tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45539195047049712252024-03-13T01:40:40.762+00:00Revd AlanTraveller in search of God looking for fellow travellers.
Currently Priest in Charge, Hale with Badshot Lea Team Ministry, formerly an IS Manager in a large UK based food company.Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.comBlogger233125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-22053299930143611492017-03-01T11:44:00.001+00:002017-03-01T11:44:39.880+00:00A new post!!!
Rather than giving up on social media for Lent, I am going to take up blogging again. However, this time I shall do it on the parish blog: <a href="https://badshotleaandhale.org/2017/03/01/lent-so-what-now/">https://badshotleaandhale.org/2017/03/01/lent-so-what-now/
</a>Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-55922884047560394992010-12-09T13:00:00.001+00:002010-12-09T13:00:09.945+00:00What's it all About?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spirit21.co.uk/uploaded_images/jesus_asks_santa_about_his_birthday-758121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="http://www.spirit21.co.uk/uploaded_images/jesus_asks_santa_about_his_birthday-758121.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><strong>What’s Christmas all about?</strong> Have you found yourself wondering this at Christmas time? If so come and join a group of others discovering together what Christmas and other faith issues mean. “Just Looking” will be running in February and March 2011 in Amersham at a time convenient for those who want to come. If you are interested please let Alan Crawley know – 01494 433826, Twitter @revdalan (please use direct message)Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-79550994994667227162010-12-02T14:00:00.019+00:002010-12-02T14:00:13.116+00:00Feed In Tariffs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://dev.fitariffs.co.uk/library/images/homepage_solarpanels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://dev.fitariffs.co.uk/library/images/homepage_solarpanels.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>On today's show my guest, <a href="http://revdlesley.blogspot.com/">Lesley Fellows</a>, referred to two companies, among many, who are involved in providing green energy solutions that qualify for the governments <a href="http://www.fitariffs.co.uk/">Feed in Tariffs</a> and <a href="http://www.rhincentive.co.uk/">Renewable Heat Incentive</a>.<br />
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They were <a href="http://www.iceenergy.co.uk/">Ice Energy</a> and <a href="http://thesolar.coop/">The Solar Coop</a>. If you do decide to get in touch with them, please mention that you heard about them through <a href="http://www.radiochristmas.co.uk/">Radio Christmas</a>.<br />
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I'm sure that there ought to be some form of disclaimer here, but just to say that I have no experience of these people, so make your own minds up!Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-14954166943472712872010-12-01T08:00:00.003+00:002010-12-01T08:00:10.464+00:00Thought for the dayThis is my thought for the day for <a href="http://www.radiochristmas.co.uk/">Radio Christmas</a> this morning. If you have come here because you have already heard it and want to know the answer (if you haven't ignore this bit!) then click to see more at the bottom. If not then here it is!<br />
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Well. Here it is. Merry Christmas. Everybody’s having fun.<br />
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At least I hope that is the case. It is certainly true here at Radio Christmas, despite all the last minute panics to get ready, and I hope that it will be true for you as Christmas draws near. But Christmas can also be a difficult time – difficult for those who’ve recently lost jobs, difficult for those who’ve got ill relatives, difficult for those who’ve lost loved ones recently or at this time of year.<br />
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And perhaps it’s superficially difficult for those of us who have to pack extra shopping and partying into our already full lives. It’s all rather “Goodness, another year has gone by since last Christmas”.<br />
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And then of course there are the perils of Christmas Day itself “You’d better watch out”, “you’d better not cry” we find ourselves saying to children at 4 in the morning (if we aren’t careful).<br />
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I don’t want a lot for Christmas, but that doesn’t seem to make it any easier.<br />
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But I get ahead of myself – in church terms we are in Advent – and as churches we are watching and waiting – preparing. Not only for Christmas but also for the coming of Christ.<br />
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Now I don’t want to get all precious and stop people singing carols before Christmas, but I do want to encourage everyone to spend some time in the next 3 ½ weeks thinking about what Christmas means to them.<br />
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What – you say, another thing to add the long list that I’ve already got?<br />
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Well, do you know what is important to you about Christmas? Perhaps you do – but I suspect that many of us don’t!<br />
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Is it that Snow is falling all around us, children playing having fun, eating and drinking too much – or is it something else?<br />
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Of course with many of the things that we hold dear we can easily be disappointed “They said there’ll be snow at Christmas”, “they said there’ll be peace on earth”.<br />
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The birth of Jesus tells us that God loves us, loves us enough to send His Son to show us how to live. Not in a fearful way – but in a way that allows us to live our lives fully and fearlessly. Jesus birth and death show us that it isn’t what happens to us that gives or takes away our happiness, it is how we respond to those events. And if we are loved my experience is that we can cope with anything – and need be afraid of nothing.<br />
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And so this is Christmas, a vivid life giving example that God loves us; and in response may we be able to say: It’s Christmas time there’s no need to be afraid.<br />
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Oh – and it’s also time for a bit of fun – I don’t know whether you spotted them, but I quoted the first lines from 9 Christmas songs in this piece. If you want to find out where they were you can listen again on <a href="http://www.radiochristmas.co.uk/">www.radiochristmas.co.uk</a> or have a look at my blog: revdalan.blogspot.com.<br />
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Marked up copy below the fold.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">Well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Merry Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everybody’s having fun.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">At least I hope that is the case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is certainly true here at Radio Christmas, despite all the last minute panics to get ready, and I hope that it will be true for you as Christmas draws near.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Christmas can also be a difficult time – difficult for those who’ve recently lost jobs, difficult for those who’ve got ill relatives, difficult for those who’ve lost loved ones recently or at this time of year.</div><div class="MsoNormal">And perhaps it’s superficially difficult for those of us who have to pack extra shopping and partying into our already full lives. It’s all rather “<span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">Goodness, another year has gone by</span> since <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">last Christmas</span>”.</div><div class="MsoNormal">And then of course there are the perils of Christmas Day itself “<span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">You’d better watch out”, “you’d better not cry</span>” we find ourselves saying to children at 4 in the morning (if we aren’t careful).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">I don’t want a lot for Christmas</span>, but that doesn’t seem to make it any easier.</div><div class="MsoNormal">But I get ahead of myself – in church terms we are in Advent – and as churches we are watching and waiting – preparing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only for Christmas but also for the coming of Christ.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now I don’t want to get all precious and stop people singing carols before Christmas, but I do want to encourage everyone to spend some time in the next 3 ½ weeks thinking about what Christmas means to them.</div><div class="MsoNormal">What – you say, another thing to add the long list that I’ve already got?</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, do you know what is important to you about Christmas?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps you do – but I suspect that many of us don’t!</div><div class="MsoNormal">Is it that <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">Snow is falling all around us, children playing having fun</span>, eating and drinking too much – or is it something else?</div><div class="MsoNormal">Of course with many of the things that we hold dear we can easily be disappointed “<span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">They said there’ll be snow at Christmas”, “they said there’ll be peace on earth</span>”.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The birth of Jesus tells us that God loves us, loves us enough to send His Son to show us how to live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not in a fearful way – but in a way that allows us to live our lives fully and fearlessly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus birth and death show us that it isn’t what happens to us that gives or takes away our happiness, it is how we respond to those events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if we are loved my experience is that we can cope with anything – and need be afraid of nothing.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">And so this is Christmas</span>, a vivid life giving example that God loves us; and in response may we be able to say:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">It’s Christmas time there’s no need to be afraid</span>.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Oh – and it’s also time for a bit of fun – I don’t know whether you spotted them, but I quoted the first lines from 9 Christmas songs in this piece.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want to find out where they were you can listen again on <a href="http://www.radiochristmas.co.uk/">www.radiochristmas.co.uk</a> or have a look at my blog: <a href="file:///C:/Users/Alan/Documents/Church/Sermons/revdalan.blogspot.com">revdalan.blogspot.com</a>.</div>Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-42508905837266787042010-11-29T14:17:00.001+00:002010-11-30T11:56:48.274+00:00Radio Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.buzz-engineering.co.uk/RadioAerial.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.buzz-engineering.co.uk/RadioAerial.gif" /></a></div>Back for a few one off special posts, rather like a reluctant movie star out plugging the latest film. This is to alert people to the existence of <a href="http://www.radiochristmas.co.uk/">Radio Christmas</a> which is a (very) local radio station to Amersham and the surrounding areas, but which can also be heard over the web (see <a href="http://www.radiochristmas.co.uk/">home page</a>) and for which a best selling (?) iPhone app is available.<br />
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This is a wonderful local community project raising money for Streetkids in South America, and also building community in the wider Amersham area.<br />
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I have a show, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Call Reverend Alan</span> on Thursday lunchtimes 2nd, 9th and 16th December at 1pm (hence the point of the plug!).<br />
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I'm also doing <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Thought for the Day</span> on 1st December at about 7.45.<br />
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The show will be an opportunity to call, email or tweet in and ask questions of my guests and myself , as well as listen to some of the things that my guests are up to and a few songs. As I write, the schedule is:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/hs353.snc4/41673_696168300_9846_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/hs353.snc4/41673_696168300_9846_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>2nd December: Rev’d Dr <a href="http://revdlesley.blogspot.com/">Lesley Fellows</a>, Member of <a href="http://www.oxford.anglican.org/environment/about/">Oxford Diocesan Environmental Group</a>, International Moderator, <a href="http://www.noanglicancovenant.org/">No Anglican Covenant Coalition</a> and blogger.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://nickbaines.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/alan-wilson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://nickbaines.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/alan-wilson.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>9th December: Rt Rev’d Dr <a href="http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/">Alan Wilson</a>, The Bishop of Buckingham (and blogger)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs068.snc3/13554_208901286654_562766654_3259468_3712964_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs068.snc3/13554_208901286654_562766654_3259468_3712964_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>16th December: Rev’d Paul Willis, Co Founder <a href="http://www.wwns.org.uk/home.php">Wycombe Night Shelter</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile/pic.php?oid=AQC0GIqhPjV17AAQUJ9BeTDtd1ox3lKM5zvWO46XMoC-1mZulyXb0hfL_n7cQcBPQZQ&size=normal&usedef=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.facebook.com/profile/pic.php?oid=AQC0GIqhPjV17AAQUJ9BeTDtd1ox3lKM5zvWO46XMoC-1mZulyXb0hfL_n7cQcBPQZQ&size=normal&usedef=1" /></a><br />
16 December: Rev’d Pippa Soundy Assistant Curate <a href="http://www.stmichaelsamersham.org.uk/">St Michael and All Angels, Amersham on the Hill</a>, Community Minister to the <a href="http://www.cms-uk.org/">Church Mission Society</a>, based in OxfordAlan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-11931590949519583262010-06-09T06:35:00.006+01:002010-06-09T06:35:00.629+01:00Au revoir<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-6cMQ6kBm0k&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-6cMQ6kBm0k&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: left;">After yesterdays post I thought that I was going to spend some time thinking about whether I wanted to continue blogging at the present. However, my reaction to the idea of stopping - at least temporarily - was such that I know that it is something that I want to do. And once the decision is made...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It has been fun sharing with you all, but for the time being, as Jimmy Young (Jeremy Vine to you younger types) used to say on the JY prog TTFN.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">One parting thought! If George Osborne wants to know where to start cutting then he could try the MoD - why do we need the 4th largest military spend in the world, why do we need nuclear, even if we just paid the soldiers and military contractors to sit at home we would save the hardware costs. And shouldn't matters of war now be a UN issue?</div>Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-11826197652926065882010-06-08T06:35:00.001+01:002010-06-08T06:35:00.437+01:00To Blog or not to Blog<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://informedvoters.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/blogging.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://informedvoters.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/blogging.gif" width="290" /></a></div>While I was away last week I didn't blog - and it was good! Then I get back and find <a href="http://clayboy.co.uk/2010/06/this-blogs-first-birthday-%E2%80%93-or-last/">this from Clayboy</a>.<br />
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I <a href="http://revdalan.blogspot.com/2010/02/thoughts-on-blogging.html">wrote quite a long time ago</a> about blogging and many of the themes remain. I still think that blogging is for me, and I still think that there is a stress to me in blogging. The most obvious solution would be to blog less often. However last week I was talking to a counsellor and they talked about the weekly relationship - and how if the time between meetings stretches out things get saved up to say, and are more thought through, whereas turning up weekly the unconscious has more opportunity to get out. I think the same is true of blogging. Posting daily means that some days there is nothing to say - and yet they are sometimes the days when I learn most as I write something down that I didn't know.<br />
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The thing that I didn't write about in the earlier post was the community of bloggers. It feels antisocial to blog but not to read others blogs, to blog but not read and sometimes respond to comments - but both of these activities can be very time consuming.<br />
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What am I going to do? Not sure! Watch this space.Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-24551231044332100492010-06-07T06:35:00.000+01:002010-06-07T06:35:00.280+01:00Is it possible to describe a mystical experience?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cacradicalgrace.org/conferences/tension/graphics/rohr-pressphoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.cacradicalgrace.org/conferences/tension/graphics/rohr-pressphoto.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>The following comes from Richard Rohr's <a href="http://www.cacradicalgrace.org/getconnected/subscribe.php">daily email</a>. I am sure that my atheist friends will say that this is nothing to do with God, but with the exception of "Union" I would would expect agreement that these are good things and ask how they find them in their life?<br />
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To sum up these two weeks, mystical encounter always implies a dipping and even falling into a Great Love, and below are just some ways to describe it. It is first of all a momentary "state,” and with years of practice, the state becomes a permanent trait and a way of life. But know this is available to ALL of you! In fact, you are hard wired to receive it.<br />
<ul><li>Enlargement: You will become larger in your heart and attitudes, not smaller.</li>
<li>Union: You will have a stronger sense of union with things, not disunion from things or others. You know you are not alone.</li>
<li>Freedom: You will exhibit a deep sense of inner freedom, not constriction.</li>
<li>Optimism: You will find a grounded hopefulness within yourself, not pessimism.</li>
<li>Safety: You will feel a primal security and a “being held”, not anxiety.</li>
<li>Rest: You will have found a deep and abiding resting place, deeper than any passing restlessness.</li>
<li>Possibility: You will be filled with creativity and options, over any "all or nothing" thinking.</li>
<li>Permission: You will wonder, "where does all this inner spaciousness come from?"</li>
</ul><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103454357098&s=26638&e=0010OWGucxqGkotbYWRjRPXZrADOQYLJ47-fxhFHJvoZ7IXOoW1BFuokuFIw2mxBb1uwi4L7xGvnLE_tsqk7QsUzPDZQ7u6PO-7eeqyvIJR2SqP_FmgJhp4hWwFDCwnwlfwVYVp-OzYwfPSF8CKCXjou29DEwdYRlSBEsmih1-6AxfPQgXGOmUgvqzsbqLuZOiKy9aUY6OweGjaK3klARPAYwovOnL7q40ZnPKEYlPI04yfSYjFlHzfC1tOqby_goKYkGhitL-JyYI=" target="_blank">Following the Mystics through the Narrow Gate ... Seeing God in All Things</a>Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-78056572578805851952010-06-06T06:35:00.033+01:002010-06-06T06:35:00.483+01:00Gi's a job<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/48001000/jpg/_48001166_006530316-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/48001000/jpg/_48001166_006530316-1.jpg" /></a></div><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/10243481.stm">This article</a> talks about the increasingly common practice of expecting young people to work without pay to gain experience.<br />
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I am quite clear that I come down on the side of banning it as a practice. If we claim to be a meritocracy (which I think we do) then making certain jobs open only to those who can fund free working is unfair and should not be allowed. I think that there is also a good point in the article about the minimum wage!<br />
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However, whilst this may be seen as a modern phenomenon and one which is spreading among the more popular jobs (nearly called them professions <span style="font-family: Wingdings, sans-serif;">J</span>), it has a long history as I can recall in my younger days that barristers (and I don't mean coffee makers) had to study and then work for a pittance and be paid in arrears such that most of that profession came from those who were able to subsidise the early part of the training. A <a href="http://www.prospects.ac.uk/p/types_of_job/barrister_salary.jsp">quick look</a> now suggests that this has changed with pupillages funded, so here is one example where action has already been taken.<br />
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An alternative would be for the government to sponsor this year, much as they do with student loans - however I am wary of this because, as with student loans, there would still be a temptation for those from more disadvantaged backgrounds to run up large debts.<br />
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What benefit is there to the companies? To avoid minimum wage issues there should be no immediate gain to them, so presumably it is about seeing candidates ahead of time; they could always develop better recruitment procedures - after all if they are after talent then at present they are ruling a significant proportion of the population out.Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-29986392527664993652010-05-31T06:35:00.002+01:002010-05-31T06:35:00.231+01:00<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/y_v6JyYpfOo&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/y_v6JyYpfOo&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: left;">Whether you are French or not... Time for another break. Back soon.</div>Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-87844780184452857952010-05-30T06:35:00.002+01:002010-05-30T06:35:00.761+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://arjunaardagh.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/pointing-finger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://arjunaardagh.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/pointing-finger.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><blockquote>Does our desire as Christians to be inclusive of all sorts of people mean that we will never say, 'You should not do that'? <a href="http://www.surefish.co.uk/faith/daily_readings/05_may/25.htm">Surefish Daily Reading</a></blockquote>I read this yesterday and so wanted to answer this question! There is a big difference between advising people and ordering them. Too often Christians order people - and it is wrong and it does us no good. We need to respect people's free will, of course we can explain our views to them, but to order them or threaten them shows an arrogance that is not found in Jesus.<br />
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Some Christians also do not appear to understand the difference between the law of the land and a belief drawn from faith. I may or may not believe something is wrong because of my faith - but if I live in a land which has chosen a different law then I am free to campaign against it - and in many senses I have a duty to do so - but if I chose to break the law in doing so I must be prepared to take the consequences. After all we have rather a good role model for doing exactly that.Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-84179163524303152792010-05-28T06:35:00.003+01:002010-05-28T06:35:00.220+01:00Is the rational all there is?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://photobucket.com/images/rational" target="_blank"><img alt="be rational Pictures, Images and Photos" border="0" src="http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o1/CocaC0la99/be-rational-get-real.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Since I <a href="http://revdalan.blogspot.com/2010/05/faith-pragmatist-v-rationalist.html">blogged on rationality</a> the other day the web seems to have been full of others doing the same.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Apparently Terry Sanderson had <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/may/26/theology-atheism">held Rowan Williams up to ridicule</a> but <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/andrewbrown/2010/may/27/religion-theology-knowledge-rowan">Andrew Brown supported him</a>, my Bishop chipped in comparing <a href="http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2010/05/pentecost-spirit-and-dogma.html">the spirit and dogma</a> and the Naked Pastor <a href="http://www.nakedpastor.com/archives/5356">critiqued faith</a> from within. Then Richard Rohr sent round a daily thought with the following:</div><blockquote>So we have these words describing mystical moments: enlargement, connection or union, and emancipation. You may not use these same words, but on a practical level it is experienced as a new capacity and a new desire to love. And you wonder where it comes from. Why do I have this new desire, this new capacity to love some new people, to love the old people better, maybe to enter into some kind of new love for the world? I even find my thoughts are more immediately loving.<br />
Clearly, you are participating in a love that’s being given to you. You are not creating this. You are not generating this. It is being generated through you and in you and for you. You are participating in something larger than yourself, and you are just allowing it and trusting it for the pure gift that it is.</blockquote>The question that I will keep posing is what about the things that can't be proven: are they worthless and to be ignored, or can we admit that there is something of worth which cannot be proven? My vote is for the latter.Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-41457799258547016612010-05-27T09:17:00.001+01:002010-05-27T09:20:11.805+01:00Communicating across Divides<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/214/487925055_74f114037b.jpg?v=0" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/214/487925055_74f114037b.jpg?v=0" width="304" /></a></div>For those who have been following the debates on faith and proof, there is another of our <a href="http://www.stmichaelsamersham.org.uk/whats-on/lectures/">Millennium lectures</a> coming up which might be of interest if you are anywhere near Amersham.<br />
<br />
Reflection on an authentic language of the Spirit, by <a href="http://www.universalistfriends.org/quf2009a.html">Harvey Gillman</a>, Tuesday June 29. 8 pm. <a href="http://www.stmichaelsamersham.org.uk/location/">St Michael and All Angels, Amersham on the Hill</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
What do we mean by religion and spirituality? What do we mean by truth in a community of faith? How far can language embody meaning? How can communication lead to communion? These themes will be explored in relation to a world of conflicting understandings of truth. Harvey comes to this topic paradoxically as one who finds meaning in ambiguous poetry, revelation in music and depth in silence. <br />
<br />
Harvey Gillman was outreach secretary for British Quakers for 18 years. He writes and lectures on spirituality, language and how we can use difference compassionately and with integrity. His books include: A Light that is Shining, an introductory book on British Quakers; A Minority of One; and Consider the Blackbird.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=revala-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=0M5A6TN3AXP2JHJBWT02&asins=0901689580" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=revala-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=0M5A6TN3AXP2JHJBWT02&asins=0852453469" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=revala-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=0M5A6TN3AXP2JHJBWT02&asins=0852452071" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-48683083956236839522010-05-25T06:35:00.001+01:002010-05-25T06:35:00.144+01:00Do you like this?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"></span><br />
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://learnsomethingnewtoday.us/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/goodevil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://learnsomethingnewtoday.us/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/goodevil.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><blockquote>Place your hope in God alone. If you notice something good in yourself, give credit to God, not to yourself, but be certain that the evil you commit is always your own and yours to acknowledge. <br />
The Rule of Benedict <a href="http://www.eriebenedictines.org/benedict"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">http://www.eriebenedictines.org/benedict</span></a> (only there 1 day in 4 months) <a href="http://www.osb.org/rb/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">http://www.osb.org/rb/</span></a></blockquote>I like this quote from Benedict, but I have a friend who dislikes it - we haven't gone into why - but I think that it is an example of the religious paradox that I was <a href="http://revdalan.blogspot.com/2010/05/paradox-and-faith.html">writing about yesterday</a>. It isn't necessarily that I think that it is "true", but that it gives insight into ways of thinking which help me come to God.<br />
<br />
What do you think?</div>Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-62067207135990634402010-05-24T06:35:00.003+01:002010-05-24T06:35:00.348+01:00Paradox and Faith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://eakenwrites.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/pinocchio-paradox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://eakenwrites.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/pinocchio-paradox.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>Something else which I suspect will get up the nose of atheists is the concept of religious paradox. I want to say (and mean) both that God is powerless and that God is powerful.<br />
<br />
When we are talking about God we cannot use language - God is bigger than language - instead we are working with metaphor - and sometimes a metaphor of powerlessness helps us understand more, and sometimes a metaphor of powerful does. All of these help us colour in our picture of God - or perhaps taking an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophatic_theology">apophatic</a> path help us in removing bits that aren't in the picture!<br />
<br />
Pete Rollins is very good on paradox in all his books<br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/flaT8wKkDlo&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/flaT8wKkDlo&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=revala-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=1557256349&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="float: center; height: 240px; text-align: center; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=revala-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=0281060517&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="float: center; height: 240px; text-align: center; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=revala-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=0281057982&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="float: center; height: 240px; text-align: center; width: 120px;"></iframe>Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-45179827676143572832010-05-22T06:35:00.002+01:002010-05-22T07:53:33.938+01:00Faith - Pragmatist v Rationalist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://broodsphilosophy.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/rationalist.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://broodsphilosophy.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/rationalist.png" width="500" /></a></div>The debate between we of faith and an atheist rationalist has been going on in the comments of a number of blog posts (<a href="http://revdalan.blogspot.com/2010/05/how-much-do-you-have-to-believe.html">here</a>, <a href="http://revdlesley.blogspot.com/2010/05/pete-rollins-christians-are-atheists.html">here</a>, <a href="http://ronmurp.blogspot.com/2010/05/belief-in-belief-practical-v-factual.html">here</a> and <a href="http://revdlesley.blogspot.com/2010/05/spongs-theism.html">here</a> for example).<br />
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As a pragmatist I am finding it frustrating as we appear to have little common ground to debate on; for example we agree that there is no scientific data to base our thinking on, but that is all that is allowed as proof by our atheist friend. When it comes to circumstantial evidence, for example the behaviour of Christians, then it is responded that this could come from another source (which of course it could). The one argument that I don't think has been answered is that Christians behave in counter intuitive ways (see long quote below fold), but ways which when they are lived lead to life in all its fullness (John 10:10, GNB), but again subjective experience is not allowed.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://evangeliskalliance.dk/icms/filer/faith_sta-ges_seminar_notes.doc">Fowler's theory of Faith Development</a> defines faith thus:<br />
<blockquote>Think if you will, of faith as `universal’, as a feature of living, acting, and self-understanding of all human beings whether they claim to be `believers’ or religious or not (Fowler & Keen, 1985:17).</blockquote>As teachers of the faith one of the things that we have to deal with is that there are people at all faith stages in our congregations, and things which may be helpful to those at one stage might well be harmful to those at another. Somehow we have to find a way of speaking to all, of encouraging all, without frightening some away. That is why I believe that clergy will say things in private that they will not say in public or on a blog - in private one to one conversation it is much easier to work with where that person is!<br />
<br />
Whilst taking on board Fowler's comment:<br />
<blockquote>that the stages should never be used for the nefarious comparison or the devaluing of persons (Fowler, 1987:80)</blockquote>I do believe that those in the higher numbered stages are less likely to behave in ways which militant atheists object to.<br />
<br />
The challenge to those of us of faith is perhaps how to move people through the faith journey, and perhaps as a real challenge how to evangelise directly into the later stages, for if the stages apply to whatever "faith" we have then it should in theory be possible to do this - although most programs, such as Alpha, appear to introduce people to the early stages.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<blockquote><i>"Do not repay one bad turn with another (1 Thes 5:15; 1 Pt 3:9)." Do not injure anyone, but bear injuries patiently. "Love your enemies (Mt 5:44; Lk 6:27)." If people curse you, do not curse them back but bless them instead. "Endure persecution for the sake of justice (Mt 5:10)."</i><br />
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A peacemaker's paragraph, this one confronts us with the Gospel stripped and unadorned. Nonviolence, it says, is the center of the monastic life. It doesn't talk about conflict resolution; it says, don't begin the conflict. It doesn't talk about communication barriers; it says, stay gentle even with those who are not gentle with you. It doesn't talk about winning; it talks about loving.<br />
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Most of all, perhaps, it offers us no false hope that all these attempts will really change anything. No, it says instead that we must be prepared to bear whatever blows it takes for the sake of justice, quietly, gently, even lovingly with never a blow in return.<br />
<br />
A story from the Far East recounts that a vicious general plundered the countryside and terrorized the villagers. He was, they said, particularly cruel to the monks of the place, whom he despised.<br />
<br />
One day, at the end of his most recent assault, he was informed by one of his officers that, fearing him, all the people had already fled the town, with the exception of one monk who had remained in his monastery going about the order of the day.<br />
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The general was infuriated at the audacity of the monk and sent the soldiers to drag him to his tent.<br />
<br />
"Do you not know who I am?" he roared at the monk, "I am he who can run you through with a sword and never bat an eyelash."<br />
<br />
But the monk replied quietly, "And do you not know who I am? I am he who can let you run me through with a sword and never bat an eyelash."<br />
<a href="http://www.eriebenedictines.org/benedict">http://www.eriebenedictines.org/benedict</a> - changes daily. From <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0824525035?ie=UTF8&tag=revala-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0824525035">Insights for the Ages</a></blockquote>Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-86731185105799588702010-05-21T06:35:00.079+01:002010-05-21T07:42:39.558+01:00Twitter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a0.twimg.com/a/1274144130/images/twitter_logo_header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="73" src="http://a0.twimg.com/a/1274144130/images/twitter_logo_header.png" width="320" /></a></div>I have been holding out for a while now, but yesterday finally signed up for Twitter. revdalan is me if there are others of you out there who want to follow my jottings.<br />
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Already I have added <a href="http://www.tweetdeck.com/">Tweetdeck</a> for my laptop and <a href="http://www.tinytwitter.com/">TinyTwitter</a> for my phone - though without an unlimited data option I have left it on manual updating!<br />
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The question that I have is how will I manage the additional stream of information coming my way? And I don't know the answer to that! Yet.<br />
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The other question is how I will handle the visibility. I try to control too much (even though I know I can't!) and I think Twitter will help me learn to deal with that. After all, if I am broadcasting my thoughts to the world (as I suppose I do on this blog) I am letting go of control, and somehow with Twitter it seems more so than blogging - not sure why.<br />
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What experiences do others have in this space?Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-47890845519157223662010-05-20T06:35:00.001+01:002010-05-20T06:35:00.091+01:00Do we all have a special gift?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://atomicpoet.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/friends_cast_004a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://atomicpoet.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/friends_cast_004a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>A couple of days ago I met up with some old colleagues. One of them mentioned that he had heard <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Woodward">Clive Woodward</a> saying that early in life you should find what you can excel at and nurture it. None of us knew what our gift in this area was (and we are all of an age when too much time is spent talking about pensions <span style="font-family: Wingdings, sans-serif;">J</span>) and it set me wondering whether that something exists - and if it does what it might be.<br />
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This also takes us into the nature v nurture debate and that is also informed by Malcolm Gladwell's "<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0141036257?ie=UTF8&tag=revala-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0141036257">Outliers</a>". In it he talks about how the vast majority of Ice Hockey players have birthdays in January, February and March - the reason for this being that if they start playing at a young age their greater development gives them and advantage which is magnified by the further opportunities that they get. OK, so perhaps if your birthday is later in the year then Ice Hockey should not be your sport - but that to me questions whether you have a specific gift, or whether you have a number of aptitudes which can be developed in a number of different ways.<br />
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Perhaps I have misinterpreted Clive Woodward and what he was doing was to encourage everyone to find something which they enjoy and then to do it to the very best of their ability for its own sake - but sadly I doubt it.<br />
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Faith in God encourages us to see everyone (including ourselves) as loved by God for who we are and not what we do. Our current society seems to be trying very hard to persuade us that this isn't true.Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-13888578062872561832010-05-19T06:35:00.002+01:002010-05-19T06:35:00.472+01:00Ethical Companies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ethisphere.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/WME-Index-Performance-1024x616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://ethisphere.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/WME-Index-Performance-1024x616.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It is good to see companies being <a href="http://ethisphere.com/wme2010/">monitored for ethical behaviour</a>. However, as always there are question marks about what constitutes ethical behaviour. Personally I see the treatment of employees as a major part of this and do not consider the "<a href="http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/apr/25spec.htm">rank and yank</a>" approach to appraisals as ethical. I don't know whether they still use it but General Electric certainly used to and lo and behold they appear on the ethical companies list!<br />
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Shouldn't there be a threshold for this? Good policies in one space shouldn't be able to outweigh bad ones in another. After all they are the only company ranked in their sector. Or is this a case of not being able to agree that "<a href="http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/apr/25spec.htm">rank and yank</a>" is bad?Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-16412880291940884552010-05-18T09:35:00.000+01:002010-05-18T09:37:33.367+01:00What about Extra Curricular activities?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.cdn.turner.com/trutv/thesmokinggun.com/graphics/art3/0426072pirate1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/trutv/thesmokinggun.com/graphics/art3/0426072pirate1.jpg" width="245" /></a></div>Is this person unfit to be a teacher because of this photo (with a caption saying "drunken pirate")?<br />
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I have <a href="http://revdalan.blogspot.com/2010/03/is-this-fair.html">blogged before</a> about the perils of the net when it comes to employment. But decided to have another go after seeing <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/may/15/twitter-facebook-social-networking">this article</a> in the Guardian about someone arrested for a tweet, and someone else <a href="http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0426072pirate1.html">refused a teaching degree</a>, they claim on the basis of a My Space entry. I haven't fully read the <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/Decision%202008.12.03.pdf">judgement in this case</a>, although <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2008/12/court_rules_against_teacher_in.html">comments on one of the sites</a> covering it suggests that the issues were other than the photo.<br />
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What interests me about this are the range of views that exist in this area, for example the <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=4791295&page=1">comments on this version</a> of the story, from what you do off the job is no one elses business through to everything you do is part of the job (perhaps only for certain jobs). It also touches on <a href="http://pickingapplesofgold.blogspot.com/2010/05/differences-of-opinion.html">Red's question</a> on differences of opinion. Are there jobs where your behaviour off the job disqualifies you from carrying out the job? I think the answer has to be yes - although with qualifications. Nobody is perfect (I know this will come as a shock to some of you out there ;)) so the question becomes what imperfections do we focus on? Red asked whether we would make a priest having an affair a Bishop - slightly tongue in cheek I would ask whether we would make a priest lending money a Bishop - after all the Bible says more about usury. The same goes for other public roles, doctors, politicians and of course teachers.<br />
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I guess where I fall on this is that there are behaviours which would disqualify people from certain jobs, but having your photo taken as above isn't one of them.Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-39854247133579142692010-05-18T06:35:00.003+01:002010-05-18T09:47:11.497+01:00Differences of Opinion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ancientfaith.com/images/thumbsup_thumbsdown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ancientfaith.com/images/thumbsup_thumbsdown.jpg" /></a></div><a href="http://pickingapplesofgold.blogspot.com/">Red</a> posted on <a href="http://pickingapplesofgold.blogspot.com/2010/05/differences-of-opinion.html">differences of opinion</a> and I felt that my answer was so long that it had better be a separate post!<br />
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For me there are two questions in Red's post. The first is what do we do when we agree that something is wrong and the other is what we do when we don't agree. When we all agree then it is relatively easy - although I suspect that there are few things that we all agree on!<br />
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So, when we don't agree, what happens then? As Red said, <a href="http://suem-musingaloud.blogspot.com/">Suem</a> posted a <a href="http://suem-musingaloud.blogspot.com/2010/05/bishop-of-gloucester-sides-with-james.html">link</a> to the <a href="http://www.gloucester.anglican.org/downloads/1672.doc">Bishop of Gloucester</a> talking about what are first order issues and what aren't - where we have to agree and where we don't:<br />
<blockquote>I think the best place is with the categorising of first and second order issues. I am quite clear that the issues on which the creeds make a firm statement - God as trinity, the divinity of Christ, the death and the resurrection of the Lord, the role of the Spirit and more - are first order issues on which there can be no change in what the Church teaches. They are fundamental to the Christian faith. I am equally clear that there are second order issues, which are important, and where interpretation of the tradition needs to be careful and prayerful, but where nevertheless individual churches and provinces need to be free to define doctrine in the way that seems to them to be in accordance with the mind of Christ.<br />
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Second order issues are those where we recognise that Christians can come to different conclusions and Christians can allow their view to be shaped in dialogue with their culture without imperilling the good news of Jesus Christ, setting back the Kingdom of God or breaking the fundamental unity of the Church.</blockquote>There has recently been further discussion about whether the gay issue is first order or not, and whether instead we shouldn't be trying to get on together:<br />
<blockquote>If the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives can do it in Britain, surely the liberals and conservatives in the Christian world can form some sort of coalition to bring new leadership to the Anglican morass. They must put their differences behind them, for the sake of God, themselves and the common good. <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article7128041.ece">Ruth Gledhill</a></blockquote><blockquote>The outcome will be a great challenge to the beliefs of many who have understood themselves to be faithful, orthodox, committed Christians and Anglicans. <a href="http://changingattitude-england.blogspot.com/2010/05/lesbian-bishop-proves-that-liberals.html">Colin Coward</a></blockquote><blockquote>All spiritual teachers tell us “DO NOT JUDGE.” For those of us raised in a religious setting, this is very difficult. In a strange way, religion gave us all a Ph.D. in judgmentalism. Richard Rohr quoted by <a href="http://bishopalan.blogspot.com/2010/05/why-is-our-christianity-so-immature.html">Bishop Alan</a></blockquote>I don't want to argue the pros and cons of the gay debate here, but instead ask why we can't accept that we have differences of opinion over this and recognise that we are all trying to follow the teachings of Jesus as best we can?<br />
<blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be mistaken.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Oliver Cromwell: Letter to the general assembly of the Church of Scotland (August 3, 1650)</div></blockquote>Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-45226449868571349892010-05-17T06:35:00.003+01:002010-05-17T15:04:01.375+01:00How much do you have to believe?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://corthodoxy.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/jesus-body.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://corthodoxy.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/jesus-body.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Whilst I agree with <a href="http://revdlesley.blogspot.com/2010/05/i-dont-know_15.html">this post</a> I was also challenged by it. How much do we have to believe? What is essential to our faith? In <a href="http://revdlesley.blogspot.com/2010/05/religion-getting-in-way.html">this post</a> the same writer suggests a stripping back of belief to a personal relationship, and I have heard David Winter saying that as time goes by he is more and more certain about less and less. (I recognise that this is an ambiguous statement - for the avoidance of doubt I believe that his intent was to say that there were fewer things that he believed strongly, but those that he did he believed more strongly). As a pragmatist I want to ask whether these things make any difference to us?<br />
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If I can't currently be certain about any of the things in the <a href="http://revdlesley.blogspot.com/2010/05/i-dont-know_15.html">blog post</a> does it matter whether they ever become resolved? Or is there a sense in which knowing becomes worse than not knowing?<br />
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An old joke goes:<br />
<blockquote>An archaeological dig in the Holy Land unearthed the bones of Jesus Christ. The evidence was compelling, even irrefutable. After checking and double-checking his information, the head of the team of archaeologists became certain that he had found the corpse of Jesus Christ, who therefore could not have been resurrected as Christians had always believed.<br />
Stunned, he called the only person he could think of who was the recognized head of world Christianity, the Pope. After much discussion, the Pope began to understand just how strong the evidence was, and decided that he would have to call together the leadership of all Christian denominations in order to come to terms with this astonishing discovery.<br />
“Who,” he asked his advisors, “is the greatest Protestant theologian now living?” The answer came back: “Paul Tillich.” So the Pope telephoned Paul Tillich and carefully described the way the bones had been found and how convincing the archaeological evidence seemed to him.<br />
There was a long silence on the other end of the line. “Do you understand what I am saying?” asked the Pope.<br />
“Ach,” said Tillich in his thick German accent. “Zo there really was a Jesus after all…” <a href="http://www.scriptoriumdaily.com/2007/03/03/old-joke-comes-true/">http://www.scriptoriumdaily.com/2007/03/03/old-joke-comes-true/</a></blockquote> The <a href="http://www.scriptoriumdaily.com/2007/03/03/old-joke-comes-true/">article</a> from which this comes goes on to suggest that:<br />
<blockquote>A major goal of his [Tillich's] theological project was to create a version of Christianity which no possible historical evidence could ever falsify.</blockquote>but how can we possibly falsify what we already have? I can think of no evidence (short perhaps of a time machine - but even there it could have gone back to a parallel universe) which would prove to me anything about what happened 2,000 years ago.<br />
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I think we are left with mystery - and I think that is a good thing!<br />
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My question to those who differ from me is what difference would it make to your life if some of the things that you hold as important were to be proved false? How would it change your life? What would you do differently?<br />
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Perhaps one day we will know the answer to these questions but that day is at the end of time, and not much good to us in living our lives today other than through faith.Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-16318416971774200102010-05-16T06:35:00.000+01:002010-05-16T06:35:00.560+01:00What are exams for?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0sxCs4Y24w1yYEyMAYQfXv_Zok0uCQxDJb5HIIqm936RSUPvgTZ4UQVhNIhixhhRUiu5UTH-w-TYm-0y-IY1e7q3F-UUO6Izw_phcsioq7JjvhzZvVjC3gl_KqqhOieqfafuCrz4lHnc/s1600/exams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0sxCs4Y24w1yYEyMAYQfXv_Zok0uCQxDJb5HIIqm936RSUPvgTZ4UQVhNIhixhhRUiu5UTH-w-TYm-0y-IY1e7q3F-UUO6Izw_phcsioq7JjvhzZvVjC3gl_KqqhOieqfafuCrz4lHnc/s320/exams.jpg" /></a></div>My daughter is about to start her exams (again!), but what are they for? This might seem a silly question, but the answer determines an awful lot of other issues.<br />
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Broadly the choice is that exams are either to show the innate intelligence of children or to determine which children are most suited to further education or various jobs.<br />
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When I did exams I believe that they were to determine who was most suited to further education and jobs but somewhere they seem to have morphed into ways of showing innate intelligence. Does this matter? If you believe (as I do) that innate intelligence is not a good correlator for the ability to do a good job outside of academia then it does mean that exams are no help for this.<br />
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Universities and employers still appear to want to select the "best" (or perhaps most appropriate) candidates. However exams no longer provide this information. I also recently got involved in a conversation about extra time for exams. In the real world if someone needs additional time, or special surroundings that is potentially a drawback to carrying out their duties, but exams no longer tell this.<br />
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The problem is that universities are starting to set their own exams because they cannot determine what they wish to know from public exams, and I suspect that more employers will start to do the same. When I was recruiting we used literacy and numeracy tests together with psychometric profiling - what is the literacy and numeracy other than an exam?<br />
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So why do we have the exams we do? Answers on a postcard please!Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-37948701448080358742010-05-14T06:35:00.000+01:002010-05-14T06:35:00.256+01:00Working from Home and Social Media<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://mahilu.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/3-25-home-office-living-etc1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://mahilu.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/3-25-home-office-living-etc1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Not my office - far too little paper around for that!<br />
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I was sparked into thinking about working from home by this <a href="http://minorquestionsoflife.blogspot.com/2010/05/myth-of-soho-entrepreneurial-boom.html">blog post</a>. Although I work from home, and have the issue of not having colleagues working alongside me at least in this church we say morning prayer together every day and have the opportunity to chat afterwards.<br />
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However, I am not going to blog on work - I have done that a <a href="http://revdalan.blogspot.com/search/label/Work">reasonable amount already</a>, but on my observations on social media. Perhaps unsurprisingly I know a lot of vicars! A subset blog and Twitter and Facebook and one of the things that I have noticed is that particularly blogging and Twittering (no I don't tweet) build communities and provide a a virtual neighbour for that displacement activity which is essential when that sermon just has to be written (like now!). This is far from a scientific observation, but I am starting to wonder whether the growth in these media is in part down to the reduction in community in the workplace, providing a virtual community which will still be there when the current job isn't.<br />
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However, it can also be very addictive and at present I don't have time to tweet and don't feel the lack of community - although either of these might change!Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4553919504704971225.post-43546090581055251822010-05-13T06:35:00.056+01:002010-05-13T06:35:00.845+01:00What value Budgets?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.aabpa.org/main/images/budget1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="http://www.aabpa.org/main/images/budget1.gif" width="320" /></a></div>What is your experience of budgets? Are they useful or not?<br />
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During my life I have experienced, or heard about a number of different approaches to budgeting - though I have no experience of government budgeting where counter intuitive <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deficit_spending">Keynesian approach</a> works. So what are the pros and cons?<br />
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<b>Business</b><br />
I have experienced one approach and heard of another. My experience is of budgets being targets which were not to be missed. If the forecast outcome was off budget then action was taken to correct it. Most often this involved cutting expenditure - to the extent that maintenance was often delayed until later in the financial year to see how the overall budget looked. There were two sides to this - one was a genuine cutting back on expenditure, the other simply a manipulation of the timing of expenditure to fit into arbitrarily defined buckets (financial years and quarters). The other approach that I heard of was where there was no budget - but expenditure was expected to be on an ever decreasing decline with this months target being below last months. The difference between the two companies was that one was a PLC having to satisfy "the market" whereas the other was a privately owned company.<br />
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<b>Charity Sector</b><br />
My experience now in the church/diocese is that the budget is treated more as guidance - the idea of moving costs into a new year because they weren't budgeted in the old one has gone - and I think this is good - it avoids the manipulation of expenditure to meet arbitrary targets - after all if the money needs to be spent does it really make sense to wait a couple of months? However, I wonder whether the culture of explaining differences to budget rather than managing them out means that the cost cutting is harder to implement. It is very easy to explain differences - but if your boss doesn't accept that then you have to find a way - if you have a more understanding boss who lets you explain things away that is always easier than taking action.<br />
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<b>Personal</b><br />
I run a very simple personal budgeting system - what, budget? <span style="font-family: Wingdings, sans-serif;">J</span> Though I know others who run more or less complicated systems. I figure out what rate of expenditure I can sustain and monitor it by looking at my balance at the end of the month. Nearly all my expenditure is monthly bar TV and phone so it works well enough for me. Plus if I put money into savings I might even get some goodies - assuming that I don't have to take it out again to live!<br />
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Funny thing is - soon after I wrote most of this post <a href="http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/">Thinking Anglicans</a> posted <a href="http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/archives/004358.html">the following</a> about the budget problems in the church, with links to other sources as well!Alan Crawleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17879972273938932321noreply@blogger.com0