Movies and Music

Watched two good movies this weekend, Taladega Nights and Perfume. I enjoyed them both loads. I am not really a big film critic, some I like some I don’t. I went to watch 300 with my dad, we thought it was so crap we got up and walked out half way through.

My favourite film of all time is “The Godfather” it’s a powerful movie. The end of the Godfather 1 is like the beginning of 1 Kings in the Bible. Solomon wreaks revenge on all those who have been conspiring against him and establishes his throne, just like Michael Corleone.

8 mile is another great film, I love the end, the intensity……

Has anyone ever seen the movie “King David” with Richard Gere, it’s pretty rubbish. Why aren’t there any good biblical films out there, The Passion was okay.

I have in my time seen some “Christian” movies, that is films made by Christians for Christians, they are normally pretty pants, a bit like most Christian music. Do those two words really go together “Christian Music” .

There is only really: good music and bad music. Some Christian music I have listened to leaves me cold. Although saying that I often get very moved listening to worship songs. I like “Worship music” it communicates truth and gives me a voice to express my feelings to God, but normally it doesn’t really hold up as just good music. I have used The Rolling Stones in a worship context, now thats good music. But thats my own taste, I think it's very hard to have a debate about christian music just like it is very difficult to decide good and bad movies. We all know what we like.

Worship like movie watching is a very personal experience and we all know what we prefer.

What am I saying? I like worship music but don’t actually think it’s very good musically! but thats my viewpoint.

We all have our own preferences.

Cheaters never prosper

My email is now working so it’s back to the old one for all you who know it.

I take Spanish lessons for 2 hours 3 times a week. It’s pretty good I am in a class with mainly Muslim ladies from Morocco. I enjoy the challenge of learning a new language although it is taking me forever.

Anyway this morning we had a written test, I hate tests and this one was particularly difficult because I had forgotten we were having it and hadn’t done any preparation.

Basically it was irregular Spanish verbs, there are about 6 different ways you can write each verb.

So we sit down to do the test and my teacher is sitting talking to a new girl who hasn’t got to do it. I am struggling, my mind has gone blank (well not blank, there was nothing there in the first place) everyone is quiet except my teacher who is chatting away loudly to the new girl. I am just stirring at the paper thinking that once again I am going to look like the class dunce!

Then I noticed a work book sitting on the table next to me and I remember that all the verbs we are being asked to write out for our test are in that book on page 34, the work book started to speak to me.

It said “go on Brian just have a shady look, you know you want to, she’s talking, she’ll never notice, I have the answers, you want them, you know you want them, come and get them!!!” The book continued to speak seductively to me, it started gently at first but the voice got stronger, firmer more persuasive to the point were it was unbearable.

So I had a quick look around the class, everyone had their heads down doing the test and my teacher was still sitting with her back to me talking to the new girl. That’s when I broke, I could take it no more, oh the joy of a perfect result, this thought and the voice of the book beckoned me on. One long illicit glance into the dark pleasures of my level 1 Spanish book and I would be a happy man. So without hesitation I opened the book slightly to look at all the answers!

The moment I did this I noticed an atmospheric change in the room, silence in the class, I looked up and my teacher was stirring straight at me!! She just kept stirring, long and hard with a look of hurt and annoyance in her eyes and then she said “trampa” which when I asked Tracy about later means “cheat”. ( At first I thought she was calling me a dirty tramp or even a trampoline, which is why I need more lessons)

I felt dreadful, I became 14 again, I cheated at a test. The book seduced me and I ended up looking more of a fool than I would have done by just failing the test.

What’s worse is my Spanish teacher forgave me and told me she would give me another chance to do it on Monday.

No email

For the last 24 hours my email hasn't been working and Steve who normally sorts this kind of thing is away in England, so if you have tried to email it won't have got through. My alternate email address is brian.heasley@24-7prayer.com that works!!! but no-one uses it.

I hate not having email, I get quite a lot everyday and it makes me feel connected to the world beyond these shores! just like this blog.

Please check out Paul Buff's blog he is a man on a mission to raise money for our bibles!!! I love this blog thing so supportive, if your a UK person go over there and arrange with him to take some of your money. He's put his mobile on his blog! I think......

I saw the very thing I talked about yesterday on Mel Reynolds blog, she had a lovely post on "critical or discerning" and then another one on what songs to play at her wedding, the first post zero comments the second post over 30! Do you think that's because blogs are social things?

I haven't commented all week on the death of Alain Emersons wife Lynsey, I have felt unable to say anything. I feel for him and have been praying loads for the whole situation it's desperately sad, beyond words. I look on Alans blog and am overawed by the comments people have left, blogs once again giving people an outlet for support.

If your the praying kind, please go to Alains blog read it and just pray for him. You know it's all hard, every bit of bereavement and loss, but often after a funeral and when things are sorted practically, it can hit you harder. There tend to be less people about. I am probably talking to the converted, but keep him in your prayers.

Electronic community?

I have never been a great believer in electronic community. I don’t go a great deal on electric evangelism especially the tele-visual kind1 I kind of like the incarnational approach, which is God in the flesh, not through a screen.

I feel the same about community, you need to experience it the flesh.

However I am starting to believe in cyber communities, groups of people who have something in common, we are linked or connected on blog rolls, through comments and through the joy of reading each other’s blogs.

I think you can get to know people a little through blogging and I like that.

It feels like a safe place to debate and discuss, laugh and disagree!

It opens you up to worlds, people and thinking you wouldn’t normally experience.

There’s more fascination and curiosity in blogging than there is ego, you can soon spot an egotistical site and you just don’t go back. The blogs I read and link to are there because I believe they are people trying hard to be honest, real and inquisitive. I like that.

I think it’s funny what people do comment on, you can pour your heart out go real deep or be profoundly spiritual and no one says anything. You can put a post up about one day wanting to own a pair of crocodile skin cowboy boots and you get 12 comments.

On Phil Togwells and Lucy's blog there are a couple of posts about comments and whether in today’s consumer culture a person who doesn’t leave a comment is just consuming someone’s blog. But that seems a little insecure to me, not Phil and Lucy but people who stress about no comments and then worry that lives are being consumed in blogging. If your worried about it don't put your life on show by blogging!!!. Also if you put up a blog post about comments you get more!

I genuinely feel I have gotten to know a few people through blogging. I think more people should do it; church leaders should do it so that their people can keep in touch.

Blogging is also cool if you are nosy and the sort of person who would have read your sisters diary when she was out of the room………..

Family photo, my dad is the small grey man in the middle, his name is Billy or should I say The Reverend William Alexander Heasley, my brothers left to right, Me, Paul, Matthew, john and Evan.

Do you think that ego could drive people to blog? It does me sometimes....In fact ego could drive us to do a lot of things.

Sometimes I wonder about ego and the fine line between being egotistical and loving yourself. Loving yourself can sound a little egotistical maybe being happy in your own skin would be better.

It's a big one, but most of the time I love myself. I don't know if this links but one thing that can stress me is what do others think of me! but then I go up and down with that, sometimes I convince myself I don't care, other times I do care.

I think we can live our lives like this and I am not to sure it will ever change. One day I like myself the next day I worry about ego, one day I don't care what people think the next I do. Actually even breaking it into days is too defined, one minute I don't care the next minute I do.

It's not like I am all over the place emotionally or mentally but I fluctuate in what I feel about the world and how I respond to it. Maybe thats what makes us interesting, we don't just live instinctively like animals.

More on condoms

Was lying in bed thinking about condoms last night and I got on to another train of thought with regards to what makes us uncomfortable?

People are uncomfortable with the team here handing out condoms with a bible. But there are so many others areas of life that I think Christians are comfortable where they should be uncomfortable. It’s funny how we focus on the big behaviours or the ones we assume we would never do or have done as a Christian.

How many of us are truly uncomfortable with poverty that we decide not to hand our money to certain companies?

How many of us are uncomfortable with war that we make our voice heard?

How many decide not to hand money to chocolate companies, because of slave trade?

How many of us are truly uncomfortable with huge supermarkets and the loss of local trade to the point that we only use local trades people?

But I here you cry, it isn’t the same, giving out the condoms means we somehow give our consent to sex outside of marriage?

I know as an argument this is a little flimsy, because we fail in one area doesn’t render us powerless or quiet in another area.

But we love to have something that we say is wrong, it’s just that we decide!

What other contradictions do we see?

Someone sent me this yesterday:

I'm not sure Jesus will be focusing on what we did and didn't do in terms of sins, but looking at who we are - heart, head and behaviours. Someone has sex because of loneliness, insecurity, status, needing to feel needed, asserting prowess, manliness, sexiness, beauty..in the words of rob bell.. needing to feel connected to the bigger picture. I kind of think Jesus is more interested in all those things that motivate someone to seek out having sex as a way of feeling good.

Lets not overly focus on the sex, or the condoms.

It’s early I have a really busy day and I hope this doesn’t sound self righteous?

I just think there is further to go on the whole “what Christians decide is wrong” thing??? We have a very evangelical mindset a lot of the time, smoking, drinking, sex etc… all are easy to point the finger at.

What about rich churches and starving babies?

Note the donation Button!

We won't use your money on condoms.

Rat

My dog killed a rat in the garden today, it climbed into our garden and it was the last thing it ever did!

I have a picture, shall I post it?

Would it put off potential visitors.....

Condom Evangelism

Can I just say a big thank you for yesterdays comments, it's great that we can chat these things through without anyone getting offensive, I loved watching it unfold, this makes blogging worthwhile.

I hadn't really thought about the condoms and lighters being an issue, it was more a plea for help with regards Computers and Bibles

So please if you know anyone who could help let me know, and thanks for all the stuff with regards websites and offers of help people have already given. In all honesty I was more worried that using my blog in a shameless plea for money and resources would be more offensive than condoms and lighters!!! I didn't want to abuse your friendship.

Anyway, what do I think about Condoms being given out? well as Jonah said people will have sex whether we give them a condom or not, and most people if they have a condom handy will use it, but if they don't have a condom they will probably just go ahead and have unprotected sex. Unprotected sex sometimes leads to the tranmission of deseases and also unwanted pregnancy. So if we can stop that happening by providing a condom, so be it. We haven't put our logo on the condoms or anything like that, we couldn't afford it. But heres the deal for me "Mercy triumphs over judgement" everytime, without fail, totally, grace, grace, grace, grace. Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead, he's the judge not us! Right now we just need to love people, yes of course there are things we don't agree with and they will need challenging but in a gracious way.

Tough love doesn't exist, not the witholding and punishing kind of love, that's not love! or the love that says let them make mistakes they will eventually turn to Jesus, that's not love. When they are in a hospitable bed dying of AID's, or being told they are infertile, they aren't going to be searching out the nearest Christian to say "thanks for not giving me that condom, I appreciated your tough love!". This is the kind of "love" that doesn't do anything to cure the problem but just stands outside abortion clinics abusing poor women who have made a mistake. It's not a very well thought through concept when it comes to loving people, it appeals to us because it makes life less messy and ,means we can just hand out judgement and platitudes without actually engaging with people. Mercy, grace, love, forgiveness, acceptance this is the way of the cross, now that's a tougher way to love.

Lighters, well they are a fun evangelistic tool. I was talking to a villa owner last night and he wants a load to put in his welcome packs for guests on the island. I love it, posh people coming to rent out exclusive villas end up with a little Jesus fire in their visitors pack!!!

I have been reading the gospel of John this week. As I look at it I am reassured that right here right now we are doing the right thing.

But I am happy if you don't agree with me, thank you all for reading and contributing. Don't forget we need Bibles and Computers!!!!

Ibiza 2007

Had a great team meeting this morning talking about what we are going to do this summer.

We have had few little brainwaves that feel are God inspired.

The first one is a welcome pack for workers, this will be a nice little paper bag (Biodegradable), with some goodies inside, we will put in a prayer card, a prayer request form, a drugs infor postcard, some sweets and nice food, a lighter, some condoms and a Bible. It will be a good way to welcome people to the island we are going to do about 300.







I have one problem!! Money... we want to get 300 bibles, are there any charities out there that do them for free? Or is there anyone out there who would like to buy 300 for us. In an ideal world we would like these ones which I could get for about £3.50 each which includes delivery that means I need about £1050 for bibles. You should check out xxx church these guys are doing a great job and these bibles would work brilliantly in the environment we find ourselves in. Let me know if you can help I am under a bit of time pressure on this one.








Secondly we are going to convert our office which adjoins the prayer room into more of a drop in for the people who work in the Westend, we want to offer free internet access for workers! Which will be a great way of serving the community as well as connecting with it. Once again I need help are there any charities out there who give away free computers? Or is there anyone out there who wants to give us £1500 for three cheap Dell computers?

I hope you don't think I am being cheeky, but I feel some of you guys are in this with me, just by the support you give from reading the blog. If you are a wheeler dealer, rich or have any inspiration, please mail me at mail@24-7ibiza.com

All this is not so we look groovy but so we can reach out to people. A good investment methinks....

Control

Have you ever felt boxed in? Right now I don't actually feel this way but on occasions I do. Maybe boxed in isn't the best of expressions, my life at times looks like the desktop on my computer; lots of different boxes all over the place.

I would like to drag all the boxes into one very neat folder but the reality is that it just wouldn't make sense. Life is not meant to be neat.

Life is messy, sometimes chaotic, even the most ordered people I know have messiness in their lives. Admittedly they seek to bring control but then to me they just appear a little uptight.

How much of our lives can we actually control?

Life is to be enjoyed, of course there are boxes, try to kick them down as best you can and don't let anyone put you in one, but on occasion just curling up in a box is a good idea, just don't stay there!

A friend sent me this the other week, I liked it:
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming " WOO HOO ", What a ride!!!!"

If you need a little bit of cheering up watch this, I suggest you sit down get comfortable, pour a glass of wine and watch for 7 minutes, it will be good for you. Of course if you are at work just use headphones and don't get caught drinking. Finally if you don't drink and think wine is evil pour a glass anyway pray for it to turn into water if that doesn't work go ahead and drink it, it may help you loosen up and lose a little of that control thing you've got going on.

enjoy it's the voice of God:

Podcast

I am thinking about doing a weekly podcast to go with this blog. I feel I am a better talker than writer.

Since I have started writing this blog my grammar has improved and I have occasionaly started to beat Tracy at Scrabble. 7 letter words are the key, although good use of the triple letter score box can yield surprisingly good results. Scrabble is my favourite board game.

When I was young we used to listen to a radio programme every week on the BBC called "Alistar Cookes letter from America", we didn't have a TV on religious grounds, but I am not to scarred by that.

Anyway I loved the programme, maybe it could be similar "Brian Heasleys letter from Ibiza" except it would be a podcast! just like Alistars was a radio broadcast not a letter!

Should I have a theme, Ibizan life? God stuff? or just general randomness?

A friend has said they will get it set up on itunes for me, which is cool, I am thinking 10 minutes!

Be interested in what you think?

Fear

It's a funny thing fear, well funny isn't probably the best word, strange would be better. Although I think we would do well to laugh at some of our fears.

I believe that fear is a good social control, I believe that fear is the opposite of trust.

Most of the fear we have is exaggerated, fear of being misunderstood, fear of heights, fear of dying, fear of spiders, fear of being left on our own, fear of crowds, etc...

I don't fear dying, although I am now worried that because I have written this I could die. Then when you all went to look for the lasts words written on my blog they would reassure you that I died fearlessly.

A wierd thought leaps into my mind "maybe I am writing this because I am going to die today", therefore I end up fearing death, which is exactly what I started out saying I didn't fear, but because I challenged it, it bit back and won! does that make sense.?

Thats why we need to laugh at our fears, most of them are irrational.

I'm back

it's good to be back..

I guess a quick recap, before I try to be deep and profound.

Had a great week in Tenerife, it was cool to be with my family and just hang out, there was SKY t.v. at the apartment so we gorged ourselves on champions league football, went to water parks and saw Killer whales, awesome. We also had the chance to visit "the living room" a project reaching out to workers in Tenerife, very inspiring.

I am feeling a Liverpool v Man utd champions league final coming on.

Then I got back to England for my brothers wedding which was really good, it was nice to see all the family and be there as Matthew and Louise started their new life together.

I also got the chance to stay at the East london boiler room which was a real pleasure, they have bedrooms that are so comfortable, I also had the chance to catch up with some old friends thanks Robb and Sally.

I then arrived back in ibiza to an easter team which we have been hosting all week, 6 great people who came, prayed, played and supported us in all we do. It has been a fantastic time. Chelsea, Dan, Mark, Tim, Laura and Casey, I salute you.

It's Tracys birthday tomorrow so that should be fun.

I have had loads of thinking time and lots of thoughts, specifically around building. I am sure i will unpack them over the coming weeks.

Trust you are all well?

I'll pop some photos up soon