I can.
Back in the summer, a couple of friends said they would organise a party, but that didn't end up happening; so I ended up doing it myself. A conversation with someone at a friend's birthday celebration decided the day, so then I just had to let people know. Which you would think was easy, what with Facebook events and suchlike; but, apart from the fact that hardly anyone actually pays attention to those, I know quite a few others who aren't on Facebook. I know, incredible, isn't it?
But, somehow or other, it all got pulled together, with the help of several friends; and turned out brilliantly. There were quite a few (nice) surprises. Like, for example, I got home from work on the day to discover my housemate had tidied the house and set things out ready-and got balloons and a banner saying 'Happy Birthday'. And things only got better from there on. A whole bunch of friends came, several who weren't sure whether they would be able to make it. Which was nice. And some came from literally hundreds of miles-including my best friend, who lives in Leeds. He didn't think he'd be able to afford it, and, indeed, wouldn't have been able to, if it wasn't for the fact that another couple, mutual friends, offered to pay his coach fare, and put him up for a few days. And none of them told me; so that was a massive surprise when I went to the door.
And the last outstanding moment was when the cake came in. Another friend, who's fond of baking, offered to make me a cake; but I wasn't expecting one like the one that appeared. It was huge; basically a black Forest gateau with raspberries instead of cherries. And she got candles, and brought it in to everyone singing 'Happy Birthday'. I'm not saying I had tears in my eyes, but I wouldn't like to swear definitely that I didn't.
Well, after that, it was always going to be a really great evening; and, as far as I can tell, everyone enjoyed themselves. I certainly did, and I've only had positive comments from people who were there. I was a little concerned about making sure I got to speak with everyone, but I think I managed it. And I've still got my actual birthday to look forward to. Which among other things will be when I get around to opening all my cards. Not so much presents-although they were presented in abundance, most of them seemed to be alcohol-what do my friends think of me? But there will be people round again that evening, as my small group is on that evening, so it's not going to finish until we've made a reasonable dent in the amount of alcohol left. Because I don't really want to drink it all by myself-honest.
So, a lovely evening all over-and at least one person has said I should do it again next year. I'm not convinced, but I've got plenty of time to work on that...
Back in the summer, a couple of friends said they would organise a party, but that didn't end up happening; so I ended up doing it myself. A conversation with someone at a friend's birthday celebration decided the day, so then I just had to let people know. Which you would think was easy, what with Facebook events and suchlike; but, apart from the fact that hardly anyone actually pays attention to those, I know quite a few others who aren't on Facebook. I know, incredible, isn't it?
But, somehow or other, it all got pulled together, with the help of several friends; and turned out brilliantly. There were quite a few (nice) surprises. Like, for example, I got home from work on the day to discover my housemate had tidied the house and set things out ready-and got balloons and a banner saying 'Happy Birthday'. And things only got better from there on. A whole bunch of friends came, several who weren't sure whether they would be able to make it. Which was nice. And some came from literally hundreds of miles-including my best friend, who lives in Leeds. He didn't think he'd be able to afford it, and, indeed, wouldn't have been able to, if it wasn't for the fact that another couple, mutual friends, offered to pay his coach fare, and put him up for a few days. And none of them told me; so that was a massive surprise when I went to the door.
And the last outstanding moment was when the cake came in. Another friend, who's fond of baking, offered to make me a cake; but I wasn't expecting one like the one that appeared. It was huge; basically a black Forest gateau with raspberries instead of cherries. And she got candles, and brought it in to everyone singing 'Happy Birthday'. I'm not saying I had tears in my eyes, but I wouldn't like to swear definitely that I didn't.
Well, after that, it was always going to be a really great evening; and, as far as I can tell, everyone enjoyed themselves. I certainly did, and I've only had positive comments from people who were there. I was a little concerned about making sure I got to speak with everyone, but I think I managed it. And I've still got my actual birthday to look forward to. Which among other things will be when I get around to opening all my cards. Not so much presents-although they were presented in abundance, most of them seemed to be alcohol-what do my friends think of me? But there will be people round again that evening, as my small group is on that evening, so it's not going to finish until we've made a reasonable dent in the amount of alcohol left. Because I don't really want to drink it all by myself-honest.
So, a lovely evening all over-and at least one person has said I should do it again next year. I'm not convinced, but I've got plenty of time to work on that...
Monday 10 February 2014
A Letter From Benjamin
I have this week off, because it's my birthday in the middle of the week; and because I can. I don't know quite what I'm going to do, I'm hoping to see several friends, but one of my aims this week is to write to my sponsored child. Here he is, a young chap by the name of Benjamin Mutai.
The last time I heard from him was late November, and I haven't written a letter since, but as you may remember (from this post), his birthday is in December, so he has received a birthday and Christmas card from me in the meantime.
And that letter was a bit different, because it was the first one he actually wrote. Up until now, he has been interviewed on a subject, and the interview translated, but this one he wrote. In English. His first language is Kenyan Swahili (known as kSwahili, often-I don't know the differences between this and other versions); but, people in Kenya feel that in order to have the best chance at a good job/career, they need to speak English. So he's learning it at school. And for anyone who doubted it, the two languages are not at all similar.
When I went out there in 2012, we were taught a few words and phrases by our mission partners, Anna and Keith Traill (whose adventures you can follow through their blog Follow the Traills, if you wish); but the only word I can really remember is 'muzungu'-which basically means 'white person'. And I've just been reminded that 'safari' is the Swahili word for 'journey'-any journey.
So, there we have it. Not only is he seizing the opportunities he's being offered, but he's working hard at making the most of them. As I said in the last post, he has a dream of being a teacher, though he didn't say any more than that before. I hope to hear more about that as he gets older. He's 9 at the moment, and I'm committed to supporting him through his his school years; which is what the basic programme entails. And after that, there is a programme to help with higher education, if it's applicable-so who knows what the future could hold for him? I look forward to finding out. So I guess I'd better get on with that letter, then...
And for anyone who is really wondering about the effectiveness of the Compassion programme, probably the best thing I can say is that the Bishop of Kericho, Jackson Ole Sapit, came through the programme as a child. He comes from a Masaai tribe and now he's a bishop. So, if you want to find out more for yourself, have a look here.
The last time I heard from him was late November, and I haven't written a letter since, but as you may remember (from this post), his birthday is in December, so he has received a birthday and Christmas card from me in the meantime.
And that letter was a bit different, because it was the first one he actually wrote. Up until now, he has been interviewed on a subject, and the interview translated, but this one he wrote. In English. His first language is Kenyan Swahili (known as kSwahili, often-I don't know the differences between this and other versions); but, people in Kenya feel that in order to have the best chance at a good job/career, they need to speak English. So he's learning it at school. And for anyone who doubted it, the two languages are not at all similar.
When I went out there in 2012, we were taught a few words and phrases by our mission partners, Anna and Keith Traill (whose adventures you can follow through their blog Follow the Traills, if you wish); but the only word I can really remember is 'muzungu'-which basically means 'white person'. And I've just been reminded that 'safari' is the Swahili word for 'journey'-any journey.
So, there we have it. Not only is he seizing the opportunities he's being offered, but he's working hard at making the most of them. As I said in the last post, he has a dream of being a teacher, though he didn't say any more than that before. I hope to hear more about that as he gets older. He's 9 at the moment, and I'm committed to supporting him through his his school years; which is what the basic programme entails. And after that, there is a programme to help with higher education, if it's applicable-so who knows what the future could hold for him? I look forward to finding out. So I guess I'd better get on with that letter, then...
And for anyone who is really wondering about the effectiveness of the Compassion programme, probably the best thing I can say is that the Bishop of Kericho, Jackson Ole Sapit, came through the programme as a child. He comes from a Masaai tribe and now he's a bishop. So, if you want to find out more for yourself, have a look here.
Tuesday 4 February 2014
Dragons!
http://falvie.deviantart.com/art/Little-Purple-Dragon-351794548
Success Is Arbitrary (to an extent, anyway)
As I progressed in the game, I got to see several things I was doing that could count as objectives, and different ways of measuring success. The basic one was that, just in playing the game, in doing what you had to do, you got experience, and a certain amount of experience automatically raised the level you were on. and going up levels opened things up; allowed you to gain things or abilities. The other two were fighting (well, winning anyway), and collecting dragons. And I got to thinking-how often do we try to 'keep score'; to say we're doing better or worse (maybe than someone else), because we have done this, or not done that. For instance, on my day off, I sometimes feel good about life if I've been busy, because I feel that the day is productive-but that's not what days off are for. It's alright to rest and do little on them-as long as the things that need doing get done. Sometimes even then. To get back to the game, levelling up happens automatically, and, quite often, we may find life is like that; that we're just going along with life just living and gainingexperience, and then we look around and discover all these things that we can do, that at one point we couldn't. Or we discover that we're better at things, without making a conscious effort to do so. For instance, once I was terrible at typing; I'm still not very good, but doing this has got me better at it. And the other day, I mentioned that I'm better at using chopsticks than I thought I was-and I haven't even practiced that. I can only guess that in getting more flexible with my hands, it's allowing me to get better at a variety of things. And the most interesting one, collecting dragons is, well, interesting. As you breed dragons, you come up with some unusual and very surprising types of dragon-which leads nicely on to the second point.
Imagination Is Important (if not vital)
The best part of the game, in my opinion, although I'm guessing I won't be alone in this, is the imagination integral to it. As if it weren't enough to have a game about breeding dragons, some of the dragons that they have designed are really quite... interesting. Like a steampunk dragon and a dragon made out of bubblegum. An electric dragon and a pirate dragon. Or a zombie dragon-I'd really like to see how that one grows. And life is like that-or, at least, should be. It's not about just making a living; it's about the colourful things in and around, the unexpected things. Like coming out of my front door to see a man with a couple of ferrets on leads. Nonsense conversations, walks in the park, and parties. The things which make life worth living are actually those which make it life, as opposed to just existence.
Things Work Better With Friends (or it could cost)
The way the is set up, you can add friends, and then; not only can you see what each other are up to, but you can help each other. Most of the ways you can help are add-ons, in that you can continue playing the game quite well without them, they just give a little bit of a bonus now and then. However, there are times every so often where you have to ask for help, and if you don't get it, it's very difficult to proceed. In these cases, there is one other option-you can pay for the help you need, usually in gems. The problem with this is that it takes time and effort to earn the gems; and it looks like there are some very costly items in the future that you may only be able to get with the gems. So, if you have some way of not spending them, that would be better overall. And to apply that to life almost doesn't need any explanation-but it feels like cheating not to say anything at all. With the little ways, that's like the colour and imagination I've already mentioned; strictly speaking they're not actually needed as such, but it's part of what makes the difference between living and just existing. Relationships are important in life. And doing things together, with each other and for each other makes life more livable. Not just easier, but more fun too. And when it comes to the important ways of helping, we learn that not only does it make life much easier, to the point where it is even impossible without it in some cases; but, the other important point is that sometimes we should ask for help. There's nothing wrong with asking for help-in a sense that's how the game is set up. God created us to be interdependent; not independent.
Yes, I understand that not everyone on here does play or has played any online game involving dragons. but there are a lot of other games out there, and these principles can be applied to any of them. Indeed, there are probably more principles than this that you could figure out-if you want to come up with any, feel free to let me know.
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