In ancient times watchmen were posted at high points on the city walls. Their task was to look out and alert people to impending danger. Keeping watch was an awesome responsibility. If a watchman fell asleep and failed to warn the city of an enemy attack, people could die.
These days, our cities no longer have walls and there are few watchment except in the world's warzones.
As we prepared to launch VOX magazine, I began to think about watchmen. I hope we can revive this key role by looking out across this nation: investigating, researching and inspecting what is happening and then sharing these insights with our readers.
It's a role we can all play. What are the trends in society? Where can we see dangers and pitfalls? Where can we see life and truth?
It is easy to feel safe and comfortable behind our invisible 'walls'. It is easy to turn off the news and shut out the intrusion of society. Yet when we fail as watchmen, people are put at risk.
I like the description of the men of Issachar (one of the 12 tribes of Israel) who served under King David. They "understood the times and knew what Israel should do" (1 Chron. 12:32).
I'm looking out. Will you watch with me? Contact me: editor@voxmagazine.ie
RGW (aka The Editor)
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
No labels please!
The world is obsessed with labels - designer tags, fancy-sounding job titles, social groups, personality types, even denominations... It's so easy to put someone in a box marked "geek", "old person", "drunk" or "delinquent".
Listen carefully and you will hear people handing out labels every time they describe someone. "She's a (fill in the blank)" etc. It certainly makes things simple. The label conjures up a picture and helps us find the right mental file for that person.
Those of us who follow Jesus are just as bad. We glibly label things "Christian" and somehow that makes them good??! Stop and think - you can probably recall a dozen other labels you've heard, or even used yourself to describe people.
I do it too. But the more I think about it, the more I want to rebel.
Labels lead to assumptions. We add two and two and we're sure we know the answer. That person must be successful. This person can't be trusted... and so on. We stop trying to understand because we are convinced we already know.
Labels lead to divisions. People in one group are "in"; others are "out". One group won't talk to another group because they bear a different label.
Even Jesus resisted being labelled. When the rich man called Him "Good Teacher", Jesus replied, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone."
So in VOX magazine we're going to resist simplistic labels. We recognise that life is complex - and people are more so. We won't always be able to pin everything down. And we don't want to file people away in boxes.
It might make things difficult, but at least we'll be dealing in three dimensions!
Listen carefully and you will hear people handing out labels every time they describe someone. "She's a (fill in the blank)" etc. It certainly makes things simple. The label conjures up a picture and helps us find the right mental file for that person.
Those of us who follow Jesus are just as bad. We glibly label things "Christian" and somehow that makes them good??! Stop and think - you can probably recall a dozen other labels you've heard, or even used yourself to describe people.
I do it too. But the more I think about it, the more I want to rebel.
Labels lead to assumptions. We add two and two and we're sure we know the answer. That person must be successful. This person can't be trusted... and so on. We stop trying to understand because we are convinced we already know.
Labels lead to divisions. People in one group are "in"; others are "out". One group won't talk to another group because they bear a different label.
Even Jesus resisted being labelled. When the rich man called Him "Good Teacher", Jesus replied, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone."
So in VOX magazine we're going to resist simplistic labels. We recognise that life is complex - and people are more so. We won't always be able to pin everything down. And we don't want to file people away in boxes.
It might make things difficult, but at least we'll be dealing in three dimensions!
Monday, November 3, 2008
What do you want...?
The British writer and actor, Rob Lacey has had a profound impact on my thinking. In his book "Are we getting through?" Lacey challenges communicators to make the time to communicate creatively and effectively.
He asks a question which has remained with me... "Which do you want more - people to think, or people to know what you think?"
As a communicator, I believe my challenge is to go beyond presenting an arguement or sharing an opinion. I want people to question, to ponder, to reflect... ultimately to come to their own conclusions.
This is risky. It is easier to tell people what we want them to think. The Pharisees were past masters at that - this is wrong, you must do this, you must not do that...
In contrast, Jesus asked questions and told stories. He spoke for "those who have ears to hear" and challenged people's thinking by doing the unexpected (e.g. speaking to a Samaritan woman, touching the leper, etc.)
VOX magazine will not have all the answers neatly packaged and tied with a bow. But I hope we can make people think... and even, perhaps, think again...?
He asks a question which has remained with me... "Which do you want more - people to think, or people to know what you think?"
As a communicator, I believe my challenge is to go beyond presenting an arguement or sharing an opinion. I want people to question, to ponder, to reflect... ultimately to come to their own conclusions.
This is risky. It is easier to tell people what we want them to think. The Pharisees were past masters at that - this is wrong, you must do this, you must not do that...
In contrast, Jesus asked questions and told stories. He spoke for "those who have ears to hear" and challenged people's thinking by doing the unexpected (e.g. speaking to a Samaritan woman, touching the leper, etc.)
VOX magazine will not have all the answers neatly packaged and tied with a bow. But I hope we can make people think... and even, perhaps, think again...?
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