Carl Sagan - 'A Glorious Dawn' ft Stephen Hawking (Cosmos Remixed)

big thinking on a day off

bridlington beach huts

I am often jealous of people who live by the seaside (though to be honest I am a city dweller so perhaps it's best for it to continue as a holiday romance)...but, I am particularly impressed by this take on the advent calendar. Farli will know the answer to this - Is it possible that Bridlington Rocks!?

Jesus and Robbie Williams

I posted this on the re:jesus site a week or so ago...forgot to direct you to it from here.

international toilet day

everyday I get an email from Tear Fund with a daily prayer request. This was today's:

MAKE LIFE FLOW: 15 - 21 NOVEMBER

THURSDAY 19 NOVEMBER
Today is World Toilet Day. As you use the toilet today,
imagine not having any privacy. Having to go in the open,
getting up early to avoid being seen, fearing attack in
isolated locations. Pray for all those who will face this
humiliation today. Pray for the work of Tearfund partners
as they help people to build pit-latrine toilets.

john pilger

in a speech to mark his award of Australia's human rights prize, the Sydney Peace Prize, John Pilger describes the "unique features" of a political silence in Australia. In it he said:

I believe the key to our self respect - and our legacy to the next generation - is the inclusion and reparation of the First Australians. In other words, justice. There is no mystery about what has to be done. The first step is a treaty that guarantees universal land rights and a proper share of the resources of this country.

Only then can we solve, together, issues of health, poverty, housing, education, employment. Only then can we feel a pride that comes not from flags and war. Only then can we become a truly independent nation able to speak out for sanity and justice in the world, and be heard.

If you would like to read the whole of this moving and compelling speech click here.

they shall beat their swords into ploughshares

He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.

Isaiah 2.4

Each Wednesday we share morning prayer at St John Chrysostom Church together at 10am. Those who are able to get there take it in turns to share a thought, read from the bible and pray together. The reading for Wednesday's morning prayer was from Isaiah 2.1-11. I was leading and shared a story that was mentioned in my reflections for daily prayer. It is a story of great hope and contains the vision that Isaiah creates for us i this reading - of people beating their weapons into ploughshares and spears into pruning-hooks. This is the Tree of Life (see picture) project - where the people of Mozambique can swop their weapons for farm machinery and tools. The weapons are then decommissioned and made into amazing pieces of art.

In the words of the curators at the British Museum:

The Tree of Life was made by four Mozambican artists: Cristovao Canhavato (Kester), Hilario Nhatugueja, Fiel dos Santos and Adelino Serafim Maté. It is a product of the Transforming Arms into Tools (TAE) project and is made from decommissioned weapons.

TAE was set up by Bishop Dom Dinis Sengulane in 1995 and is supported by Christian Aid. During Mozambique's civil war, which lasted from 1976 to 1992, millions of guns and other weapons poured into the country and most of them remain hidden or buried in the bush. The project is an attempt to eliminate the threat presented by the hidden weapons. Mozambicans are encouraged to hand them over in exchange for items like ploughs, bicycles and sewing machines. In one case a whole village gave up its weapons in exchange for a tractor.

Once the weapons are decommissioned, they are cut up and turned into sculptures by the artists in Maputo. This process has produced the Tree of Life and the Throne of Weapons, also created by Kester.

This is a vision worth holding onto as we come to our Remembrance Sunday services tomorrow. In the midst of the horror of war we should also cling on to the hope of transformation.

back blogging

Hello dear reader. Thanks for your patience whilst I have been away finishing off my PhD thesis - you'll be pleased to know it has been submitted to The University of Liverpool and I am now waiting for a viva date. So, I hope to be back here blogging on a regular basis. I am thinking about a re-brand (again) but I suspect that is a while off but in the meantime I will let you know about a few things that have been happening:
- Eva has started walking to school on her own
- We have adopted a puppy from Freshfields - his name is Jacob and he's very cute (as you can see above)
- Eva, mark and I have been to Belfast for a little jolly - which was great...lots of sitting about, chilling out, catching up with family and friends.
- I have had a cold - I feel much better now, though I am still very tired.
- I am at last feeling like I can get stuck in to parish life. I just hope nothing else comes along to get in the way of being able to be in the parish full time (apart from my more formal curacy training commitments of course).

So, with that in mind I had batter get back to parish life...