Church Experience

Posted on October 31, 2007
Filed Under Christianity, community, church | 2 Comments

When we was in France just over a week ago Jonathan went along to his parents church.  I stayed home with the kiddos as we knew they weren’t feeling too enthusiastic about going - I guess I wasn’t either!  I think it would be fair to say that Jonathan’s parents are not 100% comfortable with their church, partly I think due to the format and partly to do with the fact that half of it is in French.  It has emerging church all over it though, without the leaders even being aware of it.  Isn’t that great!  What Jonathan experienced was a community of people (maybe about 20 people) who worshipped God is a haphazard way, as the musician’s (note just one man here, not a band!) guitar strings had broken.  They sang along to songs unaccompanied, but they were truly worshipping and reaching out to God.  Next they each read out a bible verse and then prayed over each other - everyone prayed and everyone received.  This was not forced, it was natural.  All of this time children are in the same room as the adults, they worshipped, they prayed over others and were prayed for by others.  The children went for a walk whilst a short sermon was given, and then fellowship ensued.  This is a bilingual church run by a British ex-pat couple, so as I wrote, half of the service is in English, half in French, a good way of inclusion and reaching out.

The couple who lead the church started up a building and maintenance firm a few years ago, through employing people they have led many to Christ, but they also give jobs to new ex-pats trying to find work.  They train them up with a new skill so that they can get an income.  Again through this many have come to their “church community” and have found Jesus.  Jonathan was raving about this church when he got home.  Everyone was included.  there was a real community hub.  The best bit for him was that he didn’t have a notice sheet plonked in his hand, there was no formal “welcome” team or any other program.  He doesn’t even know if the church community has a name. The “service”, if you want to call it that, was quite disjointed, but it was real, it was life, it was full of God.  Maybe Jonathan will comment more if he has time.  He came away feeling really encouraged again though, about what church can be.

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Water

Posted on October 29, 2007
Filed Under movie | 4 Comments

Jonathan and I watched a really good DVD on Saturday night called Water. It is a film based along the Ganges in India, at the rise of Gandhi’s fame. The film primarily focuses on the plight of many widows who get sent to live in special homes for widows, often far away from their own villages. These widows are shunned by society, they have to wear white clothes and have their heads shaved. They are not allowed to remarry as Hindu’s believe that this will curse the family and the widows chance of re-incarnation.

Now here is the sad thing, a lot of these widows are just children. They were betrothed to marry, and before they were old enough the man they were betrothed to dies. These girls are then considered to be widows and are sent far away from their families to live a life in isolation. Often the girls have not even met their future husband yet, got married or even had intercourse - but because of the betrothal they are considered to be married. The girl in the film was just eight years old. Gandhi is preaching about how society needs to change, widows should not be allowed to be prisoners anymore because of some ancient belief. He is preaching words of freedom and hope - sound familiar?

As of the 2001 census there were 34 million widows in India, most of whom were living in penitence.

Below is what Amazon has to say about the film - it is well worth watching.

Product Description
Set against the epic backdrop of the River Ganges in 1938 during Mahatma Gandhi’s rise to power, this is the inspiring tale of an eight year old Hindu girl named Chuyia. Chuyia’s life is suddenly changed when she is widowed and sent to a home where Hindu widows must live in penitence. She refuses to accept her fate and her feisty presence begins to affect the lives of other residents, including a beautiful young widow, Kalyani (Lisa Ray of Bollywood/Hollywood) who has fallen in love with Ghandian idealist, Narayan (Bollywood star John Abraham).

Synopsis
When Deepa Mehta first began filming WATER in 2000, angry fundamentalist mobs burned her sets and threatened her life. The Indian government claimed it could not protect her, and the project had to wait four years before finally filming in Sri Lanka. Her film has raised the ire of extremists because it challenges the Hindu customs that dictate that widows, considered half-dead after the loss of their husbands, must be closeted in holy ashrams–a practice that still exists today. Set in the 1930s, the film tells the story of eight-year old Chuyia, whose husband dies before she even meets him. Her parents shave her head and whisk her away to a house of widows where the women sleep on the ground and beg in the streets to earn their puny portion of rice. Chuyia, feisty and resilient, comes into this world like a ray of light, and soon the women are rethinking their mute acceptance of their fate. Her closest friend and ally is the lovely Kalyani, and soon a forbidden romance begins to develop between Kalyani and Narayana, a young Brahmin man who, following the teachings of Gandhi, has denounced injustice. The film is sumptuously beautiful, Chuyia is utterly winsome, and despite the harsh social issues at its heart, it often feels light and lively: Chuyia and Kalyani play games and dance, Chuyia steals sweets for a dying old widow, the women dance and paint each other’s faces during a colour festival, and the Cinderella-story romance between Kalyani and Narayana shimmers with the promise of salvation and happiness. Mehta, however, knows it would be disingenuous to allow such an easy resolution to such a dire situation, and the final chapter of WATER takes a tragic turn.

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One year ago

Posted on October 28, 2007
Filed Under thoughts | 2 Comments

A year ago today we moved away from our home near the beach to where we are in Hertfordshire.  I still miss not living near the beach anymore.  The photo above is of the beach which we lived near.

The clocks went back last night, so I guess I need to snap out of my hope now that we might get a late Indian summer following our rather non-existent one this year!  Winter is certainly around the corner now!

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Heading Home

Posted on October 24, 2007
Filed Under family news | 2 Comments

We’ve come to the end of our time in France.  We’re all packed up and are heading off home early in the morning.  Please pray for safe travels for us, as we have a six to seven hour drive up to the ferry port, three hour ferry journey and then a two and a bit hour drive once arrived in the UK.  We should arrive home late Thursday night or early Friday morning.  Also pray that the children will behave on the journey! And for Jonathan’s parents who will miss us a lot once we have left.

We’ve had a great time, and don’t feel ready to return home yet, it’s a shame we couldn’t have another few more days.  Maybe that’s a good thing, as we’ve already had far too much wine, cheese and crepes!

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Indescribable

Posted on October 23, 2007
Filed Under thoughts, God | Leave a Comment

It’s early Tuesday morning here in France, just coming up to 6am (5am in the UK). The room we are sleeping in has a skylight, but, possibly due to cloud, we have not noticed a whole lot through it at night. About half an hour ago Jonathan got up and woke me to show me the awesome sight outside the skylight. There were loads of stars, and Mars’ orange glow could be seen very clearly. The door was slightly ajar for the kids, when pushed closed the sky was then covered with thousands of less bright stars, all woven into the sky - wow! Before we went to bed tonight I was looking at the moon thinking how amazing it is that when it is night where I live the moon is lit by the sun which is bringing daylight to countries in the Far East and Australasia - wow! How does all of this stuff happen? Through all of this how can people say there is no God. His work, His imprint is all around us. We’ve seen it so much over this past week when we’ve been walking through the countryside here. I want to conclude by writing that God is awesome, but I think that word does not do him justice. He is simply, like his creation, indescribable.

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