Friends, Family and Faith

What makes for a happy and fulfilled life?

Studies confirm it. In analyzing 30 years worth of data collected from a United States national social-survey database as well as other previous studies, researchers found that people who considered themselves unhappy tended to watch significantly more TV than those who said they were very happy.

'Higher-spirited folks' as the report calls them, spent more time on other types of hobbies, including mingling with friends and family members, reading newspapers, and attending 'religious services'.

So, a loose translation: plenty of friends, not too much tv, a good family and a strong faith leads to a fulfilled life.

Approaching 5000

As I write this, my blog is just two away from its 5000th visitor. Not a bad result considering when I set out, I wasn't sure anyone would read past the first week!

There are many blogs with thousands more visitors of course (though I keep mine honest, only recording separate visits, not separate page clicks as many do), but a modest celebration is due I'm sure. So three cheers and let's crack open half a shandy then, to the start of a blog the day after my daughter got married (and I felt old!) back in December 06.

And a little thank-you to those who have read this far. Copy my email down the page a bit, send me a 'well done on 5000' email and your address and if you are in the first five to do so you will get a free copy of the book 'God-Life'.

Cheers!

How Dare They!

I’ve just seen the UK Independence Party poster, walking back from town. It has a big photo of Winston Churchill with his iconic victory salute. How dare they try and co-opt Winston Churchill for their short sighted, head-in-the-sand anti European rhetoric!

Even if Churchill were not always pro-Europe, there is no way he would be supportive of such right wing propaganda as promulgated by UKIP. For the record, Churchill was a member of the Liberal party, then the Conservatives. He had a pragmatic view towards Europe, and after the war suggested a ‘United States of Europe’, albeit for reasons of peace. He was pro American and pro Commonwealth but it is a far fetched view indeed that aligns him with such insular political views as UKIP. It was such a poor view of Europe as held by Churchill’s predecessors that allowed Hitler to think we would turn a blind eye to the invasion of Poland. Churchill was not someone who was anti-European.

So how have UKIP got away with the implied claim that Winston Churchill is one of them? I trust their demise in the European elections will be swift and final. How dare they indeed!

Follow Your Heart

"Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything, all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure; these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked.

There is no reason not to follow your heart.

Death is very likely the single best invention of life. It’s life’s change agent; it clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you. But someday not too long from now, you will gradually become old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic but it’s quite true.

Your time is limited so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped in dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice, and most important, have the courage to follow your heart."

Speech to Stanford College from Steve Jobs, CEO, Apple Computer and Pixar Animation

Auntie Beeb's Visit

On Sunday 31st May at 10.00am, BBC1 are broadcasting live from our church at KingsGate. I’m in the choir and possibly doing one or two other things, so great anticipation at the moment.

We’ve been singled out for this ‘Pentecost Sunday’ live service due to our growth as a church I guess. When Roh and I first pitched up about 8 years ago, there were about 350 of us. Today it’s around 1,500 to 1,800 on an average Sunday.

Why is that? I know that many of my business and pension friends check in to these pages, so let me first of all say, I’m not intending to upset anyone- but maybe challenge you a bit! For me, the ‘why is that’ is all to do with the fact Jesus is real. He really did die on a cross, rise from the dead and is still changing lives today. Tune in to BBC1 on the 31st and see what I mean. So long as I don’t forget the words, trip up, do anything silly……

Finding My Real Age

I couldn't resist. There it was. ‘Fill in this questionnaire and find out your REAL age'. So off I go. Blood pressure. Weight. Height. Exercise. Job profile. On and on it went.

I was hopeful. I think I’m fairly fit and I think I look okay for my age. The blurb on the web page showed someone who was sixty with a 'real age' of forty-five.

So here we go…. Press the button, let the software do its calculation…

My actual age is 54 years and one month. And what did this wonderful ‘real age’ programme calculate me as? 54 years and two months. Hmmm.