3rd Part Alpha

OK folks,

I spotted on someone else blog yesterday, a reference to David Cameron (leader of the Conservative Party in the UK) is now blogging/vlogging. Purely as an experimental exercise, I have decided to link up to his website for this. I pretty cynical about politicians in general, but I thought I'd sign up to the site and ask some interesting questions of this guy regarding who he "really" is. I guess this is to see if it is possible for him to blog in a "feelings" and soul bearing way that many of us here do. I don't for any one moment expect to see him doing this, simply because of the position he is in. Politicians, I guess, cannot afford to show any vulnerability. I just thought it would be interesting, considering the responses I have got from people, to imagine how he would be perceived if he were able to blog in this sort of way. Who knows, he might even join 360! (probably under a pseudonym)
Well, I have college this afternoon, then church group tonight.

Here is (final) part 3 Alpha........

from yesterday....

I was wasted with tears pouring down my face.

continued.......

Next morning was time to return home. Everyone embraced each other like a close family. When I got home I was tremendously excited. Although I was still not entirely sure what I believed, I knew I had experienced something very special indeed. It was just like falling in love for the first time. Peter said to me recently that he noticed a real change in me that weekend (something very common for folk after an Alpha weekend). He said that I stopped talking about my depression. It was still there but most of it had lifted from me. After that weekend I had so many answers to prayer. Wonderful things started to happen: -

I met a guy on a train coming home one night who was down and out. I felt so much compassion for him that, for the first time in my life, I said “God loves you”. This guy responded so well. He sat with me for a long while and chatted. I actually told him I would pray for him. Something else I’d never have done before.

A week or 2 later, I went to church in Canterbury one morning (the church that ran the Alpha course). I only decided to go at the last minute. I hated my job in London. On this morning, someone announced some new jobs (my ears pricked up). This was about the project where I now work caring for young homeless people. Immediately, thoughts came to my mind about the guy I’d met on the train. Right at that moment, aged 39, God revealed to me my vocation in life. After years of drifting from one failed career to another, I now knew clearly what work I wanted to do, to help people in dire straits. Even my depression had meaning. If gave me the ability to understand the pain others were going through.

God has shown me the way and I made my commitment to him. The love of God is the only truly free gift in the world. It brings joy, contentment and peace.

A word of warning though and to balance the above statement; in my view, things only start to go wrong when “religiosity” and mans pride gets in the way. Also, the moment we start to rely on religious leaders in our midst and (sometimes without realising it) forget to rely on the BIG G, things will start to go wrong. Man is fallible. Only God is infallible.

Comments

(10 total)

Amazing !

Tuesday 3 October 2006 - 08:47AM (EDT)

First off, {{MARTY}}
Second, your Alpha....well done!
Third, I could never see a politician of any kind blogging, haha! It's too much like being a real person. Politicians are as bad as lawyers.
keep smilin Marty! x

Tuesday 3 October 2006 - 02:09PM (BST)

Maybe you should suggest he join our little group on here Marty lol. Your writings about the alpha course have been very interesting mate although I do not believe I am in a place where I would go on one for the moment but regarding your last statement, well I couldnt agree more, perfectly put.

Tuesday 3 October 2006 - 03:17PM (BST)

I would have to imagine that a politician would only be blogging (under his real name) to get a sense of what the vastly unheard population might be thinking and saying, perhaps to slant his campaign or perhaps, more nobly, to truly try to address some of the issues that normally get lost in politics. I say toss him some hard questions and invite everyone to view his responses. Perhaps this could be the beginning of politicians with conscience and accountability?!! Wouldn't that be something...forge that frontier.

Tuesday 3 October 2006 - 10:51AM (EDT)

Hmmmm.....a politician blogging?? No, sorry....that doesn't work for me. We all know how skilled they are in the art of lying, or at least distorting facts to their own agenda. I'm afraid I wouldn't believe a word they wrote.
Thanks for your story about how you found Alpha and how it helped you to find (or rediscover?) God. I keep meaning to write a blog from my own perspective on faith and belief, but keep avoiding it. Mainly because it's such an emotive subject and I'm afraid of accidentally offending someone.

Tuesday 3 October 2006 - 06:50PM (BST)

Mitch - I think that so long as you remain respectful and honest, I doubt anyone would be offended by what you write regarding faith. Take a look (if have not already done so) at Kevs blog on this subject. You write very well. I reckon that if you put a caveat at the beginning of you blog on this subject, it would be ok.

Pamela - Yes, I intend to ask some interesting questions of Mr Cameron. Not necc. about politics itself, but about being open and honest. I doubt he will reply, but if he does, it would quite something to see what he admits to and what he avoids, in the way all politicians do.

Kev - Yep, that would be amazing if he engaged with us. I think we have all learned here that being open and honest is really very attractive. The hacks, of course, would have a field day with him.

Scoob.. - Yep I agree, but then Cameron is trying to claim he can break the mould of current politics. Lets see how committed he is on this.

I've not commented yet on Camerons blog. He Vlog was quite interesting. I've seen a few folk make trite remarks accusing him of stage managing his blog. I'm reserving judgement on that. If I DO get a response, I might invite others to sign up to his personal blog and see what happens.

All said and done, this is an experiment that may disappear into the ether within a couple of days. Lets see.....

Tuesday 3 October 2006 - 08:29PM (BST)

Hey Marty I have just read the Alpha Blogs and may I say I'm impressed!!! I have even had a look at the website? imagine that! I am even considering looking into it in my area. And as a girl that was brought up a strict catholic and turned my back on it as soon as it became MY CHOICE I think thats pretty good going. Oh and the politician thing....NEVER GONNA HAPPEN BABE...lol..xxx

Tuesday 3 October 2006 - 09:29PM (BST)

great??? your alpha blogs are the beat???

Tuesday 3 October 2006 - 09:02PM (ADT)

I did enjoy your pieces on the alpha course.
Dave's blog, I dunno, I have a hard time seeing him as a regular guy. Old Tony wounds I suppose. Now, Boris, well he's mad enough to be a proper blogger! (except the complaints would keep him off 360)
Robbie williams has a blog on myspace now. very commercialised. I just don't want to be THAT close to my popstars. I suppose I also hope that 360 doesn't get greedy enough to go for the all out commercialisation like that either. It's a nice little community, dare I say it, let's not americanise it too much, eh? Now before all the americans jump on my back, that is an expression brits use without meaning intent or harm to individuals, it means the capitalistic above morals bit that runs the economy over there (and in quite a few other countries.) Remember I am a Yank too.

Wednesday 4 October 2006 - 01:51AM (BST)

thanks for sharing your expereiences they are so valuable :)

Wednesday 4 October 2006 - 04:02PM (BST