anapauo

Personal Direction

2009-01-02T13:35:00.003Z

Ever wondered where you should be heading in life?

Too many roads and turnings ahead of you?

Try looking at where you are now for a bit
then glance to the amazing place you could be tomorrow
and follow that path - to a place of discovery

Death

2008-10-18T10:10:00.004+01:00

I'm writing thig blog because of reading comments made on Youtube by people responding to the Eva Cassidy song, 'Fields of Gold'. I must admit, a majority of this post is from an assembly I took last year...

Call it what you will, one thing is inevitable.

It's difficult to talk about, but I believe it's something as humans we must face straight on. It's so easy to talk about sex, relationships, the evil of murderers and child abusers. But looking at one thing seems to be a huge taboo in this country. So I wish to start with a few definitions as given in the film Patch Adams...

Preview of coming attractions,

First, death:

To die
To expire
To pass on
To perish
To peg out
Push up daisies
Push up posies
Become extinct
Curtains

Deceased
Demised
Departed
And Defunct

Dead as a doornail
Dead as a herring
Dead as a mutton
Dead as nits
The last breath
Paying a debt to nature
The big sleep
God's way of saying 'slow down'
To check out
To shuffle off this mortal coil
To head for the happy hunting ground
To blink for an exceptionally long period of time
Find oneself without breath
To be the incredible decaying man
Worm buffet
Kick the bucket
Cash in your chips

And if we bury you arse up, we have a place to park my bike.
A while ago, I heard some parents responding to their child's question of 'Where do you go when you die?'
The response was something along the lines of 'They go to heaven and are surrounded by rose petals'

Do we need protection from death?
Or do we need acceptance of it?

Another quote from Patch Adams is in the context of Patch up before a panel to decide whether he had been appropriately dismissed from his medical training, or whether he should be reinstated. The question is asked by the man in charge of the panel and the response is, obviously, from Patch.

What if one of your patients had died?

What's wrong with death, sir? What are we so mortally afraid of?
Why can't we deal with death with a certain amount of dignity and decency and maybe even, God forbid, humour?
Death isn't the enemy here, sir, if we're going to fight a disease, let's fight one of the biggest of them all: indifference.

My faith says one thing to me about death, your belief may be the same, it may be different.
We don't know the day, the year, the place or the reason, and that can be scary sometimes.

When people close to us die, especially when they die young, it can be hard to cope with - partly because of the shock of the suddenness but partly because I believe, in Britain, we don't talk about this. The posts on Youtube just go to prove how people are crying out for the opportunity to discuss death - even if that's just a chance to tell a part of their own story to someone who is open to listening.

Yin Yang?

2008-10-02T09:59:00.004+01:00

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind"

Modern Spirituality?

New Age?

Nope, this is nothing new!

Written sometime between 56-58 A.D. by a guy called Paul who had experienced it first hand.

From persecutor to persecuted because he recognised something greater than himself.

I Needed a Laugh

2008-09-04T22:52:00.002+01:00

At the moment in my life, there are various decisions to be made.

Today, i got fed up of trying to work it all out - it was all a bit too much for me.
Then, while I was taking a look at ASBO Jesus, I came across a site which I thought I may as well look at.
It's called 'The Dullest Blog in the World' and it is, as it says, very dull.
But funny!
Just when I really needed a laugh, or I may have cried, along came this blog. It's worth a look!

Decisions, Decisions...

2008-09-02T13:13:00.004+01:00

"I'm a data-based decision maker, and I like to weigh all the information I can before I make a decision or a commitment. And that's a good thing until it paralyzes you; until it keeps you from exercising the one thing the Bible says you have to have to please God - faith."

Ron Hutchcraft

This year there will be many times where you arrive at the proverbial 'fork in the road';
a decision which may change your life for better or worse.
The thing to remember is sometimes neither one is the wrong direction, but merely the chance to follow your dreams

Suffering in Silence: The Migraine of Life?

2008-06-27T08:14:00.003+01:00

This is an MRI image of a migraine.

Migraines can't be seen or heard and, unless you are suffering from one, they can't be felt.

Without three tiny tablets a day I get frequent severe migraines, which means feeling like my head is about to implode, having to be in a quiet & darkened room, violent sickness and can be paralysed for a few hours.

So many people suffer in silence, in many ways, throughout life. It's like they are in a dark, isolated, place with no way of getting away from it.

There is no prevention for this and no miracle tablets. There is, however, an abundance of people around to give support and guidance. All you have to do is ask.

Actions Spoke Louder than Words?

2008-06-08T16:39:00.002+01:00

I've recently been doing a lot of thinking about one of the verses in the Gospels - John 11:35, "Jesus wept"
and came up with a 'zone' about it for a Sunday Cafe session a month or so ago.

Sunday Cafe is a group for 15-25s and is a cafe style group which also looks at various issues.
a "Zones" evening consists of a theme being chosen a few weeks before - in this instance it was, "Jesus said..."
The various leaders of the group then plan something based around this - it could involve video, painting, thinking, etc
The young people are then free to go round to them in any order and take however long they want at each.
The zones are created to encourage the young people to think through different things from an angle which they may not have approached them before.

Because the leaders don't plan the zones together, it also means that we get the chance to be involved on this journey alongside the young people, rather than just doing something 'for them'

I was trying to figure out how best to describe this particular zone to you, but have decided just to upload the file for you, should you wish to read it.

Word Document: "Jesus Wept"

The Pen is Mightier than the Sword

2008-05-22T16:01:00.004+01:00

It used to be said that

'The pen is mightier than the sword'

When was the last time you picked up a real pen & paper and wrote a real heart-felt letter using real spelling and grammar to a real person delivered by a real 'postie'?

Or do msn&txts make u 4get how2 do dat 4eva? :-p

Oh, That I Could

2008-05-19T19:46:00.006+01:00

I saw this video on Sunday Papers.

It looks totally awesome - something I wish I had the guts (and money) to do! I think - like it says at some point in the video - that this would help me live out those amazing dreams where I am able to fly. I'd also like to go into space. The closest I'll get to weightlessness, though, while I'm alive is probably diving - I would well recommend it, it's so peaceful and relaxing.

Indifference

2008-05-08T14:26:00.002+01:00

Indifference won't ever really achieve

anything apart from lethargy

It's better to keep grappling with some of the big issues and know that you are passionately for or against something rather than continually & passionately sitting on the fence

Clearing out the Cupboard

2008-05-05T19:42:00.004+01:00

This afternoon, helped by Nick & Jo, I cleared out the toddlers cupboard at church. It was completely fully of absolute rubbish. It included old bits of paper, incomplete jigsaws, mouldy paint, and other pointless stuff taking up space.

After the almost two hours and four full bin-bags, it looked almost empty compared to when we began.
If only sorting my own stuff at home could be like this - Claire would certainly be less frustrated with me! The difference? There was nothing in the cupboard at church which held any sentimentality for me what-so-ever.

So why do I, and countless others, apply so much significance to what others would only see as junk that is wasting space? If I had the answer I reckon I'd have far less 'stuff'. It's quite annoying for me, too, because as much as I don't like to get rid of certain things because of cost, sentimentality or because "It will be useful one day" I also hate being surrounded by 'stuff'! I just have to work out what's got the greater value: sentimentality or a clearer house. When I look at the newly cleaned cupboard, I definitely sway towards the clearer house. Not just because it looks better, but also because in looking at the cupboard now, it has order to it, it makes much more sense. I believe that the amount of clutter that surrounds a person has an impact on how cluttered and disorganised their mindset for life can be.

To Block or Not to Block?

2008-05-05T18:25:00.003+01:00

If you use MSN Messenger, or other such internet chat facilities, you will know of that great ability to be able to 'block' individual people so that they can't see you are online.

It's quite useful at times I find - although I've learned more and more just to say 'sorry, can't talk now - I'm a bit busy' or even just plain old don't bother going online!

I wonder what life would be like if we had the ability to 'block' others from seeing or speaking to us. Or maybe I don't need to wonder; could it possibly be that many of humankind already do this. Let's take that age old question of, "How are you?" and the typical reply of "Fine" or "Okay". It seems to be that the 'blocking culture' is one that has been around for many, many, years. In the everyday physical world we prevent people from truly seeing us - that is, the real us, as we are, with all the complexities of thoughts and struggles in life. The difference between that and the cyber-world? In the latter, people may not even know you are sat at a computer; in the physical world, other people at least get the chance to see another's face, and are given the opportunity to react and respond to what might be a face crying out for help; even though words may say otherwise.

Round the U-Bend: The Fix-It-Quick Culture

2008-04-29T11:59:00.006+01:00

Since Claire & I moved into our apartment in February there is one task which I have constantly failed at trying to achieve:
Getting rid of the smell form the sink, which sends the occasional stagnant waft around the open plan room. It's like the Ambi-Pur plug in freshener from hell.
I've tried various things, but to no avail.
The question is, has my latest attempt fixed the problem for good?
Yes, armed with not much more than a container to catch the excess water, some plughole smell remover and a toothbrush I decided to take the piping underneath the sink to bits and look inside.

First off: the u-bend - what a stink!
Then slowly I took bits off of other bits and saw more and more dark brown/grey ikky, smelly, mess.
I think I may have now located the problem, but at the moment the smell in the open plan kitchen/lounge/dining room is worse than it was before. So having opened windows and sprayed a good load of Oust, it's just time to wait to determine whether our life had been smelled out by possibly years of rotting 'stuff'.

I wonder, now, why I didn't think to go straight to cleaning out the pipes in the first place rather than many futile attempts to just make the smell go away using chemicals.
Maybe it's because I'm so caught up in an instant-fix world that my brain doesn't always allow me to think with proper reason.

Maybe this is the same reason so many friendships, marriages, families, etc. break down - because the instant fix of putting on brave faces, happy smiles and saying, 'I'm fine, thanks!' whilst pushing the crap so far down that it becomes hidden in a dark place and forgotten means that the intricate depths of truth are never really confronted; The things which need taking apart bit by bit and examining, before carefully working together to get rid of the stale remnants of past or recent things which will never be dealt with unless we risk facing a worse smell for a short time.

Messy Wires

2008-04-24T12:25:00.007+01:00

I'm sitting at my desk looking at a box of various tangled leads and wondering, How on earth did they get this messy?"

Then again I've said the same thing for the past few months, yet not done anything about it.

My life sometimes feels like this box of leads. The problem with both is they will only get sorted out if I stop looking at the chaos and take time to gradually untangle the mess bit by little bit.

Big Brother

2008-03-27T15:24:00.003Z

In 1948, George Orwell wrote the book '1984' (published in 1949), in which "Big Brother" (the state security surveillance) was constantly watching your every movement

In this age of Facebook, MySpace and Digital Passports, have you ever considered the possibility that people knowing more than you might want them to
could be a reality?

I don't know about you, but it certainly makes me think soberly about myself

Just a Number?

2008-02-28T10:46:00.003Z

Picture from www.asbojesus.wordpress.com

Sometimes in life being 'unique' loses any value
Especially when that uniqueness has nothing to do with what really makes me 'me'

After all, being a statistic surely makes me more like everybody else - just another number rather than a person with my own legitimate thoughts, feelings and passions

Wonderful Love? (1 & 2)

2008-02-08T13:22:00.000Z

I decided to slightly change my Thought for the Week before submitting it to the Print Centre at College - I thought it probably wouldn't go down too well in it's original form. But I shall attach both images here. The one with the main text below is the final submission, but the one underneath is what I originally prepared to go with the wording.

- - - - - - - - - -

Valentines Day: A time to remember how wonderful and cute loving another person is?

Greater love has no one than this:
That you lay down your life
for your friends.
John 15:13

- - - - - - - - - -

The original design...

The Second Frist Impression

2008-01-24T11:16:00.000Z

Sometimes it's worth taking a second look at a first impression...

You may find that you see things very differently and gain a whole new perception of a person.

So take a step back, and look again.

Beat Box Cooking and flute playing

2008-01-17T14:06:00.000Z

No reason for these to be here, apart from the fact I think they're fantastic ;)

First, one of the best cookery demonstrations I've ever seen - I'm gonna try to use it sometime in some sort of training!

this guy is also great - there are more videos on youtube of his work:
you can see more of his videos here: http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=freedomworksfilms&p=r

The Dreaded "Writer's Block"

2008-01-10T11:31:00.000Z

Just like many things in life, writer's block generally hits at what seems like the worst possible time.

The question, though, is:
Will you just sit there staring at a blank piece of paper,
or are you going to try all possible solutions until you reach that "Eureka!" moment?

A Very Random Opposite

2008-01-07T13:00:00.000Z

Here's a question I just asked Claire, having taken a quick break from work after planning one children's session and about to start planning another:

Is the opposite of an administrator a minusmaximorebent?

Okay, so blatantly it isn't and this post serves no purpose at all, except I have typed up five pages of planning and materials, and needed a break!

Peace on Earth, Good Will to All? - VERSION 2

2007-12-13T10:13:00.000Z

Having submitted the first version of this Thought for the Week, I was asked to re-do it as, for various reasons, it was seen as a bit too hard hitting. So here, below, is the updated version...

Peace on Earth
Good Will to All?

If only the good news of great joy
people received at Christmas was:
"You are loved, so talk to me."
Rather than
"Get a large overdraft, buy more than you can afford,
and don't tell people about your debts!"

Peace:
State of Silence
or
State of Mind?

Peace on Earth, Good Will to All

2007-12-06T12:37:00.000Z

Peace on Earth

Good Will to All?

19 Year old, Robert Hawkins - this week murdered nine people then killed himself

All because he lost his job, broke up with his girlfriend,
couldn't cope and decided to "Go out in style"

"...introverted, a troubled young man who was like a lost pound puppy that nobody wanted"

Peace:

State of Silence

State of Mind?

If only the good news of great joy he received was
"You are loved, so talk to me."

Rubbish!

2007-11-22T13:00:00.000Z

"Someone Else will pick it up" said the man as he threw his empty wrapper on the pavement.

"That's right" said 'Someone Else' as they did the same.

In Mendip alone there are 1,300 tonnes of rubbish left each year on the pavements, roads, verges and streams ... costing taxpayers thousands of pounds to clear away.

Info sourced from: Mendip.web-labs.co.uk

Feeding Others

2007-11-10T00:17:00.000Z

Tonight I cooked for four people - me & Claire and two friends, Fay & Sean. Apart from the potato rosti falling on the floor while I was transferring it from the frying pan to the plate and having to bin the whole thing, the meal went really well I'm happy to say!

It's an amazing pleasure to be able to serve friends in this way - not because they may one day invite us for a meal with them (although that'll always be welcome!), but because there is no agenda and the conversation has the potential to turn to any subject. So in feeding others with physical food, it gives all present the chance to be fed by each other in the more metaphorical sense as we share, challenge and are challenged, in conversation which may be very light-hearted and full of humour, to very deep, serious discussion; as we talk we learn to trust in new ways which encourages us to open up more and share more of our true selves; our memories, passions, hopes and dreams, and also the things which we shy away from, the parts of life which we'd rather pretend don't exist.

I hope Fay & Sean - and all other people we welcome into our home for a meal - went away not just feeling full of food, but feeling that they have been changed because of eating, drinking and talking with us for a few hours tonight.