iGod

Share your happiest memory on World Alzheimer’s Day

I am not sure if you have ever experienced anyone with Alzheimer's Disease, but is pretty horrific. I've seen someone I love being slowly robbed of their mind, memories and relationships and it broke my heart.

On this day that specially remembers the fight against Alzheimer's, can I ask you to consider taking a couple of minutes out to visit Alzheimer's Research Trust's microsite: Memories Matter? It allows you to share your happy memories and show your support. I see there's a few odd celebs on there too, including the Prime Minister.

It is a great feel-good Monday thing to do - and very worthwhile. 

ASD

Dr Who gives a master class

There is an atmosphere of melancholy over the SD household as from last Saturday night.  The latest season of Dr Who has finished. It has been a highly enjoyable ritual to sit down with my eldest daughter to watch the Time Lord’s exploits.

This last episode, final part of a three-part story, featuring the return of The Master, starring the excellent John Simm (Sam Tyler in Life on Mars) was edge of the seat stuff.

Although I won’t even try to tell you all the plot, I will say the solution to the Doctor and our planet’s problems of domination were conquered in a very familiar way to us who know the Christian story. 

In short, the Doctor is caught and consequently considerably aged by the Master’s laser screwdriver on board a futuristic international command base in the sky, while Martha, the Doctor’s assistant manages to escape by a teleport wristband back down to earth.  But just before she disappears the Doctor whispers something in her ear.

A year passes and the world below lives in extreme fear of the billion or so roaming spheres, fitted with a very nasty set of knives, policing the world.

Then one night Martha appears running to the shore from a small boat greeted by a young doctor turned activist for the cause. She is now called the famous Martha Jones, the woman who has crossed continents giving people hope.

Meanwhile the earth is soon to end with a classic countdown situation, but all does not go to the Master’s plan.

How?

Martha Jones spreads a story that there is one person who can save the world, The Doctor. The people of the world end up chant his name in unison, breaking the hypnotic spell over themselves and therefore weakening the Master’s power once and for all.

Time is then able to be reversed to a year ago, saving both the Doctor and the world, and getting rid of the nasty spheres, which turn out to disfigured humans from the very end of time.

The Master explodes with rage when he realises that it was no sonic screwdriver affecting his paradox machine that defeated him, but a simple story.  He says, “you gave them hope and faith” “It was prayer!”

It is not hard to see some kind of Christian metaphor in this last episode. In some ways I was reminded of the Matrix, but one of the further things that struck me was the fact that Martha Jones says to those around her that the Doctor has saved the world many times and they haven’t even been aware of it. What’s more, he has never looked to be thanked.

As a Christian I firmly believe that God is at work in this world, doing stuff behind the scenes that many of us aren’t even aware of.  That’s because he is not a distant creator, but his love for the world wants to make him be involved.

Whether someone accepts his son Jesus, at one level, is secondary to loving us. He loves us anyway, it’s in his very nature, but if we believe in his son, then he is able to do so much for the human race. We create possibilities for His Spirit to work in our lives. We are able to be redeemed from the brainwashing of erroneous cultural values which deceive us into thinking this life of ours is the norm and there is no hope or faith for anything better.

Maybe it is no surprise that that when the Doctor’s life is reversed he takes on a messianic style special effect to show the power of people’s “prayer”.  The Master is totally powerless to do anything.

At the end of the day, I feel a little like Martha Jones, I only have a story to tell of how the Great Physician healed me and gave me and others faith and hope.  But it is a powerful story and no amount of mastery can compete with this kind of power.

Anyway, no doubt the DVD series will be out shortly, so why not see it for yourself?

Wooooo-oooooo-ooooooooo!

ASD