Des hommes et des dieux

went to see des hommes et des dieux;

a great film about the monks in Tibhirine, Algeria.

it 's a true story of faith and tragedy; the monks have a sincere compassion and empathy for the muslim population. They are truly spiritual and firmly anchored in the culture which surrounds them. They displayed the love of Christ in a truly human way.

i was challenged in my faith journey to attempt to see the other as God sees her/him

whether christian, muslim or whatever...

the film revealed the monks fragility and fear faced with the prospect of death...

but after wrestling in their souls and with God they come through with a quiet

tranquility and trust in God...

a brilliantly sensitive film!

A New Kind Of Christianity

Every time I read one of Brian McLaren's books my understanding of my own faith is challenged and i need to reassess what i believe and why.

A New Kind of Christianity is no exception. Brian takes us on a quest of discovery by asking hard questions concerning the bedrock of our faith; how we read and see the bible, our understanding of the person of God, how we perceive Jesus and what we consider to be the gospel.

Brian points out how we've been duped by the violent Greco-roman god 'Theos' and that we need to return to the God of grace revealed in the person of Jesus.

Jesus didn't come to start a new religion but to instigate a peaceable Kingdom and as his followers we are here on this planet to help to see this wonderful dream come true in all its fulness.

Bono's Prophet Rock Concert

I've just come across an article in the washington post written last year about a concert of U2

here's a snippet Bono is surely one of our greatest musicians. More than singing great tunes and putting on a glamorous show, he feels a deep responsibility to use his talents to raise awareness of global challenges and mobilize people to respond out of concern and love.

I'm not sure if he's right in calling Bono 'one of our greatest musicians' but the rest seems pretty accurate to me.

read the whole article;

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/georgetown/2009/10/bonos_rocking_declaration_of_human_rights.html

A Future For Men ? An interior journey towards God

i've been receiving Third Way magazine for a few years now and when I take the time I enjoy reading the different articles.

This month's edition has a feature on the future. i was particularly impressed (maybe not the best word to use) by Fr Richard Rohr's contribution entitled 'A Future for men?'.
Richard explains that we (men that is) have lost out on developing an 'inner life' and have been duped by outward success as our life goal. He explains that the church hasn't encouraged an inner life. 'It substitutes belief systems and belonging systems and moral systems for interior journeys towards God.'

As a bloke, I constantly struggle with identity based on outward success rather than developing an inner life, an interior journey towards God.
I was at Greenbelt this year and was encourged by both Fr Richard Rohr & Fr Laurence Freeman and their emphasis on the inner journey.

I was in a seminar where Laurence spoke on Christian meditation and during the session we practiced 'christian meditation'...this was a first time for me. I found it great to centre on the present and to God, using the mantra 'Maranatha'...
I've continued the practice since greenbelt and as a bloke it's easy to think is it worth it? What am I getting out of it? How successful am I at doing it?? etc etc...
But i'm persevering centering on God trying to develop the interior journey towards God.

Take a look at the article 'Boys Don't Cry 'by Richard Rohr taken from Sojourners Magazine (Third Way adapted this article in their publication)
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.article&issue=soj1007&article=boys-don-t-cry

NUTS WHOLE HAZELNUTS!

for those that are old enough to remember, the title of this post comes from an old 70s ad for Cadbury's hazelnut chocolate...
we've got a hazelnut tree in our garden and it's given us a huge amount of nuts this year...
what can i do with them???

Pour ceux qui sont assez âgés de se rappeler, le titre de cette poste vient d'un vieux pub des années 70 pour une marque de chocolat (Cadbury's).
on a un noisetier dans notre jardin et il a bien donné cette année...
que faire avec toutes ces noisettes??

GREENBELT 2010

got back yesterday from greenbelt. the first time i'd attended the festival for about 30 years. yes i remember U2 giving a brilliant surprise performance on mainstage (back in 1980)...
enough of the nostalgia...

i had a great time, apart from the severe cold... yes i'm not a weathered camper (i detest tenting in england!)...
the lineup was varied.
i don't know if it's age, but i was more inclined to go to a talk than listen to the music!
again it was cold hanging around mainstage so i found myself in other venues.

seriously, my faith journey has taken some turns and some considerable changes in the way i perceive god & the christian faith. greenbelt was a breath of fresh air for me, i got stimulated and challenged in so many areas...
i was taken back to thinking through social issues in particularly the plight of the palestinians check out:
i was inspired by talks from franciscan monk Richard Rohr and challenged to continue to review my beliefs by dave tomlinson.
the relevance of community and in particular the néo- monastic movement was once again highlighted...

on the whole a fantastic inspiring festival that's a real life-line to a humble pilgrim as myself...

LABYRINTH

just read Brian Draper's little book 'LABYRINTH, illuminating the inner path'.
it took me about 15 minutes to read; a journey to the centre and then out again.
great little book which vividly introduces the reader to god centered spirituality;


je viens de lire LABYRINTH par Brian Draper.
un petit livret qui m'a pris 15 minutes à lire;
un pèlerinage au centre et puis à l'extérieur.
ce livret présente au lecteur une spiritualité centrée sur dieu.