Having A Laugh

Part two of Playing Out Of Position will be published tomorrow.

In the meantime I just wanted to share this from something I read today.

This article made me laugh. A legitimate report on the BBC with the National Secular Society are complaining that staff in faith schools have to support the faith of the school! Whatever next? Doctors may actually be required to have some desire to see the health and welfare of their patients?! Lawyers may actually be required to have some knowledge of the law?!

Good grief, this epidemic could actually spread and people might actually be required to care and have some affiliation to the occupation in which they work. That’s just scandalous. I sincerely hope the government, who I hope aren’t all politicians, takes this matter seriously and challenges this business of people in faith schools actually needing to support the faith of the school. It’s just preposterous.

Oh and heaven forfend that we should discriminate, oh dear me, no. Discriminate, that’s just wrong, even if we do it every day on very good grounds like I want a taxi driver who can actually drive, I won’t accept one who can’t. I think the National Secular Society should invest some time into that as well, so as to make this world a safer place to live in where no one has to believe in anything and can do anything they like.

Thank God for the National Secular Society.

For His Name's Sake

Shalom

dmcd

Playing Out Of Position

I don’t usually write about football on this blog. I know I did earlier on in the days of this blog, but since the other blog’s come along I’ve tended to share my comments about the sport to that site. Bear with me over this two-parter, if you’re not that way inclined, there is method in the madness behind bringing this subject up on this blog at this time.

I love football, I love watching the game and having conversations and reading insights and views on the game. I have read quite a number of books on the game, more on the characters of the game and some of the big clubs and important developments particularly in the English game. One aspect of it that can be over-played or under-played is the role of systems and tactics in the game. Some argue that for all the talk about formations and player positions, it is still about 11 guys on the pitch doing what comes instinct win the game. It’s about a ball and those guys trying to score as many as goals as they can whilst trying to stop the opposing side from doing the same thing.

I appreciate this simple analysis of the game and can understand that with regards to some teams they have been assembled because they are good at what they do. The coach/manager recognises that and just looks to utilise that in the game by getting the players to play as they can play and hopefully they will work as a cohesive unit to achieve the aforementioned goal.

There is, however, another perspective on the game that says that the coach/manager plays a more influential role in setting a playing culture with a system that follows based on getting players to understand their role in that system and who can play to that system. The thinking being that if all the players do what they have trained for over the week then they will be able to counter-act the opponents and express themselves in a way that allows them to achieve that goal.

For fans of Liverpool Football Club it’s pretty obvious that Rafa Benitez subscribes to the latter view of the game. This has its merits. The system can make the best of certain key pieces of the jigsaw, so the spine of the team – Reina, Carragher, Mascherano, Gerrard, Torres – when playing in their favoured positions can help see the way Rafa wants to play work effectively. It’s not just a case of neutralising a player in the system, you would have to stop them all from playing.

To make the system work, the accompanying players must also be disciplined in their contribution to the team. This means that certain players who some think may deserve a run in the team don’t get it, because they don’t fit Rafa’s view of the system for the particular game. It also means that certain players may not play either in their favoured position or in their favoured style.

A typical example is Dirk Kuyt who came to the club with a prolific goalscoring record from Holland and was expected to be one of the guys up front knocking them away. As it’s turned out, Rafa has virtually converted the player into a hard working, toiling wide midfielder who comes inside from time to time and can support the attack play when called upon. Dirk has done a tremendous job in applying himself to this task. No one faults his effort and the tireless way he scampers across the park looking to break up opposing attacks and show himself available for the attacking forays of his own team. He is committed and dedicated to his task and as a result, without being as big as Gerrard or Torres, he is also a virtually automatic selection in the team. He fits the system that Rafa’s worked out.

However, as many Liverpool fans may also observe, the optimism that we had at the end of last season has somewhat been deflated like a balloon. Funnily enough it’s because there’s no evidence that we’ve improved on the performance of the latter part of last season and there’s nothing convincing about the way the team and the system operates now. So whereas we lost two games in all of last season, we’ve already doubled that before mid-November and looked nothing like convincing in a number of games. The latest draw with Birmingham virtually throwing away any chance of us winning the Premier League. As pundits often point out, you may not win the League before Christmas, but you can certainly lose it and with the current gap between Liverpool and the league leaders, Chelsea and the unconvincing performances at home and away, there is nothing to suggest that the situation is going to be overturned.

The reasons for this are numerous, including not replacing a vital part of the system – Alonso – and instead playing a rather stultifying system of two anchor midfielders too similar to each other. As well as that we’ve had the injuries to Gerrard and Torres with no ready replacements for them in either position or in alternative system. There is also continued frustration in the sense that certain players are being under-utilised and not played in their best positions. The latter point is understandable if the prevailing system is working, but as it’s patently not the plan B is notable by its absence. In the meantime a number of players of outstanding worth are being somewhat wasted whilst a number of other players are being utilised who with the best intentions in the world are not good enough even for the system, let alone the club.

Thus Liverpool fans suffer another frustrating season of seeing any promise of success drain away to be replaced by the odd resilient performance and the knowing capacity to put a good unbeaten run together only to discover once again it’s too little too late. It is not the fault of the board, as has been used before, neither is it the fault of the players, necessarily with a few exceptions. The responsibility lies at the manager’s door.

Meanwhile it is fascinating to look at the concept of players playing out of position. One who has particularly been highlighted in conversations I’ve had recently is Yossi Benayoun. For West Ham he was a mercurial creative force who would play behind the strikers and gained a reputation for being unpredictable, tricky and a flair player of great ability. His signing for Liverpool was interesting because as well as the excitement of having such a creative player in our midst, there was also a question of where would he play to get the best out of him and allow that to be to the benefit of the team.

As it turned out over the few seasons that he’s been with us he has put in the best effort he could and scored some crucial goals and especially this season has really been a key player in terms of creating things where others around him lack that capacity. In all that, though, it’s been clear that he’s not been playing in his best position. Sometimes this has meant that his contribution has been limited and somewhat frustrated, but like Kuyt he still digs in and does his best. Yet you can’t help but wonder what would happen if he played more often in a place where he could really cause damage to the opposition. So it’s not to say he’s not playing well or playing his part, but it is to say that as long as he’s playing out of position he is not being at his best for the team and the team is somewhat the weaker for it.

Yes, there is the argument of the way the system would have to be rearranged for that to take place, but doesn’t that bring it back to the whole point of a way of team-building? Rather than try and fit players not a system where their best isn’t realised, surely it’s a case of identifying players and flexible systems that allow them to express themselves in a disciplined manner that still brings out their best and bring about the results.

It seems to work for Chelsea where even Joe Cole, who is another you could argue who hasn’t always played in his best position, contributes significantly to a system of play in the Mourinho era, Hiddink season and currently with Ancelotti. You look at the Chelsea team as a whole and it doesn’t look like any of the players are playing out of position, they appear to thrive in the positions they play in and the system promotes their abilities so that they are as prepared to scrap out a result as they are to completely dominate and overpower the opposition. The players fit the system and the system works as the players still play in their favoured position.

What this has to do with anything beyond football analysis and a sense of disillusionment about the team I love will be explored in the next part of this two-parter.

In the meantime, consider the following. What the football picture brings to mind is the question of fitting in a place and system. Which is more important, the individual or the system? Can individualism be allowed to blossom without hindrance and create an effective and developing society? Can a community with a strong sense of overriding purpose truly appreciate and bring out the best in the individual? Especially in the context of being relational beings is there something in recognising who we are not just as an individual but in the larger context of family, community and society as a whole?

For His Name's Sake

Shalom

dmcd

Jesus My Motivation

Being a follower of Christ is not an automatic daily trek. There are elements of discipline to it and there are routines that help to build healthy habits once they are firmly embedded in life. For all that, though, because this is a journey and an ongoing progress there is always something to challenge us and make us think about where we’re going and how we’re going to get there.

It is another superb Sabbath evening, though it be raining outside, and I’m grateful to God for so many wonderful blessings over another challenging week.

Today I was at the Beacon House of Prayer, a place to which I regularly take a group of people from the YMCA to explore faith in a bit more detail or just to relax and find some peaceful, prayerful, meditative experiences. There is an angel at the Beacon who faithfully every Friday gives me a bag of fruit. Today she gave TWO bags of fruit to me! Ode to joy. Now you may recall, if you’ve read your bible, there’s the episode where the spies go into the promised land to check it out and come back with some large bounty. Well, let me tell you, the grapes in today’s bag of fruit was perhaps as big as the bounty they brought! My goodness they were large grapes for which I am truly grapeful, as are the rest of my people who will share in the bounty!

Anyway, as I sit enjoying the Sabbath evening in the knowledge that my family are likewise chilling in various parts of the home, I’m watching a television adaptation of Pilgrim’s Progress called Dangerous Journey. It looks like it was produced quite a while ago by Yorkshire Television, but it’s a fascinating watch. I’m on about the third episode where Christian meets Formalist and Hypocrisy.

Now I’m aware that one of the standards of a true believer that as well as the Bible, you’re meant to have read Pilgrim’s Progress. Alas I have not read it. I think my dad had a copy at home, but I don’t recall ever picking it up. Indeed I’ve never even picked it up to see if I wanted to read, let alone read it. So although I’ve heard references to it and the like, this is the first time I’ve actually tackled the book, even if it’s a television adaptation, that I’m watching on YouTube (now talk about crossing the media over the years). Now by television adaptation it is one of those illustrated stories with a narrator talking over the pictures. It still makes for good viewing.

Watching it reminds me of some of the challenges I’ve experienced today. In the story so far, what’s apparent is that Christian’s journey only continues when he’s reminded of his motivation – why he is doing what he is doing. I find it really difficult to motivate myself sometimes. Indeed, to be fair, often on my life’s journey self-motivation has been a huge issue. It has not been too encouraging to be reminded of this weakness in none too constructive a manner, which can be the tactic of some. On reflection, however, with no desire to appear to have cracked the subject, there has been clear indication that there have been a number of victories in the department. So as I grapple with the motivation issue, I am reminded of the key to success in these struggles.

That key is simple, remember Christ. Now that in itself is a fairly monumental piece of advice, because it is the equivalent to remember the Encyclopaedia Britannica times infinity. Not just the miraculous birth, the parables, the miracles, the teaching, the agony, the crucifixion, the resurrection, the ascension and promised return, but even more – His very character, His role in the Old Testament, His role in the post apostolic era.

Thinking about Him as my motivation does not get rid of the circumstances that affected me in the first place. Indeed in some cases those circumstances persist and become at times rather more aggravating. What the focus does, however, is remind me of the journey that I am on and the goal that I seek, the One whom I profess to love and devote my life. Sometimes even stopping and engaging in some of the information about who He is can actually make thankful for the trouble in the first place, because it gave such an opportunity to be reminded of such a great Saviour.

I remember seeing some people spoof the acting profession and say a phrase to the director ‘where’s my motivation’. It’s not always apparent in the middle of trying times and difficult decisions, but my motivation remains ever present, always reminding me that He intends to stay that way to the very end. That He is all my sufficiency and as long as I keep my eyes on Him and my mind stayed on Him, then progress will be made for this pilgrim.

For His Name's Sake

Shalom

dmcd

Power and Freedom

So I’m reading about Michael Foot as you know and it’s just one of a number of books of a political flavour. A good question to ask is what is it with all the politics? I find it interesting that some cultural traditions have it that around the dinner table or in the home two subjects are not discussed, religion and politics. Two of the most important issues of life are not to be discussed over the most intimate setting of family. Interesting, that. We never had that rule at home because politics wasn’t talked about anyway. Dad wasn’t one to talk about politics, because it never appeared to bother him. I think he voted, but he never made a big deal of it. Stuff would happen and he wouldn’t comment on it. Likewise my mother, vociferous on issues as she was, never made that much of a big deal about politics. I got into it through my interest in books.

This is not a bit about how I love politics. It is a bit, however, about how politics is about power and the problem we have with power. The saying power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely is interesting because no one ever has absolute power, but the desire for power continues to corrupt everyone. When we were younger so much younger than today and perhaps never needed anybody’s help in anyway there was that eager excitement about being an adult. There was something exciting about being able to do whatever we wanted and to practice all the adult stuff that we looked at – expressions of the will, expressions of power to do whatever it is we wanted to do without recourse to restrictive parental … power. The power would be ours. Don’t get me wrong, nothing wrong with wanting to grow up and stuff, but the allure wasn’t responsibility – too much hard work – the allure was that little bit of power.

The problem then comes in with how that power is meant to be exercised and how it’s actually exercised. Whatever the culture, whatever the philosophy there is something running in it that promises some level of control and power. You don’t have to be religious to buy into it, the thing works through family, sports and is blatant in the business world and other areas of the world of work. We tolerate restrictions to power only in as much as it allows us to express that power for self-satisfaction elsewhere. So far, apparently nothing wrong with that. Then we meet Jesus and discover there’s plenty wrong with that. Plenty in the sense that it’s all for the glory of man, whereas doing things for another’s glory would require giving up that power, leaving it to be used by someone else for their glory. Almost as if we revert back to that position where we aspire to something we would never experience.

The funny thing about it is, that in giving up all that we desired so much, it is in the light of this that real freedom is experienced. It is only when the quest for power and control is yielded to a desire to find love from its true Source that all that has ever been desired is made possible.

For His Name's Sake

Shalom

dmcd

When Good Neighbours Become Good Friends

I’m not sure what wisdom there is to help with the nature of your countenance on being awoken from some effort to get some kip. Are the fruit of the Spirit meant to be evident when you’ve been stirred from your slumbers by something of gross irrelevance and stupidity, even if that is just perceived? What are you like in those circumstances? Does the love of Christ just ooze from you naturally to those who have disturbed you?

No that’s not the theme of this post, but it’s a good way of getting some of those illusive questions of life off my chest.

So I was disturbed from my slumbers by some people who had responded to the wife’s ebay business, so they came to collect their loot. That’s not a problem, perfectly reasonable especially as there had been a prior arrangement agreed with the wife before this time. (Apparently, according to an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, if I should refer to Authrine as the wife again it maybe an indicator that we’re separated. That’s really funny. As in that kind of deduction, not being separated from Authrine. We’re not separated. We’re very much together.)

Where was I? Oh yeah, the people coming to collect their loot. Yeah, that’s fine, no problem with that, but then some other people turned up and asked what I perceived at the time in my recently awoken state to be irrelevant and stupid questions. My ire was not raised sufficiently to unleash the full force of Dryden sardonic wit and sarcasm in a dismissive manner to establish their gross inferiority at that time. I did however make it clear that there was no further room for conversation other than through monosyllaballic answers. (What do you mean monosyllaballic isn’t a word? What is it then?)

Taking the hint the perps in question did not stay long. It was as they were leaving and the ebay purchasers moved on that my wife chose that time to make her presence known – timing indeed worthy of her relatively new name – Dryden. (For if there is one thing I love with a passion is timing things in such a way that I avoid as much fuss as possible and just live in the tranquillity of the aftermath.) As she parked up, our next door neighbour was also at the door, perhaps her attention was taken with the moving carrying on. In any case, so there I was in the arched doorway where the next door neighbour could not see me, and there was the wife coming out of the car to see both her and me in our respective though next door archways.

Ever the recluse I took this as my hint to withdraw into the confines of my front room, whilst the wife engaged in conversation with our neighbour. On finally coming into the house my beloved partner of days shared the nature of the conversation and it acted as a spur to write this entry.

If you are unaware let me make it clear to you that followers of Jesus have challenges in various elements of the following. He often calls us to do things and be things that draw us out from ourselves into Himself. It differs from person to person. For me I’ve had tremendous challenges being a good neighbour. I have not overcome totally as yet, but I can see where over the last ten years I’ve made some progress in the area thanks to a lot of good influences like my wife, my church leader Hughie, my boss Danny and others.

Recently the local church was highlighting a series on Compassion 2009 and I had the privilege of going through some of the parables of Jesus and highlighting how compassion was at His source of the mission and ministry. I spent a month or two (one session a week, not every day of the month, although we probably could have done that) exploring the story of the Good Samaritan as found in Luke. Checking that whole episode in its immediate context and relating it to other significant things that God had been outlining since Cain knocked off his brother is highly revelatory for what the basics are in terms of loving your neighbour whether it is your enemy that’s suffering, or your next door neighbour.

Funnily enough at the same time I’d moved from one area of the city to another. You may recall I’d written copiously on the subject at the time. So as we settled down in the place where we are currently residing it was one of my desires to put this in action and show an active interest in the welfare of our neighbours. It was definitely a trip on the odd for me with my tendency to keep myself locked up and reading, writing or that kind of stuff. It’s not that I’m anti-social completely, as the friends I have can attest, I can be quite the conversationalist more than capable of banter. I am also very keen to develop relationships properly – not just based on projects and schemes that we’re doing together, but based on an interest in the person for who I discover them to be, and how I can likewise share my vulnerabilities with them. So the only barrier to me being a good neighbour has always been to take the initiative to engage with my neighbour.

In the six and a half years of married life to Authrine, it’s quite something to see how she naturally gravitates to being a good neighbour in building relationships with them and striking a knowing rapport as her retiring, reclusive husband hides himself behind another book. She has such an amiable spirit that on meeting her it’s difficult to take offense, unless you’re just ornery by nature.

So in terms of where we are at the moment I remember the key was down to doing something as simple as knocking on their front door to introduce myself. Talk about ice-breaker. (No we never played the game where you have to say three things about yourself with one of them being false and the other looking to see which one it is … although I might try that the next time we move … or not.) I believe the neighbours, for it is a married couple of whom I talk, were very happy to receive such a pleasant approach from their new neighbours.

I’m not going to unfold a tale of burgeoning love and devotion among us as neighbours, but we did get to know each other somewhat. Although it took us a remarkably long time to settle down, our neighbours were alright. One particular episode that stands out in the recollection of good times was one Sunday afternoon/evening. Authrine and I had stayed in a bit later than scheduled for whatever reason and we were just off to the COG facility to engage in another church session. Authrine’s car however had suffered from the dreaded dead battery. We looked to our neighbours for help and they came out and did their best with their vehicles to see if they could get the vehicle started. As it turned out they couldn’t, but it turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for the whole family to engage with the couple as we waited for the repair/recovery dudes to pop along.

I remember it as well because another neighbour from an area around the corner from where we lived also popped along and tried to help. What didn’t help the guy was that he was obviously more than familiar with alcohol and had a certain manner about him that others would have judged him on as a slovenly, suspicious, sinister, drunkard. I say that, because that’s usually my safe preference when encountering such characters. Thankfully on this occasion the compassion of Christ emerged in me to actually see this neighbour as another traveller on life’s journey who had a distinctive tale to tell. So with his mangy mutt I spent most of the rest of the evening getting to know him and share a little bit about love whilst engaging in his fascinating story and I’d like to think the brother felt all the better for a chance to have a decent conversation, and as well as that I thought he’d given me the protection of the area as he knew the crack of what went on. Funnily enough, our next door neighbour weren’t as forthcoming in being hospitable, but at least there was nothing offensive in their approach to relations.

That was just one of a number of quality episodes in getting to know our neighbours and getting on well with them. As a result I know a bit more about what it is to be a good neighbour both from the one who is being it as well one who is the recipient of it. It is good. It is godly. It is a good bridge to building relationships with those on our doorstep in the hope of shining the light of Christ through our characters so that they can have a view of it and possibly begin to share in the journey to Christ. I am aware that it costs, after all as any good relationship will testify, it is not about superficial matters on which good relations rest, it is on the costly acts of transparency, vulnerability, compassion and developing intimacy. That sort of stuff can get tricky from time to time, but ultimately when it’s lead by the source of all love, you cannot go wrong.

And now to live that further when we move on because as one prophet said that’s when good neighbours become good … friends. (Check this for more on the same lines.)

For His Name's Sake

Shalom

dmcd