The Consumer Cycle Continues...

i watched the end of Scrubs (3rd season)last night.
it's a great series I love it...it really cracks me up...
but i was deeply saddened by JD.
Eliot was going out with Sean until JD convinces her to drop him...JD is happy
to have Eliot back but he realises that he doesn't love her.
He has got what he's always wanted but once he's got (her)it he doesn't want (her) it...

this clearly demonstrates the consumer society attitude - we are promised by the marketeers and advertisers that if we obtain 'it' we will be happy - but the truth is once we've consumed it we are left wanting - and the cycle continues...

Sun shining through the blinds...

while i was at my dad's house i caught the sun shining through the blinds...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marklindores/4363052182/

Icons

in my last post i commented that i bought an icon.

here's something i found on Taizé's website that may be useful to understand the use of icons:

Icons contribute to the beauty of worship. They are like windows open on the realities of the Kingdom of God, making them present in our prayer on earth.

Although icons are images, they are not simply illustrations or decorations. They are symbols of the incarnation, a presence which offers to the eyes the spiritual message that the Word addresses to the ears.

According to the eighth-century theologian Saint John Damascene, icons are based on the coming of Christ to earth. Our salvation is linked to the incarnation of the divine Word, and therefore to matter: “In the past, the incorporeal and invisible God was never represented. But now that God has been manifested in the flesh and has dwelt among men, I represent the visible in God. I do not adore matter; I adore the creator of matter, who has become matter for my sake, who chose to dwell within matter and who, through matter, has caused my salvation” (Discourse I,16).

http://www.taize.fr/en_article340.html

Peterborough cathedral

We spent the afternoon in Peterborough...did some shopping,
and then decided to take a walk round the Cathedral ( our 3 girls aged - 14,12 & 9 - groaned!)...

to my delight they enjoyed the Cathedral - the architecture, the history, the atmosphere...

i grew up in Peterborough and took this ancient edifice for granted...i remember once playing my electric guitar in this beautiful sanctuary when i was a youngster...at the time i didn't appreciate the ancient spirituality that the cathedral represented.

today i see the value of the ancient; the deep spirituality, contemplative prayer, lectio divina...
by the way, i bought myself an icon from the Cathedral...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marklindores/

MASSIVE ATTACK

i've been waiting some time for Massive attack's latest album -
and it's out now!
i've just downloaded the deluxe version (more tracks re-mixes...)

it's now on my iPod!!

(thanks to jonny for reminding me)http://jonnybaker.blogs.com/

The becoming of community...

just finished reading ian mobsby's 'the becoming of g-d' -
the last couple of chapters deal with the issues of community and leadership.
ian rightfully states that we live in a society of acute consumerism and individualism -
and that the challenge for us today is to create human communities that will reflect
God's kingdom - ian calls these 'intentional spiritual communities'.
spiritual communities that are modeled on monasticism and deep spirituality and led by servant leaders...
here's a quote:
'human becoming through community is no just about contemplation, participation and worship. There are also very real possibilities for practical action...some examples of practical action are those who work with the homeless, cafés to connect with local people in public space...social work...the source of our inspiration, the Monks and Friars of the pre-modern period, were very involved in practical projects with the poor and needy...i love the idea that the Church's café becomes the hub of the local community. A number of emerging churches have done precisely this...a community taking on such a project, with a degree of maturity in contemplative prayer, can really enable growth through giving rather than taking and consumption...'

looking forward to ian's book on New Monasticism !!

Yoav Kotik’s Precious Metal

Yoav Kotik makes jewelry out of metalbottle tops...
http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2010/02/yoav-kotiks-precious-metal.html

yoav calls them his 'precious metal' collection...a cool idea using 'non-precious' material and then turning it into something 'precious'....

costumers actually pay to wear brand-name badges! -
that reminds me of an old post i made in another lfe on another blog
http://marklindores.skyrock.com/10.html