Gay Flamingos

Here is a link to a fascinating story about Carlos and Fernando, two monogomous gay male flamingos at the Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. They have been together for five years, and rear 'foster chicks' by eggnapping from other couple's nests. At the normal time of year they both take on the male role in a man on man courtship ritual.

Now some people say that being gay is about jumping on band wagon, culturally conditioned, and totally unnatural. I wonder if the likes of Carlos and Fernando and the many other examples in the animal kingdom suggest to us otherwise? They're also not victimised by other birds, unlike gay humans! And of course, aside from demonstrating natural gay behaviour... it's kind of a cute story! I propose a toast to Carlos and Fernando and their future together.

Last Nights Seminar

Last night I went to a seminar by Share Jesus International on the Incitement to Religious Hatred Bill.

I have to say I was disappointed. The flyer implied that the seminar would focus in an unbiased way on legal changes that were going to affect us as faith communities and churches, with a focus on the incitement to religious hatred bill. What we actually got was a very conservative take (in some places a rant) on how political correctness took away our freedom of speech. Civil Partnerships, the Gender Recognition Act, and Abortion Laws all came in from very conservative criticism along side the Religious Hatred Legislation, as all these things had opportunity to make it illegal to practice our faith. And it certainly wasn't biased. In the debate at the end I pointed out that natural law (which we had been encouraged to use as it is inline with scripture) was not cross cultural or stable, and the speaker backtracked, saying that 'we stand on scripture'. My next point was going to be that he is only taking a very one sided conservative translation of scripture and did not reflect all of Christianity, but at that point the debate was 'moved on' although he did offer to speak with me in private afterwards! Maybe he was wise, as I was going to point out that there was a liberal approach to scripture as well as his own and I'm not sure that is what he wanted to hear. I didn't have a problem with the conservative nature of the speakers, they're entitled to their opinions. I did however have a problem, given that it was billed as a 'balanced view with an opportunity to challenge the panel' with being silenced when I presented a more liberal approach to the issue.

As for information about the religious hatred legislation, we got little, so I'll default to my own research.

Wicked Wizard

New to the world of blogging... A not too old fella whose certainly talking from experience rather than his butt.

Could be some wise thoughts coming from here- and it's about time too that he started sharing his wiseness! Welcome to blog world to Wicked Wizard oh.. and he's a related so is extra welcome to critique me. ;)

And a smile

And also thanks to Richard for this link Link to the ever insightful Brian's Guide. In this one Brain thinks about inciting religious hatred... which incidently I have a seminar on tonight.

For now my toes are cold and requiring socks, and my work is on my desk, requiring attention. Over and out.

A deep breath

Sometimes it's good to read something, take a deep breath, let it touch you deeply.

Today I took a deep breath and let the Ruach spirit of God touch me as I read a blessing. Thanks Magi for the link to Spoken_worsrship where there are lots of deep breaths to be taken.

In the mean time todays deep breath for me was:


May you who are restless
Find rest
And in rest, restoration
And the healing
Of your hollow soul
May peace be yours
-
May you who are frozen
Find freedom
And in freedom the faith
To face the fire
And the thawing
Of your ice-gripped heart
May peace be yours
-
May you who are conflicted
Find convergence
And in convergence
Confidence
To be the one new child
Of your old divided self
May peace be yours
-
May you who live in tension
Find tenderness
And in tenderness the tendency
To kindness
And the creativity
Of a caring character
May peace be yours
-
And you who are Godless
May you find God
And in God,
The grace and growth you need
For fruit and fullness
And the love that will last you
Through the long-haul
Of a lived-for-others life
May peace be yours

Brokeback Mountain

Loving this movie! And no it's not just coz I'm gay! It's a fab love story dealing with loads of relationship and life issues that aren't unique to gay men. It deals with pressure to be someone you're not, lonliness, homophobia, the way fear of who you are or who you could be will stop you having all you could have.

I went for a night of nice entertainment on valentines day with my girlf. I came away spiritually uplifted, tearful and challenged. Challenged never again to let a relationship, or any other good thing, slip through my fingers because I am too afraid of the consequences of holding onto it. I will not let fear of facing who I am prevent me from enjoying all I could have and all I could be.

And.... I know there's at least one woman out there who'll read this and be glad to see it in print. *wink*

Numerous New Species found in Papau

Check out the BBC for a beautiful story about New Species being found on the Island of Papau.

I can't particularly say why reading this made me feel so good. Refreshed, revitalised, peaceful, at one. It was an almost spiritual experience reading about new discoveries and new previously undiscovered creation in the midst of all the news about us destroying and burning the world.

And the comment that 'this is the closest to the garden of Eden that we're ever likely to find in this world' from one of the team members is also telling of the spiritual experience of finding beauty, survival, intrigue and suprise amoungst the usual horror stories of the world that we are trashing. The lack of fear between man and beast speaks something of the Shalom and new world order that we look forward to for me, of returning to innocence, of connectedness. What a pure, whole, rejuvinating, unpolluted exciting experience to have the privelidge of witnessing and discovering another block of virgin unspoilt creation that we've not trashed. May it stay that way!

Participation, Football, And Spirituality

I like participation. It's a value of youth work I hold to very strongly.

So when starting with a group of young men who had 'outgrown' the kids club and needed something more I asked them for suggestions of things they'd like to do as a group. I was expecting the usual lethargy which they had to be encouraged out of.

"Start a football team to play in the under 14s league" was the response I got". Participation is good, encouraging young people in their talents, in their ambitions, giving them an opportunity to achieve, but whenever I've done empowerment stuff with young people before it's always been empowering them to do stuff that I could fairly easily take in my stride.

Yesterday four young men well and truly challenged me to: discover something that I could be part of acheiving that I've never thought I could be part of achieving, get new skills, make new contacts, and generally stretch myself. They see the peice of groupwork as something they can do easily- set up a football team- I'm absolutely terrified by the idea, and don't know where the hell to start. Makes me wonder who's 'doing' the youth work and who's being worked with here! It reminds me of Donovan's overused quote from Christianity Re-discovered:

"when working with young people do not try to
draw them back to the place where they have been, do not try to take them to the
place where you are, however beautiful a place that may seem to you, rather have
the courage to go with them to where you or they have never been before."

I'm off to find out about sunday leagues in the area, find out if they can join a local community coaching programme, find out if we can have somewhere regular to practice, find a coach(!), and figure out how a peice of groupwork based on starting and developing a football team can work with deeper issues of faith, existence, and the Kingdom of God. If this comes off I really am going somewhere with these young men where I have never been before. I need them, probably as much as they need me, I feel unsure, insecure, and vulnerable. I hope I don't let them down!