Don't just look at appearances

In 'Britains Got Talent', the Brit equivalent of Canadian/American Idol or 'America's got talent', there's a new sensation and a shock. See it here. (I can't embed this video) The show was only broadcast April 11 2009!

This whole thing is challenging. Just from the first program of the new season she has sprung to fame and this youtube video has been seen over 16 million times in less than 5 days! There are a number of other versions out there totaling over 20 million viewings. It's not about looks but a voice and an ability to move people. Simon Callow does not compliment easily and its said Oprah Winfrey has already an invite to appear on her show.

"Indeed, a full range of emotion -- first humor, then shock, followed by warm appreciation and perhaps a dollop of self-reproof for anyone who dares to judge others principally by their appearance -- can be extracted from Boyle's seven-minute clip. And that is what makes her story perfect for the Internet, where short clips rule." Scott Collins LA Times

Inexplicably I am moved by her voice and ability to communicate, I am moved by her dream in the face of opposition, I was blessed by Youtube refusing to stream video content and only audio at first so I was spared a level of pre-judgment . But I too am moved in my heart to reconsider how I prejudge. What do you think?

Reading Spiritually About Spiritual Things

Reading often means gathering information, acquiring new insight and knowledge, and mastering a new field. ... Spiritual reading, however, is different. It means not simply reading about spiritual things but also reading about spiritual things in a spiritual way. That requires a willingness not just to read but to be read, not just to master but to be mastered by words. As long as we read the Bible or a spiritual book simply to acquire knowledge, our reading does not help us in our spiritual lives. ...As we read spiritually ... we open our hearts to God's voice. Sometimes we must be willing to put down the book we are reading and just listen to what God is saying to us through its words. Henri Nouwen Bread for the Journey

John Stott used to refer to this sort of thing as sitting under scripture and double listening: listening to the Word and listening to the world. On similar lines Søren Kierkegaard used to talk about the Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Rather than reading in a utilitarian fashion to use the information for our own ends, reading can be for us spiritual formation where with discernment we can hear the voice of God challenging us or calling to us.

Darkness and a special voice of hope

I am rereading the Narnia stories as I do every 5-6 years. This passage is from CS Lewis' book The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. My friends named their daughter God's breath after a passage and at last I think I've found it.

The children and the ship are in a darkness surrounding an island and the darkness is driving them to despair. There's an albatross flying in a shaft of light surrounded by the darkness and it lands on the prow.

..."it called out in a strong sweet voice what seemed to be words though no one understood them. ... 'Courage, dear heart', and the voice, she felt sure was Aslan's, and with the voice a delicious smell breathed in her face."

Darkness can bring paralysis but if we look and look for that glimmer of light our will is strengthened to keep going and virues grown and hope comes and a call for courage. This is the movement from Good Friday to Easter Sunday.

... we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Hope in darkness calls courage. Romans 5:3-5