It is only 6 days now till the UK general elections. I know it is my democratic right to vote, but the question is who for? This is not a political discussion but just to say how with our local candidates they have all 3 taken very strange tactics, identical tactics but all the same. Each has chosen not give points from their manifestos but to rundown the other candidates. Some of the things they are saying are very silly and just obvious too.
If I was taking my vote on who gave me the clearest picture of what they stood for it would be one of the minor parties just because they are telling me what they stand for not how rubbish the other parties are. I have even written to one of the candidates to say how disappointed I was that when he gave me a card what only had 3 points on why I should vote for him these were 1. that he was local, 2. that in our area it is only a 2 horse race, and 3. that the other main horse didn't live in the area. At least the English Democrats (where did these come from?) can tell that they will give good hospital treatment to me when I'm only and a good pension and jobs only to people who speak English. I'm not saying I'll vote for them but at least they told me what they stand for rather than how rubbish everyone else is.
At least with these televised debates we can know at least what the leaders of the big 3 stand for.
Friday 30 April 2010
Wednesday 28 April 2010
Ironic
This made me mad a first and then made me smile at how institutionalize one can get.
It's a friend's 30th birthday next week and he is having one of those age crises that some people seem to get on the "milestone" birthdays. The usual "what have I done with my life" stuff. All very normal. Anyway his wife is trying to organise a party for him. They have a house group they are part of so many from that were going to be invited. Since letting everyone know the date of his birthday and subsequent party the congregation they go to has announced a series of prayer meetings on Weds nights. Jon's birthday is on a Weds. The of the couples from their house group of 5 couples are not now going to come to the party but will go to the prayer meeting. Fine!
But here is the ironic bit - the prayer meetings are about how they can do church differently and be more relational!!!!!! Need I say more?
It's a friend's 30th birthday next week and he is having one of those age crises that some people seem to get on the "milestone" birthdays. The usual "what have I done with my life" stuff. All very normal. Anyway his wife is trying to organise a party for him. They have a house group they are part of so many from that were going to be invited. Since letting everyone know the date of his birthday and subsequent party the congregation they go to has announced a series of prayer meetings on Weds nights. Jon's birthday is on a Weds. The of the couples from their house group of 5 couples are not now going to come to the party but will go to the prayer meeting. Fine!
But here is the ironic bit - the prayer meetings are about how they can do church differently and be more relational!!!!!! Need I say more?
Thursday 22 April 2010
UK Elections
I was praying about the elections this morning and had some thoughts
There is all this talk about how really there are only 2 parties, Labour and Conservative, and that a vote for LibDems is a tactical vote. It is interesting to note that only 100 years ago the Labour party was in its infancy and was seen as a bit odd and radical. And yet it was made up of people who were passionate about what they believed in, had principles they were going to fight and die for and so by the end of the Second World War they are strong enough to be voted into power and to implement the principles they had so diligently fought for for the last 50 years or more.
I was told on Monday that Clement Attlee, the 1st majority Labour prime minister in 1945, stuck to his principles of a health service for all, housing for all and education for all even though Britain had a huge debt falling the Second World War. He believed that to go through with what he had promised the people and had been voted in for was the important principle. Do we have politicians like that now? Do we have political parties like that now?
I was also led on to pray for those Christians that I know who are standing for parliament this time with the major parties. I do not know why they have chosen them and not gone for being part of the Christian party, but I do believe they have chosen the harder route. We need to be praying that these people can stick to their God given principles even if the parties they have felt led by God to stand with may not be so committed.
And maybe too we need to be praying for our young people, those who were part of the Wilberforce Academy in Oxford in April this year, those doing politics and law degrees, those feeling a calling to human rights, politics, etc whether Christian or not to be able to be passionate about things, to have principles and to be able to stick to them.
There is all this talk about how really there are only 2 parties, Labour and Conservative, and that a vote for LibDems is a tactical vote. It is interesting to note that only 100 years ago the Labour party was in its infancy and was seen as a bit odd and radical. And yet it was made up of people who were passionate about what they believed in, had principles they were going to fight and die for and so by the end of the Second World War they are strong enough to be voted into power and to implement the principles they had so diligently fought for for the last 50 years or more.
I was told on Monday that Clement Attlee, the 1st majority Labour prime minister in 1945, stuck to his principles of a health service for all, housing for all and education for all even though Britain had a huge debt falling the Second World War. He believed that to go through with what he had promised the people and had been voted in for was the important principle. Do we have politicians like that now? Do we have political parties like that now?
I was also led on to pray for those Christians that I know who are standing for parliament this time with the major parties. I do not know why they have chosen them and not gone for being part of the Christian party, but I do believe they have chosen the harder route. We need to be praying that these people can stick to their God given principles even if the parties they have felt led by God to stand with may not be so committed.
And maybe too we need to be praying for our young people, those who were part of the Wilberforce Academy in Oxford in April this year, those doing politics and law degrees, those feeling a calling to human rights, politics, etc whether Christian or not to be able to be passionate about things, to have principles and to be able to stick to them.
Thursday 15 April 2010
Rumours
I was wondering about what we really know to be true, as in from the horse's mouth true.
As we approach our UK General Election date of 6th May we are hearing all sorts about all the various political parties from the other parties. What do they base their truth on? And how much do we believe about these parties from those tidbits and from satire programs? And where will we go to find out the truth? Who can we believe?
There were rumours of Barak Obama, that even though he went to church with is wife he was really a Muslim. What was true there? How will be know? I feel there reading his book helps, but that takes time.
I feel that in a lot of ways we now live in a world where we are all too busy so it is easier to believe the little bits and pieces others find out for us rather than go looking ourselves. We just do not have the time! We have got lazy! We do not check the credentials of the teller, or if they have an axe to grind, or with some of the comedians just that they know how to tell a funny story well.
We need, with this election coming up, to take the time out to find out for ourselves, to spend time reading those manifestos, chatting not just with the candidates we like but with all the parties, and being willing to ask those questions on things that are dearest to our hearts.
That means too we need to find out what is dearest to our hearts!
As we approach our UK General Election date of 6th May we are hearing all sorts about all the various political parties from the other parties. What do they base their truth on? And how much do we believe about these parties from those tidbits and from satire programs? And where will we go to find out the truth? Who can we believe?
There were rumours of Barak Obama, that even though he went to church with is wife he was really a Muslim. What was true there? How will be know? I feel there reading his book helps, but that takes time.
I feel that in a lot of ways we now live in a world where we are all too busy so it is easier to believe the little bits and pieces others find out for us rather than go looking ourselves. We just do not have the time! We have got lazy! We do not check the credentials of the teller, or if they have an axe to grind, or with some of the comedians just that they know how to tell a funny story well.
We need, with this election coming up, to take the time out to find out for ourselves, to spend time reading those manifestos, chatting not just with the candidates we like but with all the parties, and being willing to ask those questions on things that are dearest to our hearts.
That means too we need to find out what is dearest to our hearts!
Monday 12 April 2010
What We Don't Know
I have been reading Barak Obama's book on his early life. Even though he is half black half white it is the being black that stands out. As he explains how other black young men felt and the conflict he had inside about being discriminated by white people and yet having a white mother and white grandparents is very interesting. There is something in what he says his black friends say about continuously feeling oppressed in a white man's world and the anger that causes inside of them, that feeling that they will never really be able to be true to themselves, that whole depth that slavery has done to the psyche of this people group. And of how people who were mixed race actually did not want to recognise the black African inside of them. All this is something I will never understand and neither will most of my friends.
It got me to pondering something that was said at church yesterday, of how we shouldn't call someone a "chav", a word that came about originally to apply to young men, generally white, who lived in large council housing estates, went around in gangs and were violent. And yes like lots of words it has become an insult but also to me I was feeling like it describes a people group, again a group that have been so down trodden that we, as in motivated, educated, encouraged to reach our potential will never know.
These are young people who listen to a certain aggressive style of music, girls wear provocative clothing from a young age, boys in tracksuits and trainers, under age sex is common, but the main thing that gives them this hopelessness way of life is that they are 3rd or 4th generation unemployed, their schools are deprived schools where teachers do not want to come, and they have people in government trying to help them out by throwing money at them, but not understanding the depravation in their souls.
Brenan Manning talks of people like these before the word came into being. Of how even when they meet Jesus they cannot get out of this cycle. Yes Jesus gives them some hope and they do want to change but with such little education, being stuck in slum housing, maybe having to resort to prostitution to feed their families, to feed themselves, not because of a drug habit but because there are no jobs.
Sometimes at church I do wondering if we do try to reach people we know nothing about like the "chavs" when we have never lived like them, like the black person who even though they have never known slavery feel something deep inside. In fact with the "chavs" they have finished up in the housing estates they have because to a point they were the white slaves of the oppressive landlords, mill owners, etc. We have never walked their road, we do not know.
So maybe it is ok to use the word "chav" as a people group so long as we are not using it as an insult, but also maybe we need to be careful we do not think we can understand when we have never ever been there.
It got me to pondering something that was said at church yesterday, of how we shouldn't call someone a "chav", a word that came about originally to apply to young men, generally white, who lived in large council housing estates, went around in gangs and were violent. And yes like lots of words it has become an insult but also to me I was feeling like it describes a people group, again a group that have been so down trodden that we, as in motivated, educated, encouraged to reach our potential will never know.
These are young people who listen to a certain aggressive style of music, girls wear provocative clothing from a young age, boys in tracksuits and trainers, under age sex is common, but the main thing that gives them this hopelessness way of life is that they are 3rd or 4th generation unemployed, their schools are deprived schools where teachers do not want to come, and they have people in government trying to help them out by throwing money at them, but not understanding the depravation in their souls.
Brenan Manning talks of people like these before the word came into being. Of how even when they meet Jesus they cannot get out of this cycle. Yes Jesus gives them some hope and they do want to change but with such little education, being stuck in slum housing, maybe having to resort to prostitution to feed their families, to feed themselves, not because of a drug habit but because there are no jobs.
Sometimes at church I do wondering if we do try to reach people we know nothing about like the "chavs" when we have never lived like them, like the black person who even though they have never known slavery feel something deep inside. In fact with the "chavs" they have finished up in the housing estates they have because to a point they were the white slaves of the oppressive landlords, mill owners, etc. We have never walked their road, we do not know.
So maybe it is ok to use the word "chav" as a people group so long as we are not using it as an insult, but also maybe we need to be careful we do not think we can understand when we have never ever been there.
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