17/06/2009 by David.

I am indebted to my MP for permission to quote the letter from the Director of the BBC in respect of the appointment of non-Christians to offices in the corporation:-” Mr Green wrote to you following speculation in the press that the BBC might appoint a non-Christian to the post of Head of Religion & Ethics. As you may know, the BBC has now announced that the successful candidate for this post is Aaqil Ahmed, who is Muslim.

I cannot agree with your constituent that a Muslim is not qualified for this position either on the basis that Britain is predominantly Christian, or the belief that such faith precludes an understanding of and sensitivity towards other faiths. Aaqil was simply, in our view, the best candidate for the role. He has almost ten years experience in religious broadcasting - first at the BBC, where he was Deputy Editor for Documentaries at BBC Religion and more recently as Head of Religion and Multicultural at Channel 4 where he was responsible for commissioning many successful programmes concerning faith, including the well-regarded Christianity: A History.

It is BBC policy to recruit on experience and suitability to the post, not on the basis of faith. I would add that this is not only a question of BBC policy, but of UK law.

Your constituent also points to the religion of the producer of the programme Songs of Praise, Tommy Nagra, who is Sikh. Again, I do not believe that Tommy’s religion precludes him from being able to make programming about Christianity. Tommy, like Aaqil, is an experienced programme maker, well used to serving Christian audiences with a wide range of programming.

Christianity is the majority faith of the UK, and Christian programming will remain the cornerstone of the BBC’s Religion and Ethics department output.

Thank you for writing to me. I hope that my letter will allow you to respond to your constituent.

Best wishes

Mark Thompson”

This letter makes the BBC’s position clear.Letter from BBC to MP 

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14/03/2009 by David.

  Stephen and I made a pilgrimage to a specialist store in Bristol.  A Saturday afternoon, and in that part of town (Old Market) everything seemed shut - and just a bit downcast - but the shop was open.   “I want a fifi hook”, I explained, “Can you help me?”    He could and he reached for one.  As he did so I could see him looking me up and down and mentally assessing my fitness to use such a piece of equipment.  ”I don’t intend to use it for rock climbing”, I said.    We smiled, and he looked relieved - but probably pleased that staying open that dull Saturday afternoon had not been entirely wasted.

Problem is - will those for whom the object is intended be able to guess at its purpose without further help?   That’s why I also have a photo of a rockclimber on a vertical rock face - and the logo from the Comic Relief climb of Kilimanjaro.  It will serve as an informal introduction to a sermon on Psalm 121  .  

 We all need a climbing aid for the challenge of life - and death.  Something to hold on to - cling to - trust in - rely on.

 ”I lift up my eyes to the hills         (…it’s an immense challenge…)    where *does* my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and earth.“ Psalm 121.   

 

    

 

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28/02/2009 by David.

I have been looking for it for weeks, and although the signs of spring are all around my mimosa is being very shy this year.  I see from an earlier blog it flowered in January! Not this year.  The icy weather has had its impact on the small tree and all it can manage are some partly opened buds.  I look every day to see if there is any improvement. These are troubling times - perhaps the mimosa has found that the icy weather - like sub prime mortgages - has stunted its growth?  Of course the acacia is an exotic plant - tender, and susceptible to weather. I notice that, as if in competition, the hazel next to it has produced more long catkins than ever!  Still any sign of spring is to be welcomed.   We are into Lent. 

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05/12/2008 by David.

  The Churches Advertising Network is providing an interesting seasonal poster.   Read the rest of this entry »

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28/07/2008 by David.

This is my birthplace - this town with its uncertainty of identity. There is nothing I can do about that. I might deplore the way things change and regret the passing of family holidays on the beach. I may moan with my other townsfolk about the Tropicana, and the new look Marine Lake - but I cannot deny that today a major feature of the town has gone.

Only two days ago I stood on its boards to take a photograph of the sunset - and now the pier is burnt down. The international press gathered, vulture like, to mix with local and national journalists and cameramen to witness its demise. Already that news has been displaced from the top line of the BBC news to give way to another atrocity in Baghdad.

My town is news. I suppose I should feel proud. The dodgems and the slot-machines are literally melted away. The new owners who only recently decreed that you could only eat food purchased on the pier on the pier will doubtless have their own view of this tragedy. Perhaps when they rebuild it it will be a new wonder and a new reason for coming to the seaside resort. Perhaps it will be another Tropicana - waiting endlessly for planners to agree how it should be.

How often those things which we took for granted, passed frequently in our ordinary comings and goings, how often they are destroyed and life must go on. Today the local shops will trade on a bonus crowd of gawkers - tomorrow they will start to wonder about the effect on profits.

Not much in this life is immune from disaster. I need a God who creates each sunset and each tide to establish my life by His grace. Giving stability in such an ebb and flow of fortunes is what He does best.

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10/06/2008 by David.

The band plays on

I came round the corner of the Boulevard into the road that leads up to the “pink church”. From the top of the rise came the unmistakable sounds of a jazz band. A sunny afternoon, live music, barbecue and cream teas - what more could you ask for?

It was Bristol Road’s Open Day. There was a good turn out, and Jon the entertainer did a splendid job of entertaining and making us think about what church is about. He was anxious that his audience should know that he does not do “magic” - only slight of hand and conjuring. He challenged us about our bite size view of God.

I was particularly impressed by his puppet act, especially when they sang a duet! Ah the wonders of technology - and timing!

So much work went into the day - and so many had been busy the day before preparing the church and its grounds for visitors to see what it is about.

It is good for the churches of our town to remind the communities in which they are placed that they care for them. And it proved that, despite the adage - there is a free lunch - if you know where to find it.

Satisfied visitor with free lunch

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12/05/2008 by David.

Yesterday I caught this little chap in the lane at the back of my house. He had fledged from a hole in the old limestone wall about eight feet up - and wasn’t looking too happy amongst the pebbles and grit. But my neighbours were mounting a cat patrol and doing their best to keep him safe.

Spring is a glorious - but perilous time. There are so many awful things that can happen to a young bird fresh from the nest.

I hope he may have found his wings in time - certainly the parent birds were making enough fuss!

I am reminded that not even a sparrow falls to the earth without God knowing it. Jesus Himself assures us that we too are watched over.

Time to stretch the wings of faith.

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23/04/2008 by David.

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08/03/2008 by David.

Just recently I have been calling at the vet often. It is always a four stage process: I go to collect a cat carrier and take it home until the time of the appointment, then I return with the cat in the box to the vet. (It’s only just round the corner so its a short walk.) I come back home, and then I return for the final step to return the borrowed carrier.

I made the journey this morning and then took Charley to the vet. But this journey was different - I would come back empty handed.

After deteriorating quite suddenly the cat had lost the use of her hind legs, become confused, and was not eating. A hard but necessary decision had to be made. Whether it was a stroke or a brain tumour we’re not sure - but Charley needed to be put down.

At first I was all for leaving her in the hands of the vet and walking away - but I stayed so as to be there at the end. It was swift and compassionate - but heart-rending too.

First Bosley and now a few months later Charley. I know, only pets but part of our lives none the less.

Making this kind of decision is never easy. But it is part of our responsibility to our animal companions.

Such decisions are acts of life and death. Thank God we do not have to make them too often - and thank God that the timing of our own departures is entirely in His hands not ours. As Good Friday approaches I remember that Jesus did what none of us can do - he voluntarily surrendered His own life for us.

There is of course no comparison at all - but there is a profound lesson:-

^6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ^7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. ^8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

(Romans 5:6).

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05/02/2008 by David.

A quick walk up through the cemetery this afternoon established that the daffodils are about to bloom, that the walk is still steep and demanding, and that there are signs all around of an awakening of nature.

In my town back yard the Mimosa is flowering. It usually celebrates my birthday in a flourish of yellow “pompoms” - and this year it has not disappointed, despite the winds.

Even in the depths of winter there is always evidence that new growth is developing. The birds are in song, the squirrels are more active, and the colours are appearing in the urban gardens.

I thank God for this reminder that His promise still holds - that while earth remains, seedtime and harvest, summer and winter… will not cease.

This is not just a turning of a printed page in the calendar, it is a vibrant colouring in of previously dull vegetation.

And as the first Sunday in Lent comes round, I realise that the Easter truths of resurrection and transformation are still present in this world.

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