sign of the times (1)

I sometimes find myself at Poplar DLR station waiting for a connection and gazing over at Canary Wharf. This sign caught my eye yesterday and it seemed to sum up so much about where we are with the economy. A lender reposession auction being advertised right in front of the macho symbols of the very banking system which is causing so much chaos for countries, businesses, communities and individuals. I wonder if any of our world leaders will see it while travelling to their G20 summit at the ExCel centre?

The building to the left of HSBC (below) is the newly constructed KPMG offices. I read the other day that many of these building have plummeted in value wiping millions off the companies' asset sheets. Reminded me of Jesus' saying:
For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down to estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him...' Luke 14:28f

Well boys (and these 'masters of the universe' all seem to be boys) no one is laughing now.

hit the ground kneeling (2)

In the second chapter of Hit The Ground Kneeling +Stephen Cottrell debunks another management speak phrase which has crept into thinking about Christian leadership: ‘I need to make my mark’. Cottrell argues that this is not the object of leadership, at least not in the way the phrase is usually understood.

Instead he argues that the aim of leadership is:
‘To enable others to do their very best and to achieve their fullest potential, and for the purpose of your organisation – whatever it is – to be advanced.’
I find this view of Christian Leadership both attractive and liberating. It frees one from the pressure of continually trying to prove oneself to parishioners, colleagues and senior staff and from seeking affirmation of one’s ministry by meeting a false set of criteria. It also affirms a conviction that leadership is to be exercised in collaboration with others not in competition over against others.

This view of leadership challenges a very unpleasant feature of leadership models in which success is measured over and against others. Take for example the television programme The Apprentice. The whole presupposition of the show is that the best apprentice will be the one who succeeds over a period of weeks in out performing the other competitors. On the way the budding apprentices are given tasks where it appears they are working together but actually they are competing with each other and so cliques form, people ‘stitch each other up’, sometimes lie or consciously subvert the task in order to undermine a colleague. Occasionally this behaviour leads to the eviction of the perpetrator but often such behaviour is rewarded. It can make for entertaining T.V., however, I find myself questioning the aims and values of a leader and organisation that encourages such qualities.

So where does one look for affirmation if it is not to be found in making my mark? Cottrell points back to the Baptism of Jesus.
‘For Jesus, this affirmation, which is the wellspring of his ministry, comes in a single defining moment, the effects of which are felt for the rest of his life. As he surfaces out of the waters of baptism, he hears a voice from heaven say, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11)’

Affirmation in leadership comes from knowing that we are known and loved by the Father and it is out of our relationship with him that all else flows. This does not mean that the Christian leader doesn’t have tasks and responsibilities; it does mean that success in leadership is not measured by the mark that I make and have been known to make in a particular context.

‘The Christian leader – whatever the organisation – can be the still point at the centre of the maelstrom, the one whose judgement can be trusted, the one who is not seeking her own ends or his own self-advancement, but cares for those in their charge. Such leaders have an inner security and peace that is both a gift from God and the most important gift they can bestow on others: they are leaders who allow themselves to be led.’

olympic dream in concrete and steel

Many people don’t know that Chelmsford is the real Olympic Diocese. Stratford is part of Chelmsford Diocese not London and I smile about this each time I travel past the Olympic site on the train. It’s fascinating to see the progress being made in constructing the different venues and putting the complex infrastructure in place. If I don’t see the site for a couple of weeks I am taken aback by how much progress has been made over a few days.

The Olympic Stadium

Coming back from London earlier this week I found myself reflecting on all the skills being employed in the Olympic development. The skeletons of some of the venues are now rising from the foundations; huge iron girders welded together and bolted to massive concrete pillars; the main stadium a spider’s web of metal gradually spreading to form an oval theatre; the aquatic centre a series of frailer looking pylons forming a frame for the diving and swimming pools. It is a stunning spectacle as the designs, plans and labours of surveyors, architects, construction engineers and builders gradually take shape.

The Olympic Aquatic Centre

When the Olympics take place in 2012 we will celebrate the achievements of competitors from across the world, hang medals round the necks of champions and garland them with flowers. We will recognise the blood, sweat and tears poured into years of dedicated training by athletes and coaches. But what about those who will have poured their blood, sweat and tears into creating this Olympic oasis, will we celebrate their dedication, creativity and exhausting endeavours? Why do we find it so easy to recognise the gifts and creativity of some and yet take the skills and achievements of others for granted? Seeing the Olympic Park materialise reminds me that they are all reflecting the image of God using the talents he has entrusted to them.

hit the ground kneeling (1)

I heard Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Reading, speak at an area clergy study day about a year ago. He explained that as part of his job he gets to see lots of parish profiles; job descriptions for churches seeking a new vicar. Many of them say they want a vicar who is going to hit the ground running but what + Stephen wants is someone who is going to hit the ground kneeling!

Hit The Ground Kneeling is the name of + Stephen's latest book. It’s a small book, only 81 pages, but covers some big issues connected with Christian leadership. I opened the book as I started a train journey today and given its length thought I could read about half of it before reaching my destination. However, the book opens with the suggestion in the introduction that even though it is a little book it is a book to be read slowly. So with that in mind I read the first chapter Jumping Off The Bandwagon.

The basic premise of the first chapter is that a key skill in leadership is listening.
'More than anything else the wise leader, the leader who values the contributions of others and is prepared to let things happen at the right place, is someone who dares to listen….. And good listening takes time'.

I finished the chapter and wondered what to do next to occupy my journey. I’d left my Ipod at home; there was Tom Wright’s book Surprised By Hope which I have been working my way through or some papers I could read. And then I thought: why don’t I spend the rest of the journey putting into practice what I have been reading? So I did and by the time I arrived at my stop I felt it had been time well spent. These words quoted by + Stephen provided particular food for listening and reflection:

'The central question is, are the leaders of the future truly men and women of God, people with an ardent desire to dwell in God’s presence, to listen to God’s voice, to look upon God’s beauty, to touch God’s incarnate Word and to taste fully God’s infinite goodness?...... Their leadership must be rooted in the permanent, intimate relationship with the Incarnate Word, Jesus, and they need to find there source for their words, advice and guidance. Through the discipline of contemplative prayer, Christian leaders have to listen again and again to the voice of love and to find there the wisdom and courage to address whatever issue presents itself to them.'
Henri Nouwen. In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership.

Seems obvious and surely we should take this as read but reading is one thing, putting it into practice is a different matter.

Ireland: Rugby Six Nations Grand Slam Champions

They never make it easy for us but finally Ireland have won the Grand Slam Rugby Six Nations and laid to rest the burden of 61 years of trying. This is a team that has threatened and never quite reached its potential until yesterday in the Millenium Stadium. In a fantastic, no holes barred, bone crunching, gut wrenching, conflict between the two best teams in the tournament the result was on a knife edge until the final kick. It looked as if Ireland had choked once again when, with no time on the clock, they gave away a moronic penalty only to see the kick drop short. The final whistle blew and it was all over.

The first half was a tense battle and when the break came Wales were 6 points up despite constant Irish pressure. Yet again in this tournament it looked like indiscipline and penalties would decide the outcome. Then in the opening exchanges of the second half Ireland blitzed two tries; the first from O'Driscoll who seemed determined to win this match on his own if necessary and the second from Tommy Bowe sprinting on to an O'Gara kick. Surely in this position Ireland couldn't blow it but they tried. Point by point, penalty by penalty Wales came back and eventually took the lead. Then with little time left Ireland gained a crucial lineout and after manouvering position the ball was fed back to O'Gara for an exquisite drop goal. The game was won until Ireland gave away a needless penalty just inside their own half. Stephen Jones seemed destined to rob Ireland at the last but as the kick sailed towards the posts the tragectory indicated that it was too short. The final whistle blew and the whole of Ireland roared in jubilation and not a little relief.

Come the day and come the hour the boys held their nerve and delivered a fabulous victory. Many will have secured their place in the British Lions tour of South Africa this summer, none more so that Brian O'Driscoll who must be made captain again after his nightmare Lions tour of New Zealand.

Wales 15 Ireland 17. Will the Irish economy recover from the massive hangover that awaits once the celebrations have died down in a few weeks time: Who knows and Who cares?

Honourable mention must be made of the England Women's Cricket Team who have just won the Cricket World Cup to show the men how it should be done. Andy Murray continues to give us hope after beating Roger Federer in the tennis. All this softened the blow of a miserable afternoon for Man Utd who seem determined to make me sweat until the last kick of the season. Get a grip Sir Alex and give Rooney, Scholes, Ronaldo and the other headless chickens a taste of the hairdryer treatment before they completely blow the championship.

good night and good luck

This is a film that looks dated but whose themes are right up to date. Directed by George Clooney, the story follows the conflict between television journalist Edward Murrow of CBS and Senator Joseph McCarthy as he pursues his crusade against communism in the 1950s. The cast is excellent and features Clooney, Robert Downey Jr, Frank Langella, Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels, David Strathairn as Murrow and Jo McCarthy as himself!

The period feel is effectively created by showing the film in black and white (it was filmed on colour stock), a device that allows Clooney to insert original footage from the time including coverage of senate committee hearings. The chain smoking by just about every character is quite a jolt given that hardly anyone is filmed smoking these days and the rule at CBS banning married couples working together seems absurd.

It is the underlying themes of the film that resonate with today. The plot focuses on McCarthy’s pursuit of anyone suspected of being a communist or having communist sympathies. Those who oppose McCarthy become a target with the effect of stifling political debate. Fear of the enemy is used to justify the erosion of civil liberties including the right of free association and the expression of ideas. Those who refuse to go along with McCarthy’s agenda are seen as the enemy within and pursued ruthlessly. One of the most powerful sequences in the film is the original footage of the questioning of Annie Lee Moss, a communications worker at the Pentagon, who is accused of being a communist without knowing either her accuser’s identity or the evidence against her.

Murrow decided to challenge McCarthy and so risked his own career and the future of CBS. He, his journalist colleagues and production team discover that the most effective weapon against McCarthy was to show footage of the hearings and the methods employed and to leave the audience to draw their own conclusions. McCarthy is given the right of reply in an unchallenged broadcast and then Murrow responds to accusations made against him in a later broadcast. It’s riveting stuff creating real suspense over matters of genuine substance.

Other issues are addressed throughout the film; the tension between television’s purpose to entertain and to inform and the relationship between advertisers and programme makers. The film begins and ends with a speech from Murrow in which he calls on the public and television industry not to waste the opportunity to use the medium to inform and educate as well as entertain.

Clooney took a minimal fee in order to make this film and was prepared to mortgage his house to raise the funds. His career veers between popular blockbusters like the Oceans series and more cerebral films including Solaris and Syriana. It’s the blockbusters that enable him to make films like Good Night and Good Luck and for that we can forgive him the disaster that is Ocean’s 12, though my wife still can’t forgive him for advertising Nestle products.

kids as sermon fodder

A lot has been written over the last few days about Julie Myerson’s new book The Lost Child. The reason for the comment is that in part the book is about her son, his drug habit and the Myersons' decision to ban him from their home. Myerson and her husband have been horrified at the reaction to the book but cynics note the publisher’s decision to bring forward the publishing date to make the most of publicity and Myerson’s exclusive interviews. However, it now transpires that Myerson was writing anonymously about her family and in particular her kids in a weekly newspaper column for several years. There have been those who have defended Myerson’s decision to write the book including Mark Lawson but other commentators have been scathing in their criticism.

There is an issue raised by this sad tale and it is one I think clergy including myself would do well to consider. Is it right to use our children as sermon illustrations? I write as a clergy kid and as a minister with kids.

As a family we enjoy our annual pilgrimage to Spring Harvest and one of the draws is some excellent preaching and teaching. Yet I am sometimes surprised and occasionally horrified by the way speakers share intimate information and stories about their children. I find myself thinking that if that was my dad on stage in front of several thousand people talking about my teenage years I would be seriously p****d off. I understand the pressures on the speaker; the need for good relevant illustration; the intention to find appropriate application; the desire to show others that you may be an international speaker but you have a real life with real family issues and problems just like everyone else etc. It may well be that the speaker has sought permission from the child before telling the story, though I would want to ask how free the child felt about saying no.

The same temptations and issues face those of us ministering in more humble circumstances in the local situation and other speaking / teaching events we might find ourselves in. A family incident comes to mind as one is searching for an illustration and it would work perfectly. Or perhaps one is in full flow in the pulpit and an incident pops into the mind which would serve to emphasise the point beautifully. Yet, our children are more than just sermon fodder and what may seem to me to be the recounting of a humorous incident might be extremely embarrassing to the child who features in the anecdote.

I’d be interested to know what guidelines colleagues follow in this matter because it seems to be something that hasn’t been given much thought if the practice I have observed is any indicator. I certainly don’t remember it featuring in preaching courses I attended and now that I am responsible for designing and delivering such courses I want to give it some serious consideration.

It occurs to me that this is an issue bloggers might also want to consider when writing about our families.