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Weblog Archives: November 2003
Sunday, November 30, 2003
From the Bruderhof
The Dangers of Advent
J. B. PhillipsWhen have Christians been promised physical security? In the early Church it is evident that they did not even expect it! Their security, their true life, was rooted in God; and neither the daily insecurities of the decaying Roman Empire, nor the organized persecution which followed later, could affect their basic confidence.
In my judgement, the description which Christ gave of the days that were to come before his return is more accurately reproduced in this fear-ridden age than ever before in human history. Of course we do not know the times and the seasons, but at least we can refuse to be deceived by the current obsession for physical security in the here-and-now. While we continue to pray and work for the spread of the kingdom in this transitory world, we know that its centre of gravity is not here at all. When God decides
that the human experiment has gone on long enough, yes, even in the midst of what appears to us confusion and incompleteness, Christ will come again.This is what the New Testament teaches. This is the message of Advent. It is for us to be alert, vigilant and industrious, so that his coming will not be a terror but an overwhelming joy.
Posted by Richard @ 12:45 PM BST [Link] [Make a Comment]
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.O come, O come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.
Posted by Richard @ 07:33 AM BST [Link] [Make a Comment]
Thanks to BackBurner we learn that Swansea spends more time online than anywhere else in the UK.
Makes you proud...
Posted by Richard @ 07:33 AM BST [Link] [Make a Comment]
An Advent Address
Based on Mark 13: 24-37At the end of the film Terminator there is a scene in which the heroine, Sarah Connor, is making her escape into the wilderness. She has destroyed the android sent from the future to kill her, but still she knows that the future of the world is bleak. Her thoughts are filled with the impending nuclear war and subsequent chaos. A "gas station" attendant looks up at the sky and says, "There is a storm coming." She replies simply, and not without irony, "I know."
Earlier in Mark's gospel (Mark chapter 11) there is a puzzling little incident in which Jesus goes looking for figs on a fig tree, even though it is not the season. When he finds none he curses the tree, which is later found withered. We find a fig tree again in Mark 13, though this time the tree is bursting into leaf. The fig tree was one of the commonest trees in Palestine and, being deciduous, was a clear indicator of the coming of summer.
In the passage before us, Jesus uses the traditional language of the Hebrews to paint a picture of "the end", the day of the Lord. Disturbances in the heavens, darkening of sun and moon, wars and famines were all used in Jewish literature as signs of the coming judgement of God. You do not have to take this language literally to see the awe and terror with which the end is predicted. Maybe in an age when we all want to "cosy up" to God, when any notion of mystery is sneered at and the divine Trinity is reduced to a benevolent grandfather, a kindly uncle and a very rapid "Linguaphone" course - maybe we need to reacquire this language and lose the embarassment which it causes us.
In Jesus' words it is hard to escape the sense of impending judgement, the gathering of storm clouds. Jesus reminds us that we are a people who live in the shadow of eternity, that everything that is now is merely provisional - our economic security, our knowledge of ourselves and the universe, the spiritual experiences we seek - all must fall before the day of the Lord. We cannot know the day or the hour, and so we must live as though the time were now.
All the signs we see around us, wars, earthquakes, famines should prompt neither fear nor despair, but rather the certain faith that one day we are to be brought face to face with God, that we should live to make ourselves ready for that moment.
But in the middle of all this talk of finality and judgement Jesus offers us the image of a fig tree coming into bud - an end to barrenness, an end of winter, a symbol of the resurrection from the dead. "The end" will always be near, but the message of Advent is that over the chaos of history hovers the Spirit of the Creator God, in the brokenness of humanity moves the God who makes all things new, in the despair of death stands the Christ who breaks open the entrance of the tomb.
Learn a lesson from the fig tree - with God it is always hope, not judgement, which has the final word.Posted by Richard @ 12:35 AM BST [Link] [Make a Comment]
Saturday, November 29, 2003
A "useful tools" section has been added to the home page of the BlogWiki. There are entries needed for
And, of course you can add items to the list if you'd like.
- Blogdex
- Technorati
- blo.gs
- weblogs.com
- TruthLaidBear
- BlogStreet
- BlogShares
Posted by Richard @ 09:45 PM BST [Link] [Make a Comment]
Bargain hunters waited in line for hours before dawn and rushed into stores Friday to snatch up the first deals of the holiday season, as merchants sharply discounted electronics and hot toys in hopes of their strongest season in four years.Unfortunately, it seems as if the push and shove of the sales has gone too far. The BBC has just reported the case of a woman hospitalized after being trampled at sales at a store in Florida. Apparently, her cries for help were ignored by shoppers intent on getting a bargain.Update: The story has made it to the BBC website.
Posted by Richard @ 01:26 PM BST [Link] [1 Comment]
Expectations are hard things to live with. In a culture increasingly driven by "targets", the expectations we have of ourselves and others can be a source of great hurt and confusion. This is especially true when our expectations do not match those of others. And it has to be said that there are many times when our expectations are not met: our hopes may be on the far horizon, but our ability takes us no further than the bottom of the garden. We strive to have more and be more, to "succeed" and improve. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that – except that we can become so purpose-driven and goal-orientated that we forget about grace and gift.
We’re all preparing to celebrate Christmas, to remember the long-ago events in Bethlehem and worship the Prince of Peace who comes amongst us. Not in power and glory. Not with success written all over him. He comes "little, weak and helpless", a fragile scrap of human life born into a situation so precarious that his first bed was a feed trough. This is hardly a promising start. If you were an advertising agent working for God, is this the image that you would choose?
The paradox and irony of the Christian gospel is our claim that God’s power is revealed most completely in this self-emptying weakness. Where we seek self-determination, God makes himself dependent. Where we applaud "winners", God ranks himself with the "also-rans".And where we prize progress and self-improvement, this little one’s journey is from a stable to a cross.
As Christmas approaches, I wonder if we dare face the challenge offered by that vulnerable child in a manger? As he grew he refused to be chained by the expectations of others. He chose faithfulness to God over success. When ambition beckoned he turned away from it. Finally, when his friends fled and his enemies abused him, just when you might expect a proper display of divine power and glory, he stretched out his arms in an embrace that would encompass the world.
Posted by Richard @ 07:52 AM BST [Link] [Make a Comment]
Thursday, November 27, 2003
Church signs.
Sometimes they're so dull you don't notice them at all. Very occasionally you come across a real cracker that makes you stop and think about your faith. Very occasionally.
And then there are the unintentionally funny signs that just make you think -- "Why?"
A boy and his computer has a great collection.Thanks to the Gutless Pacifist for pointing this one out.
Posted by Richard @ 11:54 PM BST [Link] [Make a Comment]
According to the US Treasury, the United States has a National Debt of $6,916,263,600,308.44, or at least it did on the 24th of this month. And no, I don't know how they keep track of 44 cents in such a number. That's about $23,700 for every citizen.
The national Debt for Britain is around £400 billion (our bean counters are obviously not so careful as the ones they have stateside) That looks like £6700 per head or thereabouts to me. Call it $11 300.
I'm genuinely surprised by this. We're the ones with a history of nationalised industries, a National Health Service (Shriek! Socialized medicine!), and a "welfare state" which (I'm told) is much more extensive than in the USA. And apparently, it's cost us a lot less.
The economy of the USA is presented as more successful than the UK's. It's put down to less regulation, a more entrepreneurial culture, and sheer willingness to work hard. I'm not an economist and I've always accepted the premise. But now, I wonder.
Posted by Richard @ 11:05 AM BST [Link] [7 comments]
Thanksgiving
Henri NouwenTo be grateful for the good things that happen inFrom the Bruderhof
our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our
lives - the good as well as the bad, the moments
of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the
successes as well as the failures, the rewards
as well as the rejections - that requires hard
spiritual work. Still, we are only truly grateful
people when we can say thank-you to all that
has brought us to the present moment. As long
as we keep dividing our lives between events
and people we would like to remember and
those we would rather forget, we cannot claim
the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be
grateful for.Let us not be afraid to look at everything that has
brought us to where we are now and trust that
we will soon see in it the guiding hand of a
loving God.Posted by Richard @ 09:04 AM BST [Link] [Make a Comment]
A first blogday greeting to Darren Rowse of LivingRoom. He's put up a PayPal button so you can send him a donation if you'd like. If it comes to that, so have I.
Anyhow, LivingRoom is one of those blogs I try to visit every day -- it is consistently thought-provoking and spirit-lifting and if you haven't read it yet, you should. Uncle Richard says so.One thing that bothers me slightly about Darren's blogday post is this business of statistics. I don't like to be a downer on a mate's blogday and hope the three links so far makes up for it a bit -- but I wonder what we think it means when bloggers make a thing of their web traffic? Don't misunderstand me, Darren (that's 4 now!) is absolutely a top bloke. If I could gather any half a dozen bloggers in a hostelry for an evenings informal team building, the good DR (5) would I hope be one of them. So I'm not criticising him as such. If he had a fan club, I'd join. But he's not the only blogger whose done it, and I genuinely don't understand the purpose it serves. Maybe I'm too British (Decorum, old boy!), or maybe it's that horrid streak of socialist jealousy that I'm told I have. Or perhaps I'm missing something glaringly obvious. I dunno.
Clues?
Posted by Richard @ 09:02 AM BST [Link] [17 comments]
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Thanks to Tim Samoff for the "heads up".
Posted by Richard @ 11:51 PM BST [Link] [1 Comment]
My copy of Lies, and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them arrived yesterday, and I must say I'm enjoying it hugely. It isn't exactly a subtle book, but not only is it very funny it's also pretty much on the button as far as I'm concerned. Expect me to blog the odd quote in the next day or two.
Posted by Richard @ 11:30 PM BST [Link] [1 Comment]
One of the things I enjoy most about my work as a minister, and as a student chaplain in particular, is its complete unpredictability. Sometimes its a downer of course, but I do quite like the neverquiteknowingwhatsnextness of it. Take today for example. There was I, sandwiches in one hand and a bag of crisps in the other, settling down for a spot of luncheon in the student coffee lounge. I had no expectation of a "deep and meaningful", just a cheery chat over a cup of coffee. I'd gone into the chaplaincy straight from a business meeting at one of the churches, so I wouldn't have objected to something fairly restful.
But then one of the students (who was obviously reading her Bible) looks up and says, "Do you know anything about the Book of Job?") The conversation that followed was for me an exciting impromptu Bible study of Job 12-14. Truthfully, it's been a little while since I studied the book in any depth and the conversation made me realise I need to go back and study it again. The central question -- why does bad stuff happen to the good folk? -- is not one that's going away any time soon. Job offers some important signposts in the exploration of that question and if we really listen to Job we might find that the answers we give to it might be a bit less trite and insensitive than they often seem.
But it wasn't just the specific subject that excited me. It was just good to open the Bible with a fellow believer without any planning or preparation, and wrestle with the word. I'm not sure what the student made of it, but for me it was a feast more sustaining than the sandwiches I had with it.Posted by Richard @ 09:00 PM BST [Link] [Make a Comment]
Yesterday...
all my troubles seemed so far away...'cept they didn't. A toilet that refuses to function -- and a plumber who says he can fix it (in January!). The central heating is on the blink, apparently tossing a coin to decide whether or not it'll come on this time.
And then my ISP had what it calls "a major service outage". Bah!...now it looks as though they're here to stay...
Posted by Richard @ 08:50 AM BST [Link] [3 comments]
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Bene Diction has had a blogmare. My dreams are nothing like so interesting -- and they never contain hyperlinks! Nice one BD.
Whose law is it that says "20% of the people do 80% of all the work"? I'm sure it's true. Trouble is, it isn't just that it's minorities that do most of the work; minorities also cause most of the problems. I can say no more, but I had to say that much.
Ian's Messy Desk now has a ring left by a glass of Turkey & Gravy soda. I wonder if it tastes fowl?
Posted by Richard @ 04:35 PM BST [Link] [2 comments]
Monday, November 24, 2003
The conversation about whether Christianity and Islam worship the same God has continued with a will at Josh Claybourn's site. If you've a minute, go and read the comments there. I'm beginning to think that there is something wrong with my English...
Posted by Richard @ 06:20 PM BST [Link] [2 comments]
What does it mean to be a Methodist?
The person who asked this question may regret it! It isn't the easiest question to answer in a few words. Perhaps the best place to start is with the document that re-united the Methodist Church in Great Britain (and I can only really speak about the British context), the “Deed of Union”. This sets out the doctrinal standards of the Methodist Church in the following way:
The Methodist Church claims and cherishes its place in the Holy Catholic Church which is the Body of Christ. It rejoices in the inheritance of the apostolic faith and loyally accepts the fundamental principles of the historic creeds and of the Protestant Reformation. It ever remembers that in the providence of God Methodism was raised up to spread scriptural holiness through the land by the proclamation of the evangelical faith and declares its unfaltering resolve to be true to its divinely appointed mission.
The doctrines of the evangelical faith which Methodism has held from the beginning and still holds are based upon the divine revelation recorded in the Holy Scriptures. The Methodist Church acknowledges this revelation as the supreme rule of faith and practice. These evangelical doctrines to which the preachers of the Methodist Church are pledged are contained in Wesley's Notes on the New Testament and the first four volumes of his sermons.
The Notes on the New Testament and the 44 Sermons are not intended to impose a system of formal or speculative theology on Methodist preachers, but to set up standards of preaching and belief which should secure loyalty to the fundamental truths of the gospel of redemption and ensure the continued witness of the Church to the realities of the Christian experience of salvation.Christ's ministers in the church are stewards in the household of God and shepherds of his flock. Some are called and ordained to this sole occupation and have a principal and directing part in these great duties but they hold no priesthood differing in kind from that which is common to all the Lord's people and they have no exclusive title to the preaching of the gospel or the care of souls. These ministries are shared with them by others to whom also the Spirit divides his gifts severally as he wills.
It is the universal conviction of the Methodist people that the office of the Christian ministry depends upon the call of God who bestows the gifts of the Spirit the grace and the fruit which indicate those whom He has chosen.
Those whom the Methodist Church recognises as called of God and therefore receives into its ministry shall be ordained by the imposition of hands as expressive of the Church's recognition of the minister's personal call.
The Methodist Church holds the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers and consequently believes that no priesthood exists which belongs exclusively to a particular order or class of persons but in the exercise of its corporate life and worship special qualifications for the discharge of special duties are required and thus the principle of representative selection is recognised.All Methodist preachers are examined tested and approved before they are authorised to minister in holy things. For the sake of church order and not because of any priestly virtue inherent in the office the ministers of the Methodist Church are set apart by ordination to the ministry of the word and sacraments.
The Methodist Church recognises two sacraments namely baptism and the Lord's Supper as of divine appointment and of perpetual obligation of which it is the privilege and duty of members of the Methodist Church to avail themselves.
The Conference shall be the final authority within the Methodist Church with regard to all questions concerning the interpretation of its doctrines.So there!
The practical upshot of all this is that there is no ‘statement of faith’ to which all Methodists are expected to subscribe, beyond the basic historic documents which are shared by the whole Church - the Bible and the Creeds. The unique contribution of the methodist tradition is in its particular emphases, holding in tension what are sometimes regarded as opposites - personal salvation & social holiness, liturgical and extempore worship, the centrality of both preaching and the sacraments.
Instead of a systematic setting out of doctrinal standards, Methodists have expressed their faith in the poetry of hymns. If it is true that Methodism ‘was born in song’, it is also true that Methodists have learned and celebrated their faith through singing. What began with Charles Wesley has been continued in every generation since, most notably this century by F. Pratt Green, many of whose hymns are to be found in Hymns and Psalms, the hymn book of the Methodist Church. It continues to be true that it is the hymn book which stands next to the Bible as the ‘yardstick’ for many Methodists. I regularly post examples of Charles Wesley's hymns, and a search on "Wesley" of the site will turn up more than a few.
Finally, the first sentence of the Deed of Union is absolutely vital. The Methodist Conference remains committed to the search for visible unity in the whole Church of Christ. The distinctive emphases of methodism do not mean that we are a sect claiming to have an exclusive grasp of truth. We claim only that through the Methodist Church God has given gifts to his whole Church, and that as we continue in faithfulness to him so he will continue to bless the Church through the Methodist people.
Posted by Richard @ 12:46 AM BST [Link] [3 comments]
Sunday, November 23, 2003
That last entry put me in mind of Woody Guthrie's marvellous "This Land", so I just have to post the lyrics
This land is your land,
This land is my land,
From California
To the New York Island,
From the redwood forest,
To the Gulf stream waters,
This land was made for you and me.As I was walking,
That ribbon of highway,
I saw above me
That endless skyway,
I saw below me
That golden valley.
This land was made for you and me.I've roamed and rambled
And I've followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and meThe sun comes shining
As I was strolling
The wheat fields waving
And the dust clouds rolling
The fog was lifting a voice come chanting
This land was made for you and meAs I was walkin'
I saw a sign there
And that sign said no trespassin'
But on the other side
It didn't say nothin!
Now that side was made for you and me!In the squares of the city
In the shadow of the steeple
Near the relief office
I see my people
And some are grumblin'
And some are wonderin'
If this land's still made for you and me.Nobody living can ever stop me
As I go walking
That freedom highway
Nobody living can make me turn back
This land was made for you and me
Posted by Richard @ 02:19 PM BST [Link] [5 comments]
Bene Diction has a post about Canadian spirituality that has turned into an interesting discussion about patriotism.
I'm pretty uncomfortable with the whole notion of Christian patriotism - flags in church, national anthems, that sort of thing. Whatever loyalty we owe to our nation, we surely owe a higher allegiance to God's kingdom. I'm a long way from convinced that invoking God's special blessing on "our" land, or claiming that God is especially on "our" side is ever really a reasonable thing to do.Posted by Richard @ 02:07 PM BST [Link] [2 comments]
"'Safe?' said Mr. Beaver...'Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.'"
--- C S LewisPosted by Richard @ 08:38 AM BST [Link] [1 Comment]
AUTHOR of faith, eternal Word,
Whose Spirit breathes the active flame:
Faith, like its Finisher and Lord,
To-day as yesterday the same;To thee our humble hearts aspire,
And ask the gift unspeakable;
Increase in us the kindled fire,
In us the work of faith fulfil.By faith we know thee strong to save;
(Save us, a present Saviour thou!)
Whate'er we hope, by faith we have,
Future and past subsisting now.To him that in thy name believes
Eternal life with thee is given;
Into himself he all receives,
Pardon, and holiness, and heaven.The things unknown to feeble sense,
Unseen by reason's glimmering ray,
With strong, commanding evidence,
Their heavenly origin display.Faith lends its realizing light,
The clouds disperse, the shadows fly;
The Invisible appears in sight,
And God is seen by mortal eye.--- Charles Wesley
Posted by Richard @ 08:36 AM BST [Link] [Make a Comment]
Saturday, November 22, 2003
I almost missed marking some important anniversaries today.
According to a report on BBC News 24 tonight, 75% of Americans still do not believe the official account of the death of JFK.
Today's the day in 1990 when Margaret Thatcher resigned as Britain's Prime Minister.
And it's the day in 1963 that saw the first broadcast of Dr Who. "Who was the best Doctor?" is still a question that can lead to arguments.
UPDATE.... if you're any sort of Dr Who fan, the new animated story Scream of the Shalka starring Richard E. Grant is worth a look. Enjoy.
Posted by Richard @ 11:39 PM BST [Link]
Reported with disapproval by Jerusalem Newswire:
Attending an event during his state visit to the United Kingdom, Bush fielded a question from a reporter who wanted to know whether the president believed that Muslims worshiped the same god he did.For once I can agree with George W. Bush. I'm sure he'd be thrilled if he knew!According to BP News, the reporter asked Bush his thoughts on how the war on terrorism and his promotion of freedom intersected with his Christian faith.
"Mr. President, when you talk about peace in the Middle East, you've often said that freedom is granted by the Almighty," the reporter asked. "Some people who share your beliefs don't believe that Muslims worship the same Almighty. I wonder about your views on that…"
"I do say that freedom is the Almighty's gift to every person. I also condition it by saying freedom is not America's gift to the world. It's much greater than that, of course. And I believe we worship the same God."
Posted by Richard @ 04:55 PM BST [Link]
An article at Daryl's blog indirectly led me to this survey from the Barna Research Group on "morality"
Morality Continues to DecayIn some ways, the questions are more illuminating than the answers. Barna, which aims to provide information and analysis regarding cultural trends and the Christian Church, has gone for a traditional set of targets. There are no questions about "public morality", and once again there's the impression that there's no connection between morality and money. But I've blogged about this before, so I won't go back to it just now.Of the ten moral behaviors evaluated, a majority of Americans believed that each of three activities were “morally acceptable.” Those included gambling (61%), co-habitation (60%), and sexual fantasies (59%). Nearly half of the adult population felt that two other behaviors were morally acceptable: having an abortion (45%) and having a sexual relationship with someone of the opposite sex other than their spouse (42%). About one-third of the population gave the stamp of approval to pornography (38%), profanity (36%), drunkenness (35%) and homosexual sex (30%). The activity that garnered the least support was using non-prescription drugs (17%).
No, what caught my eye was the statistic that 15% of evangelicals surveyed thought that enjoying sexual thoughts or fantasies about someone was morally acceptable. Presumably that means that 85% think that such things are morally unacceptable. I find that extraordinary. The survey similarly reveals that 95% of evangelicals believe that looking at pictures of nudity or explicit sexual behavior is immoral. But there is nothing here about context or culture, though these things are scarcely irrelevant. Apart from anything else, nudity and sexual behaviour (explicit or otherwise) are hardly equivalent and it is only extreme prurience that can regard them so. For all the protestation that gone on in the last few years, the church really does deserve its joyless and drab reputation in relation to sex and sexuality.
Posted by Richard @ 03:22 PM BST [Link]
17 - 20
Is there anything else to say?Posted by Richard @ 02:16 PM BST [Link]
In a moment of procrastination, I "googled" myself. It did my little ego no harm to discover I was at the top of the page! More interesting, though, was the discovery of the august company of my namesakes. Let me introduce a few of them...
Richard Hall is an author and freelance editor and a member of the Authors Guild. He is a direct descendant of his namesake Richard Hall, one of the early settlers of Maryland, who was a Quaker established in Calvert County in 1663. Genealogy and UFO's seem to be his thing.
Richard H. Hall (I'm H. Richard, so I like this one) is associate professor at University of Missouri-Rolla. He's a psychologist and seems to have written a fair bit about web-based learning. I'll be going back to read those articles.
Professor Richard Hall is at University of York Mathematics Department. his specialism is "analytic number theory and analysis". What saddens me is that I'm sure there was a time when I knew what that meant, but the tide of mathematics appears to have receded from my shore leaving a few bits of isolated driftwood behind. Its good to know that someone bearing my name can still cope properly with what my economics teacher used to call "adds, times', and guzzinters".
Another academic is Dr Richard S. Hall at Freie Universität, Berlin. He's obviously into software development in a big way. What do you suppose Internet-scale event notification might be? He's younger and handsomer (?) than me too.
And then there's Richard Hall at Concordia University, Montreal. He's a mathematical physicist. This scares me deeply because my first degree was in physics and the titles of his papers bring back some heavy memories. Eigenvalue bounds for a class of singular potentials in N dimensions, anyone? [* Nostalgia warning *] I still remember question 1 (a) of my quantum mechanics final paper: "What is a hermitian operator?" At the time, my mind went completely blank and I knew that the paper was to be a dead loss. Now, 20 years later, the correct answer is burned in my brain: "A hermitian operator is an eigen function that has only real eigen values." The words are burned in, but the meaning has long since departed]
I'm not sure if this means anything or not, but I feel a certain amount of reflected glory.
And I'm still at the top of the google list. :o)Posted by Richard @ 10:38 AM BST [Link]
If "comment spam" is an issue for you, Tim Samoff has posted some great stuffon the BlogWiki.
Posted by Richard @ 12:09 AM BST [Link]
Thursday, November 20, 2003
Come in and play!
- Comment spam
- MovableType
- or any useful blog hints?
Posted by Richard @ 11:03 PM BST [Link]
I know that Operation Christmas Child has come in for a fair bit of criticism lately. Something I got in my email from a colleague just now is worth saying loud and clear I think
I called in today at our local shoe box collection point and picked up one of the instruction leaflets which are given out to people who want to fill a box for OCC. On the front, in clear print, it says, "meeting critical needs of victims of war, poverty, famine, disease, and natural disaster while sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ"Quite.On the envelope which forms part of the leaflet and in which the donor is asked to place £2 for transport and other costs it says, "Shoe boxes are distributed to children in over 100 countries worldwide regardless of their nationality, political background or religious beliefs. Where appropriate, childrem will be offered a booklet containing Bible stories."
Anyone claiming that it comes as a complete surprise to them to discover that OCC is involved in evangelism cannot have read the leaflet.
Posted by Richard @ 10:15 PM BST [Link]
I've been away.
Did you miss me? What do you mean you didn't even notice I'd gone?! I've been at a gathering of the South Wales' Superintendents at Llagasty Retreat House, a lovely place just outside Brecon. Inevitably, I've returned to a "stuff to do" pile", but I was glad to read this fine bit on Wood's site, John Heron Project
This is how to apologise: you say "sorry," or "I was wrong. I'm sorry," or "I apologise," or some mixture of those.I'll file that for future reference!And no more than that.
Let me explain.
Some people feel the need to explain themselves when they apologise. This is a bad thing. If you think you were wrong, it sounds like whining; if you don't think you were wrong and you're just apologising to keep the piece, it sounds like justification and negates the apology. The less you say when you apologise, the less likely you are to sound insincere.
On the other hand, don't grovel. Just don't. You want to retain dignity, keep it short. If you mean it, you mean it.
And third, don't try and get in the last word. No sarcastic asides, no "yes I'm sorry but I still think..." and absolutely no "I apologise... but I still say you started it."
It's neither big nor clever, kids.
Like the longwinded justifications, it negates the apology, and like grovelling, it robs you of dignity. If you have to apologise - even (or maybe especially) if you're only apologising to keep the peace and you know you were right - keep it short. It's the dignified way. Any other way and you just look like a fool.
Posted by Richard @ 05:40 PM BST [Link]
Wednesday, November 19, 2003
From the Window
Maria BollerYou do not know I watch -
Nuthatch on the oak
as you search,
pecking as you go up and down,
for a hidden bug
beneath the bark.You do not know I watch -
Butterfly on the weeds
as you flit
carelessly from blossom to blossom
finding the last pollen
in the autumn sunshine.You do not know I watch -
Golden leaf in the tossing wind
as you fall
from your secure haven
of strong branches overhead,
to be trodden underfoot.You do not know I watch -
Dragonfly over the swamp
as you soar
against the gusty autumn wind
into the sunlit air
carefree and light.And as I sit here musing,
There is another
who watches -
our searching and flitting,
our falling and soaring,
though we see him not.--- From the Bruderhof
Posted by Richard @ 09:00 AM BST [Link]
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
From the United Methodist News Service
MONROVIA, Liberia (UMNS) - As peace takes hold in this West African capital, United Methodist teams are busy trying to identify the needs of a people whose country has been ravaged by war.
The United Methodist Church's longtime partnership with the Liberian people - dating back to the country's earliest days in the 19th century - is more important than ever.
"We have always been involved in terms of providing relief assistance, counseling and just helping to give our people a sense of hope," said Edwin Clarke, communications director for the church's Liberia Area. "The church feels that at this time it is important to come and find out exactly what the situation is, in respect to what they intend to do, what they have done in the past."
During an assessment visit to the Samuel Doe Sports Complex, which is being used as a temporary camp for displaced people in Monrovia, Clarke explained some of the ways the United Methodist Church provides assistance.
"The church will write several project proposals to some of our partners in the (United) States and in Europe," he said. "The church also asks for volunteer contributions from its members. So people, who have used clothes, had them brought here and we donated them to the people here. The people were glad to receive them. We also had some food come in, and the church was gracious enough to purchase some rice that we distributed here." [more]
Posted by Richard @ 10:53 PM BST [Link]
Thanks to Simple Green for pointing me to Lore Brand Comics. Very nice!Posted by Richard @ 05:19 PM BST [Link]
RoadMap looks like an interesting project, but I'll admit that it hovers just the other side of my understanding! I offer it here for those whose understanding of such things is greater than mine, ie most of you. The aim of the project is to be an open forum for agreeing on a new weblog format (Atom) that is:
If that sounds like your sort of thing, you kno where to go.
- 100% vendor neutral,
- implemented by everybody,
- freely extensible by anybody, and
- cleanly and thoroughly specified.
Posted by Richard @ 03:06 PM BST [Link]
From the student news magazine juiced we learn that Mozarteum University in Salzburg is now offering a 4 year course in yodelling.
"Harold Mitner, a folk musician, explained, 'Here in Austria people who can yodel can earn a fortune. Some radio stations only play this sort of music and it's hugely popular abroad, especially in China.' "I'm wondering what the psychological effects of listening to a radio station that only played yodelling might be.Posted by Richard @ 12:32 PM BST [Link]
but there are many more that could be added. Put your own favourite (or most hated!) on the list, or follow the links to offer your reviews.
- pMachine
- GreyMatter
- MovableType
- TypePad
- Blogger
- Radio UserLand
Posted by Richard @ 11:52 AM BST [Link]
From independent gay forum via PostModern Pilgrim comes
"The actions taken by the New Hampshire Episcopalians are an affront to Christians everywhere. I am just thankful that the church's founder, Henry VIII and his wife Catherine of Aragon, his wife Anne Boleyn, his wife Jane Seymour, his wife Anne of Cleves, his wife Katherine Howard, and his wife Catherine Parr are no longer here to suffer through this assault on traditional Christian marriage."Well, indeed. The Pilgrim commentsOur goal then should be to find the Biblically-based ethic that addresses the issue. It is not about whether Gene Robinson divorced his wife to have a male-partner. It is not about whether Gene Robinson is gay, celibate or whatever. It is about the "sexualization" of society and its overwhelming presence as a yardstick for which side of the religious or spiritual fence you are on. The deeper issue is that we are allowing the sexual issues to define us and our faith-positions and political agenda when it should be our faith position that defines the sexual and political.To which I would only add a hearty "Amen!"
Posted by Richard @ 11:26 AM BST [Link]
Some Christians treat ecumenism as if it were an "optional extra" or worse, total anathema. But the unity of the Church is an essential truth to be grasped and proclaimed. Here's a reminder from Angola of how important it is.
Posted by Richard @ 10:34 AM BST [Link]
Monday, November 17, 2003
Special mention to Rachel for being the first person, apart from me obviously, to post anything there.Posted by Richard @ 01:10 PM BST [Link]
Another meditation (if that's the right word). A disciple looks out on a crowd...
Send them away, Lord.There are so many. Tired. Hungry. Impatient....
Send them away.
It isn't my fault they're in this mess. They should have been better prepared. Can't people think for themselves anymore? It is high time people started taking responsibility for their own lives. We can't be baling out everyone who comes along. It would cost too much.
Send them away.I look at the crowd and all I can see is their folly and ignorance. That old man should know better than being out in the sun all day so far from home. Does that little boy's mother know where he is? Is it any wonder that we hear such stories? Parents should take better care of their children. And look at her. Surely she could have brought some food and drink along? She must have known what it would be like out here. Look at them -- like a great flock of sheep.
Send them away.But you won't, will you Lord? You'll welcome them as you welcomed me. You won't make enquiries about their suitability or berate their shortcomings. You won't be too busy or too tired or too important. You won't ration your kindness or look for gratitude. They come to you tired and hungry and you see beyond the crowd to lives in need. You meet them, welcome them, love them.
You won't send them away.
Posted by Richard @ 09:39 AM BST [Link]
Sunday, November 16, 2003
Enter BlogWiki, a new venture that I hope will be a benefit to the blogosphere. A wiki devoted to blogs and blogging. I've only today got the script up, so as of today there isn't a huge amount there. But then, I don't want to do it all myself. A wiki is a communal thing by its very nature so consider this an appeal for recruits!
All kinds of stuff could go on there. Comparisons of the various blogging systems. Blog ethics. Inspirations.
Gratuitous self-promotion. Hints and tips. It's free-for-all and self-policing. Anyone can contribute, whether it's a complete article or amending someone elses spelling or formatting. The key is participation -- spread the word!Posted by Richard @ 09:25 PM BST [Link]
It's Sunday again -- time for another burst from Charles Wesley
Jesus -- the Name high over all,
In hell or earth or sky!
Angels and men before it fall,
And devils fear and fly.Jesus -- the Name to sinners dear,
The Name to sinners given!
It scatters all their guilty fear,
It turns their hell to heaven.Jesus -- the prisoner’s fetters breaks,
And bruises Satan’s head;
Power into strengthless souls it speaks,
And life into the dead.O that the world might taste and see
The riches of His grace!
The arms of love that compass me
Would all the mankind embrace.O that my Jesu’s heavenly charms
Might every bosom move!
Fly, sinners, fly into those arms
Of everlasting love.Thee I shall constantly proclaim,
Though earth and hell oppose;
Bold to confess Thy glorious Name
Before a world of foes.His only righteousness I show,
His saving grace proclaim;
’Tis all my business here below
To cry “Behold the Lamb!”Happy, if with my latest breath
I may but gasp His Name,
Preach Him to all and cry in death,
“Behold, behold the Lamb!”Posted by Richard @ 09:13 AM BST [Link]
Saturday, November 15, 2003
WorldNetDaily appears to be vexed that a copy of the Quran has been put on display at the NYPD headquarters
While former Alabama Justice Roy Moore has been removed from office due to controversy surrounding a religious display in a public building, the New York City Police Department is displaying a copy of the Muslim Quran in the lobby of its headquarters.In front of the official seal Shock! Horror! Near the Hall of Heroes Probe! Obviously this means that NYPD are shortly to introduce a policy that all officers must convert to Islam.
According to Newsday, the holy book was placed in a glass cube atop a brass pedestal at the beginning of the Muslim month of Ramadan, which began Oct. 27. The display is featured near the Hall of Heroes and is placed in front of the official police seal.
Or maybe just that someone in authority has decided to mark Ramadan in a small way out of respect for his Muslim officers.Also from the excitable folk at WorldNet comes the "breaking news" that Wal-Mart has experimented with a microchip device that tells store managers when a product is taken from he shelves
Wal-Mart customers who picked up lipstick off the shelf at a Broken-Arrow, Okla., store were part of a little-mentioned experiment earlier this year that tracked consumer habits using Radio Frequency Identification technology, or RFID.Clearly, this results in a major infringement of civil liberties. It means that the store management would know that someone intended to buy a lipstick. Imagine the damage that this information could cause if the press got hold of it! Worse still, if you use a credit, debit or loyalty card at the checkout, they'll know it was you! Oh, the shame!
Proctor & Gamble teamed with the retail giant in the test over a four month-period which allowed researchers to view the Wal-Mart shelves from company headquarters some 750 miles away in Cincinnati, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Also, the Max Factor Lipfinity lipstick had RFID tags hidden inside that allowed the inventory to be tracked leaving the shelves.
Alternatively, we could just say that it will enable the store to know when a particular shelf is almost empty without someone having to go and look, meaning that your favourite shade of lime green lippie is more likely to be on display when you go looking for it.
I'm the first to admit that many new technologies raise privacy issues, and I'm concerned about that. But anyone who thinks that their liberty is being infringed by a store tracking its own products -- you haven't paid yet, remember -- is in danger of losing their perspective.
Posted by Richard @ 04:06 PM BST [Link]
Pen, the Gutless Pacifist, has been on a roll recently. Some very thought provoking entries -- if I linked to them all it might look like I was starting a fan club, and we don't want him getting a big head! Yesterday's article by Michael Bowen, "Shopping Ourselves Out Of Jobs", particularly caught my eye. It points up the contradiction in consumer behaviour. We all say we want clean air and water, decent working conditions and all the rest of it, but there are few of us with the strength to resist the "bargains" in our shops that come from companies that don't give a monkey's about these things. When we see jeans at £4 a pair, we must know that our bargain is being paid for by the exploitation of others and at the cost of our neighbour's job -- but that rarely stops us putting them in our trolley.
It reminds me of a part of Wesley's sermon "On the use of money" (not, incidentally, a favourite of mine) The emphases are mine.We are, thirdly, to gain all we can without hurting our neighbour. But this we may not, cannot do, if we love our neighbour as ourselves. We cannot, if we love everyone as ourselves, hurt anyone in his substance. We cannot devour the increase of his lands, and perhaps the lands and houses themselves, by gaming, by overgrown bills (whether on account of physic, or law, or anything else,) or by requiring or taking such interest as even the laws of our country forbid. Hereby all pawn-broking is excluded: Seeing, whatever good we might do thereby, all unprejudiced men see with grief to be abundantly overbalanced by the evil. And if it were otherwise, yet we are not allowed to "do evil that good may come." We cannot, consistent with brotherly love, sell our goods below the market price; we cannot study to ruin our neighbour's trade, in order to advance our own; much less can we entice away or receive any of his servants or workmen whom he has need of. None can gain by swallowing up his neighbour's substance, without gaining the damnation of hell!Posted by Richard @ 10:32 AM BST [Link]
Another meditation from the perspective of the apostle Peter. This time Peter remembers a strange incident on Lake Galilee
Strange, the things you remember best.Not the storm - though it was a humdinger, and the boat wastaking on water. I’d battled big storms before.
It wasn’t even seeing Jesus walking on water. He’d just done that thing of his with bread & fish. Scarcely believable isn’t it - but I was there. Matt brought up more than 5 loaves worth on the deck of my boat, but he was always a rotten sailor. What I mean is, when you’ve seen someone feed a whole crowd with a bit of bread and fish, and gathered up more than you started with, walking on water starts to seem, well..., mundane.
He called to me, then too. Matt says I challenged Jesus to call me, but that isn’t how I remember it. Whatever -- I know that Jesus had me step off the side of a pitching boat in a force 8 gale and walking towards him across the lake like it was a pleasnt evening stroll. I just about got to him too, and then it struck me how absurd it was. I should never have left the boat - that’s the place for a sailor in a storm at sea, not wandering about among the wave tops. I looked back at the boat, with the others still shouting and struggling with the oars and it was like I’d had my legs cut from underneath me. I was sinking like the stone I was named after.
What I remember best was the way that Jesus caught me and lifted me back into the boat. I used to make my living on that lake. It’s a dangerous trade, and more than once I’d had to be rescued. I know what it’s like to pulled out of the water at the last minute. The funny thing is, it didn’t feel like that at all. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not a sentimental man. But it felt as though I were being cradled, not just rescued, but nursed. It wasn’t Jesus’ strength that took my breath away, though if you’ve ever lifted a grown man you’ll know it isn’t a trivial exercise. No, it wasn’t his strength that I remember best. It was his gentleness. I’d thought I was going to die there and then, and then found myself being held like a child and set down in the boat. I hardly noticed that the storm had stopped. The others were even more frightened of Jesus than they had been of the storm, all they had seen was his power. But I knew his love, and that’s when I knew that I wanted to be a man like him.
Posted by Richard @ 12:09 AM BST [Link]
Friday, November 14, 2003
A meditation on the calling of Peter
I haven’t always been a preacher. There was a time when I could never have imagined standing in front of a crowd. My name wasn’t Peter back then either. I was Simon the fisherman. It was a nice little business really. We weren’t rich, but there was enough and I was very content. I did my duty, but I wouldn’t say I was very religious - I certainly wasn’t looking for a rabbi to follow.I’m a bit hazy about how it all began - it’s hard to keep the events straight after all these years, and there were so many amazing things happening, one after the other. It was like we never knew what was coming next. I know that I’d seen Jesus a few times, and I’d heard him preaching and teaching. I remember once walking past a biggish crowd on my way to the boat. I was too far away to see or hear anything properly. But though I couldn’t hear the words, I remember like yesterday being drawn to the sound of his voice. It wasn’t what he said, it was the way he said it. It was always like that - I understood so little for so long. I could hear the truth in what Jesus said, I just couldn’t grasp it. Most of the time he didn’t seem to mind.
He healed my mother-in-law you know. Lovely woman she was, long dead now of course. It was just about the same time he told me I was going to go with him. One minute she was on her death bed, the next thing I knew she was up and about getting the dinner ready. Fish, of course. She joked about it for a long time afterwards - always said that she wished that Jesus had waited until after someone else had got the meal ready. I don’t think she meant it.
I was by the lake when he called me. I still tremble when I think about it - he used to scare the loincloth off me. All I could think was “What does he want with me?” When he said, “Follow me”, he said it so quietly - not like the ranters you still see around. But there was such authority in his voice, that when he said I was going to be doing a different kind of fishing I knew I had to go with him. Do you know what I mean? I can’t even explain it to myself, so i’m sure this sounds like nonsense. Unless you’ve heard him calling to you too. Then I know you’ll understand what I’m saying.
Posted by Richard @ 02:51 PM BST [Link]
Darren Rowse has been running a great series of blog tips. If you are thinking of starting a blog or wanting to improve the blog you have already, you need to look at these handy hints. Martin Roth has joined the fun with a list of his own and includes a jolly story of misunderstanding from his early blog promotion efforts. (Btw: Can anyone explain to me how it is that Australians keep coming up with all this good stuff. Having your clocks set 11 hours fast and walking around upside-down all the time can't be good for you, can it?)
My own blog tip, apart from read Darren's list, is no more complicated than "keep at it". If you have something you think is worth saying, say it. Don't be discouraged if you don't have an audience of half a million by the end of your first week. Resist the urge to "throw in the towel" if your latest bit of erudition goes uncommented. Patient regular posting about things you think are important will build your readership more surely than any marketing trick.
Posted by Richard @ 09:43 AM BST [Link]
Thursday, November 13, 2003
The New York Times raises the old chestnut Can Science Prove the Existence of God?. I'm afraid it isn't a very satisfying article to my mind, since it seems to regard "God" merely as a concept which people invoke to explain what they don't understand for the time being -- "a god of the gaps" if you will.
The quest, however, is far from done. God, for those who want to use that term, can be invoked to account for phenomena that have not yet yielded to the scientific method. What is for some the ultimate question — Does God exist? — has become a matter of how much further the domain of the unknown will continue to contract, and if it will ultimately evaporate.But that isn't the God of Christian (or any other) faith. The God of faith is living and active. People of faith claim to experience his presence. That faith runs through history as an unbroken thread is undeniable and that continuing certainty in the minds of millions of men and women of "all kinds and conditions" cannot be dismissed as mere mass delusion.For what it's worth, I've written about science and faith before:
In the end, at least from a scientific viewpoint, I'm bound to agree with the NYT column's conclusion
- Science and Faith - Can you have both?
- Taking the Bible seriously
- More on science and faith
- Science & faith incompatible?
Like a petulant 8-year-old, we keep asking why, why, why, why. In the end, the answer is either "just because" or "for God made it so." Take your pick.Posted by Richard @ 09:42 PM BST [Link]
I don't think I've got anything worth saying today, so let me point you to a couple of people who have.
The Gutless Pacifist is one of my favourite blogs. Today he picks up on the terrible injuries which US personnel in Iraq continue to suffer and asks simply, So tell me .. when will the church give a damn?
Happy Birthday to the Theologian Guy. His spiritual autobiography focusses on the story of his birth. He reminded me that each of us has a unique story which is worth telling, and that faith is much more than merely personal.
My life, from start to finish, has been a story of faith, but not necessarily my own. My own faith wavered, though now it is stronger than it has ever been. I came into this world almost ready to leave it before things could really get started. But it was faith that made the difference. It is the faith of those who were in my life from the beginning until now that has brought me from that day to this. But it was also the relentless love of the God who leaves the many in search of the one.Posted by Richard @ 09:29 AM BST [Link]
With the world's attention (or at least, the western media's) on Iraq, it easy to forget that there is trouble a-plenty elsewhere in the world. For example, we don't hear very much about the 17 year long civil war in Uganda, where Christian Aid is working to help the homeless.
Posted by Richard @ 08:03 AM BST [Link]
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
I especially enjoyed today's Daily Dig from the Bruderhof. Nice punchline!
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes." The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand.
The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions--things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else--the small stuff.
If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups, take your wife out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."
Posted by Richard @ 05:20 PM BST [Link]
Anyone looking for training in journalism or broadcasting could do much worse than going to the BBC. No argument there, surely.
I've just discovered that they have made some of their training materials available online, including the 92 page styleguide. Those of us keen to improve our writing will want to spend some time with that.
Courses available include DV shooting, interviewing for radio and image production. It has to be worth having a look at, doesn't it?Posted by Richard @ 12:47 PM BST [Link]
Thanks for clearing that up, Wood.
Posted by Richard @ 11:55 AM BST [Link]
Looking at the website of the Society for Neuroscience I came across a fascinating piece on the development of bilingual children
At Dartmouth College, researchers report that bilingual children may be “smarter” than their monolingual peers. These findings add weight to the bilingual side of the long-running argument about whether children who grow up bilingual are at an advantage compared to those who learn only one language.This is of particular interest to me as the parent of a child at a state school in Wales. The Welsh language is a compulsory part of the curriculum for all schoolchildren in Wales until the age of 14. Many monoglot English parents (like me) resent the time it takes up in a school day, believing it could be better used. This research seems to suggest that this resentment might be misplaced.
“Our findings show that bilingual children can perform certain cognitive tasks more accurately than monolinguals,” says Laura-Ann Petitto, PhD. “Being bilingual can give you a cognitive edge.”“We used to think that young bilingual children were disadvantaged because their language development was thought to be delayed and because learning two languages left them confused,” says Petitto. “But in this study we found this is definitely not true, and our bilingual children learning speech and sign provided us with a first-time answer as to why this might be so.” Because the bilingual children in the Dartmouth study expressed only one of their languages through their mouth, their sharper cognitive abilities could not be due to the increased motor practice and planning that comes from trying to speak two languages with only one mouth, explains Petitto. Instead, she says, the bilingual children’s enhanced cognitive skills are due to the increased computational demands of processing two different language systems.
Posted by Richard @ 10:24 AM BST [Link]
There's a report on the BBC that Scientists say they have discovered what happens in the brain when someone falls in love.
They studied chemical reactions in men and women who were all in the early stages of relationships. Research, published by the Society for Neuroscience, found activity in areas of the brain which are linked to energy and elation.Now there's two surprises! Something happens in the brain when people fall in love. And it's a diferent something in men and women.
But scans found women's brains showed emotional responses, while men's showed activity linked to sexual arousal.Who could possibly have predicted that?
It's too easy to be flippant, and I must fight back on the urge. But it is only a short step from noticing some physical or chemical process in the brain to saying "It's only a physical or chemical process in the brain." And while that step might be short, it would also be false.
Posted by Richard @ 10:11 AM BST [Link]
Tuesday, November 11, 2003
It's official. New Hampshire is the freest state in the Union.
At least according to the Free State Project.
Posted by Richard @ 05:45 PM BST [Link]
10 Britons have their names on the list to be the first recipients of a complete face transplant. The controversial surgery involves transplanting a face from a corpse to a recipient, and will only be available to those with severe facial disfigurements for which no other treatments are available.
I really don't know what to think about this. Part of me shudders at the thought, but I hope I'm not being merely squeamish. Face transplants must surely raise questions about identity in a way that the transplant of internal organs do not. This is one area where I hope that surgeons will pursue the technology very cautiously indeed.
Posted by Richard @ 04:33 PM BST [Link]
George Monbiot in today's Guardian
Those who would take us to war must first shut down the public imagination. They must convince us that there is no other means of preventing invasion, or conquering terrorism, or even defending human rights. When information is scarce, imagination is easy to control. As intelligence gathering and diplomacy are conducted in secret, we seldom discover - until it is too late - how plausible the alternatives may be.
So those of us who called for peace before the wars with Iraq and Afghanistan were mocked as effeminate dreamers. The intelligence our governments released suggested that Saddam Hussein and the Taliban were immune to diplomacy or negotiation. Faced with such enemies, what would we do, the hawks asked? And our responses felt timid beside the clanking rigours of war. To the columnist David Aaronovitch, we were "indulging... in a cosmic whinge". To the Daily Telegraph, we had become "Osama bin Laden's useful idiots".
[Read the whole thing...]
Posted by Richard @ 12:32 PM BST [Link]
Some World War I links, in recognition of Armistice Day:
WWI PoetryJudging by the Washington Post article he links to, he's right.
Document archive
Art of the First World War
Trenches on the Web
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Pictures
Canadian Military Heritage Project
...loads more linksPosted by Richard @ 12:43 AM BST [Link]
For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon
With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.
Posted by Richard @ 12:21 AM BST [Link]
Monday, November 10, 2003
My thoughts are beginning to turn towards Advent and Christmas -- all those services don't plan themselves you know! I've been looking through stuff from previous years and thought I'd share this sketch I wrote for a carol service a couple of years ago. If you like it, you're more than welcome to use it.
My apologies to John Bell of the Iona Community, on whose idea this little piece is based. He has published two volumes of these dialogues between Jesus and Peter and if you can get hold of them they're well worth having in your collection.Peter: Hey Jesus!. This is just willfull ignorance. How much would it cost to put a dome over the US?Jesus: Yes Peter?
P: What starsign are you?
J: Starsign? Oh right -- I’m a Capricorn.
I didn’t know you believed all that nonsense..P: I don’t. It’s just a bit of fun.
Let’s see what it says for you. Here we are.
Capricorn. “You know that you have difficult decisions to face.
The right thing will not be the easy thing.
Many friends will try to change your mind, but remember that
you know more than they do”(Pause)
Honestly, Jesus. Don’t they write some rubbish!
Do you know, I don’t think I’ve ever met an astrologer.J: Oh, I have. A long time ago. It was just after I was born actually, so of course I don’t remember it. Mum said that a group of them came visiting. She said they were nice people. Weird, but nice.
P: Hey Jesus, if you’re a Capricorn your birthday must be soon.
I was forgetting - it’s next week, isn’t it?J: That’s right.
P: What shall we get you?
J: What do you mean?
P: Me and the lads will want to buy you a pressie.
It wouldn’t be right not to.J: Don’t worry about it.
Surprise me. I’ve had some pretty strange presents in my time.P: I hope you’re not referring to the socks I got you last year.
I didn’t know that you wouldn’t like purple and yellow stripes.J: Peter, don’t be paranoid. I told you. The socks were fine.
I wasn’t thinking about them. I was thinking about those
astrologers I mentioned.P: Why?
J: Well ... when they came calling they brought presents with them.
Not the usual baby things either.P: Just as well. There are only so many sets of swaddling bands
you can use.
So what did they bring.J: There was gold ...
P: Wow! Nobody’s ever brought me any gold.
J: ... and frankincense
P: The smelly stuff they use in the temple?
Now that is strange. Bet your mum would have preferred
some perfume for herself.J: ... And myrhh
P: That’s terrible! That’s not for babies.
The women use that when they .... well, when ... you know ...J: When they lay out a body? I know.
P: Your mum was right. They were weird.
What did she say.J: I think she understood. Anyway, she kept all of it.
You know what mothers are like.
I used to catch her looking at it all sometimes.P: Do you know why they brought those things?
J: Well, a gift says a lot about what we think of a person, doesn’t it?
The gifts they brought were a sort of prophecy ... Gold for a king, incense for the worship of God ... burial spices for a death.P: I don’t understand.
J: I know, but stick around, laddie. You will.
P: I still don’t know what to get for your birthday.
We could have a party.J: A party would be grand! But don’t worry about a present.
If I’ve got your friendship, that’s all I want.P: But I can’t not buy you something ... to mark the occasion, like.
J: You think being my friend is not enough.
There’ll be a time very soon when you might wish that you were like
those astrologers. dropping in with a present and then heading off
back to Persia. A nice, safe distance.P: Safe? Look, Jesus, all I want is to help you celebrate your birthday.
J: That’s all I want, too. Celebrate with me. You know I like a party.
Presents can be fun. But you won’t forget that it’s my birthday, will you?P: Strange question. How could we ever do that!
(Pause)
Hey Jesus!
J: Yes Peter?
P: How about a nice pair of socks?
J: Yes, Peter.
Posted by Richard @ 04:20 PM BST [Link]
Sunday, November 9, 2003
A Charles Wesley hymn that seems appropriate for Remembrance Sunday
OUR earth we now lament to see
With floods of wickedness o'erflowed,
With violence, wrong, and cruelty,
One wide-extended field of blood,
Where men like fiends each other tear,
In all the hellish rage of war.As listed on Abaddon's side,
They mangle their own flesh, and slay:
Tophet is moved, and opens wide
Its mouth for its enormous prey;
And myriads sink beneath the grave,
And plunge into the flaming wave.O might the universal friend
This havoc of his creatures see!
Bid our unnatural discord end;
Declare us reconciled in thee;
Write kindness on our inward parts,
And chase the murderer from our hearts!Who now against each other rise,
The nations of the earth, constrain
To follow after peace, and prize
The blessings of thy righteous reign,
The joys of unity to prove,
The paradise of perfect love!Posted by Richard @ 05:18 PM BST [Link]
Have you ever wondered what the bloggers behind those sites you visit are really like? I mean, we only know them via their blogs -- who knows what they might be hiding? The Gutless Pacifist may present as a peace-loving gentle soul, but what if he's really an international arms dealer with all the morals of a tapeworm? Josh Claybourn appears to be a model of conservatism, upright, clean-cut and wholesome. But it could be a front for his real identity as a Maoist agitator. And Darren Rowse might well turn out to be the octogenarian Mother Superior of a strict convent somewhere in the Northern Territories.
What "secret life" would you give your favourite bloggers? Keep it fun - we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.
Posted by Richard @ 02:12 PM BST [Link]
I know I said I don't go in for poetry, but it is hard not to be moved by the poetic outpourings of the war poets. Of these, my favourite is Wilfred Owen, especially Dulce Et Decorum Est. (The final lines read, in translation, "It is a fine and noble thing to die for your country", at least, that's what *I* was told. It's a line from Horace apparently)
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned out backs,
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame, all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!--An ecstasy of fumbling
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime.--
Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.In all my dreams before my helpless sight
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin,
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs
Bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,--
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
Posted by Richard @ 12:44 AM BST [Link]
Saturday, November 8, 2003
Christians are always arguing about which is the "best" version of the Bible. We've even done it here on occasion. There are so many English editions now, and it is hard to see the value of some of them. It isn't that there's anything especially wrong with them, just that there's nothing "fresh" about them either.
A genuinely fresh approach is taken by the online Flaming Fire Illustrated Bible which aims "to illustrate the entire bible verse–by–verse— one illustration per verse". Quite a task! Using the text of the "King James Bible", artists are invited to submit illustrations for Bible verses. There are including the Apocrypha, and there's still a long way to go. They say "We plan to enlist artists and illustrators from all over the world— including you!— to help us bring each of the 36,665 verses in our database to life" though the "you" doesn't include me obviously since I can't draw for toffee. It might, however, include you.
Pictures submitted so far are very varied. I'm not qualified to say anything about their artistic merit, but some are very striking. I particularly appreciated the lack of prudery which I often associate, maybe unfairly, with Bible pictures. The image I've ahem "borrowed" is by artist Jim Pinkoski and illustrates his response to Romans 1:21. I'm sure that you'll agree that it is not your average Bible illustration!
I've got some reservations about taking the Bible verse-by-verse in this way, since individual pictures for each might encourage the practice of taking each verse as an isolated unit, but that said it's a fascinating project and I wish it well.
Posted by Richard @ 11:08 PM BST [Link]
Holy Cola says:
What's the stupidest tax loophole you can think of allowing?Try harder. Try a $100000 tax break for purchasing a luxury SUV
There's an eclipse link here too. Great minds... :o)
Posted by Richard @ 08:53 AM BST [Link]
There'll be a lunar eclipse tonight. The BBC has more about the "whys and wherefores". The Council for the Protection of Rural England is using the opportunity to boost its campaign on the issue of light pollution.
I've always been fascinated by astronomy. I love the amazing predictability and orderliness of it. No wonder God has been pictured as a watchmaker. Looking at the stars has long been a cause of at least a stirring of faith. I wonder if the swamping of the heavens by the glow of street lighting contributes to disconnection from the divine?
Posted by Richard @ 08:13 AM BST [Link]
Friday, November 7, 2003
The Methodist Church website reports that British and Irish Church leaders have this week written to the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem assuring them of the prayers for continued international support for a sustainable political resolution. The letter was sent by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and signed by leaders from Anglican, Roman Catholic, Reformed, Free Church, African and Afro-Caribbean traditions. [more]
Posted by Richard @ 10:19 PM BST [Link]
Quantum Tea goes to a church which practices receiving both elements together by dipping the bread in the wine. She explains that they began to do this for pragmatic rather than theological reasons, but the practice remains even after the original reason has gone away leading her to ponder:
I'm just wondering what other bits of church tradition are the fossilised remains of a "we had to do it this way." You can get away with saying this is how we had to do it two buildings ago, and there are even good reasons for continuing like this, but at what point do people start digging up Bible verses to support dipping the bread in the juice? Where does tradition turn into doctrine?And I'm bound to say that's a very good question...Posted by Richard @ 02:19 PM BST [Link]
Another one by Dylan Thomas.
[more]
There was a saviour
Rarer than radium
Commoner than water, crueller than truth;
Children kept from the sun Assembled at his tongue
To hear the golden note turn in a groove,
Prisoners of wishes locked their eyes
In the jails and studies of his keyless smiles.The voice of children says
From a lost wilderness
There was calm to be done in his safe unrest,
When hindering man hurt
Man, animal or bird
We hid our fears in that murdering breath,
Silence, silence to do, when earth grew loud,
In lairs and asylums of the tremendous shout.There was glory to hear
In the churches of his tears,
Under his downy arms you sighed as he struck,
O you who could not cry
On to the ground when a man died
Put a tear for joy in the unearthly flood
And laid your cheek against a cloud-formed shell:
Now in the dark there is only yourself and myself.Two proud, blacked brothers cry,
Winter-locked side by side,
In this inhospitable hollow year,
O we who could not stir
One lean sigh when we heard
Greed on man beating near and fire neighbour
But wailed and nested in the sky-blue wall
Now break a tear for the little-known fall,For the droopings of homes that did not nurse our bones,
Brave deaths of only ones but never found,
Now see, alone in us,
Our own true stangers' dust
Ride through the doors of our unentered house.
Exiled in us we arouse the soft,
Unclenched, armless, silk and rough love that breaks all rocks.
Posted by Wood @ 08:46 AM BST [Link]
Thursday, November 6, 2003
I know I said I'm a philistine, but Pieter claims never to have read anything at all by Dylan T. - and nor had I when I was at his time of life. So in the interest of education here's one of DT's most famous poems, Do not go gentle into that good night:
Do not go gentle into that good night,There's a recording of it being read by the man himself here.
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.Posted by Richard @ 06:00 PM BST [Link]
Darren is right.
You really need to look at The Meatrix.
Posted by Richard @ 04:59 PM BST [Link]
Christmas is coming
The goose is getting fat
Please put a penny in the old man's hat
If you' haven't got a penny,
A ha'penny will do.
If you haven't got a ha'penny,
God bless you!
Christmas is definitely coming, and I feel the spirit of the unreconstructed Ebeneezer Scrooge rising within me. Bah! Humbug!You might get think that I don't like Christmas, but you'd be wrong. I love all of it. Lights, decorations, carol-singing, cheesy old films, eating too much... I'm not one who complains about materialism at Christmas (at least, not much) because for me Christmas is a supremely materialistic festival. So if you were thinking of sending me a present, but hesitated because you don't want to offend my sensibilities please -- go ahead! ;o)
No, what's brought on my dose of the Ebeneezers is the vexed subject of "Christmas lists". I thought Christmas gifts were supposed to expressions of love, a concrete expression of emotion. I don't mind being given some pointers - I'm really getting into Bolivian nose flute music or some such. That gives me the freedom to browse, to choose within my budget something that you'll like and that I'll enjoy giving. There's a mutuality about the gift-giving. But if you tell me I want item no 123-456 from the Arg*s catalogue, it's on page 123 you turn me from a gift giver into a personal shopper. I like giving gifts. I hate shopping.
Bah!
Posted by Richard @ 04:22 PM BST [Link]
What experience and history teach is this - that people and governments never have learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it.
Georg Wilhelm HegelPosted by Richard @ 01:22 PM BST [Link]
I'm not much of a lad for poems and stuff, but living in Swansea I suppose I ought to at least mention Dylan Thomas, as everyone celebrates (if that's the right word) the 50th anniversary of his death.
Speaking as a fully paid-up philistine, my taste in poetry extends to Ogden Nash and Spike Milligan, but if you're a Dylan Thomas fan, now's the time to make a trip to this part of the world.
Posted by Richard @ 01:22 PM BST [Link]
I found this by Max Lucado on Crosswalk:
What I don't like about computers is that they do what I say and not what I mean. Example: I mean to hit the "control" button but hit the "CAPS LOCK" BUTTON AND ALL OF A SUDDEN GIANT LETTERS DOMINATE THE SCREEN. i LOOK AT THE SCREEN AND SAY, "tHAT'S NOT WHAT i MEANT!" AND i correct my mistake
[Read More...]Posted by Richard @ 12:09 PM BST [Link]
Wednesday, November 5, 2003
Bonfire Night at St Paul's was great - a fine display, near perfect weather, and Jayne's home-made toffee. Smashing!Posted by Richard @ 11:03 PM BST [Link]
Wood is right. This is funny. As in "very, very".
Posted by Richard @ 10:26 PM BST [Link]
Do you have a favourite blog or blogs? Apart from this one, obviously ;o)
If you do, how long is it since you left an encouraging comment at it, or emailed said blogger with a stirring word?
Nothing keeps bloggers blogging like some good feedback. If there's a site you enjoy, do me a favour. Let them know. It'll take you 2 minutes, but it might make all the difference between that blogger continuing to provide you with thoughtful entertaining writing or finding something else to do with their free time. A few words of encouragement will never be wasted.Posted by Richard @ 09:07 PM BST [Link]
From The Bruderhof
I am glad, brothers and sisters,
that our church is persecuted
precisely for its preferential option for the poor
and for trying to become incarnate
in the interest of the poor
and for saying to all the people,
to rulers,
to the rich and powerful:
unless you become poor,
unless you have a concern
for the poverty of our people
as though they were your own family,
you will not be able to save society.
Oscar Romero, July 15, 1979Posted by Richard @ 04:15 PM BST [Link]
According to research done at The University of Wales Aberystwyth, Had the "gunpowder plot" of 1605 been effective, a large part of central London would have been devastated. "There is a possibility that the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Hall would have been completely obliterated, although we can't know for sure," Catherine Gardner, of the University of Wales, is reported to have said. I'm interested because I'm sure I remember being told that if the explosives had gone off they would have done little damage outside the cellar they were placed in. Do'ncha wish the experts would make their minds up? The BBC has more.
Whatever he intended, Guy Fawkes has left us British with an excuse to light bonfires and set off fireworks every year, and I'm looking forward to a traditional Bonfire Night celebration tonight.
Posted by Richard @ 01:10 PM BST [Link]
Tuesday, November 4, 2003
The other day my sixteen year old son proclaimed "two more days until freedom!" I probed that statement and he reminded me that in two days he would be taking his behind the wheel test for his driver's license. Because of this, he declared that he would be free to come and go to school, band, church, etc. without having to wait on his parents. We would be free because we would not have to drive him 30 minutes each way to school daily, not to mention special events, etc.. I didn't want to burst his buble of what he thought was reality, but I informed him that in two days would come the time of true responsibility for him and anything for freedom for us.
Today Chris took his test and passed. While we place our children in God's hands daily, this is a whole new level of faith that is required for us to entrust our driving son to our merciful God. We, of course, are going to give God some help keeping an eye on Chris. He is to call us when he arrives at school, when he leaves for home, and when he is going to be late. He is limited at first as to how late he can drive and how many other teens can be in the car with him. We're even tempted to purchase a gaget that will give me a printout of how fast Chris has been driving the car.
We are reminded all over again that with freedom comes responsibility. Now, with our new "freedom" from having to take Chris all over we are seeking freedom from worry. I understand from other parents that they are still striving for that freedom as well.
So, pray for our kids in cars, other drivers and for the faith and trust that our God is big enough to see us through even this, the teen age driving years!
Posted by Ivanthecrank @ 05:22 PM BST [Link]
The Indianapolis Star isn't a newspaper I read very often, for fairly obvious reasons, but my attention was drawn to what I imagine to be a fairly routine report of the death of a "gas station clerk", shot in the course of a robbery. For the man and his family this is obviously a tragedy and I'm thankful to live in a place where such incidents are mercifully rare. But I don't want to get into gun control again, not just now.
No, what caught my eye about this story was the mention (twice) that at the time of the robbery the clerk, Mr Christopher Larsen, had been reading his Bible. I'm having a hard time seeing what the relevance of that is. What impact is that fact meant to have on me? Is the implication that the crime is worse because the victim was studying his Bible? The tragedy greater? Or is it surprise that a man can still be shot whilst reading a Bible, as if the Bible was some sort of magical talisman? I don't know the answers to any of these questions. I'd be grateful if anyone else can shed any light.
Posted by Richard @ 04:10 PM BST [Link]
I had today planned pretty tightly. I knew where I would be and what I'd be doing at more or less every part of the day. Hah!
By nine o'clock this morning all my plans were in shreds, and for once it isn't my fault.It all comes about because someone was in a hurry and taking insufficient care, causing a minor road accident with my wife. She's shaken but OK. The car needs some attention, but that'll soon be put to rights. What we'll never get back is the time it has taken up. Those things that I was supposed to do this morning will have to be done another time, so either I'll be a bit busier than I intended to be for a bit, or else some other stuff will have to be postponed to make room. Either way, we could have done without it.
I wonder if anyone has calculated the time lost through minor incidents like this? And maybe compared it to the time we think we gain by rushing?
Posted by Richard @ 12:09 PM BST [Link]
Monday, November 3, 2003
Bene Diction posted here recently about information overload. Today The Wibsite offers a way to quality of communication in an age of rapidly escalating background noise levels: the noble art of trouser semaphore.
Posted by Richard @ 11:45 PM BST [Link]
Another perspective is often helpful. Jesus through Sikh eyes.
Posted by Richard @ 11:30 PM BST [Link]
Some bloggers just keep coming up with the goods, and Martin Roth is one of them. He doesn't write everyday, preferring to offer less frequent but more "in depth" stuff, and he's always worth reading. His latest piece follows up an earlier article and considers the question of how far the religious practice of Christians is shaped by the culture in which we live.
It is easy to see the influence that other cultures have on their particular practice. We see it because they are different from us. It's much harder to see the influence of our own culture, and instead imagine that we have some pure form of religious expression which is unstained by "the world".
Not only is it inevitable that culture influences religion, I'm sure that it is essential. I'm convinced that the biggest problem facing the Church in Britain is that the culture of society has changed very radically whilst the culture of the church remains stubbornly in the first half of the 20th Century. We simply talk a different language from those around us, and then we wonder why we're misunderstood.Incidentally, admirer of Martin though I am, I'm obliged to point out an inaccuracy in his article. He describes me as a "wise welshman", whereas I am a Yorkshireman who happens to live in Wales. I can live with being called "wise" every once in a while ;o)
There's another side to this, of course. As well as having a missionary duty to understand and use the culture in which we live, the church is also called to be "counter-cultural". It has to be said that here too our record has not been great.
Posted by Richard @ 04:16 PM BST [Link]
Sunday, November 2, 2003
From God in All Things, Gerard Hughes
The Christian Church has so much to offer, but the message is frequently presented in a style that fails to speak to the cries of those who are suffering, or to assuage the thirst of those who are parched. Specific cultural values become idols and the misuse and misunderstanding of authority can stifle the life, spontaneity and creativity of people in the name of God. We become so enamoured of our particular ways of doing things that we fail to lift up our eyes to see the glory of God all around us. Locked in our religious and denominational certainties, we can remain blind and deaf to the beckoning of God.Posted by Richard @ 11:35 PM BST [Link]
Another blogger who has been kind enough to link to "yours truly" is Tim Samoff and judging by the others he's put on his blogroll he's a young man of excellent taste. It seems he's very into "digging", but as a musician he can probably get away with it.
And any blogger who posts pictures of Deanna Troi is OK with me. ;o)Posted by Richard @ 10:11 PM BST [Link]
Thanks to Bene Diction for pointing out this excellent article introducing weblogs. BD's right - it isn't the easiest notion to explain, but d2r has done a pretty good job of it. I especially enjoyed the answer to the question "Is blogging dangerous?"
Seriously though, while blogging might not be literally dangerous, it is most definitely not free of consequences. We sometimes have a tendency to take ourselves too seriously, or to misinterpret, or to rush to judgement .... Some people have been fired from their jobs because of their weblogs. Others have lost friends, made enemies, and gotten into huge fights (mostly wars of words, but that nevertheless have impact on both online and offline life). On the bright side, weblogs have been at the core of a large number of positive developments in recent years, mostly technical but also other kinds, have provided comfort and even news when everything else seemed to be collapsing both in large scale (for example, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the US) and for individuals and small communities. People have made scores of new friends, gotten job offerings, and started companies through them.I'm still not sure why blogging is so addictive. I've never been able to keep an ordinary journal beyond January, and didn't really expect to find myself still blogging after this length of time. I'm glad of the reminder about the dangers of this kind of writing, but I've found that the benefits for me outweigh the potential losses.Posted by Richard @ 08:31 PM BST [Link]
Blogger Richard Duncalfe has been kind enough to add this little site to his very select bloglist. What can I say, apart obviously from "thank you"?
How about "visit his site and say 'hi' from me"? I think so.
Posted by Richard @ 04:15 PM BST [Link]
"All you need is love" goes the song, and today's gospel lectionary suggests Jesus agrees
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.But what is this thing called love?
It certainly isn't the warm fuzzy feeling suggested by pop music and romantic poets. Love is a matter of discipline, commitment and decision. It isn't something you fall in and out of. It may be all you need, but it certainly isn't easy. Jesus showed what love is. When he commands his disciples to love, linking love of God with love of neighbour, this has nothing to do with hearts and flowers. This is the messy and unpleasant task of caring for those who don't deserve it, don't want it and certainly won't admit they need it.A cheerful thought for a gloomy Sunday afternoon.
Posted by Richard @ 01:53 PM BST [Link]
The only remedy for a barren heart is prayer,From The Bruderhof
however poor and inadequate...if I can't write
anything else just now, it's only because there's
a terrible absurdity about a drowning man who,
instead of calling for help, launches into a
scientific, philosophical, or theological
dissertation while the sinister tentacles of the
creatures on the seabed are encircling his arms
and legs, and the waves are breaking over him.
It's only because I'm filled with fear, that and
nothing else, and feel an undivided yearning for
him who can relieve me of it.I'm still so remote from God that I don't even
sense his presence when I pray. Sometimes
when I utter God's name, in fact, I feel like
sinking into a void. It isn't a frightening or
dizzying sensation, it's nothing at all--and that's
far more terrible. But prayer is the only remedy
for it, and however many devils scurry around
inside me, I shall cling to the rope God has
thrown me, even if my numb hands can no
longer feel it.
--Sophie SchollPosted by Richard @ 09:10 AM BST [Link]
LEADER of faithful souls, and guide
Of all that travel to the sky,
Come and with us, even us, abide,
Who would on thee alone rely,
On thee alone our spirits stay,
While held in life's uneven way.Strangers and pilgrims here below,
This earth, we know, is not our place,
And hasten through the vale of woe;
And, restless to behold thy face,
Swift to our heavenly country move,
Our everlasting home above.We have no abiding city here,
But seek a city out of sight;
Thither our steady course we steer,
Aspiring to the plains of light,
Jerusalem, the saints' abode,
Whose founder is the living God.Patient the appointed race to run,
This weary world we cast behind;
From strength to strength we travel on,
The new Jerusalem to find;
Our labour this, our only aim,
To find the new Jerusalem.Through thee, who all our sins hast borne,
Freely and graciously forgiven,
With songs to Zion we return,
Contending for our native heaven;
That palace of our glorious King,
We find it nearer while we sing.Raised by the breath of love divine,
We urge our way with strength renewed;
The church of the first-born to join,
We travel to the mount of God,
With joy upon our heads arise,
And meet our Captain in the skies.
-- Charles WesleyPosted by Richard @ 07:48 AM BST [Link]
Saturday, November 1, 2003
Christian Aid report reverberates in Madrid
Christian Aid's report Iraq: the missing billions continues to provoke controversy for the US-led Coalition currently running Iraq.[Read More...]
The report, that challenges the Coalition to account for $4billion in oil revenues and assets from the Saddam regime, was launched at the Iraq Donors' Conference held in Madrid last week.
The revelation that while governments from around the world were being asked to contribute billions more dollars towards Iraq's reconstruction the Coalition had not adhered to its promise to be transparent with Iraqi money triggered a heated debate. ...The aim of Christian Aid's report Iraq: The Missing Billions was to draw attention to the fact that an estimated $4 billion from both Iraqi oil revenue and assets of the Saddam regime in the Development Fund for Iraq were unaccounted for and were effectively missing. It had ... disappeared into a 'financial black hole'.
When the UN gave the Coalition the authority to spend Iraqi money back in May, it did so under the proviso that all transactions would be made public. This was seen as essential so that Iraqis, who are already mistrustful of US occupation, could see that the Coalition was spending their oil money for their benefit and not primarily in the commercial interests of US corporations.
Posted by Richard @ 07:19 PM BST [Link]
Today in London's Westminster, the Methodist Church of Great Britain and the Church of England signed a covenant in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II.
Some are very pleased about this, but I'm not one of them. It isn't that I don't believe in ecumenical co-operation, because I do. It is more that this kind of "top down" approach to ecumenism is almost certainly doomed. After all, we've had a similar covenant in Wales since 1975, and it's done us precisely no good at all. I still come across clergy, let alone lay folk, who have no idea that the covenant exists.
Bah!
Posted by Richard @ 05:37 PM BST [Link]
Having completed his scary story, Wood asks "What scares you?"
Well, personally, I find that the most frightening thing in ghost and horror stories for me is this: when something distressing and frightening happens to someone who doesn't deserve it.
In too many films and stories, the horror happens to someone who somehow deserves it. Maybe they're promiscuous, or curious, or just a nasty bit of work.In too many of HP Lovecraft's stories, the protagonists delve into things Man Was Not Meant To Know and Pay the Price. In Nightmare on Elm Street, teenagers have sex in places they shouldn't.These flaws prevent the characters in these stories from gaining your complete sympathy, so that when the inevitable happens, the comfort you hold is that it can't happen to you.Posted by Richard @ 02:02 PM BST [Link]
Not only has this blog been kept in good working order, but there's been a fair bit of recent action on the wiki too.
Looks like I can retire...
Posted by Richard @ 12:47 PM BST [Link]
Attentive readers might have noticed that I haven't been posting here for a little while. Not only have I not been here, I haven't been anywhere on the internet for a week. I've had a bit of a break with my family at Lindors Country House, and very pleasant it has been.
Not that I didn't miss you all terribly, of course...I need to say thank you to Bene Diction and "Ivan the Crank" for keeping the boiler stoked while I've been away. Fine fellows both.
The worst thing about going away is, inevitably, coming back. My inbox is full of email, my answer machine was out of memory, the front door would barely open for the post piled up behind it... In short there are things to do which may keep me away from the blog a bit longer. But it is good to be home.
Posted by Richard @ 11:11 AM BST [Link]
No doubt this has been "doing the rounds", but it's new to me...
In the beginning, there was the computer.
And God entered:C:\>Let there be light!
Enter user ID C:\>God
Enter password C:\>Omniscient
Invalid password
Enter password
C:\>Omnipotent
And God logged on at 12:01:00 AM, Sunday, March 1.C:\>Let there be light!
Unrecognisable commandC:\>Create light
DoneC:\>Run heaven and earth
And God created Day and Night. And God saw that there were 0 errors.
And God logged off at 12:02:00 AM, Sunday, March 1.And God logged on at 12:01:00 AM, Monday, March 2.
C:\>Let there be firmament in the midst of water and light
Unrecognisable command. Try again
C:\>Create firmament
Done.
C:\>Run firmament
And God divided the waters. And God saw that there were 0 errors.And God logged off at 12:02:00 AM, Monday, March 2. [more]
