I always try to read back through the gospel accounts of the birth of Jesus during advent. It's my antidote to the gradual drip influence of consumerism that encourages me to panic about the quality of gifts I get for others and how I can keep everyone happy at Christmas.
I've got as far as the angel visiting Mary. I often overlook his opening where he greats Mary and calls her highly favoured.
Highly Favoured. An interesting turn of phrase don't you think? According to human standards, being told that you are pregnant by the Holy Spirit, the relationship strain that would create with your fiance and public disgrace likely to be associated with the news when it got out is not what most people would equate with being favoured.
But this story is not worked out according to those standards that most people would consider. If anything, we see right at the very outset that this birth is going to change the way we see everything.
The unlikely will now be considered highly favoured.
The last will be first.
The weak are the strong, the poor are the rich.
I'm still trying to get to grips with this whole new covenant thing, that someone like me could even be considered part of God's people, let alone someone that God is pleased to have as part of the family.
So I guess that is something for me to keep pondering over the days of advent. I hope that you discover in a new way this Christmas the revolution that says even people like us can be considered highly favoured.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Fallen Leaves
The hill that leads into the park near our flat was yesterday filled with fallen leaves, blurring the lines between the concrete of the pathway and the muddy sides if the hill.
The morning frost had crisped and curled the leaves, ensuring that as I walked on them, a satisfying crunch accompanied each step. My mind raced back to thoughts of childhood, kicking around the leaves in the park and I briefly tried to recall what I would have thought then. Although I was reminded of childhood in this moment, I couldn't escape from the experiences that I carry with me now, and mourned that days of carefree kicking of the casualties of autumn are long since behind me.
I walked through the same park today, hoping once again to be able to crunch and remember those childhood days again but found the overnight rain had dramatically altered the terrain. The leaves still lay in their abstract way, but today posed an altogether different challenge as they blurred the boundary between path and park. The rain stored on each leaf meant that the joy and crunch of each step from the previous today was not to be found. Instead, the conditions meant that each step was a challenge and a risk of slipping down the hill became a real possibility with each further step I embarked on.
After successfully navigating the path and getting into the park, I realised it was a desire for nostalgia that had taken me that route again. And, in trying to think about the old days, I risked injury that could have ruined the present day.
Coming across things that suddenly remind you of old times is a fun experience,and in that moment maybe it is right to think about days past. But going looking for them is a dangerous thing to do, potentially at the expense of the present.
The morning frost had crisped and curled the leaves, ensuring that as I walked on them, a satisfying crunch accompanied each step. My mind raced back to thoughts of childhood, kicking around the leaves in the park and I briefly tried to recall what I would have thought then. Although I was reminded of childhood in this moment, I couldn't escape from the experiences that I carry with me now, and mourned that days of carefree kicking of the casualties of autumn are long since behind me.
I walked through the same park today, hoping once again to be able to crunch and remember those childhood days again but found the overnight rain had dramatically altered the terrain. The leaves still lay in their abstract way, but today posed an altogether different challenge as they blurred the boundary between path and park. The rain stored on each leaf meant that the joy and crunch of each step from the previous today was not to be found. Instead, the conditions meant that each step was a challenge and a risk of slipping down the hill became a real possibility with each further step I embarked on.
After successfully navigating the path and getting into the park, I realised it was a desire for nostalgia that had taken me that route again. And, in trying to think about the old days, I risked injury that could have ruined the present day.
Coming across things that suddenly remind you of old times is a fun experience,and in that moment maybe it is right to think about days past. But going looking for them is a dangerous thing to do, potentially at the expense of the present.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Big Sky Mind
Looking at this photo, I don't recall the sky seeming as big as this. Nor the sea quite so vast and so still. Such massive and amazing things, clearly laid out before my eyes.
And I was more worried about getting my jeans wet.
Talk about focusing on the wrong things.
Observations on Observation
I've spent much of day working on my laptop and have just noticed the darkness creeping in. The eerie glow from the computer screen is the only illumination in the room, until I get up to do something about it.
But I'm temporarily transfixed by realising just how dirty my glasses have become today. Not so much that they have stopped me from seeing; but now the laptop light is right before them, I am suddenly aware of just how impaired my vision has become, even though I am still working away, at an ever diminishing rate of sight. Just in re-reading this post, there are spelling errors and typing mistakes that given 100% clarity, I'd see as I go and correct immediately. (Hopefully these have all been removed now the glasses are clean)
I wonder if there is a correlation between my physical sight and spiritual sight. I frequently complain about not having vision or inspiration spiritually, feeling distant and flat.
Is that simply down to the fact that the glasses I need to wear to have that vision have gotten dirty? Am I now actually missing what is right ahead of me because of the smears, dust and dirt that I've allowed myself to accept and carry around with me?
Time for a good clean up.
But I'm temporarily transfixed by realising just how dirty my glasses have become today. Not so much that they have stopped me from seeing; but now the laptop light is right before them, I am suddenly aware of just how impaired my vision has become, even though I am still working away, at an ever diminishing rate of sight. Just in re-reading this post, there are spelling errors and typing mistakes that given 100% clarity, I'd see as I go and correct immediately. (Hopefully these have all been removed now the glasses are clean)
I wonder if there is a correlation between my physical sight and spiritual sight. I frequently complain about not having vision or inspiration spiritually, feeling distant and flat.
Is that simply down to the fact that the glasses I need to wear to have that vision have gotten dirty? Am I now actually missing what is right ahead of me because of the smears, dust and dirt that I've allowed myself to accept and carry around with me?
Time for a good clean up.
Recommendations
Just to prove I've not been just wasting my time recently, here's some books, music and general bits and pieces that have been challenging me, entertaining me (sometimes both) that may or may not interest you...
The Books
Everything Must Change- Brian McLaren
Jesus Wants To Save Christians- Rob Bell and Don Golden
Africa- Richard Dowden
The Music
Duke Special- I Never Thought This Day Would Come
Keane- Perfect Symmetry
This has been making me laugh a lot:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbbxA8a_M_s
This song is has somehow been recommended to me today, but I love the line 'I've spent 10 years trying to sing these doubts away'. I've only ever been a casual Switchfoot fan, but Jon Foreman's solo stuff could get some more of my attention. Apparantly it was in the finale of Grey's Anatomy, but I don't watch that show, so managed to hear the song without any association, which is rare these days. Anyway, have a listen and decide for yourself.
The Books
Everything Must Change- Brian McLaren
Jesus Wants To Save Christians- Rob Bell and Don Golden
Africa- Richard Dowden
The Music
Duke Special- I Never Thought This Day Would Come
Keane- Perfect Symmetry
This has been making me laugh a lot:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbbxA8a_M_s
This song is has somehow been recommended to me today, but I love the line 'I've spent 10 years trying to sing these doubts away'. I've only ever been a casual Switchfoot fan, but Jon Foreman's solo stuff could get some more of my attention. Apparantly it was in the finale of Grey's Anatomy, but I don't watch that show, so managed to hear the song without any association, which is rare these days. Anyway, have a listen and decide for yourself.
Growing Up Fast..Eventually
The first one of my immediate friends turned 30 this past week. I joked in his card that I was using him as a test case of what turning 30 does to you, before it happens to me in January. It wasn't that funny a joke I guess, but filled space in the card.
We've managed to still be in touch since we left school, navigating the seas of busyness, the steps on the career ladder, relocation to different parts of the country and differing world views.
13 years on, and it sees like suddenly, we are all becoming adults. The news coming through about other friends we have not seen is about who is having babies, who owns houses, who has a high paying job, who has broken up, who has got married. The suggestions made weren't about going to a nightclub, but about having a house party where conversations could be held without shouting, and not wasting the food that had been prepared earlier.
For so long, we've lived as though the future is something that will come later, and we have plenty of time to settle on a career, to do something significant with our lives. Very few of us are living out the aspirations that we held about our future life in 1995, and this has led me to panic slightly about my life.
I have so many good things, but have no clear path out before me that I can see, a job that requires me to work odd shifts and even dreams about my ideal job and clouded by the worldly concerns about how we could afford for me to change direction and pick up a new career.
For the first time, I'm excited about being 30, not daunted by it. I'm looking forward to growing up and maybe answering some of the questions about what comes next for me and what I can use my life for to be of benefit to others.
We've managed to still be in touch since we left school, navigating the seas of busyness, the steps on the career ladder, relocation to different parts of the country and differing world views.
13 years on, and it sees like suddenly, we are all becoming adults. The news coming through about other friends we have not seen is about who is having babies, who owns houses, who has a high paying job, who has broken up, who has got married. The suggestions made weren't about going to a nightclub, but about having a house party where conversations could be held without shouting, and not wasting the food that had been prepared earlier.
For so long, we've lived as though the future is something that will come later, and we have plenty of time to settle on a career, to do something significant with our lives. Very few of us are living out the aspirations that we held about our future life in 1995, and this has led me to panic slightly about my life.
I have so many good things, but have no clear path out before me that I can see, a job that requires me to work odd shifts and even dreams about my ideal job and clouded by the worldly concerns about how we could afford for me to change direction and pick up a new career.
For the first time, I'm excited about being 30, not daunted by it. I'm looking forward to growing up and maybe answering some of the questions about what comes next for me and what I can use my life for to be of benefit to others.
Monday, November 10, 2008
What's Next?
It's a different world since I last blogged on here.
The American election captured my attention for a significant portion of the last couple of months, as we waited and pondered whether it could really happen.
Whether it was really possible to witness the turn of a new page of history in a nation. It surprised me how many people last Wednesday waited through the night to see the results come in. Lots of us, keeping each other company awake via Facebook and trading knowledgable sounding gambits regarding electoral college votes and waiting for Ohio to make sure the change was really coming and that President Obama would be part of our lives for at least the next four years and maybe even longer.
Then the dust had a day to settle.
Our friend Claire says the States is a strange place to be for a Christian at the moment, seeing as this election was perhaps the first to split the Christian vote. From some of the blogs I follow, I was shocked and saddened to see disappointed Republicans using language about how America is now heading for judgement for not electing McCain. I was disappointed to see some big names spouting judgement and despair and berating Americans for not doing the right thing and how abortion will now be rife, carefully overlooking the statistics that abortions have actually increased during the last two terms of Republican administration.
Now, I try not to wade into these things too often, but I feel I should on this one. Didn't God raise up kings and rulers in the Old Testament, some of whom didn't even acknowledge Him, to accomplish His will? The answer is yes, and although I don't agree with Obama's views on everything, does that mean he cannot do anything good? Of course not.
Surely the simple answer is that if the person in charge has a policy you don't agree with, that you engage with that person, graciously explain why you think your way would be a better course and try to bring change.
Maybe in four years it will all go horribly wrong and people will have earned the right to say I told you so. Those of us in this country who lived through the change from Conservative to New Labour government may well recall the heady days of 1997 when anything seemed possible, and realise they are a far cry from today's troubled political and economic landscape.
But maybe it will work. And no matter what your political affiliation or perspective on the President-elect, surely everyone must agree that a new day, a new year, a new anything, is always filled with the possibility that the new will bring forth something brighter than what came before. It'll be exciting to see what the future holds for America beyond January 20th.
Apologies for getting a bit political. Let's end with some music, unconnected with the post except for the hopeful sentiment, and the fact that it will bring my wife much joy.
The American election captured my attention for a significant portion of the last couple of months, as we waited and pondered whether it could really happen.
Whether it was really possible to witness the turn of a new page of history in a nation. It surprised me how many people last Wednesday waited through the night to see the results come in. Lots of us, keeping each other company awake via Facebook and trading knowledgable sounding gambits regarding electoral college votes and waiting for Ohio to make sure the change was really coming and that President Obama would be part of our lives for at least the next four years and maybe even longer.
Then the dust had a day to settle.
Our friend Claire says the States is a strange place to be for a Christian at the moment, seeing as this election was perhaps the first to split the Christian vote. From some of the blogs I follow, I was shocked and saddened to see disappointed Republicans using language about how America is now heading for judgement for not electing McCain. I was disappointed to see some big names spouting judgement and despair and berating Americans for not doing the right thing and how abortion will now be rife, carefully overlooking the statistics that abortions have actually increased during the last two terms of Republican administration.
Now, I try not to wade into these things too often, but I feel I should on this one. Didn't God raise up kings and rulers in the Old Testament, some of whom didn't even acknowledge Him, to accomplish His will? The answer is yes, and although I don't agree with Obama's views on everything, does that mean he cannot do anything good? Of course not.
Surely the simple answer is that if the person in charge has a policy you don't agree with, that you engage with that person, graciously explain why you think your way would be a better course and try to bring change.
Maybe in four years it will all go horribly wrong and people will have earned the right to say I told you so. Those of us in this country who lived through the change from Conservative to New Labour government may well recall the heady days of 1997 when anything seemed possible, and realise they are a far cry from today's troubled political and economic landscape.
But maybe it will work. And no matter what your political affiliation or perspective on the President-elect, surely everyone must agree that a new day, a new year, a new anything, is always filled with the possibility that the new will bring forth something brighter than what came before. It'll be exciting to see what the future holds for America beyond January 20th.
Apologies for getting a bit political. Let's end with some music, unconnected with the post except for the hopeful sentiment, and the fact that it will bring my wife much joy.
Monday, September 22, 2008
This Is One For The Good Days
My experience of serving God over the years has taught me one significant lesson. That when significant things are witnessed or accomplished during that act of service, the euphoria, reinforced faith and sense of excitement at seeing God in action in people's lives is too often short lived.
This is mainly because reality often hits and I end up like a partially inflated balloon released in a room, spiralling and flying without clear direction before landing some distance from where I was a few seconds earlier.
But having returned from serving 200+ young people and their leaders alongside an amazingly talented and dedicated team of people this weekend, I want to make sure that I put down a marker so that the story of the weekend is not reduced to an insignificant time in my head, simply because of the looming shadow of real life creeping back in.
It was truly amazing to see salvation arriving into young lives, and great to have so many people come to a workshop I was involved with trying to get to grips with how we can be better ambassadors for our faith in the situations in which we live.
There's always hope. And God is at work. On the ground and in our communities, in real life situations, He is at work.
And that is worth remembering and looking out for. I don't just want to be someone who hears the stories of what God is doing, I want to be a part of it.
I hope I still feel this way tomorrow, and don't revert to feeling cynical and hopeless about the state of things.
This is mainly because reality often hits and I end up like a partially inflated balloon released in a room, spiralling and flying without clear direction before landing some distance from where I was a few seconds earlier.
But having returned from serving 200+ young people and their leaders alongside an amazingly talented and dedicated team of people this weekend, I want to make sure that I put down a marker so that the story of the weekend is not reduced to an insignificant time in my head, simply because of the looming shadow of real life creeping back in.
It was truly amazing to see salvation arriving into young lives, and great to have so many people come to a workshop I was involved with trying to get to grips with how we can be better ambassadors for our faith in the situations in which we live.
There's always hope. And God is at work. On the ground and in our communities, in real life situations, He is at work.
And that is worth remembering and looking out for. I don't just want to be someone who hears the stories of what God is doing, I want to be a part of it.
I hope I still feel this way tomorrow, and don't revert to feeling cynical and hopeless about the state of things.
Friday, September 12, 2008
My Nominee for Young Theologian Of The Year
Those of you who have read this blog for sometime will now that working with young people has been a feature of my life for a considerable chunk of my life.
It's a great privilege that I take very seriously, although my default role in any youth team appears to have something to do with being the group clown and setting up and taking part in various silly games.
One of the best things is when I come across a comment of such profound truth out of the mouth of a young person, that I'm reminded that children and young people often have a far clearer grasp on issues of faith and theology that I do. Jesus even said as much.
All of this has been by way of build up to my favourite piece of youth related theology that I've heard this year.
Rachel was recently teaching a lesson in a school in Bristol, and I went along on my day off to support by being assigned to work with the most unruly child in the class.
The previous lesson had seen Rachel exploring the teaching point that we are made in the image of God. When asking if they could remember what this teaching point was from the last lesson, a hand shot up and the following gem was spoken:
'God's got a picture of us in his imagination'.
I like that. I get excited at the prospect of being someone who is made in the image of God, and that God has a picture of me in his imagination. That He sees and imagines the crazy and amazing things that we could be and do.
It's great to work with young people. I often think that I am working with some of the most profound theologians and they don't even realise it.
It's a great privilege that I take very seriously, although my default role in any youth team appears to have something to do with being the group clown and setting up and taking part in various silly games.
One of the best things is when I come across a comment of such profound truth out of the mouth of a young person, that I'm reminded that children and young people often have a far clearer grasp on issues of faith and theology that I do. Jesus even said as much.
All of this has been by way of build up to my favourite piece of youth related theology that I've heard this year.
Rachel was recently teaching a lesson in a school in Bristol, and I went along on my day off to support by being assigned to work with the most unruly child in the class.
The previous lesson had seen Rachel exploring the teaching point that we are made in the image of God. When asking if they could remember what this teaching point was from the last lesson, a hand shot up and the following gem was spoken:
'God's got a picture of us in his imagination'.
I like that. I get excited at the prospect of being someone who is made in the image of God, and that God has a picture of me in his imagination. That He sees and imagines the crazy and amazing things that we could be and do.
It's great to work with young people. I often think that I am working with some of the most profound theologians and they don't even realise it.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Analytics
I rather arrogantly added a tool to the code of this blog a while ago to check how much traffic it gets and where it comes from.
I checked my reports tonight for the first time in ages and am happy to report that I get an average of 0.55 visits a day.
Sadly, that includes the times I log on as well.
Is to keep blogging on here the equivalent of talking to myself?
(waits silently for 0.55 people to respond)
I checked my reports tonight for the first time in ages and am happy to report that I get an average of 0.55 visits a day.
Sadly, that includes the times I log on as well.
Is to keep blogging on here the equivalent of talking to myself?
(waits silently for 0.55 people to respond)
Monday, July 28, 2008
Ungrace
I want to write today because I'm fed up of being a person who is slowly but surely starting to play by the rules of the rest of the world. You know, getting angry at things that aren't important but that inconvenience me only. Joining in with the petty games and office politics like everyone else. Being so quick to be clever, quick to tease those I think are foolish.
I think I've forgotten that grace is my story.
A few years ago, when I was in a very dark place, grace was somehow very real to me. Because it was all I could hold onto.
The amazing truth that somehow, despite all the mess I made of things, God loved me and wanted me to know that. No matter what. So much so that he sent his Son to die to make sure that I could not lose that relationship of grace.
Slowly, things have changed in my life. I'm happily married now, with eyes open as to what the future holds. And yet, somehow I've started to be seduced by the prevailing culture of ungrace that I encounter everyday. I've begun to hold onto other things in my hands that mean I have started to lose my grip of the very thing that is the only thing worth holding onto.
I don't like it, and want to change. To get back to the place where I don't just have knowledge about God's grace and what it means, but where I know it at a deep level and where other people notice it and experience it through me.
I know that blogging about it doesn't solve anything; beating ungrace means choosing grace instead in anyone of hundreds of different difficult decisions on a daily basis.
But facing up to the fact that I'm not a great ambassador for the truth that has set me free has to be a starting point. And I write this here because I want anyone who is able to read this to be able to hold me accountable.
Help me not to be consumed by ungrace.
PS. Just as a footnote, ungrace does not appear in the spellchecker that blogger offers. To get it out of my vocabulary would be a great achievement.
I think I've forgotten that grace is my story.
A few years ago, when I was in a very dark place, grace was somehow very real to me. Because it was all I could hold onto.
The amazing truth that somehow, despite all the mess I made of things, God loved me and wanted me to know that. No matter what. So much so that he sent his Son to die to make sure that I could not lose that relationship of grace.
Slowly, things have changed in my life. I'm happily married now, with eyes open as to what the future holds. And yet, somehow I've started to be seduced by the prevailing culture of ungrace that I encounter everyday. I've begun to hold onto other things in my hands that mean I have started to lose my grip of the very thing that is the only thing worth holding onto.
I don't like it, and want to change. To get back to the place where I don't just have knowledge about God's grace and what it means, but where I know it at a deep level and where other people notice it and experience it through me.
I know that blogging about it doesn't solve anything; beating ungrace means choosing grace instead in anyone of hundreds of different difficult decisions on a daily basis.
But facing up to the fact that I'm not a great ambassador for the truth that has set me free has to be a starting point. And I write this here because I want anyone who is able to read this to be able to hold me accountable.
Help me not to be consumed by ungrace.
PS. Just as a footnote, ungrace does not appear in the spellchecker that blogger offers. To get it out of my vocabulary would be a great achievement.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Looking For An EXIT
All good art should prompt a response of some kind. This video has been about for a while, but wanted to ensure people could see it via my blog.
It's great art. It needs people to make the response that goes beyond acknowledging that this is a problem and get onboard with fighting the issue of human traffiking.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Taking It Wherever It Goes
Shock news about the band whose music I have listened to more than any over the last ten years:
http://www.delirious.co.uk/html/news/20080706/60/the-end-of-an-era.html
I'm grateful to the Delirious family for soundtracking much of my teenage and early adult years, providing comfort, inspiration, excitement and challenge in the seasons I have seen so far.
It's hard to get out of a job you hate. It must be even harder to opt to bring something to an end and do something else when you have a safe little environment and lots of people who would love you to carry on doing what you are doing.
That we'd all have the courage to keep in step with the Spirit and risk new, possibly even unpopular things rather than sticking to the path you know.
And may we all be saved from the 'kingdom of comfort'.
Thanks for everything guys. See you in October for the last time.
http://www.delirious.co.uk/html/news/20080706/60/the-end-of-an-era.html
I'm grateful to the Delirious family for soundtracking much of my teenage and early adult years, providing comfort, inspiration, excitement and challenge in the seasons I have seen so far.
It's hard to get out of a job you hate. It must be even harder to opt to bring something to an end and do something else when you have a safe little environment and lots of people who would love you to carry on doing what you are doing.
That we'd all have the courage to keep in step with the Spirit and risk new, possibly even unpopular things rather than sticking to the path you know.
And may we all be saved from the 'kingdom of comfort'.
Thanks for everything guys. See you in October for the last time.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Leap?
So close and yet so far.
Thirty feet up, with only another step to go. And then a leap of faith to a nearby trapeze swing.
I froze.
The pole was swaying in the breeze, I could feel cramp start to shoot into my right leg as my body tried to talk me out of this highly dangerous activity.
I hate failing and the fact that I could not reach the summit of this high ropes challenge. I was afraid to fail. Afraid to fall.
Not once did I test the rope that would have taken my weight had I dared to step out. I gave no thought to the fact that if I did fall, someone would ensure I was supported. I couldn't do it in my own ability, and gave up.
I'm supposed to be a person of faith.
At the top of that pole, I realised that I'm still well short of being able to step out in faith and take the risk.
The fear of humiliation and failure still features too closely at the front of my mind.
I wonder how life would be different if I had the courage to take more leaps of faith.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Free
I was on the phone to an angry person today.
They hadn't received something and were unhappy and wanted me to know about it.
It was to do with something they were going to get for free and when I mentioned this, they said the following:
'I know it's free, but I'm asking for it on my terms, not yours. That's not too much to ask is it?'
I'm sure they were being angry and weren't aware of the astute theological observation they had just made.
I hope to be able to remember my shock in response to that statement next time I am tempted to moan at God about something not being quite in line with how I want things to be in what is a life full of blessing and love.
To enjoy the free things given to me, not try to manipulate them into working out on my terms.
They hadn't received something and were unhappy and wanted me to know about it.
It was to do with something they were going to get for free and when I mentioned this, they said the following:
'I know it's free, but I'm asking for it on my terms, not yours. That's not too much to ask is it?'
I'm sure they were being angry and weren't aware of the astute theological observation they had just made.
I hope to be able to remember my shock in response to that statement next time I am tempted to moan at God about something not being quite in line with how I want things to be in what is a life full of blessing and love.
To enjoy the free things given to me, not try to manipulate them into working out on my terms.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Dictionary Corner
I like the word 'thrive'.
There's plans afoot in my part of the world to start something new in our neighbourhood, and thrive is the word in my head over the last few days once again and would I'd love the project to be referred to by this one word. But it's not all my decision as to what the name will be but I would dream that helping others to thrive is the very least the project would achieve in this community.
So here's the etymological bit:
thrive (thrv)
intr.v. thrived or throve (thrv), thrived or thriv·en (thrvn), thriv·ing, thrives
1. To make steady progress; prosper.
2. To grow vigourously; flourish
I like that the word is realistic- you can't grow vigourously without first making steady progress.
I pray that for you, today would bring steady progress that leads to you growing vigourously. Flourishing.
In short, that you would thrive.
There's plans afoot in my part of the world to start something new in our neighbourhood, and thrive is the word in my head over the last few days once again and would I'd love the project to be referred to by this one word. But it's not all my decision as to what the name will be but I would dream that helping others to thrive is the very least the project would achieve in this community.
So here's the etymological bit:
thrive (thrv)
intr.v. thrived or throve (thrv), thrived or thriv·en (thrvn), thriv·ing, thrives
1. To make steady progress; prosper.
2. To grow vigourously; flourish
I like that the word is realistic- you can't grow vigourously without first making steady progress.
I pray that for you, today would bring steady progress that leads to you growing vigourously. Flourishing.
In short, that you would thrive.
Monday, June 16, 2008
How To Save O-Live
I write today with compost on my keyboard. It has been my first attempt at repotting the olive tree that we purchased from the Eden Project and over the last seven weeks has become increasingly poorly.
As I got my hands dirty and carefully removed Olive from her plastic pot to a larger metal pot I was reminded that sometimes you need to be in new surroundings to ensure that you have continued life, rather stay in a place that is not enabling you to thrive.
And I wonder why it is easy to do this for plants, but not so easy for me to do for myself.
As I got my hands dirty and carefully removed Olive from her plastic pot to a larger metal pot I was reminded that sometimes you need to be in new surroundings to ensure that you have continued life, rather stay in a place that is not enabling you to thrive.
And I wonder why it is easy to do this for plants, but not so easy for me to do for myself.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
I Might Be Wrong
I finally saw Radiohead play live on Saturday night. A full eleven years since I gave up my tickets (yes, in 1997-the OK Computer era) to take part in a mission as part of my church ministry training).
I enjoyed myself but Rachel and I were left to discuss the merits of their approach to playing live. No simple matter of just playing the greatest hits for this band. You get all the new stuff, a few older classics but certainly none of the greatest hits. My personal favourite, Paranoid Android, got an airing on the Friday gig but not at the show I attended.
Now, you could say that the paying crowd should get what they have come for, and bands like U2 and Rolling Stones certainly make sure they play the hits that the people coming to the show know and love them for.
But I can't shake the feeling that Radiohead's approach to not being what the crowd expect can give me an insight into what happened when Jesus' preaching caused a whole bunch of people to get up and walk home. Was it when they didn't hear what they expected to hear from a rabbi's teaching that they walked?
And I was reminded that it not always the right move to court the popular path. Sometimes what you think is right will get you into conflict, especially if you you present something different to what is expected.
I enjoyed myself but Rachel and I were left to discuss the merits of their approach to playing live. No simple matter of just playing the greatest hits for this band. You get all the new stuff, a few older classics but certainly none of the greatest hits. My personal favourite, Paranoid Android, got an airing on the Friday gig but not at the show I attended.
Now, you could say that the paying crowd should get what they have come for, and bands like U2 and Rolling Stones certainly make sure they play the hits that the people coming to the show know and love them for.
But I can't shake the feeling that Radiohead's approach to not being what the crowd expect can give me an insight into what happened when Jesus' preaching caused a whole bunch of people to get up and walk home. Was it when they didn't hear what they expected to hear from a rabbi's teaching that they walked?
And I was reminded that it not always the right move to court the popular path. Sometimes what you think is right will get you into conflict, especially if you you present something different to what is expected.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Opening It Up To The Floor
Time for some interaction for anyone who is out there.
One of the assignments I am working on at the moment is a youthwork session for 11-15year olds on the topic of Jesus' teaching that serving others is real greatness.
Part of the session has to include a film clip that backs up the key point.
So far today, I've not been able to think of a single well known film clip where there is a clear demonstration of choosing to serve others above themselves.
Any ideas? I promise I'll give credit to anyone who comes up with an idea that makes it into the completed session.
Maybe Hollywood is just not on board with the idea of serving others.
One of the assignments I am working on at the moment is a youthwork session for 11-15year olds on the topic of Jesus' teaching that serving others is real greatness.
Part of the session has to include a film clip that backs up the key point.
So far today, I've not been able to think of a single well known film clip where there is a clear demonstration of choosing to serve others above themselves.
Any ideas? I promise I'll give credit to anyone who comes up with an idea that makes it into the completed session.
Maybe Hollywood is just not on board with the idea of serving others.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Air Banding
A summary of why rock music is brilliant. A deleted scene that acts as a reminder that I am overdue a viewing of one of my favourite films of all time. And also a celebration of the fact that I have worked out how to embed video clips into blog posts.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Light Relief
To all those who thought that Paul would never work as the name of a place to live. And for anyone who has ever felt present but half a mile a way at the same time.
Stealing Time
Occasionally I get to write on this blog as I have no-one else to talk to. Tonight, for the first time since 26th April, I am alone in the flat I now share with my wife who is away in Europe with work.
And the flat already feels empty. There is space that would normally be filled with me expressing the frustrations of the day, making little in-jokes and many bad puns, chewing over issues of theology and how we want to be better followers of Jesus.
I'm frustrated as I was supposed to use this time to complete one or both of the two writing assignments I have left half finished.
It's not because I'm lonely or bored or apathetic or afraid. I'm just plain tired.
My job involves listening to lots of complaints and trying to resolve them, and for tonight, this state of ungrace has polluted me to the point at which I cannot honestly write about hope and change.
So I'm frustrated at being worn down and unable to do the things I have to get done and want to get done. And weary from the ongoing problem of doing jobs I don't enjoy doing that stop me being able to do the things I do enjoy doing.
It's a dangerous place to be in, and I'm reminded again of the need to steal time for the things you love. But today I'm aware of the need to ensure that there is ample energy and creativity on tap to be able to make the most of the chores and tasks that you do enjoy.
And the flat already feels empty. There is space that would normally be filled with me expressing the frustrations of the day, making little in-jokes and many bad puns, chewing over issues of theology and how we want to be better followers of Jesus.
I'm frustrated as I was supposed to use this time to complete one or both of the two writing assignments I have left half finished.
It's not because I'm lonely or bored or apathetic or afraid. I'm just plain tired.
My job involves listening to lots of complaints and trying to resolve them, and for tonight, this state of ungrace has polluted me to the point at which I cannot honestly write about hope and change.
So I'm frustrated at being worn down and unable to do the things I have to get done and want to get done. And weary from the ongoing problem of doing jobs I don't enjoy doing that stop me being able to do the things I do enjoy doing.
It's a dangerous place to be in, and I'm reminded again of the need to steal time for the things you love. But today I'm aware of the need to ensure that there is ample energy and creativity on tap to be able to make the most of the chores and tasks that you do enjoy.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Blessed (Possible Reprise)
I'm sat on the sofa of my flat, spinning around worries about the shift of work I start at 2pm this afternoon. I don't enjoy late shifts and I'm not actually sure I'm any good at the job I have recently moved to. And I worry what the consequences of that will be. Will I be fired? Will I have to leave and forever be explaining why there is a short term job on my CV? How will I pay the rent if either of the first two happen?
However, in light of what I have just written in my previous post, I felt that I should write all the areas in which I am greatly blessed, so I focus on what I have than about what I don't have and can't obtain by worrying.
A wonderful wife whose love never stops amazing me.
A dedicated family, both immediate and now extended who are supportive and just great to be around.
A great set of friends who have stuck with me through thick and thin,bringing with them many hours of laughter and inspiration.
An inspirational church family, not just located to one church or denomination, but who challenge and push me to be more Christlike in the way I approach everyday life.
I feel that I have gone down this road on a blog before, but I think there is nothing wrong in sometimes writing up again what is true- that I have so much to be thankful for, that should take up more of my time than worrying about what I am not, or do not have.
I am blessed.
However, in light of what I have just written in my previous post, I felt that I should write all the areas in which I am greatly blessed, so I focus on what I have than about what I don't have and can't obtain by worrying.
A wonderful wife whose love never stops amazing me.
A dedicated family, both immediate and now extended who are supportive and just great to be around.
A great set of friends who have stuck with me through thick and thin,bringing with them many hours of laughter and inspiration.
An inspirational church family, not just located to one church or denomination, but who challenge and push me to be more Christlike in the way I approach everyday life.
I feel that I have gone down this road on a blog before, but I think there is nothing wrong in sometimes writing up again what is true- that I have so much to be thankful for, that should take up more of my time than worrying about what I am not, or do not have.
I am blessed.
A Tonic For Compassion Fatigue
There's so much hurt on the news at the moment as we see the suffering of people in Burma and China in the wake of devastating natural disasters.
Combine that with our own headlines about credit crunches and inflation and the temptation is there to feather our own nests rather than make a sacrifice to help people we will never meet. One of the youth work sessions I have been commissioned to write this term is on apathy and how seeing people in need and not responding is a sin.
It's in the midst of this that I received a letter from the family of the child I sponsor yesterday, and their closing statement was to boldly state that they love me for the support I give to them. And that's only a few pounds a month which makes a massive difference to a family I may never meet. To hear of their gratitude and love for me when my support equates to a letter a month and a few less treats in the shopping basket is truly humbling.
Whereas we may never know the names of the people in Burma or China who are helped by our generosity, it literally could be the difference between them living and dying. We literally can be heroes to these people even if we are not there among the ruins of their cities.
There's a current billboard poster for Oxfam near my house at the moment that says:
'Get rich quick. Give'.
I can imagine a carpenter from Nazareth sharing the same sentiments.
Combine that with our own headlines about credit crunches and inflation and the temptation is there to feather our own nests rather than make a sacrifice to help people we will never meet. One of the youth work sessions I have been commissioned to write this term is on apathy and how seeing people in need and not responding is a sin.
It's in the midst of this that I received a letter from the family of the child I sponsor yesterday, and their closing statement was to boldly state that they love me for the support I give to them. And that's only a few pounds a month which makes a massive difference to a family I may never meet. To hear of their gratitude and love for me when my support equates to a letter a month and a few less treats in the shopping basket is truly humbling.
Whereas we may never know the names of the people in Burma or China who are helped by our generosity, it literally could be the difference between them living and dying. We literally can be heroes to these people even if we are not there among the ruins of their cities.
There's a current billboard poster for Oxfam near my house at the moment that says:
'Get rich quick. Give'.
I can imagine a carpenter from Nazareth sharing the same sentiments.
Monday, May 12, 2008
April 27th-May 2nd 2008
A car full of balloons.
Lunch at a motorway services.
Achtung Baby.
Steep slopes.
Aggressive seagulls.
Wide Open Spaces.
Birdsong.
Violet Hill.
The middle of nowhere.
Eden.
Sea view
Cup of tea at a motorway service station.
Home.
A new life.
Lunch at a motorway services.
Achtung Baby.
Steep slopes.
Aggressive seagulls.
Wide Open Spaces.
Birdsong.
Violet Hill.
The middle of nowhere.
Eden.
Sea view
Cup of tea at a motorway service station.
Home.
A new life.
Let There Be Hope
I've noticed a lot of cynicism around me lately.
Rachel and I got married two weeks ago and are still very much enjoying married life.
However, the cynicism I've become aware of isn't between us, but on behalf of those acknowledging our happiness. The cynicism is typically accompanied by such encouraging gems as:
'Let's see if you're this happy in forty years'
'You'll soon learn what married life is all about'
Now, I'm a realist and fully accept that our newlywed euphoria is a current thing, and in years to come there will be challenges to our life and love for each other. And I am not naive enough to believe that these will not be diffcult and testing times.
However, my request to those who have given us such advice so far, and may do in the coming weeks is this- please, please offer us hope.
If you want to give us advice on marriage, make it practical advice like our friend Tad who suggests that arguments are done on the sofa with a cup of tea.
But please don't reflect negative ideas on us just because the British culture does not like to celebrate good things, nor believe they can last when good things do emerge.
Let's believe that love can last in a world that sees it as a seasonal, disposable thing.
Let's offer hope, not cynicism to those just starting out on the journey.
Let us newlyweds rekindle what it was like for you all those years ago and let us remind you all of that you once hoped for, and still can.
Let there be hope.
Rachel and I got married two weeks ago and are still very much enjoying married life.
However, the cynicism I've become aware of isn't between us, but on behalf of those acknowledging our happiness. The cynicism is typically accompanied by such encouraging gems as:
'Let's see if you're this happy in forty years'
'You'll soon learn what married life is all about'
Now, I'm a realist and fully accept that our newlywed euphoria is a current thing, and in years to come there will be challenges to our life and love for each other. And I am not naive enough to believe that these will not be diffcult and testing times.
However, my request to those who have given us such advice so far, and may do in the coming weeks is this- please, please offer us hope.
If you want to give us advice on marriage, make it practical advice like our friend Tad who suggests that arguments are done on the sofa with a cup of tea.
But please don't reflect negative ideas on us just because the British culture does not like to celebrate good things, nor believe they can last when good things do emerge.
Let's believe that love can last in a world that sees it as a seasonal, disposable thing.
Let's offer hope, not cynicism to those just starting out on the journey.
Let us newlyweds rekindle what it was like for you all those years ago and let us remind you all of that you once hoped for, and still can.
Let there be hope.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Solid Rock Star
It's not often I refer to other places to go on the web, and I seem to have done it a lot these last few posts. But you really should visit the new Craig Borlase blog. The link to his site is on the links panel below.
Once you are there, obviously take in how good his thoughts are, but you need to check out the post entitled 'Aversion Therapy' and watch the video of Bono's speech to the NAACP.
It's Bono at his best. Whatever your opinion of him, try to put it aside and just listen to his message- it's passionate, powerful and prophetic.
It'll certainly make you think and maybe even get you to your feet by the end of the speech.
Be warned: it's challenging stuff. If statements like 'love thy neighbour is not a piece of advice. It's a command' offend you, then best avoid it altogether. But seeing as you're reading my blog, I reckon you might at least be interested in checking out this clip.
Thanks to Craig for drawing my attention to the clip and for being consistently profound on your blog.
Once you are there, obviously take in how good his thoughts are, but you need to check out the post entitled 'Aversion Therapy' and watch the video of Bono's speech to the NAACP.
It's Bono at his best. Whatever your opinion of him, try to put it aside and just listen to his message- it's passionate, powerful and prophetic.
It'll certainly make you think and maybe even get you to your feet by the end of the speech.
Be warned: it's challenging stuff. If statements like 'love thy neighbour is not a piece of advice. It's a command' offend you, then best avoid it altogether. But seeing as you're reading my blog, I reckon you might at least be interested in checking out this clip.
Thanks to Craig for drawing my attention to the clip and for being consistently profound on your blog.
Friday, April 04, 2008
Spare Time?
Things you should check out online this weekend that will do you good:
Go to Delirious.co.uk and listen to the new album Kingdom Of Comfort in full. It will refresh your soul but also profundly move you. It may affect how you spend your weekend and maybe even the rest of your life. It really is that good. I'm biased I know, but go there, listen and decide for yourself. Then preorder a copy for when it comes out on 14th April and I'll promise not to tell anyone I told you how good it is.
Google search for a live video of Nizlopi performing the beautiful Last Night In Dakar. Again, it's music that will put sunshine into you on a weekend where it's forecast to show.
My favourite Youtube clip this week is an hilarious overdubbing of scenes from Star Wars with James Earl Jones quotes from other films like Field Of Dreams. It's completely pointless, yet, like so much of the content on Youtube, completely brilliant. This will make you smile. But, be warned, you'll get hooked into looking at the other Darth Vader comedy stuff on there and waste hours.
Get onto facebook and join the Superbadger application. Send emails to people in power and change the world using the web to get the ear of the people who can make stuff happen in the political arenas of the world.
Go to Delirious.co.uk and listen to the new album Kingdom Of Comfort in full. It will refresh your soul but also profundly move you. It may affect how you spend your weekend and maybe even the rest of your life. It really is that good. I'm biased I know, but go there, listen and decide for yourself. Then preorder a copy for when it comes out on 14th April and I'll promise not to tell anyone I told you how good it is.
Google search for a live video of Nizlopi performing the beautiful Last Night In Dakar. Again, it's music that will put sunshine into you on a weekend where it's forecast to show.
My favourite Youtube clip this week is an hilarious overdubbing of scenes from Star Wars with James Earl Jones quotes from other films like Field Of Dreams. It's completely pointless, yet, like so much of the content on Youtube, completely brilliant. This will make you smile. But, be warned, you'll get hooked into looking at the other Darth Vader comedy stuff on there and waste hours.
Get onto facebook and join the Superbadger application. Send emails to people in power and change the world using the web to get the ear of the people who can make stuff happen in the political arenas of the world.
The End Of All Things/Start Beginning
I commuted home from Basingstoke to Bristol for the last time yesterday evening.
As the sun streamed in the carriage and caused my face to reflect back at me in the window, I pondered on the journey of the last five years of employment.
I hoped that being applauded as I left the office was a sign that I had made some difference to the people who I worked with for so many days.
I was grateful for being able to hear. To enjoy the music that filled my ears from my Sony Walkman Mp3 player, to enjoy the kind words said to me by colleagues as I said my goodbye. I can hear such positives,but would I chose to truly listen to their words on days when the black dog rears his ugly head?
I wondered what the major factors in causing the additional lines and grey hairs that now litter my profile would be. The divorce? The youth work? The extra hours put in at the office? The travel?
I was grateful for my sight that has enabled me to read extensively on the long hours of travel. The eyes that were privileged to see beautiful sunrises and striking sunsets as the train carried me back to the West Country.
I smiled at the ongoing revelation that my life is soundtracked by the symphony of God's grace. Five years ago I took the job because I was at rock bottom and had to start from scratch. This time, I am starting not just a new job, but a new life as a husband once again.
Grace truly does outlive our regrets.
So now I stand outside my comfort zone again. As I listened to Nizlopi's new album Make It Happen, the lead single said it all:
We can start beginning.
As the sun streamed in the carriage and caused my face to reflect back at me in the window, I pondered on the journey of the last five years of employment.
I hoped that being applauded as I left the office was a sign that I had made some difference to the people who I worked with for so many days.
I was grateful for being able to hear. To enjoy the music that filled my ears from my Sony Walkman Mp3 player, to enjoy the kind words said to me by colleagues as I said my goodbye. I can hear such positives,but would I chose to truly listen to their words on days when the black dog rears his ugly head?
I wondered what the major factors in causing the additional lines and grey hairs that now litter my profile would be. The divorce? The youth work? The extra hours put in at the office? The travel?
I was grateful for my sight that has enabled me to read extensively on the long hours of travel. The eyes that were privileged to see beautiful sunrises and striking sunsets as the train carried me back to the West Country.
I smiled at the ongoing revelation that my life is soundtracked by the symphony of God's grace. Five years ago I took the job because I was at rock bottom and had to start from scratch. This time, I am starting not just a new job, but a new life as a husband once again.
Grace truly does outlive our regrets.
So now I stand outside my comfort zone again. As I listened to Nizlopi's new album Make It Happen, the lead single said it all:
We can start beginning.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Dressed Up Like A Car Crash (Nearly)
Feel the need to express my relief at a brush with death on here today.
I was crossing the road near my house when a car jumped a red light and went straight through the crossing that I was walking on.
It was strange to feel like I had just avoided some major injury, although I was listening to my MP3 player so the first I knew of it was when I heard an engine coming towards me that shouldn't have been. It wasn't like I saw it all and had to see life flash before my eyes.
After the relief subsided, I had a moment that revealed what a music snob I am.
'At least I was listening to something amazing' was my thought. Not quite sure where the idea that listening to a great song makes being hit by a car any better, but then my mind works in strange ways sometimes.
The track in question was 'City of Blinding Lights' by U2.
Time for a slightly morbid discussion perhaps.
Music to have a brush with death to?
I was crossing the road near my house when a car jumped a red light and went straight through the crossing that I was walking on.
It was strange to feel like I had just avoided some major injury, although I was listening to my MP3 player so the first I knew of it was when I heard an engine coming towards me that shouldn't have been. It wasn't like I saw it all and had to see life flash before my eyes.
After the relief subsided, I had a moment that revealed what a music snob I am.
'At least I was listening to something amazing' was my thought. Not quite sure where the idea that listening to a great song makes being hit by a car any better, but then my mind works in strange ways sometimes.
The track in question was 'City of Blinding Lights' by U2.
Time for a slightly morbid discussion perhaps.
Music to have a brush with death to?
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Times Like These
Just to prove that I've been working on some other articles and youthwork session that may or may not end up being published this year, thought I'd share one with you that didn't make the cut. It's my attempt at rock journalism, and I guess the fact it's here and not in a magazine shows it's not very good.
Foo Fighters fans might like it though.
Your sixth album receives almost universal acclaim from reviews by the most influential music critics around.
On its release, the album goes straight into the UK album charts at number one.
A successful UK arena tour is completed in support of the album’s release.
Two dates at Wembley Stadium in June 2008 sell out within hours of going on sale.
And that’s just in the UK. Imagine that scenario repeated in many other countries across the world.
Welcome to the world of Foo Fighters.
With such success currently being enjoyed, you would hardly be surprised if the band started off down the well worn path of rock ‘n’ roll related debauchery as a way of toasting their success. However, perhaps what is more surprising is that Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace avoids this formulaic approach and is a more mature offering, covering topics that you might not have thought you would have heard one of the world’s biggest bands discussing.
The album itself fuses together both the full on electric and subtler acoustic sides of the band, in contrast to previous double album In Your Honor, where each approach was dedicated a single disc each. The result is a more cohesive and accessible album altogether. The stadium-sized sound of the album with its brash, mosh-pit-excitement-inducing riffs and anthemic choruses is destined to remain on repeat on many an iPod playlist.
Dave Grohl is lauded as ‘the nicest guy in rock’ in pretty much any interview you come across, and no-one disputes his credentials as the frontman of a band rapidly becoming one of the biggest in the world. However, few have yet to recognise Grohl as a songwriter of any merit. This should change on the back of this latest release, featuring some of the most accomplished songwriting of his career so far. A close look reveals his lyrics are showing a depth and insight that go beyond more traditional and clichéd rock topics. By the time third track Statues finishes, the quiet chorus We’re just ordinary people/you and me/time will turn us into statues/eventually will have you pondering on whether Grohl has borrowed from the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes at some point in the writing process. Surely a band at the height of their commercial powers should not be showing they aware that for all the rock star success they enjoy, they remain acutely aware of their own mortality and they are at the end of the day, just ordinary people.
The Pretender provides the customary high octane opening to the album and sees issues of identity tackled in the midst of the power chord frenzy that kicks in after thirty seconds. Grohl calls out an unspecified protagonist, snarling what if I say I’m not like the others/ What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays/You're the pretender before concluding with the question so who are you? Regardless of what provided the inspiration for the song, there is no doubt that this song will be adopted as a rallying cry for a new generation of teenage Foo devotees struggling against the pressures of conformity. If Dave Grohl says it’s OK to be different as long as you aren’t just another pretender, who is to argue?
The second single Long Road To Ruin contains lyrics that appear opposed to its positive melody with Grohl singing Oh God I’ve sealed my fate/running through hell/heaven can wait/long road to ruin. Whereas Foo Fighters cannot be described as a band known for their tee-total ways, it is interesting to see the concept of running through hell being equated to a place of ruin, not the promised land as AC/DC famously declared in their track Highway To Hell. Tellingly, Grohl reaches the conclusion that there is no exit from the long road to ruin, and the track ends no tomorrow/no dead end in sight.
Immediately after Long Road To Ruin comes the epic Come Alive, with the proximity of the two tracks and their similar subject matters undoubtedly being a deliberate move by the band. Come Alive is a darker, less radio friendly track than it’s preceding piece and sees Grohl recounting dark times Desperate and meaningless/All filled up with emptiness/Felt like everything/ Was said and done/I lay there in the dark/And I closed my eyes. Tellingly, and in contrast to the end of …Ruin, out of this situation there was a rescue, leaving Grohl to declare You saved me the day You came alive. More than just being a survivor who was rescued, the climax of the song sees Grohl employing his trademark scream to tell of the difference made to his life following his rescue Nothing wrong to give/I can finally live/Come alive/You're laughing at me/I can finally breathe/ Come alive. Many of the concepts in these lyrics would not be frowned upon in Christian worship songs, and it is interesting to see Grohl utilising such themes to tell the story of a personal redemption.
The album closes with Home, a piano led ballad that could easily be mistaken for circa 1970’s Elton John. The track arguably contains some of the most personal lyrics yet heard on a Foo Fighters track with Grohl showing he is unafraid to rebel against the rock stereotype and admit that he would love to be at home with his family rather than on the tourbus. I wish I were with you, I couldn't stay/Every direction leads me away/Pray for tomorrow, but for today/ All I want is to be home. The lyrics contain further lines loaded with spiritual significance as Grohl makes his case for what he considers most important to him. Echoes and silence, patience and grace/All of these moments I'll never replace/Fear of my heart, absence of faith/All I want is to be home. Not only do we see the concepts of grace and faith as topics on his mind, but we also see a return to the existential worry first shown in Statues, as he realises the importance of needing to grasp the irreplaceable nature of significant moments in life. Additionally, in a culture that is quick to pursue the glory of the jet setting celebrity lifestyle, the honesty of a track like Home is truly unique and refreshing. It is especially poignant when you consider that this album is likely to be the one that takes Grohl and his bandmates further from home on tours to far flung countries than ever before. I doubt any other rock album released in this or any other year will conclude with a line akin to All I want is to be home.
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace is the band’s finest collection of songs to date, and sees Foo Fighters continuing to produce rock music which is brash and exciting but also showing an honest lyrical heart pinned firmly to the album’s sleeve.
More than just being an exciting listen, the content of Dave Grohl’s lyrics show he has an awareness of spiritual and religious concepts around him. For those of us who work with teenagers, there is a chance to discuss the lyrics of one of the biggest selling rock acts of this generation and the themes of faith, identity, family, humility and mortality that appear within the songs. And for the rest of us, a listen to the album and a study of the lyrics will stand you in good stead should you ever find yourself trapped in a lift with Dave Grohl and needing to strike up conversation. Having said that, he’s apparently the nicest guy in rock, so is unlikely to stand around chatting. He’d probably be working to rescue you from the lift.
Foo Fighters fans might like it though.
Your sixth album receives almost universal acclaim from reviews by the most influential music critics around.
On its release, the album goes straight into the UK album charts at number one.
A successful UK arena tour is completed in support of the album’s release.
Two dates at Wembley Stadium in June 2008 sell out within hours of going on sale.
And that’s just in the UK. Imagine that scenario repeated in many other countries across the world.
Welcome to the world of Foo Fighters.
With such success currently being enjoyed, you would hardly be surprised if the band started off down the well worn path of rock ‘n’ roll related debauchery as a way of toasting their success. However, perhaps what is more surprising is that Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace avoids this formulaic approach and is a more mature offering, covering topics that you might not have thought you would have heard one of the world’s biggest bands discussing.
The album itself fuses together both the full on electric and subtler acoustic sides of the band, in contrast to previous double album In Your Honor, where each approach was dedicated a single disc each. The result is a more cohesive and accessible album altogether. The stadium-sized sound of the album with its brash, mosh-pit-excitement-inducing riffs and anthemic choruses is destined to remain on repeat on many an iPod playlist.
Dave Grohl is lauded as ‘the nicest guy in rock’ in pretty much any interview you come across, and no-one disputes his credentials as the frontman of a band rapidly becoming one of the biggest in the world. However, few have yet to recognise Grohl as a songwriter of any merit. This should change on the back of this latest release, featuring some of the most accomplished songwriting of his career so far. A close look reveals his lyrics are showing a depth and insight that go beyond more traditional and clichéd rock topics. By the time third track Statues finishes, the quiet chorus We’re just ordinary people/you and me/time will turn us into statues/eventually will have you pondering on whether Grohl has borrowed from the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes at some point in the writing process. Surely a band at the height of their commercial powers should not be showing they aware that for all the rock star success they enjoy, they remain acutely aware of their own mortality and they are at the end of the day, just ordinary people.
The Pretender provides the customary high octane opening to the album and sees issues of identity tackled in the midst of the power chord frenzy that kicks in after thirty seconds. Grohl calls out an unspecified protagonist, snarling what if I say I’m not like the others/ What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays/You're the pretender before concluding with the question so who are you? Regardless of what provided the inspiration for the song, there is no doubt that this song will be adopted as a rallying cry for a new generation of teenage Foo devotees struggling against the pressures of conformity. If Dave Grohl says it’s OK to be different as long as you aren’t just another pretender, who is to argue?
The second single Long Road To Ruin contains lyrics that appear opposed to its positive melody with Grohl singing Oh God I’ve sealed my fate/running through hell/heaven can wait/long road to ruin. Whereas Foo Fighters cannot be described as a band known for their tee-total ways, it is interesting to see the concept of running through hell being equated to a place of ruin, not the promised land as AC/DC famously declared in their track Highway To Hell. Tellingly, Grohl reaches the conclusion that there is no exit from the long road to ruin, and the track ends no tomorrow/no dead end in sight.
Immediately after Long Road To Ruin comes the epic Come Alive, with the proximity of the two tracks and their similar subject matters undoubtedly being a deliberate move by the band. Come Alive is a darker, less radio friendly track than it’s preceding piece and sees Grohl recounting dark times Desperate and meaningless/All filled up with emptiness/Felt like everything/ Was said and done/I lay there in the dark/And I closed my eyes. Tellingly, and in contrast to the end of …Ruin, out of this situation there was a rescue, leaving Grohl to declare You saved me the day You came alive. More than just being a survivor who was rescued, the climax of the song sees Grohl employing his trademark scream to tell of the difference made to his life following his rescue Nothing wrong to give/I can finally live/Come alive/You're laughing at me/I can finally breathe/ Come alive. Many of the concepts in these lyrics would not be frowned upon in Christian worship songs, and it is interesting to see Grohl utilising such themes to tell the story of a personal redemption.
The album closes with Home, a piano led ballad that could easily be mistaken for circa 1970’s Elton John. The track arguably contains some of the most personal lyrics yet heard on a Foo Fighters track with Grohl showing he is unafraid to rebel against the rock stereotype and admit that he would love to be at home with his family rather than on the tourbus. I wish I were with you, I couldn't stay/Every direction leads me away/Pray for tomorrow, but for today/ All I want is to be home. The lyrics contain further lines loaded with spiritual significance as Grohl makes his case for what he considers most important to him. Echoes and silence, patience and grace/All of these moments I'll never replace/Fear of my heart, absence of faith/All I want is to be home. Not only do we see the concepts of grace and faith as topics on his mind, but we also see a return to the existential worry first shown in Statues, as he realises the importance of needing to grasp the irreplaceable nature of significant moments in life. Additionally, in a culture that is quick to pursue the glory of the jet setting celebrity lifestyle, the honesty of a track like Home is truly unique and refreshing. It is especially poignant when you consider that this album is likely to be the one that takes Grohl and his bandmates further from home on tours to far flung countries than ever before. I doubt any other rock album released in this or any other year will conclude with a line akin to All I want is to be home.
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace is the band’s finest collection of songs to date, and sees Foo Fighters continuing to produce rock music which is brash and exciting but also showing an honest lyrical heart pinned firmly to the album’s sleeve.
More than just being an exciting listen, the content of Dave Grohl’s lyrics show he has an awareness of spiritual and religious concepts around him. For those of us who work with teenagers, there is a chance to discuss the lyrics of one of the biggest selling rock acts of this generation and the themes of faith, identity, family, humility and mortality that appear within the songs. And for the rest of us, a listen to the album and a study of the lyrics will stand you in good stead should you ever find yourself trapped in a lift with Dave Grohl and needing to strike up conversation. Having said that, he’s apparently the nicest guy in rock, so is unlikely to stand around chatting. He’d probably be working to rescue you from the lift.
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