• The Beatitudes of Livestreaming

    Blessed are they who livestream their church services
    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs to share with others and they know it.

    Blessed are the sick and the dying in churches which livestream
    for they shall be comforted by still being able to be part of their congregations
    in addition to receiving the personal and pastoral care of their friends and clergy.

    Blessed are those who are meek enough to know that audio matters more than video
    for they will inherit the online audience.

    Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for life-changing worship both online and in-person
    for their love of God will be counted as righteousness.

    Blessed are the joyful
    for their joy online will light up the world.

    Blessed are the purposeful
    for they will make their livestreaming easy to find and they will ensure that
    no-one needs to download a hymnsheet, a liturgy book and a pdf version of the notices.

    Blessed are the livestream makers
    for they are counted amongst the evangelists of today.

    Blessed are the congregations who rejoice in the technical and digital skills of those who are often overlooked
    for they shall reap a harvest of plenty.

    Blessed are those who know that their worship would be better not livestreamed yet
    for they know that they need to concentrate on renewing their in-person worship first.

    Blessed are you when people make snarky comments about your livestream
    for they are telling you they want it to be better for the honour and the glory of the Lord our God.

5 responses to “Blowing up the Red Road Flats – a poor image of the city”

  1. Serena Culfeather Avatar
    Serena Culfeather

    It’s not a lapse of humour on your part it’s gross insensitivity on the part of whoever is running the Games – can’t imagine what the asylum seekers must think of the city if this is deemed entertainment.

  2. Brian Ralph Avatar
    Brian Ralph

    I hope they have heard about the Canberra Hospital incident. (from wikipedia)
    The demolition had been planned for some time, and the ACT Government decided to turn the building implosion into a spectator event. Over 100,000 people, one of the largest crowds in Canberra’s history, came out to bid farewell to the birthplace of many Canberra residents.

    However, the implosion of the Royal Canberra Hospital was a terrible failure. The main building did not fully disintegrate and had to be later manually demolished. But far worse, the explosion was not contained on the site and large pieces of debris were projected towards spectators situated 500 metres away on the opposite side of the Lake, in a location that nobody considered unsafe or inappropriate. A twelve-year-old girl, Katie Bender, was killed instantly, and nine other people were injured. Large fragments of masonry and metal were found 650 metres from the demolition site.

  3. frdougal Avatar
    frdougal

    They’ve obviously forgotten the fatality which happened when they demolished the old Gorbals flats. This is very stupid.

  4. Helen Avatar
    Helen

    Apart from the insensitivity of the event, one has to ask why one block is left standing. If it is not suitable for the citizens of Glasgow, why is it suitable for asylum seekers. Should people fleeing brutality and persecution not be housed with more care.

  5. Andrea Avatar
    Andrea

    I first moved to the Red Road flats in 1968 as a 14 year old. Moved away from the centre of the city which I loved – and still love.
    Anyone who thinks of this spectacle in terms of ‘entertainment’ is missing the point – its not entertainment – it a Celebration.
    As a young teenager I learned what despair looked like – because it was all around me.

    As a young trainee teacher I taught in both primary schools that serviced those flats – and learned compassion for the weans who followed ….

    When I decided a decade later to leave Scotland (guessing maybe that I would never live there again) – my last act was to climb the stairs to the top of the Birnie Ct Tower take in the highest views – the distant horizons beckoning.

    I’ve now lived in Australia for more than 30 years – and I would credit the Red Road flats for galvanizing me to leave. It is at times a bittersweet exile from family and friends.

    I hope the celebration goes ahead – I’ll certainly be watching – a celebration for all those souls who were part of this disgusting social experiment.

    If you think of this event as in ‘poor taste’ – you simply never lived in those flats.

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