Crazy week!

It's been a bit of a crazy week!

We were back in Lancashire on the weekend to be at the ordination of Deacons in Blackburn Cathedral, where two Westcott students we're ordained. One of them has a blog here, and he's promised to update it as he starts his journey as a member of the clergy in Blackpool. The other Westcott ordinand has gone to be the new curate at the Priory in Lancaster - where the former was a parishioner before he went to Westcott. It's a small world; especially in the C of E.

Despite being further north in Sheringham than we would have been in Cambridge, it's a considerably longer journey up to the northwest from here. Undeterred, we set out for a weekend of late night travelling, disrupted sleeping patterns and sub-standard service station food. But it was all worth it. It was great to be back in Blackburn Cathedral, and to see lots of familiar faces. It was also good to see what will be happening to me (God willing) at the same time next year. The service was very good (though long) and the music was excellent. Mike Peatman was there, and I share some of his reservations about the use of choir-only mass settings for such services, though the choir and organist were on good form.

Seeing friends up at the front of the cathedral being ordained was described by DrLanky as 'surprisingly ordinary' when you bear in mind the significance of what was taking place. I think when you've done as much church as you do at theological college, there is something delightfully ordinary about the most significant of liturgical events; be they royal weddings or ordinations. Yet despite the ordinariness, there was a level of personal investment in what was going on; our friends were being ordained, and their families' lives would be forever changed by that event. That's where it gets a bit scary for next year.

On Sunday we managed to catch up with friends in Lancaster, and LittleLanky got to play in Violet and Ivy's paddling pool; complete with ingenious filling technology (a hose from the upstairs shower, with a long string connected to the electrical isolator). We had an impromptu barbecue, followed by Reflect at the chaplaincy.

We returned to the Norfolk coast late on Sunday night, and then I went straight back into my placement on Monday with a morning memorial service, and meetings in the afternoon. This was followed by an event to 'meet the curate' at St Peter's. Another reminder of what lies ahead of me at this time next year!

On Tuesday I preached at the Mothers' Union communion service on the theme of Mary Magdalene. Maybe I'll post the text if I get around to it. In the evening, the standing committee met, and I was present. It was a long meeting!

Then on Wednesday, DrLanky, LittleLanky and I went to the parish playgroup. LittleLanky loves it! In the afternoon, due to the unpredictable weather, we took LittleLanky for a swim at the local 'Tropical Leisure Pool'; she loved that too.

Today was BCP communion, some design and proofreading work in the parish office, some detective work with unidentified keys, and a deanery barbecue in Cromer this evening.

Tomorrow is my day off. We're going to London to see good friends who have just welcomed a baby girl into the world.

And to crown the week in a very satisfactory manner, I see on the BBC website that the News of the World is to close. It's a shame it's taken such a massive scandal to bring about the end of this ridiculous redtop, but I am nonetheless delighted at its demise. Can we get rid of any others at the same time?

Another world

So I've arrived in Sheringham to start my 'long' placement, and ironically, it's the first time I've been able to sit down and blog for ages. My incumbent has Friday as his day off, and as I'm shadowing him, it's my day off too. A day off? What's that?

In many respects, Norfolk is another world; even compared to the peculiar city of Cambridge. Time is slower here; people say hello to each other (that bit's like being back up north), and there are no motorways in this neck of the woods, so getting anywhere takes a while. The northern coast of Norfolk is a haven for retirement, and that's one of the reasons I wanted to come here. Having spent the last 12 years of my church life involved with a university chaplaincy, I felt a bit disconnected from real life; in particular, the end of life. My placement here will give me plenty of experience of working with the elderly, and I feel that's important.

As I read all the fuss about ++Rowan's recently espoused opinions, I find myself frustrated that I have not yet been able to track down a single copy of the New Statesman in Sheringham; I would actually like to read it for myself! Having visited 4 different sellers of newspapers and magazines, my prejudices have been reinforced. I'm in the Daily Mail belt, and I'll have to remember that as I get further into my placement. It will be interesting to see if the sermons on Sunday refer to ++Rowan.

Anyway, LittleLanky is stirring from her afternoon nap beside me. Time to do daddy duty. Stay tuned for further updates from the seaside.

A different world

As I cycled in to college today through foot deep drifts of orange and yellow leaves*, I reflected that though my life may be hectic at the moment, it's bliss in comparison to many others around the world. I was thinking particularly about those Christians in Iraq who are living in real fear for their physical safety following an eruption of violence and killing last week.

We talk all the time about the catholic or universal church, yet we feel so removed from our sisters and brothers in other parts of the world. It isn't easy to identify with those whose lives are so incredibly different to ours, but at times like this we ought to put our essay deadlines, church politics and even the spending review into perspective. We ought to mourn for our church's loss, at the same time praying for those who now have an impossible choice to make; to leave their home or to stay in a hostile environment. All because of what they believe. We really do live in a different world and we should remember how fortunate we are.

*My inner child made me go through the leaves whilst others carefully rode around them

Quote of the day!

 

In response to the critics of a Mass in Soho which is aimed at welcoming gay Catholics, Archbishop Nichols has issued a proper dressing down. He said:

"Anybody who is trying to cast a judgement on the people who come forward for communion really ought to hold their tongue.”

Hear hear, Archbishop. Though it's a shame a special Mass is required to make gay Catholics feel able to attend.

Taking religion seriously

Bishop Nick Baines has an interesting post about the debate concerning the case for a 'religion editor' for the BBC. In my opnion, he (along with others) makes a strong case based on the need for interpretation and balanced consideration in the news. Through the economic meltdown, we have been treated to the wise, if irritatingly voiced, words of Robert Peston. He has helped us to understand what has been going on in a balanced way - we don't just have to believe the government or opposition hyperbole, and we don't have to wade through the broadsheets analysis. We simply tune into the Beeb and Robert will walk us through it.

The argument continues to say that, as religion is such a massive and influential phenomenon in the world, it makes no sense to ignore it. Even if we disagree with it, we cannot deny its existence or its prominance in society. Rather than taking the atheist position as the objective and scientific one, a religious editor would see this as one of many positions - not the de facto 'thinking person's' view of the world.

My only problem with any of this is that I don't think it is possible for anyone (let alone those in the media) to be completely objective. We're kidding ourselves if we think that Peston is completely without prejudice and bias - we are all prejudiced and biased.

This could be an argument against any kind of mediated news on the basis that it is all prejudiced. I don't think I can successfully defeat that one to my own satisfaction! In reality, though, we rely on mediated news and we always have. Newspapers, even the local ones, have a political slant. They filter out the things they don't consider to be newsworthy based on circulation figures and pre-existing prejudices.

And you can take it back a step further. When I go home tonight and tell DrLanky about my day at work, you can guarantee that I will present the edited highlights; I won't spend 8 hours recalling every trivial occurrance. I will edit the 'news' according to my own bias and prejudice, and according to what I think she will find interesting (sound familiar?). I'm not saying that I will lie, I will just edit the truth - we all do it; we can't avoid doing it! We just don't think about it.

In the end it comes down to trust. If you trust the person giving you the news, you trust that they will tell you the things you feel you need to know, without avoiding any interesting bits. You also trust that they will not distort the facts (though we all* exaggerate to some extent).

It's exactly the same with the news. We choose our news outlets by the way they fit with our world view. This is why I don't read the Sun and I don't watch Fox News - their versions of the truth doesn't seem to match the one that I observe in the world, so I choose to ignore them. Instead, I read the BBC news website and dip into the Indendent and Guardian for my news. They don't always match with my world view, but they get close most of the time.

Once this relationship of trust is established, the viewer can start to trust (to a certain extent) the content being presented, and as long as the editor continues to play ball, everyone is happy. Our trusted editor tells us what we need to know and filters out the uninteresting bits. They also bring to our attention the important things we may not have noticed, and as such they are an important part of the news infrastructure.

The reason I read my news in a few different places, though, is because I don't trust the BBC in the same way as I trust my wife. I feel the need to check up on them to see if they are being faithful. Many people don't do this, especially those who read the red-tops, and this is where the real power of the editor lies. Many people trust the news (from whatever source), and to have a religion editor who brings balance to religious stories would be very welcome. 

*pun intended

Obama sticks his neck out

I just saw that Barack Obama has voiced his support for the controversial new mosque close to the site of the world trade centre twin towers. (I'll add the link later)


This was a bold and brave move by the president, given the strength of feeling shown in the press. American politics seems to be incredibly populist, and he must know that he risks a massive amount of criticism from the right wing media outlets and their followers.


It's nice to see principles take precedence for a change.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Bring on the love!

As parents of a young child, DrLanky and I have been exposed to massive amounts of folk wisdom about how best to bring up LittleLanky. After much reading and reflection, we have stumbled into an approach called attachment parenting (championed by Dr Sears). It's good to read, then , that there is now more scientific evidence to support an approach which does not limit the affection you show to your child. In fact, this study seems to show that giving lots of affection to your child actually makes them more confident and able to deal with the stresses and strains of life. This is at the core of attachment parenting. 

So much of the advice we have been given by friends and family necessitates the imposition of artificial limts on affection, on the basis that 'they need to learn', or 'you don't want them to be too attached to you' or 'do you want her to be sleeping in your bed when she's a teenager?!'. We have chosen to reject this type of advice, because we feel that LittleLanky needs to be given emotional security from the beginning. We feel that she isn't actually an evil manipulator who's trying to manoeuvre her parents (as some 'experts' would have you believe), and that when she cries (which happens rarely), it's because something is wrong (even if we can't tell what is wrong). Some see the attachment approach as 'lazy parenting' that provides parenting difficulties down the line, but we believe and hope that a solid emotional start, where trust and affection flow in both directions, is what LittleLanky needs and deserves. It seems to be working so far, as LittleLanky is the most consistently contented baby I have ever come across. I expect some of that is her natural disposition, but I do think we learn most of our character traits rather than inheriting them in our DNA. So we can probably take an amount of credit for her cheeriness.

The problem with the attachment approach, though, is that a lot of people will feel that it is incompatible with a working life. It's difficult (not impossible) to continue with the attachment parenting principles if the mother has to return to work. Also, contrary to the 'lazy' description given by some, it can be really hard work to continue with some of the principles, even if the mother stays at home full-time to care for the child.

All this reflection on parenting makes me realise that there are two main lessons I have learnt so far as a parent. The first is that no-one is an authority on your child! The nearest you will find to this mythical creature is yourself, so be confident in your own instincts, and weigh up all the factors before you make your decisions.

The second lesson (which helps during the difficult times) is that with a child, everything is a phase. The good bits and the bad bits. 

50 days

My right to sympathy

I was troubled to read that our PM has declared that we should have no sympathy for Raoul Moat, the alleged murderer who took his own life after leading the police on a merry dance. I can understand the fact that politicians live and die by the polls, and that sometimes they have to make simplistic populist statements, but I just can't agree with this one!

"There should be sympathy for his victims and the havoc he wreaked in that community.

"There should be no sympathy for him."  BBC News Website

I'm not condoning Raoul Moat's behaviour in any way. His alleged actions are completely abhorrent and sickening to me, but are we naive enough to think that it was as simple as 'bad people do bad things' and that 'bad people deserve no sympathy'? David Cameron is an intelligent man, and I struggle to believe he really thinks in such a simplistic way.

I also find it hard to believe that Cameron feels he has the right to instruct anyone else as to those with whom they should and shouldn't sympathise! For instance, what about the family and friends of Moat? Are they not allowed to sympathise with him and his situation? What about people who, for one reason or another, identify with Moat? Are they not allowed to sympathise?

My point is that sympathy is something that is freely given from one human being to another, for personal and complex reasons. It is not the place of anyone to direct another's sense of sympathy to another. Especially an approval-seeking politician. I don't condone the Facebook groups and campaigns that have been launched in support of Moat. I think these may have been Cameron's intended target (he uses the phrase public sympathy), but in the quote above, he makes a rather sweeping statement. What I do promote is the right of the individual to feel sympathy for anyone they choose, regardless of David Cameron's opinion on the matter. It really is nothing to do with him or anyone else!

Remembering 7/7

MrsLanky and I watched a programme the other night about 'miracles' that occurred during the 7/7 bombings. It was produced by the BBC religion unit, and persistently asked questions about fate, guardian angels and the like.  It was a thought provoking programme.

The thing that really caught my attention, though, was towards the end of the programme. The family of one of the people who died, Miriam, had used compensation payouts and other funds to set up a centre for blind children in India in Miriam's memory. Her sister expressed the view that Miriam's death was a positive opportunity to make a bigger difference to the world than she could have made in her lifetime. The centre has worked with 15,000 children since it opened!

I'm amazed and humbled by the fact that people who were so close to this unimaginable trauma and grief have been able to see anything positive in it. It's almost unreal, and it makes me feel very humble.

It was a reminder to us that, whilst grief of this magnitude will never leave the bereaved, it quickly falls away from the public consciousness. Of course, we will remember 7/7 when it comes round to July each year. There will be programmes like this one and newspaper stories. But we won't be thinking about it in a few days time. Everyday things will take priority again. Not for those who are still grieving their loss. They will continue to think about it daily for many years, maybe for the rest of their lives. That's what makes Miriam's family so inspirational to me. When they recall the dreadful events of 7/7, they also have the positive thoughts of the centre in India to go with them. This can't take away the grief, but it clearly helps them to deal with it.

Back down to earth

It might sound strange, but I always anxious when I'm on holiday about what might happen in the world while I'm away. The whole point of a holiday is to get away from it all, and I subscribe to that view. No iPhones, no newspapers. You get the picture. This is fine in principle, but I find that I retain an amount of anxiety about what might be happening in the real world while I'm offline and out of the UK.

We returned from a wonderful week in Cyprus to the devastating news from West Cumbria, and it was obviously a massive shock. During our years in Lancaster, visits to Cumbria have been a common affair, and we feel that we identify strongly with the place and the people. Consequently, this all feels very close to home.

Logically, one can look at the statistics about gun ownership and the instances of multiple murder across the world, and this offers some comfort. However, the knowledge that such a tragedy has just happened on your patch has the ability to undermine the common sense approach of the well meaning statisticians and media commentators. I don't feel at any greater risk as a result of the shootings, but I do feel uneasy; and no amount of logic will remove this.

Part of my unease is because I know that the people of West Cumbria will continue to be the subject of media intrusion and unhelpful speculation. We will also see a batch of TV programmes on the subject, along with political debate and news coverage.

What the people of West Cumbria need most at this point is time to come to terms with what has happened, to grieve for the dead, and to begin to look forward again. For the rest of us, too, the world has changed and we'll need time to adjust.

BBC confuse their clergy!

There is a sad local news story in Lancaster about the theft of some items from the Priory vicarage. The BBC have picked up the story but they have mixed their clergy:

 This screenshot shows the Bishop of Blackburn, but as you can see from the following screenshot from Virtual Lancaster, they've zoomed in on the wrong cleric:

The new vicar at the Priory is the chap on the left. I wonder how long it will take them to correct the mistake; I've just sent them a comment - let's see how long it takes them to correct it.

What flavour for the new Apple?

Even though we have no money to buy Apple's new toy, I'm very excited to see what they will be unveiling today. If, as predicted, it's some form of tablet computer is on the cards, we may just have to save up a bit.

I love the image from the 'Wired' story about the rumours:

Just hold on a minute!

On the Today programme this morning, it was claimed (though immediately clarified) that the M1 was the first motorway in the country. I don't think so! I think you'll find that the M6 Preston bypass was the first stretch of motorway to be completed in the UK, opened by Harold Macmillan in 1958. The BBC's web article is better!

Lancaster City Museum had a good exhibition to mark the anniversary, but it didn't seem to warrant the national coverage given to the M1's anniversary. Of course the M6 doesn't go anywhere near London, so that probably explains the lack of coverage.

Trawling the archive, I see that there was a story on the BBC news site in December, but I don't remember it making national radio, or spawning a musical!

Plane wrong

I heard this story on the radio this morning, and wondered whether I was hearing things. It seems to be the case that, in order to maintain our obsession with cheap air travel, the Government's Climate Change Committee are recommending a cut of 90% on other greehouse gas emissions.

Now don't get me wrong; if we can reduce our emissions by this amount by 2050 we should get on with it, but surely we should also be looking to reduce our emissions from aviation by the same kind of amount. Why on earth would we want to give preference to the air travel industry?

Blackburn in the news again

When I saw the headline on Thinking Anglicans, I assumed it was some kind of swine-flu reference. Having read the article, it's clear that it isn't! Blackburn Cathedral has made the news for offering 'untainted' hosts at eucharists where a woman presides. The 'untainted' host is one which has been previously consecrated by a male priest.

I'm not shocked by the technicalities of the practice; it's similar to the way we operate in our united (ecumenical) services at the Lancaster University Chaplaincy. The service is conducted in one tradition (CofE, RC or Methodist), and reserved sacrament is provided for those outside that tradition; though the CofE and Methodists share the same elements.

What does shock me is the reason for the special arrangements. If there are people who object to women priests, maybe they should either a) not appoint a woman priest in that place, or b) go to another church where women clergy aren't allowed!

I don't agree with the position that women shouldn't be ordained, but there are plenty of options for those who do think in that way - especially in this Diocese.

The final objection I have is with the use of the word 'tainted'. I'm not sure if that's a word used at the Cathedral, or whether it's something added by the journalists to make it sound more impressive. I do think it's an unfortunate and loaded choice though! If I were a female priest, I would be very offended!

**UPDATE**

Church Mouse and Maggi Dawn have picked this one up too.

Check your wallets

If you have a 20p without a date on it, keep hold of it; it might be worth £50 according to the BBC.

Back to the blog!

I've been 'enjoying' a break from blogging over the last few weeks. No doubt the avid readers of this blog will have been heartbroken at the break in inspirational and witty banter. The reason for the break has been something of a change in pace at work, which has been tiring, along with the ongoing pressures of Mrs Lanky's growing bump. Incidentally, all is well with the bump. According to the ultrasound scans everything is the size it should be for the stage we are at, and LittleLanky appears to be as near to average as s/he can be.

I felt as though today was the right day for a post for 2 reasons. The first is the timely return to batting form of Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff. Thanks to our Ashes-inspired resumption of a Sky Sports subscription, I watched Lancashire's victory over Derbyshire in the T20 championship last night. It's the first time since the famous 2005 Ashes series that I've seen him dominate a bowling attack in such an intimidating way. Hopefully the Aussies were watching and beginning to get a little bit nervous.

The second reason for my post is to mark the passing of the troubled superstar, Michael Jackson. I don't have much to say about him apart from that I feel sadness for him and his family. I know lots of people have opinions about his lifestyle and his alleged misdemeanours, but I can't help feeling sorry for him. There must have been reasons for the way he was, and they are likely to have been linked to his unconventional upbringing. Can we all just leave it there? Can we let him rest in peace and leave his family to grieve?

Sleep yourself better

I was interested to see this news on the BBC website today. I know it sounds like common sense, but US researchers have found that less than 7 hours sleep per night makes you more susceptible to colds. It looks like an early night tonight then!

Brrrrrrr

It looks cold in Dorset at the moment! You don't often see the sea frozen around Brtitain. This is the rare scene in Poole Harbour, Dorset.