The Worst Football Ground In Britain

When you are criticised, it's so easy to get defensive and justify yourself. I should know, I'm an expert. But when you see others rightly criticised, you don't want much truck with all the defensiveness.

There's been a high profile example of that in our community this last week. Last Sunday The Observer (a national Sunday newspaper for the benefit of non-Brits reading this) published a piece called Simply The Worst. It named our local football team, Gillingham as having the worst ground in Britain.

Of course the local press is up in arms. The local MP has sprung to the defence of the town. A spokesman for the football club objects to the reporter in The Observer talking about what a lousy walk it is from the train station to the ground, when you could come through much nicer parts of Gillingham such as Hempstead. Except you don't come that way from the train. You do go through a grotty area. The High Street is crummy and it is possible to witness threats of violence along there. There are boarded up premises and too many of the shops are down-market to make it an attractive area. I haven't been to the football ground itself for about four years now, but on that occasion the catering certainly was poor. It's no good the club banging on about their conference centre and banqueting facilities: an away supporter doesn't see those.

If I had grown up here, I'd have probably joined the chorus of people booing The Observer. The trouble is, as an incomer, their report looks too accurate to me. Isn't it just one of those fundamental facts about life that transformation often starts when we stop blaming others and start taking personal responsibility for the mess we're in?

Dan Rather, Meet Teddy Stallard

Truth is a big issue for preachers. Here is an important article about checking our facts. If we are going to be trusted, let's do our homework and maintain our integrity. We make big claims about truth: let's not undermine them.

It's All About Who, Jesus?

I read this article by Brian McLaren several weeks ago. He's on about the fact that so many contemporary songs of Christian worship are confined to what Jesus has done for me. I've found his thoughts very stimulating as I've just sat through another session of worship in a project I'm involved with called Medway Celebrate where all the music was about my sins being forgiven. Don't get me wrong: it's amazing, thrilling and wonderful that God has done that for me - and made it available to one and all. But I've felt increasingly disconnected in such worship and McLaren helps me understand that my need and reasons to worship need considerable expansion beyond personal blessing. His majestic creation; his passion for justice; etc. There are of course some fairly dismal and moralistic hymns on those subjects, but if only someone could match some good lyrics to stirring contemporary music we might get somewhere. Well we would if some of us could break out of our spiritual narcissism.

Living On After Death

There are some amazing new unconventional ways in which people mourn the deaths of loved ones. A recent article in The Times lists an array of options. Your carbon can be extracted from a sample of the cremated ashes and turned into a memorial diamond. One daughter intends to carry her deceased geologist father on her hand as a ring when she marries. Or a sample of your DNA can be fused with a tree in order for you to 'live on'.

Combine that with the odd occasion of bizarre funerals for pets - our local paper recently reported the incredible send-off for one much-loved dog, involving flags, pipes and drums, a bell-ringer and a cortege including a Cadillac and we've moved a long way as a society from the traditions of only a few decades ago.

What strikes me most is the desire to 'live on' and the efforts people put into this desire. Maybe this is an example of where God has 'set eternity in our hearts' but isn't the good news that God has also made a promise that by faith in his Son Jesus we can live on? Resurrection is living on in a bodily sense that involves personal recognition, interaction and relationship. For me that's a far better deal than being turned into a diamond or fused with a tree.