22 December 2009
19 December 2009
We are Tenants not Owners in this world....
I have to say I am disappointed and dismayed by the outcome of the Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change. We have an agreement brokered by President Obama between the USA, Brazil, South Africa, India and China. The "agreement" is not legally binding, apparently commits the signatories to keeping the earth's temperature rise to 2c, without actually spelling out the levels of CO2 reductions required to make it happen. I have to say I think this agreement is not worth the paper it is printed on, or the trees spent to provide it's paper. In international deals, you always know the deal is effectively useless when someone says it is better than no deal, which is exactly what the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said.
I totally understand why we are in this mess, it is because the major industrial world is not prepared to change. The real tragedy is the American President personally would have wanted to go much further, but is aware that unless he can get his Congress to back a deal it will fall. Obama remembers the former US Vice President Al Gore going to Kyoto and making all kinds of committments only to have the Senate throw them out. Just earlier this year I was talking to an american man who told me he didnt believe in global warming! So at least Barack Obama showed up at the summit, it was more than George W Bush would have done. But the President needs to lead a major debate in the USA that they cannot continue to contribute as much CO2 into the atmosphere. The Sudanese delegate said this deal would condemn many more Africans to death, that is the reality of the lack of consensus here.
So what will make us change? The desolation of a major western city from flood? A tidal wave in New York or London? Clearly the storm that hit New Orleans didnt have the effect of galvanising the USA to see the reality of global warming, I guess the residents there had the wrong skin colour.
Our "leaders" bottled it, they above all fail to recognise we are only tenants in this world, we do not own it. We are condemining future generations to misery and pain, because we are not prepared to change now.
We need leaders to lead, not follow public opinion on global warming. I am disappointed and disillusioned today. I guess most of all with myself, for being naive enough to think our leaders could actualy be bold.
Posted by
Mark Russell
at
2:01 PM
2
comments
To pray or not to pray, that is the question....
I had the pleasure of attending a Christmas Tea for Christian leaders at Number 10 Downing Street last week, and had a chance to speak to the Prime Minister about the work that Church Army does across the UK and Ireland.
It was an interesing afternoon, to meet colleagues from other denominations and hear about their work. The Prime Minister spoke about the contribution of Christians across the land who work tirelessly to make the world a better place. He spoke about the need to inspire people with vision for change. He spoke about the potential of each and every person and how Christianity had a proud record of trying to release potential.
During the tea, Stephen Timms MP, the Labour Party Vice Chair responsible for liasising with Faith Communities asked Nicky Gumbel, the Vicar of HTB to lead a prayer for the Prime Minister. Now asking Christian leaders to pause for a moment at a Christian Tea and ask them to pray.... sounds a pretty normal thing to do. You would think so, I was gobsmacked to see a story in the Daily Mail. Apparently someone said "Everybody there had some connection with Christian churches and maybe some members of the more evangelical, Pentecostal churches were comfortable with it. But a lot of traditional church people found it deeply awkward and inappropriate."
Now what was inappropriate? Inappropriate to pray? Inappropriate to pray at a Christian Reception? Inappropriate to pray for the Prime Minister? Or inappropriate that it was Nicky Gumbel who was asked and not them? I have a hunch it might have been the latter, in which case I hope whoever gave that quote to the Mail, is ashamed of themselves. Inapproprate to pray..what next!
Posted by
Mark Russell
at
12:13 PM
1 comments
3 December 2009
Reality TV v Reality life
Posted by
Mark Russell
at
12:07 PM
2
comments
2 December 2009
Gosh November...
Dorothy, a wonderful Church Army Evangelist came up to me at a recent meeting in London and said "you are working too hard". I said, how do you know? She said "your blog is quiet!". She was dead right. November was one of the busiest months I have ever had. Too many meetings, too much travelling, and too many speaking engagements. Yet all of them a huge privilege.
Its now December and I realised how exhausted I had made myself. I think I need to learn to say No a little more often.... Too much doing and not enough being is not good for me!
So sorry if you kept checking my blog and finding it quiet. I am back now I promise :)
Posted by
Mark Russell
at
7:30 PM
2
comments
What a drama
I am not a big fan of drama in church, because usually it is done so appallingly! Monotone voices, and bad timing coupled with ill thought out scipts, mean I usually end up cringing! Yesterday I was the guest speaker at Chapel Service at the London School of Theology, and they performed a version of this drama that quite honestly moved me to tears and blew my socks off. It is to a song called "everything" by a group called Lifehouse.
This is Advent when we celebrate that God entered our world as a litlte baby boy. Can I encourage you to take a few moments, watch this short video, and reflect on how God entered the mess of our humanity and changed history for each of us.
Posted by
Mark Russell
at
7:28 PM
1 comments
22 October 2009
What is Benedict up to????
Posted by
Mark Russell
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10:09 AM
8
comments
7 October 2009
More inspiration in Australia!!!!
Wayne has planted a church in a tough suburb south of Sydney called Berkeley. The project is only in its third year and Wayne has pioneered a host of ministries serving the local community in practical ways. Central to the work is the service called "Berkeley Life Centre" which I had the privilege of preaching at on Sunday. about 50 people were there, people who would never darken the door of an anglican church as we know it. People alive in Christ, and sharing their faith with the community. Wayne has created an idea called "adoptablock" where people from the church share their faith practically and help out each week on their block of houses.
Posted by
Mark Russell
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3:49 PM
5
comments
Meeting a hero....
Posted by
Mark Russell
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3:42 PM
0
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1 October 2009
Two superstars in Forbes....
Posted by
Mark Russell
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2:13 PM
1 comments
Rent a friend...
Posted by
Mark Russell
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2:07 PM
0
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