February 2012
1 post
October 2011
2 posts
September 2011
1 post
May 2011
1 post
April 2011
1 post
March 2011
2 posts
WatchThis might make you a bit dizzy, but it’s pretty good.
sustainable food →
I’ve been thinking for a while about making my diet more sustainable and kinder on the planet. Lots of good ideas in this article. Have decided to try eating meat only about once a week. The only current obstacle to this is a pack of bacon in my fridge…
February 2011
5 posts
http://irinawerning.com/back-to-the-fut/back-to-the... →
A friend sent me this today, it’s rather good.
stranger danger
And one more thought for today. Apparently speaking to strangers is good for you! I have quite enjoyed talking to strangers for a while (obviously using my common sense and not talking to any maniacs in dark alleways) and I have to say that it has provided me with some of my more memorable and amusing experiences. Here’s something I read on a random blog:
1. CULTIVATE CURIOSITY ABOUT...
Happiness →
Another good idea.
How do we become more happy? Richard Layard suggests it’s all about creating a more cooperative and less competitive society. We need a society where getting more and more (at the expense of other people getting less and less) is no longer the goal, and where we focus on improving the quality of our experience and our relationships with others instead.
Sounds good....
Collaborative Consumption →
I really like this idea. After all, what is the point of a whole street of people all owning a lawnmower that they only use a few times a year? Etc etc. Collaborative consumption is the way forward. I guess the whole thing is rather dependent on trust though. But could this be a way of building trust in communities? It’s a shame I don’t really own very many useful things to lend to...
December 2010
2 posts
http://www.christmasishappening.com/ →
A bit late now, but this was/is lovely. Happy Christmas one and all, I’m off to play some folk carols to see in Christmas day! (My job is official tambourine player)
October 2010
3 posts
http://hollabackldn.tumblr.com/ →
So, I just attended my first ever feminist meeting. In Dalston. In a nail salon.
But don’t get put off when you read the word ‘feminist’ – hollabackLDN (UK sister of hollabackNY) are trying to reclaim the feminist name. The idea is that we’re not hairy legged man-haters, but just everyday women who are sick of inequality, FHM magazine, and street harassment.
We’ve all had experiences of street...
August 2010
1 post
July 2010
3 posts
the freeconomy community →
Mark Boyle has been living without money for about a year and a half and has a blog I stumbled across in the Guardian. He’s also part of the ‘freeconomy community’ which aims to ‘reconnect people in their local communities through the simple act of sharing’ - sharing time, skills, tools and spaces to encourage and empower others. By reconnecting with our local...
community gardens →
My mother alerted me to this project! I love the idea of community gardens in places where most people don’t have their own gardens or access to green space. I think there should be lots more of these.
all good things come to an end
It’s just a couple of weeks until I finish my placement in Waterloo and move on to new things and real jobs (eek). So I meet again with the bittersweet feeling of things ending and new things beginning, and the limbo time in between (which I still don’t enjoy). As I reflect on my first year in London, there are so many things I’ve seen, heard, done, learnt, experienced, loved and not loved so...
June 2010
4 posts
stupid?
http://www.ageofstupid.net/
Everyone should watch this film. If we don’t dramatically change the way we are consuming carbon and the rest of the earth’s resources very soon then we could damage the earth beyond repair.
Some ideas:
- stop taking flights (this is a big one, but hard to do as I love travel)
- eat less meat (production of other foods more sustainable)
- walk, bike,...
April 2010
3 posts
do all religions lead to God?
These are just a few thoughts from some thinking I’ve been doing…
Marcus Borg: ‘Taking religious pluralism seriosuly calls Christian exclusivism radically into question, and in my judgement, negates it…Does it make sense that ‘the More’ whom we speak of as creator of the whole universe has chosen to be known in only one religious tradition, which just...
March 2010
2 posts
February 2010
2 posts
Eco-Theology
The state of our environment is a global issue, and something we should all be concerned with, but if we believe in an all-powerful, all-loving God, does this add another dimension to our concerns with ‘green’ issues?
Our theology actually has a big impact on the way we view the world, and our place in it. Traditional Christain thought has often viewed the world as existing for the sustaining of...
January 2010
1 post
I read 'Intimacy and Involvement' by Steve Chalke....
What are the things that distinguish authentic Christianity from popular superficial spirituality?
People seek a spiritual dimension in life for a variety of reasons. But the reality is that most of these are selfish reasons – we hope that buying into some kind of spirituality will be of some personal benefit to us. Of course, it often is, but the difference with an authentic Christian...
December 2009
1 post
November 2009
5 posts
the simple life
What is true simplicity? I’ve been reading about it this week in ‘Celebration of Discipline’ by Richard Foster.
Living a life of simplicity means having simplicity on both the inside and the outside. Inside, I think this means being a person who is consistent, has integrity, and has a deep contentment in themselves and in their relationship with God. It doesn’t mean...
“It’s a dangerous business to try and impose one’s view of things on others.”
– Salman Rushdie
What does it mean to be British?
When the ship ‘Windrush’ arrived on British shores on 22nd June 1948, it changed the face of Britain and sparked debate that is still ongoing about what it is to be British. In the last few decades, huge influxes of people from all over the world has continued to shape an ever-changing British identity, but the arrival of black Carribbeans on the Windrush has had particular impact on...
what is church?
Church is for many people a fundamental part of the Christian faith. But it is also a major point of contention between a lot of Christians - Church can happen in so many different ways, and express different aspects of our faith, so sometimes it could be difficult to know if they’re even to do with the same faith. I think Church can also be a big thing for Christians individually - positive...
October 2009
3 posts
Context?
How to read the bible has been one of the biggest questions that has troubled me in my thoughts about the Christian faith. Things like – how can we base our beliefs, our actions, and our lives on something that was written centuries or millenia ago, in a completely different culture, and something that is at face value just a book. As an English lit student I have been taught to question every...
453 to lambeth north
I was contemplating this week the fact that I probably spend at least six or seven hours per week on the bus. That’s well over 300 hours a year. Buses are useful for sleeping, people-watching, music-listening and general musing, but I was wondering if it might be possible to use this time more productively.
So I’m going to try a little experiment and see if I can read the bible on the...
September 2009
6 posts
faith
‘faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.’ (Hebrews 11:1)
‘The Heart of Christianty’ outlines four key ways of looking at faith.
Firstly, faith as Assensus; the need to prove and rationally understand what we have faith in. This can be difficult with modern Christianity – Enlightenment thinking makes some fundamentals of Christianity...
reflection
a little bit from T.S. Eliot:
Love is most nearly itself When here and now cease to matter. Old men ought to be explorers Here or there does not matter We must be still and still moving Into another intensity For a further union, a deeper communion
Learning is important and we should never stop learning, changing and becoming even when we are old.
Reflection is also important. ‘we must be...
blessed are the merciful
The quality of mercy is not strain’d, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
Shakespeare – The Merchant of Venice
We live in a culture where unforgiveness is a big social problem – broken relationships, broken families, violence etc.
The challenge of living counter-culturally means understanding...
