Have you ever counted how many times you'll hear the phrase "Oh my God!" in a day?
I haven't. I'm not going to either. However, I have started to notice that it's used a lot, as is "Jesus!" (Jeeeezus!!)
Since coming to Faith, I've made a conscious effort not to take God's name in vain or use it as a curse. Why? Because it's disrespectful, dishonourable, disobedient and rude. It's like saying "Oh my (Insert Parent Name)!" only worse.
So, as I've used it less, I've begun to notice how many times I hear it said. Its like giving up smoking, as soon as you quit, you notice the smell - on clothes, in furniture etc. I've listened and noticed who says it. Those who believe in God don't tend to, its more commonly used by those who don't. At which point it can't have any meaning, surely? I mean, what's the point? It would be like saying, "Oh my tooth-fairy!", or "Santa!" ("Saaaantaa!") (Assuming you don't believe in either of these things of course.)
I'm not being judgemental, I'm just curious. Why do people who don't believe in God use His name so often as an expletive?
And the next time any of you Christian's out there allow something to come out of your mouth that you shouldn't (cos we all do - and I'm sadly too good at it), let something come out that's just as comparably ridiculous..."Oh my tooth-fairy!"
Thursday, 31 January 2008
Thursday, 24 January 2008
'Do-Gooder' is a swear word
I was sitting in church on Sunday listening to our Vicar preach, and then I stopped listening...
Sorry Will, it wasn't intentional, but my mind wandered to this, "'do-gooder' is a swear word!"
In the last two weeks, our church has started to study 1 Corinthians. We were being read through these verses when it hit me, "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spritually discerned. The spritual man makes judgements about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgement. 'For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ"
Now, this might be obvious to experienced and mature Christians, but I'm not one. You can't explain the Kingdom of God to those who don't believe in it. Simple. It was at this point my minor revelation came - 'Do-Gooder' is a swear word. Of course it is.
Those who aren't, use it towards those who are (carers etc). It denies those who aren't, any feelings of guilt for not being so and enables them to make those who are doing good sound like they are doing bad. How twisted is that? Which colour white is black?
I put my hands up now and apologise. I know its a swear word because I've used it as such. I may not have coined it, but I've used it as a taunt, jeering at those who are trying to give help and support to others when I was too stupid and selfish to do anything but think about myself.
Having Faith and becoming a Christian has made me look at this differently. It couldn't have happened otherwise. Thank you God for my Faith and my change of heart.
To those who commit themselves to love and care for others; in times when you are persecuted for your deeds, remember the passage above and be comforted by it.
Sorry Will, it wasn't intentional, but my mind wandered to this, "'do-gooder' is a swear word!"
In the last two weeks, our church has started to study 1 Corinthians. We were being read through these verses when it hit me, "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spritually discerned. The spritual man makes judgements about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgement. 'For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ"
Now, this might be obvious to experienced and mature Christians, but I'm not one. You can't explain the Kingdom of God to those who don't believe in it. Simple. It was at this point my minor revelation came - 'Do-Gooder' is a swear word. Of course it is.
Those who aren't, use it towards those who are (carers etc). It denies those who aren't, any feelings of guilt for not being so and enables them to make those who are doing good sound like they are doing bad. How twisted is that? Which colour white is black?
I put my hands up now and apologise. I know its a swear word because I've used it as such. I may not have coined it, but I've used it as a taunt, jeering at those who are trying to give help and support to others when I was too stupid and selfish to do anything but think about myself.
Having Faith and becoming a Christian has made me look at this differently. It couldn't have happened otherwise. Thank you God for my Faith and my change of heart.
To those who commit themselves to love and care for others; in times when you are persecuted for your deeds, remember the passage above and be comforted by it.
Tuesday, 15 January 2008
A dog is not just for Christmas...
On Sunday night I stepped out of my own skin for an evening. Our church has a close association with a charity that ministers to homeless people in Brighton. One of the ways in which they provide care is by going out on the streets and distributing sandwiches and hot drinks, so on Sunday evening Rach & I joined them.
I learned a lot in just a few hours. The homeless people we met were polite, grateful, proud, protective of each other, chatty and friendly. I was told to make contact, to make physical contact with each one - because physical contact is something they have the very least of. I was pleased to; pleased to be able to take off my gloves and shake each one by the hand, give them my name and learn theirs.
I, like many others have so often ignored homeless people. I have deliberately closed my eyes to them - ignoring requests for a small amount of change, not even having the courtesy of acknowledging their presence and saying, "sorry, but no." Too many times have I justified that by telling myself that I have barely nough money myself or that, "he'll only go and spend it on drugs or booze." Whatever gave me the right to make that kind of hypocritical judgement? What was I going to do with my money?
Although I have spoken to a few homeless people in the past and I've given some small change (even if merely out of guilt or conscience), I've never gone onto the streets of a city with the specific intention of meeting with them and giving up something of my life to (hopefully) make their situation a little better. Of course it was eye-opening. I'm a suburban, middle-class man living in a suburban middle-class corner of a largely suburban middle-class country. I have food, central heating, clothes, a bathroom etc. Seeing lives so different, I've begun to learn a new perspective.
One thing really stuck with me. One young man was telling me what his Christmas had been like. On Christmas Eve a man in a Mercedes had driven up to him and given him some food, cakes and the like. Then he'd gone away and come back, and again. He gave this young, homeless man so much, he'd had to give it away. Whatever the background, the man in the Mercedes cared about the plight of the homeless man, and shown him (& by default, others) some of that Christmas Spirit I harped on about last month. I hope he goes back and does it again. I hope he takes that Christmas Spirit and remembers that, like the dog, its not just for Christmas. Its a gift that should last every day.
I thank all the people I met on Sunday night, for what they all taught me in only a few hours and I commend all those people who commit to helping them.
I'll be going back to the streets again.
I learned a lot in just a few hours. The homeless people we met were polite, grateful, proud, protective of each other, chatty and friendly. I was told to make contact, to make physical contact with each one - because physical contact is something they have the very least of. I was pleased to; pleased to be able to take off my gloves and shake each one by the hand, give them my name and learn theirs.
I, like many others have so often ignored homeless people. I have deliberately closed my eyes to them - ignoring requests for a small amount of change, not even having the courtesy of acknowledging their presence and saying, "sorry, but no." Too many times have I justified that by telling myself that I have barely nough money myself or that, "he'll only go and spend it on drugs or booze." Whatever gave me the right to make that kind of hypocritical judgement? What was I going to do with my money?
Although I have spoken to a few homeless people in the past and I've given some small change (even if merely out of guilt or conscience), I've never gone onto the streets of a city with the specific intention of meeting with them and giving up something of my life to (hopefully) make their situation a little better. Of course it was eye-opening. I'm a suburban, middle-class man living in a suburban middle-class corner of a largely suburban middle-class country. I have food, central heating, clothes, a bathroom etc. Seeing lives so different, I've begun to learn a new perspective.
One thing really stuck with me. One young man was telling me what his Christmas had been like. On Christmas Eve a man in a Mercedes had driven up to him and given him some food, cakes and the like. Then he'd gone away and come back, and again. He gave this young, homeless man so much, he'd had to give it away. Whatever the background, the man in the Mercedes cared about the plight of the homeless man, and shown him (& by default, others) some of that Christmas Spirit I harped on about last month. I hope he goes back and does it again. I hope he takes that Christmas Spirit and remembers that, like the dog, its not just for Christmas. Its a gift that should last every day.
I thank all the people I met on Sunday night, for what they all taught me in only a few hours and I commend all those people who commit to helping them.
I'll be going back to the streets again.
Thursday, 10 January 2008
Missing US already
I've not been back a week yet and while the jetlag has now gone, I'm missing America already.
Rach and I spent the Christmas holidays in Pennsylvania with some very close and very lovely friends. It was our first time together away from our families at Christmas, which was a little strange, but one: we're very fortunate and see a lot of them throughout the year and two: you gotta fly the coop at some point. In any case we were treated so well and felt so at home, we had an amazing time.
Christmas across the pond was, in many ways, not so different from our own. Turkey is of course, native and so the festive meal was very similar, but we needed to add some English flavour by insisting on roast potatoes instead of just the planned mash and sourcing some "breakfast" sausages to wrap in bacon. In fact, the only thing missing was a traditional Christmas pud! However, to replace this was a truly amazing trifle made by our host's sister. Eating this was like a dream come true for me as only a day before I had been introduced to something that we definitely don't have here - Lact-Aid!
For the last three and a half years, I have steered clear of milk, yoghurt, cream and most cheeses due to developing a severe lactose intolerance. Yet available from pharmacy shelves is a product that allowed me to tuck into this wonderful cream-filled treat, that was sooo good. I know our laws and processes here are different, but I hope we see something similar available to us, here soon.
This, as you'd expect was one of the many differences we experienced, but the more we visit, the more some gaps narrow and others widen. The range of products available (not counting pharmaceuticals) is very similar, but if course at 2 dollars to the pound, much more can be had for less as a UK visitor. General attitudes are very similar - middle-class concerns about safety and career prospects with rising costs, and we were (as ever) greeted with warmth and friendliness wherever we went. We're very lucky to know some fantastic people there and to have met many more.
Where we really saw some divides are in the recent changes in the UK's outwardly facing societal attitudes towards energy and resources. Food and gasoline come cheap in America. Where in Waitrose (or indeed some Tescos) if you're not putting your shopping in a reusable, hessian bag that's been handsewn in an African village both cashiers and fellow customers alike will be threatening to cause you GBH with a clubcard, Wal-Mart, by contrast was giving me a fresh plastic bag for every two items I purchased!
Cars are yet another matter. With a gallon of petrol costing a quarter of what it does here, travelling by automobile is a very different matter altogether. But it needs to be. It wasn't until I walked off our friends' property to take some photos that I noticed that there weren't any pavements! None at all until the downtown area (10 miles away). Its not a choice to drive everywhere, its a necessity. Even across a retail park there was no way to walk from one unit to another. If we are truly facing an oil and energy crisis (& with oil reaching $100 a barrel, the first signs are surely showing), then I have sympathy for our transatlantic cousins. When the new Tata "peoples car" goes on sale in India this week - the second largest nation on the Earth will increase its demand significantly. I'm praying for a replacement for the combustion engine to raise its head soon!
If I'm coming across in a negative way, forgive me, these are purely my observations. For two weeks I enjoyed great food and even better prices, but this was purely the icing on a cake made of good values and intelligent, fun company. People. Places are always made by the people and although my experience is founded by having great friends in the 'States, I've been welcomed and befriended by countless others.
So I'd like to thank our great friends Tim & Taryn for being such wonderful hosts and to everyone else we met - God bless America!
One more thing I loved... it was awesome to see proper snow again!
Rach and I spent the Christmas holidays in Pennsylvania with some very close and very lovely friends. It was our first time together away from our families at Christmas, which was a little strange, but one: we're very fortunate and see a lot of them throughout the year and two: you gotta fly the coop at some point. In any case we were treated so well and felt so at home, we had an amazing time.
Christmas across the pond was, in many ways, not so different from our own. Turkey is of course, native and so the festive meal was very similar, but we needed to add some English flavour by insisting on roast potatoes instead of just the planned mash and sourcing some "breakfast" sausages to wrap in bacon. In fact, the only thing missing was a traditional Christmas pud! However, to replace this was a truly amazing trifle made by our host's sister. Eating this was like a dream come true for me as only a day before I had been introduced to something that we definitely don't have here - Lact-Aid!
For the last three and a half years, I have steered clear of milk, yoghurt, cream and most cheeses due to developing a severe lactose intolerance. Yet available from pharmacy shelves is a product that allowed me to tuck into this wonderful cream-filled treat, that was sooo good. I know our laws and processes here are different, but I hope we see something similar available to us, here soon.
This, as you'd expect was one of the many differences we experienced, but the more we visit, the more some gaps narrow and others widen. The range of products available (not counting pharmaceuticals) is very similar, but if course at 2 dollars to the pound, much more can be had for less as a UK visitor. General attitudes are very similar - middle-class concerns about safety and career prospects with rising costs, and we were (as ever) greeted with warmth and friendliness wherever we went. We're very lucky to know some fantastic people there and to have met many more.
Where we really saw some divides are in the recent changes in the UK's outwardly facing societal attitudes towards energy and resources. Food and gasoline come cheap in America. Where in Waitrose (or indeed some Tescos) if you're not putting your shopping in a reusable, hessian bag that's been handsewn in an African village both cashiers and fellow customers alike will be threatening to cause you GBH with a clubcard, Wal-Mart, by contrast was giving me a fresh plastic bag for every two items I purchased!
Cars are yet another matter. With a gallon of petrol costing a quarter of what it does here, travelling by automobile is a very different matter altogether. But it needs to be. It wasn't until I walked off our friends' property to take some photos that I noticed that there weren't any pavements! None at all until the downtown area (10 miles away). Its not a choice to drive everywhere, its a necessity. Even across a retail park there was no way to walk from one unit to another. If we are truly facing an oil and energy crisis (& with oil reaching $100 a barrel, the first signs are surely showing), then I have sympathy for our transatlantic cousins. When the new Tata "peoples car" goes on sale in India this week - the second largest nation on the Earth will increase its demand significantly. I'm praying for a replacement for the combustion engine to raise its head soon!
If I'm coming across in a negative way, forgive me, these are purely my observations. For two weeks I enjoyed great food and even better prices, but this was purely the icing on a cake made of good values and intelligent, fun company. People. Places are always made by the people and although my experience is founded by having great friends in the 'States, I've been welcomed and befriended by countless others.
So I'd like to thank our great friends Tim & Taryn for being such wonderful hosts and to everyone else we met - God bless America!
One more thing I loved... it was awesome to see proper snow again!
Tuesday, 18 December 2007
The underground railroad
I learned some truly horrible things today.
One of my colleagues invited our whole team to spend their lunch hour watching Seoul Train - a documentary about refugees from North Korea. I think everyone came to watch.
The film largely focuses on a man known as the Korean Schindler - a hero running an underground railroad smuggling people out of North Korea. The penalty for defecting is death.
The situation for millions of people in North Korea is desperate. Famine has killed an estimated 2 million - over 10% of the population. Food aid is redirected by the government. Many citizens are kept in forced labour camps. Men, women, children.
Many citizens try and escape to China. The Chinese government hunt them down and return them.
The film shows the fate of several refugee families, who escape, protest and are captured. Their fate is unknown, but likely prison or death.
How can humans treat other humans like this? How? And how can other humans, societies, stand by and watch?
At the end of the film, no-one really said a word. How we each reacted to it was unreal. It was shocking. Someone had had the forethought to place a box of tissues at the front of the room. They were needed.
I left the room reeling - realising how lucky I am.
More information about these terrible atrocities can be found at www.seoultrain.com
Have a look - and realise how lucky you are too.
One of my colleagues invited our whole team to spend their lunch hour watching Seoul Train - a documentary about refugees from North Korea. I think everyone came to watch.
The film largely focuses on a man known as the Korean Schindler - a hero running an underground railroad smuggling people out of North Korea. The penalty for defecting is death.
The situation for millions of people in North Korea is desperate. Famine has killed an estimated 2 million - over 10% of the population. Food aid is redirected by the government. Many citizens are kept in forced labour camps. Men, women, children.
Many citizens try and escape to China. The Chinese government hunt them down and return them.
The film shows the fate of several refugee families, who escape, protest and are captured. Their fate is unknown, but likely prison or death.
How can humans treat other humans like this? How? And how can other humans, societies, stand by and watch?
At the end of the film, no-one really said a word. How we each reacted to it was unreal. It was shocking. Someone had had the forethought to place a box of tissues at the front of the room. They were needed.
I left the room reeling - realising how lucky I am.
More information about these terrible atrocities can be found at www.seoultrain.com
Have a look - and realise how lucky you are too.
Saturday, 8 December 2007
If it doesn't make any sense...
My last 4 blogs are a series - starting with, "The Spirit(s) of Christmas" - so if anyone is reading this (& if you are in any way wondering what I'm babbling about), please go back and start there.
Ta :)
Ta :)
The Spirit of Christmas Future – Christmas Presence
So I plan to change my present – with presence. I will buy gifts for people, it’s still nice and there might be some things that they really do need, but…
I’m going to show people more love. The most precious commodity we own is our time and love is a present that can be given freely. I’m going to show people more care and attention. I’m going to give my presence. I’m going to listen to people more and find out what their needs are. I’m also going to step outside the close friends and family I usually give to and give to some people who are in far greater need than I am. I’m going to be present in their lives if they want. But I’m not going to rush from place to place this year, quality not quantity.
And love is a gift that can keep on giving - I’m not going to stop once the trees and the fairy lights come down – I’m going to keep it going – and next Christmas, it’ll be another opportunity to celebrate why.
If anyone wants to give me a gift, show someone else some love. I don’t believe that you have to be a Christian or indeed subscribe to any other religion to do that. Show someone else that you care, a little bit more than you’ve done before. Maybe even show some love to someone you don’t know
And if you see a cheerleader that needs saving… well you never know!
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