All posts in Life

The Search for Love

by Hugh on June 28, 2011 in Faith, Life with 4 Comments

The other week I posted some thoughts on Love and Status by Alain de Botton. I was especially intrigued by the idea of the search or quest we have for love, both in the sexual/romantic sense, but also the search for acceptance and affirmation by society more widely. This in turn prompted a conversation with David, an old uni friend, in an establishment called ‘Tossed‘, which in turn prompted a conversation on the necessity of innuendo in life.

But what of this search for love, where does it lead? If life is made up of these two great quests for love then where do we find it?

For some it may be success, money, career progression, the perfect home, the kind of material things that suggest we have found acceptance, even love from society. Victor Hugo said “Life’s greatest happiness is to be convinced we’re loved”, and we tend to use these markers of success to convince ourselves that we are indeed loved by society.

Or it may be that the search for romantic love is more pressing for us. We crave the attention and affection of another, we yearn for the intimacy of sex, of sharing life together.

Yet we live in a world where success is temporary, where money is insecure, where the perfect home is a myth. A world where beauty is fleeting, and faithfulness is passée. A world where depression leaves us feeling empty and divorce leaves us broken.

When we think of the reality of society, the reality of our own hearts, there is no way that our deepest desires, that our search for love in this world will ever find true consummation. Augustine, who himself battled with this quest came to this conclusion - Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee.

We spend our lives searching around with that U2 feeling… we sigh and say “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”… as Bono recounts the highs of this quest, he’s still left with an inevitable feeling of emptiness as true love is not found. But where is that true love, where does our quest find it’s end?

Well let me suggest we need God to show us, we need revelation, at least a pointer or idea that we can find it! Douglas Coupland knows he needs some revelation when he said “My secret is that I need God, that I am sick and can no longer make it alone. I need God… to help me love, as I seem beyond being able to love.”

In the Bible, Romans 5:8, it says that “God demonstrates his love for us in this, while we were still sinners Christ died for us”. This is something of an answer to our question, it tells us loads about love, what it is and where we can find it… more on that to come…

I made it

by Hugh on May 24, 2011 in Faith, Life with 2 Comments

Yes. That’s right. I made it to the final cut of the Cornhill promo video.

2:35 – slouched on chair, with cup of tea, riveted by afternoon conversation.

But seriously, if you’re considering Christian ministry, or just want to get some training to help you understand and teach the Bible more effectively then you should check out Cornhill.

Arundel in Black and White

by Hugh on May 22, 2011 in Life with 1 Comment

Had a lovely day at Arundel recently. In summary, some nice shops, especially Sparks Yard – worth a visit! Lots of tea rooms – but avoid one called “The English Tea Room” I think… awful customer service. Castle is pricey, but ticket price is worth just to see the grounds and gardens.

I chose this day to experiment with the camera again… this time the best pics came out in black and white… But for some better photos, please go and see Anna in Paris.

Time… lapse

by Hugh on May 19, 2011 in Books, Faith, Life with No comments

We’re doing a family service soon on the theme God is Creator… it’s part of a series called “Big Truths”… so I bought ‘Big Truths for Young Hearts‘ by Bruce Ware to read… anyway.. I think we’re going to look at Psalm 104… there’s more to creation than just Genesis 1-2 after all…

Anyway… thinking about Creation led me to this… it’s amazing!

Surviving a BAP

by Hugh on March 29, 2011 in Faith, Life with No comments

For those of you who aren’t up with the jargon, a BAP is not a bakery item, but rather stands for Bishop’s Advisory Panel… it’s sometimes also referred to as a Church of England selection conference. If you think you might be called to ordained ministry in the Church of England then there are a number of steps you need to go through…

You’re Vicar recommends you to the DDO (Diocesan Director of Ordinands) to explore your vocation
Meet with the DDO, if they think you’re suitable you meet with a Vocations Consultant, for about a year-ish
If it looks like you might still be suitable, you get a second opinion, a long interview with an Examining Chaplain
If it all looks ok, then the Bishop will sponsor (recommend) you for training
Go to a BAP where the Bishop is advised whether you’re suitable or not

This process is simplified, and varies from each Diocese. It roughly takes 18 months. If you’re recommended by a BAP and your Bishop then you go and do some training at a Vicar Factory.

So what happens at the BAP…?

Personal Inventory – 40 minutes to answer 16 short questions. It’s easy enough because you can just write in bullet points, and then you can explain your answers as some will be brought up in your interviews.

3 Interviews – There’s ‘Vocation’, ‘Pastoral’ and ‘Educational’. They each cover 3 aspects of the 9 selection criteria, which means roughly 15 minutes on each. My advisors were lovely, and the time flew by. Not everyone says that, but 15 mins on each criteria isn’t long!

Pastoral Letter – I got to write a letter to Joe. He was a complex chap with issues relating to domestic violence, miscarriage, divorce and church politics. You have to write a letter that’s empathetic to his situation.

Chapel - They say you’re not being assessed at this point, but I guess it would be bad form not to be involved. The chapel services start EARLY, 7.30am! So set the alarm. They use fairly traditional liturgy but it’s usually down to the preference of the advisors. It’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but best just to embrace it!

Meals – You’re assessed on your ability to make polite conversation basically. A chore I know, but make sure you sit with different advisors, and try to be interesting!

Practical tips…

Take a laptop… it helps in writing the pastoral letter
Study the advisor profiles, but better still pick their brains over dinner
Take an extension lead with 4 plugs… helps when you have light, laptop, phone charger etc.
Don’t be put off by scare stories… most advisors helpful and friendly, wanting the best for you!
Plan rest. Get good sleep before, after and during. Make sure you go for some walks for fresh air.

The good news is they’ve recommended me for training. Ali and I will be heading off to a training college in September 2012.

Work: Blessing or Curse?

by Hugh on February 8, 2011 in Faith, Life with No comments

I was asked to give a teaching session the other night on the subject of Work. This was ironic since I’ve never done a hard days work in my life! Well, I have, but I have very little experience in “the world of work” as most people think of it. Having said that, a man whose thoughts I respect and has served God for many years said this…

This business about not having experience is a myth! We are not experts we are teachers. If we waited until we had experience or knowledge we’d never teach anything. Just teach that is what we are called to do.

So anyway, a few of us spent the evening thinking about this subject… looking at the Bible, Puritan thinking, idolatry, sacred/secular and how we can be Christians in work in practical ways.

Reading List… some books I found helpful:

Work & Leisure – Leland Ryken
Glory Days – Julian Hardyman
Don’t Waste Your Life – John Piper
The Busy Christian’s Guide to Busyness – Tim Chester
Counterfeit Gods – Tim Keller

Julian Hardyman’s Glory Days is well worth a read… very helpful on the myth of the sacred / secular divide, and how we should seek to give every part of life to be used for God’s Glory.

Something I dislike which is a common feature of ‘Work Talks’ is this myth that the workplace is a great place to evangelise… those of you who work, in any context will know this is not really the case. But something which EVERYONE can do is let their colleagues know that they are a Christian – John Piper is helpful here:

Thinking that our work will glorify God when people do not know we are Christians is like admiring an effective ad on TV that never mentions the product.

Genesis 1-3 was helpful, along with Ecclesiastes 2, as well as many parts of the epistles. Outside the Bible, Martin Luther is as helpful and relevant as anyone.

The King’s Speech

by Hugh on January 29, 2011 in Film & TV, Life with No comments

Unusually for me, perhaps this is on the back of the Christmas break, I’ve had time enough to watch and take in a few films and series…

My good lady and I decided to break the usual tradition of Monday night apathy to brave a trip to the cinema – a rare event… cinemas are overpriced, and 4.45 for a box of popcorn is just silly!

So ever the ones to jump on the bandwagon of hype surrounding a new film we thought we should probably go and see the King’s Speech. The film ends with Colin Firth (the King) giving a speech – sorry for the spoiler!

However, don’t confuse my flippancy for indifference – it’s a good film. I loved the simplicity, powerful stuff yet done through dialogue with no fancy special effects or CGI, just a good script, well acted. Worth seeing, even with cinema prices! I’m not sure it’s quite worth all the hype it’s been given, it does feel a little bit laboured in places, and the ending isn’t quite as rousing as it should be… but worth a see.

Coming Soon:

Prison Break… off the back of finishing 24

Trying to understand Christopher Nolan more through Momento and Insomnia.

Mainly for nostalgia sake, we bought the BBC Narnia box set…

24: What an adventure

by Hugh on January 27, 2011 in Film & TV, Life with No comments

I still remember the first time it graced our screens, I have to confess I largely ignored it, couldn’t be bothered with the concept of a long running series where your involvement was dependant on consistent viewing. But that all changed at University… plenty of time to sit around watching DVDs.

It’s been 8 seasons, 8 box sets, 144 hours of real-time viewing, oh and don’t forget the film, 24: Redemption… it all started back in CTU Los Angeles on the day of the California Presidential Primary. We have the Bauer family, Ira Gaines,David Palmer, Victor Drazen, Nina Myers, Tony Almeida… what a team!

Plots have included kidnap, murder, nuclear bombs, nerve gas, Russians, Chinese, Arabs, Serbs, assignations, love interests, blackmail, moles, and all sorts of other everyday happenings.

Three things I love about 24:

The plot twists – you’re unlikely to meet the ‘boss’ until the final 6 hours.
The unlikely heroes – Chappelle, Mason, McGill, Milo…
No one is above being killed off… except Jack of course…?

Anyways… we’ve just finished Season 8… which ended in the only way it could really… a blaze of glory! If you haven’t started, it’s not too late… the box sets can be picked up cheap on ebay/cex. If you have started… give Jack the honour of just 144 hours of your life, he deserves it with all he’s been through!

The Pacific

by Hugh on January 13, 2011 in Film & TV, Life with No comments

I’ve just finished watching The Pacific, the recent HBO mini-series documenting the story of the 1st US Marine Division. It stands alongside the awesome Band of Brothers. Watching this in Blue-Ray is a fantastic experience as the panorama of the pacific and gritty action of war meet.

You don’t really feel like you get to know a group of men, like you do with Band of Brothers, as the story follows a much wider group of soldiers, and you don’t really get to see the bigger picture of the war in the Pacific, and beyond. However, you don’t get to know 3 marines very well; Robert Leckie, John Basilone and Eugene Sledge – all real life characters with very different experiences of war.

The series isn’t dominated by fighting scenes, there’s lots of dialogue, and scenes and whole episodes set away from the battlefield, even some love stories interwoven. Part of the brilliance of this series is that the horror of war isn’t portrayed in people getting blown up, although that is there, no rather the horror is revealed slowly through the trauma of shell shock, the hatred towards the Japanese and the slow dehumanisation of the soldiers – powerful yet subtle.

The box set features some good special features, including historical background of real footage and interviews before each episode, as well as ‘enhanced viewing’ where every so often historians and veterans will appear in a small window at the bottom to give some input – this can be distracting so is only for a second viewing. There’s also an extra disc full of interviews and documentaries.

This is a must buy for any Band of Brothers fan, or really for anyone who enjoys a good war film or takes an interest in recent history. Buy and enjoy!

The Event

by Hugh on January 6, 2011 in Film & TV, Life with No comments

So before Christmas we started to watch ‘The Event’, a “high octance US thriller”, which has proved to be the perfect filler as we wait to see series 8 of 24. It has everything that a good thriller should have… kidnap, murder, plane crashes, White House politics, high-level conspiracies… and aliens!

This is the point where I would normally switch off and think… don’t be so ridiculous, and think to myself how realistic and down-to-earth the world of Jack Bauer is! But unusually I’ve been strangely compelled to keep watching, the way the producers have built up the suspense to leave you wanting more, and how they’ve spent time to help you learn to appreciate even some of the less popular character is great.

Anyway… if you haven’t seen it yet, there’s still time to get involved… we’re ten episodes down (sure you can catch up online somewhere) and in the middle of a mini break until it starts up again at the end of February – look out, Channel 4, 9pm.

Now admittedly it has started to get a bit weird, but when you’re talking about Aliens I suppose that comes with the territory, although here is my big fear, and plea to the Event team – please don’t let it turn into Lost! Endless seasons, and plot twists, and reordering of events just to make more episodes… what a novelty it would be to get some real conclusions within a single season!!