Singing in the rain?

It's late Friday night, and the wind is driving the rain against the windows. In 12 hours we are due to rendezvous with friends en route for CLAN Gathering at St Andrews. We are camping again, though the tent is bigger than last year, thanks to our good friends Andy & Sylvia. They assure us that the promise "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" covers camping in the rain. I'm still praying for sunshine!

As last year, for the benefit of those who can't attend, and the good Christian people who rejoice in suffering (especially other people's) I shall attempt to maintain a daily blog.

See you all in St Andrews

Priorities

John Grisham has made his name with legal pot-boilers and page-turners. But many of them have unusual twists of plot or out-of-the ordinary characters. The Testament (link right) bears some simliarities to The Summons in that they both feature the wills of a dying man, drunks who are trying to straighten themselves out, and a fight over inheritance. But The Testament is a bit deeper than some of Grisham's other work.

Mulit-billionaire Troy Phelan signs a single page holographic will leaving his fortune to a previously unknown illegitmate daughter, then jumps fourteen stories to his death. Nate O'Riley is dragged from rehab and sent into the Pantanal jungle to find Rachel Lane, who is working as a missionary to remote Indian tribes. Nate has to persuade Rachel to sign an acknowledgement of the will -and preferably take the money, which will otherwise go to the wastrel Phelan children.

The meeting leads to a change for both Rachel and Nate - between whom there appears the beginnings of an affinity. Without spoiling the plot, I can reveal that Nate re-evaulates the practical necessities of life, and Rachel realises that she cannot pretend that her fortune does not exist. 

In some senses the writing is not as strong as Grisham's other novels - perhaps because the issues here are more personal than political. But the characters are gripping. I certainly felt some empathy with both Nate and Rachel in the struggle to establish and maintain a moral compass. In this respect, the book reminds me of Bleachers which explored the issue of loyalty surrounding a small-town football team.

Have we lost our "edginess"?

Elizabeth & I are currently reading God's Soldier: General William Booth, by St. John Ervine (Heinemann, London 1934)

This book arts out to be a corrective to some of the early day Salvationist hagiography by using a wide range of sources, including the Booth's personal correspondence.

Even so, there is a great deal to challenge modern Salvationists regarding method and commitment. They were willing to appear eccentric in order to gain attention. Sometimes they were offensive in order to challenge & provoke their hearers to response.

We rightly seek to abide by the law. But in other ways we may have become invisible. "Ken the Salvation, they dae guid work" is a common cry in Hawick. But many of those Teries would be hard pressed to name anything except helping the homeless - and we do little of that here because the Scottish government has made good provision.

Recently I offended our longer serving brothers & sisters by suggesting in a sermon that we were not united and that we needed to change. This was taken as a direct attack on those faithful people who had kept the corps going whilst others were galivanting around!

This shows the work has moved from mission to maintenance. How to get back to where we belong?

Reflections on mini-CLAN Borders

I'm on my way to Southend andremembered my promise to comment on mini-CLAN.

Most people I have spoken to thought it was a success. Certainly the ministers involved were pleased with the response.

For me, the highlight was Kenny Borthwick preaching. He is the Church of Scotland minister in Westerhailes, a tough part of Edinburgh. When he talks of the kingdom of God, he speaks from experience. He has seen God work powerfully in people's lives - both "spiritually" and with signs & wonders.

But the most powerful message was Saturday evening. He warned that we don't get to heaven by looking good - that's legalism. Nor simply by being good - piety. When the Spirit makes us holy it must show in our love for others. Signs & wonders have their place but giving someone food or a listening ear is more important.

It's such a blessing and encouragement to see these CLAN guys emphasising foundations of faith whilst encouraging boldness in the Spirit.
(don't know if I explained that very well!?)

Hang-em all!?

I've just watched the Question Time special on the MPs' expenses scandal. My concerns over this affair have been justified.

I have no sympathy for any MP who has either broken the law or milked the system. But my personal experience of being misjudged and labelled according to other people's prejudices persuade me that the calls for all MPs to fall on their swords are both unreasonable and dangerous. In a difficult economic climate, senior journalists at a "respected" newspaper are deliberately drip-feeding the public with "shock, horror" headlines whilst using phrases such as "the breakdown of our democratic process" and "tarred with the same brush." This has led to a demand for an immediate general election, regardless of the consequences.

All of the panellists on QT have agreed that the system was faulty, and must be revised. All agreed that an independent investigation must be held. All but Labour called for a general election - but no one wants it now. The public mood is rightly angry, but that is no basis on which to make any serious decision about our future.

The Telegraph's comparison between MPs and benefit cheats (or any other "ordinary" person) is designed to inflame - but it is clearly nonsense. The necessary lifestyle of a Member of Parliament cannot be compared directly with any other, and as such some legitimate expenses will make no sense to a factory or shop worker - the people who will most likely vote out their MPs. In fact, the whole thing looks like an attempt to bring down the government - which is always risky, even if there are some good reasons for doing it.

From the first, I have seen this as a kind of revenge - and indeed a quick general election will allow the public to take out it's fury on the "political classes". But the Bible has strong words about revenge:
Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.

This is an echo of Deuteronomy 32:35, and it's repeated in Hebrews 10:30

Certainly it's time the MPs cleaned up their act. It may even be time, as some QT panellists suggested, for major constitutional reform. But let's see the results of the investigations, so we know who is clean and who we can't trust. In the meantime, the current MPs should make such reforms as will allow a fresh start for the new parliament. Then we can get on with the business of climbing out of the recession, whilst looking at long term reforms.

(Just discovered this one here! forgot to publish it)