First night of Martyn Joseph, Stewart Henderson and Martin John Nicholls' Unsung Heroes tour, in Mossley Hill Church, just down the road from here.
No pecking order here, a nice collaborative event highighting the strengths we know each of these performers has in abundance, and particularly their passion for justice, strengthened by times they have each spent among people in some of the poorest communities in the world. Martyn's 2002 visit to the MST landless workers movement in Brazil featured prominently:
"It was an amazing trip of deep emotion, rich experience and challenge. One of the moments I will never forget was by the side of the road in a place called Campos. There, at an MST encampment, I saw the reality of the struggle for a group of courageous people, intent on obtaining justice and a piece of land on which to plant crops, raise homes and build a community. I made a promise to them that I would do whatever I could to tell their story."
His CD Till the End is part of that promise. It's raised £7,500 so far, for their cause. The Unsung Heroes tour will raise more, and will also help raise the landless movement's profile.
On the day squawkbox.tv went awol, it was probably as well that GB blog comment king John Cheek was away from his computer, up here visiting in-laws. Good to recognise one of the Greenbelt online community in the unlikely surroundings of Mossley Hill.
Earlier, Goodison's grandstands had been places of nasty verbal and occasional physical abuse during a fractious derby match. So it was good and healing to end a day of trauma at a perspective-shifting, affirming, very different sort of event.
well .....tomorrow I take jesus on the train ......during holy week .....I will be taking a big picture in a frame on three trains and three stations all the way through London showing a big photograph of Jesus standing outside a coffee bar in London Town ................I will hold the picture so all can see and see the reaction !
I am taking the pic to Kingston YMCA as I go for work. I want to take it so it is no a stunt but .....mayaswell use the thing as I go eh.................
Not been on the keys for a while as I have been to the big YMCA Nation Assembly over the week-end and my life has been somewhat hectic having started three jobs in the last week.
Now I hit the second week and trust that I form some good relationships as I spend time with both staff and residents for the next three days.It is a tall order having two ymca's to work in and need to make positive relationships with pace but without rushing. Watch this space.
Went to visit Val, my ex Chairman,today as I travelled back from my meeting in London. Bad bad tooth/gum infection and a good illustration of my saying "what do you think about when you have toothache? ......answer Toothache"
When working with people who have issues in their lives,big,painful,tough,demanding ........it is often just not possible for them to consider the other issues in life which we may want to explore, Development,faith,spirituality,God,jesus,the Easter story or even the high profile war.
"An empty belly has no ears " says the African proverb and people are not ready to consider the more beautiful,the richness and directional things which give so many others such purpose and satisfaction. So we live to love,so we live to fill that belly,so we cure that toothache ......that oppression WHATEVER it may be. Not NOT only so they are prepared then for the receipt of the Christian message,as important and vital that may be,but because God wants, I believe, that person to grow/develop into wholeness ........all part of the SHALOM that the 'Prince of Shalom' came for (at Christmas) and died for (at Easter). The yearning,our yearning needs to be for that person to experience the wholeness in whatever steps they chose to make. I hope, always, that will be a response to the Love that is given so freely by the God of Love.
So the picture on the train is saying something but never ever so much as the closeness of a relationship which includes BOTH sharing their brokenness. Sharing their toothache together and their wonder experiences.
Went to visit my ex-PA tonight-Gill. For me a model of wholeness. Sets me in the shade. Having worked together for 16 years we know each other so well and, as I said at my recent farewell, she is an Angel sent by God. Just to talk again is so fantastic and ........just what I said above about relationships ............. they,these relationships, can be the most beautiful thing as well, in so many sad cases, be the most painful.
"The glory of God is a person fully alive"
hmmmm ..................watch this space ......I intend to continue that journey
bhp