New Kid on the Blog

I wrot e a few weeks back that i was including a world cinema amazon link in my sidebar with lots of reasons as to why, even if the content might suprise some people, i thought that the benefit gained from opening ourselves up to wider cultural experiences was a good thing etc etc. Well, the more observant will see that the link is gone - mainly because every time i looked at the page there were usually links to rubbishy films and a few TV series which wouldn't really qualify as world cinema except in the sense it wasn't made in England. So that exercise in risk taking proved to be somewhat pointless. Will consider whether to put another link in my sidebar, or (as Moog helpfully pointed out in a comment in the last post) whether i can play in Blogger Beta and put some other links up as and when it becomes available - I have been told upon trying to sign up that Beta is only available on certain accounts...

Wasn't sure whether i started reading this because it was one of those 'everybody's reading it' books or because i was interested in it for its own sake. I'm glad i read it but i didn't enjoy it... Or rather, its not a book to be comfortable with, it isn't fun to read, it is a difficult read in terms of content, it is hard work. On the other hand it is compelling, well written, a good read in the sense of being able to appreciate the craft of the writer, the details which make up a life, a style which is engaging and involving. I would recommend this book, because if nothing else it causes the reader to ask questions, to consider where evil acts come from, to wonder about the depths of human nature, to think about our society and to wonder at the messed up world we live in. Not a piece of escapist fiction or a celebration of violence or a stark account of the world this is unquestionably a book of depth and resonance. As a parent i found it disturbing, as a ...

This is my current review book that i am trying to finish up and get the review sent off. I won't go too far into detail, but just to say it is a short (but not lightweight) book of theological reflection on what it means to be a Christian in response to who Jesus was and is. There's no in-depth reflection on the Incarnation, no attempt to be trendy, just a highly relevant, simple (though not easy!) read all focussed on Jesus and the reign/kingdom of God.

Decided to add the Amazon World Cinema DVD link to my sidebar because I think my way of thinking and many things in my life have been enriched by catching a glimpse of the way the world is portrayed through movies. This might mean that some of the links don't meet with the approval of those who visit here, movies that perhaps might concern some Christian folk, but I am going to keep the link anyway because even watching movies that disturb (see Jem's review of Crash, I was the one who called it harrowing when we watched it together) can make us think again about how we make the message of Jesus Christ relevant to a very dark world. Some of the world cinema movies I've watched have been fun too - see Luc Besson's 'Taxi' movies or 'Les Vacanced de M Hulot' or 'Amelie', some of them are masterful examples of the celluloid arts for instance the 'Three Colours Trilogy'. All in all I think seeing stuff outside our usual narrow frame of referenc...

As you can see, there are a few extra bits at the side, and a couple of things have disappeared. I wanted particularly to add some links to books which are either on the go or have been mentioned before in my postings. I thought I would say a few words about the ones there now Brian McLaren - a Generous Orthodoxy - have been carrying this around for about six months, partly to see what all the fuss was about and partly because i have had in my mind the idea for a book with a similar title for some time - still not got around to reading any of it yet, so can't comment, but he has certainly stirred up things in the Evangelical world. Sally Morganthaler - Worship Evangelism - a great book, in lots of ways. It begins with the challenge to consider what Worship is and a particularly good summary of 'worship within the Psalms' which gives plenty of food for thought. The basic premise seems to be that worship in itself is evangelistic - something i agree with completely - and tha...

Three posts in a row, my mind is racing (must be all the caffeine I've consumed this morning) so I'm filling in the time with a few posts - perhaps trying to compensate from not being in the 'creative atmosphere' of greenbelt by being a bit creative on my own. Anyway, every now and then I put something in my blog about what books I'm reading and then usually forget to mention what i thought, so here (with some help from Amazon) are a few i've read and what i thought about them I love Dave Gorman's books, style and general attitude, and the Googlewhack adventure is his best so far - there's a certain lunacy inherent in his inability to resist a challenge and the way he sets himself seemingly meaningless tasks which become imbued with a desperation the reader is drawn into as the book carries on. I really enjoyed reading this book, and one is kept wondering right up until the end whether he actually ends up achieving his goal - by which time you're not...

For those of you who think the title of this post contains hints of deep stuff, i will let you know very early on that it doesn't.... As i have been reading a variety of novels lately (i tend to read a couple a week) I have come to the conclusion that i really don't like the way most of them end. For instance, take Mil Millington 's 'Things my girlfriend and I have argued about' . It's very funny, almost to the point of being smug at times where you feel the author has a style which says 'yes I'm funny, I know I'm funny and I am going to put lines in that show how funny I am and make the plot revolve around them'. Anyway, despite that it's a good read, until the end - or at least i didn't like it. My wife thought the ending was good, and was happy to live without a resolution, but i wanted a hint as to what happened next... I prefer happy endings anyway. As i reflected upon this i realise that a lot of novels i've read lately have lef...