Some weeks I don’t see any posts that stop me in my tracks. Other weeks I see loads. This week was an ‘other’ week.
First there was this report on ‘the lies we tell ourselves about poverty’. I’ve only had time to read the Executive summary so far, but that is challenging enough in itself. It concludes:
Part of our calling as Christians is to seek after truth, and that means facing up to our own blindness as well as calling others to account.
An important and very humble message.
I found it quite a contrast in tone to this post from Tom Wright. The former Bishop of Durham is a highly respected theologian, but I felt there was something slightly off with his response to the world’s criticism here. I’ll be blogging about it next week, but I thought I’d give you a chance to see what you think before I do.
These next two are about care of the elderly, and chime well with conversations some friends and I were having about valuing people regardless of their productivity or apparent ‘usefulness’:
and
It seemed to be the week for stories about poverty, brokenness and despair, albeit stories of hope and help in the darkness, like this from the BBC about the launch of a new initiative to combat human trafficking in the UK, this from Christians Against Poverty about the launch of their Job Clubs initiative and this incredibly moving piece from a London City Missionary about some of the children she works with and the traumas in their young lives.
Then two more posts popped up telling stories of how groups of Christians are making a difference in their communities by simply being good neighbours. One is from Oxford, and the other from Norwich. Inspiring stuff.
That was all a bit heavy, wasn’t it?
So on a lighter note, read this brilliant review of my friend Joanna Rossiter’s debut novel, The Sea Change
Have a great weekend!
Picture Credit: ‘Daffodil with Orange Center’ by KaCey97007 (Creative Commons)
on Mar 9th at 11:01 am
1. So when you want some light relief you trawl through the HSE website!?? That’s worse than going to a Stars Hollow town meeting.
2. Would they also say that people should not ‘tiptoe through the tulips with me’?
on Jul 21st at 2:01 pm
That was my input Father Stephen! I have the dubious honour of receiving a weekly update from the HSE! The myth busters are often entertaining!