George MacDonald on BBC Songs of Praise

New Look to George MacDonald Web Site

The George MacDonald web site now has a totally new look and I would be very interested in knowing what folks think. Rather like painting the Forth Bridge, a web site is always a work in progress - so you can expect further additions now that I am able to step back and look at the big picture again. In particular I will be working on the front page to add up to date information and some pointers where to start.

You will also notice a separate section for the George MacDonald Society. We have now merged the two web sites for ease of update but I have tried to keep them visually distinct because the Society has its own voice and should therefore be distinguished from the other pages.

For those who are interested in such things the new site was created in Rapidweaver, a very nifty piece of Mac software that, while template based, offers a fair degree of customisation and makes very good use of .css. The idea is that I will be able to concentrate on content rather than coding, which cannot be a bad thing.

Digital-Disciple is now on iPhone

I’ve just completed a long overdue overall of my digital disciple web site (www.digital-disciple.com) formatting it so that it is viewable on the iPhone and other hand held devices. The main challenge was structure since there is a fair amount of content and I wanted everything to to no more than two clicks away. The links page still needs an overhaul!

I used Rapidweaver for the Mac which is ideal for simple pages like these. Let me know what you think!

The Shack

I've just finished reading William P Young’s ‘The Shack’ and, from looking on the web, can see that this this book has generated a lot of energy (including heat!). Somehow I had missed all this and only became aware of the book when I saw it by chance in W H Smith's in Manchester Airport when we were flying out to Hungary in August to help with a children's mission. So I had no preconceptions about it and avoided all the hype.

I'm not going to go into detail about the story for fear of spoilers - but from my own perspective I would definitely recommend it. You need to keep objective though - it is just a story. It's not scripture or necessarily even great literature (though Eugene Peterson in his endorsement suggested that it ‘has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress did for his. It’s that good!’). Indeed theologically it may at times veer into unorthodoxy (lack of hierarchy in the Trinity for one). But, in my view, that's to miss the point.

This is where I tread on thin ice. At times it is possible for people of faith (I hate the word religious) to aim to be so right that they become wrong. Twenty years ago I would have described myself as a card carrying evangelical - but the older I get, the more I realise that all our systematic understandings of theology are at best only approximations of truth. It's not what you know or believe but who you know that matters in the end. Transformation comes through relationship with The Father/ Son/ Holy Spirit and fellow believers on the Way. Life is a journey - you don't arrive when you become a Christian, you walk through a door. In God's eyes some significant things happen but the work of transformation continues.

This, for me, is where The Shack hits home. It is inspirational/ motivational in the best sense. It encourages you personally to enter into a more intimate relationship with God, especially as Father. At the same time it deals with some of the stumbling blocks that as 'recovering' human beings we all face/ experience to greater or lessor extents in our lives. Scripture teaches that in Jesus we can know what the Father is really like. But is that really how we relate to God in our regular Monday to Saturday lives. Young's depiction of God in The Shack shakes our preconceptions. Do you really believe that he/she 'is especially fond of all' of his children? Are you able to call God 'Abba', or "Daddy', like Jesus did? Each of us will respond to different aspects of the story, but this is what struck a chord with me on a first reading

Another criticism that I've seen online is of implied universalism. All I would say on that hot potato is that again I believe that God's love and ability to redeem his damaged creation is much greater than my definitions sometimes allow. Interestingly, in his postscript the author quotes George MacDonald and the Inklings as among his inspirations. That made me ask who were my 'spiritual' inspirations (humanly speaking). Many, but top of the list would be Simone Weil, George MacDonald, John Wimber and William Barclay. At least two of those (MacDonald and Barclay) have, rightly or wrongly, had the accusation of universalism levelled at them. At the end of the day though, if we are co-operating with God in his masterwork of restoring humanity and creation, does it actually matter? One of the quotes that struck home to me in the book is that 'God is a verb' - it is the core of God's nature to be doing. He is the active ingredient that transforms from the inside - not a passive external observer. God cares about us and his creation. Enough for Jesus to limit himself, become a man and embrace the cross. A deeper appreciation of that truth has the power to transform our lives

I will shortly be leading an Alpha Group (for new christians/ seekers) and my instincts are, while pointing them toward scripture, to recommend it. Sometimes the heart needs to lead the head. In human terms if the blood flow stops the brain dies. Increasingly we are having to think about new ways of getting the gospel across to people. There's still a place for solid bible study (neglected I would argue) but that, for many people, comes later in the journey. Once again, the heart of the Christian faith is a relationship not a list. We are not under law, we have grace to enter.

George MacDonald Quote

Two people may be at the same spot in manners and behaviour, and yet one may be getting better, and the other worse, which is the greatest of differences that could possibly exist between them. (The Princess and Curdie)

Wise Words

Act without doing;
work without effort.
Think of the small as large
and the few as many.
Confront the difficult
while it is still easy;
accomplish the great task
by a series of small acts.

Lao-Tze
translated by S Mitchell

Charles Spencer. Blenheim Battle for Europe.

This was a real surprise! The author is not one I would naturally gravitate to, but I picked it up on impulse in Waterstones. Spencer's style vividly brought alive the campaign and significance of Blenheim in shaping the future of Europe. I found it an easy read, a real page turner that placed you at the heart of the events described. I would happily give this 5 stars and am looking forward to reading his biography of Prince Rupert (English Civil War).

Buy it on Amazon.com
Blenheim: Battle for Europe , How two men stopped the French conquest of Europe: Battle for Europe

Find it on www.amazon.co.uk