lots of dark, tiny signs of light

bit of laundry list this. stuff that caught my eye and ear inbetween to-ing and fro-ing… i’d write more on what i’ve been thinking on all of this but the tops of my fore and middle fingers on my left hand had an accidental encounter with a razor blade and so typing is proving awkward.

from the daily dish:
i’ve gone back to this video several times. an arresting juxtaposition of happy people and angry voices…

li wei‘s amazing *not photoshopped* images:

After Wars, Mass Rape Exists an important highlighting of an issue that has had pitifully little attention given its severity. and a not uncontroversial report by Nicholas Kristof in the NYT of the same – the comments are provocative.

it’s been a troubling week for being part of Christendom on this part of the world…
there’s good coverage of the ‘gay debate’ at the Church of Scotland’s general asssembly over at sunday sequence and william’s blog, including the big question that now hangs over CofS’s daughter church, the presbyterian church in ireland. none of it entices me to return to the fold of the denomination.

sunday sequence yesterday gave most of the programme, unsurprisingly, to the 3000 page report on child abuse in the Catholic church in ireland published last week. the debate: will there be justice for victims? made for powerful and at times deeply uncomfortable listening.

i had a job a few years back typing up statements from victims of abuse in church run institutions. i’m not sure there’s ever going to be anything to say as adequate response to the horrific history brought unequivocally into the light. the challenge lies in what should be done, rather than said, in response. with two more reports yet to come this summer, the role of, and extent of power given to, the roman catholic church in irish society is now severely under question.

on a (perhaps, slightly) more positive note, william had a very interesting conversation with susie orbach last Sunday about her new book, Bodies. the interview is no longer there but there’s an Observer review here.

LB

"in a word: wrong"

Pádraig got my day off to a crying-with laughter-start by sharing Awkward Family Photos

it’s a shame this site doesn’t use categories like cake wrecks, but it’s good for a laugh.
my top 3, which definitely need the tag, awkward:

(1) the sEARS family

(2) while the family watches

and,
(3) the wonder years (warning: you may not want to look at this while your boss is around. or children. call your therapist. you’ll be wanting an extra session. seriously. wrong.)

and yet, i doubt anyone will ever take our hearts like those Christian album covers have.

if i had a church, i’d use one of these covers each week for the front of the order of service.

if you fancy a quick one, you’ll find Jay under the tent.

oh, and it turns out Nietzsche was wrong:

i think it’s safe to assume, however, that “Liz” is.

LB

stories from the margins

peterson has a great post today:

Three men in a Tube–NEW YouTube videos on Transgender Issues

i believe it’s vitally important to listen to the stories of those who are living on the margins. to believe in the dignity and worth of each human is to undergo transformation beyond the narrowness of our experience, definitions and understanding. gender difference is perhaps the most basic human definition we have. it colours everything we expect in a fellow human being. trans stories challenge the limitations we create for others and ourselves through these gendered assumptions.
when one begins to hear the stories of those who are excluded and hurt because their stories don’t fit our expectations, there is a responsibility to keep on listening and to learn. if we believe we are called to step into being more compassionate and welcoming, then we are implicitly challenged to explore whether our own understanding limits to whom we are willing to extend our compassion and welcome. each human story can reveal more about what it means to be human. to understand the other better, is to understand ourselves.

is my understanding open enough, understanding enough, just enough, loving enough, to embrace the dignity and worth of the other…? all too often it’s not… it’s not the other that has to change, it’s me…

enlarge your world

LB