Friday 28 January 2011

Surprised!!

Well after saying I've got no time I've got half an hour at the moment whilst Ian finishes working before we go away for the weekend for our 4th wedding anniversary, a president we put in when we first got married, that no matter what was going on we'd always go away on the weekend nearest our anniversary just to get some time out. Last year things were so exhausting we just seemed to sleep for most of the time!! Looks like it could be the same this year!! :-)

Anyway I have been pondering, as we have been doing Cultural Studies all about religion and philosophy and then in Lit studies as we've looked at The Life of Pi, and just how little people know about Christianity and yet how little they want to explore the truth of it. Some of the things that have been said about Christianity in our politically correct world we would not be able to say about any of the other religions.
But also people seem to want to explore the other religions, get to the bottom of them, find out what they are really all about, or at least find out the nice bits that suit their western philosophies. But with Christianity I've noticed we keep coming back to the this thing that we are a Christian country, Christianity is a bit dull and boring, judgmental and irrelevant for the modern world we live in! My thoughts on why are that I wonder whether in our countries Psyche we have got so use to "being christian" but all these other religions are new to us, as a country, and so we want to explore them all. Even though there have been Jews and Muslims in this country for centuries they have always been the foreigner but now we are seeing the Britishness in them and so want to know more! Maybe!
Also what has amazed me is how people who seem willing to explore any other thought or idea are so closed as to what they see Christianity. We have some great people on our course and who are teaching us and yet so many of them when it comes to Christianity, not to other religions, seem to think they know it all, do not want to explore and examine it all. A thought for Rick Joyner is that Christianity is the only religion where, if you really do follow Jesus, do not "do it yourself", that Christianity has nothing to do with our efforts but all to do with Jesus' and this is why its an anathema to so many people.
Interesting too, I got called an agnostic by one of our lecturers today because of the fact that I could do decide whether I like the idea of the tiger in Life of Pi being his alter ego or a real story. Very interesting. I wonder too if she has made this decision on some of the questions I ask and points I make, because to me Christianity is all about the journey. We know the final destination, eternity with God, but we want to grow to become more like Jesus on this earth and also to take as many people with us as we can, and who can have life and life in abundance on this earth. Again I have been getting the distinct impression that people see Christians as just marking time till heaven and to be on a journey to discovering God must be agnosticism as their view of Christianity does not meet this.
The more time I spend with people the more amazing they are!!

Oh well off to now get the man away from the computer so we can get away. XX

Monday 24 January 2011

No Time No Clear Thoughts

I am fully gripped with this college course at the moment. A friend asked recently why I hadn't blogged in so long. It is because all my time and energy and thought process is filled up with writing assignments, dealing with home and family, launching my kids into the big wide world and just getting by.
I am loving college but the fact that for Access to HE we have to do 6+ subjects all of which come with assignments there is always just so much buzzing in my head all the time. i write essays in my sleep, pray for my children who are not children any more and their future whilst I'm on the bus.
I totally admire those mums who've been full time workers, or even part time workers, and full time mums. I admire those who can blog and do study. Actually most of all I admire all the young people who go to college and still hold on to God. College is an amazingly hostile place to follow God. Western civilization is not just very humanist but very antagonistic to Christianity in very open ways. Things that are done and said would not be said about other religions, or at least not about certain other religions. I can understand why young people either keep their heads down or lose their faith entirely.
Thankfully my daughter is one of the "keeping her head down" and is surviving. I keep praying for her. I can see though why my son moved away, just slowly.
God is big enough though.
Anyway I've got a place doing History at Bath Spa University for Sept 2011, and I've also got a part time job as an assistant youth worker which will help pay for the coffee habit I've developed since starting college. Oh the conversations are great and I do have an amazing time sharing who God is with people, but with all this blogging will be few and far between.
But that doesn't mean I'm not still thinking.....