benbell

Easter card 2006

Every Christmas and Easter, St Stephen's delivers a card to every household in the parish. The card advertises the times of our services, but also offers an opportunity to get people thinking about an aspect of these significant stories. This is the card I have designed for this Easter. I’ve tried to make a connection between an ancient story and a modern practice. Each day over 1 million people use escalators on the London Underground.

The writing on the wall

The biggest loser of the Commonwealth games, says graffiti artist Banksy, is Melbourne's street art scene - and London could be next for the whitewash
Article in the Guardian

the Guardian are giving a pro-Graffiti message and having a dig at Daily Mail readers for not approving of Graffiti - love it. Has Banksy become so main stream that Graffiti as a legitimate art form is now Publicly affirmed? Also interesting that papers (at least the Guardian) are keen to hear and publish Banksy's thoughts - a step on from just reporting on his pictures. Will this compromise the subversive nature of Graffiti?

Tsotsi

Saw Tsotsi last night at Screen on the Green, always a pleasure to go to this old skool cinema. The film lived up to my expectations, it was simply wonderful.

the film picked me up and placed me within a story, a million miles away from my own life experience, it aroused my emotions, I developed hopes and fears that could only be realised within the story. I love it when film does that.

dessert

Are you reading the grace lent blog ?

Is an annual highlight for me.

Thanks Jonny for drawing our attention to Joel’s brilliant piece on the desert.

I emailed the link round to a bunch of people and got the following comments back from a mate of mine – thanks bas.

It made me wonder about the tradition behind giving things up for Lent. Is it still valuable? As we accumulate more and more stuff, are we making it easier to give something up because each thing is proportionately worth so much less? In a society obsessed with self, is it more beneficial for us to think about others for a change?

communicating the Perfect Christ

One of the central beliefs of the Christian faith is that the person of Jesus Christ was perfect.

One of the aims of our Youth Work is to help young people to see how there might be a connection between the life of Jesus Christ and their own lives.

I have been reflecting upon this and my dialogue with young people who are often proud to be far from perfect.

Perfection defined – Excellence, Achievement
If we define perfection in terms of cultural excellence then we may conclude that Jesus was never late to meet someone, always got top marks in school, was impeccably well turned out, had glistening white teeth and always held doors open for others.

I have a deep conviction that Christ was ‘perfect’,
but can his perfection be supported using cultural values? I suspect not.
He seemed to violate a number of cultural values as he announced the arrival of the kingdom of God.

This didn’t stack up in my mind – and so I have been researching the concept of perfection and it’s definitions. Encyclopaedia’s, dictionaries, friends, etc

There is another way of defining the word Perfection.
Perfection can be described in terms of design, not achievement, not excellence, but design. ‘fit for it’s purpose’

If perfection means ‘fit for purpose’ then I can exactly see How Jesus is perfect. John records Jesus Final words on the cross as being “It is Finished” The Greek word used for finished in this phrase is "teleos." The Latin equivalent of the Greek word Teleos is Perfectus from which we get the word perfect. In other words “It is Finished” can also be translated as “It is perfected”

Jesus purpose was completed, finished, perfected. Jesus was Perfect as he was exactly fit for his purpose. This, in my mind flows so well with us helping young people to discover their purpose.

Kidulthood and London Elektricity

Went to see Kidulthood with a 15 year old young man yesterday.

It’s full on, but then again so is his life – he told me of a number of situations he has been in that compare to the film. The film was definitely a conversation starter.

When I asked him what his thoughts were about the film he replied 

“it makes me want to choose not to be like them in the film, I want to be more positive, I don’t want to end up like them. I’ve been beaten with a baseball bat, but not that bad. I want to take some of my mates to see it so they can choose to be more positive”

The response of this particular young person didn’t correspond to the fear that many have that the film encourages young people to copy the acts of the young people in the film – interesting.

I been listening to London Elektricity’s ‘different Drum’ which really does relate to this young man’s response to the film.   

I will dance to the beat of a different drum

Just wanna make a change
Do it a little different
Just wanna make a change
Do it a little different
Than yesterday

 

Positive

Tsotsi - a film about redemption

I'm really looking forward to this film coming out.

Set amidst the sprawling, crime-ridden streets of Johannesburg, where survival is the primary objective, this award-winning film traces six days in the life of a ruthless young gang leader named Tsotsi, who ends up caring for a baby he accidentally kidnaps during a car-jacking. With the baby's welfare at stake, Tsotsi is compelled to confront his own brutal nature and face the consequences of his actions, if he ever wishes to find redemption in his life.

This film won an Academy Award, and a couple of BAFTA's.

Film Site here

Interesting that it wasn't so long ago that a baby was accidentally kidnapped in a car-jacking round here.

Faith plays a part in health of teenagers

interesting article in the Church of England Newspaper last week.
I've bought the book so will review it here in a few weeks.

40 ideas for lent

40 ideas for lent from Ship of Fools

The Business of Race

essential listening for youth workers

according to Trevor Phillips, head of the Commission for Racial Equality, parts of Britain are sleep-walking to segregation, with different races choosing to live parallel but separate lives. But do the different races in Britain stare at each other with mutual hostility and incomprehension?

Munira Mirza investigates the evidence, and reveals new research, commissioned by the Radio 4, which shows the extent to which black students in Britain may be held back by their own perceptions of what white people think of them.

listen here