The question of resources will be important over the coming weeks, as the coalition government wrestles with how to balance the national budget through making cuts in key areas. The new Chief Secretary to the Treasury revealed that his predecessor left him a note saying: 'I'm afraid there's no money left; good luck!'
The Duchess of York has been trapped by a Sunday paper asking for £500,000 for introductions to her former husband Prince Andrew which perhaps shows the desperation felt by those with no resources – though many commentators wonder whether it says more about the paper's desperation to increase circulation.
In the second half of the week, the readings in Acts focus on the conflict between Peter and the Jewish authorities, at a time when BA is enmeshed in conflict with cabin crew and there is continued serious conflict in Thailand, once famed for its peacefulness. In Paris, French farmers managed to find an altogether more peaceful way of making their protests known.
The remarkable provision of God, and courage of leadership in the face of conflict, leads to a boldness for all the believers. Stories of courage this week include the conquest of Everest by Bonita Norris, the youngest British woman to do so. The courage of bomb-disposal experts is also making news in the light of the apparent lack of resources.
Surprisingly, in the context of so many other technologies, radio listening has reached an all-time high which could have important implications for the communication of the gospel.
Ian Paul
Showing posts with label topical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label topical. Show all posts
Monday, 24 May 2010
Thursday, 20 May 2010
Tales of the unexpected
In this week's WordLive readings we focus on the events of the first Pentecost and the birth of the Church. A key theme throughout Acts is the bursting in of the unexpected, which then turns out to be a new expression of what God has in fact always been doing. ‘This is that’, explains Peter (Acts 2:16, AV).
Interestingly, Luke introduces all this as the legacy, or perhaps even continuing ministry of Jesus himself. This week there has been plenty of reflection on the legacy of Gordon Brown’s leadership: was it one of towering achievements or massive flaws? As in Acts (5:38,39), only time will tell.
There is plenty in the news about the unexpected. The unpredictable (and unpronounceable!) Icelandic volcano once again seems set to upset our well-organised travel plans. And the continuing crisis in Greece is making people rethink their assumptions about how Europe should work.
But alongside the unexpected bad comes the unexpected good – sometimes in spite of it, sometimes because of it.
Who thought that England would beat Australia in an international cricket competition? Or that gold would be found in Cornish mines?
That a teenage girl would defeat hard-bitten shepherds in a sheepdog trial, or that a boy born blind would learn to ‘see’ using clicks and echoes? Even the left-handed are better off than we thought they were.
Yet the breaking in of the new and unexpected demands new patterns of living (Acts 2:43–47); new wine needs new wineskins. We continue to find it a struggle to develop healthy patterns of living in response to the demands of technology.
Ian Paul
Interestingly, Luke introduces all this as the legacy, or perhaps even continuing ministry of Jesus himself. This week there has been plenty of reflection on the legacy of Gordon Brown’s leadership: was it one of towering achievements or massive flaws? As in Acts (5:38,39), only time will tell.
There is plenty in the news about the unexpected. The unpredictable (and unpronounceable!) Icelandic volcano once again seems set to upset our well-organised travel plans. And the continuing crisis in Greece is making people rethink their assumptions about how Europe should work.
But alongside the unexpected bad comes the unexpected good – sometimes in spite of it, sometimes because of it.
Who thought that England would beat Australia in an international cricket competition? Or that gold would be found in Cornish mines?
That a teenage girl would defeat hard-bitten shepherds in a sheepdog trial, or that a boy born blind would learn to ‘see’ using clicks and echoes? Even the left-handed are better off than we thought they were.
Yet the breaking in of the new and unexpected demands new patterns of living (Acts 2:43–47); new wine needs new wineskins. We continue to find it a struggle to develop healthy patterns of living in response to the demands of technology.
Ian Paul
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
A few tweaks here and there
We're always trying to improve Wordlive to help you meet with God. And there are a couple of small changes that we have made this week. In a vain attempt to post more regularly I thought I'd tell you about them.
Firstly, we have merged the 'Topical thought' with the 'Editorial'. The two pieces of writing were doing similar jobs so we thought it made sense to join them together. So from now on you'll see a link labelled 'welcome' in the left navigation panel and that's where the 'Topical thought' can now be found.
Secondly, and probably more importantly, we've changed the 'Pray first'. This was the first activity that you saw when you opened WordLive. The first activity will now be 'Prepare'. This is because sometimes you need to prepare yourself before you can pray. We don't want to diminish the importance of prayer, and there will still be plenty of prayer within WordLive. Sometimes the 'Prepare' may include a prayer or call to prayer, but it could be totally un-prayer related.
That's it for the moment but we're hoping to have lots more for you in the future. To help us know what you'd find helpful on the WordLive site do let us know in the comments below.
Darren
Firstly, we have merged the 'Topical thought' with the 'Editorial'. The two pieces of writing were doing similar jobs so we thought it made sense to join them together. So from now on you'll see a link labelled 'welcome' in the left navigation panel and that's where the 'Topical thought' can now be found.
Secondly, and probably more importantly, we've changed the 'Pray first'. This was the first activity that you saw when you opened WordLive. The first activity will now be 'Prepare'. This is because sometimes you need to prepare yourself before you can pray. We don't want to diminish the importance of prayer, and there will still be plenty of prayer within WordLive. Sometimes the 'Prepare' may include a prayer or call to prayer, but it could be totally un-prayer related.
That's it for the moment but we're hoping to have lots more for you in the future. To help us know what you'd find helpful on the WordLive site do let us know in the comments below.
Darren
Monday, 1 December 2008
Same old, same old
Once again we are witness to a terror attack on the planet. This time a group of young men brought fear and death to Mumbai. The danger for myself is that I become numb to these attacks, that death through them becomes statistical. Just because something is commonplace doesn’t make it something to gloss over.
The economic situation continues to dominate the media too. This week we’ve heard the news that two iconic high street traders in the United Kingdom have gone into administration – Woolworths and MFI. Both are well known names but it seems they may have had their day, and the time has come for them to disappear.
The United Kingdom has been told to expect a cold winter this year. At the same time many will feel the need to cut their fuel costs by turning down the heating. So it is with interest that we see ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ voted the best Christmas Carol.
The news reports seem to be stuck with an endless repetition of atrocities, economic woe and seasonal ‘Dead donkey’ stories (hopefully no pun intended there). There is nothing new. Names and places may be different but the stories are essentially the same.
As we progress through Ecclesiastes this week we can hear similar sentiments echoed millennia earlier. Stuff happens and life goes on. The sentiment that however wise and clever humanity becomes, we still end up in difficult situations, is as true today as it was then.
Both the news reports and Ecclesiastes can be seen as a little depressing. They appear to offer little hope. But dig into both and you will find good news, for there are times both to weep and laugh.
Darren
The economic situation continues to dominate the media too. This week we’ve heard the news that two iconic high street traders in the United Kingdom have gone into administration – Woolworths and MFI. Both are well known names but it seems they may have had their day, and the time has come for them to disappear.
The United Kingdom has been told to expect a cold winter this year. At the same time many will feel the need to cut their fuel costs by turning down the heating. So it is with interest that we see ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ voted the best Christmas Carol.
The news reports seem to be stuck with an endless repetition of atrocities, economic woe and seasonal ‘Dead donkey’ stories (hopefully no pun intended there). There is nothing new. Names and places may be different but the stories are essentially the same.
As we progress through Ecclesiastes this week we can hear similar sentiments echoed millennia earlier. Stuff happens and life goes on. The sentiment that however wise and clever humanity becomes, we still end up in difficult situations, is as true today as it was then.
Both the news reports and Ecclesiastes can be seen as a little depressing. They appear to offer little hope. But dig into both and you will find good news, for there are times both to weep and laugh.
Darren
Monday, 24 November 2008
Prepared for Action
We are in a financial crisis. A common feature of the ongoing arguments about how the current crisis might best be resolved is criticism of the Government for not being better prepared for the global economic downturn. Why, opposition parties ask, was money not set aside in the good times for a time such as this? Meanwhile, as the political debate drags on, we must all prepare for tough times ahead. We must watch the pennies all the more closely when the pound can’t look after itself. And it happens that we must do so even as we prepare for Christmas, until now a celebration increasingly characterised by financial excess as opposed to restraint.
Looking ahead to the New Year, workers at Honda’s factory in Swindon must prepare to find something else to do with their time for the two months when it will close down due to the drop in demand. And rail users must prepare themselves for yet another significant increase in the price of their fares.
The repeated emphasis in our readings this week is the need to be prepared for the second coming of Christ. Put differently, our adherence to a biblical worldview, wherein it is certain that Christ will one day come again, has implications for the way we live now. And they are practical implications. True, we’ll hear Jesus telling us to ‘keep watch’ for his coming, but – as his parable of the talents and teaching about the final judgement using the imagery of a shepherd separating sheep and goats makes clear – that’s far from a summons to complacency and inactivity. On the contrary, our confidence in Christ for our salvation, and our certainty that he will return is to provoke us to bold, imaginative transformative action.
If we are prepared at all for the future coming of Christ, it will be demonstrated in our willingness to act in his name in the here and now.
Nigel Hopper
Looking ahead to the New Year, workers at Honda’s factory in Swindon must prepare to find something else to do with their time for the two months when it will close down due to the drop in demand. And rail users must prepare themselves for yet another significant increase in the price of their fares.
The repeated emphasis in our readings this week is the need to be prepared for the second coming of Christ. Put differently, our adherence to a biblical worldview, wherein it is certain that Christ will one day come again, has implications for the way we live now. And they are practical implications. True, we’ll hear Jesus telling us to ‘keep watch’ for his coming, but – as his parable of the talents and teaching about the final judgement using the imagery of a shepherd separating sheep and goats makes clear – that’s far from a summons to complacency and inactivity. On the contrary, our confidence in Christ for our salvation, and our certainty that he will return is to provoke us to bold, imaginative transformative action.
If we are prepared at all for the future coming of Christ, it will be demonstrated in our willingness to act in his name in the here and now.
Nigel Hopper
Thursday, 28 August 2008
It's a small world
it's a small world With the Beijing Olympics over, the flag has been passed on to London. The Global Village may be a cliché, but the fact is we live in a connected world.
Whilst the games took place in Beijing, the focus was the world. More than 200 nations were represented – more than in the UN. And now athletes, officials, media people and visitors have scattered to the ends of the earth.
This connectedness is not just about warm feelings or the availability of information. Events in one place can have a much wider significance than it first seems. Last week’s terrible plane crash in Madrid didn’t just affect Spain. Victims came from 11 other countries. And the Spanish airline involved is owned by SAS, a joint Danish, Norwegian and Swedish company.
The openness of the world also exposes things which some would prefer to be hidden. Last week, women in Swaziland – one of the poorest countries in the world – demonstrated against a shopping trip to Europe and the Middle East undertaken by 9 of the king’s 13 wives. 1
And as for Gary Glitter, his world became a smaller place with 19 countries refusing him entry. He had no option other than to return to Britain. 2
This week’s readings have this global perspective. But look deeper and you’ll see much more, a glorious cosmic vision!
Emlyn Williams
1http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7574824.stm 2http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2601785/Gary-Glitter-vows-to-clear-his-name-after-travesty-of-justice-in-Vietnam.html
Whilst the games took place in Beijing, the focus was the world. More than 200 nations were represented – more than in the UN. And now athletes, officials, media people and visitors have scattered to the ends of the earth.
This connectedness is not just about warm feelings or the availability of information. Events in one place can have a much wider significance than it first seems. Last week’s terrible plane crash in Madrid didn’t just affect Spain. Victims came from 11 other countries. And the Spanish airline involved is owned by SAS, a joint Danish, Norwegian and Swedish company.
The openness of the world also exposes things which some would prefer to be hidden. Last week, women in Swaziland – one of the poorest countries in the world – demonstrated against a shopping trip to Europe and the Middle East undertaken by 9 of the king’s 13 wives. 1
And as for Gary Glitter, his world became a smaller place with 19 countries refusing him entry. He had no option other than to return to Britain. 2
This week’s readings have this global perspective. But look deeper and you’ll see much more, a glorious cosmic vision!
Emlyn Williams
1http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7574824.stm 2http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2601785/Gary-Glitter-vows-to-clear-his-name-after-travesty-of-justice-in-Vietnam.html
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