“I used up all my sick days so called in dead…”

…was the choice of T shirt slogan he briefly contemplated for dress down day at the office today. Yep, Alan is back at work, today is his second day. Part time for now, as we assess how his energy levels and voice hold out. He still sounds like Grampa Simpson having a rough day, and is still waiting for speech therapy appointments, but was going stir crazy at home. He needed to be doing something more productive. He went in for a visit last week, and his boss was relieved at his decision too - “just give me a shout if you need anything….” If only!

Thankfully he decided against that t-shirt. His sense of humour may have returned, but he wasn’t sure about his boss…

Unsinkable Rubber Ducks

Church yesterday found me ignoring my prepared sermon, and speaking “off the cuff” about the way the church treats people and issues.  With the situation in the Anglican Communion as it is, this invariably involved talking about the prejudices and pressures in the arguments regarding issues of human sexuality.

The sad thing is they are arguments which will not be won, arguments in which neither side will admit defeat or be converted to the other side’s way of thinking.  They are unsinkable rubber ducks bobbing on the rough waters of life and faith.

what has worried me throughout the whole mess of the last few years is the vitriol and bile coming from church-people at all levels of the institution on both sides of the argument - little room for, or expression of, the Holy Spirit in the way people are treated, regardless of the side of the argument they hold.  The pro-gay’s are “evil, corrupting the church”, the anti’s are “uneducated, lacking compassion or understanding, prejudiced” (paraphrases there…)

Regardless of which side of the arguments hold one’s loyalties,  people deserve more. They deserve not to be labelled and cast aside. They deserve to be loved, valued, respected and cared for as children of God, whether we like them or not, whether we agree with them or not.  Not easy I know. Loving those we hurt or hate, or who hurt & hate us, never is.  But I seem to remember a wise bloke once said something about loving our enemies.  In the end, such revolutionary attitudes were the death of him, but life for the rest of us.

I’m engaged in illegal activity…apparently

I have discovered that I may be a criminal, according to one campaign to ban Mozilla Firefox. Why? Because I choose to use Adblock plus, an extension that allows me to browse websites without being overwhelmed with advertising. I am, and have been for several years now a Mozilla Firefox user, initially because of security concerns with Internet Explorer, and more recently because it is familiar and I know how to use it. It is adaptable, friendly and reliable. On the odd occasion where a page cannot be viewed in Firefox, I use IEtab - an extension that mimics Internet Explorer without the security concerns.

I’m stealing the information on the websites I visit because I’m not always viewing the ads which pay for it, according to this site. I could even be breaching international copyright law, as apparently I am creating an edited version of the site, rather than viewing the original.

I have no problem with websites using advertising to pay in part for their site costs. But it is my right to choose not to be subject to their ad everytime I visit their page. It is my right to speed through the ads on a DVD or video, to go and make a cup of coffee whilst the programme I am watching is taking a break, or to turn up at the cinema at the last possible minute to avoid being subject to adverts I choose not to watch. Apparently not. Is it just me, or does this all seem slightly bonkers? I shall continue using adblock plus, to make my own decisions regarding the advertising I do wish to take advantage of and that I don’t wish to be subjected to, and await the police raid with anticipation.

I’m such a rebel.

Help me Zonda…

Vinci recently invited members of our game clan to post a link on the forum which best represents our vision of art or beauty. Being largely 20- & 30- something men in the clan, the first 2 posts were cars - a 1970 Dodge Charger and a 1960 Cadillac hearse, to be precise.

For me, however, beauty is in the wrinkles, in the eyes and smiles of all the generations already gone, and in the generations of our grandparents. The wisdom, the stories, the love and the anguish they have experienced and shared. Its in the dignity of those final moments of life, and in the privilege of being able to occasionally in share that moment.

Beauty is in the wrinkles and giggles of all those lives that are coming after us - our children’s generation and all those to come. Potential yet to be discovered, life stories to be worked out.

Beauty is in the aid worker offering hope, the peacemaker seeking resolution, a random act of kindness or love in an area or life damaged by ugliness and violence. Beauty in a kind word or a human touch during times of isolation or fear.

As for art - in the creativity of all those beautiful people (including the ones that have lived “ugly” lives…), in science, in building, design and engineering, sculpture, painting, the written word, music, even the games we play, creation and creativity have taken place. Not all of it beautiful, or adding to the beauty of the world, but none the less artistic.

but if we’re talking cars, forget those old classics and give me a Zonda.

ukelele weirdness

Many thanks to Jonathan for pointing me in the direction of the Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain. These guys are fantastic.

Such men as these

Finally watched Amazing Grace today, didn’t get a chance when it was at the cinema. It reminded me of my childhood.

Growing up in Yorkshire, learning at a young age about “local men done good” like Wilberforce (Hull was part of Yorkshire when he was an MP), and Sir Titus Salt, fed my interests in politics and in the wide world outside of my limited experience. The showed me that people can be unknown to you personally, but still valued; that the value placed on an individual is regardless of the work they can do or the colour of their skin; that one person can make a difference, can even change the world, by raising a voice or by living in a particular way. Salt, as many of my fellow students pointed out in later years, probably inherited some of his wealth from previous generations’ involvement in the slave trade. But he used that wealth to build and serve a community, paying his mill-workers an annually adjusted minimum wage, built a school and provided free education to all children of his workers to the age of 12. Health-care was provided by means of a purpose built almshouse, and a church was built to service the faith needs of the 850 homes he built. A novelty in Yorkshire, each of those houses had its own loo! The only things lacking in the village of Saltaire, until about 10 years ago, were a Pub and a Bookmaker. The pub is now there, aptly named “Don’t tell Titus”

The thing both of these men had in common, apart from being Yorkshiremen, was that they each lived what they believed, and despite antagonism, conflict and opposition, continued to do so until the day they each died. Politicians, activists, men of faith. Lives of faith and action, faith in action. Lives that still make a difference, and challenge and change perceptions. One is famous worldwide, the other only locally. But does that matter? The effects of both are still felt, at least by this Yorkshire educated lass.

Sadly, slavery still remains, even though outlawed. Injustice in the workplace, poor wages and poor health are still rife in many of our industrial (or post industrial) towns and cities. The work is not done. May God give this generation and future ones the courage and the voice to continue the work of such men as these.

Oh yeah - the movie’s not bad either.

voice equation

mystery virus + too much talking = saggy vocal chords.

Speech therapy excercises + talking a little = beardy one hopefully on the mend, but it may take some time

I wonder how the homeworking/already retired/housespouse spouses of newly retired people cope when suddenly someone who was out for most of the day is home all day and under their feet? I’m looking forward to the day he’s waking me up with a cup of coffee in hand before singing in the shower at 6am again! soon! (he’s been home WAY too long!)

blog equation

family visitors + much work+ still ill hubby = little sleep and no time

the beardy one has been off work now since the 10 June with no voice and limited energy after mystery virus. Consultant visit tomorrow to try and get to the bottom of things. please pray.

odious…

Over the last few years, with  Jubilee 2000 and Make Poverty History, Churches and other groups have campaigned tirelessly for the cancelation of debt in the poorer nations of this world.  So often we forget that nations in the west are still making demands for repayment of unfair or even illegitemate or “odious” loans made to countries for the purposes of arms trading, sustaining illegitemate regimes and oppressing millions of people.  Justin Alexander, in his most recent contribution to God’s Politics challenges us to think about the way the international financial institutions continue to operate to the benefit of the already-rich west and the detriment of the poor.  Have a read, and then go over to the Jubilee Campaign and add your voice to the challenges for  Douglas Alexander, Brown’s new Secretary of State for International Development.

Church reminders

A wee reminder that Sunday services during August will be in Holy Cross, Cowdenhill Road, Knightswood at 10.30am.  There will be no Sunday Morning Service in All Saints.

Also - please pray for Murdo and Sarah, to be married today in HC.  Coming from Free Kirk and Brethren backgrounds, but settled in the piscky church, it is a truly ecumenical affair.  Expected congregation include the St Silas Church football team.  In kilts, not kit I hope…