My middle daughter has got me into Manga - and I'm loving it.
It started for her when we watched a TV series called Naruto together and went on from there to the wonderful anime stories produced by Studio Gibli. I have just finished reading a massive series that is wildly popular among Manga readers, called Deathnote - and it blew away all my preconceptions about how this medium works, and the kinds of ideas that it can communicate.
Originally, I had thought that Manga - a style of comic book that originated in Japan, but has been picked up and copied around the world - was filled with stock characters and lame stories. How wrong could I be. Turns out there are several different kinds of Manga - shojo is aimed at girls, shonen at boys, which tends to have darker themes and more violent plotlines. Deathnote is definitely the latter.... continue reading
I was 13 when my Nan moved in. I loved my Nan. She was absolutely wonderful in every way. And what’s more she looked like Nans should: slightly plump, white wavy hair, rosy cheeks and a big smile. She spent her time doing what Nan’s (of her era) should: talking about the war, eating boiled sweets and sewing. She had an uncanny ability to make pretty much anything out of scraps of material. And I mean anything … When she had some fingers amputated and was told she was too old for prosthetics she simply went to her “rag bag”, dug out some leatherette, some old tights and some ribbon and made herself some fingers that she could tie on each morning. Best - Nan - ever!... continue reading
Who: Constantine
When: Ruled 312-337
Where: Emperor of western half of the Roman Empire; then Emperor of the whole empire
So what?
Constantine’s conversion probably had a greater impact on the church, and history, than any conversion since Paul’s. Until Constantine became a Christian, and then (almost immediately) became Western Emperor, the church had, other than in Armenia, never existed under a state which had a Christian head. Roman policy until this point had veered between uneasy toleration and horrific persecution.... continue reading
It really is a privilege to care for those who struggle. To show God’s love to friends and family in their hour of need is a wonderful thing. But anyone who has been a carer for more than a few days knows that a sense of privilege isn’t always the dominant feeling. There’s a whole range of other emotions that swirl around too. What struggles do carers face? Here are just a few:
60% of us will be a carer at some point in our life. 10% of us are right now. There are some 7 million carers in the UK - 13,000 of whom are under 18. Wikipedia suggests 50 million in the US. It sounds a lot but those stats could well be right. There are millions of people quietly undertaking vital roles within our families, within our communities, often at the expense of career and other relationships.
A carer is someone who provides unpaid support to an ill or disabled friend or relative who would not be able to cope without their help. The role ranges from popping to see a neighbour a couple of times a day with shopping and a willingness to help them dress to full-time care for a loved-one with multiple and profound physical or mental needs. It could be tending to the complex requirements of a spouse who has suffered a severe stroke or making safe a parent with advanced Alzheimer’s Disease.
Many carers are themselves elderly or frail but not all. For some children the daily routine involves making breakfast for an incapacitated parent before leaving for school – then coming home with the shopping to make them dinner. For a few it involves mopping up the less than sanitary consequences of substance abuse in the home – disposing of bottles and needles, dialing 999 when the worst happens …
The permutations are limitless. But in every story there is some common ground – there is pain, pain that at times masks the privilege that it is to stand alongside those who suffer. This week on The Good Book Blog we are going to look at how churches can care for the carers in their congregation.
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. James 1:12
Whatever we are facing today, let's ask God to give us the strength to persevere in faithfulness.
Found - one piece of the cross?
The Romanian church-building boom
An attempt to overturn Jesus' conviction.
Will talking about biblical marriage soon be classed as hate-speech?
Encouraging the US Supreme Court to allow prayer
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Name: Cyril of Alexandria
When: c. 376 – 444
Where: Patriarch of Alexandria in Egypt
So what?
Cyril was at the centre of one of the most complicated debates in the history of the Church. Previous generations had established that the man Jesus was the divine Son of God. But now the difficulty was: in what sense was Jesus both human and divine? It’s actually a hard question to answer when you think about it!
In Cyril’s time, there were two basic camps, with two extreme wings in each camp:
There are a lot of books about! And it can be hard to know what to pop in your suitcase or download onto your Kindle as you prepare to relax on holiday. So we thought we’d share with you what the blog team here are reading this summer – Christian and secular:
Carl Laferton
“Wolf Hall”, by Hilary Mantel because I love history; it's won loads of prizes; my wife loved it; and because reading good, character-based fiction that's fantastically written stretches my brain in ways that non-fiction stuff doesn't.... continue reading
There were rumours and speculation aplenty. Those who had read the signs of the times knew that there was an unfinished storyline - that someone new was coming - someone who would put things right and rescue humanity from its darkest danger.
But who? Would he be young or old? Would he come as a peaceful compassionate lover of souls? Or would he be an avenging conqueror? And then to everyone's surprise the day of the great revelation came...
Not a bumbling do-gooder, but a serious, dangerous-looking man with hard eyes would be playing the new Doctor Who.
Who did you think I was talking about?
The new Doctor, it was announced on live TV last Sunday night, will be 55-year old Scottish actor, Peter Capaldi - best known for his recent role in in the award-winning In the Thick of it where he played a foul-mouthed government spin doctor. The acting range he brought to that role - passionate and venomous outbursts of anger, and an ability to portray vein-throbbing rage will give new impetus to the scriptwriters for the next series.
But, beneath the veneer of looks and personality quirks, the doctor remains the same deep down. A penetrating understanding of people and situations; burningly passionate about protecting humankind; desperately wanting to redeem even the worst of his enemies; offering mercy but unleashing uncompromising justice on those who refuse his mercy.
Perhaps what makes this show so timeless and watchable is how the Doctor reflects so many qualities that we see in a saviour who is far from fictional.
