A Saint, A Wolf & Covid-19

What follows is my extended script for a BBC Radio Devon Pause for Thought planned for Sunday 19th April 2020. It is a fascinating truth-containing fable of the 13th century involving a famous Saint and an infamous Wolf:

St Francis of Assisi and the Wolf

During the early 13th century, we meet an extraordinary figure:

A determined pleasure seeker in his youth, loving the good and fast life of high society.

But he had an experience of Jesus Christ

that transformed this classic sinner into a most radical saint.

His name is Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, but we know him as St. Francis of Assisi.

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14/04/2020 0

Storm Centres of History: Cairo

BBC Radio Devon – Pause for Thought: Storm Centres

During the Pause for Thought recently, I’ve been talking about 7 places I have been to: Storm-centres of history.

Today, we will go to Cairo, Egypt.

Each place I’ve chosen will be a place I have been to, either as a tourist or a missionary.

Each place is self-evidently interesting for the paradigm-shifting upheaval, the change and new course for humanity that they set.

All of them speak about the great themes of our existence: justice, truth, freedom, good and evil, etc. and the enduring ability of human beings, bearing the image of God, to experience and endure great trials.

I was a missionary living in Cairo between 2005-07. I learnt a little Arabic, and slowly grew into the strange new world of Egyptian culture.

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26/12/2019 0

Storm Centres of History: Geneva & Reformation

BBC Radio Devon – Pause for Thought: Storm Centres

During the Pause for Thought recently, I’ve been talking about 7 places I have been to: Storm-centres of history.

Today, we will go to Geneva.

Geneva is a beautiful city. I don’t know if that was the case half a millennia ago, but back in the mid-16th century, it was a religious storm-centre that changed Europe and the world forever.

John Calvin (1509-64) was a shy, French intellectual; a 2nd generation Protestant Reformer. He was a lamb who would become a lion.

This was about reforming what was deformed in Church and cultural life.

Calvin (the lamb) himself wanted to retire to a life of private study and theological writing. He set out for Strasbourg but a French War diverted him to Geneva.

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18/12/2019 0

Storm Centres of History: Parliament and Brexit

BBC Radio Devon – Pause for Thought: Storm Centres

During the Pause For Thought this week, I’ve been talking about 7 places I have been to: Storm-centres of history.

Today, on our final visit, we will go to the British Parliament.

On Wednesday 27th March this year, I attended PMQ’s with my father at the Houses of Parliament (with thanks to Torbay MP Kevin Foster and his team for arranging this)!

This date was significant. This was the Wednesday before the Friday of the original departure from the EU. It was very exciting to be there, which in the end, turned out to be not quite the bear pit I had anticipated.

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04/09/2019 0

Sunday: Participation

Below is my script for Pause for Thought on BBC Radio Devon:

At the end of Disney’s The Jungle Book, Mowgli sees a girl from the village collecting water, and he is utterly enchanted!

The panther Bagheera and the Baloo the bear are trying to deliver him safely into the village; but whilst Bagheera knows he must go, Baloo wants him to stay with him in the forest.

But, alas, Mowgli is lost to this new world of wonder!

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02/03/2019 0

Saturday: Threat

Below is my script for Pause for Thought on BBC Radio Devon:

Whilst watching The Jungle Book with my two year old daughter, the threat of Shere Khan the tiger loomed large.

All week I’ve explored key themes within the Disney film as it relates to following, contentment, trust, identity and belonging. Today, Shere Khan represents threat.

The constancy of threat in our lives is a very real challenge.

From accidents and illness, to national politics and global catastrophe – we are a threatened race.

The Jungle Book represents the pompous and the evil of the English character.

The Elephant is an English, old fashioned, pompous army colonel.

Shere Khan is the English, old fashioned evil villain.

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02/03/2019 0

Friday: Belonging

Below is my script for Pause for Thought on BBC Radio Devon:

There is nothing quite like snuggling up with your children to watch a cartoon.

As my daughter snuggled in, we enjoyed Disney’s The Jungle Book, and so far this week, we’ve looked at significant themes within the songs: following, contentment, trust and identity.

Now we look at belonging.

Mowgli feels abandoned and alone. A crisis most of us feel at some time.

He walks from the lush forest into the wastelands inhabited by the vultures.

He tells them why he is upset so they decide to sing him a song, that begins like this:

We’re your friends
We’re your friends
We’re your friends to the bitter end

When you’re alone
Who comes around
To pluck you up
When you are down
And when you’re outside, looking in
Who’s there to open the door?
That’s what friends are for!

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22/02/2019 0

Thursday: Identity

Below is my script for Pause for Thought on BBC Radio Devon:

Using the brilliant Disney film ‘The Jungle Book’ this week, we’ve thought about following, anxiety and trust. Today we look at identity.

The monkeys had kidnapped Mowgli and taken him to their leader, the orangutan King Louie, who wanted the power of fire that humans had.

He sings, “I wanna be like you, I want to walk like you, talk like you, …”

Human beings learn by copying others.

It’s as if we copy others in order that we become ourselves.

So while we maintain our unique identity; to reach it, we need community. We need others.

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14/02/2019 0

Wednesday: Trust

Below is my script for Pause for Thought on BBC Radio Devon:

As my daughter and I were recently watching Disney’s ‘The Jungle Book,’ she snuggled in as the snake began his manipulative charm on Mowgli, singing, “Trust in me, just in me…’

Even she could see his sinister intent!

So far this week we’ve looked at the themes of following and anxiety, and now we turn to trust.

Not everyone who says they can be trusted are to be trusted.

Trust is a crucial aspect of human flourishing, and great damage is done when trust is broken.

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06/02/2019 0

Tuesday: Contentment

Below is my script for Pause for Thought on BBC Radio Devon (at 25 minutes and 38 seconds in):

Recently, I was watching The Jungle Book with my two year old daughter.

Yesterday we looked at the ‘Elephant March Song’ and what it means to follow.

The second song that got my theological juices going was Baloo’s song ‘The Bare Necessities’.

Most people thrive when they have enough of the right things in life.

But how to determine what is enough is the big question.

What might be enough for one person, is ruinous to another.

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29/01/2019 0