I woke up this morning still thinking about this blog I read yesterday ... where Hal Greenwood imagines God is camel . An uncomfortable, obstinate, stinking camel. It's good when something sticks with you I guess; so I've been trying ever since I read it to figure out why.
It's not that I think it's sacrilegious to imagine God is a camel even as nasty as he portrays God, but I'm not sure why? I'm not sure what it suggests about God that Hal wants/has to imagine God that way. I guess he's in a place of struggle. Or is he just trying to provoke us.
Then it's "good" then to want to provoke us ... and that's probably what's stayed with me. I DON"T want to imagine God is a camel the way Hal puts it! And if I don't want to imagine God that way, then what way? What do I want to imagine God is?? People have been doing this for years - I'm not sure it's the same thing as metaphor however because he doesn't say "imagine God like/as a camel" but "...IS a camel".
So, after thinking and especially after last night's beautiful concert I want to Imagine God is Live Music! Imagine God is live music (any kind of music: rock, classical, jazz, etc) and imagine the amazing power of listening to live music - it's creative, never exactly the same thing twice, it can move you to tears, it is shared with others there yet also personal, and you can create it too or just enjoy, it stays with you - you can remember it the next day or for years to come, but you can't HOLD on to it ... you have to BE there with it. There is recorded music which has its own power but nothing quite like the real thing.
Anyway, that's my response to Hal; at least some beginning thoughts. This really will stick with me. Maybe even into Sunday's sermon which texts are about Jesus the Shepherd and Ps 23.
What do YOU imagine God is ... ???
Thursday, 10 April 2008
This just in ...
This just in from my AOL news site ::
"Career isn’t the only factor in determining someone’s overall happiness, but it’s certainly a major contributor. So, what kind of jobs do the happiest people in the U.S. have? And, what about these jobs contributes to overall happiness in life? A University of Chicago study, “Job Satisfaction in the United States,” offers some insight.
The study says the occupations where people report being happy overall, not just in terms of job satisfaction, involve helping others, technical and scientific expertise, or creativity.
Tom W. Smith, director of the General Social Survey at the National Opinion Research Center at UC, elaborates: “Happiness is determined by how much satisfaction you get from all domains of life—personal, the community you live in, and work is an important domain, so it’s one of the major components of overall happiness.”
According to the study, the top occupations in general happiness are:
1. Clergy
Job Description: Conduct religious worship and perform spiritual functions associated with beliefs and practices of religious faith or denomination.
Very happy: 67.2%
Median salary*: $44,102
2. Firefighters
Job Description: Control and extinguish fires, protect life and property and conduct rescue efforts.
Very happy: 57.2%
Median salary: $45,553
3. Transportation, Ticket, and Reservation Agents, such as Travel Agents
Job Description: Travel agents plan and sell transportation and accommodations for travel agency customers.
Very happy: 56.5%
Median hourly rate (travel agents): $14.23
It's just nice to see "we're" generally happy!
"Career isn’t the only factor in determining someone’s overall happiness, but it’s certainly a major contributor. So, what kind of jobs do the happiest people in the U.S. have? And, what about these jobs contributes to overall happiness in life? A University of Chicago study, “Job Satisfaction in the United States,” offers some insight.
The study says the occupations where people report being happy overall, not just in terms of job satisfaction, involve helping others, technical and scientific expertise, or creativity.
Tom W. Smith, director of the General Social Survey at the National Opinion Research Center at UC, elaborates: “Happiness is determined by how much satisfaction you get from all domains of life—personal, the community you live in, and work is an important domain, so it’s one of the major components of overall happiness.”
According to the study, the top occupations in general happiness are:
1. Clergy
Job Description: Conduct religious worship and perform spiritual functions associated with beliefs and practices of religious faith or denomination.
Very happy: 67.2%
Median salary*: $44,102
2. Firefighters
Job Description: Control and extinguish fires, protect life and property and conduct rescue efforts.
Very happy: 57.2%
Median salary: $45,553
3. Transportation, Ticket, and Reservation Agents, such as Travel Agents
Job Description: Travel agents plan and sell transportation and accommodations for travel agency customers.
Very happy: 56.5%
Median hourly rate (travel agents): $14.23
It's just nice to see "we're" generally happy!
Wednesday, 9 April 2008
Cultural evening
At the end of a long day, JD and I went to have a cultural evening as we do now and then at the Bridgewater Hall in city centre. This is one of the few perks of the "student budget" ... we get GREAT tickets for 2.50 BPS! I call up on the phone ask for the best I can have at the student rate (granted Wed nights only) and tonight we had center balcony section, third row, exact middle! Awesome ... the acoustics in the Hall are fabulous, and it's beautiful too as you can see HERE .
Some have said it's not that great a building, but I think it's lovely and the Halle Orchestra based there are good too! With a long history here in Manc as you can read all about here .
Perhaps not London Symphony, but pretty close; AND to hear live music for such a price, it should be packed but it's not. The week nights we go there are lots of older retired folk enjoying a night out and they're always a truly appreciative audience. Tonight there were also 4 schools from the local county and they have an orchestra member in their school, they come to hear them play, then they write a piece themselves which they come back and share with other schools and family.
Tonight's program included Dvorak's "Carnival". But the highlight was Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor. This is often called his melancholy masterpiece and was played to its passionate best by the tragic figure of Jaqueline Du Pre. You can find all the movements on YouTube but I'll put the first (9 minutes) here with it's instantly recognizable and haunting phrases ...
For me, this is the passion of music which can give us a glimpse of eternity. Amen.
Some have said it's not that great a building, but I think it's lovely and the Halle Orchestra based there are good too! With a long history here in Manc as you can read all about here .
Perhaps not London Symphony, but pretty close; AND to hear live music for such a price, it should be packed but it's not. The week nights we go there are lots of older retired folk enjoying a night out and they're always a truly appreciative audience. Tonight there were also 4 schools from the local county and they have an orchestra member in their school, they come to hear them play, then they write a piece themselves which they come back and share with other schools and family.
Tonight's program included Dvorak's "Carnival". But the highlight was Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor. This is often called his melancholy masterpiece and was played to its passionate best by the tragic figure of Jaqueline Du Pre. You can find all the movements on YouTube but I'll put the first (9 minutes) here with it's instantly recognizable and haunting phrases ...
For me, this is the passion of music which can give us a glimpse of eternity. Amen.
The Church ARMY
This morning I went to a presentation in city centre Manchester from the Church Army. They're a group that we have nothing like in TEC or the US. They're definitely not like the Salvation Army, but why they have their "old fashioned" name I'm not sure - they are over 150 years old, but they just hired a young (30's) guy to be their CEO (but he probably has some military title in front of his name, they're all called Captain or Brother or Sister ...).
There was this minister to young people who spoke about working with young people in the North West. This is his story here and you can search around the site for other things they're doing. One of the most amazing things he said was how yes, the project is supposed to BE for the young people (and to show them the love of God and bring them gently to Christ) BUT the best part is that he clearly understood the effect the ministry was having to the "older" "church" people who were his "volunteers". He said for the first time they were seeing how there WERE the ministry of Christ in the world, and their presence even in the days they weren't working with the bus or at church was God's work as well. VERY mutual in the ministry!!
Also I loved the way he described "success" - he said IF the kids keep coming back week after week they were successful. They go into one part of the city only once a week in the evening/night. And when a young person keeps coming back that's a success. Truth! An inspirational morning. Thank God!
OH!! And I forgot to say the Church of England is the only church affiliation they have but gives them NO money. The workers are actually "licensed" as Church Evangelists, but not ordained.
There was this minister to young people who spoke about working with young people in the North West. This is his story here and you can search around the site for other things they're doing. One of the most amazing things he said was how yes, the project is supposed to BE for the young people (and to show them the love of God and bring them gently to Christ) BUT the best part is that he clearly understood the effect the ministry was having to the "older" "church" people who were his "volunteers". He said for the first time they were seeing how there WERE the ministry of Christ in the world, and their presence even in the days they weren't working with the bus or at church was God's work as well. VERY mutual in the ministry!!
Also I loved the way he described "success" - he said IF the kids keep coming back week after week they were successful. They go into one part of the city only once a week in the evening/night. And when a young person keeps coming back that's a success. Truth! An inspirational morning. Thank God!
OH!! And I forgot to say the Church of England is the only church affiliation they have but gives them NO money. The workers are actually "licensed" as Church Evangelists, but not ordained.
Tuesday, 8 April 2008
UK "churchy" videos
Today, two YouTube videos "came" to me ... both from the UK, both about clergy here, BOTH obviously partially true and partially not. Enjoy, but just remember they're not THAT funny to Americans (to be honest).
The first is called "Bling the Bishop"
The second is from a comedy group called "Mitchell and Webb" and is about a visit to a church here (well... not one of MY churches!!)
The first is called "Bling the Bishop"
The second is from a comedy group called "Mitchell and Webb" and is about a visit to a church here (well... not one of MY churches!!)
Blog Prayer
Tuesday is Holy Communion day at St James. The one mid-week service for the Team.
Each week at 10.30 AM a small but very faithful group of OAP (old age persons/pensioners) gather to hear the service. Some have been to a Sunday liturgy but not all and they just like the gospel read and communion administered. It's a quite prayerful space/time although usually cold. Today I read intercessions from a book we use quite frequently here in CofE from a series called "Searchlights" an all-age resource to go with the Common Worship book.
The prayer for Third Sunday of Easter fit my blog beautifully! As well as fitting with the theme of Gospel which is/was the Road to Emmaus. I usually change some of the phrases from this book as I read/pray but haven't in order to give the full Church of England sense of it. (this is published by Kevin Mayhew - probably closer to the evangelical wing of the church than elsewhere)
Lord, make yourself know to us in church and through the scriptures.
May we know you in the breaking of the bread,
in the break of the day,
and when our hearts are breaking.
Help us to see that you travel with us on the road of life and you never leave us.
Fill us with your Spirit,
that we may proclaim the Good News and tell others of your love.
We remember today all who are suffering because of their faith, those who live in fear, and those whose lives are restricted.
Lord abide with us,
stay with us and help us.
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Durham art
One COOL thing we did in Durham, was "splash out" a bit (as they say here when you spend a bit of money) for a print of a lovely piece of watercolor we saw in Durham. After spending large parts of both days walking along the river on both sides looking at the Cathedral, we wanted to remember it. This piece begins to capture what it was like. The sky is painted more gray than for us, but it appears to have been painted just near the pink house, just near the waterfall that we loved. The building across the river is the mill and you can see how imposing the cathedral IS. (sorry there's a bit of glare off the glass)
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