Mountain climbed!

A great two weeks in the Lake District. Except for the weather. Any ‘sun tan’ is actually rust!

Appropriate to my blog, Roh and I actually climbed a few mountains. The photo is me at the top of Ullock Pike, having just got through a hail storm to get there!

We followed the Alfred Wainwright guides for the most part. A remarkable man, he walked, wrote about and drew every mountain, hill and fell in the Lakes. His books continue to sell, even though they were written over 50 years ago now.

He has a nice line in book dedications and his book on the North Western Fells is dedicated to ‘those unlovely twins, my right leg and my left leg, staunch supporters that have carried me about for over half a century, endured much without complaint and never once let me down’.

I trust that as I continue to climb mountains, both metaphorical and literal, my legs, heart, mind and spirit will continue to be my staunch supporters!

Gold medals

I’m not sure how many medals Great Britain has accumulated so far in the Beijing Olympics, but I do know it’s more than we had ever hoped for! At the time of writing, we are still third in the medals table, behind the ‘superpowers’ of China and the USA. Gold, gold and more gold!

I love sport. Any sport really. I love the competitiveness, the passion to win. You see the raw emotion on the faces of the rowers as they cross the line. You hear the incoherent interview with a sailing winner as she cries her heart out. You watch the incredulity on the face of a track winner as they look up at the big screen and see they have won.

I’m in a race too. The Bible tells me to 'throw off every weight that slows' me down and 'run with endurance the race marked out' for me. This race lasts a lifetime. It’s completed as I cross the finishing line into the forever-life God offers freely if you believe. I believe.

I don’t deserve this forever-life from God. But He gives it freely. I accept.

And one day, as I cross the finishing line, I will take my medal and lay it at the feet of the One who ran His race and gave His life for me.

Hello, I'm from Mars

Not many people can say that.

The paperwork was completed this week. From September I will be working for Mars as their Pensions and Benefits Director. I'm looking forward to it. So are the kids.... free chocolate rates better than discounted paint from my last job at ICI!

The Uncommon Reader

I have just finished reading a short book by the playwright Alan Bennett, called The Uncommon Reader.

It’s a fictional story of a mobile library arriving at Buckingham Palace and the Queen rediscovering her love for books. Walking her corgis one day the Queen stumbles upon the mobile library. Not wanting to seem rude she borrows a book, and then another. Soon she has been bitten by the bug and finds herself reading whenever she gets a moment. She becomes adroit at reading in the car while waving with her free hand and seems to be neglecting her once impeccably performed duties….

It’s very clever- anyone who genuinely loves books will be smiling on every page! It’s a kick at ‘the establishment’ too, but mostly it’s about the love of books… so if you know me, you know why I loved it!

Chariots of Fire?

One of the funnier moments at the conference last week was when I decided to go out running. I ran from the centre of Brighton up to the Marina and back. It was a lovely afternoon, the sun was shining- and I felt good! In fact I felt strong and healthy.

I noticed that I seemed to be running faster than usual. There was a spring in my step. I complimented myself on my fitness. The theme tune from ‘Chariots of Fire’ was running in my head….

Having stopped to look around the Marina, I started to run back. I could hardly move forward! The strength of the wind was such that it was all I could do to walk into it.

I had totally missed the fact that the wind was pushing me along on the first leg. My feeling fit was nothing more than a wind assisted run. The Chariots of Fire theme tune has been relegated to the back of the mind again!

Honouring the founder and the future

I’m just back from a Newfrontiers Christian conference down in Brighton. The keynote speaker, Mark Driscoll said something that I think has such a wisdom about it, not just for Newfrontiers, but for any organisation.

Mark spoke of the need to honour both the founder and the future. Too much honouring of the founder means the future gets forgotten. Too much honouring of the future means the founder gets shipwrecked. The two need to be in balance. In any organisation, there has to be recognition of what has been achieved and the pioneers who managed it. But there always needs to be a looking forward to the future. If there is not, the organisation will be short-lived.

The best leaders allow for succession- honouring the past, looking to the future.

God-life

The book is out....

Having been writing it for the last 2 years or so, in airport lounges, hotel rooms and many a weekend, it's great to get the book published.

I'm not exactly a prolific writer- this is only my second book and the first was nearly 15 years ago!

It's called 'God-life' and it helps those with a Christian faith go deeper. I've filled it with stories, quotes and illustrations which I hope will help make it both readable and memorable. And more importantly, life-changing.

If you want a copy, email me at

ralphcturner@gmail.com

The recommended retail price is £6.99, but I can sell for £5.70 including post and packaging. Hope you enjoy it!