Five Daughters

We've just finished watching the final episode of the BBC drama Five Daughters which tells the story of the murders of five girls in Ipswich in 2006. We lived in Ipswich at the time of the murders and in a way we re-lived those difficult days through the drama. It was very well done, in spite of the uses of the 'F' word.

It is said that everyone knows where they were when they heard of President Kennedy's assassination. Well, I don't. But I will always remember where I was when the news broke that they had found two more bodies just off the Old Felixstowe Road. I was driving down the A14 from Felixstowe back to Ipswich in the afternoon, heading back to the church office to work. I saw the police helicopter hovering overhead and at the same time heard on the radio that their bodies had been found. There was that ache in the pit of my stomach. Instead of going back to the office, all I could do was drive home. Mercifully they were the last bodies to be found.

As we lived through those days and saw the press reports and the police news conferences, we were impressed that the police did not call them prostitutes, but women. This was in sharp contrast to some of the media. A charity was set up by the local paper and the local Council, Somebody's Daughter Memorial Fund to help users of addictive substances and their families; relieve distress amongst people working as prostitutes and education in misuse of drugs, etc.

Yes, we needed to remember that the young women were victims and that they had families - which the drama brought out.

I'd like to share with you some of the ways the churches were involved during that time. Clearly there was support of the families and the taking of the funerals, and some of my colleagues in Ipswich were involved in that. The churches organised prayer meetings, praying for the victims' families, praying that the killer would be caught and praying that the streets of Ipswich would become safe again. One of the meetings I went to, the father of one of the murdered girls spoke to us.

The centre of Ipswich had for some time been patrolled by our "Town Pastors" on Friday and Saturday nights. At the height of the investigation, in the days leading up to Christmas, the police asked if the Town Pastors could go out every night, which they did until the arrest was made.

Churches in the town centre were also reaching out to the girls on the streets, one church I know had a drop in centre.

Finally, currently in the advance stages of planning by churches is a Christian Therapeutic Community which will offer a residential programme to help women out of life-controlling addictions. This will be located on a farm outside Ipswich.

It is easy to forget how the churches were involved, were alongside the community and were reaching out. That part of the story is not often told. But that's what being a follower of Jesus is all about. Being, as Jesus said, "salt and light" in the community; and bringing hope and love where there is suffering and despair.

No New Tricks for Essex

Yesterday we watched an episode of New Tricks. It was on the television a week or so back, we recorded it and have just got round to viewing it.

And I must object. When Det. Chief Inspector Sandra Pullman said a body that was lost in the Thames, "was washed up in Essex", Gerry responded, "They're all washed up in Essex!" This is a slanderous slur on good Essex folk! If the Welsh can object when they are insulted and ginger haired people can object when they are insulted, then so can Essex!

So I want a statement made by Strickland, or some other officer of the Metropolitan Police please!




Oh, isn't it real? It's just a drama? The good people of Essex will be devastated to hear that!

More random ramblings

The "Green Chilli" Indian Takeaway has been relaunched! I know this because their menu has come through the letterbox. "Where is it?" you may ask. And that's the problem, although it's a takeaway, the menu doesn't actually give you their address!

But they do deliver and they list the seven local areas they cover. A pity they spell three of them wrongly! Come on! Employ an English proofreader!

But they do have a web site and you can find out their address there. And people have rated their service very well! Someone from Basildon gives them maximum points for Quality, Delivery time and Service. She says,

very freindly and polite staff ill definatly be back.

Maybe forget about the proofreader!

Oh, and we think that "Smothies" are not designed to asphyxiate but are "Smoothies".

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We went into Basildon on Friday evening to the theatre and found that they have finished the improvements to the town centre. The new clock tower is there -- but the clock was half an hour slow!

And the new lighting is there. There are groups of six lights (see picture) and other lights, all painted purple. Except that, when we came out of the theatre and it was dark, the lighting wasn't working!

But never mind, when we went into the town centre this morning at 10.30 am, they were working (and the clock was still half an hour slow)!

"It's a Pound"

For some reason I can't remember, I came across the following video from You Tube where three items from Poundland are reviewed. It's quite entertaining. The address is

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttkRU6c4eYU

One of the items reviewed was a mini vacuum cleaner which you plug into a USB socket and can clean between the keys of the keyboard! He did have a problem with it, but even so, this morning I popped into Poundland, saw one, and guess what, I bought it. It actually seems to work!

I think I'll pop back and buy a few more and that will be a number of Christmas present problems solved for later this year!

He mentions on the video that most of the electrical items are the "Signalex" brand. If you look around Poundland, you find there are various brands that you've not heard of before. For instance, "Let's DIY it!" for, believe it or not, DIY type goods, "Funtastic" for children's items and various others (I can't remember their names) for home, office, paper goods and so on.

And guess what! They all have the same postal address as Signalex! So there must be this one warehouse in Birmingham churning out 100's of items, all for Poundland.

By the way, there's also a second video, reviewing yet three more products ("Poundland Special 2"). It will no doubt come up if you go to the first video.

Happy watching and happy shopping!

Back again!

My apologies to all my loyal readers who have got fed up linking to my blog and finding no new entries. We had a week away at Spring Harvest and then time just seemed to disappear ... The picture, by the way, is the big top at Spring Harvest (a Christian festival held at Butlins) where the Bible studies and evening celebrations took place. The worship and speakers were great, but the weather was freezing.

Next, an addition to my previous blog below. The second book I mentioned was reviewed in the Baptist Times last week (I got there before they did!). They reviewed two books, one in favour of the case for theistic evolution and one against (the one I read). The BT reviewer was not terribly complimentary about Should Christians Embrace Evolution and said both sides in the debate have "further work ahead". To that last phrase I would certainly agree.

Creation or Evolution

Last Christmas twelve-month I was given (because I'd asked for it) a book entitled Creation or Evolution - Do we have to Choose? by Denis Alexander. It seemed a positive response to the problem Christians have about this subject. I blogged that I would let you know how I got on reading it. But I didn't! That was because I was disappointed. It answered questions I wasn't asking and didn't answer the questions I was asking!

Another book, Rescuing Darwin, subtitled God and evolution in Britain today, co-written by Denis Alexander and Nick Spencer was widely distributed - I received two free copies! But again, I was disappointed. For instance, they charicatured and then dismissed Intelligent Design, without really justifying their position.

Then, last year, another book came out, Should Christians Embrace Evolution? and subtitled, Biblical and scientific responses, edited by Norman C. Nevin. First of all, I don't think it's that well written. It consists of different people writing each chapter and I get the impression they scraped around a little to find people and articles to fill the book.

However, having said that, I found it much more satisfying than the earlier two books I mentioned. In fact, they hammer Denis Alexander's book from both scientific AND theological perspectives.

My favourite chapter is by RT Kendall, a study of the debate from the perspective of Hebrews 11:3, which says, "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things that do appear." (NIV)

The answer Should Christians Embrace Evolution? gives to its title question is, 'No!' If you do, you compromise your theology and you put your 'faith' in a theory that has many unanswered questions to it. The book concludes, "No coherent, cohesive theology has yet been offered that would allow Christians to embrace evolution with integrity. Science has uncovered a great deal of empirical evidence that is challenging the Darwinian paradigm."

Put simply, if you don't want to accept evolution as the answer to the way we came to be here, then you are not necessarily putting yourself into an extreme fundamentalist camp which ignores or derides science. Rather, you are sitting alongside many scientists who are also Christians, and even some scientists who do not profess any faith!

Watch out! Election coming!

During two advertisement breaks in A Touch of Frost last night (wasn't it terrible about George, by the way?) we had the newsflash that Gordon Brown was going to see the Queen to begin the process of calling an election. Then, of course, the news after Frost was full of it.

This morning every news bulletin we heard on the radio was about the PM going to Buckingham Palace. Then this evening's news was all about the fact he had been and what the parties were saying.

Do you know, I'm bored with the election already!

Defying one's parents

As we both had the day off today, we decided to catch a train to Leigh-on-sea and go for a walk. There were two reasons behind choosing that destination. First of all, it is not too far away and easy to get to on the train. Secondly, Leigh is where my wife was brought up.

When we arrived, we decided it was time for a coffee! So we stopped at a pub called The Peter Boat. By going in through the doors, my wife was defying her Dad, who forbade her to go into that pub when she was a teenager! Now, it must be admitted her dad died 20 years ago, but there was still something about doing what she was forbidden to do many years ago!

Oh, by the way, as coffee was £1.95 a cup (not even a mug!), I doubt we will go there again.

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Whilst walking along the prom at Chalkwell, we saw they were doing some work on the shelter there. The sign explaining what they were doing is pictured (click on it to obtain a larger image). It says they are working, "To provide new toilet facilities. We apologise for the inconvenience caused."

It just amused me.

Tardis to Ashes

Two new series began on the BBC at the weekend. First of all Matt Smith made his debut as Dr. Who. He was OK I suppose, but I think we are still grieving over the departure of David Tennant.

Anyway, he saved the earth in twenty minutes, so we can't complain. He managed to program a virus on a borrowed mobile phone, which was then uploaded and turned all the digital clocks in the world to zero. Quite a feat! How come, then, when his new assistant shut his tie in a car door to stop him escaping could he not fathom out that if he lowered his head a little, he could loosen the knot and get his head out of it?

Well, he is still suffering the after-effects of regeneration - you've got to feel sorry for him, haven't you?

Then there was Ashes to Ashes. She has been shot and is in a coma in the present day and dreams she is back in the 1970's, where she has been shot and is in a coma dreaming she is back in the present. And that's just for starters!

All will be sorted out by the end of this series, they promise. But will I understand it when it is??

Happy Easter!

St Paul wrote:

"What I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that he appeared to more than 500 people at the same time."

The hymn says:

Lo, Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb,

Lovingly he greets us, scatter fear and gloom!

Let the church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,

For the Lord, he lives now, death has lost its sting!

Yours is the glory, risen conquering Son,

Endless is the victory you o'er death has won!

Happy Easter!