Author: inertus

Kristie writes:

I have long been an aurora hunter. Several years back when I started out, I didn’t know that it is easier to see them is through the lens of a camera/phone. Since learning that I have had more joy (literally).  Recently I was lucky enough to have a whole evening of varied displays – each time I went out to look there were different colours and intensities. And the following day I couldn’t shake this Bruce Cockburn verse:

“Little round planet in a big universe

Sometimes it looks blessed sometimes it looks cursed

Depends on what you look at obviously

But even more it depends on the way that you see”

I was very aware that as I gazed upwards in search of beauty, others in the world were fearfully scanning the skies for incoming bombs.  So clearly, it depends on what we’re able to look at. And, I realised that for those of us able to look up at a sky in a place of safety, what we see can depend on what we’re looking for and how we are looking.

Whilst out one time, I explained to a passer-by that I was looking at the aurora, and that if they too looked through their phone they would see what I was seeing. As the night progressed, we were able to see more without a camera, and by then, they knew what they were looking for too. I know that sometimes in life I only see what I’m looking for, and when I open my eyes wider, with curiosity, I get to see so much more.

“There’s roads and there’s roads and they call, can’t you hear it?

Roads of the earth and roads of the spirit. 

The best roads of all are the ones that aren’t certain

One of those is where you’ll find me til they drop the big curtain.”

Aurora hunting has no certainties – for those of us who like predictability, it can involve challenge and disappointment. And yet there is something fabulous about venturing into uncertainty, trusting that God is alongside in that uncertainty, with us in our worries and fear as well as the wonder. 

“Hear the wind moan in the bright diamond sky

These mountains are waiting brown-green and dry

I’m too old for the term but I’ll use it anyway

I’ll be a child of the wind til the end of my days”

 I hope you too get chance to open your eyes wider and be a child of the wind, on uncertain but wonder-filled roads.

Find out more about Bruce Cockburn at http://brucecockburn.com/

Kay writes:

Last week I was at a live music event and this song was played. I remembered it from the Night Owl album by the great Gerry Rafferty. Listening to it again, I concentrated on the words and realised how much they resonate with me in terms of my own family and our experiences.

Right from being very young, I have recollections of family events starting and ending with music and singing, with us all encouraged to take a turn and to share the songs we loved most. Everyone joining our family events was drawn into our own special karaoke (although this was long before this became popular) and we celebrated happy and sad events in the same way, by sharing our love of lyrics and music at every opportunity.

These things were never planned, but at each event this musical warmth enveloped us and drew us all in. It required nothing of us, but each time there were people just humming, others playing instruments, those singing their hearts out and the rest simply immersed in the experience.

It was some time before I realised that this was not what happens in all families, and even longer before I realised how very special it was to experience it and how fortunate we were. As I became an adult and a mother I saw the next generation start to share in the same way and enjoy music as a form of expression of love, and I now see it in my grandchildren.

Families grow and change and events have seen us “go our different ways”. The loss of family members has seen our family get-togethers get less frequent, but as the lyrics say, the tradition of our particular family tree has “left its mark” and when we get together I hope we always continue to “sing out”, because when we do this – as Gerry says – “this is the time and place to bring out our memories” -our way of sharing our history, our togetherness, and our love.

Here’s a rather lovely version sung by The Rafferty Family and Barbara Dickson – Ed

Find out more about Gerry Rafferty at https://www.gerryrafferty.com/

Jane writes:

The Lebanon has been in the news a lot in recent days and every time I hear the name of the country, in my head I hear the refrain from this song

The Lebanon

It’s a kind of reflex reaction I guess, and it made me really think about why it was so embedded in my psyche. I couldn’t even remember who sang it!  It also made me really think about why the song was written and what on earth it was about. The only real bit of it I remember is that phrase

The Lebanon 

and I realise that is not usually how I operate in the musical world.

Of course it took me about 5 seconds to realise that back in 1984, when it was written, the people of Lebanon were living in a war-torn place much as they are now. If I dug deep into my 20-year old soul I knew that, but 40 years later the lyrical content seems once again so very pertinent.

It carries a soft reminiscence for a world without war.  A time when Lebanon was a land of milk and honey. Where you could go to the shops and live a normal life. It also carries the stark reality of what it is to live where your everyday life has been replaced by conflict and soldiers

It’s a story that tells itself and it has so many resonances with every war torn context we know.

Leaving the question hanging:

And who will have won
When the soldiers have gone
From the Lebanon?
The Lebanon

As people of faith we worship a prince of peace. We follow a God of love. We are encouraged to look for signs of hope. It hurts to think that for many across the globe, and particularly around the land we still dare to call holy at the moment, that the only question we can seemingly ask is this stark one

And who will have won
When the soldiers have gone

So this Friday do everything you can to consider peace the best option. Pray, write, campaign, urge, send a note of solidarity somehow so that this song, and all those like it, can be put in mothballs for a while – hopefully forever – and so the people affected by war can sleep at night with a tiny bit of hope in their hearts again.

Find out more about The Human League at https://www.thehumanleague.co.uk/

Sally writes:

For those who haven’t come across them, The Interrupters are a punk ska band from the US who have become increasingly popular. They were one of the headliners for the Slamdunk festival this year, and have supported Green Day amongst others.

Like many of the bands in this genre they encourage people to feel empowered and able to effect change. Some of their merch is emblazoned with the slogan “fight the good fight” which encourages people to continue with recovery or whatever personal fight they’re on in their lives. ‘Take Back the Power’ is a powerful example of the type of punk song which encourages people not to give in to hopelessness and despair, and to take back the power to fight back and achieve change. It encourages everyday people that they can become leaders who don’t have to follow what the media and others are encouraging them into and to question the authority of those institutions which are prejudiced and seeking to impose a form of authority which is anti-democratic. This song and others like it invite people to take action and to know they have free choice and autonomy.

This message is so important because we live in a world where many people feel powerless and that all they can do is follow. They don’t feel change is possible and they certainly don’t feel they can take back any power.

As a Christian, I believe God also calls us to take back the power and to advocate for change, rather than just giving in to feelings of disillusionment and inevitability. He calls us to develop ourselves as leaders, not just followers. And he gives us the gift of free will which he wants us to use.

Many people who follow a Christian spirituality will pray the Lord’s Prayer which includes the words “your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” and they just want to sit back and see it magically happen. Thing is that is not how life or God works. God gives us free will so we can make decisions about what we want to do in our societies, and he expects our decision making to involve looking at what decisions we can make that world better and help it get closer to the kingdom of God. God wants us to take back the power in our lives and society too. He wants us to make the choices which enable us to take back the power and help make the world a better place.

So the question I and The Interrupters leave you with is “What’s your plan for
tomorrow? Are you a leader or will you follow?”

‘When I See You Smile’ – Bad English

Angus has sent us a ‘Little Fix’. Enjoy.

Does God give us a nod, a wink or a smile to encourage or confirm we have done right, and are going in the right direction? It happened to me recently, and this song spoke to me this morning, that God encourages us, as well as people close to us.

Dawn writes:

The festival season is coming to a close now and I was reintroduced to Keane’s live sets as they celebrated 20 years since their first album ‘Hope and Fears’ came out.

Also during this week we have marked World Suicide Prevention Day, a day for many with high emotions as they remember loved ones who have lost their lives to suicide.

The language and judgements around mental health are changing but glacially so, the term ‘commit’ is slowly changing to ‘lost’ as we recognise that is not a crime when a person feels they have no choice but to end their life.

BUT the wait time for adult and child mental health services are at an all time high. My own experience of waiting for CAMHS to help was over 3 years in which time I witnessed my child’s mental and physical health deteriorate and the accompanying feelings of helplessness were overwhelming. My own mental health crisis was thankfully picked up swiftly but only once I was in a crisis situation which could have been avoided if we were all more aware of the signs.

Unhelpful language and judgements have unfortunately been a part of Christian culture for many years, as the words of the song say:

They said you were a bright child
Never anything but joy behind your eyes
No sign of all the dark clouds
Spreading like volcanic dust
Over your blue skies
Now they’re looking for an answer
Where the rot set in
And set off the landslide

But it only makes it worse now
Like you’re a puzzle to be worked out

Poor mental health can appear for such a myriad of reasons ranging from trauma to chemical imbalances. Yet rather than listening and sitting alongside, we feel the need to ‘fix what appears to be broken’.

I’m a fixer by nature and I have to carefully balance this with a practice of non-judgemental listening, taking care not to assume, not to jump in with my own experiences and to use the Jesus model of solidarity.

My pastoral accompanist has a way of asking how I am and then following it up with “now how are you really?” – opening the door for a more honest conversation without any fear of condemnation. This can be rare to find a soul friend to have those encounters with, I am truly blessed to be surrounded by a such a caring bunch!

My prayer for all is that through supportive, honest relationships we can be transformed and mental health can something we can talk about and not leave people feeling like they are some sort of
broken toy.

Find out what Keane are up to at https://www.keanemusic.com/?lang=en

For further support and advice about suicide, there are lots of services and charities that offer help. Perhaps the best known is The Samaritans – https://www.samaritans.org/support-us/campaign/world-suicide-prevention-day/

This Sunday, at least two of our Friday Fixers braved the rain and mud in Preston at Radio 2 in the Park to watch some brilliant sets from a whole range of artists – three of whom (Shed Seven, Gabrielle and Manic Street Preachers) have had Friday Fixes written about one (or two) of their songs.

We’ve written 313 Friday Fixes so far – and yet there were artists at Radio 2 in the Park who’ve yet to have reflections on their songs – namely, Pet Shop Boys, Sting, Paul Heaton/Beautiful South/The Housemartins, Sister Sledge, Travis, Snow Patrol, Sugababes…

Maybe you have thoughts about songs from said artists? If you do, please send them to us at fridayfixmail@gmail.com.

If you don’t, but still have a Fix brewing – the inbox is waiting!

Gill writes:

There’s something about September isn’t there? It must be all those years of starting a new school year that we simply can’t shake off. Brand-new pencil cases. Shiny new school shoes. Freshly sharpened pencils. A new item of clothing such as trousers that don’t end halfway up your leg or a shirt that doesn’t attempt to cut your blood supply off at the neck, shoulder or wrists.

Yet years and years after leaving school, September still has that back to school feeling for many of us. After all, there does seem to be a gentle lull in our lives during July and August. A slightly slower pace perhaps? Fewer meetings. Quieter offices. People taking holidays.

And then September comes in like a wrecking ball. And if you’re anything like me, the lyrics of today’s Friday Fix may have made an appearance during this first week of September.

Back to life, back to reality
Back to the here and now, yeah

This song immediately takes me back to June 1989. I’d just spent two weeks in central Spain with my then boyfriend who, in his wisdom, had decided that it would be a good idea to split up on holiday before we returned. Travelling back together, just about managing to remain civil – that was fun. When I got back home, this song was hitting the top of the charts. It’s not my usual genre of music but I loved it because it perfectly summed up my feelings about returning to normality and coming to terms with being a ‘singleton’ again after a pretty intense three-year relationship with then boyfriend.

So here we are. Back to life and the reality of our ordinary lives. Diaries are filling up. Harvest, Halloween, Remembrance Day and dare I mention it, Christmas (I see you seasonal aisle in the supermarket), are all on the horizon. The laid-back summer is already becoming a distant memory.

So maybe now is the time, before it gets really frenetic, to take a moment or two and to listen to what our hearts, minds and souls are saying to us. Where are we being led this Autumn? Are we being nudged by the Divine? It might be worth checking before we’re swept away by the coming time of year!

Show me how, decide what you want from me
Tell me, maybe I could be there for you

Find out more about Soul II Soul at https://soul2soul.co.uk