Thank Crunchie...

It's Friday, I like Fridays.

The weekend is nearly upon us once more! How time flies...

It seems that my blog (apart from the obvious readers) has gone international!

Checking the logs, I see that I have had a few random hits worldwide via Google but I seem to have picked up a fairly regular reader from Norway.

So.. whoever you are, a big hello from me!

Controversial?

Was reading the news just now about more soldiers being killed while on active duty. One of those was a father of four.

That got me thinking; is it irresponsible for a serving soldier to have children?

Might be a controversial topic this one but the way I see it is simple. Being in the armed forces is a dangerous job, one which carries a higher than average chance of being killed while working. It's also a job likely to take you away from your family for long periods of time.

Kids need stability and so having a parent that is not always around must have some effect. Also to lose a family member is hard enough for an adult to cope with let alone a child.

It's all well and good a soldier getting married, as their other half can take a rational, considered and adult view on the risks involved. But any kids born do not have that luxury. They are born into a life that is really less than ideal for bringing up kids with the instability and risks thereof.

We see far too many pictures in the news of children crying as their military parent is flown back to the UK in a coffin.

Update

Way back last December I blogged a few aims for 2009. Now we are almost 3/4 gone - How did that happen?! 2009 has flown by! - I wanted to do a quick check on how i'm doing.

If I remember I had the following:

1) Get a new Job
2) Lose Weight
3) Embrace my inner 'middle class'
4) Don't panic about turning 30
5) Visit D&G in the US
6) Get a hair cut

So where are we?

1) Nope.. FAIL.. Still at IBM.. still looking for around for something new.
2) Well.. not gone on the massive weight loss / fitness regime i envisaged... but have lost a few pounds.. just enough to go down a few belt notches.
3) Completly embraced. I'm now perfectly happy with my 'inner middle class-ness'
4) 30 came and went.. i didn't panic, don't feel old. It's all fine.
5) DONE! Went to see D&G earlier in the year.. evident by my long holiday blog ramblings. Excellent time.. really brilliant holiday so want to go back again.
6) Yep.. hair cut many times.. including a good ol' 'kokomo cut' .

So... three months left.. how much progress can i make on 1 and 2 in the next few months?

Walking in the Rain

...No not the song by 'The Ronettes' or the cover by Erasure...

Isn't there just something really great about walking in the rain? I left work today, having been in a hot stuffy office and stepped out into a downpour. I had no coat so got soaked; but I didn't care.

Mysterious Ways

No.. not the U2 song.

It's funny how things go. I was having one of those days today. Feeling a bit down over the job situation in that I could really do with being out of IBM. Also, with Dominic and Sarah moving into Leaside Way with Pete it has resulted in me living on the other side of the city to the people I socialise with the most! On top of this.. Bus never turned up AGAIN and I ended up missing train and taking 2 hours to go from Hursley to home!

But there I was when the eternal loop of never-ending Mullins struck again with 'Sing your Praise to the Lord' followed by 'Creed'. If you've not heard that first song, then please, find it on YouTube. I defy anybody not to be smiling once it's done. It's such a feel-good praise song that I wanted to dance around the bus. Next came 'Creed' which.. well... is just what it says on the tin. Powerful, simple, traditional but with a hint of contemporary. Both songs are so different, but neither can be argued with.

So.. mood lifted, and feeling good I get home to find a letter. It was from one the Hosts from the Monkton Houseparty, who wanted to write to share some feedback recieved for the group I led. It was all very positive and encouraging and left me beaming! After having a slightly rubbish day, it was soo great to get such unexpected encouragement.

So yes.. mysterious ways...

Makeover

I've given the Blog a subtle makeover. I've changed the background colour to be a little less blue and more purple, changed a few font colours and added a background image to the title. Just decided it was time for a change!

Oh, and I totally missed the 09:09:09 09/09/09 thing the other day... Was the world meant to end or something?

Strangers in this Land

There is a song by Rich Mullins called 'Sometimes by Step' and it contains the following words:

Sometimes I think of Abraham
How one star he saw had been lit for me
He was a stranger in this land
And I am that, no less than he

Now.. What is the message contained in these words? The first time I heard this song... well.. the second time actually - the first time I was mesmerised by the Hammered Dulcimer in the background – I thought that this was obviously pointing to us being strangers; as in us who are Christians being strangers in today's increasingly secular society. If you took for example, a group of 50 people and 5 of them were Christians, you could easily say that those Christians are the 'Strangers in this land'.

However, I was thinking about this a bit more recently as it my iPod got caught in some eternal loop of never-ending Mullins and it seemed that every other song on Shuffle was one of his.

I began to think more about what it actually meant to be a stranger. Was it because the World doesn't know us? Or because WE don't know the World? You might think that those two statements are the same, but I think there is a subtle difference. The first, to me, implies that it's the responsibility of the world to accept and recognise us as Christians just as we are today, whereas the second put the emphasis on US to make the world see what we are all about... which I think is the slightly more Biblical way of thinking. So we should go out there and fix this 'stranger problem'

After all, what is a stranger, but someone you haven't said hello to yet?

It's something that I think comes difficult to many people, the whole going out there and spreading the word. Sure, we all know that Matthew 28:19 says “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” and we know we should.. but we also know it's quite scary sometimes to take the leap that is sharing with others. Maybe they will think us nutters, or maybe they won't.. but it's the unknown that can be scary. Even if nothing comes of your efforts (or so you may think!) immediately, the point is that you've shared Jesus with someone and that you've allowed there to be one less stranger (you!) in that person's life.