Approximately 48,000 homes in Northern Ireland have been without power since last night due to freak weather…
I say “freak” but really i am not surprised by the unpredictable weather these days. Its clearly either Global Warming or the end of the world approaching!
We had some flickering lights at home and a bit of slushy icy snow this morning, but that was as bad as it got for us.
See the BBC news story here
Yesterday i read this post by Randy Elrod and its been ringing in my ears since……
“Clearly the person who accepts the church as an infallible guide will believe whatever the church teaches” – St. Thomas Aquinas
Dear Church,
You have not loved me well. In fact, throughout our time together, I’ve felt used and abused. You use my talents to get people in the seats, but then you twist and “spin” the art I create for propaganda. You abuse by using me without any conscience whatever – for you tell me, “the end justifies the means.”
You have built a great wall between the sacred and the secular. Delineating worlds that were never meant to be separated. You have created a gray vacuum, a netherworld in between, and so I am homeless. I feel hopelessly rejected by both the church and the world. In fact, my entire life has been misjudged by parents, friends, teachers – and now you. Of all the places I thought I would surely find grace and acceptance, it was with you. But, you have not loved me well.
You value cloning, not originality. You value imitation, not creativity. You value programs, not people. You value the destination, not the journey. You value the story, not the telling.
Do you think I’m stupid? I’ll admit to being quirky, absent-minded, undisciplined, moody, depressed, to name only a few. But I’m not stupid. When I question, with an artists mind, the literal truth of the Bible, and you tell me I am not allowed to do so. Suddenly, I feel as if I’m in some sort of evangelical cult. So, if we are supposed to believe the Bible literally, then why aren’t we baptizing for the dead? Maybe that’s why the artist Madeline L’Engle said, “I believe the Bible is true, but I don’t believe it’s literal.” This coming from a Christian artist who was condemned by the fundamentalist church in the 60’s for writing science fiction.
And why do I meet so many disillusioned artists who have left you? They haven’t left their “first love”, they have just quietly left an illegitimate lover who uses and abuses them. The ominous number of artists without a church home is an ever-growing indictment against the church. As Cyril of Jerusalem was once said to have exclaimed, “The church is a whore, but she’s still my Mother”.
Thankfully, I’m finally beginning to understand that when I try to group the church and God together as one and the same – I get in trouble. God is perfect and the church is not. The church is composed of imperfect people. They are two totally different things. Apples and oranges.
And maybe I’m an idealist – I am an artist, you see. For over forty years, I have been continually disappointed by the church. But she’s still my mother. She has taught me scripture, bible stories, and songs. She has formed in me a foundation and belief system for truth. And despite the control she continually tries to exert over me, ironically, it is the very truth she has taught that has set me free. And for that, I’m thankful.
“Celebrity is just icing, its easy and can be delicious but man, is it bad for you. There’s simply no substance; its all sugar, no nutritional value at all.” - from the FREE e-Book, How to be remarkable
Being a ‘Celebrity’ doesn’t have to mean you are on TV or in the news headlines.
You could be a ‘Celebrity’ in your Church? Your job? Your family?
I got a tiny taste of this a few times when i was involved with ‘Christian events.’ I also experienced something like this when working in the ‘Christian bookshop.’ Do you see a pattern emerging?
No, not the fact that i make a good celebrity!!
But, ‘Christians’ are good at this stuff, some of us crave it. It made me feel good on some of those occasions but the long term effects of the ‘sugar’ are really not good.
At events, people wanted to speak to the guys who put on the show, wanted to share how they ‘had a vision for a concert’ of their own or just straight out, wanted to meet the band!
In the bookshop, some people would elevate the manager to some kind of status that was usually undeserved, thinking that i was some kind of literature database who wanted to go for coffee & discuss books endlessly!
Those may be wildly exaggerated examples, or maybe not…..
My point is, that we are all drawn to ‘celebrity’ and often it has “no substance, its all sugar.”
Some of you will be able to deal with it well, put it where it belongs and not suffer from an inflated ego but if you are like me you may need to avoid the ‘sugar’ just to be on the safe side of things.
Jim Marshall passed away this week.
Its unlikely that anyone will capture as many amazing & unforgettable images of rock ‘n’ roll icons ever again.
“Johnny flipping the bird at San Quentin Prison, 1969. Contrary to popular belief, John has never been in prison. I think he got busted once for being drunk or something when he was a kid – I don’t know and it’s none of my business – but he’s never been in jail. I’ve known John since 1962, and I forget why he flipped the bird in this picture. It might have been directed at the television crew who was filming there, or I might have suggested doing a special shot for the warden, but for whatever reason, this has become a very famous, iconic picture. His record company is still using it. It shows John’s individuality, but the gesture was definitely done in jest. John’s got a great sense of humor and this was not a serious shot.” — Jim Marshall
Go see his work here
