That Hideous Man

Perth Red Morning

2012-02-06T12:32:00.001+01:00

Ice Grass

2012-02-06T12:27:00.003+01:00

Er, what it says on the tin...

In Defence of Munro Bagging..

2012-01-31T23:26:00.000+01:00

Blue= climbed. Red= Not yet climbed!

Munro-bagging, (defined as the attempt to stand upon each 3000ft+ summit in Scotland, having climbed from the public road without mechanical assistance) is a fairly pointless and silly exercise. On the other hand, reduced to its most basic level, every sport is pointless - unless you define the point of existence as kicking a sack of air between some pieces of wood, of course. Munro-bagging has always had its detractors, of whom there seem to be two main types:

The first are non-hill walkers who mock the very thought that any pleasure could be gained by dragging ones weary and reluctant limbs up some tiresome Geal Charn or Meall Bhuide, while wading through relentless heather and peat hags in driving wind and pouring rain. These people would rather sit at home and watch The X-factor, thus giving me opportunities aplenty to return their incredulity about the nature of pleasure; while simultaneously disbarring themselves from participation in meaningful cultural dialogue. These people need detain us no longer!

The second group for whom Munro-baggers are an object of scorn are the self-appointed hillwalking elite, the mountain-puritans, the 'real-men' of the wild. For this group, the very thought of selecting a peak, and scaling it in order to place a tick in a book is an act of sacrilege - which demonstrates a failure to appreciate the true grandeur of wild-places, and reduces appreciating them on their own terms to a puerile game. This group however will find that their view of the countryside will be steadily eroded by the restriction of vision that occurs as their heads are shoved further and further up their own bottoms. Sadly, such has always been the fate of the self-important, and pompous. They may wear their pomposity with beards and goretex, rather than posh-accents and tweeds, but they are unmistakably one of a kind.

I began Munro-bagging quite by accident. When I moved to Scotland to go to University, I had already done a lot of walking in England and Wales, across the chalklands of the South, the broad uplands of The Peak district, and the rocky ridges of Snowdonia. I hoped to do some walking in Scotland and so one of my first purchases on arrival was a local OS map. The Scottish map confused me however. In England and Wales, the maps are covered in thin dotted red-lines which show public footpaths and bridleways. These formed the basis for any walk as everything else was pretty much private property and illegal to stand on! So when I looked at a Scottish OS map for the first time, I had no idea where to walk because of the total absence of red-dotted lines across the countryside. Not understanding the way in which the right to roam in wild-places in Scots law made such lines redundant, I felt very hesitant about taking to uplands without designated rights of way. I simply didn't know where to walk! One of the first presents I was bought was Cameron McNeish's little Munro almanac. It listed a series of hill-walking routes, where to park and directions for walks. I tried a few - somewhere in the East Grampians, and had such wonderful days out, that before long I was merrily ticking off these routes. The map above demonstrates that over the last few years I have done a fair amount of pointless Munro-bagging!

The trouble with the Mountain-snobs who despise Munro-bagging is that they assume that the addition of the 'game' of ticking the book detracts from a deep and genuine appreciation of wild places. I suspect that the opposite may in fact be the case. The Munro-book entices the walker up from the cities to places accessible as Ben Lomond or Schiehallion, where the glory of The Highlands begins and is first glimpsed. But the book doesn't leave them there, it lures them on to The Cairngorms, Kintail, Torridon, Knoydart, Sutherland - giving a taste of all corners of the country and all kinds of wild places. I don't know any Munro baggers who haven't started off like this who don't also delight in other hills, like the magnificent sub-Munro-height peaks of Assynt. Likewise, I am sure that the ranks of organisations like The John Muir Trust, or the SSPB are packed full of people who fell in love with Scottish landscape and wildlife because they first went to the hills with a copy of Munro's tables in their hands.

Now, obviously refusing to climb a tremendous mountain because it is only 2999 feet high is daft, mad and indefensibly moronic. But, so is the assumption by the mountain-elite that such attitudes are common amongst Munro-baggers. I count myself as a Munro-bagger, but yet I have spent days on lower-hills, photographing them and their wildlife, walking along coastal paths, on long-paths, and up to waterfalls. I have walked with pensioners, and carried babies on my back through the hills. A Munro 'bagged' might add an extra dimension and challenge to a day out, but it is by no means restrictive. I certainly wouldn't miss out on a three hour walk near home, just because there wasn't time to drive to an unconquered Munro! And I suspect that my attitudes are more common amongst baggers, than the elitists would care to admit!

So here's my Munro map. I am two-thirds of the way through. There are several that I have climbed several times - and will probably climb many more times. Last year was a poor year for bagging, a mere 8 new summits, despite the many hours I spent walking. I am hoping that 2012 will be a more bagging-successful year and I have a 'wish-list' of walks I would love to complete. The economy, the price of petrol, the weather, family activities, and the availability of hill-friends will all play a part in determining my success or failure in this ambition. Maybe see you in the hills somewhere...

An older view..

2012-01-31T15:35:00.001+01:00

THE TOWN OF THE TAY - PERTH

Click on the image - links to a film about Perth, made in 1936.

Ice on the Table

2012-01-31T13:06:00.001+01:00

"The Stone Table", Kinnoull Hill not Narnia. Click on image to see at full size.

Smeaton's Bridge

2012-01-31T12:55:00.001+01:00

Walking in to town for breakfast with my wife - mist hovering low over the Tay.

Fungus

2012-01-25T12:17:00.001+01:00

Dave, I had a word with the Fungus, they assure me that there's plenty of dead wood for everyone to share.

How to Keep Warm

2012-01-21T13:40:00.002+01:00

The storm last May brought down a lot of trees near us, but the chaos of that Monday evening was offset by the nice collection of firewood for this winter that it produced. Several happy Spring days sawing, splitting, and stacking in order to get the wood nicely seasoned has made cold winter nights a lot more pleasant now.

The sweet smell of woodsmoke, the peaty aroma of a fine dram.. the way to spend a January evening.

Inversion

2012-01-17T11:43:00.000+01:00

On the hill yesterday, with fog hanging around the Tay below, and the yellow morning sun above.. As ever, click on the image to see it properly.

The Sinister Mr Snilloc

2012-01-16T12:40:00.002+01:00

Some school reading book which my kids had featured a 'bad guy' called "Mr Collins". This Mr Collins, made quite an impression on the kids, because they designed a face for him, which started appearing in places such as the obligatory "Keep Out!" notices on their bedroom doors. The character took on a more sinister aspect when they re-named him, Mr Snilloc, as the word in reverse sounds infinitely more menacing. Mr Snilloc now appears routinely on the steamed-up glass by the shower, or icy car-windows, and birthday cards invariably are signed by both the sender and Mr Snilloc! The picture above is Snilloc's recent appearance on Tentsmuir beach.

Good Morning, Fife

2012-01-15T08:49:00.000+01:00

Looks quite nice at full size - click on the image to see it properly!

At the pond...

2012-01-15T08:43:00.003+01:00

Nestling between the two small hills near our house there is a spring which feeds a pond with fresh water all year round. Even when the main routes up Kinnoull Hill are very busy with walkers, dogs and mountain bikers, it' soften possible to sit by the pond and see or hear no human activity in the woods at all. The town rumbles away in the background, but here, wedged between the two hills, the air at the pond is often perfectly still.

When I am up there with my children in tow (and the inordinate volume at which they seem to function), the chances of seeing any wildlife are extremely limited. However, when on my own, I sometimes quietly wait. Within a few minutes of my noisy footsteps falling silent, the creatures of the wood resume their activity. On some Spring mornings I have seen young deer coming down to the pond to drink, while large Herons sometimes take a break from the Tay to fish the pond. Other large birds of prey stalk the woods too. I have seen Perigrines on the other side of the hill, but around the pond buzzards and a large owl are regular sights. Squirrels, usually large greys, but occasionally little reds, clatter up and down the trunks, and countless smaller birds chatter in the branches. On Friday, a new sight; a fox was lazily patrolling the margins of the pond.

It's not a piece of glamorous mountain scenery, but it is a place of delightful calm, and charm.

Book Notes: Screening the Blues by Paul Oliver

2012-01-14T19:26:00.000+01:00

Some aspects of the so-called "Great British Blues Boom" of the 1960s are disputed. Not least amongst these questions is why so many affluent white kids in Western Europe found the music of America's Black underclass resonated with their experiences in that turbulent decade - and became such a potent vehicle for their own self-expression. In short, what where guys in Surrey doing searching for rare Big Bill Broonzy discs in order to faithfully imitate them? There have been many answers to these fascinating questions. However what is surely beyond doubt is that the historian and academic analyst of this music in the UK was Paul Oliver. An academic architect by profession, Oliver began a lifetime of study into African-American culture in the 1950s, publishing reams of articles and many books - documenting, classifying, describing and dissecting the music and lyrics of The Blues.

In 1968, when bands like Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, and The Rolling Stones, had brought the sounds of Mississippi and Chicago to thousands of people, Oliver published Screening the Blues: Aspects of the Blues Tradition. It consists of a series of essays which Oliver had previously published in various journals, covering subjects as disparate as Blues and Christmas, nd Preaching the Blues (on the complex, multi-faceted, and often over-simplified) relationship between The Blues and Gospel music and their respective orbits. The Forty-fours, is a very long essay tracing a 'family-tree' of songs, musical forms and influences, tracing Blues back into the 19thC, while Policy Blues examines the gambling rackets which feature so heavily in African-American 20thC history, and which were such a fertile inspiration for the Bluesmen and Women. In the course of this, Oliver makes some observations about the apparent lack of social comment, let alone protest coming forth from a people for whom the central narrative of their experience in America, was one of oppression. The book concludes with a extended discussion about Blue Blues; that is blues with sexual content or innuendo and some of the games the blues musicians played to get black community innuendo under the radar of the predominantly white censors.

The book now has a dual significance, as it was written as a history book, but also is in itself now also a historical document - a snapshot of where academic study had reached in 1968. In many cases, Oliver calls for further research, and expresses frustration at the lack of serious studies in the field. In nearly every case he cites there are now a plethora of articles and books addressing his questions. Acceptable language in debates about race has also changed a lot over the last four decades. Contemporary readers will wince at Oliver's consistent use of terms like "Negro", but should remember that it was a perfectly acceptable term at the time, used throughout the speeches of Martin Luther King Jr, for example. As a historic document, its also fascinating to note that a generation previously, the thought of a white, British historian being utterly consumed with analysing the Lomax Library of Congress field recordings of the Blues from the 1920s would have been unthinkable. By the 60's it was 'merely' pioneering!

In terms of the content of the book Oliver writes with a voice of academic detachment (earning the disapproval of some Black authors for whom the Blues is part of the Black experience which can only be lived - not externally analysed). His research is extremely thorough, and if not exhaustive - sometimes detailed and repetitive to the point of being laborious. The essays on The Forty-Fours and The Blue Blues, especially could be massively improved by moving a large proportion of the cited examples and lyrics into the footnotes to allow the analysis itself to flow more naturally and build towards conclusions. Nevertheless, Screening the Blues is important history, and is now in itself an important way-marker in the outward rippling of the Blues from Mississippi to the world.

۞۞

So, what does this button do then?

2012-01-09T15:30:00.002+01:00

Ooh-eck, I like that! Looks even better full size (click on it to see).

Book Notes: Mark Steel's in Town by Mark Steel

2012-01-09T13:36:00.001+01:00

One of the highlights of recent Radio 4 comedy has been "Mark Steel's in Town" in which the radical and acerbic stand-up satirist visits a town, researches and writes a comedy routine based on the place - and then delivers it to an audience of locals. The format has worked really well on the radio for three series, as Steel brilliantly dissects the quirky, weird, odd, or wonderful aspects of a place and its people, drawing on his experiences today or on the history of the places. Each show features his entertaining monologue - (much of which he we invariably delivery in a cod version of the local accent), the local crowd reaction to this outsider affectionately teasing their foibles with laughter, cheers, boos or hoots of derision; and an interview with a colourful local character who seems to personify one of the town's most endearing eccentricities. Most of the last series has been excellent, and listening to it usually provokes a wry grin, and occasional peals of laughter.

The book based on the series contains a lot of material which will be familiar to the Radio 4 audience, such as the chapter on Douglas in the Isle of Man where he accuses the residents of basically being tax dodgers. It's written in Steel's distinctive tone, and is packed for of Steels trademark radicalism, disdain for the establishment, wonderful sense of irony and delicious use of ludicrous comparisons. He quotes lovely stories from the archives of the places he visits too, in Basingstoke he describes the way in which the droll and quietly spoken cricket commentator John Arlott got the better of a verbose colleague who concluded his description of the ground by "telling listeners he could see the sun setting in the West. When Arlott came on he said slowly, 'you can be rest assured that if the sun starts to set in the East I'll be the first to let yo know.'" And then in Wigan he discovered that local 1940s 'cheeky' banjolele songster George Formby "toured pre-apartheid South Africa and upset his hosts by refusing to play segregated venues. As a result, a black member of one audience presented Formby's wife Beryl with a box of chocolates, and George gave the man a hug. National Party leader Daniel Francois Malan, who would introduce apartheid two years later, heard about this and phoned Beryl to complain, to which she replied, 'Why don't you p*** off, you horrible little man?'

While analysing London and rejoicing in its colourful ethnic diversity, Steel says:

"My son once introduced me to a new friend, saying, 'This is Ernest, he's Polish. Don't worry, I don't miss any opportunity to remind him that his lot had to be saved by us in the war.'

I said, 'What?'

He said, "Everyday I remind him that his country would have been stuffed without us in the Second World War.'

I said, 'Listen, you know that aeroplane battle at the start of the war, over Kent, that meant that Hitler had no chance of invading?'

'Oh yeah, the Battle of Britain'

'Yes, the Battle of Britain. Well, do you know where a fifth of pilots on the Allied side came from? They were from Poland!'

He turned straight to his mate and said, 'See, you were nicking our jobs even back then'.

Now who wouldn't want to live in a city like that?

There are plenty of laughs in the book, but despite this I couldn't help feeling that it failed to live up to the Radio show. In fact, its a lot less funny and enjoyable than its Radio equivalent despite the fact that so much of it is the Radio show scripts. There are a few reasons for this. The first is that Steel has to tone his language down for the BBC, whereas his publishers allows him to barrage the reader with expletives which become wearisome. The second is that so much of the humour comes from Steel's delivery, and mimicry of local voices, or bursting into song, and interaction with the live audience - something which doesn't translate to the page. The result is that while the book is wryly amusing, it doesn't deliver the laughs like the Radio show. Fans of the show will feel somewhat underwhelmed by the book, I suspect.

۞۞

Along the River Braan

2012-01-08T22:40:00.000+01:00

Click to enlarge - and see the picture properly!

The Falls of Braan at The Hermitage

2012-01-08T16:27:00.002+01:00

A favourite family stroll starts at Rumbling Bridge near Dunkeld and follows the track alongside the River Braan to The Hermitage.

Barnhill

2012-01-07T18:59:00.003+01:00

Tentsmuir

2012-01-06T15:18:00.003+01:00

Stripes

2012-01-06T08:31:00.004+01:00

One of the best things about the Christmas season this year has been having my parents up in Scotland, not just once, but twice. The first time was for my Dad's 70th birthday, a milestone we celebrated here with them and my sister's family too. The second time was for Christmas itself. As we went to the front door to wave them off, a stunning rainbow plunged down from the sky into The South Inch.

Book Notes: The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller & Kathy Keller

2012-01-06T01:45:00.003+01:00

The New York based pastor and author Tim Keller (most well know for his Christian apologetic work The Reason for God), has kept up a quite phenomenal publication rate over recent years. His latest title, co-authored with his wife Kathy is an exploration of a Christian vision of marriage. I have read quite a few books about marriage, most of which have been useful in different ways with their various emphases. Early in marriage I read Wallerstein and Blakeslee's The Good Marriage, a detailed piece of secular social research which helped to set us a good trajectory. Years later I read Nicky and Sila Lee's The Marriage Book - which is practical, and brutally realistic and full of brilliant ideas for day-to-day married life. They write as Christians, but make their materials accessible and useful to all. The Keller's book is something quite different to either of these however.

The Keller's book sets out a uniquely Christian view of marriage; its design, nature, power and purpose. It is based not just on biblical texts about marriage - but also (as one would expect from Keller) on a vision of life as being lived in response to the grace of God. His view of humanity is that we are sinful and flawed, but unreservedly loved by God in Christ who is in the business of reconstructing us. Obviously this has huge implications for marriage, not least because it sets the goal of life as the grateful pursuit of Christlikeness, something which in marriage becomes a shared, joint endeavour. They explore this endeavour through Biblical reflection, quotes from a range of thinkers, and anecdotes from their own marriage as well from several decades in pastoral ministry.

The book kicks off with a contemporary discussion of the way in which 'St' Paul taught that marriage is meant to be a "reflection of the saving love of God for us in Jesus Christ, which is why marriage helps to understand the gospel and the gospel helps us to understand marriage.(p15)" This is a helpful illuminating chapter which neatly lays out the spiritual vision for Christian marriage which fills the Keller's thinking. It's in this foundational chapter that they also offer an apologetic for marriage itself, as the covenant commitment - which rather than being a restrictive barrier to human happiness actually helps create the conditions in which human love and happiness thrive (a theme fully developed in chapter three).

The second chapter focuses on the Christian couple's dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit, to re-make character. Marriage properly understood will involve a loss of freedom, of independence and is commitment to lifelong compromise for the sake of the other. This, obviously militates against contemporary notions of the "me-marriage" in which the essence of the contract is the quest for self-fulfilment through the (presumably disposable) union. It also is in strong tension with traditional marriage structures, which see the imposition of strictly defined gender-roles as the key to marital stability and happiness.(p66) The essential problem of humanity they argue is innate selfishness, the corrective is the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the power to change is The Holy Spirit. The book is actually worth buying for this chapter alone!

The vision of "Spiritual Friendship" is something that I have listened to Keller preach on as a model for Christian fellowship in the church. The fourth chapter of this book applies this idea as the "mission of marriage". St Paul's theology of sanctification provides a lens through which to walk through life with another flawed human being - with the vision before you of the person that both you and God will help your spouse to become!

In chapter five some of the common problems which surface in different phases of marriage are mentioned. The waning of initial infatuation, the point at which opposites no longer attract and begin to irritate, and some common misunderstandings, differing assumptions about marriage/homes/family, communication errors and typical gender differences, are discussed. While these different issues have each ruined marriages, the Kellers helpfully describe the power of healing love. The determination to love in all its forms and categories (eg Greek: storge, philos, eros, agape; that is affection, friendship, erotic love, and service, respectively) can overcome these barriers - and the determination to 'love' even when there is a deficit of 'like' towards a spouse is the key to rekindling 'like'. The essence of love here is a covenant commitment to spend a lifetime investing in the other, especially when our emotions are rebellious. The "five love languages" (familiar to anyone who has done The Marriage Course) are also deployed here, intriguingly also described as "currencies", another excellent analogy.

In chapter six Kathy Keller wades right into the controversy between "egalitarians" and "complimentarians" over gender roles within marriage; and I suspect will annoy people in both camps! Typically many who style themselves as "complimentarians" take New Testament texts about the "headship" of the husband and infer from that very strictly gender divided roles on traditional lines. Many who call themselves "egalitarians" would dismiss biblical texts like that out of hand. Kathy Keller takes an unusual stand in both affirming the general principle of the text, but suggesting that how that works our in practice will vary according to time/culture. Therefore, "this has nothing to do with who brings home the biggest salary, or who makes the most sacrifices to care for the children. The family model in which the man went out to work and the woman stayed at home with the children is really a rather recent development. For centuries, husband and wife, (and often children) worked together on the farm or in the shop. The external details of a a family's division of labour may be worked out differently across marriages and societies" (p184). This is a serious blow to the hyper-machismo theology of the likes of Mark Driscoll which will delight egalitarians. However, before they try to claim Kathy Keller as one of their own, she will then dismay them by concluding, "the tender, serving, authority of a husband's headship and the strong, gracious gift of a wife's submission restore us to who we were meant to be at creation"! What is even more interesting than this are Keller's comments about her personal wrestling with these texts, growing understanding of them and book's appendix in which they describe how they have sought to outwork their understanding of the Bible in their own marriage.

Unusually for a book about marriage, there is a very useful chapter for unmarried people within it. It focuses on important matters such as the value and completeness of a single life, on dating, planning marriage and deciding whether to marry. Sixteen years too late for me to apply - but I can see the wisdom of much of what they say. The book then concludes with a frank, charming and helpful discussion of the 'covenant-cement' that is sexual love. Biblical texts, and personal anecdotes are marshaled to ensure that all readers are confronted with the Bible's exalted view of sex, and the importance of it for marriage.

Here's a short video clip of the Kellers talking about the book:

Broadly, this is an excellent book - which Christian married couples (and singles too) would gain a huge amount from reading (if possible together). It is biblical, wise, practical and yet pastoraly sensitive. The infusion of the Christian gospel and spiritual dynamics into a marriage book is a stimulating, challenging and inspiring project which especially in the early chapters of the book, they do remarkably well. Tim Keller is an excellent communicator, who has the ability to package detailed ideas remarkably simply. For her part, Kathy Keller was a book editor who writes equally well, opening up some deep and searching issues with deceptive simplicity. I have many friends who will balk at the complimentarianism of chapter six, however gentle, nuanced and non-hierarchical. Nevertheless, I would urge them not to dismiss the entire book on that basis, there is simply too much pure gold in here to be missed! It is a very helpful volume for anyone wanting to develop a fully Christian view of marriage, helpful for people who are married as well as anyone who might one day be. The great weight of this book is about how the Christian gospel shapes, inspires, empowers and equips us for the daily joys and challenges of developing a thriving God-honouring marriage. And that is priceless.

۞۞۞۞

Links:

Interview with Tim Keller about the book

Where to buy the book

Book Notes: The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein

2012-01-02T01:09:00.000+01:00

During the Cold War era, the lines were drawn clearly. On one side stood communism, state-control of the economy, and lack of human rights and freedoms; while on the other side stood freedom, democracy and capitalism. The cold war narrative (at least as told in the West) was that this meant that freedom and democracy are the natural (indeed inevitable) partners of capitalism. The fall of Russian and Eastern European communism was naturally interpreted through this prism. Likewise, when the Tienanmen Square protests began to gather strength the assumption made here was that the Chinese were striving for the political and personal freedoms which normally accompany free market economics. In "The Shock Doctrine", "No-Logo" author Naomi Klein systematically demolishes this narrative, and reveals the extent to which the radical free-market principles espoused most notably by Milton Friedman, have most-often been the natural bedfellows of terror, human-rights, abuses, dictators, and corporations profiteering from war and natural disasters.

The "Shock" referred to in the title is a comparison Klein draws repeatedly on. She describes the CIA sponsored psychiatric experiments of the mid-20th Century in which doctors attempted to shock, disorientate, memory-erase, and then rebuild patients. Initially this was trialled as a treatment of psychiatric illnesses, but was also associated with attempts to break captured enemy combatants. Klein suggests that over the last half-century, 'disaster-Capitalism' has used exactly such tactics on whole societies, using (or creating) catastrophes in order to force through unpopular economic 'reforms' on disorientated populations. These 'reforms' are typically vast cuts in social spending, privatisation of state-assets, access to land and resources for Western Corporations, low tax-rates in regressive tax systems and multi-billion dollar contracts for Western Corporations to 'rebuild' after the disaster. Typically, such policies result in a wealth bonanza for shareholders in the disaster-capitalism elite, but vastly accelerated differentials in wealth in the reconstructed country. Where electorates will not vote for these policies but prefer even moderate Keynesian alternatives, pressure from international money -markets, IMF/World Bank ensure compliance. In the most extreme cases, democracy has been crushed by force to facilitate the forward march of disaster capitalism. This is Klein's thesis.

In chapter after chapter of tightly argued and extensively footnoted prose, Klein demonstrates the coherence and veracity of her central contentions. She takes the reader through South America in the 70s where social-democratic governments were overthrown by American backed free-market dictators like the murderous Pinochet; charts the ways in which Solidarity in Poland, and the ANC in South Africa have abandoned the manifestos on which they were elected and succumbed to IMF 'Shock-therapy'. She details the way in which Yeltsin was able (during his war with the Russian parliament), to use the shock of conflict and the suspension of democracy to force through the deeply unpopular privatisations of state utilities which created the infamous Russian multi-billionaire's of today. Needless to say there is little evidence of any 'trickle-down' of this wealth to the Russian people. Klein also shows the way in which natural disasters such as the tragic Tsunami were seized upon by the disaster-capitalism complex to drive their agenda forward against the wishes of the victims of the destructive wave. She documents the struggles of many indigenous peoples to re-build their homes (such as Sri Lankan fishing communities) when their land has been given to Multinational corporations to redevelop as tourist attractions using Western aid money.

Perhaps the most shocking of all Klein's case studies is that of Iraq, and the Bush regime's privatised war which created a national 'shock' with which to rebuild the country as a free-market test-case for the Middle East. Klein documents the way in which the multi-nationals and mercenaries who fought much of the war were accountable neither to US or Iraqi law, whose conduct was frequently appalling but whose owners harvest multi-billion dollar profits. The scandal of the 'reconstruction' of Iraq in which billions of dollars of Iraq's oil wealth was harvested to allow firms like Haliburton to impose their plans on the populace is a terrifying read.

There are places where Klein undoubtedly asserts more than she demonstrates, in the case of her chapter on Israel and Palestine she's probably guilty of some significant over-simplifications, and on a few occasions some fairly significant factual claims aren't footnoted. Nevertheless, this book is a devastating indictment of the amorality of so much of the world economic system. What is perhaps most surprising is the reaction of surprise that this book seems to have generated in so many reviews. I must admit that I had always assumed that economic policy was the driving force in the conquest of Iraq, and that the world was full of corporations ready to profiteer from the misery of millions.

In the final chapter of the book, Klein looks to highlight what she sees as hopeful signs of alternatives. She rejoices when she sees developing countries in the two-thirds world seizing the initiative and managing their own economic fortunes. Direct bartering deals between South American countries for commodities such as Oil or trained medics without reliance on the volatile manipulations of the international markets. When Klein published in 2007 she was able to trace what she described as positive signs of a post-shock alternative arising. IMF and World Bank Friedmanite loan and reconstruction shock packages were steadily reducing as she wrote. Five years later, as the world economy enters another year of crisis and countries across Southern Europe face severe shock, Klein's book makes essential and urgent reading. Economies and even currencies may collapse and reconstruction may have to happen - but whose reconstruction, and how it will be carried out will be matters of utmost concern. Klein argues that 'disaster capitalism' is poised to exploit crises for its own ends; real participative democracy must also therefore be as well prepared for the forthcoming conflicts.

On a more personal note, I have been involved with discussions on another blog about the attempts of the Christian-right in the USA to baptise capitalism as "Christian". This was I suppose understandable in the Cold War era, when there was a correlation between market-economies and religious freedoms, and the atheist propaganda and persecution that accompanied Marxist-Leninist government. Today however, I think that such schemes are deeply flawed because they are based on a series of errors. These include:

(i) Various financial systems existed across Bible times.The Bible neither discusses socialism nor capitalism as we have it today, but it does deal in detail with the ethics with which wealth and money should be handled within whatever system we find ourselves. The leap from this textual data to an unequivocal endorsement of the late 20th Century American experience seems to be a capitulation to ethnocentric hermeneutics of breathtaking proportions. The idea that one economic model is to be imposed in all times and places, is one which resonates strongly with free-market fundamentalists, and with their Marxist protagonists - but is not something which is found in the Bible. Western Capitalist theologians need to hear the voices of their brothers and sisters in the two-thirds world and ask why they read the same texts so differently.

(ii) Christian proponents of Capitalism claim to be defending the principles of human responsibility and fairness of the free market, but in fact are apologists for Multi-national Corporatism, whose interest in profits and market domination skews market freedoms so that what exists in practice usually looks nothing like the theoretical model defended.

(iii) The Bible is uniformly condemning of money-lending with interest, something which is intrinsic to contemporary notions of 'enterprise'. Christian-capitalists need to spend so much effort qualifying and avoiding these texts that they have tacitly admitted that there is a serious disjunction between their model and biblical norms.

(iv) While the social-justice models applicable to Israel in the Old Testament cannot simply be applied to contemporary secular society as if it were God's Covenant people; the prophecies of men like Amos do still reveal something of the unchanging character of God - as revealed in those specific circumstances. We cannot therefore abandon all notions of equity as limited to that time/place and those recipients but should weigh contemporary options in the light of the broad outlines of how God requires that we live in His world.

(v) The Reformation doctrine of Total Depravity emphasises that all aspects of our humanity have been tainted by the 'fall', and that not one area is unaffected by it. This means that all parts of our lives, (mind, emotions, bodies etc etc) have been influenced by sin. However it must also mean that all human endeavours and systems fall short of the standards of God's holiness. I am very suspect of any theologian who is 'courageous' enough to say that all human economic arrangements are sinful - except the one which is benefiting me and my country right now! It seems like a refusal to adequately apply the doctrine of Total Depravity to ones own culture. The gospel of Jesus Christ stands above all cultural ferment and socio-economic battles, and must be seen to be so. If the American Christian right is allowed to weld their economic model onto the gospel as if they were one, the consequences for Christianity could be disastrous. If modern consumer-capitalism turns out to be the greatest human endeavour in the Tower of Babel tradition yet, and it falls spectacularly; what will be left of the church and the Christian witness to the saving power of Christ?

۞۞۞۞

Reading the Bible... 2012+

2012-01-01T15:49:00.000+01:00

I suspect that I am not alone in having failed to sustain overly-ambitious Bible-reading plans in previous years. McCheyne's famous and majestically constructed plan is one I have failed to complete several times. Furthermore, I found that just trying to get through that much volume was becoming a chore, and I became more interested in ticking off the box on the reading plan than listening to the text. That's like becoming so into Munro-bagging that you stop enjoying being out in the hills!

Tim Chester has recently been promoting a Bible-reading plan which avoids some of these pitfalls. Called "The Edge Network Weekly Bible Reading Plan", it divides the texts up by weeks rather than days, and takes three years to cover the whole Old Testament once and the New, twice. The plan is online here, and it looks pretty good to me. As of today, I am going to give it a go!

The Bible is by any measure or standard, a quite unique and remarkable book. It is agreed by all to be a work of massive historical and literary importance worth of serious reading and consideration by anyone who wants to understand our world today. Western culture in particular has been historically rooted deeply in the message of the Bible's pages, while over the last century the specific trajectory of secularism has been shaped by rejection of this book. The Bible is a constantly surprising collection of documents gathered from across centuries of different cultures and languages; it contains some things which a child can grasp, and others which perplex the scholars. It reflects on love, death, sex, food, ageing, marriage, suffering, pain, he origins of life, the destiny of the soul, the purpose of life, the nature of happiness, the causes of evil, the nature and existence of God, the destiny of the universe, and makes the remarkable claim that all of this is centred on a 1st Century Galileean carpenter/preacher whose work is the pivotal episode in the history of the world.

The human story of the Bible is enough to make it essential reading in itself. Christians however are convinced that there is another dimension to this collection of documents. Historic Christian theology and immediate spiritual experience converge around the claim that the Bible has a divine inspiration; that is that the life-experiences, personalities and circumstances of each author were so arranged that the words they wrote did not merely express their thoughts, but contained the revelation of God himself. Furthermore, the gathering of the whole collection was a supernaturally guided endeavour which gives authority and clarity to the 'whole' work together. This means that individual texts (however lovely or problematic) are not the sole focus, but the shape of the great narrative which starts with the pre-existence of God, centres on Jesus Christ (who it maintains is God walking amongst us), and culminates with the New Heaven and Earth, in which God and His people are finally re-reunited, is. Christian spiritual experience includes the idea that The Holy Spirit was the person who 'superintended' the writing the Bible, and that He is still in the world today and indeed lives with the believer. As such there is a deep resonance between the person who is open to the Spirit of God and the voice of God, heard through the ancient words of The Bible.

So, it's January the 1st - and I am starting a new Bible-reading plan, if anyone is interested in reading along with me follow the links. Likewise, if you want to check on my progress during the year, and prod me back into action if I start falling behind, that would be welcome encouragement!

Edge Bible Reading Plan

About the Plan

Tim Chester

Night-time visitor..

2011-12-20T17:04:00.003+01:00

This beautiful creature invaded our room last night, and prevented us sleeping for a while by fluttering around our faces. Happily it also paused long enough on the wall to allow me to line it up in the camera's sights.

2011-12-19T14:30:00.002+01:00

Sometimes the very best part of a day out walking is the long trudge home, when the sun drops behind the hills.

Dreamy Layers

2011-12-19T14:23:00.000+01:00

On to the Lynedoch Obelisk

2011-12-19T14:20:00.001+01:00

Although I have seen the Lynedoch Obelisk on Murrayshall Hill many times, from various angles - I'd never walked out to it before.

I was expecting wide views of the Strathtay to the North, but was surprised that a gap in the Braes of the Carse allowed a view of the river estuary out towards Dundee. Southwards, the Paps of Fife lurked behind Kinnoull Hill in the foreground.

Pleasingly, the sun shimmered off the little metal information plaque on the stonework.

The Folly of it All

2011-12-19T11:05:00.000+01:00

While I have walked almost every corner of Perth's Kinnoull Hill and Barnhill many times, the hills just beyond them stretching out about Scone from Deuchny Woods, I have neglected.

While these low hills lack the obvious attraction of Kinnoull's dramatic cliffs, and interesting wildlife - they do offer an hour or two's charming strolling away from the crowds and man-made paths and adjacent motorway which so detract from the latter.

Like Kinnoull Hill, Murrayshall Hill is graced with a folly. McDuff's folly stands on the Northwest Edge of the wide, rolling summit ridge. Anyone driving Northwards from Perth on the A94 will have had their eyes drawn upwards to this little landmark on the skyline.

It is a strange, silent, life-less place. My walks through adjacent woods usually find me stumbling upon deer, squirrels, falcons, owls, grouse or a host of smaller birds. Strangely this place was utterly deserted.

The views out across the gentle Perthshire countryside were quite lovely, however.

Sunshine-on-Tay

2011-12-17T17:30:00.000+01:00

Steppin' Out

2011-12-17T16:59:00.000+01:00

The Sky in Perth

2011-12-17T00:11:00.001+01:00

In Bonnie Glenshee

2011-12-12T14:46:00.005+01:00

-Looking Southwards from the Ski Centre-

-'Norris' almost capsizes the sledge-

-The Sun dips below the hills, and sledging time will soon be done-

-Mountain ironmongery-

_______

-Chairlifts waiting for 'real snow' and thousands of paying customers-

-'Boris' the abominable snowman -

_______

-All roads were open on Saturday, we followed the snowplough/gritter all the way back to Blairgowrie-

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Best Ever Sledge?

2011-12-12T11:19:00.001+01:00

Half-light Glen Shee

2011-12-12T01:14:00.001+01:00

My favourite photo of Friarton Bridge

2011-12-05T14:49:00.001+01:00

Things of which I never seem to tire..

2011-12-05T13:27:00.002+01:00

Britain's greatest river: The Tay, from Kinnoull Hill

Sun

2011-12-04T22:24:00.000+01:00

The low winter sun 'bursting' through the woods on Kinnoull Hill, Perth

"The Parenting Children Course", Week Four: "Our Long Term Aim"

2011-12-02T12:00:00.006+01:00

This week we completed a pilot of "The Parenting Children Course", with a group of friends/fellow parents. Over these five weeks we have covered a huge amount of ground, as the headings for each session (above) reveal. As we suspected, the course has provoked our thinking and encouraged us to both make some changes to some family routines, as well as persist with some of the things we are getting right, but which are tiring and could be all to easy to give up!

Week five of the course is entitled, "Our Long Term Aim" - and encourages us to draw back from the frenetic day-to-day of managing a busy house, and busy children - in order to think about the 'big-picture'. Sometimes a course like this is surprising and provides new insights; but more often I find that (as with the Marriage Course) the greatest benefits come not from new information, but from the structure of the course. We had known, for example, that we needed to weight our discipline more towards reward, and less around sanction for some time. However, actually making these changes, didn't happen until we did the course, talked the issues through in the 'homework' and then implemented it. Actually a similar thing was true for us with The Marriage Course. We identified that a key need in our marriage was to spend time together as a couple on a regular basis when at a marriage seminar in 2001! However we didn't actually start having such "Marriage Time", until we did The Marriage Course in 2006, as it presented us with an allotted discussion time to actually think it through, plan it and organise it. Some people mock the 'course' format; but for me, it imposes the structure that my thinking requires, enables awkward or touchy subjects to be raised not postponed - and creates the stimulus to get on with required action.

In week five of "The Parenting Children Course", authors/presenters Nicky & Sila Lee (who have raised four children, themselves) steered us through two areas: Encouraging Responsibility, and Passing on Beliefs and Values. While discipline can correct a child's behaviour, the long-term plan must be to help children to develop the kind of character which will enable them to make good choices themselves, with increasing freedom as they grow older.

Firstly the issue of freedom is explored. Parents were encouraged to allow age-appropriate freedom to their children in order to begin the transfer of responsibility for planning and conduct from parent to child early on. Micro-management, over-competitiveness, over-busyness, and over-protectiveness are identified as barriers to this process of allowing children to make judgements themselves. Usefully for us, they pointed out that it is not always helpful to protect children from making mistakes - as having the freedom to make mistakes is a vital tool for children to discover the laws of actions and consequences for themselves! Micro-managing and over-protecting parents run the risk of not allowing their children to have learned these skills until they have really big decisions to make. The course DVD's contain interviews with parents and children (as well as experts) and some of the parents gave great example of ways in which they had let their kids face the consequences of their actions, as life-learning tools. Along with this, parents were encouraged to talk realistically with their children about the use of drugs/alcohol, the internet and electronic games; as well as engage with their questions about sex - and helping them prepare for puberty.

The last of the ten segments on the DVD, is the one in which the Christian faith of the authors/presenters is most apparent. While all parents try to inculcate a sense of morality in their children, the Lee's speak about the fact that for their four children this was done from a specifically Christian perspective. Much of what is discussed here could be used effectively by anyone parenting with secular views as the wisdom is widely applicable: its the values you live-out in the long term, not the words you say that have the most effect, for example (This lesson is especially focused on in a little section about money - where what we actually believe about its value/importance/use will be clear to our kids!) The home in which values are most effectively communicated is a happy, loving on in which loving solid discipline is practised, is another such insight.

The section on 'praying for our children' is possibly the one exclusively Christian-themed part of the course. While it should stimulate Christian parents, others might be a bit alienated by this. However, it is a very small part of the course overall, and (as with the Marriage Course), people coming from outside the church, to a church-hosted event, are usually expecting a Christian flavour to the proceedings.

The final element (before discussion questions for the parents) was a neat little section on the value of family traditions. Daily, weekly and annual routines - can be the basis of the formation of security, and very happy memories for children as they grow up. One of the most important things for children is a bank of happy, and significant memories to take into adulthood. The discussion time was entertaining too - as some of the parents talked about some of the funny or daft traditions their families treasure, unique to them!

The Parenting Children Course, has taken us on a whistle-stop five week tour through the key areas of parenting. It has given us a huge amount to think about, and we have started to make some significant changes (for the better!) in the way we run our home. We hope that like with The Marriage Course, many of these changes will not be temporary experiments - but will become the stuff of everyday life. Next week we will all meet again to evaluate the resources, see what we have learnt and decide what we should recommend to the church about if/how we should use them.

First dusting

2011-11-28T10:48:00.002+01:00

The hills around Perth have experienced their first dusting of snow this week - which lasted a few days and then melted. So far down here close to sea-level, we have had none. This is a far-cry from this weekend a year ago, when we experienced the unusual 'Thundersnow', and everything was lost under a thick blanket of white, powdery ice.

Book Notes: How To Get Your Kids Through Church Without Them Ending Up Hating God by Rob Parsons

2011-11-24T20:08:00.005+01:00

The title of Rob Parsons book "How to get your kids through church without them ending up hating God" was eye-catching enough in its own right to make me pick up this latest work from the whimsical Welshman. Let's be honest though - while the title speaks directly and powerfully to so many Christian parents' experience - that this title is even thought of, is a deep, profound and awful tragedy. So many of us find that when the church is good, it can be really, really good - like very little else in fact. Of course, it can be lame and useless, or just irrelevant too (as can each of our contribution to its life, I might add!). The fact is though, that Christian parents draw a significant distinction between church and faith; which means that when church either disappoints or bores, we ride the storm because faith remains. Things for kids, as Parsons explains, are much more complicated however. While we would wish for our kids to have a positive experience of church which would help them to kindle a faith of their own - Parsons pitches his book towards situations where the church is being part of the problem, not the solution. Into situations such as these, the chairman of Care for the Family pours his deceptively simple sounding wisdom.

Highlights in the book include his warnings against trying to compress our children into our mould - that is compressing them on secondary issues. He warns against over-busyness of parents who don't invest in an adequate relationship with their kids in easy times, so that the children can turn to them on a meaningful level in more difficult periods. He also challenges parents to live out what they say they believe - as hypocrisy is a faith killer for kids! He advises parents to be very guarded about how they speak about the church or about other people, especially when young ears are listening, pointing out that destructive cynicism is a highly contagious disease. Chapters on judgementalism, hypocrisy, cynicism and overfamiliarity are contrasted with the positive material on 'creating a sense of Belonging'. The only reason he ever advocates for jumping ship and joining another fellowship - is if the church to which you belong is not creating a sense of belonging and place for the kids and teenagers!

The final chapters are all entitled, "Get Them Ready for......" and are about preparing children for realities of a hard world, which requires robust, rather then sentimental faith. Disappointment with themselves, with others and with God will come - says Parsons, and the wise parent will not paint an unrealistically rosy picture of the life of faith, for reality to then shipwreck. Instead, he urges us to talk with our children about our failures, sins, disappointments and experiences - and how we have walked with God through such times. Likewise - he warns Christian parents against ghetto-ing children, and not exposing them to the real world. Finally he tells us to do all we can to impart a positive vision of the Christian life to which they can aspire, and which they can explore for themselves. A young believer will be healthy and happy in their faith, not of they are driven by a fear of the world which becomes a long string of 'thou shalt nots' - but when they gain a sense of calling from God to achieve something in this world for Him. So we should actively expose our children to the positive work of organisations doing great work in areas such as combating people-trafficking, or disaster-relief; he says.

This is a really easy book to read, in which Parsons' many insights are littered with nicely observed anecdotes. It is written with genuine spiritual, pastoral concern to see young people emotionally and spiritually thrive. Helpfully too, it is not guilt and law-driven; but gently gracious, in encouraging us parents to do the best for the children we have. While it is easy-reading, there is a lot to chew-on here. Most immediately challenging is the reminder that the greatest thing which will go towards shaping our children's character, is not what we try and impress on them, nor the values which we espouse; but that which they see us modelling in the course of everyday life, over almost two decades of parenting.

۞۞۞۞

Tweak

2011-11-22T12:44:00.001+01:00

I got an e-mail the other day from someone who had been helping me with some camera stuff, that said, "hopefully you're not one of these photo realism blokes that doesn't tweak to suit......" Here's the answer...

"The Parenting Children Course", Week Four "Teaching Healthy Relationships"

2011-11-22T00:39:00.007+01:00

Week four on "The Parenting Children Course" was probably the hardest session we have done so far, the one we have found most challenging and stretching. The discussion times were more difficult than previous weeks as a result - with some longer 'pauses for thought' as we contemplated how to respond to the material.

The course can be run over 5 longer evenings or 10 short-sessions. I've heard that evening courses tend to run with the five; but daytime courses being run in conjunction with parent & toddler groups or coffee mornings, tend to do the 10 shorter sessions. We are moving though it at the 5 - longer-sessions rate; but the DVD is arranged in two halves to facilitate running it either way.

The first half of session 4 focuses on our behaviour, attitude and actions as parents, and the way in which our practical example is hugely significant in the shaping of our children. There is a strong emphasis on listening to children, and developing an interest in their world, even if the things which delight them seem silly to us. "Active" or "Empathetic" listening is encouraged here, just as it forms such an important part of The Marriage Course. Things such as eye-contact, allowing them to express negative or critical emotions, or even anger are stressed - along with the technique of "reflecting back" which is such a critical element of deep listening. So far, so good - but then a stumbling block. The first exercise involved an element of role-play - the mere suggestion of which was enough to send a shiver round the group! A long discussion ensued in which there was a lot of reluctance to break into two's for the exercise. Eventually one member bravely said, "we can't say we've evaluated the course unless we've tried it" - so with a deep breath we did. It didn't last long, it has to be said - but it did lead to some useful discussion in the two's three's we were in.

Part two contained a lot of useful material about the use and abuse of anger - as it is displayed by three groups of people (i) toddlers (ii) older children and (iii) us - the parents! Toddler tantrums were addressed first, with a range of useful tactics discussed by both experts and parents. We've all been in the supermarket with a raging inconsolable little-one, concerned both with the plight of the distressed infant - and the embarrassment of appearing to be a failing-parent in front of the watching world. The tactics for coping with toddler-angst were as wise as the sense of camaraderie amongst fellow-sufferers engendered was emboldening. Personally, we looked back at the toddler years through the rose-tinted spectacles of nostalgia!

The anger of older children was looked at secondly. Here the emphasis was on allowing a child to express their feelings, but within the limits of permissible expression. Some children are not allowed to express negative or critical thoughts at all - and this extreme they said was damaging. The other extreme, allowing children to shout, swear, criticise the other parent, slam doors or hit siblings, is obviously unacceptable too - and must be met with sanctions. This though, can often be a result of the child perceiving that they are not listened to. The balance is to allow EXPRESSION but not AGGRESSION; while not imposing SUPPRESSION. Again in our own parenting we reflected on this and the fact that my wife and I both get this wrong sometimes but in different and opposite ways. This section - which hit right on the age of our children, was a helpful and useful reminder of the balance we should be aiming to achieve.

Children's rage is often not well articulated - which means that an angry child might yell at a sibling about a minor incident, when the real source of their stress is a problem at school, for example. The interviews with parents on the DVD were particularly insightful about this as they talked about the different ways in which their various children talk about their thoughts and reveal the sources of anger. This was thought-provoking stuff.

The session ended with an extremely searching and hard-hitting look at the behaviour which we as parents model to our children. If we have fits of rage, in which we lose control - this will determine our children's attitude to rage, and far outweigh any words we say to the contrary. The point here though - is not to attempt to dupe our children into thinking we are perfect; (that facade would be short-lived!) but modelling to them how fallen, far-from-perfect people maintain healthy relationships. That is, by admitting fault, saying sorry to one another, forgiving and moving on. While we cannot model perfection to our kids - we can model handling our imperfections in this way. We will also have to apologise to the children when we wrong them too. If we can manage all these things we will set them a useful example for later life, as they chose and develop and maintain relationships of their own.

So much to think about here...

Ben Challum

2011-11-16T21:44:00.007+01:00

Even on a generally dreary day in the Scottish Hills - there's something to see. Like many other people I was fooled by the wonderful weather predictions; and enthusiastically made my way to the hills to enjoy the promised temperature inversion and "superb visibility". Of course, what we actually got was traditional Scottish cloud, and icy winds. Any disappointment I felt about the weather was offset by moments such as that (sort-of) captured above - just magic!

I took the 'trade-route' up Challum's southern flanks above Kirkton Farm, skirting the farmhouse on the West Highland Way, passing the site of an ancient priory and two graveyards, before crossing the railway line into open country. Much of the ascent is fairly featureless, and is criss-crossed by fences which need to be climbed over. Some of the route up is marked by a row of fenceposts, with rusting strands of wire tangled around them

Earlier this year I blogged about the demise of my old walking boots. Today, my new boots were given a baptism, not so much of fire, but of mud! This photo (snapped with my phone), is of me and my new boots, out for our first proper date; at the summit of a Munro.

The summit of Ben Challum, wide, expansive, glorious views ........ not!

Every year I start thinking that this will be the one in which I really get into the mountains and walk well over 20 Munros. Today has almost certainly been the last one of the year - and my total for 2011 stands at a miserly 8. As the light from the sun dropped below the skyline (it was only mid-afternoon!), I turned round and looked back up the path towards Ben Challum. Tracks like this have a drawing power that is all their own, which seem to engage the eye and then lure the senses. I can't wait to get out again! Actually, I am quite achy after my exertions today, knees, back, joints and muscles al protesting about their working conditions. I think I need to reward it with a hot bath and a fine dram.

"The Parenting Children Course - Week Three": Discipline & Boundaries!

2011-11-15T23:03:00.009+01:00

Last night we completed the third week of "The Parenting Children Course". While the previous weeks had focused largely on the happy and positive side of parenting (expressing love, setting aside adequate time etc) - this week we looked at the necessary but less enjoyable task of setting and keeping boundaries. One aspect that got us all thinking and talking was the concept of making sure that we are 'authoritative parents'. That is not to say 'authoritarian' - which is something quite different, as we saw in the following diagrams, based on the book 'Toxic Childhood'.

The first diagram (taken from the course manual) suggests that we can plot our parenting style on a graph of two axes, representing "warmth" (ie love, affection, closeness, fun, time and emotional connectedness) and the other "firmness" (ie the extent to which rules we set, imposed and re-enforced with punishments).

We then thought about the implications of different combinations of these attributes/failings. We first thought about a home in which there was no warmth, love, affection - but equally no setting of boundaries of acceptable behaviour. This they described as "Negligent Parenting". In this bottom-right quadrant, the parent is either too busy, or incapable of either meeting the child's emotional need for love, or its developmental need for understanding right and wrong. This is disastrous.

The top-right corner was then considered. In this quarter of the chart, parents are warm, generous, devoted and caring - but do not ever discipline their children. The children are either considered to be incapable of wrongdoing, or the parent is simply scared to say "no" when required. These children are spoilt - with serious implications for their future happiness and success in relationships.

At the bottom left, the "authoritarian parent" makes the opposite error to the indulgent parent. In this model, rules are set firmly and transgressions punished severely. There is little scope for independent judgement or beginning to take responsibility for making good choices by the child. The child is forced to behave in accordance with the parents code of behaviour, but there is no sense of closeness, love, affection or warmth. Fun is certainly not on the agenda.

The right balance is found in the top-left quadrant on the diagram, which is labelled "Authoritative Parenting". In this model, the parent seeks both to develop a warm relationship with the child in which skills such as the " love languages for children", discussed last week are used deliberately and intentionally to make children feel loved, accepted, and valued. However - along with that (and not in any sense in tension with it!) this love goes hand-in-hand with the kind of positive disciplining which makes children feel secure.

My wife and I were fascinated to realise the extent to which, while we strive for this balance, when tired, stressed, busy, or overwhelmed by three children, we can each slip into a dangerous imbalance. Our personalities mean that we would each naturally get pulled in a different direction, and become imbalanced in different ways!

We spent a long time thinking about and discussing the different methods of maintaining standards, imparting a sense of right and wrong, and re-enforcing the boundaries we have set. It was really interesting to speak to other parents about the different things they have used; systems of warnings, red/yellow cards, star-charts, withdrawal of privileges and working towards defined rewards - to inculcate the ability to make good choices. Obviously the need for consistent application of these is vital - and difficult; and requires long-term application for results to be seen.

Once again, this has given us loads to think about and some really important adjustments to make. On The Marriage Course, we discovered that sometimes our 'default settings' weren't helpful, and that taking a step back in order to think things through to make changes -is a hugely constructive exercise. It is proving to be the case with the Parenting Course too.

Lins Honeyman & Friends - Live at Dunbarney

2011-11-14T16:48:00.029+01:00

For Perthshire singer/songwriter Lins Honeyman, Saturday evening was something of a homecoming. When he led his band of friends and musical collaborators on stage at Dunbarney Church Hall, he was performing just along the road from his home village of Forgandenny. Amongst the capacity crowd were several people from the area who have known Honeyman for decades. But alongside that geographical homecoming, Saturday also saw a musical returning; Honeyman led the band back to his musical roots, which burrow down deeply into the Blues & Spirituals of African-America.

The evening began with the music of Bruce Cameron and then Paul Becher. While both these guys are basically solo acoustic guitar/voice acts, their two sets could not have stood in greater contrast. Cameron's studied intensity sought to convey the thoughtful poetry of his spiritual lyrics, alongside his intricate guitar work. Becher on the other hand engaged the crowd in singing-along with him as he attacked the likes of Pinball Wizard and American Pie.

After an interval with food served(!), Lins Honeyman and friends took to the stage; opening up the second half of the evening with a rip-roaring version of Johnny Cash's Fulsom Prison Blues. It was good to hear Lins performing in the context a full band again, after some smaller-scale events recently. Blues gigs can sometimes dissipate into jams which can either work brilliantly, or completely flop - but which are inevitably too long! This certainly was not the case on Saturday, when Les Dalziel (keys, organ, double-bass), Lins Honeyman (guitars, mandolin, dobra, keys), Jon Assheton (drums & percussion), Bryn Rees (electric bass), and Andrew McCully (electric guitars) - showed how hard they had worked together to nail their performances pretty darn tightly. Sound-man Gilbert Spiers managed to produce an admirable sound-mix, in a size and shape room which must have created a few issues to overcome!

To an audible "oh yes" of approval Lins announced that their second song would be drawn from the catalogue of the great Ray Charles - an uptempo blues called "Unchain My Heart". Like Ray Charles who I think saved his very finest performances for his pure Blues work, this band just seem at home in that musical landscape, the Hammond organ being unleashed in a way that no doubt Charles himself would have approved.

Lins' self-penned number "Charles Atlas where are you now?", provided a nice little study on the difference that a band can make to a performance. While recent solo performances of this song have been good, the presence of the band enabled him to crank this track up to a completely different level. This was most notably the case during the funky guitar solo/break, in which Lins and drummer John Ashetton sparked off each other, whilst exchanging appreciative grins. "Where can I find my peace?" found Honeyman in pensive, reflective mood - a true lament in the tradition of the Psalms. Anyone who remembers Clapton's famous "unplugged" album will remember "Hey-Hey", which came next, although the band were careful to correctly credit it to Big Bill Broonzy.

The first of two so-called "Negro-Spirituals" followed, "Oh Mary Don't You Weep". The sacred was swiftly followed by the profane and a rocking version of "Money: That's What I Want". Honeyman mused that "I want your money" wasn't a sentiment he subscribed to, without any apparent sense of irony that he was saying this to a paying audience! Thankfully I restrained my urge to heckle at that point. The second ancient 'Spiritual' was "I want Jesus to Walk with me", a haunting song, with deep words - sung and performed with real conviction by the band.

Elvis' Lawdy Miss Clawdy lightened the mood and facilitated some entertaining soloing from McCully, Honeyman and Dalziel. It was multi-instrumentalist Dalziel who was responsible for a new jazzier arrangement of Honeyman's version of the 23rd Psalm. Tight, edgy, fascinating and neatly executed, this was the musical highlight of the evening for me; and you can't fault the lyrics either! "Stranger Blues" brought proceedings to a conclusion, giving Lins a chance to play some good Blues harmonica.

Someone then mistakenly turned the house-lights on full - suggesting that no encore would be offered. Thankfully several people (including my wife) wanted their money's worth, and called for another track, so Lins returned and led the crowd in a singalong of "It must be love".

I am privileged to know the guys in this band, and to have such talented people amongst my friends. They also have an appreciation and respect for the history of the music they play - and are not embarrassed to play a Blind Willie Johnson song from 1926, if that is what they want to do. The only slightly negative aspects were the rather reserved crowd, who I felt significantly under-appreciated the band, and the absence of soulful vocalist Morna Young. Her collaborations with Honeyman on the African-American spirituals are something special. This was though a terrific night's entertainment, which could easily have graced a far more illustrious venue than a country church hall.

The Tay - Perth

2011-11-11T10:55:00.004+01:00

A walk in to town to buy some food for the family meal, earlier this week. Rather than walk along by the main road, I took the riverside path. The low-light made the whole Tay look like an oil-painting, while close up, the water powered over the causeway to the island. Click on the images to see them properly.

Boom & Flash!

2011-11-10T19:10:00.007+01:00

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Berries

2011-11-10T11:59:00.001+01:00

Woah, Phil - I see what you mean about that depth of field thing....

Watersilk

2011-11-10T11:52:00.000+01:00

Down by the riverside..

2011-11-10T11:42:00.002+01:00

4 Ways to help The Persecuted Church

2011-11-10T00:06:00.005+01:00

This week along with thousands of others, our church has marked the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. However, we are called to accompany our prayers with action. In fact, successful action is always built on prayer. Prayerful action on behalf of the persecuted church can be highly effective. Here are 4 suggestions of ways in which you can get involved. These can be used by individuals, families, housegroups, or amongst friends.

1) Pray for a persecuted church leader and then send them a Christmas card to assure them that they haven’t been forgotten. Details of how to do this, and a downloadable directory of addresses are here: http://goo.gl/lmpQy

2) Sign a petition to pressure Western governments to raise human rights issues in their dealings with countries where abuses occur. The “No Way Out” petition for religious freedom in Egypt is online here: http://goo.gl/L9EOU

3) Write a campaigning letter to someone responsible for mistreatment of Christians. In many cases, officials lack the courage to enforce the freedoms which their country’s law provides for freedom of worship. Letters can embolden them to act justly. Follow this link for details of how to write to the Mayor of Bogor, Indonesia, urging him to allow the re-opening of church-premises there. http://goo.gl/eopRn

4) Send a gift to support to Christians suffering for their faith. Specific gifts are available for purchase online and include: (i) a day of provision for refugee children in Burma for £5, (ii) a day of training in documenting human rights abuses for the churches in Columbia, for £5, (iii) pay for a phone call to be made to an illegally imprisoned Cuban pastor for £15, (iv) pay for Christmas cards to be sent to 40 widows of murdered pastors in Columbia for £10. Follow the link http://goo.gl/Cf15p

Dr Garcia Paneque was held in Cuban jails for many years, during which he was featured in Christian Solidarity Worldwide’s letter-writing campaigns. Now in exile in Spain he writes: "You cannot imagine the value of a postcard sent to someone in my situation, and thanks to God, it’s like a message from a Father who never abandons his children, not even in the worst of moments. This is how the postcards, sent from the UK, made me feel." This is valuable work.

In the Park

2011-11-09T01:35:00.000+01:00

South Inch, Perth

Tree in the Park

2011-11-08T15:59:00.001+01:00

Edinburgh Road

2011-11-08T15:55:00.001+01:00

A street in Perth

Book Notes: Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz

2011-11-08T15:22:00.002+01:00

Our family have been big fans of Anthony Horowitz for a long time. I remember reading all the brilliant Alex Rider series (If you don't know - think a reluctant schoolboy James Bond) with my boys before they were old enough to read them themselves. We loved the way in which the main protagonist bravely fought evil, but was also slightly cynical and questioning towards the government and secret agents who controlled him. The action scenes are fast and gripping, the characters nicely drawn and the villains worthy of great Bond-films.

Having finished the last Alex Rider we moved on and bought this, the first in a new series of five books. The hero in the "Power of Five", Matt Freeman shares a lot in common with Alex Rider, an orphan, who didn't chose his role as super-hero, but is vulnerable despite his amazing abilities. In the characters and relationships, and vivid action scenes, Horowitz has clearly re-worked the winning Ryder formula for this series.

The differences between the two series though are enormous. Alex Ryder inhabits a world of villains, organised criminals, corrupt politicians and double-crossing assassins. Matt Freeman's battles take place in the context of demons, devils, evil-rituals, ancient curses and dark forces. Much of this is good suspense-filled storytelling, with secret societies and bizarre inexplicable events taking place. However, the end of this book becomes very dark and sinister indeed. While Horowitz never deliberately seeks to blur the lines between good and evil, and we always left with the hope that good will triumph - the details of Black Sabbaths, Satanic Masses, and human sacrifices were actually quite disturbing. I would imagine that many a sensitive child could be terrified by the mental images found in this book - I certainly won't be reading it next to my kids. I don't know what Horowitz own spiritual beliefs are; my guess is that doesn't believe in supernatural or personal evil - but knows how to write well and evoke moods powerfully. However, I do believe in such things, which would make me even more reticent to let my kids start this new series.

Overall - I was disappointed. I was really looking forward to another rip-roaring adventure, rather than such a disturbing display of the sinister.

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Ceiling...

2011-11-08T13:39:00.002+01:00

I'm sure it didn't used to look like this.....

The "Parenting Children Course" (week 2)

2011-11-08T12:45:00.005+01:00

Last night we completed the second week of Alpha's new "Parenting Children Course." While week-one had a lot of introductory material, in week 2 the course really felt as if it got going. We learnt a lot last night, and were really made to think, but came away encouraged to try and continue to improve what we do for our three.

Session two is based on Gary Chapman's ideas about "Love Languages"; which feature so usefully on The Marriage Course. The essence of his book is that love is communicated in five ways, (words, time, touch, presents, and kind actions) but that each person responds to these in differently. So, while one person may respond deeply to verbal affirmation, the same words may leave another person unmoved. In marriage it is often noted that people usually marry someone quite different to themselves, which means that to communicate love to them effectively requires them to discover, learn, and practice their spouse's 'language'. The obvious example is a person who grew up in a very austere "stiff-upper-lip" family, but finds themselves married to a person who needs verbal affirmation. They will have an awkward embarrassment to overcome in order to communicate love effectively to their spouse - but it is a skill that can be learnt. Incidentally the converse also applies, someone bombarding their spouse with verbal affirmation when they are married to someone whose primary language is time or touch, won't communicate love, merely irritate.

While the concept of "Love Languages" was something we had previously thought about in terms of marriage - we had never previously taken those ideas and related them to parenting. Chapman himself teamed up with noted child development expert Ross Campbell, to write a follow-up to his "Love Languages" book, entitled, "The 5 Love Languages for Children". Last night's DVD gave a really useful summary of what it means to children to experience love in all five of these ways.

The following discussion time was interesting too. The questions asked us to think about what we valued most about the parenting we had received when we were young, (it was amazing how high a % of the parents present said, "time"). Then we were asked to consider our own children and think about what really makes them happy. It was interesting to note that our three children (while they need all five things), are quite different when it comes to what they need most. We realised that we have been far too reactive in this area and not pro-active enough at all, which means that we have got some practical things to implement immediately. One example is that we identified that one of our children has a particular need to have some one-on-one parent-child time every week. I think this will be important for us.

Week one of the Parenting Course was met with a mixed response from our kids. They liked the idea of a family night, but were not so enamoured with the organised limits on TV/PC time that were introduced. It will be interesting to see what they make of week 2, as while (I hope) they will grow in their sense of being loved and valued by us, there was also a section on sharing household chores and getting the children to take on age-appropriate responsibilities!

Next week we go to look at discipline/setting boundaries...

Through the gloom

2011-11-07T15:11:00.001+01:00

Three Benches

2011-11-07T14:55:00.001+01:00

South Inch, Perth

Lantern

2011-11-07T14:33:00.001+01:00

The Parenting Children Course (week 1)

2011-11-01T22:18:00.010+01:00

Having previously gained a huge amount by doing Alpha's "Marriage Course", we we intrigued when the same folks published some parenting materials. We had a brief taster of the course at a conference at our church last month - and were impressed by what we saw, so impressed in fact that we bought the DVDs that day and resolved to try out the course. It's taken a few weeks longer than we had anticipated, but we have managed to assemble a small group of other parents - and we met for the first time last week and ran through week one of the five-session course.

The evening began with a DVD, on which authors/presenters Nicky and Sila Lee introduced the course, and prompted us to think about some of the key issues involved in parenting 0-11 year olds. Their presentation was a mixture of their own experiences and research into child development, but was regularly interspersed with filmed clips from various experts - as well as interviews with both parents and children.

On the first week we were challenged about several aspects of the way in which we do parenting. These included time priorities in terms of our interaction with each of the children; the benefits of 'family time' and positive routines, as well as the recommended limits on the amount of TV/PC/Wii (etc) time that are appropriate for different age-groups. Research about minimum sleep requirements at different stages was also mentioned. Along with this there was some good stuff about the priority of modelling good relationships, especially between parents; coupled with the need to keep a united front and consistent line in keeping boundaries for behaviour. The thing which really grabbed our attention though was the suggestion that we consider keeping the long view in mind at all times, in terms of the kind of person we hope our child will be when he/she is an adult, and how they will remember our home in 20 years time. This was welded to the very searching assertion that the most powerful factor in shaping our children's values, is not our words, but their long-term observation of our characters and behaviour!

The Parenting Course DVD's are much more directive in their tone than the Marriage Course DVDs (despite being written and presented by the same people). The Marriage DVDs are pitched more in the language of 'which solution here will work for your marriage' (etc), while on the Parenting stuff the tone is more, 'all the research shows that exceeding these limits for TV consumption is bad for your child', for example.

Like the Marriage Course, there is also the opportunity to discuss the issues raised in the DVDs, using questions found in the course manual. Unlike the Marriage Course in which discussion is strictly private and takes place only between spouses - there is some group discussion on the parenting course. This was great, as it was fascinating to listen to other parents who are facing similar challenges - as well as to contrast experiences too.

Next week we go on to think about 'meeting our children's needs', followed by some stuff of boundaries and discipline the following week. We're looking forward to it - but first we have some "homework" to do - implementing some of the lessons from week one!

Book Notes: The Language of God by Francis S. Collins

2011-10-31T15:36:00.004+01:00

Francis S. Collins will be remembered as a significant figure in late 20thC/early 21stC science, and his name will forever be associated with the sequencing of the human genome - a project he took over in its infancy and saw through to completion.

Virtually all Collins' publications have been in scientific, medical and genetic research - except this one which is quite different. In the works of contemporary writers there is often an assumption that science and faith are inherently opposed to one another; this perceived tension comes both from atheistic scientists as well as creationists. Dawkins, of course, describes these categories as 'smarts' versus 'faith-heads' arguing that scientific understanding and intelligence is directly associated with an absence of faith. In short, atheists like him are clever and scientific while 'faith-heads' are unscientific simpletons. Collins has written this short and very straightforward book to directly refute such claims - not least by saying that all his scientific achievements have not eroded his faith in God; but rather led to his renunciation of atheism! Indeed he goes as far as describing his research as an act of worship!

But it is not only materialists who Collins confronts in his book. He is as scathing of so-called 'creation-science' as it is perhaps possible to be; and he calls on believers to encounter science on its own terms, rather than manipulate the data to fit their theological pre-conceptions. As he does so, he is sensitive to the charge that he is 'watering down' faith, that is retreating from solid Biblical theology in the wake of Darwin. In response to this obvious accusation he refers the reader to the hermeneutical debates about the Genesis narratives which date back at least as far as St Augustine (who didn't hold to literal young-earth creationism), who can hardly be accused of post-Darwin compromise! Science, for Collins, has helped believers see which ancient hermeneutical approach to those ancient texts is most appropriate. In Collins' view then, it is so-called creationism which has allowed scientific discoveries to shape their agenda, in that the burgeoning 'creationist' movement is a regrettable anti-reaction to Darwin, which has lead too many people of faith into an anti-scientific mindset.

'The Language of God' is Collins' attempt to call scientists to drop the idea that science can provide answers to the philosophical and theological questions of existence, for which its tools are totally useless. Likewise he calls on believers to retreat from the 'intellectual suicide' (sic) of expecting to derive scientific data from pre-scientific texts by using the poor tools of literalistic hermeneutics. He pauses for a few moments to consider Intelligent Design (ID) in his discussion, and is at least willing to consider it on its scientific attributes - only to rather witheringly dismiss it as bad-science, carrying all the flaws of earlier "God-of-the-gaps" theories, albeit with more sophistication. His preferred option, in his theistic-evolutionary perspective, is for a God-guided "fine-tuned" universe - designed specifically to facilitate the development of life. His basic description of this process is fascinating, and even exciting reading - accessible to a non-scientist like me.

Into this mix Collins also describes his own journey from atheism to faith, which took place in the company of his burgeoning scientific career and the writings of C.S. Lewis. Alongside some personal subjective spiritual experiences which he is happy to describe and hold up for the derision of atheists, he also refers to the arguments which for him were conclusive in his questions about theism. He hangs great weight on the persistence of altruism in the face of an inherently 'selfish' evolutionary system and his perception of a virtually-universal moral law. The story of the decoding of the genome, and some reflections on the possibilities for medical science, as well as some discussion on the ethical dilemmas it has produced conclude the book.

One of the remarkable things about this book is how straightforward it is. Collins has not waded deeply into philosophy, or Christian apologetics; neither has he written a book of such scientific technical density that it is out of the grasp of the lay-reader. Rather he has laid out his way of synthesising the mind and the spirit (to use that clumsy terminology) giving a helpful overview of both sides of the equation. Music, argues Collins, is something profoundly moving which can connect human beings in a deep, almost spiritual way, with its beauty, melancholy or joy. To measure music as being merely quantifiable vibrations in the air - is absolutely accurate, but misses their greater significance. Collins - from the viewpoint of the very pinnacle of contemporary scientific endeavour, argues that to forward a purely scientific and atheist account of the universe and the origins of life does exactly that; not merely to a tune, but to absolutely everything. Ultimately, in this I think he is persuasive.

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Lake Emosson, (no sign of Palmer!)

2011-10-25T21:47:00.005+02:00

Self-portrait

2011-10-25T11:29:00.002+02:00

The view from Merlet

2011-10-24T21:03:00.007+02:00

When the ladies in our group decided to make a concerted foray into the world of gender stereotyping, and waste a whole day of their lives in the shopping centre..... the boys mirrored their approach and fled in the opposite direction.

The Merlet road climbs in a series of zig-zag bends, high up the side of the valley above Chamonix, on the opposite side to the Aiguille Du Midi and Mont Blanc. The road terminates at a zoo (which was shut), but car-parks en route provide spectacular walks, airy viewpoints and countless photo opportunities.

Most importantly of course, they weren't at the shops. This is important because shops are evil and must be avoided.

All of these pictures are best viewed in their full-size - click on an image to enlarge it.

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Aigulle Du Midi

2011-10-21T11:14:00.013+02:00

It's been over two decades since I first took the cable car up from Chamonix to the stunning viewpoint in the Mont Blanc range, known as the Aiguille Du Midi. At over twelve and half thousand feet above sea-level, the air is noticeably thin - and climbing the steps up to the cafe oddly exhausting. Last time I was there, it was part of a Geography trip, on which we got to poke around with real live glaciers for our A-level coursework. I remember some of my friends trying in vain to get their cigarettes to stay lit in the low-Oxygen environment - and geomorphology lectures at the summit.

The Aiguille Du Midi is one of those places that presses itself in upon the senses with delicious pressure, leaving a deep impression on the memory. It is a place about which I have spoken to my family before - but only very recently have visited with them. While some memories from childhood expand in the mind to the point where re-living couldn't fail to disappoint - The Aiguille Du Midi managed to surpass even the rose-tinted memories of youth.

The first day or so of our holiday had been cloudy, but as we sailed skywards on the cables, the sun lit up the whole mountain range from a brilliant blue sky. Absolutely stunning - in every direction.

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Book Notes: Sons of Mississippi by Paul Hendrickson

2011-10-20T11:13:00.006+02:00

The traditional ratio of pictures to words painted is 1:1000. In this remarkable (if not rather long) book, Paul Hendrickson uses one single photo - and spends many thousands of words teasing out its meaning and consequences. Below is the photo which inspired the book:

The photo is by acclaimed photographer Charles Moore, who travelled through the southern United States in the 1950s and 60s capturing images for his editor. On many notable occasions during this period he was asked to photograph the unfolding drama of the Civil Rights marches and conflicts. According to Hendrickson, Moore had an uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time - but also the skill of knowing how to capture a scene, lock a moment in time down onto photographic paper.

This photo was taken in Oxford, Mississippi as the town braced itself for the entry of one young student to The University of Mississippi: James Meredith. Ole Miss had been strictly whites-only throughout its history, a policy which Meredith had demonstrated was unconstitutional, and which he was manouvering the Kennedy brothers into forcibly tackling. The men in the photo awaiting a civil rights protest are Mississippi lawmen; sheriff's who had travelled from across the State to lend their support to Jim Crow - against Federal 'interference'. The man at the centre gleefully swinging a Billy-club for the others approval is Sheriff Billy Ferrel - of Natchez, Miss. The photo which Moore gained (without the knowledge of the subjects) on the Ole Miss campus that night, represents a last stand of the Old South, a unique moment in history. We are asked to imagine that the object in Ferrell's mind as he swings that bat is Meredith's skull, which gives the leering approval of the other Sheriffs the chilling air of a lynch mob.

Intrigued by this stark photo, Hendrickson went in search of the men in it. He tracked them down, interviewed those still living and friends, family and colleagues of those now dead. Hendrickson paints astutely observed histories and portraits of all these characters. In so doing, he finds a range of personalities from drink-sodden violent racist thugs, to patricians whose racism was (even then) cloaked behind a respectability which considered itself above violence. He unearths their stories, their families, their attitudes to policing - and race. To complete the picture he also tracked down the man whose actions generated this conflict, the complex, mercurial and bewildering figure of James Meredith too.

That much would have made a tremendous book in itself - but Hendrickson goes much further. When he has used the lives of these lawmen to open up the complex nature of race in Mississippi (and it is a complex and nuanced picture he unearths - not a Hollywood myth in which every white male Mississippian in that tempestuous decade was a Klan member) he doesn't end his tale in 1962. Instead his research continues down the family-trees of these men, through two further generations. In so doing he presents a series of insights into the evolving nature of Mississippi society in general and racial attitudes in particular.

As he does so we meet second and third generation lawmen, Sheriffs now in their own right. For many of those Hendrickson meets they walk in an unreconciled tension between their present duty towards impartiality and their attachment to their personal and family history. Moore's photo might be an image which has caused outrage across the world, but it is displayed in some homes with pride and without irony. Then again, so is the portrait of Nathan Bedford Forrest in one grandson's Sheriff's office.

The stories of these families are insightful, moving and in several cases tragic. Hendrickson has the ability to write about these sometimes racist-people in realistic ways which neither excuse their wrong, nor caricature them as being defined solely by it. Dr King's non-violent tactics were predicated on the idea of reaching for the humanity of the oppressor, and Hendrickson writes in this vein, even when sharply critiquing many of the things they say. I remember having a discussion with my research-supervisor after we had watched some of the PBS "Eyes on the Prize" series on The Civil Rights era. We saw the crowds in Cicero, Chicago swelling with hatred as Jesse Jackson led a march against the de-facto segregation system operating there. I commented that a book needed to be written about these segregationists to compliment the amount I had read about the Civil Rights heroes. Who were these people? Why did they think in these ways? What did they fear so much? (etc). My supervisor disagreed - he argued that such a book would simply paint racism with an excusable face, humanise it and give it an unwarranted degree of respectability. He feared that the everyday struggles of racists (who also can be victims of crime, hatred, disappointment or cancer), would engender a pathos from the reader which might 'spill-over' to their evil ideology of race. When I saw Hendrickson's book on a recent visit to the States, I picked it up for precisely this reason - to see if my hope for such a book could be realised, or if my supervisors fears were well founded. My judgement is that that Hendrickson has provided exactly the kind of insightful book required, and in no way ends up generating sympathy for racist ideas, in fact quite the opposite.

His account of the great-grandchildren of these violent segregationists is equally fascinating. We meet some for whom race is still a burning issue, whose accommodation to contemporary realities is not complete. We meet others who seem to have been able to sever themselves from the ugly-elements of their heritage - and still more who (helpfully) admit to deep-seated prejudices which they are actively seeking to overcome. Hendrickson presents an image of Mississippi in which four decades after strident James Meredith required Federal troops to get him into University - his diffident grandson quietly completes his PhD there without fanfare. A place in which inter-racial marriage is commonplace and visible on the streets, yet a place in which the ghost of young Emmett Till still seems curiously close.

Hendrickson writes sometimes like an academic, and sometimes like a journalist. His research is of a historian's quality, but his writing is sometimes florid and over-emphasises story-telling at the expense of analysis. The book is then perhaps over-long (and the print-size is minute!), a historian might have achieved as much in a lot less space. Nevertheless, it is a truly fascinating insight into a world I do not know, and quite brilliantly uses that one iconic Civil-Rights photograph as a spring-board to paint a remarkable picture of the white South. He does so with astute observation, sound research and a pathos for most of his subjects which never crosses the line into endorsing their wrong-doings.

Another tree

2011-10-19T23:07:00.003+02:00

Alpine trekking from Tre le Champ

2011-10-19T20:15:00.009+02:00

NE of Chamonix, the D1506 crosses a high mountain pass near Tre le Champ le Bas. The roadside car park at the head of the pass has several trails leading up higher into the stunning Alpine scenery.

We chose a route heading towards the Lac Blanc, and followed it a couple of thousand feet up and round the front of the ridge - overlooking the town of Argentier.

As we broke through the tree-line after an hour and a half of hard walking, the views opened up on every side. Beautiful, stunning and overwhelming landscapes that were too much for the eye to comprehend, never mind the camera.

Towards Chamonix and Mont Blanc, the high peaks shimmered, as the sun glinted from frosted mountains.

A study in altitude: dense low-level forests give way to barren rock, which is in turn surpassed by ice.

Alpine glory - the sun bursts in on the grand display.

Blades of rock, pinnacles soaring skywards.

Our walk came to end at this rock-face. Despite the fact that these Alpine trails are fitted with ladders, chains and footholds bored into the rocks - this was the end of our road. While our six-year old daughter might have managed to get up this ladder getting down would have been beyond her - and there was nothing below it for several thousand feet!

Climbers sit in the sun preparing their harnesses before taking to the rock face.

Glacier country!

Roll Wyn James - live at Perth Concert Hall

2011-10-19T09:50:00.003+02:00

Perth Concert Hall's Norrie Miller Suite was packed-out for a fine evening of guitar-driven blues last night. Alongside their genuinely exciting playing, Perth-based Blues band Roll Wyn James, brought an extra dimension to the evening by talking about the gradual return to music of founder member Alwyn James following a catastrophic stroke over a decade ago. James himself had organised the gig as a fundraiser for Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland and contributed on keys and harmonica throughout the night.

Alongside Alwyn James, the band is built around the fabulous rhythm section of Chris Agnew (bass) and Kevin Smith whose drumming was as creative as his facial expressions which might even scare Ginger Baker! Front-man Paul Henderson's vocals held-up well for most of the evening but his lead-guitar work was stunning throughout. Able to play with speed and power where necessary, but also having the discipline to use space and to play the long-bends that give Blues-guitar its pathos, there were moments reminiscent of the late, great Gary Moore - or even Peter Green.

Grooving, driving, kicking and bluesing through a set of both their own material and blues standards, the band used the songs as a platform for some exciting improvisations and trading solos. Highlights for me were some of the numbers when bassist Chris Agnew took the vocals, and guitarist Henderson was really let loose. Their instrumental Chrome Blues, is a fiery hybrid of songs like Caldonia and Gary Moore's Texas Strut brought their main set to a fabulous finale. Joined at the end by frenetic guitarist Duncan Findlay, and wonderfully melodic saxman Paul Towndrow, the band delivered a very fine evening of electrifying music (and all for charidee, mate!).

What will linger in the memory as long as the music and the atmosphere of the evening, was learning more about Stroke and Aphasia. The evening began with two short films about Alwyn James' long and brave rehabilitation. The STV interview with James and his daughter in the centre near Dundee where he has been enabled to re-discover musical creativity, was fascinating; while the more reflective piece by Hazel Baillie about the nature of the condition was very moving indeed.

Altogether a really great evening, which was memorable for more than its music alone.

Band website

Film Clip

Perth Rainbow

2011-10-18T14:45:00.000+02:00

Lighting up an otherwise deary day...

A Meal with Jesus by Tim Chester - Postscript

2011-10-18T10:12:00.008+02:00

A couple of months ago I blogged a review of Tim Chester's excellent new book, "A Meal with Jesus" - the review is online here. In my review I gave a note of caution to readers either side of the Atlantic to get the version released on 'their side' of that Ocean, as the US version had been heavily Americanised in both language and content. Until recently however only the American version has been available. Now, however, the UK version has hit the shelves - with a very different cover. Here they both are - UK on the left, USA on the right . Highly recommended - but get the right one!

Annecy

2011-10-17T23:59:00.009+02:00

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Grey Day

2011-10-17T16:22:00.003+02:00

Kids off school - rain pouring down, hour after hour...

Au Revoir Les Enfants... Annecy

2011-10-17T10:38:00.001+02:00

A chilling photo from the wall of the primary school next to Lake Annecy - a sobering reminder that films like "Au Revoir Les Enfants" are real events from recent history.

Chamonix: Looking Down

2011-10-17T00:44:00.005+02:00

Some random images taken from around the town of Chamonix

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Chamonix: Looking Up

2011-10-16T17:48:00.003+02:00

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Autumn

2011-10-16T17:35:00.002+02:00

Chamonix

2011-10-16T00:45:00.000+02:00

A Redemptive Analogy from the Desert

2011-10-11T21:12:00.003+02:00

An illustration from The Sonoran Desert Museum.

The cacti scatter their seeds across the desert. Millions of these tiny seeds are released and land on the hot dry ground. In the vast majority of cases the seed simply dies, it fails to penetrate the hard-baked soil and gets burnt by unbearable heat of the direct sunlight. The sun is absolutely essential for life on earth, but un-mediated exposure to its rays is unbearable by any living thing.

For a cactus seed to survive, to find a safe place to germinate and bear fruit - it requires protection. Most of the cacti which actually live, do so because they fall under the shade of a tree. The tree breaks up the ground creating places for seeds to settle, but most importantly provides shade from the Sun's destructive rays. Under the shadow of the wings of the tree, the seed is not destroyed, but can live. The tree provides a safe place for the seed, and a canopy or covering ensuring its survival. Strong, healthy desert Cacti often appear as in the photo above - springing up from within the circle of protection of a tree.

But what does the cacti provide for the tree in response? What symbiotic arrangement do they have which feeds-back some advantage to the tree? The amazing answer is that while the Cacti requires the tree to live, this arrangement kills the tree. The tree lays down its life to protect the cactus from the Sun. Many a vibrant cactus springs from the dead wood of the tree that died to give it life.

Golgotha, Calvary, The Cross. The burning rays of the Holiness of God - which while they give life to the world are unbearable if unmediated and threaten to destroy us. Yet, in Jesus Christ, God has provided a safe place for us to settle, to nestle, to live and be fruitful. In the shadow of his wings there is safety, security, and life - for ever. But what do we provide Christ with, as our part of this bargain? What is our half of this symbiotic arrangement? The answer is that we kill him. Providing the safety we need to have life, required that he be nailed to a dead piece of wood, gasping for moisture as he died beneath the desert sun.

^{1 Peter 2:24} He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.

Book Notes: Getting the Blues by Stephen J. Nichols

2011-10-10T13:03:00.012+02:00

Stephen Nichols' book, Getting the Blues is, I think a unique volume. A white man writing about music that was shaped by the Black experience of America is not unique - that has been happening for a long time and features such luminaries as Paul Oliver and Alan Lomax. Neither is its uniqueness found in the attempt to forge a theological interpretation of the Blues, that has been done by such commanding figures as James Cone (who Nichols cites extensively). Nichols' unusual book is the result of his interactions with this powerful and idiosyncratic musical form, as a white, evangelical theologian - who both loves the Blues, and has wide knowledge of its forms, development and practicioners. Mentions of Blues from others writers who share his race/class/theological background have sometimes been extremely negative, or even downright racist. Nichols book in contrast doesn't merely tolerate the Blues, but sees the Blues as a compelling part of the Biblical picture of humanity, and the unfolding drama of salvation.

The Bible, Nichols demonstrates, is a book with many a heart-rending lament. Psalms of alienation, to cries of dereliction, through to the voices of exiles, widows and orphans are all found within its pages; all explained by the life we live under the fall and subsequent curse, but all pointing towards the redeemer who became the man of sorrows. All these are themes which the Blues capture arguably like no other music, along with the cry for justice which fill Blues, and which fill scriptures pages from Exodus, to Amos, to the New Testament's eschatalogical hopes.

The old dichotomy between 'Gospel' as God's music and Blues as that Devil-Music, Nichols examines and finds wanting. While individual musicians like Peetie Wheatsraw sought to associate themselves with the powers of darkness is beyond doubt, the genre as a whole cannot be so interpreted, Nichols argues. In Nichols view, the Blues is infused with gospel and Biblical currents, just as so much gospel is Blues-laden. The biographies of players such as Blind Lemon Jefferson/Deacon L.J. Bates are used at length to demonstrate this. Even where Blues seems to lament life without overt elucidation of a gospel hope, Nichols sees the Blues as the product of a "Christ-haunted" culture. Thus in Robert Johnson's version of "Crossroads", we hear no mention of a deal with the devil being made; rather we actually hear Johnson crying to The Lord for mercy, but believing that a lack of an answer means his utter ruin.

Nichols also argues that much of the critique of The Blues offered by the church (both Black and white) has been based on misdudgements. Rootless "ramblin", moving to place to place, is a common blues motif. The churches have often condemned this as irresponsible, and immoral. Indeed, Nichols argues that when white Bluesman picked up songs like "Ramblin' on my mind" in the 1960s, they celebrated, mythologised and iconised that shifting lifestyle. Nichols looks at the lives and lyrics of the early Bluesmen and Women - and demonstrates that in a huge number of cases, the upheavals of life in the Jim Crow South which these songs describe, are not being endorsed but deeply lamented. The Bluesman stands at the station, with only his guitar, going who knows where, not because he wants to - but because the boss-man is mistreating him, his woman has mistreated him, the Mississippi has flooded and wrecked the farm, or he is threatened by the law. Time after time, authentic Blues lamented, and railed against the very things which it would later be seen to have universally endorsed.

If social evil is lamented (especially by the poor, the victims, the slaves, the downtrodden), likewise personal sin is discussed in the Blues. It is true that there are plenty of overt sexual references in the music, and at times these can be of an offensive nature. However, the other side - which Nichols quotes at length is the confessional nature of the Blues. (St) Paul's famous despair in the Epistle to the Romans about his seeming powerlessness against his own sinful passions finds its comparison in countless famous Blues lyrics. The frequent punctuations in Blues of "Oh Lord", "Lord have mercy" are not irrelevant left-overs from the church-music in which countless Bluesmen were trained - but the faith-infused recogniton that life under the fall and curse must look heavenwards for grace and resolution.

As a theological grappling with the Blues, this is gripping stuff to read. Nichols knows the Blues, and manages to write orthodox Christian historical theology of it which reflects proper incarnational (rather than Christ-against-culture) thinking. This is heartening stuff for Christian lovers of Blues, who even while they are disciples of the Man from Galilee, find their hearts warm to the strains of the Mississippi Delta. Readers like me, who have long known that the 'Pop Goes the Gospel' interpretation of music is racially colonial, deeply misguided and plain wrong, will find this book illuminating and educating; giving a historical and theological perpective on what we had so long believed. Alongside this, Nichols book is highly informative, bringing the faith-aspect of many a biography to our attention. A mere 192 pages of pretty easy reading means that the reader isn't taxed too hard to gain all this either. My perennial moan about non-fiction books which don't have an index needs to be mentioned again though.

Crazy Cacti

2011-10-09T21:57:00.000+02:00

Arizona

Humming Birds: Arizona

2011-10-07T23:35:00.000+02:00

"Relationship Education Works!" ALPHA's Nicky & Sila Lee tell Scottish Conference.

2011-10-05T12:28:00.008+02:00

Nicky & Sila Lee

"Relationship Education Works", the Scottish Relationship Central Conference heard on Saturday. ALPHA's expanding portfolio of Family Life Ministries was given a boost as authors Nicky & Sila Lee, spoke to delegates from across Scotland about The Marriage Course & Marriage Preparation Course, which runs in venues around the country. They also gave an official Scottish launch to their new Parenting Children and Parenting Teenagers Courses - which they are encouraging churches to host as a service to their local communities.

The Lee's insistence on the power of relationship education, is based on their experience, and feedback from the thousands of people who have used their courses. The skills for developing and maintaining good relationships in marriage, and with children can be learnt, they said. Coupled to this conviction, they quoted a raft of statistics and quotes from church-leaders and politicians demonstrating the shortage of such skills in contemporary society.

Nicky and Sila Lee went on to affirm the importance of marriage as a vital component in the health of society; and challenged the churches to be more actively involved in supporting marriages. The churches, they said, are ideally placed in communities throughout the land to provide the support for marriages that can make a decisive contribution to social cohesion and human happiness.

Delegates broke into smaller groups during the day to look at the different marriage and parenting related courses, examining the content and discussing the practicalities of hosting and marketing them. They were also given the opportunity to hear from people who have run these courses in local churches and communities to ask questions and draw on their experience.

In his remarks, during the question and answer session at the end of the day, ALPHA Scotland Director Paul Davie drew on lessons from church history. He explained that the great evangelist John Wesley had encouraged William Wilberforce in his struggle against the slave-trade, calling it a "Glorious Enterprise", a "Holy Calling". He encouraged the delegates to press on with the task of benefiting society, in these terms. Many of the delegates responded to the closing invitation to commit themselves to doing just that, while others spoke of a renewed enthusiasm for the work.

Blooming Desert

2011-10-05T12:25:00.000+02:00

Arizona.

Bridge of Earn - November Gig

2011-10-02T19:37:00.002+02:00

Recently I blogged about a "Living Room Gig" we'd held in our house. Some of the same cast of colourful characters, are playing a gig in Bridge of Earn near Perth on Sat Nov 12th. The luxury of space in the bigger venue will allow them the opportunity to play at least some of their set with a full band, adding some keys, bass and drums to the stripped-down 'unplugged' sound they went for in our house. Chatting to Lins this morning, I am aware of a few changes to their set-list since last month including a surprising (yet promising) cover-version of..... well that would be telling, wouldn't it? Sorry, no spoilers before the performance! Maybe see you in Bridge of Earn in November to find out!

Ticket info is on the poster above. Click on the image to see it full-size to read phone numbers, e-mail address etc.

Disturbing Signs: Arizona

2011-09-29T21:42:00.005+02:00

Sometimes I feel really at home when I visit America, making friends, enjoying the landscape, chatting to people. Then suddenly I stumble across something which is so different, so surprising, I realise that the cultural differences between us are vast! Two examples of this are here, above and below - both from Arizona.

Cacti!

2011-09-29T17:28:00.001+02:00

Mount Lemmon

2011-09-29T17:18:00.003+02:00

Tucson's mountain, Mount Lemmon on a hot, hazy afternoon; forest walks, cafe's, rocks, scrambling, and great view out over the desert..

Camouflage

2011-09-29T17:15:00.003+02:00

Tucson Mountain Park: Arizona

Prickly Thing, Tucson, AZ

2011-09-29T17:12:00.001+02:00

The Love Cactus

2011-09-28T21:45:00.001+02:00

A Prickly-Pear

2011-09-28T21:38:00.001+02:00

Arizona Desert.

(I'd always wondered what one was, since I heard "Bare Necessities"

in the Jungle Book movie...)

Wyatt Earp & Doc Holliday

2011-09-28T21:35:00.002+02:00

On the site where they took down the Sitwell gang, Earp and Holliday stand immortalised in iron. Their menacing expressions and aggressive body language are a fine greeting for anyone arriving at Tucson by train.

Old & New at Tucson Station

2011-09-28T21:28:00.001+02:00

Trucks through the desert

2011-09-28T21:21:00.002+02:00

Trains that are longer than the eye can see rumble through the Arizona desert. Six locos on the front are matched with several at the rear to drag these vast loads across the border. A hastily taken snap from the car-window!

Farewell, Old Boot!

2011-09-27T22:27:00.005+02:00

For the last five-and-a-half years, my constant companions in the hills have been these brown leather Raichle walking books. The world's attention was focussed on the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany, when I first climbed into these boots and battled great gusts of wind on the three Munros in the centre of the Fannich range near Ullapool. Since those first days on the likes of Sgurr nan Clach Geala, these boots have tramped countless Cairngorm miles, traversed acres of heather in the Tarf and Tilt, been scoured and scuffed with Skye gabbro, scrambled in Glen Coe. trekked out to lonely Ben Alder, stayed in hostels, tents and hotels, and borne the weight of babies in backpacks to far-flung corners of Scotland.

Now, sadly these boots are dying. The sole units on both boots are starting to disintegrate. Every time I use them, another chunk of Vibram seems to peel off, and another piece of leather separates from rubber.These have been wonderfully comfortable, versatile boots, but I do feel a little aggrieved that I have only got five years out of them. My previous Raichle boots (massive, indestructible 4season "Blaven" boots) lasted over a decade of very heavy use, and I had expected similar durability. I am told that as Raichle headed towards being bought out by Mammut, they produced a run of bad boots, and that their new ones are more like the quality of the old Raichle. We shall see!

Here below - a photo of my boots in happier times. This was taken on the summit of Carn a Chlamain above Glen Tilt, May 2008.

West Lomond, Fife

2011-09-25T21:42:00.001+02:00

A great day out yesterday with the neighbours on the westerly of the two 'Paps of Fife'.

Reach for the Sky

2011-09-23T10:42:00.001+02:00

Groovy Trees, San Diego

Sea World Photo-Man

2011-09-23T10:32:00.002+02:00

One of the ways Sea-World makes money is by taking photos of you and your family when you are there, and then selling prints of them to you at eye-watering cost. After a while this became wearing, so instead of having our photos taken by the Sea-World staff, we started taking their pictures instead! This chap here was doing that photo-thang on the cable-car ride. The doors opened, and he started his, "Hey, wanna smile for the camera?"routine, when we shouted back, "Don't you think its your turn?" He seemed genuinely amused by the whole idea... and we kept our dollars!