November 11th, 2008 by Mark Tiddy Posted in Current Affairs, Just For Fun
Taken from www.buynothingday.co.uk - link
Saturday November 29h 2008 is Buy Nothing Day, It’s a day where you challenge yourself to switch off from shopping and tune into life.
The rules are simple, for 24 hours you will detox from consumerism and live without shopping. Anyone can take part provided they spend a day without spending!
Buy Nothing Day is the biggest 24-hour moratorium against consumerism. People around the world will make a pact to take a break from shopping as a personal experiment or public statement and the best thing is - IT’S FREE!!!
October 9th, 2008 by Mark Tiddy Posted in Christianity, Current Affairs, SPCK
For those readers who have been following a variety of posts of mine and others regarding the demise of the SPCK shops under the management of SSG there is exciting news!
The Norwich Christian bookshop is due to re-open…here is a link with more information (it’s from a SPCK/SSG blog I contribute to)
October 1st, 2008 by Mark Tiddy Posted in Current Affairs, Just For Fun
I’ve had a pretty busy first few weeks back in Peterborough what with residentials and uni and the like so keep finding that although I have things to blog I tend to never get around to physically blogging them.
So here’s my life in brief…
London - I’ve been heading down to London on tuesdays for lectures…it’s nice only have one day of them a week however tuesday evenings seem to have become full of meetings so last night I got home, had 10 minutes to eat then left the house again!
Letton Hall - I’m quite excited about getting to go to Letton Hall with The CROPS Trust as a leader in half term, I last went to a CROPS letton about 2 years ago. This time I’ve been asked to lead a set of worship which I’m really excited about and I’ve also been asked to lead a seminar on reading the bible.
Youth Services - I’ve been provisionally asked to speak at a youth service in Yaxley (Peterborough) early November which is exciting too as it’s not often I get invited to speak at youthy events! I also met with an anglican minister of a city centre church a few weeks back with the view of trying to organise some joint ‘City Centre Churches’ youth work in Peterborough and we set a date to do a joint youth service on the 23rd November which’ll take organising but be great!
Other New Events - We’re almost at the stage of launching a new lunchtime event for young people from the local secondary school who tend to wander into town at lunchtime. The event going by the name ‘Park up’ will see us open our doors on a monday lunchtime offering a ‘drop in’ style youth club. Also in the pipeline is some kind of more in depth, monthly get together for the older young people which should be fun too!
IPOD - Having now been in the world of ipod owners for over a month now I thought I’d reflect on the difference it has made to my life, there’s been two main aspects I’ve noticed a change…firstly when driving I now just plug my ipod into the car which means I get a nice range of music and I don’t spend time changing CD’s whilst driving which I guess makes driving safer! Secondly I’ve been listening to the ‘Holy Trinity Brompton’ church sermons (from their podcast) weekly on my train journey home from London and it’s really nice to feel ‘fed’. The variety of dynamic, interesting and challenging speakers means I actually get to hear a sermon each week at the moment rather than always being busy with youth work!
Anyway I think that’s all for now…in any spare moments I have I’m still trying to mix all the tracks I recorded during the summer…alongside finding I’m writing more songs I want to add!
The credit crunch, breakdown of banks and merging of Halifax and Lloyds TSB seems to have dominated our news the last few weeks…alongside this it seems to be becoming more and more ‘fashionable’ to recycle plastic bags…buy cotton bags instead of using plastic bags and living life in a more ethical manner.
Last year I transferred my bank accounts over to Smile (The Co-op Bank) from Natwest (crapwest) for two main reasons…firstly Natwest were annoying me and secondly the Co-op has a very clear ethical policy which includes making sure that they do not invest in the arms trade, businesses involved in animal testing or goverments/businesses do not support human rights.
Amongst this they also do not invest in companies which have a bad impact on the environment or business which are involved in genetic modifications.
Since this move I have been pondering the implications of ethical banking as a Christian, should there be a link between the bank/building society we use and our faith?
The answer I’ve concluded is yes…let me explain.
If we accept that as Christians the impact of Christ is meant to effect every aspect of our lives then part of our lives is our money and investments. If a Christian operates a business you’d expect them to treat their customers and staff in a way which would reflect the way Christ treated everyone.
The same way (in my opinion) if as Christians we can make sure that we can reflect these views and morals Jesus set out within our banking and investment principals then we should. If we decide that as a Christian war is wrong then is it right to be investing in the arms trade through our banking?
I know that it’s impossible to know what the big high-street banks like Lloyds, Halifax, HSBC, Barclays and Natwest do with our money but it is possible to know what certain banks such as The Co-operative bank, Smile and Triodos don’t do with our money.
So I put it to you that as Christians Christ should be the centre of every aspect of our lives right from the way we treat people up to the way in which we shop and bank.
Remember banking is important to Jesus…’Jesus saves!’
September 17th, 2008 by Mark Tiddy Posted in Articles, Current Affairs
You may or may not have come across the girl in the states who’s auctioning off her virginity in order to pay for college. If you haven’t here’s an article.
There’s a few things that get me by this article. Firstly I’d expect that many Christians (if not most) will find issues with this from a moral perspective and I follow those footsteps….not just because of sex before marriage but the selling of sex (I believe) is wrong.
Secondly there seems to be a lot of people (including the girls mum) who disagree with the whole process, and I think to an extent I’m surprised at the amount of disagreement in a world where prostitution is fairly rarely condemned and where pornography also often gets the blind eye, to move more locally the area of the states where this is taking place is in one of several states where brothels are legal, yet in this sexually open society there seems to be a disagreement with the whole process.
Some would argue that this disagreement is because she may be hoping that like that last girl to sell her virginity that the buyer will just be bidding high in order to give her the money and let her keep her virginity but who knows her motives other than wanting to pay college fees (I can’t help but feel the £500,000 she’s aiming for will more than manage that!).
I also wonder the type of person who’s likely to bid on her virginity, I’d imagine it would consist of very rich older men or men who get some kind of buzz from taking a girls virginity.
I guess the worst thing is that the whole process is showing our society that the selling of sex is 1 - becoming more acceptable and more worryingly 2 - an easy way to make money. Surveys in Britain have shown that more and more young girls are going into prostitution and escorting because of the good money in it….and with the cost of education (particularly university education) and student loans barely covering housing costs let alone food who can really blame them? The only other job prospects I suspect consist of stacking shelves or pouring pints both of which often pay absolute minimum, as one girl being interviewed on her job as an escort said ‘Uni students are meant to sleep around, the only difference is I get paid to’
So what is the issue here? Is the issue promiscuity? Is the issue the selling of sex? or is the issue greed in our money-hungry society?
August 26th, 2008 by Mark Tiddy Posted in Articles, Current Affairs
On Sunday night we went out into Great Yarmouth (and finally found somewhere in Yarmouth with no cheese!), on our way back to our cars at midnight we noticed a guy passed out outside KFC and a female friend trying to help him…we thought we’d step in and help out this guy who’d had way too much to drink, so Dave went off with his female friend to find his other friends, we managed to get him to drink some water and sit up.
Dave appears back with this guys friends, one of whom then states ‘Oh he’s laying down facing the ground, I came out of there for nothing, let’s go back get hammered’.
I think I finally understand how Jeremy kyle feels when he yells at his guests who just don’t get it. Why do we have a society that cares more about going back to get wasted than a friend who needs to be looked after, not left in a doorway of a KFC.
On BBC News yesterday Jamie Oliver suggested that people in the UK care more about getting drunk than eating well (Link) and I think he’s right but not just about food, I think people in this country have a very immature attitude towards alcohol, the amount of people who get paid on a friday then get hammered that evening in this country is so high that certain supermarkets are giving staff warnings if they don’t come in the day after a pay day.
When did someone wake up and say ‘I know what’ll be a great night out, I’ll go out, drink a lot, wake up the next morning in my own vomit and not have a clue what I did the night before or who I did it with?’
It just makes no sense…to top it off this girl who stated she had wasted her time coming out to see her semi-unconscious friend stated that she still had £70 to spend drinking…is it just me or is that a waste?
The drinking culture in this country scares me, the way we encourage drinking (particually to young people) is dangerous….the price of drinks at universities is ridiculously low, a couple of months ago it announced that it was cheaper to buy beer in Tesco than water…it’s a crazy world.
If you’re reading this blog I want to hear your opinion of our drinking culture, and your opinion of alcohol, if you like waking up in your own vomit what do you like about it? If you’re sensible and actually enjoy the alcohol for it’s taste rather than effect comment….any comments are good!
Rant over!
August 19th, 2008 by Mark Tiddy Posted in Current Affairs, Joanna
I’ve just been camping for a couple of days in Wells with Jo, it was lovely to get away and dispite the rain had a brilliant couple of days….Now I’ve been camping I feel like it’s summer….shame about the rain…got some good photos though so here’s a few (see photo page for all of them!)
Wells Harbour
Jo Blowing Bubbles
Feet on the beach!
July 30th, 2008 by Mark Tiddy Posted in Christianity, Current Affairs, SPCK
So firstly I know the few interesting posts promised haven’t surfaced yet but they will do in the next few days.
Secondly my computer rebuild the other day established a dead motherboard, so I have since thrown some components up onto ebay and shoved others together to make a new machine which although I probably can’t sell makes a nice project!
Finally the SSG saga continues as ‘Brewer’ of SSG e-mails many bloggers reporting on the SSG news requesting that they remove content with threats of legal action, Dave Walker has had to remove his posts, however Reverened Norton is standing up for himself! - Link here
Although I don’t know if any SSG bookshops (formally SPCK) are still open can I urge you to boycott them (see link at the top of this blog) if you find them…and let SSG know how unhappy you are with their ethics as a company…in particular a Christian company and how they have treated their staff.
July 28th, 2008 by Mark Tiddy Posted in Current Affairs, Just For Fun
I got back yesterday from Stuart’s stagg weekend in Bournemouth which was great fun…I’m still very tired though…here’s a picture though…
In other news (and I apreciate it’s perhaps not the most appropriate post for it but nevermind!) Mum found out today that she actually lost 3 out of her body’s 8 pints of blood during the NHS cock-up described in previous posts…any more than that and she would have died, so although there’s a massive mess been made praise God for that!
Finally I think I now need to spend tomorrow afternoon rebuilding my desktop pc into a state so I can eBay it…doesn’t boot atm…not entirely sure why…it didn’t like travelling!
July 25th, 2008 by Mark Tiddy Posted in Current Affairs
I’m about to leave for Peterborough but thought I’d post a very quick prayer request…I think this is a himynameismark first!
On tuesday my mum went in for regular day surgary at the hospital (on her nose) however they managed to cut an artery (in their wisdom) and therefore she ended up on a blood transfusion and in intensive care with swelling to her eyes….thankfully she’s made it through intensive care and is coming home today, however the opticion thinks that she may never gain sight again in one of her eyes so prayer that the eye recovers fully would be awesome….and just general prayer for quick recovery etc.
Anyway I have to leave…thanks for praying folks!
Mark
July 23rd, 2008 by Mark Tiddy Posted in Current Affairs, Just For Fun, SPCK
So I’ve just almost finished my first week at Haven, not a lots changed, job is still fun and therefore I have nothing more to add on the matter.
In other news St Andrew’s, Gorleston where I grew up (as a teenager) and where my parents go have just approved at their PCC looking into and investigating the possibility of a Refresh style/SOS Bus project for Great Yarmouth which is brilliant, hopefully lots of other churches can get onboard with the project, I know Steve (see his blog) is very excited by it!
I think that’s all I have to add other than in SPCK news the Brewers have threatened Dave Walker and therefore he has took all SSG posts off of Cartoon Church….which is ridiculous!
Serious blog coming soon, maybe tomorrow…I’m away at Stuart’s stagg do this weekend so if not I’ll post some stuff on sunday/monday
July 7th, 2008 by Mark Tiddy Posted in Current Affairs, Joanna, Just For Fun
Firstly the issues against the council in sorting out some overgrown plants etc on Bristol Downs are ridiculous - link here
Secondly I’m off to Sheffield soon…it’s Jo’s birthday today and we’re seeing Ben Folds tomorrow…
I have a few larger, more serious posts in mind to keep checking the blog!
Mark
June 18th, 2008 by Mark Tiddy Posted in Current Affairs
The new version of Firefox is released today so follow this link and leave the crummy old internet explorer behind
June 12th, 2008 by Mark Tiddy Posted in Current Affairs, SPCK
The bancrupcy of SSG a couple of days ago (people who run SPCK) has took an interesting turn when it turned out that the company who will now operate the shops in their administration is also owned by the Brewers who own SSG….I smell a rat here…and also what will probably end up as the loss of all the formally SPCK bookshops accross the country.
What with trying to sell the shops (and not being able to because of contracts) and now this bancrupcy I can’t help but feel they’re trying to get out of the bookshop business.
For more information check out Dave Walker’s Blog
Also thanks to Phil who commented in my previous SSG post with this link. So if you’ve lost your Christian bookshop in the recent closures or if you’ve took up my boycott of SSG then head to the link and find yourself a Christian bookshop.
June 4th, 2008 by Mark Tiddy Posted in Current Affairs
I figured seeing as tomorrow is the day I’d post this advertising the brand new version of my website ‘Stand For Christ’ which will include a whole host of youth work resources, photos, forums and more!
Whilst I finish off the site this evening I won’t blog…however expect new posts in the next few weeks!
