John Ager's Home on the Web!

The start of a New Year is always a time for resolutions, even though any day of the year can be a new beginning if we choose it to be! One resolution which lends itself to January 1 is reading the Bible in a year. This sounds like a simple enough task, but in reality it’s very difficult. One reason is that you reach a difficult part of the Bible in February/March time, another reason is that some of the material is duplicated (and told from different perspectives), and the arrangement of the Bible is not chronological. These three difficulties conspire to confound even the most dedicated reader, as I know from experience!

An answer to this problem is to read the Bible in chronological order, and there are a number of Bibles which set out the material in this way. One year I read the Bible through in the New International Version, although I didn’t find the associated commentary helpful as it was written by a very conservative scholar. This year I am using the Bible pictured above, which has minimal notes as you progress through. The translation is the inclusive language New Living Translation. And so to Genesis chapter 1…

Pink Floyd fans will immediately recognise the title of this post as a lyric from The Wall. Writing poetry can sometimes be thought of as rather a dark art, even by those who regularly write prose. Although I enjoy writing, it’s not an area I’ve moved into – even though I’ve wanted to. I love reading poetry, appreciating the well-chosen turn of phrase that paints a picture that sends the mind into the wonderful world of the imagination. Come to think of it, isn’t that what all art seeks to do? The creators of music, paintings, sculptures (and the like) all seek to evoke responses in the mind and of the imagination!

Twitter (with its limit of 140 characters) lends itself to a genre of poetry identified by the hashtag #micropoetry – and today I was inspired by someone I follow on Twitter (whose poetry I find fascinating) to have a go. They are written quickly and can be composed anywhere – my first attempt was in the shower this morning:

The warm embrace of the water/the tingle of the shower gel/ready to face the day.

The others were composed while I was out and about, and posted online from my BlackBerry. Here they are (slight changes have been made so they scan better), do let me know what you think. You can use or reproduce them in the terms of my Creative Commons licence. Thanks.

Music blaring/lights flashing/shoppers rushing/tills ringing/people shouting/Jesus hiding.

Reindeer in a straw-filled pen/Skaters in an open rink/Salvation brass in a ring/…it must be Christmas!

Flowerbed of rubbish/discarded cardboard coffee cup/cigarette end in compost/acutely-angled ale can/symptomatic

Frozen penguins/hog roast/gourmet liquorice/mulled wine/Gregg’s pasty/random verse

xfactor/strictly/celebrity/bigbrother/ephemeral

I took this picture today, and have posted it to my Blipfoto Journal and Tumblr. I’m using the opportunity to post it here to expand my thoughts and provide links to some reflective verses. The words It is finished of Jesus from the Cross were not words of defeat, but words of victory. This was the culmination of Christ’s earthly mission and ministry, a moment of triumph vindicated by the Resurrection. You can read the passage from John’s Gospel here. You can click on the following links to two readings from this book: Life and death and Cross victorious. I hope you’ll find these helpful passages to reflect on the Bible passage.

I’d been looking forward to watching this movie for a while. I finally watched it last night and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s a moving cinematic masterpiece directed by Wim Wenders, and I’m currently working through a boxed-set of some of his best movies that’s been lent to me by a friend. This award winning film is an unusual road movie that tells the story of Travis, presumed dead, who reappears after four years wandering in the desert on the Mexico border as an amnesiac. It’s a slow-burner that holds your attention through an excellent screenplay by the acclaimed playwright Sam Shepard, great acting, lovingly crafted photography and tracking shots, and an atmospheric score by Ry Cooder that’s integral to the whole movie. The story unfolds gently, mirroring the experience of Travis (and those around him) as he seeks to reconstruct his memories, and many of the scenes are so good you’re just transfixed on the screen. This is a movie I can wholeheartedly recommend.

One of the objectives of this website is to share information about books I’ve read, and a Sunday seems an appropriate day to tell you about this Christian devotional book. Alister McGrath is a Christian theologian and apologist who has the gift of clear communication with an easily readable style. In this book he takes you into his confidence about a personal experience of faith in Jesus Christ, combined with a scholarly approach.

He outlines how Christ is to be known in our minds, imaginations, hearts and memories. How he can be known in our loneliness, anxiety, doubt and suffering. He describes how he can be known through his encounters, images and benefits. Some of the barriers to knowing Christ are detailed, and he finishes the book with ways in which Christ can be known. This is straightforward Christianity without the ‘cringe factor’ and I can wholeheartedly recommend it.

This is the first guest post from some of my real-life and online friends. Hannah Winter is a friend in both spheres, and I hope you find this interesting.

When John asked me to guest on his blog under the title of ‘Feminism’ I jumped at the chance and started to make a note of the things I just ‘had’ to include; women in the workplace, social constructions of gender, violence, sexualisation of children, pornography and lap-dancing, religion, FGM, and many, many more – all of which I’ve got plenty to say about! Having been given a 400 word (ish!) limit, I thought I’d start at the beginning and (hopefully!) be invited back to address individual issues at a later date. So, the question I aim to answer here is ‘Why Feminism?’ I’ll write from a personal perspective; why I identify as a feminist, and why I feel feminism is as relevant today as it ever was.

I indentify as a feminist because I’ve found feminism to be a very useful tool to question, de-construct, and challenge the things around me that make me, as a woman, feel uncomfortable. Things such as, but in no way limited to; lads mags, the marketing of gender-specific toys, Page 3, being told my research won’t make me attractive to men (as if that’s my sole aim in life!), the way in which the behaviour of women is judged very differently to men. I’ll stop with the list but believe me, it’s a long one! I identify as a feminist because it gives me the confidence and drive to have my voice heard in world which, contrary to popular belief, is a largely patriarchal one which attempts to silence the voices of women.

So, 40+ years after the birth of feminism and gender inequality is alive and well. Surely feminism has failed? No, feminism hasn’t failed! I don’t believe that feminism was ever about ‘succeeding’ on a global level, inherently changing men and women; it would only serve to replace patriarchy if it did. It’s about changing core values. It’s about changing patriarchal assumptions about how things ‘should’ be. Today, as ever, feminism allows the questioning of the limitations placed on, and the assumptions we make about women.

Feminism isn’t about burning bras and hating men! Feminism is about creating the opportunity for equality in the personal, social, and political spheres. Feminism seeks gender equality – a liberating concept for both women AND men. I need to finish soon (400 words just isn’t enough!) but I’ll leave you with this:

• Women in the UK are paid 22.6% less per hour than men
• Only 18.3% of the world’s members of parliament are women
• At least 100,000 women are raped in the UK each year
• Two-thirds of the world’s illiterate people are women
• One in four women living in the UK will experience violence at the hands of a current or former partner

The Equality Illusion, Kat Banyard, Faber and Faber Ltd: London, 2010

I love writing and communicating! Choosing my words carefully and crafting sentences, paragraphs and completed works. Both writing and public speaking play a major part in my work as a Salvation Army Officer, but I also like to write for leisure. This website is one opportunity for me to do just that!

Recently I came across QuietWrite which provides a writing space without distraction. The website says about itself: Focus is necessary for good writing. And, in order to focus, you need a quiet place to think, to ponder, and to dream. Finding a peaceful place to write online is challenging. Most interfaces are too cluttered and too crammed full of the unnecessary. QuietWrite is different. It’s your peaceful online editor: a place where you can be alone with your words and thoughts. Think of QuietWrite as your online writing workspace. A place where you can do your best writing.

You can publish on QuietWrite itself, but can also export to your WordPress site, and this post is testing out this option. If you are looking for a software alternative to this web-based service you could try FocusWriter, a minimalist multi-platform word processor.

Note: Because QuietWrite is a minimalist word-processor (it’s great strength), it does mean that you have to work on the text later, but the creative work can be done distraction-free. In the case of exporting to WordPress, you have to edit the text in WordPress to categorise, tag and link etc. You can view my original post on QuietWrite by clicking here!

If you just want to make simple notes in your browser, you might like to check out this post!

My friend Chris Hinton has also written about QuietWrite here on Geek-Speak!

The movie Closer originally started out as a stage play, and was adapted by the author Patrick Marber and directed by Mike Nichols. It’s a very powerful, uncompromising and honest drama about modern relationships, and I watched it on DVD this evening. The four actors give very convincing performances of the chance meetings of their characters, their instant attractions and brutal betrayals. The drama is seen by some as a modern and tragic version of Mozart‘s opera Così fan tutte, as there are references to the opera in both the plot and the soundtrack, and one of the key scenes is set in an opera house. You can find out more about the movie at IMDb and (spoiler alert) Wikipedia. One final note of caution though, the movie (and the Wikipedia entry) does contain very strong language and overt sexual references! Not for the easily offended!

Today is Commitment Sunday in the Salvation Army UK, and in the Christian calendar it’s the celebration of the Baptism of Christ. This gives me an opportunity to share one of my favourite paintings (to be found in the National Gallery, London) and a hymn which brings both events together.

Christ, when for us You were baptized,
God’s Spirit on You came,
as peaceful as a dove and yet
as urgent as a flame.

God called you his belovèd Son,
called you his servant too;
his kingdom you were called to preach,
his holy will to do.

Straightway and steadfast until death
you then obeyed his call
freely as Son of Man to serve
and give your life for all.

Baptize us with your Spirit, Lord,
your cross on us be signed,
that, likewise in God’s service, we
may perfect freedom find.

I just came across this post and felt it was worth reblogging, despite the non-inclusive language!

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill, When funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest if you must, but don’t you quit. Life is queer with its twists and turns, As every one of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about, When he might have won if he’d stuck it out. Don’t give up, though the pace seems s … Read More

via A Day In The Life of a Daytrader