Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Why, God bless that man! God hasn’t quite walked out on us after all! He still loves us, in bad times as well as good!”

I just wanted to share with you the tender story of Ruth, a tale where tragedy, mystery and down-to-earth love meet.

you can find this story on: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=8&chapter=2&version=65

it’s a great tale, but I just love the way one persons simple commitment to doing something good snowballed, even Jesus is descended from Ruth.

I wish I could believe Ruth’s faithfulness would still work in our world, where many other qualities are celebrated above her’s, and indeed Ruth might find herself criticised in our culture for her willingness to put herself in difficult situations.

does anyone have any experiences of bringing love and hope to situations in this way? - I’d love to hear how you’ve coped in difficult times.

http://www.christianitymagazine.co.uk/features/men%20women%20and%20god.aspx

“What is the difference between men and women? …….. While campaigns for equality in the 60s and 70s stressed the equivalence of men and women, in recent years there has been a swing back to exploring and trying to define the differences between the sexes. Much of that has been helpful, leading to better communication and increased understanding between men and women. But is it all good? Or is there a danger that rigid definitions of difference, particularly ones with a Christian veneer, can actually perpetuate stereotypes, stifle diversity and drive us further apart?”

I very much enjoyed Jenny’s article, but have to say am perplexed by the news in this magazine that some churches are going to quite some lengths to try to establish a more equal male/female ratio.  Another article talked about setting up a men’s camp in the wilds of Suffolk, whilst it sounded great fun, it’s also sounded painfully self conscious - do men really need this kind of ’special treatment’?

I feel blessed, having read this to find I belong to Christian groups where the male/female ratio isn’t very obvious, but I can’t help wondering if this debate isn’t a deflection from the real issue, that is, that church services are often excruciating, over long, irrelevant and weird? (- not that that says much about women, are we being too tolerant?)

anyway, Jenny’s article is worth a read, and it would be good to hear your views - should we make church more like a football event?

Hiya folks, just posting Naim’s writing here as he is talking about his own longing for the Kingdom, I sense a connection somewhere with others views and feelings, though not sure what it is. x su

The Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the kingdom of God come?” He said to them, “The kingdom of God is among you (and within you)” (Luke 17:21). When he said this, the land and people were not experiencing paradise on earth. Most were under occupation. Violence and terrorism were everywhere. Yet Jesus could announce the fact that God’s kingdom is breaking in.

In the midst of domination structures, we must follow the example of Jesus when he was living in our country. He had a radical obedience to God’s reign. We must continuously declare the ultimate sovereignty of God over every sphere of life.

I am aware that this is exactly what the Jewish religious settlers are saying. They are in those settlements because they believe they are obeying God. In fact, they are ready to disobey their own government if need be in order to remain faithful to God.

The litmus test that we must use in such cases is based on what it means to love our neighbor. The Hebrew scripture, our Old Testament, mentions the dictum “love your neighbor as yourself.” To live under the reign of God is to have full loyalty and obedience to God, tested, judged, and defined by our love and concern for the well-being of the neighbors, even if they are our enemies.

Such loyalty to God alone forces us to unmask the powers that oppress us. One is the evil of racism. Arab-Palestinian Israeli citizens have been suffering as a result of this since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. Closely connected with race is the mask of nationalism. There is a place for a healthy patriotism so long as it does not undermine or infringe on the rights and feelings of others. But extreme forms of nationalism threaten Palestinians as well as Israelis.

Another form of the powers that oppress us is security. We all cherish and need security. But in Israel it has become an idol. In the name of the god of security, the Palestinians are today humiliated, dehumanized, and oppressed.

We also need to unmask the ideology of religion. Religion must set God free. This is, unfortunately, one of the worst masks that we have in the Middle East. We are all guilty of it. Jewish religion sees non-Jews as the strangers in the land, without rights. Islam’s term for non-Muslims is Ahl-Adhimma. Similarly, Christians have narrowed and limited God’s activity outside their own tradition. I cannot adequately express to you how important it is to unmask the ideology of false religion and religiosity everywhere, beginning with Christianity here in Palestine. We must unmask it and move from religion to genuine faith.

The most radical political action we can take is when we speak and testify to the truth. The full armor of God that the writer of Ephesians talks about begins with truth, then includes justice, faith, salvation, the word of God, and prayer. These are our nonviolent means of resisting and struggling against the domination system of the state of Israel and the powers behind it. Jesus Christ, living in our country as a Palestinian under occupation, offers us a different model of power.

Naim Ateek is director of the Jerusalem-based Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center. This is excerpted from an address he delivered in February to Sabeel’s international conference on peacemaking.

A question for people! Why is it that so often evangelical speak comes across as being so patronising, judgemental, and as if they know it all?. I have a had a few encounters recently of this, unfortunatly it has a really negative effect on me- my main response is to tell them to F*** off- very un christian! it then leads me to  question do I have the same believes as you, it seems we are coming from such very different places. Why is this?, maybe it’s just me and I have lot of repenting to do!!

Ok, I need to hear from you all. Does anyone else ever have this experience when they are reading the Bible? These days I frequently read passages which I am familiar with and which I know ought to make sense, and find myself thinking “Yes..but… what does it actually mean?”

The gospel of grace is brutally devalued when Christians maintain that the transcendent God can only be properly honoured and respected by denying the goodness and the truth and the beauty of the things of this world
Brennan Manning “The Ragamuffin Gospel”

“Counselling in Context: Developing a Theological Framework”
by Francis Bridger & David Atkinson

Hi Folk, have just started reading Francis Bridger and David Atkinson’s book, a few months after completing a diploma in Person-Centred counselling, I’ve put off reading this critical book, as know they were going to have a pop at some of my hero’s, however, as a very serious and thoughtful book I had to have a look.

the authors are concerned about how church pastoral work has let go of the historical traditions, and taken up with ideas from 20th cent influences like Freud (dread the thought!), however, they look at details of contemporary writers in pastoral ministry, and I’m now enjoying reading this book.

It was a bit of a blow, having slogged away to train my counselling skills, to then read about the damage counselling can do, however you don’t need to spend long in counselling to see some of the ego trips counsellors slip into, and want to ask some questions.

has anyone else read this book?, or another in the same field?, I’m going to read ‘The Beautiful Risk: A New Psychology of Loving and Being Loved’ by James H. Olthuis, when I can get a copy.

am wondering if this post is a bit out of place on this blog, but know there’s a few philosophers and ministers writing on here occasionally, and I do think it’s an important aspect of church life to discuss, so very much hope to get some interesting comments.

I understand there’s an Ignatian practice of reviewing the day, as though sitting there with God and watching the day unfold in retrospect, I try to do this and am just struck by the comic extremes of city life, and my sense of lostness and exhaustion, but hey, I’d love to hear a little about other people’s days.

today I met an organic food seller who tried to persuade me to buy a joint of pork, it looked good, but when could I cook? Then at work a women tried to ask me for a leaflet on depression, I tried and tried to get someone to find me one to give her, I tried to make sense of the discordant laughter of the staff and desperation of the patients. Into the evening my faith slipped, as I looked with fear and rage at the dreams slipping through my fingers. I phoned my folks as Mum has been unwell, Dad was stressed as she’d been ranting and raving at him - ‘Mum, please don’t have a go at Dad!’, ‘Oh darling, I’ve got to go, …..’ she hates people not being completely on her side. As I wobbled through despair and frustration I tried to read the Sacred Space page - ‘Teach me to slow down, to be still and enjoy the pleasures created for me.’ enough energy left just to eat some tea - and celebrate the flavour.

just wondering how other people’s days have been

Saw this link on Jonny Bakers blog- go and have a look at it.

http://www.chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?icl=7 

 It is very sobering, and quite shocking. I’d be interested to know what you think.  

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death

and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!  

So, Easter is over, and tomorrow everyone goes back to work. Here’s a lovely tradition from the Orthodox church that I thought I would share with you. I phoned an orthodox friend a couple of days after Easter one year. He answered the phone  ‘Christ is risen!’ I was a little taken aback by the exuberance of the greeting, and after responding rather hesitantly ‘er..He is risen indeed’,  I wondered if he knew it was me calling him. No, he assured me, that was how they answered the phone to everyone! For forty days after Easter, it is traditional to greet one another with the words ‘Christ is risen!’ It is a continuing reminder of the joy of Easter, which is not just about one day, but about the ongoing redemption of the whole of creation.