No Greater Power (2)

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

                John 1: 14

No Greater Power

There is no greater power than a community discovering what is cares about.
Ask "What's possible?" not "Whats wrong?" Keep asking.
Notice what you care about.
Assume that many others share your dreams.
Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters.
Talk to people you know.
Talk to people you never talk to.
Be intrigued by the differences you hear.
Expect to be surprised.
Treasure curiosity more that certainty.
Invite in everybody who cares to work on what's possible.
Acknowledge that everyone is an expert in something.
Know that creative solutions come from new connections.
Remember, you don't fear people whose story you know.
Real listening always brings people closer together.
Trust that meaningful conversations change your world.
Rely on human goodness. Stay together.

                                             Meg Wheatley

Thanks to Steve Pettican for bringing this to my attention

In Defense of Traditional Marriage

I became a Christian when I was 15 years old. Since then, the Bible has been my companion. It’s been a good book to base my life on.

More importantly, our nation is based on the Bible- on a set of Judaeo-Christian beliefs. It has been a good book to base our nation on. We don’t always get it right, but the belief system we have developed has served us well and given us solid foundations.

I saw our Prime Minister on the news last night. With little thought to our foundations, he intends to remove one. The Bible is clear- marriage is between one man and one woman. That’s what our nation is based on and we have historic records to that effect. Marriage goes back to the dawn of time. Marriage in our nation is written into our laws. Over 3000 laws refer to it. Many would have to be rewritten to remove the terms ‘husband’ and ‘wife’.

Cameron wants to change marriage. It’s not something that was in his manifesto. He has chosen to ignore the considerable reaction against his views. And, more importantly, he is trying to remove a foundation stone, whilst expecting the building above it to remain unaffected.

Marriage is bigger than the same-sex debate. It’s bigger than a Prime Ministers whim. It’s a foundation on which we have built our nation. It needs defending.

Mountains

You never know what’s around the corner. It could be everything. Or it could be nothing. You keep putting one foot in front of the other, and then one day you look back and you’ve climbed a mountain.

Tom Hiddleston

[We are] created to walk in precarious places, not on the easy levels of life.

Amy Carmichael

Keep Going (2)

....and sometimes we need to get up off the floor...

CLICK HERE:  Heather's Race

 

Keep Going

Sometimes we just need encouragement to keep going.

 

The End Of An Era

The Pale Blue Dot

Look carefully at the image. The pale blue dot is the Earth, captured in a picture from the Voyager 1 spacecraft at a distance of 4 billion miles on February 14, 1990.

Carl Sagan was the one who pushed for the Voyager craft to take the shot, and it’s his quote that follows:

“Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam."

With thanks to Professor Brian Cox, speaking at the NAPF conference, October 2012 for pointing out the Pale Blue Dot.

4,214% APR

Yes that’s not a misprint. 4,214% APR is the loan rate from Wonga, one of the best known of the new breed of payday loan companies. This compares with bank loans at around 15% APR. Sure, those needing the short term Wonga loan would not likely get a loan from a bank. But there’s a reason for that- they can’t afford the loan.

Rather than holding on until payday, many are getting into serious debt with this new, largely unregulated payday loan industry (The Week, 22 September). It preys on the weak. It cries out for serious regulation before the poor become poorer still.

There is an alternative- the credit unions. Financial co-operatives basically. Why don’t more people use them? They simply don’t have the advertising budgets of companies like Wonga (even the Wonga advert is an insult, portraying older people in a stereotyped manner).

Government policy can sometimes become too intrusive. Here’s an area in need of some serious legislation.

Forgiveness in an Electronic Age

The link below takes you to a fascinating story of a Tweeter facing his Troll. If that doesn’t make sense, have a read.

We need to forgive. If we hold on to a grudge, if we choose not to forgive, it’s us that ends up hurting, not them. We remember the incident. We are the ones that don’t sleep well. We are the ones churned up with anger. We are the ones to get bitter.

If Jesus could forgive his own murderers, (Luke 23: 33-34) surely, we can let go of that injustice, the anger that accompanied it, and find there is life beyond the hurt.

Sometimes it’s hard. Sometimes the thing done against us is enormous. Life and death issues.

But still forgive. For your own sakes.

LINK: Meeting a Troll....

Winning Gold

Her name is Rebecca and I saw her on Saturday. She is maybe 9 or 10 years old, but I guess with a mental age of an infant. Her chair was amazing. It kept her body from twisting and held her head upright. There was a big smile on her face as her father teased her and tickled her and cheered her on as she ate.

Her name is Jessica and I saw her on Saturday. I guess she’s in her 20’s. Her race was amazing. She pulled away from the opposition to win the heptathlon gold. There was a big smile on her face as the crowd cheered her achievement.

Jessica has her gold medal. One day so will Rebecca.

Proud to be British

I didn't realise just how patriotic I was until I watched the London Olympics Opening Ceremony last night.

Well done to Danny Boyle for getting it just right. He produced a show which was self effacing, humorous, full of pathos and with a good dose of pride in our achievements. There was no doubting the message - as a country we don't always get it right but we have brought the world the industrial revolution, sporting achievements and invention, pop music, Shakespeare, Peter Pan, Harry Potter, David Beckham, James Bond, the NHS, Chariots of Fire, the World Wide Web and - oh - Mr Bean?! I loved his performance of the Chariots of Fire theme song. Great drama throughout, so much going on - I'm sure at one point I saw Lord Voldermort being zapped by Mary Poppins!

The lighting of the flame was particularly powerful. From Beckham to Redgrave to seven young people lighting 205 copper petals, each petal having been carried in by a participating country. And then for each of the petals to rise into the air and create one flame was not only clever but visually stunning.

What a wonderfully chaotic and powerful evening. The whole thing was thrilling to watch and with the world's eyes on us, it was a proud moment.

Fear Less, Hope More

Fear less, hope more;
Eat less, chew more;
Whine less, breathe more;
Talk less, say more;
Hate less, love more;
And all good things are yours.

Swedish Proverb

Grumpy Old Pension Men

Today sees the start of me being filmed on a regular basis- albeit, it's to do with pensions!

I'm not sure I want to be called a 'Grumpy Old Pension Man' but it's a lot of fun. Check it out:

Link: Grumpy Old Pension Men

The Power of a Handshake

In another blog I have recently written about a handshake that changed our nation. There will be another handshake this week that reflects friendship and forgiveness. For the Queen to shake the hand of Martin McGuinness, formerly of the IRA and now a Sinn Fein politician, is brave for both parties.

A line is being drawn and the past left behind. And hope is being celebrated. There will be cynics who see this as purely politics. There will be unforgiveness and anger from some. But there is hope too.

I was impressed as I listened in to Radio 5Live this morning. Michael Gallagher lost his son and his brother in the troubles, both murdered by the IRA of one brand or another. He spoke of the positive reconciliation reflected in the handshake.The Queen too, lost her cousin, Lord Mountbatten, to an IRA bomb. Both are choosing forgiveness.

Nothing can bring back those lost, nor should they ever be forgotten, but a handshake this week celebrates a hope and a future.

New days, New ways

Today sees the start of a new blog. I've been fascinated by Christian history for many years and there are so many stories that are worth retelling. Many have gone before us and we can learn from each of them. We can be stirred by them.

For some, history is a dead subject. I want to challenge people to think again. New days, new ways to communicate.

The blog starts small and will grow in time. Take a look:

Ralph's Christian History Blog.

Servant and Sovereign

Sixty years. We won’t see another diamond jubilee in our lifetime. As the amazing pictures of the flotilla of boats reached our screens yesterday, the pageantry of the occasion reflected on the worthiness of the subject. And the subject was the Sovereign.

But a servant before a Sovereign. When a young Elizabeth II promised to ‘always work to advance the happiness and prosperity of my peoples’ in 1952, she meant what she said. She has kept her word. I’m not particularly a monarchist and hers is not a justifiable position in a truly democratic society, but the majority of her subjects would have it no other way.

She has brought purpose and meaning to a ‘United Kingdom' through her service. She has brought a richness and colour to our nation. She has reminded us of our values and beliefs. Her 2011 Christmas message said:

“Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves - from our recklessness or our greed.

 God sent into the world a unique person - neither a philosopher nor a general, important though they are, but a Saviour, with the power to forgive.

 In the last verse of this beautiful carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem, there's a prayer:

 ‘O Holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray, cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.’

 It is my prayer that on this Christmas day we might all find room in our lives for the message of the angels and for the love of God through Christ our Lord.”


We do well to remember her prayer, as we remember all she has done for us these past 60 years.

Stronger

Good is stronger than evil;
Love is stronger than hate;
Light is stronger than darkness
Life is stronger than death
Victory is ours, through Him who loves us.


Desmond Tutu

Puzzle Pieces

My friend met a Rabbi at the airport recently. They got talking and as a result, he sent this:

‘There must have been a time when you entered a room and met someone and after a while you understood that unknown to either of you there was a reason you had met. You had changed the other or he had changed you. By word or deed or just by your presence, the errand had been completed. Then perhaps, you were a little bewildered or humbled and grateful. And it was over.

‘Each life is the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. For some there are more pieces. For others the puzzle is more difficult to assemble. Some seem to be born with a nearly completed puzzle. And so it goes. Souls going this way and that, trying to assemble the myriad parts. But know this. No one has within themselves all the pieces of their puzzle. Like before the day when they used to seal jigsaw puzzles in cellophane. Ensuring that all the pieces were there. Everyone carries with them at lest one and probably many pieces to someone else’s puzzle. Sometimes they know it. Sometimes they don’t. And when you present your piece which is worth less to you, to another, whether you know it or not, whether they know it or not, you are a messenger from the Most High.’

Extract from ‘Honey From the Rock’ by Larry Kushner

REPOST: Bulembu

Following our Missions evening this week, this is a REPOST of RESTORE A TOWN. TRANSFORM A NATION from July 2011. We will be sending our first KingsGate team there this November!


You drive for 5 hours from Johannesburg, through the mountains and over the Swaziland border. What greets you is quite breathtaking. Bulembu is an old mining town. When the mines closed nearly ten years ago, the 10,000 population moved out. Bulembu became a ghost town. Until someone had a vision of what could be.

Today a Christian trust owns the whole town. All 4,000 acres. The population is back to 2,000. There are successful industries in wood production, water bottling, honey production, a bakery, a dairy, successful tourism. All from nothing.

Most of all, there are 200 orphans saved. Bulembu has become a centre for rescued children. With the worst HIV rate in the world at around 40%, and an average age expectancy of just over 30, Swaziland is slowly dying. Children die daily. Bulembu is changing the statistics.
Their aim is to be a sustainable community for 2000 children by 2020. Their shirts carry the slogan ‘experience transformation’. And they are. In restoring a town, they are transforming a nation.

The butterflies win

The village of Ruddington has been busy over the last few years. They undertook a project to convert land used in the Second World War as a bomb making factory, turning it into a country park. The project was called ‘Bombs to Butterflies’.

The release of secret papers from the Foreign Office indicates that there was also a ‘Butterflies to Bombs’ project! There was a concern in 1938, before the outbreak of war that a number of German military personnel were posing in East Africa as butterfly enthusiasts, whilst their real intent was to spy prior to potential invasion.

From butterflies to bombs and back again. The butterflies win!

An Introvert in an Extrovert World

I’m an introvert in an extrovert world. The BBC reports that 92% of the population thinks it is better to be extrovert. (BBC News Magazine, 27/3/12).

I can do the extrovert thing – be social, go to the parties, speak up when it’s needed – but it’s hard work. I prefer to be reflective, spend time on my own, read books. By no means am I a loaner, but I enjoy my own company.

And I’m not alone. The Myers Briggs psychometric test shows there are a third to a half of the UK population that are introvert. And when you dig into the data, you find that some of the best leaders are introverts – maybe because they think and reflect more on the urgent issues before taking action – or before opening their mouth!

I’m in good company anyway. Here’s a few of the more famous introverts: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, J K Rowling, Julia Roberts, Harrison Ford.

According to Myers Briggs, I’m an INTJ – an introvert who is intuitive and rational. I will leave others to judge! In the meantime, maybe I’ll spend today in my study, reading a book…..

Seven Miles Deep

James Cameron, the filmmaker and explorer has just reached the bottom of the deepest ocean in the world- the bottom of the Mariana trench in the Pacific. That’s seven miles deep, in an environment that is likely to be more alien than the moon. Only the third to descend this far and the first in this part of the sea since 1960, he will be collecting data and imagery that will be entirely new to us.

The ‘Deepsea Challenger’ is a purpose built capsule and is protecting Cameron from the 8 tons of pressure outside the cabin.

The world we live in is amazing. There is always something new, whether it be the smallest creature or the deepest sea.

Thank you Richard Dawkins

One of my favourite programmes is The Book Show on Sky Arts. I know, a bit pretentious isn’t it? Guests are invited to talk about their latest book and to discuss other favourites. It was a surprise to see such a heated discussion on a slow moving programme, but Richard Dawkins decided that he had been slighted by the host Mariella Frostrup when she moved the discussion on from his railing against Christianity. His attitude was so far removed from the regular show, it became almost amusing.

This isn’t the first time Richard Dawkins has got angry- but the more he does it, the more he is helping the church. Here is Mary Ann Sieghart of The Independent, as quoted in The Week.:

The Church of England is lucky. It couldn’t have asked for a better enemy. The contrast between the ‘puffed up, self regarding, vain, prickly and militant’ Dawkins and the ‘charitable, open, welcoming, tolerant, undogmatic’ church is practically an advertisement for anti-atheism.

Thank you Richard Dawkins.

Risk

There was a very cautious man
Who never laughed or played
He never risked, he never tried,
He never sang or prayed.
And when he one day passed away,
His insurance was denied,
For since he never really lived,
They claimed he never really died.


Anonymous poem  from Developing the Leader Within You by John C. Maxwell.

You Steady My Heart

Some signs of improvement, but still struggling with a virus that has pretty much knocked me out these last few months. In the meantime, Kari Jobe's new song says what needs to be said:

Even when it hurts

Even when it's hard

Even when it all just falls apart

I will run to You

Cause I know that You are

Lover of my soul

Healer of my scars

You steady my heart

Pressing On

As I look into 2012, it is with some pain. Literal pain. I’ve had a virus now for nearly 12 weeks. I’ve lost two stone in weight and every movement hurts. It is only a virus and nothing more serious, but it’s hard to walk, hard to move much at all.

The virus will go. The pain will go, and I must press on into a new year with all its possibilities. Here’s how the famous Indian poet Tagore put it:

Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it.