by emma | Jan 11, 2007 | Everything Else
UPDATE: I booked my flights for Soliton last night, excited about heading over for what looks to be a few days of stimulating conversations! Will be good to meet some bloggers I’ve been reading for a while now, like Andrew Jones, Jonny Baker, and Si Johnston. As far as I know there is still space if anyone else wants to come!
ORIGINAL:
I wanted to put a conference up on your radar for next month…
The Celtic Soliton Sessions are taking place in Belfast/Portrush from Feb 1st – 4th.
Here’s the blurb from their site:
This year our theme is dangerous living.
Our traditions are stories of dangerous lives: prophets critiqued dangerously, apostles spoke dangerously, and the early church fathers lived dangerously. Jesus inspired life practices that launched a new society both critical of and dangerous to the present order. 2007’s Soliton Sessions are an invitation to rediscover this alternative society.
Check it out, I will hopefully be making it.
by emma | Jan 10, 2007 | Uni
So I made it through my mini blog break, to attempt some exams. Funny story… Monday’s exam (Maths) was ok, but yesterday, I was supposed to have a Biblical Studies exam… didn’t quite make it…
I got up in the morning and was feeling all that great, but wasn’t bad enough that I was going to miss my exam. Started heading down to uni, began to feel a bit light-headed, but carried on anyway! Got about half way there before I had to stop and throw up! (Yes, I use the phrase literally here, as opposed to my figaritive ‘throw up a post’ use). Needless to say I got in a taxi and headed back to my flat, thus missing the exam. Joy. I feel fine now though, I think I may have ate something a little dodgey! Had been looking forward to that exam actually, because I’m really interested in the subject! Have to sit it in August now.
by emma | Jan 7, 2007 | Music, Uni
I have returned to Glasgow! The extra few days in Northern Ireland (when I was bored/stuck in the house/procrastinating revision) were completely worth it when I got to see Foy Vance play at Black Box yesterday afternoon. Quite possibly the best I’ve ever heard him!
The gig was sold out, but managed to get my name on a list at the door and sneak in anyway! The auditorium was jam packed, with just enough room to move. The atmosphere was great, the crowd was silent while Foy played, and cheering rapturously in between. A superb folk band by the name of The Winding Stair supported. Then, in his usual understated way, Foy danders up onto the stage through the crowd, and launches straight into some quality songs, using his looping gadget thing. Sang a myriad of wonderful songs, with a few new ones thrown in there… loving this line from a new song:
“Hope deals the hardest blow.”
Quite a haunting song. Get it recorded and out somewhere soon Foy! The gig had its amusing moments of course – playing barefoot to fix a technical glitch, getting given water instead of Guinness, having a moment while we all sang along with a song… ah the beauty. There is also the fact that he played for almost 2 hours, well over what he was supposed to. Not that any of us were complaining. The man just keeps getting better and better!
In other news, I will try to go blog free for the next two days… need to revise for exams on Monday (eek tomorrow!) and Tuesday afternoons.
by emma | Jan 4, 2007 | Everything Else
Looking for some help…
I really want to take my photography up to the next level, but I’m not sure how. I’d like to find a mentor kind-of person… anyone know someone in Glasgow who’d be up for it? Or even just point me in the right direction?
I’m totally loving experimenting with my images at the minute. Hoping to upgrade to a DSLR very soon too.
by emma | Jan 3, 2007 | Africa
A few nights ago I watched Hotel Rwanda for the first time. It was heartbreaking.
There is one part which particularly stands out in my mind: Paul, the hotel manager, who is hidding refugees in his hotel, is speaking with Jack, a foreign journalist. Paul thanks him for shooting footage of the genocide, as it means people will come to help them. Then, and this is what breaks my heart, Jack makes a comment which is, to our shame, too often true:
“I think if people see this footage, they’ll say ‘Oh, my God, that’s horrible.’ And then they’ll go on eating their dinners.”
We don’t care enough. It doesn’t have a big enough impact on us. There is so much talk about defending our fellow citizens and their freedoms. That is why we went to Iraq (supposedly) – to liberate the people, give them freedom, and protect our own freedoms. Have we forgotten, however, that as Christians our first loyalty is to Jesus? Our home is in heaven – we are citizens of heaven first and foremost, being a citizen of the UK or of the USA is secondary. Should our first loyalty not be to our fellow brothers and sisters around the world then? As Christians, as citizens of heaven, should we not be against war? Against the slaughter of innocent lives. Our brothers lives.
Forgive me if I have this all wrong. I’m still wrestling with it and trying to understand it in my own mind.
“… I believe in a God of scandalous grace. I have pledged allegiance to a King who loves evildoers so much he died for them, teaching us that there is something worth dying for but nothing worth killing for.”
[Shane Claiborne]
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