Day 2: 30/08/2015 In Search of Ancient Rome

Awoke to another day of blue sky and sunshine. Had a good breakfast at the hotel before heading out in seach of ancient Rome. This plan was held up slightly as we had a bit of a wait for modern piublic transport, but eventually we got to the colloseum. First impressions as we walked out  the train station and saw it was that it's big. It was also very busy, however our Roma cards allowed us to by pass some of the queues, once we had avoided all the people tryingto sell us tours, hats,water etc.  However I guess  the crowds, including the tat sellers make it seem more realistc., after all it would have been crowded when in use. Standing there in the bright light of a summers day, surrounded by tourists it seemed difficult to imagine this as the place where people fought to the death for entertainment. One change since ancient times is that a large cross now stands on one side of the arena and the pope prays here every Good Friday.

After leaving the collesium we crossed the road, through another ticket barrier and up the palatine hill in the steps of the important men of ancient Rome. Fantastic views from the top, looking towards St. Peter's, where Nero's circus would have been in ancient days. Going back even further we saw the ruins of the alleged house where Romulus lived. According to the legend Romulus and his twin brother Remus were raised by a wolf after being  abaonded as babies  and went on to be the founding fathers of Rome.

Heading back down the hill we walked through the streets of the forum, where decisions that shaped Europe's history were taken.

The only building still whole enough to go inside is the temple of Rommulus which has since also formed an enterance to a church. It now houses a small collection of statues excavated from the ruins, and also has some wall paintings. Andrew got a little bit excited when we found the temple of the Vestal Virgins until I pointed out that men were not allowed.

As the sun was past it's zenith and baking hot we headed in search of liquid and sustenance. Both of which we found in a little restraunt between the collesum and the main train station.

Fortified by plates of fresh pasta, expresso in my case and beer in Andrew's, we decided to move forward a few centuries from this morning and visit the archbasillica of St. John Lateran. This church is the official seat of the pope in Rome, built by Pope Melchiade (311-314). The church is Rome's cathedral and claims to be the most ancient church in the world. Admittedly it has had at least parts rebuilt aftef pillinging from Visigoths and Vikings (400's), earthquake (896), and two fires in the 1300's. The present structure was compleated in the 1700's.

The ceiling is brightly colouredd, glorioiusly painted and has the odd gold statue attatched to it. Large statues of the apostles line the main aisle. The walls are and side chapels are covered in baroque paintings, although there is space for a multi lingual notice on how to claim an indulgence by praying for the pope. There is also a door into the church which is only opened in Jubilee years and is kept bricked up the rest of the time.

As it was now getting very hot , headed back to the hotel for a rest before dinner. Decided not to bother going back into town but see what we could find in the local area. Ended up at a very nice restraunt, except that the menu was all in Italiam. Eventually ordered two different tortellini dishes, not sure what eitherbof them were, but they both tasted very nice. This was followed by bowls of ice cream as th weather was still very hot.

When we first came the evening had seemed quiet but was now busy, every table filled and despite the fact that it was past 10pm there were still a few children about.

from my LiveJournal, Jane Williams - The Wombling World of Madness

Summer Holiday 2015- Day 1 29/08/2015 Coventry to Rome

Went to bed relatively early last night, knowing we had an early start this morning, so of course couldn't get to sleep and was rather bleary eyed and half asleep when the taxi arrived on time at 5am. Check in went smoothly. Took a while to get through security. A kid in front of me was very worried about letting their bear go through the scanner. I then had to wait as my tablet was taken for extra testing but was returned safe and sound. Once through security we went to hunt down breakfast and coffee. Wetherspoons was looking very busy, so we decided to try the new animal on the block - The Giraffe. The Giraffe provided Andrew with a cooked breakfast and me with pancakes with blueberries and bananna, and the all important coffee. Had time for a quick look round the airport shops, but I wasn't allowed to buy a rugby world cup sheep mascot, before boarding the flight. The flight was uneventful and I ate my crossiant, read the free paper and caught up on my sleep. Arrived in Munich in plenty of time for our connecting flight so headed to the lounge for breakfast part 2 or lunch part 1 depending on how you look at it and a sip of something bubbly to celebrate the start of our holiday. Boarded the flightbto Rome on time and were treated to some stunning views as we flew over the alps. Arrived im Rome and got our first taste of Italian efficency, or the lack of it, it took 10mins from the plane parking to people being allowed to get of. This was followed by nearly on hours wait for baggage. However eventually we were reunited with our luggage. Headed outof customs to find our taxi driver waiting for us. Also found a cash machine, which would have been useful, if it had been working. Our driver assured us we could pay by credit card. So of we went. Given what I had previously heard about Italian roads and drivers, I was plesantly surprised at how little horn honking and close calls there were. Arrived at the hotel in one piece, unfortunatly the taxi drivers credit card machine wasn't working. Andrew went with the traxi driver to the cash point, whilst I sorted out cecking us in. The foyer of the hotel is I have to say, very nice and grand with marble floors, wooden fittings, chandeliers and leather seats. Our junior suite is very nice with a sofa as well as a bed. The bathroom is large and includes a jacuzzi bath and 2 washbasins! As we are here for a few days, unpacked a few bits. The weather is very hot, so it was time to change into shorts and sandels. Got the train into Rome to get our roma passes, a 3 day pass which covers public transport as well as free or discounted entry to various sites. Had a quick walk around the center past Diocleation's bath house, but we were wilting in the heat so headed back for a rest. Enquired at reception as to nearby eating places and followed directions to a pizzeria called La Poralina. Here we enjoyed some very nice Italian beer, pizza and delicious puddings. Eaten in a conservartory looking out on to the street watching the human race flow past. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and eventually found our way to the roof top bar where we sat drinking beer, eating snacks and looking out into the night over the local church and the hills of Rome.

Reflection on Feeding the Five Thousand (Mark 6.30-46)

We were exploring this passage during a recent quiet day and I just want to blog about some of the ideas and thoughts that came up.
We were asked to bring something that represents a part of the passage that spoke to us, I wasn't the only person to bring a cuddly sheep. Jesus has compassion on the people because they are like sheep without a shepherd. How many people in modern life are like sheep without a shepherd, searching for the right way, bombarded by messages on all sides claiming to have the right way to perfection and success if you only follow this diet, use this miracle product or follow these seven simple steps to perfect life, which you can only find out if you pay lots of money! There is a darker side to, young people being seduced by radicalists into thinking that only their way of death and destruction is the right way.
Jesus had compassion on the people because they were without a shepherd, as Christians we are called to be compassionate shepherds to the people we meet along the way, to try and show them that there is a different and better path to follow.
The disciples ask Jesus to send the people away, but Jesus tells the disciples to sort the problem out. The disciples response is that they can't, they don't have the material resources to buy food for all these people. The disciples are in a sense looking outward, they see the solution to their problem, money and food, being something they have to get from elsewhere. Jesus tells them to look at what they have, he then uses what they have to bring about the solution. How often do we look for solutions externally, if only I had this skill or those materials, then I could sort out this problem. If we dig deep into our selves we may find that we have strength and skills that we didn't realise.
These events in Mark's gospel take place shortly after Jesus and the disciples have learnt of the beheading of John the Baptist. They are grief stricken, exhausted, at the end of their tether and still more is being demanded of them. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the disciples were arguing and snapping at each other and then Jesus has put another seemingly impossible demand on them. How often in life do we feel as if we are reaching breaking point, more demands being put on us at work, coming home to the demands of family needs, wanting to spend time with friends but feeling like we don't have the energy, but then ending up in a catch 22 by feeling guilty when we say no to something. At the end of the reading Jesus finally succeeds in what he wanted to do at the start, getting away to a quiet place on his own. We all need to recognise that we are human, not superhuman, we can not always do everything, be the perfect person and solve everyone else's problems.
We put pressure on ourselves to be the perfect person portrayed by media that we think we should be. Sometimes, we need to stop, pause and realise that the only person we need to be is the one God wants us to be, the authentically real me, which may well be messy, not perfect and not able to solve all the worlds problems.

from my LiveJournal, Jane Williams - The Wombling World of Madness

Budget: Good or Bad?

So, today we had the first budget of the new government, having seen lots of dire predictions as to what the budget would say, I thought I'ed take a look at the main points and see how many I judge bad or good.

Pay and tax:
The surprise annoucement of a raise in the minimum wage to 7.20, next year and to 9.00 over the next five years is good for myself and other low paid workers. The increase in the tax free allowance also means that I will get to keep more of the increase in pay. However, Whilst, it is good for me personnaly, I do have some concerns. I work mainly for the NHS, I suspect there are a lot of NHS staff that will get a pay raise from this. How much of the vert welcome extra money pledged to the NHS will get swallowed up in paying the new pay rates?
A hike in the national minimum wage could also be an issue for small businesses or other organasitions that employ people but don't have a lot of spare cash e.g.museums, churches and charities. The cut in corperation tax might help some businesses, but there may also be price raises of goods and services.

Inheriterance tax is something that I hope won't affect me for a while yet and to be honest I don't think I will be over the limit, so not something I need to worry about. However in general I think the threshold increase is good.

Welfare and Pensions
Child benefit to be limited to the first two children, have mixed views about this. I don't want to see children living in poverty without food to eat etc. At the risk of sounding like an old women I also think that there can be a tendency to feel that children need to be given more things as a right than I had as a child, I suspect that there were times when I was a child when we might be classed as living in poverty. I remember one year getting one present from santa and having chicken for christmas dinner.   At the same time, having children is  a choice. I must admit not being maternally minded, deciding not to have children is an easy choice for me, it won't be for everyone. There is a part of me that feels I shouldn't pay for other peoples lifestyle choice.
Tax credit cuts, my understanding is that these are paid to people in work, so hopefully some of the cut will be made up by the new minimum wage and tax thresehold. It may also mean people can work more. In the past I have worked with collegues who were single parents and I reemember one saying she wanted to work more and set her child a good example but the tax credit system meant that she was better of only working 16 hrs a week. 
I know people on benefits can struggle at the momment, a small rise in benefit would be good. The less nice side of me is muttering that my husband hasn't had a pay rise for several years and the only reason I've had one is due to changing jobs. Glad to see that disability benefits aren't included.
Housing benefit, I don't agree with the cuts to housing benefit for young people. It is not always possinle for people to keep living at home, in thier early twenties people may already have jobs in differen locations, be married and have children of their own. They may also be other reasons such as breakdowns in relationships between parents and children that make living togther impossible. 
The other part of housing benefit  I am in agreement with and have been saying for years that people should not have the right to subsididsed housing for life, regardlesss of changes in circmstances. My husband and I do not qualify for housing bemefit ye someone who is earning more than both of us togther can still get subsidised housing on the basis that they did need it at some point in the past. My only caveat is that I would have liked to see the money raised by it ringfenced for re investement back in social housing.
Those who are disabled but able to work currently get more than the normal job seekers allowance.  The chancellor is cutting this. I would rather have seen a more nuaced approach. Some people with disabilites may well need to spend more money in order to do everyday tasks, some may need very little support. Rather than a blanket cut I would rather see a needs based assesment  with extra funding decided on the needs of the individual.
Finaly, the benefit cap,  in principal this is something I agree with, I am not sure how good a figure £20,000 is, but it is more than a lot of jobs I've seen advertised.

So, overall I think the budget is good for those working and on low and middle incomes. It will hopefully encourage people into work and help people get of benefits and out of poverty. However I am concerned about the effects of some of the benefit cuts, especialy to the under 25's.

from my LiveJournal, Jane Williams - The Wombling World of Madness

Zero Hour Contracts: Not All Bad

Zero hour contracts seem to be a bit of an issue in this election. Labour wants to ban them and they are portrayed as the most evil things going. I am writting from my own experience and I am aware that my experience and the experience of zero hours contracts in my own industry(health and social care) may not be the same as ohers. My experience of working on a zero hours contract is that I tell my office when I am available and they contact me when they have work available. At the momment I would say I am getting work at least 90% of the time that I want it. The advantage to me is that I can have time of when my husband does, at weekends, over bank holidays, christmas, easter etc. I got paid leave dependent on the number of hours I work, but can take as much time of as and when I like unpaid. If work calls with a shift, I am under no obligation to take it. It means I can regularly attend my speech therapy apointments with out needing to constantly ask collegues if they can swop shifts, I can attend church on Sundays, something which is important to my own faith and spirituality. When it's a friends birthday, I can go out rather than be working. This in my view all gives me a better life than when I worked on a set rota and often felt that I was missing out on quality time with friends and family and committing to being involved in anything wasn't possible due to my shifts. I know collegues who work on zero hours contracts so they can fit round childcare, students who may be living in different places in term time and out of term time can still work, and take a break from working if they need to due to exams or placements. I also know of nurses working a main job in a very specialist field who work extra shift else where on a zero hours contract in order to keep thier more general nursing skills in use. Of course there is a downside, not being sure if you will have work, or how much you will get paid each week, sometimes you get offered work at short notice, although they willl sometimes be flexible on start times e.g. I got a call the other day at 10.45 asking if I could work 12 to 8, I said I wouldn't be able to get there before 1 o'clock and they accepted that. I wouldn't want to be on a zero hours contract ifI was relying on it to pay the bills each month, but as a secondry income that is used mainly for holidays and going out it works. If I were to meet Ed Milliband, I would have a question for him, how would the NHS work without agency staff? Agency staff do not just cover for staff shortags due to illness, annual leave and recruitment. The required staffing level in a ward can vary a lot depending on the patients and their needs, this is especially true in mental health. If a patient is deemed to be at high risk of something happening e.g. falls, self harm, they will be specialed i.e. have a member of staff with them the whole time. If you have more than one patient needing this, you will neeed extra staff, often at short notice when the decision is first made. If you ask your owmn staff to take on extra shifts you will soon got very tired staff with low moral and mistakes begin to happen, and in healthcare that can have serious consenquences, so having extra staff available if needed is vital to ensure good quality care is provided. So, zero hours contracts are not all bad. They are important in being able to manage staff levels to provide good quality care that is responsive to patient need. They may also allow some people to return to the workplace for whom the cost of childcare without flexible working would make it financially impossible. They allow students to earn some extra money without needing to worry about work scheudules clashing with exams etc. Certainly in health and social care zero hours contracts seem to work.

Sermon for Christ the King

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Today we celebrate the feast of Christ the King, but what do we mean when we talk about Kingship? For some people the whole idea of monarchy seems an old fashioned, out moded form of government, despite this every little girl still wants to be a princess. Monarchy in our modern world can be seen in many different ways. There are monarchs whose names are forever linked with evil, such as Ivan the terrible, and there are those that are still seen as figures that can inspire us such as Elizabeth the first. There are the media headlines of party princes, written by journalists keen to point out any slight indiscretion made on a night out, presenting a view of monarchy as privileged people living to excess at our expense. Yet it is this very same press interest which led to Prince Harry's first tour of duty in Afghanistan being cut short. It is this press interest that also gives us the other side of monarchy. Royals who are prepared to work hard for their people, to use the press exposure they get to highlight issues, as Prince Charles recently did about religious persecution, or to help raise funds for good causes. To be a King or Queen is to be a leader, even at times of great national or personal crisis, to speak for and to the nation and provide hope in times of despair, even if they are struggling to believe in that hope themselves. The monarchy we have now on earth is far from perfect but it can give us a glimpse as to what it means when we talk about Christ the King. Earthly monarchy has a good and a bad side, because even Kings and Queens are human and make mistakes, but the Kingship of Christ is Kingship in it's most perfect form. Christ isn't like a normal King, over the next few weeks as we approach christmas we will hear about his birth, and how the wise men assumed he would be born in a palace, only instead to find him in a stable. He wasn't born surrounded by luxury, Mary didn't have the benefit of the best doctors and midwives to ensure a safe birth of a healthy son. Christ is the King who is prepared to live as one of his people, to take the risk of standing up to authority without the protection of rank or diplomatic status. A king who was prepared to die for his people, even a humiliating death on a cross between two criminals. Christ is the king who can give us hope even in the darkest of places. The Jewish peopeven had been suffering under the occupying roman forces but were given hope by the prophets in their history who had foretold the coming of the messiah who was going to free them from oppression and re establish Jewish rule in Jerusalem. They were expecting a King who would deliver a new Jewish nation and overthrow the hated Romans, when Jesus failed to live up to their expectations of what a King should be they turned against him, a bit like todays press will turn against any celebrity figure that lets them down by not being perfect. They failed to understand that the Kingdom of Christ is bigger than one nation, that the kingdom of Christ will one day reach out to all peoples and nations. If the kingdom of Christ is not the sort of Kingdom we have currently on earth, then what sort of Kingdom is it? Our gospel reading this morning gives us a clue, it is a kingdom where the naked will be clothed, the hungry fed, the stranger welcomed and the prisoner visited. In todays political climate it sounds like a wonderful dream. It would be so tempting to think that is what it will be like when Christ comes back in glory lets just sit back and wait for God to do his stuff, come back in glory and put the world to rights. However as Christians we have pledged ourselves to be servants to Christ the King. No monarch can rule effectively if they don't have the support of their people. Christ the king needs our support to help build his kingdom here and now. That means we have to be one hundred percent commited to serving Christ the king. On twitter this week there has been a series of tweets on the theme of if Jesus rules our lives then what else can't be allowed to rule our lives. Some of the suggestions I have read and thought yep, that’s fine, not a problem, ones like if Jesus is lord, celebrity can't be. Then there have been the ones that in principle I agree with, but struggle with the application of, such as, if Jesus is Lord, my bias can't be or if Jesus is Lord my insecurities can't be. Then there have been the ones which have really made me stop and think, If Jesus is Lord my family can't be, if Jesus is Lord my bank account can't be. Hang on God, having money to pay the bills and spending time with my family are probably the most important things I think about in life, and there lies the problem, yes obviously family and earning enough money to pay the bills are important, but to be true subjects of Christ the King, God still has to come first. As I was writing this sermon my mind went back to my Methodist roots. In the Methodist church at the start of each year there is a service which commemorates the covenant God has made with his people. It includes a prayer which to me seems to sets out what exactly choosing to follow Christ the King means, and it's not always easy: I am no longer my own but yours. Your will not mine, be done in all things, wherever you may place me, in all that I do, and in all that I may endure; when there is work for me and when there is none; when I am troubled and when I am at peace. Your will be done when I am valued and when I am disregarded; when I find fulfillment and when it is lacking; when I have all things and when I have nothing. I willingly offer all I have and am to serve you, as and when you choose. To choose to serve Christ the King is to commit your whole life to serve him and to work to start to build his kingdom on this earth here and now. Next week is Advent and the start of a new church year, a time for making new years resolutions. A time to think about what we can do as subjects of Christ the King to bring his kingdom a little bit closer here on earth. Amen

Why Go To Church

I was asked this question whilst on holiday and struggled to come up with an answer, which I wish I could blame on the fact that the same person also kept giving me shots of Jagermeister. However I have been thinking about it since.
The first thing I have realised is that everybody probably has their own reasons for going to church. At least some of he reasons I have are rooted in my past and in the person I am, good and bad.
So here are some of the reasons I go to church.

1.) Acceptance and Belonging
As a child I was the odd kid, the one that couldn't talk right, couldn't catch a ball and had to use a typewriter in class.  Most of the time the other kids ignored me. At break time I would find a quiet corner with a book. On Sunday at Sunday school, even though it was thesome of the same kids I could join in with things and feel part of the group.
Church has been and still is a community where  I feel accepted and as I belong. What breaks my heart now is knowing that some people, some very good friends of mine, feel rejected by the place I have found such acceptance.

2.)  To Meet With God
I'm not saying that I don't meet with God anywhere else but there is something in sharing in song and spoken word in corporate worship and receiving thesacrament that brings me closer to God. That lifts me for a short while out of the day to day stress and leaves me feeling stronger to face the day to day stress and challenges of life.

3.) To Be Challenged and To Grow In Faith
A good sermon, prayers, hymns, words from scripture or conversation with others can all cause me to question why and what I believe. This hopefully helps develop my thinking and leads to a deeper and stronger faith.

So three reasons why, despite the stress, despite the fact that sometimes the church as an institution or it's individual members sometimes say or do things I think are wrong I still go to church.