Saturday 25 June 2011

I do not 'Enjoy!'

Why is it that I want to scream every time a waiter puts down my food and says ‘Enjoy!’.
There is nothing outwardly wrong with it, but I find my insides curdle whenever someone says it to me. I think it is the assumption that they are claiming authorship of the experience I am about to have. No! It’s my experience, nothing to do with you!
There are certain words and phrases that we seem to instinctively hate, for one reason or another.
I also hate the word ‘devastated’.
“My hamster died and I was completely devastated.”
“I found out that he was going out with someone else – I was devastated”.
It is such an over-used word that seems to be used out of proportion to the actual meaning. Hiroshima was devastated. The origin is de-vestare to lay waste.
Another one is ‘Hello!’ (pronounce: hell-oh-oh with the intonation going up on the first oh) in the sense of ‘You think I like you? Well ‘hell-oh-oh! Wake up and smell the coffee. You are completely deluded'.
Again it is the assumption that I hate, that I am in some way insane, and not getting the point that I find so insulting.
Hey Ho – getting older makes you crankier!
Any words or phrases that you hate?

Monday 20 June 2011

What in heaven's name is The Trinity?

Last Sunday was Trinity Sunday. Herewith a go as to what it all means.

(Remember, The willingness to be wrong is all!)

Thomas Aquinas put forward the idea that God is one substance that has three relationships, but that the relationships constitute the very nature of the substance.
This view of the Trinity suggests that essence of Salvation (or becoming ultimately safe and fulfilled) is not based on belief, but on relationship.
Salvation comes from our relationship with God.
Our task is not to literally ‘make disciples of all people’, but really to be in relationship with all people.
The power (God) is in the relationship.
In quantum physics, more and more it is the relationship between particles that is interesting.
God is therefore not something that we can understand with our minds, but know by being a part of a relationship.
Salvation is that readiness, that capacity that willingness to stay in that relationship with God.

Well that's what I thought on Sunday anyway!