Friday 10 June 2011

A life lived two thousand years ago that changes everything..

I've been reading the Gospels lately, and find myself marvelling at the revolutionary nature of Jesus' time on earth. He showed us how to be fully human in the way we are, particularly when he spoke of the upside down kingdom in the Sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7; Luke 6). In this he tells us that when we truly have nothing in the world's eyes, is the time when we really meet God.

In regards to suffering, when faced with the anticipation of the worst kind of punishment possible (The Garden of Gethsemane) he completely surrendered his will to God, and the result was true Redemption. Something amazing came out of the worst possible suffering Imaginable. To me that becomes formative for our personal suffering, because God works the best out of what seems like the worst (Romans 8:28).

But I wonder how much we take this on board? Or more specifically live in the light of...I know for myself that I don't, and deep down think I know better than God by getting despondent about my future. Losing sight of the fact that the God who brought about his redemptive purpose in Jesus can work my life for its best ends. Instead I can only look at what is front of me, which is the direct antithesis of faith.

But what is truly transformational is that God doesn't get impatient with me, or drop me because I continually get things wrong, or misunderstand the Gospel message...He will be with me until the end of the age...

Wednesday 1 June 2011

Panorama

What an awful program to sit through yesterday evening, seeing such vulnerable people beeing bullied.And in this we got to see some rather brainless people strutt around the home like they were king of castle, and when it comes to vulnerable people who need support in almost every aspect of their lives. they probably were. But it goes without saying that if they were to come up against people who could handle themsleves, they would come up short and shrink back into their.

However what interested me as well, were the dynamics in which the extreme dysfunction sprilled and increased. And like with most group dysfunction, there is always the strong and in someway charismatic leader (pictured above), where by the very force of their personality impose their own deviant way of doing things. Also there becomes a form of heirachy in the overall dysfunction, with people who become like a second in command to the main leader (like the woman who planned to throw the client to the floor). And it's through this form of structure, maybe not named, where the dysfunction descends throughout the whole staff team. Subsequently those who are not confluent with the overarching approach become victims themselves.



So we are only left with what could be called a toxic organisation...