A bed of roses

The talk on Ruth went well but was overshadowed by conversations about Southport and the aftermath. We were able to draw parallels between people feeling disenfranchised and being wary of foreigners! One thing that's particularly upsetting is the way the grief of three families, and the stress and uncertainty of another ten, is being hijacked by protests that have absolutely nothing to do with what happened.

My very left wing fb friend posted something about the protests being anti-Starmer and not led by the far right... I keep them on my list so I know I'm not only listening to my own echo-chamber but I'm pretty clear on who's leading on this. I haven't heard anything about anti-Starmer protests but have heard about white people being hateful towards black people. If the attacker had been white, would we have seen this level of protest? I think not.

We also talked about Ruth as a 'queer' icon, at least in the sense of her being subversive. It's easy to put modern sensibilities on to Biblical characters but a former member of our congregation would remind us that they had a very different understanding of human sexuality. What we can say is that Ruth showed remarkable devotion to another woman and spoke words that come as close to marriage vows as you'll find anywhere in the Bible - and chose her mil over staying in Moab and marrying again. I offered my £12 Coast dress from a charity shop as an example of my subversiveness, sticking two fingers up to the consumer economy.

Afterwards, one of my Beta readers complimented me on how well I'd handled the situation. People were all upset and frustrated to varying degrees but we provided space for them to talk it out - and to reassure each other that we were all feeling the same way. It's one of those times, though, that I take no personal credit - at the risk of sounding big-headed about something else, I'm not there as ME. I'm hosting on behalf of God - and also getting out of the way so God can speak through me, or remain silent through me. And it's another example of why my Laity (with a capital L) is so important. If I can do that, be that, say that, any other member of the congregation can.

Also had a rambling conversation with son and husband that covered indigenous peoples of the Arctic and Australia (and how we should refer to them), and the various types of intersex people. Thank Google for... Google... I mean, I learned stuff, too. I did point out that what I do know about LGBTQIA+ folk is largely me searching Google but also just listening to people. And holding on to the 'truth' that I don't have to 'understand', for example, why people are trans - I just need to be respectful of their stories and not deny them the dignity of using their chosen name/pronouns. It's just common courtesy. 

I've started 'Infamous: Second Son' (I believe being a gaming granny is also subversive, but that didn't come up today :D) and I'm not sure if I'm enjoying it. I'm certainly not as comfortable beating up humans as I am destroying monsters. Although I am going for the 'hero' playthrough (who doesn't do that on their first attempt...?), so I'm mostly subduing enemies. The only time I'm not is when I miss the little triangle :D But... I haven't taken to Delsin... I dunno. I'll see how I get on the next time I play.

Also, I'm not sure what I'd play instead. *ignores Tidus & co kicking their heels outside Yunalesca's palace where they've been for at least 2 years*

And I've watched the first episode of the new series of 'Dragon Prince'. Poor Claudia ;(