The Village

Hmm.. I realised today that I don't do well with jumpy films. I gasp out loud, and hide behind my hands, and leave my seat when anything scary happens...

Other than that I quite liked the Village, has some interesting things to say about control. Actually pretty much the smae message as Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind.. but with a shorter title and longer finger nails.

Just very interesting that when we create alternative realities to avoid/ deny pain we end up having to control things. Think it has something to say to the church about how we try sometimes to not engage in the brokeness of the world. In staying away (holiness is sometimes the label wew wrongly put on it) we ened up controlling people. Also true where there has been extreme trauma for people (abuse and the like)- a new reality is created where the victim is now in control..

Blah blah blah..

Maybe I need to start watching fluffy romcoms again!!

Marathon

I can't, late this Sunday night, not mention Paula Radcliffe. In her stopping running six or so hours ago I think I saw something quite profound. I think I saw a humbling lost-ness. When the Ethiopian runner (who incidentally had been cheered on by her husband as she ran..) passed her, and Radcliffe hit fourth place again it was almost like her spirit broke. To be faced with the thought of once agin not making the medals, once more feeling failure seemed to break her. And what we saw was a lost ness.. What do I do now? I am surrounded by people but all alone. I only have somewhere to go in this situation if I am running.. and if I stop then I am out of place here.

In the moment I believe it took more courage to stop.

The realisation that the race could not be won brought pain and hurt to Radcliffe but she stopped and faced that reality.. is there something for us in this? Will we realise that this mad wordlinesss of chase and greed cannot be won. Will we stop?

We face the prospect of feeling out of place. It will hurt. (An elderly Greek couple may try to console us!?) But we will have stopped running a race where no-one can win. We will sit on the pavement and begin to watch the real world, the world outside of the spray painted blue line of best fit. The cheering crowds will come into focus.. dare I suggest a cloud of witnesses, cheering us.. not in this race.. but one of far greater worth.

Will we stop? Do we have the courage to stop?

Olympmania

My blogging absence is due, in no small part, to the presence (should that be omnipresence) of the 2004 Olympics. I am, I admit, addicted. I think the attraction (and the emotion) of it comes from the stories. Each one of those thousands of competitiors has a story, which includes blood sweat and tears for most. They each come with their own journey and when they comepte its almost as of their lives are laid out on the sporting field.

I know that theres corruption and greed and all that in the games.. I know that there is unfair politicking and hypocrisy. But there remain the stories. And while they remain I too will stay and watch.

Films, fahrenheit, faf

I said I would say some stuff about Fahrenheit 911.

Yeah. Interesting film. Its one of those ones that if you follow this stuff anyway its not new, but just having it out there for a broader audience is good. The thing that broke me most was the very start- the continued injustice of disenfranchisement in the South, some 40 years after the Voting Rights Act. I know it might be Michael Moore's slant but I don't want to be pals with a nation that still displays such outrageous racism.

Interesting watching it in a Luton cinema too. A very much more middle class audience than usual..

In terms of what he is saying... well yeah.. its there. Its pretty true. It would be interesting to see a parallel movie for the start of the war based in the UK. Often its not until you see the whole thing in a neat two hours that it makes sense.

Having just watched the Bourne Supremacy I don't think I can say anything more thats sensible. I just want to chase round car parks in an indestructible Lada!!!!

More soon

Lottery Hypocrisy

Have been amused today by the outcry that a serial rapist has caused by winning the lottery. Obviously he has committed crimes that have devastated people and in no way do I condone his actions etc.. BUT who do we think we are to dictate who can or cannot win a lottery. It amazes me that the Daily Mail classes seem to feel that they have a moral ownership of this pot of money that says what it can or cannot go to.

Its a game. Anyone has a right to play it.. deal

Maybe it has something to say about how we have lost our sense of grace. Surely this is (if you can redeem the lottery) a redemptive grace story. Someone getting what, in our economy, he didn't deserve. Go on God for still shocking the religious masses!

Have also just been to see Fahreheit 911. More on that later.

BB5...

Again, I won't be the only person blogging about the winner of BB5 last night. But there are probably a few things that crossed my mind.

There is something about how we all liked to watch Nadia, but would we want her as a friend? thats nothing to do with the transexual stuff- more just the fairly obvious thing that what we watch on TV is not necessarily what we want to live or work with.

The whole issue of acceptance is intertwined there too. When Nadia (who bless her was near hysterical) came out of the house she kept saying thank you so much.. and you can't help get the impression that the thanks were as much about acceptance as about winning.

Was Nadia's mum exploited? Or was she completely party to the media hype that goes with it all?

Who knows? And in six weeks will it matter to any of us save for a derisory comment about b list celebs?

Red Moon Rising

Hmm.. There have probably been many, many posts with this title.

This is a little different.

I got back from Ibiza last week and through illness, work and an increasing sense of need I haven't really left Luton. Thats been really right in so many ways, and there have been a few things that I have noticed, just from being around.

The first was seeing two pieces in the local Sunday rag. The forst was a parody about some council plans. They are plans to unearth the river that has been buried under the centre of town for centuries. Its not a big river but its uncovering is something we have been praying for for ages. Then on the back page, there was a piece about taking the Vauxhall sign down from the now defunct factory. Since I was a child the Griffin has been the sign of welcome over the town, again we have been praying that that would just go.. the feeling of a prowling aslan increases.

Not all good though. In response to prayer, I have been able to hang out with some of my mates from the estate. In terms of dealing with issues of justice we have been having a hard time. Here is not the place to rant about getting community access to community buildings but....

Suffice to say it has been interesting.

Last night we were faced with yet another frustration. We adjourned to a friend's house.. where a local fella sat down and told me a long and intense story of brokeness. It seems that there is a local paedophile ring preying on estate kids (classically grooming kids who have already been abused). Further it seems that there is a film racket out of this..

Theres more to it but it just left me gutted again- young people are being abused and manipulated by those who really should be looking out for them. Vested interests mean that things are not really getting dealt with.. again the poor in our town are oppressed and abused.

I left them a little later (after chats about American apocolyptic writing, life as a nun, being a Christian etc).... as I ran away to the pub I cried out to God, what can we do, how, when, what, why...

Two hours later, as I drove home, I glanced up to the hills above Luton. I double took as I thought I saw fire and smoke.. but as I looked again I saw it was just.. well a red moon rising.

In the midst of all the institutionalised mess, all the greed and sin and brokeness, This King, this God, raises up a red moon.. it promises hope.. it promises a better way, it promises the Kingdom...

Walking

I've said it before (Maybe not here but I have said it) that Jesus walked. And that matters..
I think even if Jesus had been in bodily form now he would have walked. Sorry car lovers.

The thing is, that Jesus, was about interacting with people... more difficult to do when you drive.

Let me expand..

I went to post some letters yesterday... I was knackered and I could have driven. It was tempting.. some of the post was even in the car. But for some reason I walked. I put some stuff in teh post box, waved at two people I knew, walked into school to drop off something else. Because I went in the pedestrian way I bumped into the caretaker, his son (who I teach), the lady who runs the out of school provision (who has been dying to get me to see what they do for ages), and one of the school office staff. No great shakes but good to say hi.

On the way back I stopped off to see the people I waved at before. Found out they needed a favour, I went to oblige, had a chat with the security guy, found out he is poorly and needs some prayer. Also saw the site manager, wished him well for his holidays.

Again nothing mindblowing, no-one fell at my feet asking how to be saved. But it was meaningful human interaction.. and all cos I walked.

It reminded me again of a need to slow down. My community is small.. walking round it is possible, and is so key to building relationships.

Hmmm.