Rorschach

The violent, vigilante of the Watchmen comics isn't exactly a hero. 

Alan Moore wanted to explore what a real 'Batman' type vigilante would be like and what he would believe in. His answer? 

"a nutcase"

His extreme right wing views and moral absolutism make him an unsympathetic protagonist. He fiercely adheres to his black white view of the world; of good and evil. He is merciless and he is brutal. 

So I am not suggesting him as a role model.

But there is one facet of his character that fascinates me; his refusal to compromise what he believes to be right

Nite-Owl: Rorschach...? Rorschach, wait! Where are you going? This is too big to be hard-assed about! We have to compromise!
Rorschach: No. Not even in the face of Armageddon. Never compromise.

"Not even in the face of Armageddon." - his words remind me of Job:

I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.
I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it;
my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live (Job 27:5)

Of course compromise is a regular part of life and relationships-  you can't have what you want, all of the time - but it is one thing to compromise your desires and another thing entirely to compromise your values.

The dictionary defines 'Values' as: a person's principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is important in life.  If you don't stand for what is important then you do not stand at all.

So many people are willing to sacrifice what they believe to be right in the name of peace or unity. But what use is peace and unity when what you are doing is wrong?

Integrity is everything. It allows you authority and authenticity. It makes your voice louder and your words stronger. Right ideas are not enough; they must be backed with right actions.

Proverbs 13 states: 

The integrity of the upright guides them,
But the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

The compromise of values will always end up in ruin. Even if you achieve short term success or harmony - eventually the duplicity will bite you on the backside. 

In his last journal entry Rorschach writes:

For my own part, regret nothing. Have lived life, free from compromise ... and step into the shadow now without complaint

I hope as I look back on my life and my walk with God I can view my journey as one of integrity and honesty

dg

Deerhoof - The Perfect Me

The Green Lantern

Since 1940 the mantle of 'The Green Lantern' and his 'Power Ring' has been held by a number of characters from the DC universe. The Green Lanterns themselves are powerless - but the ring of power that they have been entrusted with  "gives the user great control over the physical world as long as the wielder has sufficient willpower and strength to wield it."

There becomes no limit to his abilities. 

"Each Green Lantern wields a power ring that can generate a variety of effects, sustained purely by the ring wearer's strength of will. The greater the user's willpower, the more effective the ring. The limits of the power ring's abilities are not clearly defined and it has been referred to as "the most powerful weapon in the universe" on more than one occasion. Across the years, the ring has been shown capable of accomplishing anything within the imagination of the ring bearer"

The only limit is his imagination. Nothing more. Anything he can conceive can be achieved in an instant. The ring allows him infinite power and compels him to use it for good.

"Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20-21)

Jesus tells his disciples (that's us, people) that 'nothing will be impossible' for us. I find it disconcerting that He says 'for you'. He doesn't say  'Nothing will be impossible for me'  or 'through me'  or 'with me'. Does Jesus needs to have a look at His theology? Surely it's never US who do anything? Or is it?

We are not limited by our imaginations in the same way the Green Lantern is. But Jesus tells us we are limited by our faith. He is not suggesting that it is our power that can achieve these things - equally the Green Lantern's power is not his own; it is the ring's - but it is the limitations of our faith that preclude us from experiencing more of the 'impossible'.

Often I wonder why I have the faith of a mountain but I can't move a mustard seed? 

There can feel like a big disconnect between what I believe can happen and what I see occurring. Part of that is the 'now but not yet' of the Kingdom of God - but I suspect that the disconnect between my beliefs and my experiences are as great as I would think. 

Maybe I get exactly what I truly believe.

If my view of God was bigger or my faith in His power, provision and purposes greater would I see more of the 'impossible'? I think so. I think that was Jesus is trying to tell us.

...and I shall shed my light over dark evil.

For the dark things cannot stand the light,
The light of the Green Lantern!

(The Green Lantern's oath)

dg

What's in the box?

The Waiting Line EP

Recently I sang (with a beast of a cold) on a track called 'Saving Love' for a project called 'The Waiting Line'.

Chris and Sanj who put this thing together are two producers, and lovely fellas, from Southampton. It is an EP of fresh sounding songs which they have released to make money for Simon Guillebaud's 'Great Lakes Outreach' charity - who are one of our church's mission partners. In true 'In rainbows' style you can download the tracks and choose what you pay:

www.thewaitingline.co.uk

Remember Jesus is watching.

Hope you enjoy it...

dg

A Holy Haunting

Fear is not one of God’s motivational tools.

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

Yet there are truths, verses and commands that ‘haunt’ me. They don’t produce fear but they do inspire caution and it’s good to be careful sometimes.

One of the things that ‘haunts’ me is this part of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan women at the well in John 4:

“...the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.”

Am I the kind of worshipper that the Father seeks?
Or am I another kind… the unsought kind?
Am I a Pharisee?

One thing I know for certain is that I can talk some darn good worship talk. I mean, I’ve got some pretty nailed on theology:

I have a clearly defined set of values; I can tell you why we worship; I can tell you what’s important and why; I can set these values and this theology in motion in our church; I can argue with clarity and authority to defend my position or to challenge another’s misunderstandings; I can articulate these things in articles or blog posts or seminars and be quite convincing (if I don’t say so myself!); I can win the argument.

So back to my last question

Am I a Pharisee, because I sure sound like one sometimes?

As you can imagine I have some ideas and some strong opinions on what it means to ‘worship the Father in spirit and truth’, yet I think even that in itself can mean I end up missing the point.

It is not a puzzle to be solved; a metaphysical Rubik’s Cube. Perhaps it is not the answers that are important, but the ‘haunting’. Perhaps what it most required is not that I work out what to do and then try and do it - but what is most required is that I live haunted by the imperceptible truth.

Earlier in the John 4 passage Jesus likens what He can give to the image of water; ‘eternal life’ which means we won’t have to ever be ‘thirsty again’.

We are satisfied before we worship. Our satisfaction and security and fulfillment does not come from the ‘right’ kind of worship but only from Him. Simply receiving Him. Drinking from that well.

Am I the kind of worshipper that the Father seeks?
Or am I another kind… the unsought kind?
Am I a Pharisee?

I do not want to be a Pharisee; always ‘right’ but never good.
I want those questions always to linger, to never resolve, to continue to haunt me and keep me cautious; aware of my own pride and religiosity.

I am happy to be haunted….

….He is the Holy Ghost after all.

Easter Monday

Easter Sunday

Easter Saturday

Good Friday

Maundy Thursday

April After All

It's really coming down
Raining cats and hounds
It's falling on parades
And on the plans we made

But there'll be other days
And things will turn our way
The rain has got to fall
It's April after all

Even the longest night
Will lead you to daylight
It's the way May leads to June
And it's how I've come to you

The world goes spinning round
Life goes up and down
And rain is bound to fall
It's April after all

They'll be other days
Darling come what may
The rain has got to fall
It's April after all

Tears are bound to fall
It's April after all

God Only Knows

I may not always love you
But long as there are stars above you
You never need to doubt it
Ill make you so sure about it

God only knows what I'd be without you

If you should ever leave me
Though life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me

God only knows what I'd be without you

Id

It is the dark, inaccessible part of our personality, what little we know of it we have learnt from our study of the dream-work and of the construction of neurotic symptoms, and most of this is of a negative character and can be described only as a contrast to the ego. We all approach the id with analogies: we call it a chaos, a cauldron full of seething excitations... It is filled with energy reaching it from the instincts, but it has no organization, produces no collective will, but only a striving to bring about the satisfaction of the instinctual needs subject to the observance of the pleasure principle.