Something that is really astounding me these days is how quickly time passes...and how quickly I seem to waste my time. A few months ago I applied to go on a charity trip to Uganda, and in 2 weeks time, I'll be on my way there. Gulp. (I feel far more inadequate for the task now than I did when applying for it. Hence the 'gulp'!)
Another thing that is astounding (and kind of frustrating) is that I'm pretty sure I'm more focused on my future than my present. I've decided that I'd quite like to teach RE to secondary school kids when I've got my wee theology degree, and it makes me so excited that I think about it quite a lot. I also think about who (if anybody) I'll be with, where I'll live (somewhere in England probably), what school I'll teach in, whether I'll have a cottage or an apartment, whether I'll earn enough to be able to buy said cottage/apartment, whether I'll actually make a difference to the lives of the students I'll teach...
It's terrible. Well, it's good to dream but you know what they say about too much of a good thing. It actually feels like my present is being snatched from under my nose by my future. And that's definitely not a good thing because in missing the present, we miss all the beauty of all the moments we find ourselves in right here, right now.
So I'm making it my mission - not to forget completely about the future, because the endless possibilities drive me to be the best I can be - but to fix my focus on the step I'm on right now, and to appreciate the light that God shines on each one, one at a time :)
Care to join me?
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Monday, 9 May 2011
Northern Irish politics + why it's bothering me.
I'm at a place right now where a few things are frustrating me. Not just a wee silly frustration, I mean a deeply rooted in your soul frustration. One such thing is the political state of this country.
So, up until recently I would have regarded myself as a Unionist. Not a hard core loyalist Orangewoman kind of Unionist...more like a 'yeah, i quite like the fact we're in the UK' kind of Unionist. So what's changed my mind? Well, politicians have had a bit to do with it, but the main thing has been the hardcore followers of Unionist parties (the DUP in particular). Obviously, the leaders of those parties aren't going to live forever. People will have to take their places at some stage, and when they do take over, the future of Northern Ireland will depend on them. That scares the life out of me, because current leaders seem quite happy to work alongside parties with opposing political/religious/cultural views...but some of the young people who will be the future of this country seem to be so incredibly marinated in their own narrow-minded views that they just point blank refuse to have anything to do with 'the other side'. It's absolutely ridiculous, and I can't stand it. I realise that scores of people were killed and injured and hurt by the troubles, and I can't even begin to imagine how hard it would be to be affected by it all...i know it's easy for me to say this, because I haven't been affected by any of it, but for this country to move on, do we not have to move on from the troubles and who has the right to march where and who was involved in what bombings? We are in 2011, post-recession, where taxes are rising and public spending is falling. Should it matter whether the Orangemen aren't allowed to walk down a stretch of road, or whether a Sinn Fein party member is representing a certain part of the country? As young people who have lived in a relatively peaceful Northern Ireland, should we not be more concerned about how we're going to make this country the best possible place to live for ourselves and the next generation? Nothing will ever get done in NI until we accept what happened in the past and keep on moving on.
And this is where God comes in. My story of being completely put off my own political stance by the people representing it in my generation lies parallel to the stories I hear daily of people being put off Jesus because of others who are supposed to be representing Him. When we strip it down and get back to basics...are we being Christ or being cliquey, hypocritical Christians? Are we representing Christ well or are we just talking the talk? Are we even representing Him at all? Gandhi made one of the most challenging, profound and heartbreaking statements ever when he said: "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
Just some food for thought.
So, up until recently I would have regarded myself as a Unionist. Not a hard core loyalist Orangewoman kind of Unionist...more like a 'yeah, i quite like the fact we're in the UK' kind of Unionist. So what's changed my mind? Well, politicians have had a bit to do with it, but the main thing has been the hardcore followers of Unionist parties (the DUP in particular). Obviously, the leaders of those parties aren't going to live forever. People will have to take their places at some stage, and when they do take over, the future of Northern Ireland will depend on them. That scares the life out of me, because current leaders seem quite happy to work alongside parties with opposing political/religious/cultural views...but some of the young people who will be the future of this country seem to be so incredibly marinated in their own narrow-minded views that they just point blank refuse to have anything to do with 'the other side'. It's absolutely ridiculous, and I can't stand it. I realise that scores of people were killed and injured and hurt by the troubles, and I can't even begin to imagine how hard it would be to be affected by it all...i know it's easy for me to say this, because I haven't been affected by any of it, but for this country to move on, do we not have to move on from the troubles and who has the right to march where and who was involved in what bombings? We are in 2011, post-recession, where taxes are rising and public spending is falling. Should it matter whether the Orangemen aren't allowed to walk down a stretch of road, or whether a Sinn Fein party member is representing a certain part of the country? As young people who have lived in a relatively peaceful Northern Ireland, should we not be more concerned about how we're going to make this country the best possible place to live for ourselves and the next generation? Nothing will ever get done in NI until we accept what happened in the past and keep on moving on.
And this is where God comes in. My story of being completely put off my own political stance by the people representing it in my generation lies parallel to the stories I hear daily of people being put off Jesus because of others who are supposed to be representing Him. When we strip it down and get back to basics...are we being Christ or being cliquey, hypocritical Christians? Are we representing Christ well or are we just talking the talk? Are we even representing Him at all? Gandhi made one of the most challenging, profound and heartbreaking statements ever when he said: "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
Just some food for thought.
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
why i love tearfund #2
So, we've seen how important integral mission is, but that raises quite a big question: how exactly should a charity with integral mission at its heart function?
Charity is a very worthwhile thing, but it can also be really frustrating. People give money so that others can get money - but this is only a temporary solution for those living in developing countries. The money will eventually run out, yes. But an even more important issue arises when thinking of the people receiving the money. Just like you and me, they're human. And just like you and me, they want to be able to provide for themselves. They want to work at whatever they can do so that they can set food on the table for their families. How does giving really provide for that need? I guess it can be explained in a simple analogy. Some give fish to eat, others give nets so people can catch the fish to eat. What will last longer? The net of course. When I was a bit younger, I became completely obsessed with The Fairtrade Foundation. Why? Because I saw that it focused on the long-term - it was something that could really work and change lives for the better. Tearfund have the same sort of long-term view on aid as the Fairtrade Foundation do. But, as a Christian organisation with integral mission at the heart of everything they do, Tearfund have come up with a pretty ingenious way of operating.
How they do it is simple. They don't want to send a bunch of foreigners in to try to change things - there are people there already who have a passion to see things turned around! So who would work best? Yep, you've guessed it - the Church. So basically, Tearfund offers to support local churches (financially and prayerfully), who are right in the very heart of the situation, know the specific needs of their communities, and who can then provide for their spiritual, emotional and physical needs. It's awesome :)
Watch this video and look at the hope that has been given. All of it happened through us praying and giving so that the church could be empowered to help those in the most desperate situations. It's all about relationships, and even though we aren't there in the thick of it, we get to be a part of it :)
You know, the Church has always been a little disheartening for me. There seem to be new denominations emerging everywhere I turn, meaning more division over petty theological issues that in reality, probably don't even matter that much. Tearfund gives me hope :) it shows me that this wee inward looking Western church that we all seem to be so attached to can actually be a part of something bigger - the global church! It gives me glimpse of something even bigger still...the Kingdom of God in action.
Monday, 7 February 2011
why i love tearfund #1
These next few posts will focus on something I'm really passionate about. It's all aboutTearfund, a charity that I really honestly believe can (and will) change the world, and I want you to be passionate about the things that Tearfund believes in and fights for. It's worthwhile and biblical and life-changing...
"Integral mission or holistic transformation is the proclamation and demonstration of the gospel.It is not simply that evangelism and social involvement are to be done alongside each other. Rather, in integral mission our proclamation has social consequences as we call people to love and repentance in all areas of life. And our social involvement has evangelistic consequences as we bear witness to the transforming grace of Jesus Christ. If we ignore the world, we betray the word of God which sends us out to serve the world. If we ignore the word of God, we have nothing to bring to the world. Justice and justification by faith, worship and political action, the spiritual and the material, personal change and structural change belong together. As in the life of Jesus, being, doing and saying are at the heart of our integral task." -http://www.micahnetwork.org/en/integral-mission/micah-declaration
Integral mission is something that's really been challenging me lately and a cause that I firmly believe in. Why so often do we separate spiritual needs from physical needs? Why do we sometimes place one over the other? I guess for a lot of people this is a sticky subject and it raises the question of what the heart of mission should be. I've become a bit of a Tearfund freak over the past few months, and integral mission is something that they strongly advocate and practice. I guess I like them so much because honestly, it seems to me like they've cracked integral mission. They feed stomachs with nutritious food and souls with the amazing life-changing news of Jesus Christ. Yup, that's what it's all about :)
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