Rebekah Green @rgreen82 - Tumblr Blog

Ignorance

I hate ignorance. I’m sat in a beautiful spot drinking peppermint tea whilst constructing a talk for Sunday. The people on the table next to me have so far shown me they have no idea about coffee, claiming that “an aeropress can’t make good coffee and that instant coffee is pretty good these days”, both lies and no idea about politics, saying that England should be the ones to leave the UK and that they’d then move to Scotland which I just don’t understand the logic behind that one.

But what made me really mad was the conversation they had about immigrants. One of the couples apparently have a Polish family living in one of their many rental properties* and feel that they’ve now done their bit. They’re currently renaming towns in Suffolk to reflect the nationalities who live here and they’re finding themselves hilariously funny. I’m not. Actually I’m finding these four middle-class and middle-aged individuals highly offensive and highly ignorant. I’m not super clever or well-read, I don’t know the in’s and out’s of UK politics or the immigrant plight (I do know a fair amount coffee) but people sat next to me “don’t speak so rudely and ignorantly about matters you don’t really know about either.” Instead of slamming down these things, why don’t you have a constructive conversation about how it could change and what you personally could do to make a difference?

Rant over.

*yes I like to be nosy and listen to others people’s conversations. Not ashamed.

adecadeofstrength

I just came across this via a friend on bacefook!!! I couldn’t echo this more highly.

“I love this portrayal of the Nativity. Before the shepherds come rushing in jabbering about an angel choir, before ANYONE shows up with gifts, there’s just Mary, exhausted from child birth, and Joseph, overwhelmed by the task in front of him, and the baby, the baby that changes everything. The quiet beauty of THIS moment stirs my heart every time I look at it. I love the pomp and fanfare of Christmas (and the chaos of family gatherings). I really do! But I cherish the quiet moments to stop and gaze at the baby. I too am exhausted and overwhelmed, and He still changes everything.”

Soft or Compassionate?

I just dropped a ton of food off at a local hostel and was chatting to one of the support workers there. She said to me “can you make sure that when you bring food parcels, you don’t put in desserts? It’s just the young people here don’t deserve them.”

6 years ago when I worked with those exact young people I would have understood what she was saying. These young people are receiving a food parcel usually because their benefits have been sanctioned and usually due to a fault of their own.....missing appointments, neglecting to apply for jobs etc etc. But hold on a sec, does that mean they have to eat poorly and not have any treats? Not in my mind.

The thing is these young people have had it tough. They’re living independently at a young age, often due to relationship break down with family. They’re trying to work out how they live off of £72 a week and they’re trying to work out what it means to be an adult before their time. But have I become soft?

I get that some people will take advantage and that yes people need to be helped to make wiser choices for themselves but we’re not about to stop putting desserts in food parcels as a way of punishing someone’s bad choice.

Needless to say the conversation this morning was an interesting one!

Sleeping under the stars

There were two satellites directly above me that shone so brightly they almost kept me awake (almost). They were so clear I could make out the shape of them and long after the stars said goodnight to the morning the satellites still shon, I think I last saw them at 6am. This was the highlight of my night last night as I lay on the steps of The Mix garden, on a bed of straw and under a damp duvet. I've never seen satellites so clear. At the end of August when I was asked to sleep outside to raise money for the charity that I chair the board of, I thought hey why not? As October came round and it got colder and colder the idea didn't seem quite as appealing. At the same time I was sleeping outside a team from The Forge are in Denver, Colorado serving and hanging out with the homeless. I'm not even going to pretend I had a taste of homelessness last night as I had plenty of layers, a toilet to use and was woken to a cooked breakfast, but last night I did think of the homeless of Denver. Last night I expected to be cold but in fact I wasn't at all. Actually at times I was really warm and cosy. It reminded me of conversations I've had with street kids in Denver who know the tricks to staying warm...sleeping on grates, making heaters using tins and cardboard and wax. Don't get me wrong, the homeless get cold, especially in freezing Colorado winters, but the cold isn't necessarily the biggest problem. Lack of food isn't always the biggest problem. Lack of clothing isn't the biggest problem. We make assumptions about homelessness all the time. Just this week I was speaking to someone who was trying hard to help a homeless man in Ipswich, and was really struggling with the fact he'd been homeless for 20 years. Giving food and providing a sleeping bag is easy. Putting aside our desire to fix the problem and focus on the person is the harder option. Our team in Denver have been doing just that, they've chatted and befriended. The satellites that circle the Earth often go unseen or are disguised, but when you get to see them clear like I did last night you get a different perspective. I lay there thinking how amazing technology is, I wondered what data they were receiving or sending (forgive me for my lack of knowledge on satellites!), and it made me feel really small. I want to be able to see the needs of the vulnerable, including the homeless, with a different perspective. I don't want to see just the need, I want to see a friend, I want to feel small and insignificant. I want to wonder about them as a person and their purpose here on earth.

Is this the best most seasonal duck tape ever? No idea what I'll use it for but had to have it.

On Wednesday evening I turned to the life sucker that is facebook and couldn’t really work out why all of a sudden I had a ton of notifications and direct messages. On reading them it appears that a little video I was in, resurfaced in the facebook world and one or two people caught sight of it.

This coming week is National Adoption week and I’d done a short interview with HomeforGood earlier in the year about adoption. I’ve not really talked on social media about adoption over this last year and that’s mainly been to protect my super gorgeous and smart son, but just over a year ago I adopted a funny little 4 year old who is soon to turn 6. Most people will make assumptions when you adopt as to why you did it...just to clear that up, check out the video.

*oh and by the way I was super ill when filming with like the worse flu ever hence the pale skin and deep voice!

Bonjour!

Miss me?

Well either way, I’m back! After about a year of silence I’m coming back to the blogging world. There’s no real reason why I’ve not been hanging out here, this last year has just been a little busy and blogging lost out in the priority game.

Over the last few weeks though there have been several things that i’ve wanted to say, communicate, comment on etc....for example the Calais situation, leadership examples I’ve seen, global trips, the way i’ve witnessed men treat women. All that normal stuff that I get angry about. So i’m not getting stuck straight in, I’m trying to work out the best way to use this little space. So bare with....I is coming to a screen near you.

adecadeofstrength

I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through belief in the Threeness, Through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation. I arise today Through the strength of Christ’s birth with His baptism, Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial, Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension, Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom. I arise today Through the strength of the love of cherubim, In the obedience of angels, In the service of archangels, In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward, In the prayers of patriarchs, In the predictions of prophets, In the preaching of apostles, In the faith of confessors, In the innocence of holy virgins, In the deeds of righteous men. I arise today, through The strength of heaven, The light of the sun, The radiance of the moon, The splendor of fire, The speed of lightning, The swiftness of wind, The depth of the sea, The stability of the earth, The firmness of rock. I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me, God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me, God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me, God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me, God’s shield to protect me, God’s host to save me From snares of devils, From temptation of vices, From everyone who shall wish me ill, afar and near. I summon today All these powers between me and those evils, Against every cruel and merciless power that may oppose my body and soul, Against incantations of false prophets, Against black laws of pagandom, Against false laws of heretics, Against craft of idolatry, Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards, Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul; Christ to shield me today Against poison, against burning, Against drowning, against wounding, So that there may come to me an abundance of reward. Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

St Patrick’s breastplate! (via adecadeofstrength)

Reminder from film....

"May I remind you spirit that I am mortal?" "Touch my hand and you'll fly" Learning something deep this morning from Muppets Christmas Carol. And yes this may be the earliest in the year that I've ever watched this film. (Sorry bro for watching it without you)

A week of learning

I've been a parenting for a week now. On the whole it's been great but here are some unexpected things I've learnt.... - letting the boy drink two tumblers (weird to spell that word this way) of drink before going out is a serious parent fail. - don't read 'owl babies' to an adopted child. (For those who don't know it's about mummy owl who goes missing from the nest) - soft play centres are as much for the adult as for the child. - you really need to know what every sort of farm equipment is called. - sneaky comments such as 'my foster sister said that my new mummy would buy me sweets' will keep you smiling. - imaginative play develops a whole new level of patience. Seriously, a police man arresting a chicken for fighting with the baker IS NOT REAL LIFE! Aaaghhh.

Why I'm not chucking a bucket of water over my head....

Yesterday it happened.

I got THE nomination. It was only a matter of time. If you’re a Facebook user you will know exactly what I’m talking about. How could you not with your wall bombarded with video after video of your friends chucking buckets of water over themselves?

Anyway I will not be chucking a bucket of water over my head and here is why….

Firstly I resent being emotionally influenced to give to a charity I would never have given to in the first place. I get ALS is a terrible disease and that raising money for such causes is good, a very good thing but really would you ever have considered giving money to this charity before now? I doubt it. Now I know some of you will argue that isn’t that the genius of the whole thing that awareness has been made in a very clever way for what is a little known about charity. And yes I agree to some extent but I do feel like I’ve (well technically you’ve, because I’ve not done it) been tricked into supporting something for the wrong reasons.

Secondly, can someone please explain to me why you need to chuck water on your head in order to give to charity? If you want to give, just give. Why go to the hassle of sitting in your garden, getting a friend round, filling up a bucket and getting soaking wet. To then drip water through your house whilst you head to the shower, put fresh clothes on and then have to clear up all the mess? It would be a lot easier and quicker to just give…just saying.

Thirdly, being soaking wet in clothes isn’t a good look.

So I’m not afraid of tipping cold water over my head, I’m not anti giving to the ALS charity and I’m certainly not anti giving to charity in general but for now I’m going to stay dry and I’m going to continue to give money to organisations that I made a deliberate decision to support.

Distracted you say?

I have just removed both the twitter and Facebook apps from my phone. It's something I've been thinking about for a while but have now taken the plunge. You see it's been a bit of a vice for me.

I'm easily distracted and it's something I've been really challenged about lately. I know I'm not the only one...it's everywhere. We're addicted to that little device in our pockets that seems to contain our whole world.

Last Saturday I was at a Spa and I saw the strangest thing. There was this guy. Now that's not weird in itself. But this guy was sat in a jacuzzi and in his hands was grasped his whole world...his phone. I was shocked. Can someone not be parted from their phone for the chance of relaxation at a Spa? But wait I'm not that much better. The thing is my first thought was I'd like to take a photo of this guy with his phone. (Not in a creepy way!). But I wanted to share it on instagram or twitter, with the world, my whole world.

Secondly I realised that during the 6 hours or so I was the Spa I probably checked my phone 4 times. Now I didn't have it with me in the sauna or in the steam room, but I did glance at every time I needed to go towards the locker. I don't know what I thought I might be missing?!

But I'm tired of being distracted. Because in thinking I might be missing out on something, in checking my phone, it means i'm actually missing out. I want to know what it is to be fully present. I don't want to miss the glimpses of the heart of a best friend because I wasn't fully listening. I don't want to have to ask my child to repeat something for a third time because I was trying to do 2 things at once. I don't want to get a task wrong or to not do it well because I was rushing to do something else.

If you can relate to this why don't you join me and let's start getting rid of the distractions. So first up i've reduced my access to social media. The other thing I'm doing is leaving my phone at home or in the car when I really don't need it. Honestly it's liberating...you should try it.

I'm also trying is to be more aware of my thoughts. To be consciously present in whatever situation or task I find myself in. I don't know about you but sometimes I'm physically present, and I look like I'm connected and engaged but in reality there are a million other things going on in my head. This is a bit of a training ground I think and may take some time, but for now I'm committed....well until I'm distracted that is.

If you want to hear a great talk on this, check out Stephen Furtick here...

http://elevationchurch.org/sermons/death-by-distraction

Stupid homemade rules.

When working at home in the evening I have this stupid rule. For a couple of years now I will only allow myself to work until my laptop dies and I'm not allowed to charge it. Tonight I've made a fatal error....98%.

I have lots of other stupid self imposed rules...like I'm only allowed 30 emails or less in my inbox at the end of a day.

Weirdo.

What church is not

Church is this weird institution that us Christians seem to like some days, despise others and are intent on destroying most of the time. I don't pretend to know much about Church history, except that it got messy and we now have a billion different styles of church.

My own experience of church has flitted between Baptist tradition and free/evangelical flavours and along the way I've attended various methodist, pentecostal, anglican services etc. My latest fad is a bit of Catholic TV between the hours of 00.00 and 01.00 where the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is sung beautifully.

Even writing that paragraph makes Church seem so weird to me, just the way we pick and chose church to suit ourselves, to suit me. Many non-church goers will say "you know what, church just isn't for me" and they'd be right. It's not for me either.

There are a few things I hate about church (this is not one specific church - small disclaimer so I don't get the sack). I hate church services that are dull and boring, I hate church services that are a masterful show, I hate fakeness, I hate too much openness and freedom, I hate restrictions. Yes I'm a church screw up but I'm guessing so are you.

I have to constantly remind myself what the Church exists for, otherwise I probably wouldn't go (or work there for that matter!). If the Church existed for me to experience God then I don't need it. I can do that elsewhere. If the Church existed to learn about scripture and to gain wisdom then that too I could gain from reading and personal study. Even community with others can be achieved in other places but what is unique about the Church?

The Church is the bride of Christ (see Ephesians 5:22-33). It's the body of people Christ loved and died for. The Church uniquely gets to gather and worship the one who first loved us. We get to love one another because he loved us.

I believe the Church exists to first glorify God and second to point others to do the same. So you can keep your boring services, you can shelve your gimmicks and freebies, I want to be part of the Church that is hope to the world, not because of what we do but because of who we worship and serve.

The perfect church service,would be one we were almost unaware of. Our attention would have been on God.- C.S. Lewis

Suffering sucks

Feeling like I need to scream on behalf of (and at) other people this evening and their stupid sucky situations. Then I remember this verse and it all seems better again....

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2

Made with Love

It was a Sunday morning and my dressing gown was thrown carelessly on the bathroom floor revealing it’s inner collar label….on that label were these three words….”made with love”.

What a load of rubbish. The 12 year old girl in a Bangladeshi sweat shop did not make my dressing gown with love. (I’m hoping that’s not actually where it was made. I’m all for ethical clothing but let’s be honest you and I both have clothes in our wardrobes that were made in a questionable environment). Babies are made with love (well hopefully), dressing gowns are not made with love.

The designer does not know me, doesn’t even think about me. The maker does not love me. The sales assistant doesn’t care for me. That dressing gown was made for money, for profit, for function, for many other things but not love.

It was also not made out of love, it’s made out of cotton, or polyester or wool or a combination.

This got me thinking how we tend to overuse and misuse the ‘L’ word so much. I love white chocolate, I love coffee, I love good typography. But I don’t really. I’m not in love with these things, they don’t change who I am, that love doesn’t compel me to something, I wouldn’t give my life for those things….well most days I wouldn’t.

What about people? Are we too quick to tell others that we love them, like a certain Mr Jamie Laing? (shameless MIC reference). What exactly is love and how do we know if we really love something or someone? A lot of people will say they never knew what love really was until they met that certain someone and that feeling you get when you’re around them. Or maybe it’s when you hold your new born baby for the first time and you know right then you would do anything to protect that wrinkly bundle.

I’m not sure I could give justice to a definition of what love is, so let me leave you with this one….

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Unlike my dressing gown, there is a designer and maker who does know me, who does care for me, who does love me. Loves me in the way that Paul describes above. Love that is beyond all other love. A love that never fails. Now that is true love.

Feel free to shout me down when you hear me use the 'L' word flippantly.

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Rebekah Green