Three words for 2012

Last year, I wrote three words to set the course for the year. And promptly forgot about them.


Alive | Growth | Proactive


This year, I wasn't really thinking about three words as I was struggling to have the mental space or energy to think about it. Then a funny thing happened.


I was thinking about a focus for writing about this year - after last year's eight-thirty project, and the themes of faith, hope and love were really sticking with me. I mentioned this yesterday. 


So those three words are going to be my three words for 2012.


To grow in each area. To live in the light of them. To get closer to God in the midst of it all. I even drew a picture.

As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthans 13:13:


"so these three things continue forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love."


or as Eugene Peterson translated it:


"But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love." Read the whole passage for the context ;->.

Stop writing and go to sleep

I emailed myself last night.

I wanted to write a few words to backdate a blip.

I started this when I was in bed, ready for sleep.

This is what I sent:

This wee treat was waiting for me when I got home tonight.

When we were on holiday, the weeWeir had borrow the Catnsrrzqw

I have no idea what I was thinking. I will stop doing that. And sleep.

I done wrote a blog

My good friend Mr Clive Parnell (@Parney on twitter and formerly known as Cliff Parcel, but that's another story) asked me to write a wee post for his blog. It's on create here.

What do you think - am I a blubbering idiot?

(The Meaning of Life - 10) = today

I have been blessed with many gifts today.

Air in my lungs, for a start. A beautiful family. A warm, dry place to live and a fun pace to work too.

Loads of Birthday greetings on my Facebook page. Thank you for each and everyone of them.

I got to spend some time with Henry today, for the first time in years. It was great to see him and share stories.

Life is always better with stories.

Some friends sent some fertiliser to South America on my behalf today too. Which was nice. But Oxfam told me where the gift was being given and the impact it had. Through the farmer's story.

Mrs theWeir made some glorious cake (though, technically, I have had that for a couple of days now). Sharing the cake with some folks has led to sharing stories. (Sorry, Mum, it may be all gone by the end of the night).

I got a wide array of gifts too. They made it into my first Blipfoto entry today.

But what really struck me today was Henry saying "wow, I didn't recognise you". It was a bit of a gift.

Why?

I don't want to be a carbon copy of myself year after year. I want to grow. I want to mature. If I don't then perhaps I'm not fully alive.

Being alive is really important.

Liam reminded me of these words last night:

"This is your life, are you who you want to be?". I think that today, I am more of the person I want to be than I was yesterday. How about you?

(here's the band playing the track in session)

September Song

I was on the way to work the other day and these lyrics came to mind.

This confusing fire where the flames fall down to earth

The world is upside down and in the autumn we forget

The pen within my hand led the ink into its mark

The book upon my lap now lies closed, its verse retired

No solace in these words, no mirror to the beauty here

The paper and the page, the poetry that fails and falls and dies

Can you make me live? Can your words be true?

Can you take this heart? Can you make it new?

Why can I not change all the pain I see?

Why do I do wrong? Is there something wrong with me?

My head is in my hands, the tears fall down my face,

Why do you forgive? Why cover me with grace?

How can I not search all these mysteries?

Forgive my unbelief, help me to believe

Like leaves the questions fall, silent, empty, stilled, untrue

And in my heart I know you will never change and all I have is you

In particular the chorus. Such an honest cry for Grace. For Mercy. For Peace.

Beautiful. Thank you, Daniel Goodman & Note for a Child.

You can hear the song on You Tube here.

Not so bad

Well, yesterday, I wrote about optimism and a sense of hope for the future.

While politicians are famed for saying one thing and doing another, this statement on what's been agreed between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives is pretty interesting.

I don't put my hope in the words, or in who said them - but I think there's reason to be hopeful about what lies ahead.

What about you?

Dear people of the world

I wrote an email.

It went a little like this:

"Hello,

"As I was trying to find out more about each of you as candidates for the General Election, I went online. I was hoping to find out where you'd been campaigning, what you think about issues that affect the area, if you were an optimist, if you had any faith or opinions on fair trade, what you though about justice. About Al Megrahi. Or even just what you think about the place we live.

"I was pretty disappointed that I couldn't find these things out.

"So, I wrote about it on my blog. You can read it here if you like (blog.andrewweir.co.uk). Not too many people read that, but it's perhaps endemic that you are all disconnected from people like me who work hard, pay our taxes, do our best to bring up our family well and respect the place we live. Yet we can't connect with you other than by email. Come on.

"Email is great, but there's maybe 76,000 of us in this constituency, 38% voted at the last election. Surely you could reach out to SOME OF US by sharing what'd happening online?

"I might have a question, but it would be different from my neighbour's question. He might think of something that's relevant that i would never think of. By engaging with many people, we build up this clearer picture of you are. And that matters.

"If there's anything recent events in Westminster have taught us, it's that authenticity matters. That being relevant is crucial.

"It's just a thought. Or two.

"I want to vote. I still don't know who I'm going to vote for. I don't know who any of you really are.

"Grace & Peace,

"Andy

"PS - please don't think that a flat website with a biog is anywhere close to revealing who you are... That's like me telling you my LinkedIn profile is everything about me. Nonsense! ;->"

I sent it to 5 out of the 8 candidates for our constituency.

D'you think I'll get any replies?

UPDATE: So I've had a reply (via Facebook) from Alistair Forrest - UKIP, which I'm grateful for.

Hi

A funny thing happened earlier today. I received an unsolicited email - that we would normally describe as spam. Nothing new there, given that 97% of all email is the aforementioned spam.

However, this one wasn't picked up by my mail provider's spam filter. It was titled "Hi". Like this post.

Then I read the content of the message.

I simply HAD to share it. It's too funny. Let's all be clear before you read tho. I have never used, joined, subscribed to - or even looked at - an online dating site. Or any dating service. Ever. Are we clear? Good. Carry on...

Below is (verbatim) the text of the email. I have added some reflections to help you understand my reactions as they unfolded.

Hello dear friend ..

[we're off to a good start, I am neither your friend; nor dear]

I see your structure on a dating site

[sorry!? my "structure"]

And both decided to write to you.

[both of whom? Are we talking about a split personality here?]

My name: Svetlana

[nope, back to singular]

I want you warned, I of Russia, and I have a woman who just do not want a deception. As I heard a lot.

[now I get a bit concerned - as I wasn't already, you understand. "I want you warned, I of Russia". So, we're dealing with the Mafia now...]

I wish you had warned once. I search for serious attitudes. I am looking for marriage and love. I do not play games.

[pack up the house, Jenny, we're on the radar of Russians with "serious attitudes"]

If you want to play with me, then do not write for me. If you are looking also for true and pure attitude then I shall

[now you're just confused. "if you want to play...do not write for me". are you expecting connection by semaphore?]

wait with impatience your letter. I send you as pictures, and I hope to receive your replacement.

[c'mon, you're playing now. you want a letter now. by your own logic, that means if I write to you, I don't want to play. But wait - what is this about sending me "as pictures"? Is this the 21st Century equivalent of sleeping with the fishes? And you're talking of my replacement? Am I to expect a replicant coming to live life in my place? Oh dear, this is email from another planet now...]

I hope we learn that the friend, best friend about the future. I will study, so you can help me, even with what we should do

[eh? you what now? you want to study the best friend? so it's refinatley alien, and we're looking at abduction now. JINGS!]

Overall, it was easier for us.

[back to plural again, there's more than one of them...]

I am a happy person love life and desire to be happy.

[define: "person" and "happy" for me, Ms bi-polar Russian?!]

I of Russia, the city where I live, St. Petersburg, I am very beautiful city. I do not really talk about the city. I love the city. I hope you, I of Russia should not be confused.

[now it's the city speaking. but it doesn't talk about itself. Then it does. "should not be confused". Too late.]

My birthday in February, 19 1980. I anniversary, it is very beautiful day to be happy again.

[now we get an insight into the emotional state of the correspondent. She wants to be happy again, but only on her birthday. which is 10 months away. Sorry about that. Maybe it's not the city after all, St Petersburg has been around since 16 May 1703]

It is pleasant for me, I wish that we continue our friends that we have not lost our interest in us.

[I'm not sure we're friends, but there's no chance of loosing interest]

Dear friend, that our desire was great fun. It is nice to know we talk about a friend of a friend.

[enough with the friend & dear chat, but who is the "friend of a friend" we've been talking about? erm...]

Forgive me please, but I should go. I wish you wrote for me more than I knew more about you.

[you are forgiven, bewildering and very, very confused.]

Svetlana

[is that your real name, or are you just playing games again?]

And that's it. No really, that's it. There were some pictures (*not* indecent), which added considerable more intrigue to the piece.

Perhaps this was a real person. Perhaps this was really the City of St Petersburg, demonstrating (badly) it's first attempt at AI. Perhaps it was some alien observers trying to get their paws on another victim.

Or maybe, just maybe, it's a spammer with a real sense of humour.

No matter what, it's pretty funny.

My favourite part?

It has to be "I see your structure on a dating site". You can't see that as anything other than the work of a comedy genius.

What's your favourite part?

Impossible is nothing

One of the guys who makes the KC run shared this on Facebook yesterday. Blew me away.

"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing."

John Maxwell

What to do with a Crisis?!

I read this on Martin Neil's Voice of the Nations blog tonight thought it was brilliant:

"In this season where the media is bombarding us with the financial crisis that is crippling the world my question is what is our response? Interestingly like most Mandarin words, the word “crisis” (wēijī) consists of two syllables that are written with two separate characters, wēi and jī. These separate characters mean “danger” and “opportunity”. Maybe this paradox can point us towards a counter cultural view point. Do we choose to worry about the danger that may be lurking around the corner or do we look for opportunities to be generous?"

(source: http://bit.ly/b7FnU)

"stop trying to hit me, and hit me"

One of the many memorable moments in The Matrix was where Morpheus says those words to Neo. It always felt to me like he was really saying was "stop thinking about and just do it".

As I listen to people's stories to help me get better at telling stories, I find a lot of layers, lots of complexity and plenty of intrigue. I guess that's life.

But why do we like the intricacy? What is it about the analysis of something that can lead to such in-activity? Many of us have categorised a film as no good because the story wasn't interesting enough. But why? Are we so cerebral in our culture that we NEED complexity. We almost crave it. I know I enjoy the challenge of re-arraning the complex into something I can follow.  But that's not to say that complex isn't right either.

Listening to the Passion Podcast yesterday and the Something Beautiful podcast this morning there were two strong examples of the simplicity of what Jesus seems to call the Church to be. To Love God and Love people. No matter the cost. Be it our time, money and even our intellect.

Spending time with a child exposes how complex we have made things. BabyB will play with simple things, enjoy the simplest of books or at times, just be held - and that's enough. Am I that siimple in my living of life for the Kingdom of God?

NOTE: I am not advocating that we disengage our thinking. We are made this way for a reason. However, let's revel in the childlike, simple faith that walks thru life hand-in-hand with the God who makes Himself known. Let's live in the tension between understanding and faith.

God, let me live my love out loud today.

McColleague

Here's a question for you.

If, during the course of conversation, I was to talk about the people I work with as "McColleagues", what would you think of?

It seems that some people think that it's a comment on where I work, that it's like working at the purveyors of the Golden Arches. And that perhaps I'm having a go at the people I work with.

While I'm not a huge fan of Corporate McBurger, I'm really not having a go at anyone - honest! You see, I'm quoting various sketches by Steven Fry & Hugh Laurie from A Bit of Fry & Laurie. (interestingly, if you search for McColleague, four of the thirteen results on Google are for things I've written - wow!)

So perhaps it's a cultural thing that people make different associations. There's plenty people who *didn't* watch the televised genius of Msrs F&L. Also plenty people who hold no love for the McD brand or *some* of their employees.

Lesson for me yesterday - it's not what you say, it's what people hear that counts. I read Frank Luntz' book last year and agreed with a lot of the messages. The main theme being that you should make your messages as accessible as possible - but where do you draw the line, how far do you simplify it until you actually say nothing?

Not sure it's all 100% right, but what do you think?