video nasties

Well it didn't take long for Mike Read's obnoxious UKIP propaganda song to bite the dust. What could possibly have gone wrong singing a song titled UKIP Calypso in a mock Jamaican accent for a party whose main claim to fame is being anti-immigration? We were then treated to the spectacle of UKIP claiming the song's withdrawal had damaged a charity. However, the charity aspect seems to have been dreamed up after the event and the charity concerned, The Red Cross, said they didn't know anything about it. Here's a taste of this particular video nasty.



Political videos like this are nothing new. Who can forget Tracey Ullman singing My Guy featuring Neil Kinnock.



Then there was the classic I Feel Liberal - Alright starring David Steel. Nearly as embarrassing as his party conference speech when he uttered those immortal lines 'Fellow Liberals, go home and prepare for government.'



Not to be left out Prime Minister David Cameron has done a turn with One Direction in a medley featuring Blondie's One Way Or Another and The Undertones Teenage Kicks. Now I might have been willing to post a video of Cameron but I draw the line at One Direction, some things are too tasteless for the Treehouse even if it was for Comic Relief.

And finally my all time favourite. Nick Clegg's I'm Sorry. Admittedly this wasn't really what Nick intended, a bit like the promise he is apologising for having made, but this is a classic.




Other suggestions welcome.

That’s how the light gets in #SH2013

Arrived home from this year’s Spring Harvest at Minehead after a surprisingly smooth journey to discover Essex is much warmer than Somerset. As in previous years, I’ve been reflecting on some of the memorable quotes that I picked up from speakers. The theme The Source: Be, Say, Do was in some ways a back to basics focus.

Gerard Kelly led the Bible readings each day on 1 John and did an excellent job of opening up the text and relating it to life, mission and ministry today. In my last blog post I mentioned something that Gerard said during the first evening Big Top celebration talk which stirred up much discussion with some of my twitter pals. One of the characteristics I’ve always enjoyed about Gerard’s talks is his use of imagery, poetry and music to open up a thought or insight and this year he didn’t disappoint. Referring to 1 John 1:8 ‘If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us…’ Gerard spoke about the brokenness at the heart of each of us and he then quoted this chorus from Leonard Cohen’s song Anthem:

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.

This beautiful lyric stayed with me throughout my time at SH and I’ve been doing some reading around it. The song is complex and took Cohen a long time to write. In various interviews he has sought to explain the lengthy period of the composition and its meaning. This is what he had to say about the chorus in 1992:

...That is the background of the whole record, I mean if you have to come up with a philosophical ground, that is "Ring the bells that still can ring". It's no excuse...the dismal situation.. and the future is no excuse for an abdication of your own personal responsibilities towards yourself and your job and your love. "Ring the bells that still can ring" : they're few and far between but you can find them. "Forget your perfect offering" that is the hang-up that you're gonna work this thing out. Because we confuse this idea and we've forgotten the central myth of our culture which is the expulsion from the garden of Eden. This situation does not admit of solution of perfection. This is not the place where you make things perfect, neither in your marriage, nor in your work, nor anything, nor your love of God, nor your love of family or country. The thing is imperfect. And worse, there is a crack in everything that you can put together, physical objects, mental objects, constructions of any kind. But that's where the light gets in, and that's where the resurrection is and that's where the return, that's where the repentance is. It is with the confrontation, with the brokenness of things. (from ‘The Future Radio Special’).

Stunning.


 

Changing attitudes

Some people may have already seen this but I thought it was worth posting. A group of engineers in Stockholm got together to see if they could change people’s behaviour. They wanted to reverse the percentage of people choosing the escalator rather than the stairs and the result was 66% chose the stairs. Of course the whole thing is really an advert for a certain car manufacturer. One wag commented that an easier way to do it would be to simply switch off the escalator but where’s the fun in that?



The video reminded me of my favourite scene from the film Big.



Now what can we learn from this about encouraging people to explore the Good News we have to share?

h/t Chris Newlands and Sandra Sykes

Rambo managers

Yesterday I blogged about Rambo priests and it seems football managers don't want to be left out of the action. Here is what is normally referred to in football circles as 'handbags' between Roberto Mancini of Manchester City and David Moyes of Everton from last night's match.

Manchester City 0-2 Everton in case anyone is interested in the score.

h/t the always entertaining Off The Post.

iPad revealed!

Here's why I won't be buying Apple's latest not so little offering.

h/t @pastorev

And here’s the ever excellent Dave Walker’s take on the iPad.

paperless Christmas nativity

The Adventures of Mary and Joseph – The Road Movie presents a re-telling of the nativity with a series of nine short videos. Simply go to the Paperless Christmas website and the story should load (I had to use IE to view it). The screen displays an open road with a series of billboards to either side which is a neat alternative to the atheist billboard campaign. Click on the arrow to travel down the road and as you come to each billboard, click on play and a video tells part of the nativity story. It’s a great way to explore aspects of the Christmas story and resources have been produced to make use of the videos by Barnabas in Schools.

Paperless Christmas is produced by Jerusalem Productions and the Bible Reading Fellowship and Richard Fisher chief executive of BRF comments:

We hope it’s something that will cause people – both within and outside the church –to think afresh about the Christmas story. Already, since the beginning of October when the website went live, the videos have been viewed just over 15,000 times by visitors from 61 countries. They’re being enjoyed by all ages, and a growing number of churches and schools are telling us that they plan to show some or all of the video episodes in services and assemblies in the lead up to Christmas.

I particularly liked the humour, choice of actors and the contrast between traditional costumes and modern settings. The videos can be downloaded from the Barnabas in Schools site, so even if your venue doesn’t have internet access you can use the material.

now that's what I call compline

Here's a new take on the service of Compline from The BCP Boys.



If you want the real thing go to Night Prayer.

h/t to @santospopsicles

it's all about me

Brilliant worship cd for the narcissist in all of us!

U.S. Election (1)

Just come across this brilliant video for the U.S. elections called time for some campaignin. With thanks to sojourner2915 for the link.

Happened to be listening to Gram Parsons' Grievous Angel when I found the link. What a tragedy he died so young but perhaps if he hadn't Emmylou Harris wouldn't have emerged from under his shadow and embarked on her solo career when she did.