View From The Basement

Good-bye (for now)

"Thirdly and finally, he said, I wish to make an ANNOUNCEMENT. He spoke this last word so loudly and suddenly that everyone sat up who still could. I regret to announce that - though, as I said, eleventy-one-years is far too short a time to spend among you - this is the End. I am going. I am leaving NOW. GOOD-BYE!" Bilbo from LOTR Part 1

I'm going to take a break from blogging, both writing and reading. So let me apologize in advance for not visiting your blog and reading the great things you are doing and the great thoughts you are reading.

My reasons - well I'm not going to go into them all here.

I don't know how long I'll be "gone" for, but I hope it's not too long. This has not been an easy decision to make as I've enjoyed blogging, the interaction it's brought, the new friendships that it's helped me form and the challenges it's brought into my life by what you all do and write.

Peace and Grace to you all.

Where on Earth are we going?

I read a recent publication from a mission organization where the author listed the developmental and environmental work they were doing and then proceeded to almost belittle this by saying in effect that the real work, the important stuff, was "saving souls". The opening paragraph ended with a statement along the lines of, after all Jesus came to save people we don't see him saving the trees etc.

This did not sit comfortably with me for many reasons. 

Today Sir David King, the scientist who advises the UK Government on Climate Change issues warned that the temperature of the earth is likely to raise by more that 3 C. What all this means is not quantifiable, but what we do know is that the changes we've made to our environment, the increase in CO2, methane and CFC's are not linear, but form feedback loops where one effect feeds on the other accelerating the whole process. Given that the population of the planet is also running out of control. From the beginning of humanity's appearance on earth to 1945, it took more than ten thousand generations to reach a world population of 2 billion people. Now in the course of my lifetime the world population will increase from 2 to more than 9 billion, and it's already more than half way there. Our Spirituality, our missiology our theology need to address this impending disaster or we don't have a gospel, a good news to share.

There's lots more I'd like to say on this issue, but it's late at night and my brain is a little fried.

Monster

I'm on holiday at the moment enjoying spending time with the family. This plus the fact that I'm on dail up at the moment means there has been a lack of posts. Next week I'll not have any internet access so there will be even less posts.

Today I was playing monsters with my boys. The oldest one commented that I was talented at being a monster. At last I have discovered my gifting in life and will now ponder who one might make a living out of this!