Everyone Else is Going Delirious? So Why Not Me?

I want to make something very clear before I write the main part of my post... because in some Christian circles I think it may very well be potentially divisive.

I like Delirious? I have a couple of their albums (the favourite being Live & In the Can), and have bought a few singles off iTunes in the past (Miracle Maker is another favourite). I even heard them in concert at Coventry Cathedral  during Pentecost a few years ago. I'm not a fanboy and I'll admit to going a bit off their newer material when they went stateside,, but essentially from a Christian music perspective I generally see them as a force for good... and my post is by no means an attack on them, their music or their supporters.

Now with that cleared up, I can to get to the point. I've heard a lot on Twitter and Facebook about the campaign to get History Maker to No.1 in the charts, I've even had group invites to "Christian Music Topping the UK Charts". I have ignored all the invitations and I've got no intention of buying History Maker (I already own it anyway).

Am I crazy? Am I traitor to the cause?

No... I don't think so (and I know several other Christians who like Delirious? but who feel the same way).

In an attempt to explain my seemingly strange notion, I want to wind the clock back a little to last Christmas... that's when a similar campaign took place to stem the tide against the constant drivel pumped out by Simon Cowell's various chart manifestations. The (succesful) plan was to get Rage Against the Machine to No.1 in place of X Factor.

I agreed very much with the sentiments... I want real music in the charts (although the RATM single didn't float my boat), but I felt very much that it was a case of hating the enemy by becoming the enemy... people were still being sheep... they just chose a different shepherd.

I've referenced this clip before on my blog but I think it sums up my feelings perfectly when it comes to this kind of campaign:

"Those of you.. I see the look in your eyes like "I would have walked differently" well... ask yourselves why you were clapping".

You see... I think when you enter a campaign like that, you might think you are acting differently... but really you are just "clapping" to the same tune.

So when these things come along... be it Rage Against the Machine, Delirious? or anyone else for that matter... I decline to take part. It's my way of "exercising the right not to walk".

It was the success of the Rage Against the Machine campaign that no doubt inspired some of my brothers and sisters in Christ. I'll be the first to admit that I get somewhat frustrated with the lack of Christian related material on TV at Easter, but I have to ask what this campaign hopes to achieve... ok so a Christian band gets to number one (and it is looking promising), but how does this change the world? How does it glorify God?

I hope I'm wrong, but what I suspect will happen is that it will polarise opinions and the hard hearted will become even more grounded in their position that Christianity is about a bunch of people trying to force their narrow agenda onto a public that hasn't asked for it and doesn't want it (even though in truth they need it).

My problem with the campaign is that there is a lack of depth. It's as if someone is posing the question "As Christians how can we change the world?" and the only answers that are coming back are "I'll make a banner", "I'll make t shirts", "I'll make a flag... and what's more I'll wave it too!"

Frankly it's not enough.

"Wouldn't it be cool if..." is not enough.

How did Jesus get his message across? Most of the time he fulfilled the practical needs of the people around him and then he shared his message. He demonstrated compassion, action and righteous power first...and then shared his message with those who were willing to hear.

Actions speak louder than words and if people see the truth in what you do, they will listen to the truth of which you speak.

At some point we need to realise how important it is to avail ourselves of the power of God... in order that we can carry out the will of God.

Some commentators have also criticised the choice of song to rally behind; History Maker is largely about how we respond to God as Christians and not about Christ himself. Now I think that charge is a little harsh, because even though it talks about "us" in the first person, it does point the listener in the right direction. Here are the lyrics:

Is it true today that when people pray
Cloudless skies will break
Kings and queens will shake
Yes it's true and I believe it
I'm living for you

Is it true today that when people pray
We'll see dead men rise
And the blind set free
Yes it's true and I believe it
I'm living for you

I'm gonna be a history maker in this land
I'm gonna be a speaker of truth to all mankind
I'm gonna stand, I'm gonna run
Into your arms, into your arms again
Into your arms, into your arms again

Well it's true today that when people stand
With the fire of God, and the truth in hand
We'll see miracles, we'll see angels sing
We'll see broken hearts making history
Yes it's true and I believe it
We're living for you.

Written by Martin Smith �1996 Curious? Music UK

I would say that the lyrics of that song are a reminder to us of what we should be doing as Christians... but as mentioned above, I believe that we should be doing these things and not merely listening to songs about doing them.

As it's getting close to Good Friday, I'd like to leave you with a Delirious? song that I think is an excellent meditation on what Jesus actually did for us. I like it because its verses alternate between the charges that people lay against God, and a counterpoint response that illustrates that the pain and hardships we see around us... God identifies with because he himself endured hardship. The Song I am referring to is White Ribbon Day:

Whatever your opinion is of the Delirious? chart storming debate... I hope that you will continue to be blessed by their music, and more importantly God himself.

Men and Superman

About the same time that I was having my positive epiphany last week, I had the fortune to have another -perhaps slightly apocryphal but no less valid one.

I caught a rumour on the wind that implied that JMS (Joe Straczynski of Babylon 5 fame... bust most of you knew that already and if you didn't where have you been?), was signing on with DC Comics to write for Superman and wonder Woman.

I've been deeply impressed with JMS' storytelling abilities... initially (or so I thought) through Babylon 5, but also from an early age as it seems he had a big hand in an old cartoon I loved as a kid (Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors).

Lately he's been turning his attention to comic book writing. As you will know through my blogging on the topic... I greatly appreciated the direction he was taking Spider-Man through story lines like "The Other", and I connected with them on a spiritual level. I was greatly upset when Joe Quesada decided to essentially remould Spider-Man in his own image.... and especially in the manner in which it was done. Notably Straczynski had his name left off the issue that rang in those changes.

He then moved onto Thor (I've only just got the first two graphic novels... yes I don't buy comics, I have to at least pretend I'm mature and get them in graphic novel format), it seems apparent to me that he is using Thor's mythos to explore similar themes - rebirth and claiming your real heritage... and it has me hooked.

Anyway back to that rumour; upon checking it out, I stumbled across an article entitled No Limits, written by JMS himself. I've provided a link to the main article but for the purposes of this article, I'll repost some of it here:

One of my very earliest memories as a child is of watching one of the Superman cartoons created by Max Fleischer. In particular, a scene where Superman puts his cape around Lois Lane to protect her from an incoming tide of molten metal. I imprinted on that image like a baby duck, and a lot of what I laughingly call my personality was formed in that moment (which is why a cel-recreation of that image is one of the first things you see upon entering my home, before you get to the row of wall after wall covered with artwork by Alex Ross, Curt Swan and others, as well as just about every bit of Superman memorabilia ever produced).

As a kid growing up in the mean streets of New Jersey, Superman was an icon for me. It was a tough life: we moved about 21 times in my first 17 years, we didn’t have much money, and every day was a struggle. When I told grown-ups that I was going to be a writer someday, nobody listened, nobody thought I had a chance, because as far as teachers were concerned, kids like me who came from nowhere and nothing were dead-enders, destined to end up working at the gas station at best or in jail at worst. Writers were supposed to be Ivory Tower guys with leather patches on the elbows of their smoking jackets, who went to the right schools and came from the right families. I lived in the world of No, a place populated by bullies and street fights and tenements, with no possibility of escape.

But Superman…see, Superman could do anything. If there was some place he didn’t want to be, he could just fly away. And he couldn’t be hurt, which to a kid who got beat up pretty regularly in fights and elsewhere was a pretty attractive idea. Superman taught me the morals and ethics I draw up on to this day: to play fair, not to lie, and to be willing to put yourself between harm and those you care about.

If Superman could do anything, then maybe I had a chance. Maybe I could become a writer. Maybe I could even learn to fly. That symbol, the S, became a badge for me, and growing up I always made sure I had it somewhere on me, like a shaman’s charm. That may sound silly, and from a grown-up perspective it probably is silly, but as Henry Kissinger once said, it has the added benefit of being true. And it helped me get through the hard times, which is why I continue that practice to this day…right now it’s on a key-chain in my pocket.

For me, and I suspect for a lot of people, that symbol stands for the belief in our own potentiality, in what we think we can do, and try, and aspire to. I was watching the news recently, and they were showing Palestinian protests, followed by a story on the night life scene in LA, and later on, a live report from London about something or other…and in the background of each of those stories there was somebody wearing a Superman t-shirt or cap. It’s universal.

And there’s a reason for that, a secret no one knows, but I’ll tell you, because of how long I’ve known you, and our longstanding friendship.

And the secret is this:

The Superman symbol is Kryptonian for No Limits.

And whether or not you speak Kryptonian (or Kryptonese), you know that…you know that deep inside, where even the cynicism of the world cannot reach.

I’ve told this story before in other places, so at risk of being redundant…back a few years ago, I was at the Chicago Comic Con when a guy in his 20s grabbed a bunch of expensive stuff off a table in the dealer’s room and made a run for it. The owner ran after him down the aisle, yelling “stop him!” As he came in my direction, everybody parted like the Red Sea.

I brought him down like a gazelle, and we held him untnil the police showed up.
Afterward, one of the con organizers said to me, “Why’d you do that? He’s a big guy, you could’ve gotten hurt.”

And I pointed to where I’d been standing when it happened: right in front of a ten-foot-tall cut-out of Superman. “How could I stand in front of that, in front of him,” I said, “and do nothing?”

On a personal level, JMS pretty much sums up verbatim who I think Superman is and what he as an archetype represents. I also resonated with the words. You see... I haven't had a rough background... but for my own reasons, I too have lived in the world of No. And the description of others as coming from Ivory Towers? Again, that's been where I've been dwelling for the past couple of months in terms of the attitudes I have held towards my peers. They are in their Ivory Towers, and I have been just trying to keep it together in the hope that I can build something myself someday (but God forbid  it should ever take the form of an Ivory Tower).

Do you know something? I once received a dog tag with a Superman symbol on it... and I used to wear it round my neck until a couple of months ago.... but upon reading that article, and upon having that profound experience last week... that tag now adorns my neck once more.

Faith manages... and hope survives... against all odds.

I want to finish by turning my attention to something JMS said about Superman that I think is very relevant for Christians. Many of us wear badges or articles that identify us with our faith... but how many of us live up to those ideals while holding those badges up?

JMS recounts how he took down a petty thief and when asked why he took such a risk, his answer was simple:

“How could I stand in front of that, in front of him,” I said, “and do nothing?”

Shouldn't that be OUR action and OUR response when we are acting as Christ's ambassadors? No I'm not saying we should all go out and physically confront shoplifters  (although... that said...). I'm saying that if we are going to go around with our WWJD bracelets on our wrists, our ICTHUS fish in our cars and crucifixes around our necks... we had better start living up to the ideals that those articles identify us with!

How can WE stand in front of HIM,  in front of JESUS and do nothing?

Scripture is pretty clear that we need to live fruitful lives that demonstrate love to our neighbours and even our enemies. Scripture tells us that the measure we use will be used on us... and that whatever we do to the least of our brethren... we do it to Jesus himself.

Isn't this a wake up call? And if it isn't... shouldn't it be?

Let's live up to what we have already attained... in order that others may have a shot at grasping it for themselves.

Peace and blessings to you all

N

Well, Well, Well....

I had a very interesting experience this evening on the way home from work the other day. It wasn't the wonderful sight of the setting Sun as I passed through the rural back roads (although that said, it was truly spectacular that night - a ruby red orb serenely hanging above the horizon). No, the experience to which I am referring to relates directly to some of the issues I referred to in my previous post.

Before I go any further let me affirm here and now that I am not a man who believes in coincidences... not really.

On Thursday lunch time, I skipped the reading in my Bible notes and thought to myself that I would stop off at church on the way home and read them there instead. Come 5:40pm I was very tired and sorely tempted to head off down the easy, more direct route home along the A46; however I decided to stick with my earlier decision and travel through Wilmcote towards church.

As always at that time of day, the church was quiet... and I made my way inside with my Bible notes. I looked at the reference at the top of the page and was utterly astonished.

The reading for the day was this:

"The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.  So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man."

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame."

Genesis 2:15-25

It totally blew my socks off, and if you're reading this having followed on from my previous post, I'm sure the amazing parallel won't be lost on you either.

Yes, it's exactly the same passage that triggered my angst filled February... but it didn't affect me in the same way at all. So apart from the fresh resolve I adopted towards the end of that last post... what has changed? How has a passage that has caused me so much angst in the past 30 days suddenly become something else so suddenly?

Context is everything. Same passage, different time, different place, different thought being presented to me.

You see I find that the sanctuary at Great Alne Church is a great "thin place". It's a place I feel I can go to in peace and solitude and know that I am in the uninterrupted presence of God (yes I know God is accessible in all places through Jesus, but I'm sure we all have places that we strongly associate with God's presence in our lives).

Equally importantly, I was alone and not bouncing off other people's thoughts. So there was peace outside and inside.

I feel like Elijah on Mount Horeb. February was the earthquake, wind and fire... God's attention getter. March (the beginning of it at least), has presented me with the still, small voice of calm. You'll notice that for both Elijah and myself, God addressed the situation with the same point before and afterwards (don't worry I'm not getting delusional and comparing myself to Elijah).

I have once again got to give thanks to the words of the late Selwyn Hughes, which as always when I find myself in these spots of bother, strike home at just the right point and in timely fashion.

Selwyn writes these words:

Loneliness is the feeling of being bereft of human companionship, the sadness that comes through the loss of a loved one or the failure to find a close and loving friend. Some Christians hold the view that all loneliness is a sin. One Christian writer says of loneliness: "If a Christian is lonely, then it means he or she is not walking with the living God; if they were, then we could never feel lonely. Loneliness is therefore a sin - a refusal to accept the companionship of God."

Personally I find such reasoning unacceptable. It is possible to walk with God and yet feel bereft of human companionship - thus lonely. Adam walked with God and although we do not read that he was "lonely", God clearly saw the possibility of this and, as our text today points out, provided a companion and a helper for him.

I felt acknowledged. I really felt that God was drawing alongside me and saying... "Where you are now? Where you have been? It's okay, it's not held against you and I am with you in this."

Just that simple act has shunted me in a positive manner. I was offered the opportunity to go out with an old friend the other night. Normally I'd have been my elusive self, but I had to concede to myself that if I've been so vocal about the fact people seem to be on a train running in a parallel direction to me but not noticing me banging on the window trying to get hold of them.... that when someone does start knocking back, only a fool would spurn the opportunity.

So I went and was rewarded with another dose of healing medicine. One of my great fears and concerns when around other people, is that there are so few people who "get" me. However I  was surprised to discover that I am not alone as I think (or admittedly like to think sometimes). There are people out there who have my wavelength... and as few as those people may seem to be, now if I have found one or two... then I can have confidence that there are more out there. The only catch is that as unapparent as I am on the surface, those people are equally so.

So I am now at peace once more and have had some of my initial optimism for 2010 restored to me. I also don't feel as restrained and restricted and believe in my heart that as unseen as things are, God is definitely working for me in this situation.

I feel energized once more... and don't feel like I'm wading through toffee.


It's good to be back.

Perfect Storms

OK so it seems I have gone quiet again... so what has happened?

Truth be known, February wasn't a great month for me, not at all; in fact it turned out to be something of a perfect storm.

I started out quite low on fuel (that is to say I'd been watching out for a few of my friends who had been struggling lately and had felt very little in the way of input from my peers). That in itsaelf I could contend with, until it seemed that the Almighty decided to weigh in with something of a surprise...

It was the first Sunday in February and I found myself attending a commissioning service presided over by thate new Bishop of Coventry The Right Reverend Christopher Cocksworth. In his sermon he focused in on one verse...

just one tiny, little verse...

It was however a verse that I have history with. It was Genesis 2:18, which reads:

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.

Why should that verse cause me such a problem? Well, quite simply it's the verse I used to appeal to God with when highlighting the situation in my personal life. It was quite literally as if God was holding a delayed action mirror up to me.... and all the emotion I'd been pourring out to him over those years in the past was being knocked back into my court.

I felt slightly aggrieved to say the least. You see I'd made a bit of a commitment last year not to revisit that area of my life and just get on with things. I felt very strongly that God had "broken the ceasefire" don't misunderstand me here, God is sovereign and knows what is best for every one of us... if he decides to break the ceasefire it's because he as the right to do so... and IS right to do so...

... that doesn't mean you have to like it though. It also doesn't mean that it won't hurt.

After the service, a good friend asked the question why myself and three other people seemed to have been left in the cold while so many other people were sorted.

At the time I remember stating something along the lines of in my case that maybe it was because i wasn't prepared to sell out and compromise my beliefs just to get what I wanted.

It just so happened that the next Sunday was Valentine's Day which for me at least,is normally a non-event... in fact this is something I've grown used to from childhood (except for a period of a few years when I wish it had been a non-event). Normally I just pay it no heed and get on with the day... telling myself it's just a stupid commercial thing that cashes in on people's emotions.

However as I was still feeling raw from my experience the week before, I couldn't handle it as well as I normally would. In fact... so bothered was I, that had I not been on coffee that morning I would definitely have skipped on church (I knew it was a dead cert it would come up in the sermon because I knew the style of the vicar who was preaching that day).

I sooooo wanted to do a Jonah, but it was not to be.

I then started to hear of another friend's suffering, and I started to become quite angry with people who were from my perspective "living the dream" and yet complaining about extremely minor problems while ignoring the plight of those around them.

It seems the view becomes extremely clouded when you sit atop an ivory tower.

The third element of my perfect storm came within a week of these things.... and I cannot discuss it openly because it would do more harm than good.

Suffice it to say that a sitiuation arose that left me feeling surplus to requirements and extremely underappreciated. It was made worse by the way it was handled (both in the way it was sold to me, and the logistics of how it came about). It meant that on what was meant to be a day of celebration, I was feeling extremely awkward.

And following this, I received an email that made it clear things had not just been falsely sold to me... but to others as well, and a response was required that as of this time I have not felt able to commit to.

The worst of it though has been the stonewall silence of a few people. When I was extremely low, I poured out how I felt and recieved no response at all... oh that's not true, within 6 hours I had a request for help from them which coincided with their ignorance of how I felt.

I'm not naming them... I'm not the sort to do that, but something has changed. Normally I'd suck this up and just accept it. I'm not doing that anymore. In the past I'd be worried about people concerned reading this... for fear of it affecting friendship negatively. However that isn't really the truth of things is it? The fact is that I have no reason to hide my feelings on this... for it is they who are the belligerent party.

We are now moving into March and I'm finding as I emerge from the crucible of February's inferno, a new sense of resolve deep within on many fronts.

I have realised that in terms of relationships, hen you say you'll leave something a lone... what you do isn't nearly as important as how or why you do it. I've sat out of circles where I could meet people... but by doing that I've retained the issue at centre circle, I should have actually got out there and been more social and just put the issue in a cupboard... but no I had to be a martyr. This I seek to change.

As to friendships, I'm going to be more assertive. The friends of mine who are truly in need, I'm going to rally and lift. Those who are taking advantage of my symbiotic nature and behaving in parasitical manner are going to learn that there is no holding back now. If they cross me, they will know about it. I recently came across a clip from an old western:

Ok so it isn't the greatest of flicks but the message is clear:

In all your dealings with me, you may believe that I don't think or act in a manner that you are used to in your dealings with others; that is merely because of the way I choose to act in response to you. It's not that I don't know how perhaps I should respond like others... I just chose not to before because you matter to me. However, do not forget that I also matter... and from now on you will understand that it wasn't because I didn't know how to responbd like everyone else, I just don't typically have a mindset where I have a use for those responses. Don't confuise the two different states of mind.

Or to put it another way and to quote a recent Thor graphic novel:

"There is only one difference. In this time, and this place, I am no longer holding back."
 





NB I appreciate this was a long and fairly angsty post but I wanted to get my muse, my writing mojo back... and this seemed a good way to clear the air in a manner that might achieve that.