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Playing by the rules
Red:Writers is one of our excellent groups that meet around the city twice a month. You can find out more about red:writers here. Here is a sample of some of the things they have been up to. Enjoy!
Gods Proxy Polaroid
It is God who does the first missional act in history - He sends his word into the nothing, unleashing seven days of perfect and unparalleled creativity. In an almost prophetic statement of everything that his great story line will accomplish God speaks light into being and separates the light from the darkness. Then come the heavens and the seas, vegetation, plants, seeds, trees, fruit, seasons, evening, morning, night, stars, birds and beasts. God speaks and the lifeless nothing bursts into life. And over his new work God makes his first declaration of judgement, that everything he has just created is good.
Tags: Christianity, Identity, Life
Perfect balance
Mr Gibbs was tired of wearing his mask. It was a funny old thing. Some days, depending on who he was with, and what he was doing, his mask seemed quite comfortable. Almost snug, like an extension of his face, a natural part of him. Other times, it just seemed to flap around in front of his face, always blocking his view and getting in the way. It was irritating. Mr Gibbs didn’t really understand why it suited him to wear some days and not others. It’s not like he had the option of taking it off on the days when it decided not to play nice. The mask was part of him, whether it chose to play game or not. And anyway, it had been so long since Mr Gibbs had been seen in public, or even in private, without his mask that to remove it would just be foolish. No one would recognise him! After so many years underneath the mask, Mr Gibbs couldn’t quite be certain what his natural face looked like, so he could hardly expect anyone else to know. Taking it off would mean starting all over again, and that would never do.
Tags: Identity
Officially cool
A few years back my brother won a competition with a plan to set up a business where coolness can be bought for £5.99 with a certificate and badge to prove it in case anyone is in any doubt! The concept behind this is really taking the mick out of how people buy approval in the form of Converse shoes, an iPhone, or by subscribing to the newest social networking site. People are so desperate to be considered ‘cool’ that they will chase the latest label in order to prove it to those around them.
Tags: Identity, Life, Relationship
Grace in dangerous places
On Monday night I went out for a drink with some friends, one of whom happens to be gay. Brought up in the church and a follower of Christ, albeit in ‘another’ place on his journey at the moment we had some fascinating and revealing discussions about how the church (not just our church) can converse with those in the gay community.
Tags: Christianity, Church, Faith, Hope, Identity, Life, Made me think
Accosted by Christians
So, this is a narrative, kind of, about something that actually happened to me, but I couldn’t just tell it. I think I might turn this into a short play, but I secretly hate having things be about me. I feel like it’s self centered...anyway, here goes... Upon entering a street in central Belfast I see 2 men with a small table with what appears to be books on it. My first thought is are they JW’s?, second thought are they Mormon’s?, third thought are they Christians? I had seen their counterparts before, 2 women, long skirts, same table, same books. I kept walking. I had things to do. My thoughts got the better of me...
Tags: Christianity, communication, Identity
When I grow up I want to be me
Richard had more Star Wars figures than me. He had the AT-AT Walker, I was never allowed the AT-AT, too big you see. Richard also had a small but much coveted collection of Star Wars dressing up costumes, he was always Luke Skywalker, I had to settle for Darth Vader. I always wanted to be Skywalker. When I was 9 I wanted to be Richard.
Tags: Identity, Life, Made me laugh
Me, myself and I
n. identity [ahy-den-ti-tee] The condition of being oneself; The sense of self, providing sameness and continuity in personality over time; The set of behavioural or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognisable as a member of a group; The distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity. Individuality. Personality. Distinctiveness. Uniqueness. I find it a little tricky to define my identity. It is difficult to pinpoint. My name is Emma. The German meaning for Emma is ‘nurse’ (those who know me may find that amusing). I prefer the Irish meaning, which is ‘whole’ or ‘complete’. I like to think that it means something significant to me, that it is like God’s promise of wholeness and fulfilment in my life. In truth, my mum just liked the sound of the name, and both my parents were nurses when I was born. Hmmm. Maybe my identity cannot be explained too well by just my name.
Tags: Church, Identity, Made me think
God’s big picture
A few months ago, I finished reading a great book by Vaughan Roberts, Rector at St Ebbe's Oxford, called 'God's Big Picture'. Presented to me by my brother for my 23rd birthday, this book went into a growing pile of books that I would "get around to some day". And I tell you - I am very glad I got around to reading this book!
Expression of the heart
Sometimes the seasons of life we go through can be very painful and spoken words one to the other we cannot express, only words that seem to flow when written bring meaning to the soul. Here is a poem that a member of our team has written.
Being single and accepted
For the first time in a long while I feel accepted. I'm not talking about my status in Christ – I know I am accepted, even if at times I do forget that important truth. As a single person I feel accepted in a church environment – but not because I am single, I feel accepted as a person. At Redeemer Central we are a family. Before I came to Redeemer that meant something completely different. I felt on the fringe of the church family being a single person. I had good friendships with the small group I was in but not fully accepted by the rest of the church. I'm having difficulty explaining what I mean, I'm not even sure I can describe it in words – I had many friends and spoke to lots of people but when it came to the church corporately it felt as if I was an outsider being an unmarried, childless woman in my 30's.
Tags: Identity, Life, Relationship
Made Himself nothing
Importance, rank, position. Things we all, at some level, place a great emphasis on. I have found myself, as I have started a new job with a fancier title, getting caught up in a sense of importance. People must listen to me; do they know who I am? People must respect my opinion - I'm an expert after all.
Tags: Identity, Life, Made me think