Untouchable

Philippe is a rich, aristocratic Frenchman paralyzed from the neck down as a result of a paragliding accident.  A widower, he lives with his teenage daughter in a luxurious house in Paris. 

The time has come for him to hire a new carer to assist him with his daily physical needs.  Rejecting all the better qualified candidates, he hires Driss from Senegal who doesn’t want the job but has applied for the job to ensure he keeps getting his welfare benefits.

An ex-con, the streetwise Driss brings some excitement to the overly-protected Philippe.  After a while, a friendship begins to develop.

This 2011 film ('Intouchables' in French with English subtitles – not to be confused with the 1987 Kevin Costner film) was recommended by a colleague as part of my sabbatical viewing.  It’s loosely-based on a true story. We borrowed it from Essex Libraries.

We watched it twice in a week – I don’t recall a movie making me laugh so much in a long time.  There’s a link to the trailer here. 

Give yourself a treat and watch it.

The sound of silence

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed (Mark 1:35)

I began my recent sabbatical with a retreat at a Franciscan retreat house in a quiet and lonely place in the Lincolnshire fens.

Jesus set us a good pattern for living when he went away for a short time from daily life, not just to get a break from it all but to rediscover peace and the quiet voice of God, which is often heard when we stop making so much noise.

I wake up to the radio. Almost without thinking, as I get into the car I put on the radio or a CD. When I am working, Facebook or Spotify are often on in the background. And even when there is no external noise, still inside my brain is whirring with thoughts and unfinished conversations. 

Surprisingly, faith as we know it often gets in the way of just-God-and-us-together.  We sing. We read aloud. We watch videos and read books. My prayers are full of me speaking.

"When we try to express….God in words, our minds quickly come up short. But, in the depths of our being, through the Holy Spirit, Christ is praying far more than we imagine.

“Although God never stops trying to communicate with us, this is never in order to impose. The voice of God is often heard only in a whisper, in a breath of silence. Remaining in silence in God’s presence, open to the Holy Spirit, is…..prayer.

"The road…..is not one of achieving inner silence at all costs by following some technique that creates a kind of emptiness within. If, instead, with a childlike trust we let Christ pray silently within us, then one day we shall discover that the depths of our being are inhabited by a Presence." 


Brother Roger of Taizé

So I spent a short time at a Franciscan house in a quiet location, to try and reset the balance. This place has a focus on finding Jesus at the centre through bring quiet. 

I went to the 4 simple gatherings in the chapel each day – a few words of liturgy following by 20-30 minutes of shared silence. This is not the kind of retreat where you are given something – for example, a verse of two of the Bible – to reflect upon. Silence is simply being in God’s presence without having to prattle prayers or do anything.  

It quickly becomes very liberating, not least for someone addicted to activity, noise and being in control.

I took some long walks - there is a river opposite and a nature reserve close by.  I saw many butterflies and watched a barn owl patrol the river bank.  I saw a heron snatch an eel from the river and fly away with it. There is some spiritual companionship available if you wish it, though I simply shared coffee and a little conversation with the hosts once a day.

In the guest barn you cook for yourself.  There is no TV.  There is broadband but actually I let go of the Internet for my short stay. The pace of life is slower: walking, reading, cooking and enjoying a bottle of velvety Merlot.

It was a good start to a period of slowing down and stopping, though I should have stayed a little longer.  I returned from sabbatical determined not to slip back into thoughtless activity. 

All my previous retreats have been silent ones. They suit me; they may not suit everyone.  But if Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed (Luke 5:16) then maybe it’s worth a try.  

I’d be glad to steer anyone towards places and ideas for a day retreat or longer.

Where is God when bad things happen to good people?

Jesus is talking to a crowd and people ask him about a real-life situation, sharing their questions about what God is like.

There were some people demonstrating against something they believed was wrong. They get killed. Where is God when all this is happening?  What kind of God allows this?  

Jesus then raises another incident.  A building had collapsed and 18 innocent people had been killed. Again, people dying for no apparent reason. This second story is so poignant today because of the resonance with the 9/11 tragedy.

Then, as now, the questions were about finding significance and meaning in dark times:

·                     Why did this happen to him / her?

·                     Why is this happening to me?

·                     Why would God allow this to happen?

Click this link to listen to one response:  PLAY

How watching a naked German woman can bring you closer to God

I knew that my recent sabbatical would offer a welcome opportunity to explore different ideas and maybe encounter God in unexpected ways.  

However, I sometimes choose to stay within some fairly narrow grooves in what I read and watch.

So I decided to place some of the choices beyond my immediate control.

I emailed a number of friends and colleagues:

“I am writing to small number of friends, seeking your suggestion of something to help me in this. In many cases this might be something to read, since I enjoy reading a great deal and this is probably my main way of acquiring knowledge and challenging my thinking. But different kinds of cultural texts would also be welcome:  film, music, art, poetry, drama, places and new people to meet.

“And none of these need to be explicitly Christian, although I hope that in some way they would help deepen my discipleship and appreciation of the breadth of life, seeing God in the whole of his creation not just in the usual places.

“So I would be very glad if you felt able to recommend something to read, watch, listen to, visit, meet or experience. “

And (I’m really glad to say!) friends responded with some amazing suggestions. I managed to tackle quite a few – with some others to carry forward into the summer and autumn.

Over the next few days and weeks, I’ll be sharing some of those that I found really helpful – and also exploring the journeys of thinking they took me on. I probably won’t name those who first suggested each item: in this way the focus remains on the material not personalities. But I want each person who so kindly helped shaped my thinking in new ways to know: I really appreciate your contribution.

Here are three really good TED talks. TED is a non-profit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less).  You can browse the full list here. 

For Christians or people of other faiths, they offer opportunities to sharpen your thinking outside the usual ruts. I invite you to look at some examples now. Agree or disagree; like them or not: each of these challenges is worth watching and thinking through. 

So enjoy them.  Don't rush.  And if you have a response to these three talks, why not add your comments below?

• To explore what living ‘incarnationally’ might mean, watch this naked German woman here

• Look here to begin to understand the role of the OT prophet in embodying a different reality (maybe like the Kingdom of God?)

• And here is a way to begin thinking about hope and transformation

I'm back. And this time it's personal

Last Saturday’s affirmation of Dan Dupree as a Baptist minister and the commissioning of the Dupree family to go and live in Albania marked my return from 11 weeks of sabbatical leave.  It was a memorable day, with many there and taking part.

My sabbatical began on Easter Sunday as we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus in the Hadleigh Roundhouse, with breakfast, the amazing log fire, songs, the Easter story, praying for one another and the Easter Egg hunt.  As we heard then, Sabbatical = Sabbath which means ‘STOP!’

Stop the treadmill, the email, the phone and the flattering voices all needing attention.  Stop answering the call to be needed. To be necessary. Stop identifying myself by my roles or my productivity.

Plenty of friends from other churches asked me “What are you doing with your sabbatical?” Although they asked in a kindly way, the question suggested that sabbatical couldn’t possibly mean rest, recharging, listening, slowing down. Stopping. 

It was sometimes hard to do less. I am an activist – I love to be doing. There is also another part to my working life which didn’t involve stopping for 11 weeks, so each week was a blend of activity and quietness.

My friends in Church from Scratch by and large didn’t ask “What are you doing with your sabbatical?”  They understood and supported my break and steered clear of emailing or phoning about ‘work’.  They gave me space.  And I want to say a big Thank-You to CFS and to those within it who carried some of my usual workload. I really appreciate you.

Over the next few days and weeks, I will share some of what may be God-thoughts I jotted down while on sabbatical. Some will go firstly to the partners in CFS to think and pray about and test.  Many friends made welcome suggestions for meeting new people, reading, watching, listening and thinking and I will share here what I found fun and useful from these suggestions.

It is too soon to name all the lasting changes that may come from the past 11 weeks.  I have a final sabbatical week in the autumn which means I have the summer to gather my thoughts and make some sense of them.  

What I am clear about is that I will no longer be trying to ‘tick so many boxes.’ I am the person that I am. I have some strengths, skills and experience and I am going to be working on the basis of these in the future. Which means that I may not do all the same things as before.  I'm back - and this time it's personal.

There is much more to say. But for now, once again: Thank-You.