if it's not one thing, it's another

spare a thought for this guy, kevin mcconnell, 19-time oscar loser, whose experience last sunday night didn't exactly match that of helen mirren, martin scorsese, or forest whitaker. as the imdb tells us today:

Oscar Loser Lost Mother After the Awards

Oscar's biggest loser Kevin O'Connell had a double reason to feel low the day of the Academy Awards - he was nursing his dying mother, who passed away just after the telecast. Apocalypto sound mixer O'Connell found out he'd missed out on an Oscar for the 19th time on Sunday night, but he had more pressing personal matters on his mind. The multi-nominee attended the Oscar ceremony, but left right after his category was announced and raced to the hospital to check on his ailing mother. In a statement released to website GoldDerby.com, O'Connell says, "My mother Skippy passed away on Sunday night right after the Oscars. I was holding her in my arms when she died."

into great silence


found myself beginning lent a couple of days early last night at belfast's www.queensfilmtheatre.com being drawn 'into great silence' - a near-three hour documentary about life in a carthusian monastery.

it is slow and quiet, and makes the radical gesture of not offering commentary on the lives of those it portrays.

the notion of spending a life in near-silence is threatening to me, perhaps to most of us; but by the end of the film i was almost ready to commit. the film-maker, philip groening, flicks up biblical quotations from time to time, returning to jesus' words about giving up everything to be his disciple. the repetition of this phrase has a hypnotic effect, and as the film builds and builds to a climax in which a blind monk discusses his faith, intercut with scenes of the most extraordinary physical beauty, groening manages to convince that the richness of these mens' lives is an astonishing reward for choosing not to live like the rest of us.

celtic soliton sessions: the review

celtic soliton sessions - a long weekend of conversation, worship, reflection, friendship, guinness, music, prayer, freezing beach walks, chocolate, laughter, justice, pain, honesty, exploration, and an encounter with the divine that none of us will easily forget. the continuing friendship between u.s. and irish/british soliton people is a source of wonder to many of us, and the idea of continuing the relationships through the symbol society network is one of the most exciting notions to emerge. this past weekend we talked about contemplation, working with children, subverting unjust authority structures, sexuality and theology, art and spirituality, the inevitable blogging, and many other things under the sun too numerous to mention. the beauty of the north coast of ireland was the perfect setting, and i'm energised for another few months in the landscape of my everyday life. thanks to everyone who was there, keep in touch.

celtic soliton sessions

CELTIC SOLITON SESSIONS

The Soliton Network is an invitation to the rhythms of hospitality and generosity as well as to share resources, laughter, dreams and friendships. Soliton events are informal opportunities for people to reflect on the edges of Christian spirituality and practice - all are welcome, and many have been surprised by how rich the experience is. Speakers/facilitators at previous Soliton events have included Brian McLaren, Erwin McManus, Greg Russinger, Christine Sine, Doug Pagitt, Si Johnston, Jo Coles, Gareth Higgins, and many more.

This year our theme is ‘dangerous living’.

Our traditions are stories of dangerous lives: prophets critiqued dangerously, apostles spoke dangerously, and the early church fathers lived dangerously. Jesus inspired life practices that launched a new society both critical of and dangerous to the present order. 2007's Soliton Sessions are an invitation to rediscover this alternative society. Facilitators already confirmed include Jonny Baker, Kester Brewin, Pete Rollins, Si Johnston, Gareth Higgins, Laura Bagley, Erin Parish and Andrew Jones. As a special event, the wonderful Juliet Turner will also play a gig for Soliton during the weekend.

February 1-4, 2007

Thursday 1st Feb in Belfast

The Belfast event will take place from 10am-4pm at East Belfast Mission on the Lower Newtownards Road (please note change of venue); with an evening gathering for conversation and food from 7.30pm

Friday – Sunday 2nd-4th Feb = Residential in Portrush

Participants are welcome to attend either or both the Belfast and Portrush sessions.

Our facilitators will include Pete Rollins, Jonny Baker, Erin Parish, Andrew Jones, Gareth Higgins, Trevor Debenning and others, and topics in both Belfast and Portrush will include:

• Translating the message of Martin Luther King for today
• Finding spiritual fingerprints in culturally significant films
• Telling the difference between healthy fear and phobias
• Spirituality in contemporary northern Ireland: challenges and opportunities
• How (not) to speak of God

And whatever else you'd like to talk about!

We’d love as many people as possible to benefit from the conversation, provocation and friendship provided through Soliton – so please do sign up if you’d like to attend. More information at www.solitonnetwork.org; or email gareth_higgins@ntlworld.com if you have any questions.