I've just come back from a few days away in the Autumn school break. We have been visiting the First World War Battlefields on the Somme.
Those who served in WW1 are remembered in cemeteries all over Northern France, and in museums and sites in the area.
At Beaumont Hamel, soldiers from Newfoundland are remembered in a preserved site that aims to show something of what it was like in the trenches.
There's a book in which visitors can record their own feelings. Many of those who have written in the book have come to pay their respects to ancestors who fought in the world wars.
Many of the entries are along the lines of 'Thank you - you gave your lives so that we could have freedom'
I don't want to take away from the spirit of service that was shown by so many of our service men and women, I just wanted to write in the book 'What a waste'
There seemed to be a widespread desire that we learn from the two world wars, but we still pursue what we perceive to be honourable ends by violent means.
Friday 27 October 2006
Friday 29 September 2006
Confronting evil
We live in a world where it seems that violence can be justified, as along as we can persuade ourselves that it is in the cause of right. We take this ‘truth’ in almost with our mother’s milk as we are fed a diet of cartoons, and then, as we grow older, films, that seem to say - ‘As long as you are a goody, it’s OK to kill the baddies’. I can remember from my childhood the westerns that almost always portrayed cowboys as the goodies and indians as the baddies. More recently we have a multitude of action films starring people like Bruce Willis that promote this view that we can stamp out evil by force.
If we are not careful, we imagine that you can divide the world up into good people and bad people. (we ourselves of course, are always on the side of right!) Today, for example, many people in the West suspect all Arabs of being bad. Imagine that you are in the secret service, and an Arab suspected of being a terrorist, and with possible links to terrorist organisations, is brought in for questioning. There has been a rumour going round that the next terrorist attack will be targetted on a school somewhere in the UK. How far would you go with this suspect, bearing in mind that he denies being a terrorist ? Would you torture him to see if he knows anything ? (Only today, as I write, George Bush has admitted that the CIA has set up prisons outside the US where tactics of ‘co-ercive interrogation’ are used in the fight against terrorism)
The Russian writer Solzhenitsyn wrote - “If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”
When we attempt to stamp out evil using violent methods, we will always find oursevles compromised, and even the fruit of victory will end up tasting bitter.
So what should we do ? Do we let evil go unchallenged and unchecked. Of course not. The nation of Iraq needed to depose Saddam. But the methods chosen were wrong. The US and Uk governments were presented by a group of Christian activists with a detailed plan of oppostion to Saddam, but they did not pursue it, and chose the option of armed intervention instead.
In the Gospels we see the Christian way. Jesus confronts evil directly, but he deals with it through his suffering and resurrection, and not by force. Even God with all his power cannot stamp out evil if it means going gainst God’s nature to do it. We have some shining examples of the way of Christ in the last 100 years, notably Mahatma Ghandi, himself a Hindu.
May we be creative and determined in our opposition to all that is evil in our world, and be strengthened to follow the way of Christ.
If we are not careful, we imagine that you can divide the world up into good people and bad people. (we ourselves of course, are always on the side of right!) Today, for example, many people in the West suspect all Arabs of being bad. Imagine that you are in the secret service, and an Arab suspected of being a terrorist, and with possible links to terrorist organisations, is brought in for questioning. There has been a rumour going round that the next terrorist attack will be targetted on a school somewhere in the UK. How far would you go with this suspect, bearing in mind that he denies being a terrorist ? Would you torture him to see if he knows anything ? (Only today, as I write, George Bush has admitted that the CIA has set up prisons outside the US where tactics of ‘co-ercive interrogation’ are used in the fight against terrorism)
The Russian writer Solzhenitsyn wrote - “If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”
When we attempt to stamp out evil using violent methods, we will always find oursevles compromised, and even the fruit of victory will end up tasting bitter.
So what should we do ? Do we let evil go unchallenged and unchecked. Of course not. The nation of Iraq needed to depose Saddam. But the methods chosen were wrong. The US and Uk governments were presented by a group of Christian activists with a detailed plan of oppostion to Saddam, but they did not pursue it, and chose the option of armed intervention instead.
In the Gospels we see the Christian way. Jesus confronts evil directly, but he deals with it through his suffering and resurrection, and not by force. Even God with all his power cannot stamp out evil if it means going gainst God’s nature to do it. We have some shining examples of the way of Christ in the last 100 years, notably Mahatma Ghandi, himself a Hindu.
May we be creative and determined in our opposition to all that is evil in our world, and be strengthened to follow the way of Christ.
Monday 27 February 2006
Jess's Blog
My daughter Jessica (18) is in Tanzania, and has just set up her Blog.
This is her latest post.
Aw man, this weekend was SUCH an experience. we went out to mama rhoda’s village to stay with her brother and we were staying in mud huts held up by sticks. they are traditional “wigogo” houses and they are for people that are about 5 ft tall.most of them are very short..so when i was inside i had to tilt my head to one side and crouch down cause i was too tall!! We and mama rhoda(mariam) went to this village 2 hours out of dodoma. We got there about 6.30 on friday evening and as soon as we got there after 2 seconds there was about 50 kids around the car!! we leaned out of the windows and stopped the car and talked to them for about 15mins, and then it was getting dark and we needed to find this invisble house in the darkness..so we drove off and ALL of these little kids, from 3 years old to about 15 yeard old, were chasing our car! its like something you would see on TV!!! with no proper road and it was almost dark we found this little mud hut and mariams brother didnt even realise we were coming! they have no electricity so the only form of communication is sending letters in cars that happen to be passing through!! Even though we were unexpected we were so welcome in their home. along side the bedrooms were 36 goats and sheep, 2 HUGE pigs, loads of chickens and dogd and cats! the space was about the size of a small garden but everything was crammed in! that evening we were all sat in the open space and mariams brother got into the goat pen and brought one out... he said to us that we could take it home as a gift. We were so shocked! to buy a goat is the same amount of money as I would get paid in 1 month.. we really were honoured guests. we siad that we had no way of taking it home... and he said ok, we can either take it to your house in 1 week or you can eat it and we will prepare it for you now... we had not other option than to say eat it now!! so they killed it in front of us and we had to eat EVERYTHING!! we ended up eating the heart, liver, lungs, intestines, testis and all that stuff and even the blood. ewww... it didnt taste nice at all, ut we had no other option reallt than to eat it because this was such a treat. then of course we had to eat the mean too... they watched us eating it ... was a bit off putting and it meant we had to keep smiling no matter how horrid and chewy it was!! but we arent poisened yet!!!
anyway, more or less straight after this we went to bed. it was about 12.30 by the time we had finished it. me jenny and mariam slept in a small room on the mud with the cats.. well we didnt sleep much but it didnt matter.
the next day started at 5 am. we had to use the toilet! we had hoped that we could hold our selves... but it wasnt possible! all the loo was, was a small hole in the ground about the size of a baked beans tin, with a wall up to my waist! it was a bit awkward trying not to expose all to the wigogo people, but i succeeded finally. we went to visit some people in the town and then went to see mariams brothers farm. it was quite sad, but interesting. this time of year the maize should be about my head hight by now, but it was only just ankle level. they are really struggling with the rain, but are getting by. it was a 2hour walk each way across the fields every day to the farm for them... i only just managed to get there and back!!!
after thios they cooked us a tanzanian dish called ugali, which is basically maize flower in boiling water to make a white flower jelly.. ill make it for you all one day... it an experience!! anyway, we got ugali... but it was made with millet. it was very different. it was a gray colour and was like sand. its easier to grow with no rain, and so most people grow this if they think the rains wont come. wasnt very nice really, very grainy, but i guess its nutritious and at least they have food!!
after this we went to a fresh water spring! that was amazing! i wont go on too much about that cause ive said lots already! but there was hot water bubbling up from uderneath the ground!!! it was beautiful! people go there to bath and wash clothes (...and by the smell of it goodness know what else they did in there too..! ) and that was so nice.
it was about 5.45 and time to get home before darkness dawned upon the fields and we got home safely afrriving 5mins from home with a FLAT TIRE!!!!! thank goodness we were in town by now! we got 2 guys to change it and they said theyd do it if they could have a soda for it so we agreed and they got it done so quickly. timed to the mili second they took 2 mins 37.126 secs to change our 4x4 patrol car tire! not bad eh?! surely got to be a world record!
anyway we arrived back and it was nice to have our comforts, but it made me realise how much we dont need these things. we have been braught up to be dependent on electricity and elecrical things that we never see what amazing and exciting lives we could live. We are so lucky to have things that we have! its just so amazing - i can post this on here in 5 mins and people 4,700 miles can read it within seconds!
You go to a doctor who you cant pronounce the name of, you get a prescription which you cant read, he tells you to go to a pharmacy you never knew existed, and they give you some pills which you have no clue about how they work..... thats faith!! these guys in the village had sooo much faith in God. they just knew from day to day everything would be good for them. everything would work out ok and they’ll live until God chooses them to live to. they just know... they trust and they are soo happy! HEBREWS 11:1. :)
what amazing things God’s shown me this weekend!
have a great week. xx
My Comment:
What an experience for her!!!
This is her latest post.
Aw man, this weekend was SUCH an experience. we went out to mama rhoda’s village to stay with her brother and we were staying in mud huts held up by sticks. they are traditional “wigogo” houses and they are for people that are about 5 ft tall.most of them are very short..so when i was inside i had to tilt my head to one side and crouch down cause i was too tall!! We and mama rhoda(mariam) went to this village 2 hours out of dodoma. We got there about 6.30 on friday evening and as soon as we got there after 2 seconds there was about 50 kids around the car!! we leaned out of the windows and stopped the car and talked to them for about 15mins, and then it was getting dark and we needed to find this invisble house in the darkness..so we drove off and ALL of these little kids, from 3 years old to about 15 yeard old, were chasing our car! its like something you would see on TV!!! with no proper road and it was almost dark we found this little mud hut and mariams brother didnt even realise we were coming! they have no electricity so the only form of communication is sending letters in cars that happen to be passing through!! Even though we were unexpected we were so welcome in their home. along side the bedrooms were 36 goats and sheep, 2 HUGE pigs, loads of chickens and dogd and cats! the space was about the size of a small garden but everything was crammed in! that evening we were all sat in the open space and mariams brother got into the goat pen and brought one out... he said to us that we could take it home as a gift. We were so shocked! to buy a goat is the same amount of money as I would get paid in 1 month.. we really were honoured guests. we siad that we had no way of taking it home... and he said ok, we can either take it to your house in 1 week or you can eat it and we will prepare it for you now... we had not other option than to say eat it now!! so they killed it in front of us and we had to eat EVERYTHING!! we ended up eating the heart, liver, lungs, intestines, testis and all that stuff and even the blood. ewww... it didnt taste nice at all, ut we had no other option reallt than to eat it because this was such a treat. then of course we had to eat the mean too... they watched us eating it ... was a bit off putting and it meant we had to keep smiling no matter how horrid and chewy it was!! but we arent poisened yet!!!
anyway, more or less straight after this we went to bed. it was about 12.30 by the time we had finished it. me jenny and mariam slept in a small room on the mud with the cats.. well we didnt sleep much but it didnt matter.
the next day started at 5 am. we had to use the toilet! we had hoped that we could hold our selves... but it wasnt possible! all the loo was, was a small hole in the ground about the size of a baked beans tin, with a wall up to my waist! it was a bit awkward trying not to expose all to the wigogo people, but i succeeded finally. we went to visit some people in the town and then went to see mariams brothers farm. it was quite sad, but interesting. this time of year the maize should be about my head hight by now, but it was only just ankle level. they are really struggling with the rain, but are getting by. it was a 2hour walk each way across the fields every day to the farm for them... i only just managed to get there and back!!!
after thios they cooked us a tanzanian dish called ugali, which is basically maize flower in boiling water to make a white flower jelly.. ill make it for you all one day... it an experience!! anyway, we got ugali... but it was made with millet. it was very different. it was a gray colour and was like sand. its easier to grow with no rain, and so most people grow this if they think the rains wont come. wasnt very nice really, very grainy, but i guess its nutritious and at least they have food!!
after this we went to a fresh water spring! that was amazing! i wont go on too much about that cause ive said lots already! but there was hot water bubbling up from uderneath the ground!!! it was beautiful! people go there to bath and wash clothes (...and by the smell of it goodness know what else they did in there too..! ) and that was so nice.
it was about 5.45 and time to get home before darkness dawned upon the fields and we got home safely afrriving 5mins from home with a FLAT TIRE!!!!! thank goodness we were in town by now! we got 2 guys to change it and they said theyd do it if they could have a soda for it so we agreed and they got it done so quickly. timed to the mili second they took 2 mins 37.126 secs to change our 4x4 patrol car tire! not bad eh?! surely got to be a world record!
anyway we arrived back and it was nice to have our comforts, but it made me realise how much we dont need these things. we have been braught up to be dependent on electricity and elecrical things that we never see what amazing and exciting lives we could live. We are so lucky to have things that we have! its just so amazing - i can post this on here in 5 mins and people 4,700 miles can read it within seconds!
You go to a doctor who you cant pronounce the name of, you get a prescription which you cant read, he tells you to go to a pharmacy you never knew existed, and they give you some pills which you have no clue about how they work..... thats faith!! these guys in the village had sooo much faith in God. they just knew from day to day everything would be good for them. everything would work out ok and they’ll live until God chooses them to live to. they just know... they trust and they are soo happy! HEBREWS 11:1. :)
what amazing things God’s shown me this weekend!
have a great week. xx
My Comment:
What an experience for her!!!
Wednesday 11 January 2006
Tuesday 10 January 2006
What do you think ?
I'm a fan of Lawrence Block - writer of mystery stories - and especially of his Matt Scudder character. Scudder is an ex-cop turned private detective, and a recovering alcoholic.
He gives away a tenth of his fees, usually putting the money in collection boxes in churches, and usually catholic churches, because they tend to be open all the time.
In one of his short stories, he goes to church to think. "After breakfast, I went to St Paul's but there was a service going on, a priest saying Mass, so I didn't stay. I walked down to St Benedict the Moor's on 53rd Street and sat for a few minutes in a pew at the rear. I go to churches to try and think, and I gave it a shot, but my mind didn't know where to go. I slipped six twenties in the poor box. I tithe. It's a habit I got into when I left the department, and I still don't know why I do it. God knows. Or maybe he's as mystified as I am."
Reading that - a phrase popped into my mind. 'What do you think ?' Not, as in what's your opinion, but what do you think about ....
I guess for many of us, we just don't. Think, that is. We are so busy that we get through with the minimum of thinking.
So .. I'm going to try and spend a bit more time just thinking. No T.V. No book. No people. Just me, thinking.
He gives away a tenth of his fees, usually putting the money in collection boxes in churches, and usually catholic churches, because they tend to be open all the time.
In one of his short stories, he goes to church to think. "After breakfast, I went to St Paul's but there was a service going on, a priest saying Mass, so I didn't stay. I walked down to St Benedict the Moor's on 53rd Street and sat for a few minutes in a pew at the rear. I go to churches to try and think, and I gave it a shot, but my mind didn't know where to go. I slipped six twenties in the poor box. I tithe. It's a habit I got into when I left the department, and I still don't know why I do it. God knows. Or maybe he's as mystified as I am."
Reading that - a phrase popped into my mind. 'What do you think ?' Not, as in what's your opinion, but what do you think about ....
I guess for many of us, we just don't. Think, that is. We are so busy that we get through with the minimum of thinking.
So .. I'm going to try and spend a bit more time just thinking. No T.V. No book. No people. Just me, thinking.
Monday 9 January 2006
You made it your own
The nature of my work means that I get to read the Bible a lot. I read these words today, written by St Paul: "I press on to make Christ my own, as he has made me his own"
In the UK we have this (addictive for some) T.V. talent show called 'The X Factor'. One of the judges has a habit of saying something like ... 'That was great Sean - you made that song your own'. In other words .. the singer had imprinted on the song something of themselves. They had transformed the song in some way so that they have made it distinctively theirs. The singer has taken a song that 'belonged' to someone else and made it their own.
I guess this is partly what trying to be a disciple of Jesus Christ is all about. Christ makes us his own. He takes us and transforms our lives so that it is obvious that we belong to God.
I have a prayer that I use most days .. Faithful One, whose word is life; come free our praise, inspire our prayers, and shape our lives for the kingdom of your son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
In the UK we have this (addictive for some) T.V. talent show called 'The X Factor'. One of the judges has a habit of saying something like ... 'That was great Sean - you made that song your own'. In other words .. the singer had imprinted on the song something of themselves. They had transformed the song in some way so that they have made it distinctively theirs. The singer has taken a song that 'belonged' to someone else and made it their own.
I guess this is partly what trying to be a disciple of Jesus Christ is all about. Christ makes us his own. He takes us and transforms our lives so that it is obvious that we belong to God.
I have a prayer that I use most days .. Faithful One, whose word is life; come free our praise, inspire our prayers, and shape our lives for the kingdom of your son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sunday 8 January 2006
Jeff Wall photos at Tate Modern
I've just been to London for New Year.
There's a great exhibition of Jeff Wall (Canadain photographer). Giant pictures, some of which have taken over a hundred separate pictures put together. Mostly very 'composed'. It struck me how much painters and photographers refer back to others' work.
Like poetry that is full of references to the classics, photos can be full of references to other works of art.
More of that another time.
The thing I wanted to say was ... it made me think about doing some photos ... just for me probably, but all with a theme of 'outside looking in'
Maybe shots through a shop window ... or into a family's front room .... to illustrate the way that so many people are outsiders ... sometimes through their own choice, but often not.
Financially, emotionally ... whatever.
Good ? Shepherd
There's a great exhibition of Jeff Wall (Canadain photographer). Giant pictures, some of which have taken over a hundred separate pictures put together. Mostly very 'composed'. It struck me how much painters and photographers refer back to others' work.
Like poetry that is full of references to the classics, photos can be full of references to other works of art.
More of that another time.
The thing I wanted to say was ... it made me think about doing some photos ... just for me probably, but all with a theme of 'outside looking in'
Maybe shots through a shop window ... or into a family's front room .... to illustrate the way that so many people are outsiders ... sometimes through their own choice, but often not.
Financially, emotionally ... whatever.
Good ? Shepherd
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