His name is Peter, his name is John

His name is Peter.

We met him last night on the street. Selling the Big Issue. He was clean enough, well mannered. Looked like he needed a good place to sleep though.

He took the coins and Tony asked if he could pray with him. (Tony’s like that: Bold as brass). Peter asked if we could pray that he gets over the death of his dad, the Christmas just gone. Here he is. On his own. But still missing his family. Still loving his family.

His name is John.

He earns £160,000 a week. Seems to have a problem with the occasional girl. And I’m not sure about the drink driving. But he’s a good footballer. And like Peter, I guess he loves his family.

In between –economically speaking- there’s you and me.

But it’s not about money. It’s about family. Being loved. Knowing love.

There’s one who showed it. At Easter.

His name is Jesus.

Your Call.....

This is the transcript of the actual radio conversation of a U.S. naval ship with the Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland October 1995. Radio conversation released by the Chief of Naval Operations, 10-10-95.

Canadians:
Please divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.

Americans:
Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the North.

Canadians:
Negative. You will have to divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.

Americans:
This is the Captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.

Canadians:
No. I say again, you divert YOUR course.

Americans:
This is the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln. The second largest ship in the United States Atlantic fleet. We are accompanied by three destroyers, three cruisers and numerous support vessels. I demand that you change your course 15 degrees north, I say again, that's one five degrees north, or counter measures will be undertaken to ensure the safety of this ship.

Canadians:
We are a lighthouse, your call.

Freedom that is Forced Freedom is not Freedom at all

Well done to the House of Lords for overturning a forced measure in the Equalities Bill that would have meant a lack of freedom, not increased freedom. To force religious organisations to ignore their beliefs when hiring staff would have been plain wrong.

Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks put it well in the Times:

“There are times when human rights become human wrongs. This happens when rights become more than a defence of human dignity, which is their proper sphere, and become instead a political ideology, relentlessly trampling down everything in their path. This is happening increasingly in Britain.

“When a Christian airport worker is banned from wearing a cross, when a nurse is sacked after a role-play exercise in which he suggests that patients pray, when Roman Catholic adoption agencies are forced to close because they do not place children for adoption with same sex couples and when a Jewish school is told that its religious admissions policy is…. racist, we are in dangerous territory indeed.”

‘Freedom’ that is forced freedom is not freedom at all.

Yes Tiger, you should convert.....

There’s a big debate going on in the States where a TV anchorman, who was part of a TV discussion panel, is being pilloried for saying Tiger Woods should consider the Christian faith instead of his mothers Buddhist faith to help him through his current problems. This is what Brit Hume said:

"I don't think that faith [Buddhism] offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So my message to Tiger would be, 'Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.'"

Seems a pretty gentle remark to me, and not one to draw out all the invectives of the US press, with some newspapers suggesting he has been ‘rude and crass’ and has ‘denigrated Christianity’. Denigrated Christianity?! For saying that?!

The ignorance of the current British government in trying to force through legislation that would force churches to hire open homosexuals in spite of the stance taken in the Bible shows how far we have moved away from a Christian society to one where we can’t even open our mouth and recommend to someone that they investigate the Christian faith.

This month sees the start of many Alpha Courses in churches up and down the UK- a great chance to go along and find out the real truth.

What Does It All Mean?

Did you know....

…. The top ten in demand jobs in America in 2010 did not exist in 2004
….We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist, using technologies that haven’t been invented, in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet
….If MySpace were a country, it would be the fifth largest in the world
….There are 31 Billion searches on Google every month
….The number of text messages sent every day exceeds the population of the planet

The pace of life is faster every year. (The older you get, the faster it gets!) Have a look at this and consider the final question…. What does it all mean?



King Solomon said there was nothing new under the sun. It’s kind of true. We get faster, communicate more, download, tweet, facebook and more. But it’s nothing new. There’s just more of it.

The question is the same. What does it all mean? Where is the satisfaction in life?

The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied. Proverbs 19:23

The pages are rustling with adventure.....

A bit of a misquote from C S Lewis that, but appropriate to today. Today sees our youngest (by 20 minutes anyway!) on her way to Zimbabwe for a gap year, working with children in Bulawayo.

For Lois, it is the start of an adventure. The future pages of her journal are rustling with excitement, new experiences, new friends and new learnings along the way.

For us too the pages are rustling…. This is the start of a new phase in our lives. With Lois’ twin Josh at Uni and the older two well away from home, we have a new page to turn too. No kids at home! (well, we do have Jen lodging with us but not sure that counts!)

What will God write on those pages? New experiences for sure. New opportunities. A whole new chapter.

A Preferred Future

"Commitments to a preferred future do not come randomly. They are intentionally established at times when you are thinking clearly and are close to God."
Wayne Cordeiro, 'Leading On Empty'

This New Year I commit to a preferred future. I will live brighter, clearer, cleaner, sharper.