A cheeky eco-giggle

I've stolen this from Sarcasmo, i thought it was worthy of being shared...

Try Hard poor.0

Die hard 4.0 is plenty of fun, and a fantastic example of the final nail in the coffin of an ever worsening franchise that started out being seminal. It's a brilliant exercise, on the part of the filmakers, in missing the point. I was hoping to see the resurrection of John McClane, instead the whole thing reinforced the character's death somewhere in the aquaduct in 'Die Hard With a Vengence'. This wasn't the down-to-earth, bummed out and vulnerable John McClane. What we got was some tongue-in-cheek, superhuman, parody of an imitation, without any of the character's course, streetwise wit. How's this for a character arc: our very first introduction to the man in 1988 showed us a guy afraid of flying, by the end of Die Hard 4.0 he has surfed on a fighter jet!

Holy baptism, Unholy baptism and our stuff.

There's been so much going on lately that i haven't been able to reflect on it properly and therefore haven't blogged. I could list stuff, but that would be arduous for me and tedious for you. Instead i'll try and identify themes and commonalities amidst the nonsense. One of the central issues is undeniably money and possessions. At WBC lots of thought and talking has recently been done around questions of ownership, generosity, humble living, idolatry of wealth and ways of playing outside the 'rules' of contemporary western consumerist culture. Part of this has been about helping people to realise how wealthy we are, how wealth centred we are and how contrary that is to, certainly my understanding of, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This becomes somewhat awkward, ironic and perhaps inappropriate in a locality, and now virtually a country, which has had all it owns destroyed by what some people are accounting as an act of God.

It's also massively to my shame that it takes something like this to happen on my doorstep for me to pray anywhere near fervently about the weather. When comparative events take place elsewhere in the world (usually far more destructively) i'll think "oh God, why?" or "please help them" and then have my tea. This situation however has brought out the real hypocrite in me and shown what my response ought better look like to international events. Somehow these things shouldn't happen here; our buildings are made of concrete, we have the internet, satellites, cruise control and pop-charts. Yet here we are with mini- infrastructures way out of control, literally a wake of destruction and further communities at the mercy of clouds abilities to retain water... and people keep asking me what i want for my birthday!?

"...Come hell or high water"

To those of you who occasionally check in here, i'm sorry that there's been nothing new here for a little while, there have been several distractions in this past month or so which have made blogging difficult - but now i'm back!

Loads seems to have been going on that i'd have really liked to comment on but now lots of those things have either passed or been blogged about plenty by other folk. Highlights of things i've not talked about are:
1. Kelly's nanny.
2. My assignments. They went in tentatively (and a couple a bit late), but the marks i've had back so far are ok.
3. A portion of my neighbourhood flooding in 'the great flood' (I didn't think it was that good personally). Huge devastation, great need, receded waters (and with them receded spectacle and media interest), the floods hit in one of the poorest areas in Wakefield where a large portion of that community aren't insured. A moment which makes me laugh and saddens me enormously at the same time, was when an individual who held a postion of responsibility in the situation was overheard to be talking about a holiday they had booked on the second weekend (when it was due to really rain again and everyone was desperatly anxious about it) and said, quite unwittingly, that he would be going on it "come hell or high water". There's plenty to talk, think, reflect on and, most importantly, do, so i will probably revisit this topic over the next few weeks.
4. A friend of mine, dan, is attempting to set up a project for homeless people in Wakefield (which the council's statistics say there aren't any of). The project aims, for this year, to run as a signposting and advocacy agency; but most importantly as a research project, to be able to take evidence of homelessness in Wakefield to the authorities. 'The Way Home' has been named, an account opened and funding applied for. Watch this space...
5. The devastating fire at 'the simple way'.
6. A new Prime minister.

Just to say,the scripture with which i've resonated most through these events, and my reflections on these events, has been Habakkuk 1.2-4:
How long O Lord must I call for help but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you "Violence!"
but you do not save?
Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and conflict abounds.
Therefore the law is paralysed, and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous so that justice is perverted.

Again, i'm confident that i'll come back to this and explain further my thoughts along these lines.

To finish on an up-note, i'm going to catch Die Hard 4.0 this week as well as go on a stag do at the weekend, which will involve that winning combination of football, steak and beer.

a sad update

Kelly's grandmother passed away at breakfast time on Thursday 28th June, her funeral service was held on Friday morning 6th July. Thanks to those of you who've prayed (please continue to do so) and communicated your good wishes, they've been very much appreciated.