Dancing in space

Imagine you're line-dancing in a small square hall. Your line moves forward with the music until you feel hemmed in by the wall in front of you, not much wriggle-room. Then the dance changes and you ease back away from that cramped feeling, and you can breathe freely again.

Johari came up with a similar idea encouraging us to dance in space. Sometimes it's something we can do for ourselves, but at other times it can only be achieved through others. The art is to make sure we grow fulfilled lives that include reserve capacity to cope with those times when there's too much going on.

A little stress is good. Deadlines can encourage high performance. Too much permanent pressure leads to overload, depression, and exhaustion. Every new new gadget can add to hassle, unless we tame them, and why not? God gave us a command to make sure we look after ourselves. 'Love your neighbour as you love yourself'. We often hear the first half without registering that we can only be true neighbours if we love ourselves.

I had a scam that made me laugh, but raised concerns until the 'punchline'. A message was left on my phone telling my my arrest warrant number, and pending execution! To find out more and avoid imminent death all I had to do was get in touch with Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs department. No doubt I would then be asked for personal details, and a ransom.

If I didn't have a fulfilled life because I was alone and frightened, my reaction could have been very different. Others have had scams about watching porn, needing to resend bank details etc etc. We need to have fresh air in our lives so we see things in perspective.

Incidentally, I recommend uk.whocalledme.net [notice 'net' not 'co.uk'] because it is community run and relies on trust. Some of the others are effectively scams which seek to make a profit from unwanted callers.

So Happy 2019, and may we encourage trustworthiness at every level, so we can live fulfilled lives. If you like, 'dancing in plenty of space'.

Access to Power

The Oxford Natural History Museum houses many ancient artefacts, including dinosaur fossils with enormous teeth. Descriptions are cut into the stone of the building. It could all be rather 'ancient and musty', but there is also a display of an E coli bacterium.

It's a model revealing amazing detail [only made possible through electron microscopes and the like] of an organism so deadly, common, and minuscule. The museum comes alive with such a range on display and helps visitors marvel at the miracle of our natural world, created and sustained by unimaginable Power.

As we celebrate Christmas, we engage with another side of that Power: its ability to become weak in order to be accessible. At one level such an idea is beyond comprehension, at another level it's as natural as parenting. Adults become weak in order to nurture their offspring, and in doing so they become accessible.

But of course it's not just a family thing because, as we nurture each other and learn to share, we grow up to be team players. As a planet we are coming to terms with challenges that can only be faced as 'Team Earth'. Anything else is too small. We're #makingadifference on climate change, plastic, and communication.

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However there are at least two other major challenges: sharing resources so economic migration ceases, and establishing sufficient spaces for all species to thrive alongside mankind.

Then we'll have received the Power of Christmas, and really grow up!

My best wishes and prayers to you and yours for a fantastic season, and for all the opportunities of the coming year. Our thanks to Iain for producing the Register to such an amazing standard.

One size ... and peace

I've really enjoyed taking weddings this year. There has been great variety, a mix of contemporary and traditional, and always a sense of meaningful fun. No two have been the same because each couple is different. Bookings are coming in for 2020

What suits one couple might really annoy another. I make sure they choose what's appropriate, and don't impose my tastes on others. Every couple has survived me trying to put them off getting married; most years some change their minds. Far better not to marry than tie the knot with the wrong person! One size doesn't fit all.

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The same is true of energy. I might find rock folk music is balm for the soul, whereas you prefer panpipes or chants. Wouldn't it be boring if we had the same tastes. And what energises us changes over time. Those who have the gift of young children might say all they want is sleep. Teenagers might say they enjoy being on the cusp of adult tastes, while still enjoying childhood games and traditions. 

In our Ridgeway Churches there's huge variety of worship, so all of us can find spaces. There are interactive times: Family Friendly, Café Church, Messy Church, or Bible Study groups. Traditional services abound: Holy Communion, Matins, Evening Prayer. And there are short hybrid occasions: Candlelight Evensong, informal Communion. One size doesn't fit all.

Regardless of our different opinions about Brexit, let's remember the true dividend isn't the bottom line or GDP or national identity or political persuasion or so many other things. It's peace!

Last century more blood was spilt in Europe than ever. The symmetry and strange beauty of thousands of graveyards and millions of graves mock us, and remind us of so many young wasted lives. Many too were maimed in body or mind. Egos, party allegiance, personal opinion or upbringing must recede before the great gift of peace in our time.

Jesus went further, and put forward a vision of peace that runs deep into the soil of our being, and satisfies the soul. It's his peace that knows no end. I recall a dairy farmer in his last days. I asked him if there was anything he wanted to tell me, and waited. I want to be cremated, and I'm at peace. What a treasure.

... as in heaven

As a child, the smell of pine needles and sea air triggered excitement at an approaching time on the beach. We would run down the snicket with buckets and spades. However, there were constant calls to look out for dog's mess, which created a third but unwelcomed smell.

Go down that path now and the contributions from dogs have all but disappeared. It's a trite example [unless you're a parent cleaning off contaminant] which shows that some aspects of life have improved. Unfortunately we litter like there's no tomorrow.

There's a great deal of positive work going on to check plastic pollution, and it's recognised as a challenge for mankind as a whole. You and I can make a difference. Small changes multiplied over and over really do count. By the way, my wooden toothbrushes are working fine [see my March View]. Every step brings a little more of heaven to earth.

Marie Curie was excited by the discovery of radiation, and spent a huge effort refining radium until she had a concentrated file of it which she carried about in her handbag. At supper parties she would open the bag to show off the blue glow. What she didn't realise is that the radiation was killing her, and possibly her guests. She died of cancer, and in her memory an excellent charity exists to this day.

Nowadays radiation is handled safely, and is a fantastic tool in the hands of medics. It supplies us with roughly 25% of our electricity, thanks to the work of those in the early days of the Winfrith site. It took around 120 years to understand what nuclear radiation is, and how to harness it.

Resurrection was discovered by another woman, Mary Magdelene [as told in John chapter 20]. Some of the earliest writings in the New Testament show that the phenomenon was poorly understood. St Paul implied that it was hardly worth holding down your day job, because Jesus was about to return.

120 years later writers of the New Testament see the resurrection of Jesus as demonstrating love is stronger than death. It wasn't an extension of Jesus' life, but a quality of living that knows no end. It gave us forgiveness that we could make fresh starts, and write a wholesome story with our lives, a touch of earth as it is in heaven.

Good perspective, and peace

Basically the Brits are inside the European Union with lots of opt-outs, and want to be outside with lots of opt-ins. That was the view painted by a Business Daily podcast on the BBC World Service. It got me thinking. 

In other words Brexit will change little, which appears to be roughly the direction we're heading. I commend the podcasts [¼ hour available on digital or internet] because they give different perspectives, and don't endlessly flog the same stories.

But there's another reason: they are full of positive tales. Outlook is another particularly good series. Often media delights in the bad at the expense of the good. The truth is that a huge amount of great events go unreported. Jesus said to his disciples, 'If you continue in my word ... you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.' His teaching addressed poverty, illness, abuse, and so on; he didn't avoid the bad, but his focus was always on good news or gospel.

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When heading up All Saints School governors, I participated in giving students some interview practice. One thought she had little of achievement, but as I asked her about what she did it became clear she had a wealth of skills and experience to offer. She couldn't believe the truth about herself until she heard it reflected back to her. Another thought school was just occupational therapy, but came to understand it was there to give him the skills he needed. Instead of resenting challenges he came to relish them.

St Paul put it beautifully, 'Whatever is true, honourable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, if there is excellence and anything worthy of praise, think about these things ... and the God of peace will be with you.

Safe celebration, and just outcomes

On my way to take Padre's Hour at the Air Training Corps I was diverted around the houses by a large screen broadcasting World Cup Footie outside the Rendezvous. 

The atmosphere was amazing, a great sense of fun and excitement. However, to one side I noticed police, ambulance, and security staff making sure someone who had collapsed was safe. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to those who look after us, especially when we've overdone things.

Jesus taught that we should live to the full and celebrate all that's good, while at the same time keeping a lookout for one another.

And on another subject, the last Wessex Water information pamphlet delivered to every household invited us to rate its performance against other service providers, one of which was Sky with only a 5% approval rating. I have spent 5 months terminating my TV subscription [which had provided an excellent service] and now understand why Sky has such a poor reputation.

The above can be published in the public domain, however I cannot tell you the outcome of my dispute because it includes a confidentiality clause. What I can do is thoroughly recommend the centre for effective dispute resolution [CEDR] which provided an excellent service.

It is internet based, with provision for both parties to upload evidence. This is evaluated independently, and a binding judgement made. Power is held to account by truth. Christians lie behind the foundation of these islands' ancient courts of justice, most of which had a chapel built into their infrastructure.

As we enjoy summer lets give thanks be showing appreciation for those who keep us safe, and all who pursue justice.

Smart thinking, and privacy.

Vans are coupled back to back so that one driver can move two units. The power train uses the front wheels with rear being attached later. As I cycled by I did wonder if it was a spoof, until I saw thousands of pairs.

Smart thinking can throw up unusual ideas. There's a company exploring the storage capacity of electric vehicles. Why not use them as backup power supplies? Tot thousands of batteries together and they can supply substantial energy for those times when we all put the kettle on at the same time.

Jesus was a smart thinker. Take the idea of a day of rest. People of his day had gone all 'health & safety' mad about it. Work of any description was banned. What about healing people then? He put it very simply: rest was made for people, not people made for rest. They had things back to front, and he straightened out their thinking.

Confidence is vital in terms of respecting privacy, and allowing us to deal with things at our own pace rather than under public pressure. In my role I have many conversations, visits, and encounters which cannot be in the public domain. Some have misunderstood because much of my ministry is behind the scenes. But you can't have it both ways.

Parishioners wouldn't keep asking me for conversations if they then heard details broadcast to others. Many of those who wish to know what's going on in other people's lives find that they need privacy when facing challenges themselves.

At the end of May new privacy laws came into being. They can be summed up as everyone [whether big business or an individual] respecting privacy, and never putting anything in the public domain unless there's clear evidence of consent.

The Almighty Creator of the universe, who sustains it through his power, does not invade the human heart ~ he just gently knocks on the door waiting for an invitation. If God respects us, we should respect each other.