Observations

The last seven days or so have been full of things which made me feel weak and out of control, but much that makes me thankful to God as well.

Positively, it’s been a time of rest, doing things with family, writing long emails, and mixing light reading and watching Death Note (a fun anime series exploring the nature of justice), 24 and Little Miss Sunshine with trying to thrash out what some of the New Word Alive teaching means for me (next week I aim to blog a few thoughts that came out of the excellent Engagement with Culture talks).

It has also been a time of being thrown a scattering of suggestions for future employment while suddenly being dropped from one call centre job and offered another. No more work for that unnamed department store – the less said about their computer systems the better, and the same for some of their customers! People can be so unreasonable, seeming so ready to believe the worst of you, when you are doing what you can to help. I’m not whining at anyone in particular, but just at human nature I guess. One good thing is: I’m learning to be more confident in what I can do, and let the rest go. We will see how the new job goes…

Finally the last few days have been a chance to hear about the situation on the ground in Italy after the recent earthquake, and to seek God’s help for those there in prayer. Hundreds are homeless, many more scared, or without a workplace or university to go to. CU life and church life continues, so please pray for their strength.

On that: I’m hoping to start making posts beginning with “Praise God for…” – as I want to learn to see everything good as coming from God, and want to grow in my gratefulness to Him. So, as we have reflected on the earthquake, realising many have had to flee for their lives, we can praise God for keeping back His day of wrath, out of love for many, when there will be no place to hide for many who have not come to Jesus for salvation. As believers we can too realise that, as Psalm 46 says, God is our true refuge in times of great trouble. Once we believe in Jesus, our souls are safe in Him, and our bodies will be delivered when Jesus returns, too. God really is our strong fortress. Praise Him!

And, as I have been reading today in A Few Good Men by Richard Coekin, we can trust in our God who, though invisible to us now, is near in whatever we are going through (Heb 11:27). What an encouragement to keep going with Him.

"Pause" - a review

Here are my thoughts on an inspiring evening titled “Pause” by the Christian drama and arts group Acts 29. As one Reading student pointed out, it’s a way into evangelism that isn’t purely middle class! (That’s one thing about the arts – they can work on lots of levels.)

OK, so here’s what you need to know about Pause.

The idea? To run an evening of intimate entertainment which does more than entertain – which aims to stir up thought about the deeper issues of life and to provide a conversation starter, through a variety of high quality acts, from an R&B/Soul singer to a hip-hop duo, from impressive, rousing rock to probing poetry to sharp, engaging monologue. I particularly enjoyed the cleverly layered guitarwork, the way you were made to feel at ease during the monologues, "down the pub" style, the classy, funky keyboard-accompanied songs - and the way the poetry brought a sense of place and roused feelings about situations and systems, and yet had the power to get us to think. For instance at one point our enigmatic poet recasts tube passangers as silent beings frozen on their "pillar arms". Where has the life gone out of this picture? It is in the poet, who is there, it seems, actively questioning the situation.

The writers behind the project clearly see the power of great art to raise our eyes from the things of everyday to the Maker of everything, and I can imagine the performance nudging non-Christians to respond to these attitudes and ideas, and to take time to consider where their lives are heading in the middle of all the messages and ideas in our society. All this will provide a chance to speak about our message of hope “in season”.

What makes it good?

Well, on New Word Alive, I learned about the value of shared life experiences in the dialogue between Christians and our largely secular culture. These experiences are made possible because of God, who made us in His image. We have emotions and hopes, because we were built for good things, and we have, like God, the capacity for joy and love - and brilliant thoughts, which we can think “after His thoughts”. He dreamed every creative thing up before we even thought it, as He (specifically Jesus) is the source of everything good (cf Colossians 1:16-17).

"Pause" connected with us as it sought to evoke and reflect on important life experiences and feelings in our culture - helping us relate to the characters involved, and also (sometimes more directly) pointing to the one who designed us to enjoy such experiences. Here’s a quick list of issues which were suggested or came up in the evening:

Our sense of humour about all kinds of things,
peer pressure, and group behaviour,
the way we can’t escape media and information in a non-stop TV world,
the way we hide behind masks, looking good but being broken inside,
the way we often refuse to be vulnerable in front of someone,
the joy that someone’s love can bring us when they make incredible sacrifices for us, and how we treasure them,
the way we build our lives, and the direction for them,
the idea of not being real, or the feeling of being out of place in the world, or the idea that we are just cogs in a vast impersonal machine, and related questions about the value of working,
the way we tell, and love to hear, stories (even tall stories), the way we feel threatened in our society when asked about religious things, unless it is in the pub, or very casually discussed,
and finally, the wonders of creation and expression, demonstrated in music and rhythm and in the way we experiment with sound and words.

Many of these themes and ideas celebrate what is good about mankind, and face us with our huge aspirations in life, filling our horizons with new perspectives, some right, some foolhardy. The acts suggest that we long for authentication, love, friendship, expression, freedom, and to be taken seriously, and that we are frustrated in many ways and have reason for sorrow. More than once I heard a biblical strand of thought suggested, that we should seek God's help, and that His love is there for us if we come to Him - really the only answer to humanity's real problems.

Without being in relationship with Him, forgiven freely through the death of Jesus, and accepted into His family, our lives our ultimately futile, and fragile, something that can sometimes be sensed in art. The Bible clarifies this, teaching that man is "like breath" without God, quickly fading away, and having no hope - without Him we are not ultimately heading towards great things but towards death, after which we will have no hope to produce or to experience anything good at all: In fact we will reap the rewards for living bad lives, by facing God’s punishment in hell.

Sobering words, but necessary ones: life is meaningless without the hope of a future, and this is reflected in the way the working life can become a drudgery, and things seem to keep going round and round; we were designed for somewhere better (as CS Lewis suggested, cf Ecclesiastes).

**************
Other reflections: For what is effectively a pre-evangelism event, there was a lot of talent on show, and great production values (good work, team) – and this made me think more broadly about the state of things in the UK. We are so fortunate to have all these resources for an event targeted brilliantly to a certain audience, a certain type of friend, who is up for discussion and who enjoys stimulating art.

But why do we need pre-evangelism in the UK? Part of me tends to think it’s because we are now either too afraid or unimaginative to develop good relationships with those who are not Christians and to speak up to let them know about our wonderful gospel message, and so we want to rely on a packaged resource like this one. Or perhaps we are just too unconcerned for our friends’ eternal future? Whatever, we really need more creative ways to raise questions and starting points to speak about the true and triune God of Christianity, as our society has become increasingly reluctant to discuss Him and increasingly unaware of what the Bible has to say about Him. I’m all for more projects like this one!

Anyone else got any views on Pause?
http://www.myspace.com/pausetour

Yes, more poetry, and this one isn't so subtle

Express pain
For the whole body is shouting
And can not hear you.

Jump for joy
For each muscle is tensed
Lacking only reason.

Be at peace
For my torso and legs
Argue over direction.

Face facts
For the mind is absent
And the heart is full.

Teach me
For an ear strains
All while an eye beholds.

(Impossible news
Of immeasurable worth
Speaks of “knowing yourself”).


While I remember, the poem at http://bibleandcoffee.blogspot.com/2009/02/election.html is a wonderful reflection on how God has rescued sinners who have merely trusted Him. Check it out!

Coldplay puppets

http://thebluefish.org/2009/04/video-life-in-technicolour.html

This is genius - I LOVE the techie, and everything else! I wonder if we will ever see that tiny helicopter again, over some faraway hill perhaps. What a fun idea.

Getting perspective on what the church is here for - part two

Here are some more areas where I was pushed in my thinking at New Word Alive this year...

• Evangelism. Apologetics is about being a person who has hope, and showing that you have hope: 1 Peter 3:15. This does not just have to be argued for in rational arguments (although any believer ought to know the firm basis we have for hope, using their minds to dwell on the historical records about Jesus and the way God has worked in the world, as this can only strengthen faith). The point is this: We can make a case for Jesus by showing what a great hope we have in Him for the future, and how this affects us; what joy and happiness it brings us.
• Worship. Every part of my life is worship. I am designed for worshiping God yet (and this is what I saw more clearly) I often give myself to other things in worship. For instance, the right responses I have to things or people or groups of people around me are easily twisted to become idol-worship, while on the other hand, the devil wants me to discount parts of my life entirely, forgetting that I ought to glorify God in every activity and motivation of the heart. Therefore, our job, as speaker Dan Strange on the "Engagement with Culture" track taught, is to “smash idols” in our lives, and return to true worship, as God is Lord of all - the one whose name means salvation and eternal hope for many, many sinners: such a powerful and generous-hearted God deserves our all.
• Fellowship. Talking and praising with Christians can be a life-line – it really can work on my attitudes and encourage me towards love of God. I am more convinced than before that meeting up in 2s or 3s or 4s with those of similar age-groups to spur each other on has an important place within churches.

There were other more creative things that came out of having some time away from work too, such as the poem below I began to write one day when looking at the amazing blue sky over breakfast in the caravan. More to follow soon, including a review of the brilliantly experimental arts-fused "Pause" evening I went to one night.

Bare sky-hearts

Blue skies
Wide open
Looking at me
In a benign way.

Affording to be above and arching over;
A friendship offering, or blessing
Rebounding out to others.

Cold morning surfaces, and seagulls,
Next to unbroken stretches of grassy curb –
Irregular. Like restless light.

Un-dependable;
Now gracious, now despising the impact she makes
Re-painting over and over

But light presents itself
Bright, full of colour, through her!
And people stop and admire.

Getting perspective on what the church is here for - part one

This could be the start of my very own blog-athon, as I want to make several posts following a trip last week to a big Christian conference called “New Word Alive”. Not only was I encouraged by being able to receive high quality teaching and meet together with lots of other Christians to worship and share our lives, we also had great weather (yes, and in Wales!) and I was able to enjoy chilling out with old and new friends.

Altogether a seriously encouraging, motivating, empowering experience that built us up both in terms of our thinking, and emotionally, as our hearts were stirred to greater love of God. It has helped me get a number of things into perspective:

• Our direction for life. There is an eternal heaven for believers, and great security and hope as we look forward to that, while there is eternal punishment for those who don’t follow Jesus – who Himself warned people about this in stark terms. What does this mean? For one thing, it is utterly appropriate for us to weep with a heavy heart for those who face hell. And it is our responsibility to love others enough to share our great message about Jesus, the only way to heaven. Truth, and good teaching, are meant for spreading, not leaving with believers or in comfortable places!
• Prayer. What an amazing privilege! May we continue in prayer for spiritual life and growth in the hearts and lives of those around us. It is God who brings the growth (1 Cor 3:6). Thus prayer is essential gospel work.
• Service. The vital ministry of caring for others doesn’t just happen. No ministry does. It is a struggle, and we need to ask God for help with it, and involve the church too – all the time, remembering that God is with us and it is God who wants to do good in the lives of our friends/family, and we are His servants.
• Joy. Here is what should be my greatest joy: I have Christ! Not that I have a comfortable life, or friends, family, intellect, things to do or watch or enjoy here on earth – but that I have been united with the Son in death to sin, new life and the promise of a rich eternal future. All else is from Him anyway!

More tomorrow, and yes, I actually mean tomorrow.

Listening to Elbow - utter brilliance

Today I’m going to tell you why I love Elbow and their unconventional, often sing-able, superbly arranged and poignant brand of music. First of all I like how lead singer Guy Garvey sounds like he sings wandering through country streets looking up at the sky, or sitting outside a pub, head nodding in the evening haze. Far from the chic squeaky clean Wellington boot sound of many rock bands, Elbow reminds me more of a worn, mud-clotted Kicker boot, a solid shoe that has some weight to it, and a story to tell, yet still manages to be stylish, as the sound develops. The sound they produce seems to have travelled along a gritty road trailing from early albums to newer beats such as “The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver” and the growly “Ground For Divorce”. You can tell already I’m going to have fun quoting the bizarre lyrics to some of their tracks…

The songs are typically slow and somehow manage to be simultaneously earthy and light – take “Grace under Pressure” as an example. The manic syncopated drums, and layered guitars, violins and synth, could be focused on and allowed to become overwhelming, but instead we find ourselves relaxing into the choir’s rhythm, enjoying following that simple melody-line as it repeats and builds, rises and falls.

Other songs such as “Leaders of the Free World”, with its impressive climax, and “Fallen Angel”, with its Feeder-like vibe, are catchy, in an intense, moody way, while classics such as “Red” and “Powder Blue” are simply beautiful, made up of almost-hypnotic forever-falling cadences, and that tragic, delicate voice again. In a moment of lightness and clarity we hear the wry lyrics: “I’ll be the corpse in your bath-tub… useless. I’ll be as deaf as a post … if you hold me” in the superbly ‘out-there’ track “Newborn”, which is definitely a grower. The actual singing surprises by the way it subtly moves from a subdued and beaten-down tone to fuller stronger notes, and often we sense that the punchy or droning chords mimic the strength of the voices – including the strange use of choir in the latest album, The Seldom-Seen Kid, which features a broader sound.

This 2008 album was the Brit award-winner, and, while it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, its blend of provocative, strong themes, energetic rhythms, continually surprising words and melodies, which often look at pity, memory and disappointment, combined with excellent production by the band themselves made this product distinct from most other albums out there. To take a sample, “Mirrorball” provides some gentle moments, creating a wide space in your mind as you hear the broad orchestral backing some more private, contemplative, even romantic, lyrics. The beautifully arranged hits “One Day Like This” (better turned up loud, especially for the euphoric line “Holy cow I love your eyes. And only now I see the light”) and “The Bones of You” (about an encounter with a lover which makes the “singer” character question his busy “work ’til I break” lifestyle) – these are accompanied by more straightforward evocative tracks like the crude, less musically dense “Some riot”, which is about a friend who has a drinking problem: “I think when he’s drinking he’s drowning some riot. What is my friend trying to hide?” The writers show they are conscious of the problems of binge-drinking as a coping strategy, and the effect this can have on a friendship. Repeat listening makes your hair stand on end by the time we hear the deep and mournful voice humming at the end of the track, and you feel the sadness of the situation.

Probably their best album so far, it is definitely worth a few listens in those quiet moments – you will find yourself gradually transported away from your situation, in a way that is sometimes relaxing, sometimes more fully engaging, and as you listen you will probably find yourself entering into the feelings the band evoke, as I did, feeling along with them you are “five years ago and three thousand miles away”.

Good stories and characters and big issues... in Stargate: Atlantis??

Someone who worked on Stargate Atlantis season two clearly shares my view that Rodney McKay is the most interesting and well-rounded character in the whole thing as the writers have designed two episodes, “Grace Under Pressure” and “Duet”, to focus almost solely on his state of mind and ability to work with others – and this makes for some excellent television. We know how, through the course of the first season, he has become painfully aware of his weaknesses: arrogance and bad people skills – and we see how in these episodes he battles with his own arrogance in his mind, on one occasion trying to distract himself from going ahead with a plan that his ego insists would work, because part of him knows this is a desperate measure that will not work!

How pleasingly complex he is, and how much fun to watch him managing his conflicting desires: with his many, many fears pulling him one way and his loyalty to the team and a growing sense of adventure pulling him another way. And while he can be obsessive about women, we even saw his sense of honour in “Grace under pressure” when he would not consciously or subconsciously undress fellow-scientist Carter in his mind, knowing her well enough to know she would not do this for him, and grudgingly respecting her choice! The huge amount of depth in his character is welcome and refreshing, bringing the series into more personal territory. How would we react, if we had the burden and privilege of being in such an important position? Or when we know we are being counted on to run complicated tasks through crisis after crisis? How would it feel to watch another man die, because he knows that you are irreplaceable?

Meanwhile my main gripe is that the heroic military leader John Sheppard has become almost utterly boring and predictable this series, and his lines more often are there just to state the obvious – this is a shame as he proved himself to be the Bruce Willis of Stargate during season one’s two-parter, “The Storm”. I’ve also noticed that civilian leader Weir is always given similar reactions when new problems face the base. And Ronon and Teyla are still pretty dull as well.

Thank goodness for the interesting stories then, which deal with fragile alliances between different societies with different goals, the genetic development of the Wraith and plans to experiment on them and use them, a rogue soldier who, in his hubris, wants to prove his worth before he returns to the team, people’s consciousness entering other people’s bodies and sparking afresh an age-old war in Atlantis, and – the core of much science-fiction – the pursuit of dangerous new technologies. The questions they face of whether to work towards genetically altering their enemies remind us that science-fiction often touches on relevant issues of contention today - for instance, our own treatment of human embryos shows little regard for their actual life, and there are questions too that we'd rather not face about whether we ought to mix animal and human DNA.

Certainly not a perfect TV show, but a good package providing a good dose of action and character and a slice of something to think about pretty consistently in each episode. Recommended.

Review of "Justice" comic series

Alex Ross and Jim Kreuger had one heck of a task on their hands when they took on this project. Choosing to use a cast of hundreds for the mini-epic, they have worked hard to capture DC's classic characters while also trying to provide a fresh perspective on the (Superman-led) Justice League and their role in the world. But have the co-writers and artists pulled it off?

Well, although the self-contained 12-issue series is quite conventional in some ways (a team of heroes takes on a team of villians who aim to re-form the world in their image), they certainly manage to carve out a hope-filled tale amidst all the spectacular action. I particularly liked how the main characters each reveal how they feel about their own personal crises at some point along the journey. Particularly well-developed is Hal Jordan, the impressive and original Green Lantern hero, whose “character moments” really connected with me.

It is true that some of the bigger themes get lost in amongst the interactions of heroes and villains (I felt issue 9 struggled to provide new plot developments or interesting writing – but somewhere towards the end it picks up again). Ross and Krueger do succeed in raising some interesting questions, however, such as the dilemma of how a powerful force like the League should change the world, or best serve humanity, and the question of how to achieve freedom for people without sacrificing peace and without enforcing strict controls. For more of the most spectacular artwork in comics you will ever see, you must check out Alex Ross' Marvels miniseries, in which he introduces us to all the biggest events in the early Marvel stories through the eyes of a reporter – and we join him as he is caught up in and enthralled with this breaking-in of the fantastic and the monstrous into his very real world of profits and headlines – an incredible story.

Post on culture and what to make of it - and some books I've been reading

Posting on culture is fun because there is so much good in it, whether that comes in the form of a great sense of humour, expertise in the areas of creating art or narrative, or by demonstrating careful thought on a particular subject and encouraging debate. This is partly why I enjoy analysing stuff! Can I identify where the excellence is in the TV show, film, conversation, soundtrack, article or book? Can I share it, emulate it, take joy in it, be thankful for it? Let me pinpoint it: Where is the goodness? Let me at it!

On the other hand, there is much that could influence us badly - many ideas which I ought to beware of, whether these are present only in underlying assumptions about life and God, or in more coherent ideas that suggest that laws and ways of living God has intended for my good are unimportant or "not for me" (or for society in general). I have been reminded lately that not the least danger in all this is the way I can disobey the apostle Peter's directions to use the time I have wisely - it's far easier to absorb culture uncritically than to give my whole being to God in worship, even the time I spend reading or watching something on TV, and by making sure I have organised my time so I am faithful in prayer (thanks be to God for a great sermon on 1 Peter 4:7-11 for jolting me to this stinging realisation).

Finally, a faithful response to God when considering culture is to be totally against evil, as He is; this means being careful to seek joy in the good and pursuing a greater and greater rejection of and distaste of evil, when we see it. Even mockery of evil can be instructive to our souls - and to friends - pointing out the hollow promises which some of our culture offers to us. Where is evil? May I stand against it - by the power of God. Most of all may it not go unnoticed and meet my approval!

With all this in mind, let me give you a slice of my own thoughts on my own reading "for fun" in the last few months.

Diving into Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Country at work has been great to help me see the funny side of things, making me laugh out loud on numerous occasions, and it's been a good light read, taking my mind off the problems of the various customers I chat to (I work in a call centre for a well-known department store, more out of necessity than choice!) I enjoyed the way Bryson has picked out the quirks of British life, discussing our attitude to the countryside and history, our patience and manners, how we put up with bad hotel service and endless amounts of rules, and our obsessions with the weather and giving the best directions. Certain eccentric Brits turn up as well, such as a rich hermit who built an underground complex (complete with ballroom) beneath his strangely-furnished mansion, which was found, after his death, to contain a room filled with boxes of wigs, and others painted entirely in pink.

Bryson is also a nerd for trivia, giving us details and statistics that I would never have bothered to consider about some of our factory towns from around the 1900s. One of the recurring ideas of note in the book is an insistence that us Brits should look after our heritage and not underestimate the impact of solidly-built and well-designed town centres on the public face of a town. While commending good design and service that he comes across in his rambling farewell tour of the UK (this was back in 1988 or so), the former Times writer Bryson spends page after page poking fun at the ludicrous layouts or poor maintenance of dismal and ugly towns and British centres of culture, as well as making us chuckle at his misfortunes with various unhelpful hotel staff and in the way he records the prices he wouldn't pay to enter National Heritage sites.

In fact here's the rub. The book had the effect on me of making me notice the things I am not satisfied with. I guess there are good aspects to always wanting things to be of a better standard, but I found myself noticing even more how petty some of the customers requests I was getting seemed to be. Yes, I throw my hands up and say that was my own critical spirit (need to remind myself of the rather shocking verse that is Romans 2:1), but perhaps fuelled a little by Bryson (?) Let's not underestimate the impact of words.

Finally, Bryson's interesting idea to make all heritage sites, cultural landmarks and cathedrals free to explore probably isn't realistic - something makes me think that actually in this life we can't have things for free (more's the pity). No matter how admirable it is for us to focus our efforts on the upkeep of our hilly countryside and cultural landmarks, this side of heaven things are going to get broken and costly. And earning things by sweat and hard graft is necessary and right.

A second book to mention briefly (I always spend too many words dealing with one subject!) is the frankly brilliant The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde. If you know me, I've probably already recommended this one to you. Fforde is great at imagining for us new and bizarre scenarios in a pacey read that is stuffed full of clever puns and literary jokes. Brilliantly funny, while still having a proper mystery to unravel. What made this book, the first in Fforde's second ongoing series, particularly fun for me was the fact that he takes fairly mundane real-life locales from my university town, Reading, and then puts in violent murders of his own bizarre interpretations of fairy-tale and nursery rhyme characters. Local narcoleptic Willie Winkie is discovered face-down dead in Palmer Park, Humpty Dumpty's notoriously seedy life has ended in pieces, and the Gingerbread Man is thankfully incarcerated in a local asylum (no one could face those gnashing iced lips and blackest gum-drop eyes alone). I especially like how the detectives are obsessed with becoming the next Sherlock, and having that "Eureka" moment, and Jack Spratt's sensitivity about giants. The sequel is, so far, just as amusing. I challenge you to find a comedy writer as fun to read!

Finally, one book has recently brought home powerfully how much of a mess I am in before God, and yet what a firm basis I have for hope despite this, and is a book for serious personal study which I'd definitely recommend. The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges is currently informing my prayers, thoughts and dreams, and urging me into action in pursuing all the good things that Jesus would have me be: Righteous, full of thankfulness, dependent on God, disciplined, faithful - ultimately, being like Jesus. What an incredible thought: that this life (for Christians) is a journey towards being more like Him! And yet what a helpful reminder it has been to me that love of God involves total obedience and whole-hearted effort, and a recognition that I'm not good enough. Again, through friends, I have been reminded of God's first and only requirement for heaven: "a broken and contrite heart" before him, as we trust in his plan to save us, and not in our own efforts (Psalm 51:17, cf. Romans 3 and 4). And this book helpfully instructs us to remind ourselves of this gospel daily - and that, as Christians, we continue to depend on God to work through our efforts and bring real change and spiritual growth as only He can (1 Cor 3:7). And so it seems fitting to end this article with another lesson from the book: That we must come under God's living words, the Bible, to be transformed in our thinking by God as he works through his Spirit.

More thoughts on culture coming up - hopefully a mix of the light-hearted and serious, heady adventure and fun and grandiose ideology all tumbled up together.