Rectors Blog – 2011 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 3,300 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 55 trips to carry that many people.
Digital Nativity
We used this video in our fantastic Christingle service on Sunday.
Makes me smile every time I see it!
7 Billion and counting…
There is some debate over whether we have 7 Billion on the planet or whether we are about to have 7 billion on the planet, but we are there or there abouts. I stumbled across this video preparing for West Bridgford Juniors Annual ‘One World Week’ service here at St Giles. It’s great and I’ve nicked several bits of it for my bit in the service. One theme I love – 7 Billion – it’s not space we need, it’s balance. Enjoy.
Prayer requested as violence escalates in Egypt
Violence erupts in Egypt and Archbishop Mouneer requests prayer:
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
I do request your urgent prayers as the situation here in Cairo is very inflamed. Many Christians demonstrated after the incident of the burning of a church building in Mari Nab near Aswan (Egypt). The demonstrations started peacefully as the people were requesting that investigations for the incidents of burning and demolishing churches would be completed and the new law for building churches, that was promised four months ago, would be passed.
This evening it turned to be very violent between demonstrators and the military. More than 20 people were killed and more than 100 were injured.
Tomorrow there will be a large meeting for the House of Bishops of the Coptic Orthodox Church and political leaders will have a separate meeting to discuss a way out of this very difficult situation. I would appreciate your prayers for our beloved country.
We will hold prayer meetings tomorrow and I hope that I can meet with Muslim religious leaders in order to discuss a way forward for the situation.
Thank you for your prayers.
+Mouneer
The Most Rev. Dr. Mouneer Hanna Anis
Bishop of the Episcopal / Anglican Diocese of Egypt
with North Africa and the Horn of Africa
President Bishop of the Episcopal / Anglican
Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East
Guardian article is here.
Steve Jobs
“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: ‘If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.’ It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.” ~ Steve Jobs
Iranian Pastor faces hanging for alleged Apostasy
I’ve come to this story late, the Daily Mail carries the full article.
A Christian pastor, Youcef Nadarkhani, aged 35 and the father of two children, has been sentenced to death for apostasy, a crime for which he was jailed two years ago. But this savage punishment is far worse even than it seems. For Nadarkhani is deemed to have committed apostasy merely because he has Islamic ancestry. Whether he was ever actually a practising Muslim was not even established. The Washington Post reported:
‘The 11th branch of Iran’s Gilan Provincial Court has determined thatNadarkhani has Islamic ancestry and therefore must recant his faith in Jesus Christ. Iran’s supreme court had previously ruled that the trial court must determine if Youcef had been a Muslim before converting to Christianity.
‘However, the judges, acting like terrorists with a hostage, demanded that he recant his faith in Christ before even taking evidence. The judges stated that even though the judgment they have made is against the current Iranian and international laws, they have to uphold the previous decision of the 27th Branch of the Supreme Court in Qom.’
Now the Iranian authorities have claimed he is to be executed not for apostasy at all but for a slew of other crimes. As CNN reports:
‘Gholomali Rezvani, the deputy governor of Gilan province, where Nadarkhani was tried and convicted, accused Western media of twisting the real story, referring to him as a “rapist.” A previous report from the news agency claimed he had committed several violent crimes, including repeated rape and extortion. “His crime is not, as some claim, converting others to Christianity,” Rezvani told Fars. “He is guilty of security-related crimes.”
‘In a translated Iranian Supreme Court brief from 2010, however, the charge of apostasy is the only charge leveled against Nadarkhani. “Mr. Youcef Nadarkhani, son of Byrom, 32-years old, married, born in Rasht in the state of Gilan is convicted of turning his back on Islam, the greatest religion the prophesy of Mohammad at the age of 19,” reads the brief.’
‘… “No one is executed in Iran for their choice of religion,” [Rezvani] added. “He is a Zionist and has committed security-related crimes.” ‘
John Stott
John Stott passed away on Wednesday aged 90. He was a hero to me and every Evangelical you would care to meet. His impact upon the Church in general and the Church of England in particular was profound. The New York Times has a nice obituary, and summarises his approach well:
"For him, Christianity means probing the mysteries of Christ. He is always exploring paradoxes. Jesus teaches humility, so why does he talk about himself so much? What does it mean to gain power through weakness, or freedom through obedience? In many cases the truth is not found in the middle of apparent opposites, but on both extremes simultaneously."
I only had the privilege of hearing John preach once, and that was during a college chapel service when I was a student at LBC (now LST). He began by saying that he had 17 points, we laughed thinking it was joke; it wasn’t! The Cross of Christ, and Basic Christianity are well thumbed and sitting on my bookshelf. I recommend them whole heartedly.
Warning Political Parody
Serious topic but fantastic parody. Love Ed Milliband and Rebbecca Wade!
Today is St Swithin’s day
Swithun (or Swithin) was bishop of Winchester when he died in 862AD. He had a reputation for works of charity and for the founding of churches; and also is recorded as having the gift of healing. He was buried in the graveyard of Winchester Cathedral in a spot where “the sweet rain from heaven might wet his grave”.
According to folklore:
“St Swithin’s Day,
if it does rain full forty days,
it will remain St Swithin’s Day,
if it be fair For forty days, t’will rain no more”
Given it’s Mrs P’s 40th tommorrow and we have a huge marquee in the garden, and it’s forecast thuderstorms for Saturday I’m trusting in St Swithun – though the evidence is that there’s not a lot of evidence to back up his reputation:
Numerous studies have been carried out on past weather observations and none of them have proved the legend true. In fact, since the start of records in 1861, there have neither been 40 dry or 40 wet days following the corresponding weather on St Swithin’s Day.
Ho hum…
