Waking early again means this time that I get a chance to scan the airwaves. I discover that after thirty minutes I am so inspired that I can’t sleep! Every radio channel seems to be offering me the chance to turn around my life, become a new person and change the world. It makes me wonder if people of faith ever get to the point beyond conversion where they say: “Now what?” This really is a very different universe that we have come to. However there is a very interesting article on the radio about a food bank scheme not unlike that I saw in Australia. Businesses donate food and charities are able to buy it at a weight based price. Veg and fruit 16 cents a pound, tins etc. 25 cents a pound. The organisation was called Second Harvest Gleaners and it means that the poor can be fed for a lot less. The overwhelming majority of those involved in this work are churches, though they did mention that the mosques are involved as well. They have a really nice web site: http://www.wmgleaners.org/ so you might like a look. It’s hard to see where the poor are that they are feeding, I suspect it may well be like in Australia a hidden phenomenon, out in the suburbs, we shall see today as we head out there for church.
Yesterday as part of our Grand Rapids culture tour we went to the Gerald Ford Presidential Library, he was born in Grand Rapids. Every ex president sets one up and they contain a history of their time in office and any gifts they have received as part of their office. Surprisingly it was really interesting, despite the fact Gerald Ford was only president for a three years and came to office as a result of Richard Nixon’s impeachment. Part of the interest lay in the fact that it was our era… Watergate, evacuating Saigon, the early seventies… “Things have really gone downhill since then!” was one of many loud comments we overheard. I can’t imagine what they think about now if they thought the Watergate era was the peak of American political life.
What was most telling was the huge part religion paid in the exhibition, particularly in the President’s speeches and in his motivation. They are really comfortable with their leaders openly talking about the faith that sustains and inspires what they do. The other thing that was surprising was the complete candour with which the presidents’ faults and mistakes are discussed. Rather than a shrine to the wonders of this ex-president it was testament to the whole man. I suspect this may be something to do with the Christian foreground of American life. The justified sinner who is able to repent of his failings is deeply appealing.
You couldn’t help thinking what such a museum would be like if we had it in Britain. The Tony Blair Library: the story of his conversion, his successes, his failings and his fallings, his very deep and genuine faith. It would probably better if we did this, acknowledging our need of leaders but also the humanity of those who stand at the front and take the flack. Those who have come to faith and answered the question: “Now what?”
Yesterday as part of our Grand Rapids culture tour we went to the Gerald Ford Presidential Library, he was born in Grand Rapids. Every ex president sets one up and they contain a history of their time in office and any gifts they have received as part of their office. Surprisingly it was really interesting, despite the fact Gerald Ford was only president for a three years and came to office as a result of Richard Nixon’s impeachment. Part of the interest lay in the fact that it was our era… Watergate, evacuating Saigon, the early seventies… “Things have really gone downhill since then!” was one of many loud comments we overheard. I can’t imagine what they think about now if they thought the Watergate era was the peak of American political life.
What was most telling was the huge part religion paid in the exhibition, particularly in the President’s speeches and in his motivation. They are really comfortable with their leaders openly talking about the faith that sustains and inspires what they do. The other thing that was surprising was the complete candour with which the presidents’ faults and mistakes are discussed. Rather than a shrine to the wonders of this ex-president it was testament to the whole man. I suspect this may be something to do with the Christian foreground of American life. The justified sinner who is able to repent of his failings is deeply appealing.
You couldn’t help thinking what such a museum would be like if we had it in Britain. The Tony Blair Library: the story of his conversion, his successes, his failings and his fallings, his very deep and genuine faith. It would probably better if we did this, acknowledging our need of leaders but also the humanity of those who stand at the front and take the flack. Those who have come to faith and answered the question: “Now what?”
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