as my parents watch lord of the rings, i am typing

"And you said something,
You said something stupid like
Love steals us from loneliness,
Happy Birthday.
Are you lonely?"
- Idlewild, Love Steals us from Loneliness.

And so it was that Idlewild released a new single. And so it was that I bought it, put it into my CD player and have listened to it non-stop for several hours. Don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds, I've been listening to the other two tracks on the single too.

I never buy singles, on principle, I don't like paying 3,4,5 quid for one song (let's face it, B-sides tend to suck), I'd rather wait and get the album or (shock!) download it. Annoyingly enough, since the latter is apparently illegal, most of the time I just never get my mitts on the song. But Idlewild... Oh if there ever was a band worth spending £3 on... I want them to do well, and if my measly contribution to their record sales makes even a smidge of difference, I'll be happy.

Anyway, it's a damn good song. The verses move a bit slowly, the lyrics are vintage vintage Roddy Woomble but that is one hell of a chorus. That's a chorus to belt out in the shower, or at an Idlewild gig (roll on April 8th), or on the toilet. Yeah maybe that's just me. It's good to have you back, boys.

***********

I bought and watched The Ice Storm today. I'd been told it was brilliant, an ancestor of films like American Beauty. Also it has Elijah Wood and Tobey Maguire as 70s teenagers, can you say woohoo?

I have to say, I got a bit bored though. It was a very good film, but it just didn't sit well, there wasn't enough pace in it for me, not enough action. Not in the blood-guts-and-guns sense, in the things-happening sense. Maybe it's me, maybe I'm just not in tune to the subtleties of Ssh Films. It's too minimalist though, it annoys me. These films are supposed to depict real life. Well, it's funny, you know what happens in real life? People talk. All the time, far more than you ever see in any script. People don't speak in contrived riddles and loaded musings. People talk, they try to communicate. Maybe they don't succeed but they try.

Ssh Film - A film in which not much is said, tense silences and "why don't you figure out what they're thinking?" glances abound. Much time is spent with people walking quietly or having silent breakdowns. Conversation, if any, is disjointed and focusses on death and philosophy in the mundane.
Example: Woman is chopping vegetables.
Man comes in.
Man: What are you doing?
Woman: Chopping vegetables.
(tense silence, close up on woman's impassive face)
Woman: Good day?
Man: What is a day anyway?
Woman: What?
Man: Maybe.
Woman: What's this really about?
Man: It's about life.
Woman: You know when I was little, I thought about death a lot. D'you ever notice how carrots are like life?
(close up on man's impassive stare)
Man: I always hated potatoes.

These films tend not to make sense. Admit that you don't understand and you're probably stupid.

********

Jesus said we should pray continually. Just in case you hadn't noticed my shameless 24-7prayer plugging, there's a lovely bunch of people who've dedicated their lives to encouraging people to do just that.

One more shameless plug - read Red Moon Rising by Pete Greig, it's the tale of the 24-7 movement and possibly one of the most inspiring god-stories I've ever heard.

Doing a week of 24-7prayer at St Peter's Church might not work. I am aware of this. There's issues with space, supervision, enthusiasm for the idea, people being wary of such a radical way of praying. On a more straightforward level, people might just not want to pray for that long.

We don't have much time. If we want to do this at Easter, that's about a month of preparation time. Groups usually plan a 24-7 week half a year in advance. Also, what if half the congregation are away over Easter?

What if we can't fill all the slots? What if the prayer room gets vandalised? What if we try to organise it for Easter but it doesn't happen and people get de-motivated?

Nikki's forwarded an email I wrote outlining the idea to the leadership of the church. Here's my main fear - what if they just say no?

I spoke to one of the youth about it, said "do you reckon we could organise a week of non-stop prayer at the church?". She said she thought it was cool idea.
Yeah, but do you really think we could make it work, practically.
She reminded me that with Jesus, anything is possible.

I guess I'm getting so caught up with the practical constraints, the fact that this might be something God-led and I really feel like this is something he wants us to do has kind of been sidelined.

So this is it, the next couple of days are when we'll find it. To 24-7 or not to 24-7. Like they say, his will be done.