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Plans are obviously already being made for next year's Newfrontiers youth conference! How exciting!

And remember, this exculsive preview is from the people who brought you "Dear Joel Virgo ... "!

Today: My 21st Birthday!

Although in general I'm having a bit of a cut-back on the amount that I blog (for the benefit of my studies), today is my day of rest, and another special day... today I am 21! It's a kind of odd age to be: you feel like it should be a milestone but it doesn't really allow you to do anything new (well, legally anyway).

For me today has been a day of thankfulness. It has been great having my Mum, Dad and two brothers come and visit; I'm so thankful for each of them. It was also amazing to be able to meet with my other family in Sheffield which is City Church. We had an amazing time this morning, and God just showed me again just how much he has given me. It was suxh an upbuilding time, and Arnold (Bell, who leads our church) brought us an excellent encouraging word from Joshua 1. God, you're amazing.

Highlights of my birthday: seeing my wonderful family, being with my church, having a great meal (on Friday) with the lovely Sheffield students, having evening champagne, cake and Green & Blacks chocolate!! Basically the whole weekend!

All Around The World

Newfrontiers is a worldwide family of churches together on a mission to establish the Kingdom of God by:

Restoring the church
Making disciples
Training leaders, and
Planting churches

That's right, a worldwide family! I've just come across the blog of Thapelo Otlogetswe. He is a former member of CCK in Brighton and now is part of (the amazing) PJ Symth's GodFirst Church in Johannesburg. Keep an eye out for him!

Cessationism...

I have not involved myself with the ongoing cessationism debate; maybe I should but at the moment there seem to be too many other issues to explore. I am still interested in the issue of Manhood and Womanhood, and would love to see a grace-filled discussion on this topic through the medium of blog. I was spurred on to think more about this issue on Wednesday (again at my Core Group) when the discussion moved to this issue. It really stirred me on to be more Berean-like in searching the scriptures for myself.

In the meantime, here you will find the hilarious Cessationist Hymn written by Mark Heath from Hedge End.

This Time Yesterday...

...I was in Screen 1 of Sheffield Odeon watching the trailers before Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire. I would attempt a review, but I'm not a movie buff and would never be able to pull off such a thing. My film-vocabulary just is not big enough.

But I will say I enjoyed it. In a similar way to with Azkaban, I wish I had seen the movie before reading the book. This way round, you are wowed twice over. Wheras last night (although I enjoyed the film) I came away just listing all the good bits of storyline that had been ommitted. Ommitted with good reason maybe (the film felt at least as long as it is) but for a Potter reader there will always be things which could have been in yet weren't.

My question is, can there be many people at all who can write a genuine review of the film? Certainly I found that I was using my knowledge of the book to fill gaps in the storyline as shown in the film, and possibly found it easier to watch as a result. My conclusion is that the latest Potter movie lived up to expectations: an impressive overview.

A Shameless Plug

I am currently using a new resource in my Bible-reading from Scripture Union. It's called Closer to God and the current edition included a series of contributions from the leader of my church John Groves.

I have just found the next edition available to buy online. Some blogging friends (one in particular) will be particularly pleased with the contents:

· ‘Word and Spirit’: an article by John Hosier
· ‘Know the Word’: Terry Virgo on being like the Bereans
· Mark’s Gospel: following Jesus from the start, with Hugo & Sharon Anson and Jo Soper
· ‘Rescue team’: doing the work of an evangelist, with Belinda Pollard
· ‘Whisper on the line’: Isaiah on the Messiah, with Andrew Marsden
· Colossians: the all-sufficiency of Christ, with Mary Moody
· Lessons from the desert: the purpose of struggle, with Sarah Dusek
· ‘Do we really know God?’: Amos, with James Davies
· ‘Caring enough to correct’: 1 Corinthians, with Martin Hodson
· Songs for pilgrims: keeping in step with God, with Sheila Pritchard
· ‘What God wants’: a perspective on mission, with Peter Brassington

How interesting that Terry's theme in the coming edition is one Dan and I have been exploring and that Dan has explicity referred to in his blog. I'm looking forward to laying my hands on a copy!

Transforming Truth

Here at City Church we meet in smaller groups once a week in one anothers’ homes. The groups are called “Core Groups” reflecting the fact that they represent something of the core of what the church is about: affecting daily living through relationship with other believers. I love my Core Group; it is such an encouraging place to be. And this is because it’s all founded on the Word of God. In our relationships, in what we actually do during the few hours we’re together, in what we talk about the Word is central.

Correspondingly, we are always learning from the Bible, and every now and then we get into a particularly meaty subject or piece of scripture and just dwell and dwell and dwell on it. Last Wednesday we took a look at Romans 6; it was a great discussion because it wasn’t all just abstract and theory, but how that applies to our lives too.

We dwelt on the fact that when we are saved we become dead to sin and alive to Christ, and what that means for us. I have found the words of Neil Anderson to be transforming on this subject:

“It is counterproductive to identify Christians as sinners and then expect them to act as saints. If you are just a sinner, then what do sinners do? No person can consistently behave in a way that is inconsistent with what they believe about themselves. As Christians we are not trying to become children of God (saints). We are children of God who are becoming like Christ. We are not working for our salvation. We are working it out (Philippians 2:12). That is why it is so important to understand positional sanctification (what God has already accomplished for us and who we already are in Christ), and progressive sanctification (making real in our experience what is already true about us).”

These words highlight the need not for correct terminology but for a truthful belief system about who we are. The example of sinners and saints is just one that may have been used. It is just one part of believing what Jesus says about us. Here are some of the biblical statements which Anderson has collated to help us:

I AM SIGNIFICANT
I am no longer worthless, inadequate, helpless or hopeless. In Christ I am deeply significant and special. God says:
Matthew 5:13,14 I am the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
John 15:1,5 I am a branch of the true vine, Jesus, a channel of His life.
John 15:16 I have been chosen and appointed by God to bear fruit.
Acts 1:8 I am a personal, Spirit-empowered witness of Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:16 I am a temple of God.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 I am a minister of reconciliation for God.
2 Corinthians 6:1 I am God’s fellow worker.
Ephesians 2:6 I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 2:10 I am God’s workmanship, created for good works.
Ephesians 3:12 I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

I AM SECURE
I am no longer guilty, unprotected, alone or abandoned. In Christ I am totally secure. God says:
Romans 8:1,2 I am free forever from condemnation.
Romans 8:28 I am assured that all things work together for good.
Romans 8:31-34 I am free from any condemning charges against me.
Romans 8:35-39 I cannot be separated from the love of God.
2 Corinthians 1:21,22 I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.
Philippians 1:6 I am confident that the good work God has begun in me will be perfected.
Philippians 3:20 I am a citizen of heaven.
Colossians 3:3 I am hidden with Christ in God.
2 Timothy 1:7 I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.
Hebrews 4:16 I can find grace and mercy to help in time of need.
1 John 5:18 I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

I AM ACCEPTED
I am no longer rejected, unloved or dirty. In Christ I am completely accepted. God says:
John 1:12 I am God’s child.
John 15:15 I am Christ’s friend.
Romans 5:1 I have been justified.
1 Corinthians 6:17 I am united with the Lord and I am one spirit with Him.
1 Corinthians 6:19,20 I have been bought with a price. I belong to God.
1 Corinthians 12:27 I am a member of Christ’s Body.
Ephesians 1:1 I am a saint, a holy one.
Ephesians 1:5 I have been adopted as God’s child.
Ephesians 2:18 I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit.
Colossians 1:14 I have been redeemed and forgiven for all my sins.
Colossians 2:10 I am complete in Christ.

Romans 5:17 says "much more will those who receive the adbundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ." Jesus laid hold of me so that I would "reign in life". And I want to lay hold of that for which He laid hold of me. I do that by considering myself "dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." Reckoning it to be true. It's amazing that what we believe about ourselves is directly linked with our experience of life.

Togetherness

I was away this weekend with the CityChurch students. We had a brilliant weekend in North Yorkshire just worshipping God, hearing from Him and getting to know one another better. On the Saturday morning we had Simon Lumsden from City Church Newcastle speak to us about taking the land God has put in front of us. He spoke from Joshua 5 and we all came away feeling stirred to see action!

On the Sunday morning Alex Chapman brought us a serious challenge to see God as He really is, acknowledging His holiness and the position that should leave us in. It was great to end the weekend on a note of thanks to Jesus for His sacrifice and victory won for us, and this developed into a wonderful time of worship and praise to God.

Hollybush Christian Fellowship are an amazing bunch of people. They hosted us for the weekend, gave us a roof over our heads and cooked us fantastic food. They made quite an impression: consider it recommended!

Thoughts on Patrick's Score 2

So. We've established that John Williams is a legend. What else? Oh yeah, Patrick Doyle...

For now JKR and JW have gone their separate ways. With my fan-hat on I hope that the introduction of a new composer was just a temporary glitch in the Potter-works. Although with my sensible hat on I desperately hope that I'm proved completey wrong by Patrick Doyle's music. Otherwise I am surely just setting myself up for dissappointment?

I've listened to the soundtrack twice through now, and my reaction is a mixed one. The biggest danger of turning each Potter book into a film is that we lose the sense of it being a series. This is something I felt Peter Jackson dealt with effectively when making Lord of the Rings: he kept three distinct films without losing the sense of continuity. It is a mark of the way this has not been done in the Harry Potter films that the music in goblet of Fire pays little homage to its musical predecessors. Bearing in mind that there have so far been 3 directors for 4 movies, one of the things which balanced the scale to remind us that it is indeed a series was the consistency in composition.

Instead of honouring the legacy that has helped create the success and distinctiveness of the project, Doyle has only paid it lip-service. He has chosen instead to follow his own route. Some call it brave. Others call it foolish. I'm going to wait and see how it fits in with the film before I make a final judgement. But in the meantime...

I'm in love with Harry Potter's Love. I have been on the verge of tears listening to it, it's absolutely beautiful. Perhaps exactly what you'd expect from a non-Williams love theme, but I can't wait to see how it's going to be used in the film.

The Story Continues and Foreign Visitors Arrive are both strong, memorable tracks. They are good themes which I imagine would be returned to at various points. And Voldemort sounds surprisingly familiar, with very similar chord patterns to Shore's score for Tolkien's trilogy. Magic Works is my favourite of the Weird Sisters tracks.

Some have suggested that (particularly in light of the "international" flavour of The Quidditch World Cup) Doyle has made the soundtrack "broader in terms of culture and expression". Well, only in the sense that the storyline required that of the soundtrack. The story itself is more broad in those terms. The same people observe that Williams' theme for Hedwig was "happy-clappy" wheras Doyle has made it more approriately sinister. These critics seem to have forgotten the nature of the stories. They are getting darker as the story goes on you see? To have a sinister Hedwig's Theme in Philosopher's Stone (note I'm deliberately resisting dumbing-down for my American friends) would have made no sense, as would a happy-clappy one in Goblet of Fire. Such comments add no more to the discussion than to say "Oh good, the composer knows the story then!"

Some have said that John Williams' music was never more than "background music" and thank Doyle for finally giving the series a "score". Now, I must be careful because this particular opinion is from someone who has seen the film. But I do disagree. The mark of a score is not only that it goes along well with the movie, but that the music stands up in its own right, once the frenzy of the film has faded away. It's not an overstatement to say that this is one of the hallmarks of music by John Williams. My own experience shows this. I am one of many people across the world who loves the music of John Williams and owns many of his CDs. And yet, I have never seen an Indiana Jones movie, and only seen one Star Wars movie. I am content with the music as it stands. It's so much more than background music.

On the contrary, I would say that it is Doyle's music which sounds more like "filler" a lot of the time. There are strong themes, some which I love. But there are also some pretty awful ones. "Hogwarts March" I cannot stand. I thought this film was supposed to highlight the British boarding school aspect of life more than ever before? So why on earth do we have an awful track that sounds like it's been taken stright from an American High School's marching band practice? A sense of magic has been lost in Doyle's ideas. And the waltzes of this movie will never stand up to Aunt Marge's.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope that the way these pieces are used puts my criticism to shame. But the fact that the music needs the film to come to its defence already shows a weakness in the concept.

Say Hello to Captain Jack Sparrow!

You scored as Captain Jack Sparrow. Roguish,quick-witted, and incredibly lucky, Jack Sparrow is a pirate who sometimes ends up being a hero, against his better judgement. Captain Jack looks out for #1, but he can be counted on (usually) to do the right thing. He has an incredibly persuasive tongue, a mind that borders on genius or insanity, and an incredible talent for getting into trouble and getting out of it. Maybe its brains, maybe its genius, or maybe its just plain luck. Or maybe a mixture of all three. Captain Jack Sparrow 88% El Zorro 83% Maximus 79% Lara Croft 75% Batman, the Dark Knight 71% Indiana Jones 71% The Terminator 58% The Amazing Spider-Man 58% Neo, the "One" 54% James Bond, Agent 007 50% William Wallace 50% Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com

New Territory: Thoughts on Patrick's Score

My intention was to post something about the music of Patrick Doyle in the movie of the moment: Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire. What you have here is (what ended up as) the introduction!

In a similar first to last month, I realised today that I have yet to write a post on one of my favourite people in the whole world. And it's not Patrick Doyle.

You may have picked up from previous posts that I am something of a Harry Potter fan. What you may not have realised is that I am a John Williams FANATIC. His music follows me all around the world, wherever I may be. And if I'm honest I don't know what I will do when this musical giant finally leaves this world and proceeds to the next. Perhaps it is not far off. The thought is scary. A world without the next John Williams score to look forward to? That's something the western world has not known for decades. Thankfully I am young and inexperienced enough not to have heard all of his scores yet, and this is of some comfort.

As most people know, John Williams shot to fame most notably after writing the Star Wars score. The world has not been the same since. Most commentators credit Williams with the revival of the Symphonic Orchestra (in film music if nowhere else), opening the genre up to a whole new generation.

And we have lived in the good of that acheivement ever since. Whenever the composer is involved in a project, its credibility shoots up onto a different scale. Steven Spielberg famously recut a vital scene in his film ET in order that the music should dictate the way the scene should go. He recognised that music of such depth and meaning has, as least occasionally, to dictate the pattern of the film of which it's a part.

And so it was with great delight that fans of both Harry and John welcomed the news that JW was to write the score for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (I refuse to use the American title). Of course there were some who felt it was a black smudge on Williams' record, but there were probably more who felt it was a redeeming feature of the effort to turn the Harry Potter book into a film.

But now, four years on, few can doubt the impact John Williams has had on the Harry Potter franchise. Personally, I enjoy reading the work of JK Rowling best when listening to the original scores in the background. And, like his other works before Harry "stepped fully-formed" into Jo Rowling's head, John Williams has not failed to set the agenda for the films with his scores.

The world temporarily stopped spinning when it was annouced that John Williams would not be composing the music for Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire (didn't you know?). A cry went up. An independent report commissioned. What would we do?!

And so the question on everyone's lips since that rueful day has been "what will Patrick Doyle bring to the series?" As a passionate Williams-adorer it is hard to restrain oneself, or even to be objective when listening to the new score, but I am trying. Please remember me in your prayers.

No one can downplay the significance of what JK Rowling has done to reading, not only for younger people but of all generations. It is not unreasonable to liken her to CS Lewis or JRR Tolkien. John Williams has been called the Beethoven of our generation. Surely it was a great partnership? Young Doyle has an immense amount to live up to.

So Part 2 of this post will consist of my thoughts on the Doyle score (which by the way is available to listen to on AOL).

RESPECT?

George Galloway (MP for Bethnal Green & Bow) paid us a visit at the University of Sheffield today (can you feel the joy?). The outspoken Respect MP was the main feature of the meeting which lasted two and a half hours.
A friend was approached on the university concourse by a leafletting supporter. When asked what format the meeting would take, what was going to happen etc, the supporter mumbled something of an answer before re-announcing proudly "but George Galloway's gonna be there!"

So this afternoon, not knowing what to expect, I strode past the two policemen outside the Students' Union (on bikes - sensibly intending to get away quickly) and delved into the depths of the building. I stepped into the Foundry - a morbid room without windows but with a small crowd of supporters shouting as you approached the doorway (which they were partially blocking). The usual propaganda: a Respect newsletter, some news from the Student Broad Left and my daily chance to buy the Socialist Worker newspaper. Needless to say I ignored this last opportunity, resisting the temptation of informing the well-meaning lad that "Socialist Worker" is sadly a contradiction in terms. I took a copy of the first two publications, more to scribble on than to read.

The moment one walked through the door, there were yet more screams from dreadlock-headed males and females requiring us to "Sign in to the meeting please!" Closer inspection of the sign-in sheets revealed that this was a sly (ableit not completely unexpected) ploy to get a list of names which Mr Galloway would later champion as new party-members.

So, on with the meeting then. Being primarily a student gathering, we assumed that the meeting would start at least 5 minutes late. We weren't wrong. We waited an hour and a half ... and finally Mr Galloway turned up. In the meantime we had heard from an Italian communist student and Suzie Wylie, a member of the NUS National Executive Committee, along with questions from the floor for each of them. Both representatives were left-er than Labour, lamenting the "loss" of stamina that the student "movement" has "suffered" over the last few decades. The feeling from their speeches was that students' natural role in politics is to represent the extreme left. Suzie Wylie attacked America over its handling of Hurricane Katrina, calling the US's level of freedom into question. The memorable point was made that her attitude to the situation and indeed her entire idealogy was not marked by respect for anyone.

Finally, one student spoke for the crowd (about 300 in all) by asking if the MP had left some kind of message explaining why he was late. As the questioner's voice trailed away we heard a voice: "I'll answer that". Mr Galloway climbed the stage, hung his jacket on his chair and took straight to the microphone. We had been waiting for over an hour and the chairwoman was fortunate in the timing; the room was in fact filled with centrists-in-disguise and one felt that had George not turned up at this moment things were about to get difficult.

Apparently George Galloway was seen in parliament this morning. Well, that's what he told us anyway. Not getting off to the best of starts, he began by bemoaning the fact that he had had to pay for this little trip up north out of his own pocket, and also told us that our roads in Sheffield left a lot to be desired. Insults to one side (for the moment at least), he got on with making a rousing speech.

If I was a leftie I'd have loved it. He's probably the only man I've ever heard who you feel has the potential to become Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, opposing Labour not from the right, but from the left. A scary thought, but then it seems so obvious (and easy to do) that you wonder why no one has done it before. Of course there are (as was pointed out by an outraged Green party supporter) other parties which claim to be left-er than Labour, or "True Labour not New Labour" but the difference with Respect (as George Galloway reminded us) is that they have a man in parliament.

Not that you'd know it from his voting record (worse than the Prime Minister's if you can believe that). And this was a subject frequently brought up when questions were opened to the floor. What does he say to the fact that he has not been voting as a Member should? That he'd rather be talking to the students of Sheffield of course. Apparently the British Parliament has never been more irrelevant and he intends to reflect that fact with his attendance record (although cheekily mentioning that he's made more speeches in parliament than any other backbencher).

So why has a man who doesn't believe in the parliamentary process made such an effort to get himself elected? Well, we never really got an answer on that one. Apart from the obvious salary attractions, we were left guessing. He did tell us though that it was none of our business. Oh, and that he would see what his constituents thought when they get the opportunity in May to hand their council over to Respect.

On other issues, we discovered that Respect's party line on abortion (choice) is different to Galloway's own convictions. We were told that his personal beliefs too were none of our business. I say never trust a politician who refuses to let his beliefs influence his policy (if he doesn't trust his own convictions, why should I be persuaded?). On the palestinian issue we were informed that Israel is on stolen land, and that both nations must come together to form one multicultral state. You have to admire his optimism.

One attendee described the atmosphere at the end as "a zoo", the chairwoman exerting little control over hecklers (at least they were allowed to participate). The room was half empty, and questions were starting to get repetitive, but George had lost none of his passion. He spoke ferociously on the issues brought to him, and made an engaging case for most.

The organisers had at the beginning of the meeting hailed their own party as Britain's fasting growing (this was at the stage of killing time before realising that our speaker had an appointment with the Sheffield ring road). They have a sense of themselves as filling a gap in British politics which is admirable but worrying. And Mr Galloway had made a point of telling us of the masses of converts he has made in recent months at campuses across the country. I was left wondering though how many of the 300 so-called supporters attending the "opening meeting" would be at the next party gathering in Sheffield.

OK Cupid Test

You are a Social Conservative (35% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (36% permissive) You are best described as a: Totalitarian Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid Free Online Dating Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

David Bumblebee

Just a few words about the events on Question Time last night. Normally I am a great admirer of David Dimbleby. He chairs debates extraordinarily well, maintaining control at all times without succumbing to constant Paxman-esque interruptions and interferences in a comment or reply. These have become commonplace in many debates and interviews and in the main Mr Dimbleby does not stray into this territory. Last night's debate between David Cameron and David Davies was a first in political history and unsurprisingly it is the Conservatives who are settling the agenda, setting the example by using the media to engage the public. So expectations were high for a great exchange.

I have to say that David Dimbleby's conduct on the program on Thursday evening was beyond dissappointing. He seemed to have thrown caution to the wind, continually butting into answers which could otherwise have taken the debate into interesting territory. The programme was never (he seems to have forgotten) designed to be an interraction between him and the candidates. He seemed to be chasing after one-line, soundabite-ish answers from the two Davids which would make a good headline tomorrow morning. A thoroughly Paxman-ised affair.

What he clearly didn't realise was that while Jeremy Paxman may be an amusing (at times infuriating) interviewer, he is no facilitator of discussion. Dimbleby made last night all about himself. Not an impressive performance.

Interaction!

A thank-you to Dan (known to most as Baxter's Boy) for the beginnings of what I hope will be a productive dialogue. The question of authority in our lives is an important one, and one which all of us, ultimately, will be responsible for before God.

I can now see that our opinions on this issue are not in fact that different. I love what he says about searching the scriptures for ourselves, and in a sense holding our leaders accountable to the Bible. Or at the very least making sure we weigh all teaching, whoever brings it, against the Word of God. Equally it seems, we both believe in the God-given and unique authority of spiritual leadership which is so undermined today.

I find it encouraging that we can have such a discussion in this way, and I have already been impressed with the way Dan handles these situations. As I have reffered to before, one of my aims in blogging is to practise patience, love and graciousness in my interactions. I would count Baxter's Boy as being among those I can learn from.

The West Lothian Question

How is it right that after the devolution of Scotland, that an MP representing a Scottish constituency is still permitted to vote on issues affecting England only?

Two examples:
-It was only with the support of 46 Scottish MPs that the legilation introducing top-up fees IN ENGLAND was passed (with a majority of just five). Members for Scotland could vote safe in the knowledge that university financing in Scotland would remain unaffected.
-The former Health Secretary John Reid pushed for a compromise on a smoking ban in England, again safe in the knowledge that his constituents in Airdrie and Shotts would be fully protected come 2007 by a ban enforced by the Scottish parliament.

Labour uses its domination of Scotland and Wales to rule England. In England Conservatives hold more seats than any other party. So for better or worse, a parliament ruling only England would look very different to what we have today. In my opinion the trend, in a similar way to feminism before it, has swung too far the other way. Rather than equality, we now have reverse discrimination.

Those who believe we should resort to proportional representation in the election of our representatives (Liberal Democrats) should perhaps turn their attentions to this issue rather than banging on about a system which cannot work. But then, that won't happen. After all, where does their leader come from?

A Place in History

The Rt Hon David Blunkett MP, member for Sheffield Brightside is a graduate of the University of Sheffield.

Take a look at the link above.

David Blunkett's name finds a prominent place in lists of "well-known former students" which are published by the University to impress potential undergraduates and other important people. Given the events of the last week (even the last year), doesn't the mention of his name do us more harm than good? And isn't the time now right to reflect this disastrous capstone to his career by omitting him completely?