tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64023377130468093892024-03-14T04:26:40.746+00:00Dave on the SpotDave's place to talk about life, Church, God, Uni and anything else he wants to share with the worldAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-26494536081652884042016-05-23T16:56:00.000+01:002016-05-23T17:41:53.941+01:00Tell me the #StoriesOfJesus<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierO2i55KjYwBHWvAr5v9yPuMmvqvh9RboridUWxiS3rgarCwxQAt5sa1ImwkTgBFJClXb2Zx6L2pcixYgCPw7x3Dw0vEPW_t89GNl8ctinCE-oTT0NETuJSLwB0e3f8ySbWpccc6B6zM/s1600/pablo.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierO2i55KjYwBHWvAr5v9yPuMmvqvh9RboridUWxiS3rgarCwxQAt5sa1ImwkTgBFJClXb2Zx6L2pcixYgCPw7x3Dw0vEPW_t89GNl8ctinCE-oTT0NETuJSLwB0e3f8ySbWpccc6B6zM/s320/pablo.png" width="320" /></a><br />
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I was thinking yesterday again about how the Christian community sometimes works today versus how it started in the time of Jesus and the early Church. It's amazing really how very different our contexts are, sometimes making sense of what they're talking about in the Bible can be different - and I have lived most of my life in a rural setting, what about people who live in ultra-urban areas now, how easy can it be to relate to the tales of Jesus for them?<br />
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One thing I always used to love in the church I grew up in was that nearly every Sunday evening service there would be opportunity for "testimony" for people to share how God was moving in their life today. (Note, when I grew up it wasn't unusual in The Salvation Army to have <i>at least</i> 2 services on a Sunday, 3 if you include the "open-air" service in the town immediately before the evening service in the summer months.)<br />
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Yesterday I was reminded of the words of the song:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/t/m/tmtsoj.htm" target="_blank">Tell me the stories of Jesus</a> I love to hear;<br />
Things I would ask Him to tell me if He were here;<br />
Scenes by the wayside, tales of the sea,<br />
Stories of Jesus, tell them to me.</blockquote>
I want to challenge you, without looking at your Bible, remember one of the old stories of Jesus and tell it in your own words; then tell a story of the living Jesus and what he's doing today. If you're on social media, please share it with the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23storiesofjesus" target="_blank">#StoriesOfJesus</a>. Maybe this could become a weekly tradition?<br />
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One story I remember is the one where he's on the boat with the disciples. They've had a busy time and they're trying to get from one village to the next. Jesus is asleep in the front of the boat and the disciples, the majority of whom were seasoned fishermen, get very worried when a huge storm sets in. Lake Galilee is apparently known for it's sudden and very violent storms. The fishermen are worried, the landlubbers are scared, Jesus is asleep. This isn't the very start of their adventure with Jesus, though, they've seen him do amazing things; so maybe he can help. With a mixture of fear, hope, faith, expectation and a little bit of anger because he didn't just fix it, they beg him to save them. He looks at them in utter amazement, they don't quite realise who he is; he isn't going to die in a boat, his future has been foretold. He calms the storm with a simple "be still" and shows them again how much power is available to him. Not forgetting that later he tells them that everything he did, they will do even more and even bigger through the power of faith. Pretty amazing!<br />
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I've been rereading through the stories of Jesus recently, just getting to know him a little better. It's been nice to be reminded that he wasn't the glowing soft Jesus we sometimes see in the pictures; he was gentle but firm, a leader, a teacher, a man who felt anger. He killed off a fig tree because there was no fruit on it! He was the kind of man that you'd love to visit with, have a meal with. He was the life of the party and a loving friend. He was a healer, helper to all mankind. He had no prejudice in a culture that had many. He was a man who set a very high standard for his followers to live to, but he was forgiving and kind. He's the sort of man you'd love to be more like. I guess that's my Jesus story for now, just that I'm still able to get to know him more.<br />
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So I'd love to see/hear your Jesus stories - one from when he walked the earth and another from now. Your turn! I'll try and do this regularly, if I can, no promises though!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-37193942145514281082015-09-24T09:30:00.000+01:002015-09-24T09:30:01.470+01:00I believe! What do I believe?<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">I grew up in a Christian household. It wasn’t overly strict, at least it didn’t feel that way to me; I never felt the need to rebel against it. It obviously had an impact on me though. My upbringing was as a part of The Salvation Army, the church that started in the east end of London 150 years ago this year. It’s been great to watch the celebrations this year, it’s brought back a lot of memories and got me thinking a bit. Notice all the past-tense. 6 years ago, a little over a year after we got married we were taken on an adventure by God. He sent us to Cornwall; it wasn’t a hardship, we weren’t overly satisfied with the life we were leading, although we had friends where we were living before, and Cornwall was a pipe-dream for us (“we’ll move there when we retire”). That journey also took us away from The Salvation Army, but that wasn’t a coincidence or just a side-effect, we felt very strongly that God was intentionally taking us away, perhaps only for a time, but He needed us to break away and learn more about Him and His Church outside of those confines.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the time we left we both, but I in particular, felt called into full time ministry within The Salvation Army. Being called away wasn’t easy, but we chose to put a call from God over and above our denomination. And anyway, maybe he would use us to plant The Salvation Army where we were going?</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We described this process to people at the time as being like alice going down the rabbit hole, ok actually it was more a reference to The Matrix (“...see how far the rabbit hole goes...”); but the point was the further we went the harder it was to go back. It’s true what they say, ignorance is bliss. It’s much easier to just carry on through life in a form of autopilot than it is to question everything. I’m not saying that every Christian is some sort of mindless drone, but I am saying that we’re creatures of habit and sometimes that has value and sometimes it stops us from getting deeper.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the last 6 years we’ve gradually opened our minds, hearts and spirits to different ways of thinking, being and doing church. We’ve learnt a lot about faith and love; I think I said in a previous blog that our next challenge would be to learn more about hope, and I think that’s where we are at the moment.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hope and faith go hand-in-hand and as we’ve had our faith knocked we’ve seen our hope suffer with it. For me personally I was quite happy to describe my faith using the doctrines of The Salvation Army. Like any other faith organisation they have their statement of faith written up, so people can decide if they agree or not. It defines the basis of their whole theological universe and compared to some religious groups is pretty pared down to it’s fundamental parts and I completely agreed with them. They weren’t forced on me, in fact before I signed up to say I believe them wholeheartedly, I was taken through them one by one and discussed them with a group. I like a good theological discussion me and I wasn’t afraid to pick them apart, but I struggled to find much to disagree with - over 14 years have passed since then, mind.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are 11 doctrines that I’m going to briefly run through one by one. It should be interesting to compare where we are with where we were. Perhaps these brief points will form the basis of a blog series on their own, but I’ve not been great at writing blog series…</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and that they only constitute the Divine rule of Christian faith and practice.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That the scriptures were given by divine inspiration remains a clear belief, although I think that the word “inspiration” is important here. Humanity has certainly had an affect on the scriptures as they were originally recorded, chosen for the collection we call the Bible and again as they are translated to better suit our modern culture. However, to decide that the inspiration of God stopped after the last book of the bible was written seems a little limiting; The Salvation Army itself has always placed great emphasis on the movement of the spirit, so I think it’s important that we stay open to God speaking into our world today, the way that he spoke to the first believers. This is considerably less clear cut, and a much harder road to navigate, but I think it gives us more opportunity to hear from God.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. We believe that there is only one God, who is infinitely perfect, the Creator, Preserver, and Governor of all things, and who is the only proper object of religious worship.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was about to just type “Yep” when the word “Governor” jumped out at me. This is an issue I’m currently struggling with, and one that we’ve talked about quite a bit. Whilst I believe that God is all powerful and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">can</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> do anything, I also believe in free will and that we must worship him in “spirit and in truth” not just because He’s commanded that we will.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I guess it depends on your interpretation of the word “governor” - for many that will mean the God controls every little thing, but a governor of a country or a state does not focus on the minutiae, but uses their power, influence and authority to ensure that the state continues to work in a way that best serves the peaceful majority etc. That’s where I see God, He knows all and can step in when required, but He doesn’t micromanage His creation.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. We believe that there are three persons in the Godhead – the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Without wanting to be controversial, I’ve had some trouble with this concept. Let’s start with the Holy Ghost; neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament seem to point towards the Holy Spirit being an actual separate entity - in both the hebrew and greek it is referred to as the breath of God. It is a movement of God, an effect that God creates, it’s effectively God’s output - why in the english do we try to make it an agent in itself? Then let’s move to Jesus; He may be wholly divine (see below), the breath of God in human form (note that Adam was also filled with the breath of God…) but He says of Himself “I am the way to the Father”. He doesn’t expect that He should be worshipped, but signposts to God Himself. That’s a fairly unchristian viewpoint, so I’m struggling with that at the moment.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4. We believe that in the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united, so that He is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><br /></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This goes hand-in-hand with the point above, although I believe I can agree that in Jesus the divine and human natures are united.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5. We believe that our first parents were created in a state of innocency, but by their disobedience they lost their purity and happiness, and that in consequence of their fall all men have become sinners, totally depraved, and as such are justly exposed to the wrath of God.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t believe in the creation story as told in Genesis, there, I said it. The God I believe in could have created everything in 6 earth days, I do believe that He is all powerful, however I don’t believe that He used that technique in this case. I believe He initiated a course of action (along with ensuring that certain “coincidences” happened along the way) that would result in our creation and that we were created with free will, but that through the gifts of self-awareness and morality we have a natural tendency to be selfish. I believe that is the basis of what we call sin. I believe this is what the creation story of Genesis tells us, that God created everything, that we are the pinnacle of the creation on earth and that our intelligence etc gives us the capacity to be ultimately good, but also to choose otherwise.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m not sure that we’re all exactly “totally depraved”, but I think we all have parts of ourselves we’d rather people didn’t know about. There are lingering bits of pride, selfishness, greed and inhumanity to fellow man in us all. Does that deserve God’s wrath?… Can I postpone that question for now? That just seems too hard to answer right now. But what if the Kingdom of God is about learning to set aside our sinful nature and live in harmony with each other and the world around us, true heaven on earth stuff.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has by His suffering and death made an atonement for the whole world so that whosoever will may be saved.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m still trying to get my head around what the atonement actually means. Does it mean that God is something truly to be feared, that he must be appeased? Is God love or is he the child with the magnifying glass playing with the ants. If we understand the concept of breaking rules to do good for our fellow man, surely our perfect God can just bend the rules a little? Or if he wants us to be other than how we were created he could just fix us, or make us into mindless drones that will worship him.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When conversing about heaven and hell with believers in the past, I’ve always said that “if there is salvation, there must be something to be saved from”. But what benefit or pleasure does God get from eternally punishing those who actively or naively chose to go against him? The fire and brimstone version of Hell doesn’t make a lot of sense sometimes. I know of non-christians who do more good in the world than christians I know, which deserves their place in heaven more? Doesn’t make sense. Perhaps we just need saving from ourselves and from religious practise - Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice, so there’s no need for any more of that nonsense, no more separation from God. Ugh. I don’t understand it at all. It was so much easier just agreeing with someone else’s definition! But I love talking this stuff through with people, faith is a journey and we’re supposed to walk it together.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7. We believe that repentance towards God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit, are necessary to salvation.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Repentance, the act of literally turning away from who you were and how you thought/acted, is vital to what I’ve been saying. I believe that the regeneration that follows isn’t just necessary to salvation but perhaps may be a big </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">part</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of our salvation. The more we become like Jesus, the better our world will become. It’s not about not being ourselves, though. Think of it like coming to a T junction, you’ve turned left and walked (or driven or ridden) a long time, then you finally realise that left was the wrong way, so you turn around. When you get back to that T junction you’re not the same as you were when you left, you are who you are and you’ve been changed by the experience of turning left, but now you’re travelling in a different direction.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">8. We believe that we are justified by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and that he that believeth hath the witness in himself.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The gift of the Holy Spirit, the salvation we are offered (whatever form that takes) is all a gift from God; It is by his choice that we receive it; It is not earned. That is the definition/example usually used to define grace. But that isn’t the dictionary definition of grace, so either the translation from the original scriptures is wrong, or our interpretation of it has become twisted. The word “grace” comes from the latin “gratus”, meaning pleasing or thankful; synonyms of grace include elegance, courtesy and honour. Let’s look at Ephesians 2:8 (the ESV highlights this perfectly) “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God...” so is it not just a means of emphasising that it is a gift from God, out of God’s courtesy, honour and elegance he has saved us through our faith.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christians seem to give Grace this magical property, but really it just refers to God’s gracious and graceful nature. I believe that the gift of God, and of Jesus’ sacrifice, might actually be the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, that perhaps heaven is far more accessible than some of us believe, but I’m straying off topic here. If you are a believer, you have the Holy Spirit; your life is transformed from the inside out as a result of that. That is your witness.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">9. We believe that continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We come back to that question of what is salvation. Is it salvation from Hell? Eternal damnation? What is hell, what is eternal damnation? There are people with more knowledge than me who believe the doors to heaven might not be as tightly shut as some of us were led to believe. If that’s the case, what does salvation refer to? Is it salvation from religion, salvation from the worst parts of human nature? In that case, keeping yourself focussed on becoming more like Christ would seem to be an obviously necessity. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">10. We believe that it is the privilege of all believers to be wholly sanctified, and that their whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Between the Holy Spirit and the goal of becoming more like Christ, the process of becoming more holy is definitely something that believers should be going through and I do believe that it is a privilege. When it says about our bodies being preserved blameless, i’m not sure if this refers to resurrection of the body or not; I don’t know what I think about resurrection of the body, will we need these bodies? Does this mean that we shouldn’t cremate? But during life I think it is possible for us to live holy lives with our spirit, soul and bodies preserved blameless; but there’s no way this is possible by our own efforts, that ability rests solely on the Holy Spirit.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">11. We believe in the immortality of the soul; in the resurrection of the body; in the general judgment at the end of the world; in the eternal happiness of the righteous; and in the endless punishment of the wicked.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Okay, so that clears up my question above; resurrection of the body. Really?! It seems so unnecessary. Does God have the limitation of a physical body? If there is a physical new earth, then maybe we will need a physical body to navigate it. Definitely an area I need to investigate further!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Immortality of the soul, check.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">General judgement… I like the way the it is described as separating the sheep and goats. Both have different value to a shepherd and/or owner, and they have different needs. Neither would have been seen to the audience to be wholly good or wholly bad; it’s just a matter of managing your flock. If heaven is more open than evangelicals generally judge it to be, then maybe judgement will be less like a courtroom and more like a farm.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eternal happiness of the righteous: Yep, down with that.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Endless punishment of the wicked: Maybe, but I think my idea of “the wicked” is probably very different from what it was. Revelation 21:8 (Amplified Bible) describes those who will be punished as this: “But as for the cowards and the ignoble and the contemptible and the cravenly lacking in courage and the cowardly submissive, and as for the unbelieving and faithless, and as for the depraved and defiled with abominations, and as for murderers and the lewd and adulterous and the practicers of magic arts and the idolaters (those who give supreme devotion to anyone or anything other than God) and all liars (those who knowingly convey untruth by word or deed)–[all of these shall have] their part in the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone. This is the second death.” There are, of course, arguments that this may be a process of purification, or simply stating that these people will be near heaven, but on the burning trash heap outside of the city. Again, a huge area that I really haven’t made my mind up on yet.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All done.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So there, I’ve gone through what I once believed and responded to it briefly point by point. I’m keen to have conversation about these points, constructive rebuttals are hugely welcomed. As I say, I love a bit of debate, I think it helps us deepen our faith and broaden our horizons. Something you say might challenge me now, but it might take me time to come around to your thinking. I hope I’m big enough to accept now that I’m not, nor can I ever be, absolutely right and that faith is a never-ending journey.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-41768732500183990372015-09-01T09:00:00.000+01:002015-09-01T09:00:04.038+01:00Summary post for the end of summerSince the last post we've been pretty busy helping Willow to settle in, which was especially hard given that she ended up having an infection. After an initial course of treatment she ended up having to go on a course of antibiotics, which was unfortunate but one of those things; that in turn meant that we had to put off her second vaccination until Friday. So now we're just waiting until Wednesday until she can get down on the ground and have a taste of freedom! She's getting pretty fed up of being carried all the time, and she's also getting pretty big!<br />
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A photo posted by David Lumm (@cyberneticiandave) on <time datetime="2015-08-26T17:49:24+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 26, 2015 at 10:49am PDT</time></div>
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Already in the few days since that picture was taken she's grown quite dramatically! We've taken to using the bike trailer (which has an add-on wheel and handle so you can use it like a pushchair) to push her around, because it's just so hard to carry her all the time! I don't have any good pictures of her in there, so here's a picture of her in there asleep today...<br />
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We went to see the fireworks at Lands End on Thursday, which was a first for us. My instinct was that it would be a bit tacky, but we thought Isaac might enjoy it and that it would be a good experience for Willow, to hear all the bangs and see that we weren't phased. Quite frankly I was very surprised, it was a great show and I'm pretty sure we'll go down there again. Lucy's phone was playing up and waiting to be hit with my magical fixing hammer, so she borrowed my phone and got some decent pictures.<br />
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It's looking increasingly like summer is pretty much over, although every time we think it's done it picks up again. Here's hoping we'll have one last hoorah before it's all done, and then we can enjoy autumn. Hopefully we'll have a relatively dry and warm enough week around Isaac's birthday in September.<br />
In other news I've been working on a replacement for our home-automation set up, following the news that NinjaBlocks have gone bust, I'll be writing a blog about that over on <a href="http://twinklebob.co.uk/">TwinkleBob.co.uk</a>, once I've got it reasonably sorted. I've also been working on some other blog posts; hopefully I'll finish one of them one day!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-57247892797841322202015-08-19T10:00:00.000+01:002015-08-19T10:00:05.798+01:00Where have I been?It might come as a surprise to those of you who read this that I actually enjoy writing. It's been more than a year since I updated this blog. I wish it wasn't.<br />
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I constantly have ideas that I'd like to write about and I'd love to do more of those weekly summary posts - it was fascinating to bring together some of the stuff I was doing online and in real life. The problem seems to be one of time and motivation. It's the combination that's a killer.<br />
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I've got the day job, which I love. Problem solving, programming, technology; I love it! Then when I get home I <strike>want</strike> need to spend as much time as possible with Isaac. We're less than a month from 4 years old; he's a bundle of energy, but he's so full of life and love that I hate having to get other things done sometimes. I also hate it when I feel tired after a particularly mentally challenging day at work; sometimes I have to force myself to play, which is awful, but I do my best to give him some time whilst being honest about my limits.<br />
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Then there are the jobs that need to get done around the house and garden. I'm rarely on top of them all, but that's alright, I'll catch up later when Isaac is older and wants some time/space from his old mum and dad. As long as I can just keep it ticking over.<br />
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But that usually just leaves the evenings when Isaac is asleep, I can get some jobs done, but nothing too noisy. Usually by this point I just don't have the attention span to sit down and write. And I've got other projects that need my attention too. D'oh!<br />
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And then, just to make life even more interesting, we added Willow to the mix:<br />
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A photo posted by David Lumm (@cyberneticiandave) on <time datetime="2015-08-01T16:51:00+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 1, 2015 at 9:51am PDT</time></div>
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It being summer, we're also spending a lot of time exploring beautiful Cornwall (as much as we can whilst she's not allowed on the ground) which tends to lead to a lot more blog ideas but even less time to write them. Ho hum.<br />
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I've been trying to write a little something each day, let's call it micro-journaling (it's like the Twitter of journaling...) but even with that I've struggled. It's trying to decide what is worth taking the time to write down that sometimes slows me down.<br />
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I'm resisting the urge to make any "I'm back" announcement, but here's hoping it'll be less than a year before I write again. I'd like to publish at least a post a month. Wish me luck!<br />
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Dew genowgh ollAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-71646552052666311652014-07-28T10:50:00.001+01:002014-07-28T10:50:43.599+01:00Open letter to Philip Hammond<div class="tr_bq">
With a little help from <a href="http://38d.gs/1rDC7MF" target="_blank">38 Degrees</a>, I've just written the following letter to Mr Philip Hammond, the Foreign Secretary. Perhaps you'd like to <a href="http://38d.gs/1rDC7MF" target="_blank">write your own</a>?</div>
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Dear Mr Philip Hammond,<br />
First off, welcome to your new role. I guess there's never a good time to take on a role like this, but you seem to have taken yours up during particular unrest about the situation in Palestine.<br />
Thanks to social media and the constant under-current of religion and politics it doesn't seem there's a person in the country without an opinion on the matter, and they're not shy about sharing it.<br />
I understand that the UKs political relationship is biased towards Israel, not least because we were heavily involved in starting this mess in the first place, but I think we need to make a statement to both parties that this behaviour can no longer continue.<br />
Neither party is in the right here, both must be called to account. The UK must be seen to not be supporting one side or the other, so this means withdrawing financial (and other non-humanitarian) support from Israel.<br />
Whether or not either side has committed war crimes, this has become a very dirty war, with many innocent lives paying the price. Both sides should be investigated. I honestly do not understand why the UK abstained from the UN vote to do so? Was it because only Israel was targeted? Would the UK vote on a resolution to investigate both sides?<br />
Peace talks need to focus on two areas. 1, Hamas, on behalf of Palestine, must accept that Israel have a legal right to some of the land, as per the UN resolutions from 1947; 2, Israel must return land to Palestine that it has taken since that date and remove all blockades around those borders. It must cease and desist from attempting to claim further land, if necessary by having it's armed forces disbanded.<br />
The general populous of both sides have a right to a free and pleasant life. I don't for one minute think that the UK should intervene in the way we did in Iraq or Afghanistan, but we do need to take measures to prevent further innocent bloodshed. I hope I can count on you to represent the growing opinion in this country that this must end now. Enough is enough.<br />
Yours sincerely,<br />
David Lumm</blockquote>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-49564681584942243112014-06-13T21:02:00.001+01:002014-06-13T21:02:26.123+01:00Is God authoritarian?<p dir="ltr">I'm currently reading Follow by Floyd McClung, a very challenging and thought provoking read. Today's thought centres on one point. Is God an authoritarian?</p>
<p dir="ltr">The book spends some time talking about how we're to give God complete control of our lives. However he seems to approach this from a very authoritarian point of view. That God literally wants to control every aspect of our lives, I'm not sure yet whether he means at the macro or micro scale.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I guess it may be because of my increasing distance from the institutional Church and increasing leaning towards universalism, but I find myself kinda confused that we would take people from their perceived freedom to become slaves (willing or otherwise) of the King. Surely the good news is freedom? Are we not adopted children of the king rather than His servants?</p>
<p dir="ltr">I seek to bring in God's Kingdom, to be and proclaim the good news. But should I really seek to be micro managed?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Jesus seemed to outline a different model of leadership, so why do we treat God the Father as an old world King? Is it because he had to give all of those rules to the Isrealites? Was that for his benefit or for theirs?</p>
<p dir="ltr">I may just be overreacting, I almost certainly am, but I was interested in starting a conversation. Is it about giving up myself completely and allowing him full control, or is it more about becoming one with him and Jesus and the Father are one?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Answers on a postcard please!</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-91347528130588731182013-12-04T14:01:00.000+00:002013-12-04T14:01:54.467+00:00All I want for Christmas is an electric car<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I love electric cars, I’d love to have one, but I can barely afford to keep the car I have on the road, never mind an electric one too and let’s be honest, range anxiety is still a very real thing (and the sort of electric car I could afford wouldn't have range as a selling point). For sure the situation will improve with time and the network of charging points is increasing, but who wants to have to stop every couple of hours on a long trip?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That there is why I love what <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/110107458243955110887" target="_blank">+Tesla Motors</a> are doing with their cars, they’re starting from scratch and really thinking the whole problem through. They’re slowly working their way towards mainstream, but of course they have to start somewhere. More power to them, at least they’re taking the risk at being at the cutting edge of this, which is risky.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There’s reasons for the high cost of the cars, of course there is, as <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/114461178896543099856" target="_blank">+Elon Musk</a> mentioned in his </span><a href="http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/mission-tesla" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">recent blog post</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, but at the same time this slows down the time it takes for the technology to get mainstream. The more people who </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">have</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> electric cars, the more charging stations; more infrastructure will then push up adoption figures. Plus the more people who own electric cars and the more they can provide useful feedback and usage figures which will help improve the technology.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The sort of media coverage they've been getting recently may not help, even with great responses by Elon (see the above linked blog post); they need users who will actively push the good news into the social media and traditional media.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a software developer I see it all too often that the best way to understand whether you've developed something right is to test it and take notes of how it is used and how the users feel about it and I think the situation is the same here.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm never going to afford a brand new top-of-the-line Model S, frankly it’ll be years before I’ll be able to afford a decent used electric car. So I did what any sane person would do, I wrote to them and asked them to send me a free car in exchange for regular reviews, blog posts and articles. Unfortunately I haven’t had a reply, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up hope.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If they considered a lease type offering, that could work out similar to the costs of running an internal combustion vehicle. You see with tax, insurance, fuel and maintenance that can cost a fair amount each month; and whilst there would be a hike in my electricity bill, I’d imagine that I’d be able to work around that considerably.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We've had a new Sainsbury's supermarket open in Penzance and that, rather helpfully, includes an electric car charging point. We simply change from monthly shops to weekly, change where we normally do our shopping and have a meal there in their excellent cafe to extend charging times. Our food shop bill will go up a little, but against the savings being made on our car running costs it’ll probably be negligible. Whenever we’re planning a trip away we’ll have to do an overnight charge at home (on Economy 7) and plan around en route charging points.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No, I haven’t thought much about this…</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I really want an electric car and I can’t wait until they become mainstream! I want to be involved in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">making</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> them mainstream.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The tales of an electric car towing a caravan and being used successfully away from home for a week or doing fairly ordinary journeys like Cornwall to Bristol, Cornwall to London, Cornwall to North Wales would make people rethink about range anxiety. Having an electric car that is fast enough to compete in races is one thing, but what about an electric car that can be used by a family with minimal or even </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">no</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> inconvenience? Now that’s something that’s going to encourage uptake, and in turn encourage the infrastructure to improve.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-5d691a23-bdd8-2e72-9fb3-3ec4ab56f901"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What I’d like to see Tesla do now is some sort of subsidised lease programme, with all costs included (except electricity), in exchange for enhanced coverage of the vehicles. Like an extended test drive crossed with Peugeot's “just add fuel” scheme… I can see the branding now, “Tesla, just add leccy”. But seriously, this would be a way to get an advanced electric vehicle in the hands of an average car driver for a year and really accelerate the whole process. I’d like to nominate myself for the scheme; I’ll take a red model S with a towbar please or a charcoal Model X, if they’re coming soon...</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-16773843279037965792013-10-13T21:35:00.000+01:002013-10-13T21:35:50.645+01:00And more than two months have gone by...It's been quite a while since I last did a catchup post, over two months now! So this one won't be quite as detailed as the others, but more of a quick skim through what I/we have been up to. Be warned, it <i>is</i> long.<br />
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We've met up with some friends who have come down here to be the Corps Officers (Salvation Army church leaders) in St Ives. Lucy was meeting them pretty much for the first time, for me it was more of a huge catch-up, having not seen either of them for many years. Having now met a few times I'd like to think we're well on our way to becoming good friends. We're just trying not to think about the fact that they'll have to move away in a few years...<br />
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As a sure sign that Isaac is growing bigger, we bought a car seat and I <a href="http://backrods.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/the-saga-of-carseat.html" target="_blank">blogged about our choice</a>. We had been fortunate that he had managed to fit in his first car seat for almost the first two years of his life and went for a rear-facing model to maximise safety.<br />
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Also related, Isaac's gone from barely walking to now running around quite confidently (apart from the other day when he took a tumble on the road outside our house and managed to graze his forehead...)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxd6fdsPVMmKrcQYB1I36Ip7t1SjQGSRCCARVDxUR9rtHmOLgEiZoD9-LhCcmRDzgVXTcbTbv0flphdOoXMP0hAZJRQt6pHtpJWn6YE7pwH0K7NPVB-0mPpBR2dmmk2xX7n14RaXEnJg/s1600/20130907_133829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxd6fdsPVMmKrcQYB1I36Ip7t1SjQGSRCCARVDxUR9rtHmOLgEiZoD9-LhCcmRDzgVXTcbTbv0flphdOoXMP0hAZJRQt6pHtpJWn6YE7pwH0K7NPVB-0mPpBR2dmmk2xX7n14RaXEnJg/s320/20130907_133829.jpg" width="240" /></a>Early in September we bought a caravan, to allow us to take some holidays away from home. We wanted a particular model of folding caravan (a Rapido Export-matic) so I travelled all the way to Kent to pick one up at a very good price. Unfortunately on the way home one of the tyres burst and did some damage to the floor, but it's all repairable. The caravan also turned out to be the slightly older Export model, but it's not much difference. We're looking forward to getting her out and exploring some more of this country near and far. We've already decided that our first week away needs to be the New Forest, but we'll probably take her for a weekend somewhere closer to home.<br />
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Now we just need to get that garage sorted so we can fit her in!<br />
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Mid September Isaac had his second birthday! Woo hoo! I took the day off and we headed to <a href="http://www.lappavalley.co.uk/" target="_blank">Lappa Valley Steam Railway</a>. We had an awesome day, despite some dodgy weather. Here are some photos:<br />
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Towards the end of September Lucy's family all came down to see us, which was lovely. We saw Mousehole and St Ives and on their way back up the county we popped into St Agnes for lunch on the Sunday. Isaac had loads of fun throwing stones into the sea with Nanny in the rain!<br />
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When they'd all cleared off we set to work turning the spare room of old into Isaac's bedroom (so now there's even more in the garage... oops). There's no rush to get him to sleep in his own bed, but he's loving having his own space to play in etc.<br />
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This last week I've been off work, which has been lovely. We originally planned the week off to use the caravan, but circumstances meant we had to adapt. We used the week to get some stuff done around the house, and make a bit of room in the garage (thanks to a car boot sale on Sunday). We didn't waste it all in the house though, we went to soft play, visited Lands End, went swimming at a great pool with slides and we also went on walks around the village.<br />
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Last but not least, here's some highlights from various parts of the internet:<br />
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<ul>
<li>29th June - <a href="http://instagram.com/p/cXVKB-IPkR/" target="_blank">Instagram: Possibly Isaac's first "selfie"</a></li>
<li>12th August - <a href="http://instagram.com/p/c69FxGIPiH/" target="_blank">Instagram: Isaac showing off his improving walking</a></li>
<li>14th August - <a href="http://bit.ly/13l6HBw" target="_blank">I reviewed the "Groovy Cable"</a></li>
<li>16th August - <a href="http://lnkd.in/9KWAvV" target="_blank">I shared a skeuomorphic online payment system on LinkedIn</a></li>
<li>18th August - <a href="http://instagram.com/p/dJdr71oPqx/" target="_blank">Instagram: Isaac learning how to sew with his Mama</a></li>
<li>20th August - I shared an <a href="http://bit.ly/1dpnV2G" target="_blank">interesting blog post from a friend about prayer</a></li>
<li>22nd August - Lucy took a <a href="http://instagram.com/p/dUl0B_xJvc/" target="_blank">picture of me and Isaac waiting for the train</a>, it's my current profile picture</li>
<li>13th September - I started <a href="http://bit.ly/1g9Uwb2" target="_blank">blogging a home PBX project</a> (still in progress)</li>
<li>23rd September - I shared a post on Google+ about <a href="https://plus.google.com/114651320566585105641/posts/5YWuXW4KSut" target="_blank">a spoon that cancels out parkinsons tremors</a></li>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-18944132437657387442013-09-25T10:00:00.000+01:002013-09-25T10:00:02.098+01:00Jesus Is Lord!Having started a series on the <a href="http://daveonthespot.blogspot.com/search/label/Fundamentals2013" target="_blank">fundamentals of our faith</a>, some time back, it seems like I missed a step really. So in this post I'm going to backtrack and start from the very beginning. Since I started the series on this blog, I'll keep it here, but future posts of this nature will probably be posted on the <a href="http://missioncornwall.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Mission Cornwall blog</a>.<br />
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We absolutely believe in Jesus of Nazareth, called the Christ or Messiah, and that He was the son of God.<br />
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We believe in a trinitarian god-head, or as the old song puts it "God in three persons, blessed trinity". We believe that there is a Father/Creator, the Holy Spirit who is the breath of God and Jesus, the son of God and son of man.<br />
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We believe in the Bible, although we don't believe the story ended there - I guess that one is a post all in itself.<br />
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We believe wholeheartedly that Jesus came to save, to heal and to inaugurate the new covenant and the coming of God's kingdom. The arrival of God's kingdom is, for us, simultaneously past, present and future. That is, it started with Jesus and, to quote Jesus, it is "at hand" - that is to say both here-and-now and also imminent.<br />
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We believe that Jesus started a movement that would be announce the coming kingdom and catalyse it's creation. They became Christians and they, in turn, became <a href="http://www.paganchristianity.org/" target="_blank">paganised</a> by the Roman establishment.<br />
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So today we find ourselves Jesus followers, but not always 100% sure of what that means, hence the need to explore our fundamentals in the first place!<br />
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I think that's enough for a fundamental, I'll get working on some more posts soon, otherwise these won't be "Fundamentals 2013" any more...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-88346861153586829012013-09-24T09:24:00.002+01:002013-09-24T09:24:59.230+01:00Win an iPhone 5CI'm pretty fortunate to be able to review a fair few bits of technology, thanks to my awesome writing skillz and some great contacts. OK, so mostly is the good contacts, but anyway, I digress.<br />
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This is a quick post, I'll be posting a humongous catch-up post soon, hopefully, but in the meantime I have some news to share with you. Following the announcement of the new iPhones, one of those aforementioned awesome contacts, the wonderful people at mobilefun.co.uk, have announced a competition to <a href="http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/blog/win-an-iphone-5c/" target="_blank">win an iPhone 5C</a>.<br />
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I'm quite impressed with the concept of the 5C, to be honest, I like the fact that Apple are slowly widening their portfolio and introducing a cheaper (if not exactly cheap) iPhone with all the same attention to detail they are known for. I can't see them ever bringing out a truly budget phone, but this is a step in the right direction.</div>
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Back to the competition, it's incredibly easy to enter and it's one of those competitions where you get more entries the more you share etc. Of course the more you share, the more <i>other</i> people get a chance to win... make a wise choice! ;-)</div>
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If you win you will, of course, be needing some <a href="http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/cat/Apple-iPhone-5C.htm" target="_blank">accessories for your iPhone 5C</a>, and of course Mobile Fun just happen to cover everything you could possibly need.</div>
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If you win, please thank me in the form of £50 notes... Or chocolate will do...</div>
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In terms of getting back to general blogging, watch this space, the last month and a half have been jam-packed, so there's plenty to tell you!</div>
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As they say down these parts, cheers and gone!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-32849576207347073212013-07-31T09:54:00.000+01:002013-07-31T09:54:25.906+01:00A quieter weekSo following an adventurous week with family last week was a little quieter, which has it's advantages.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bDwbU_kzTCc/Ue0MQ-h9zLI/AAAAAAAAJT0/_tGGp8qmyCk/s1600/20130721_152726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bDwbU_kzTCc/Ue0MQ-h9zLI/AAAAAAAAJT0/_tGGp8qmyCk/s200/20130721_152726.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That way Dada!</td></tr>
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Sunday we went to Godrevy to walk a little further around the headland than we'd been before, which was lovely. We enjoyed seeing the wild ponies grazing around there too and we even managed to see a seal! There are apparently usually loads there but never any when we go, so to see one was a significant improvement!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KOw5U2vDis0/Ue0MQ-qdS1I/AAAAAAAAJTw/6NX63myFM9M/s1600/20130721_153603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KOw5U2vDis0/Ue0MQ-qdS1I/AAAAAAAAJTw/6NX63myFM9M/s200/20130721_153603.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ponies, sea and a lighthouse</td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xWrJKUM5JfY/Ue0MQ4nWw3I/AAAAAAAAJTw/C8qp8gbZxnY/s1600/20130721_162753-MOTION.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xWrJKUM5JfY/Ue0MQ4nWw3I/AAAAAAAAJTw/C8qp8gbZxnY/s200/20130721_162753-MOTION.gif" width="150" /></a>Also at Godrevy Isaac had his first ice cream! He's had tastes of ice cream before, but between his early dairy problems and the coldness of it he's never been that interested. It was a pretty hot day and we could all do with some cooling down so we got an ice cream. Isaac managed to eat pretty much the whole of his ice cream with only a little help from Mama and Dada, it wasn't what we were expecting!<br />
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Monday I had a bright idea and I'm now using <a href="http://ifttt.com/" target="_blank">IFTTT</a> (If This Then That) to aggregate all of my online activity into a Google Drive spreadsheet, making it easy for me to see at a glance when I come to write this weekly summary. If you haven't come across IFTTT, I wrote an <a href="http://www.geek-speak.co.uk/2013/03/ifttt-automation-for-the-web/" target="_blank">article on it</a> some time ago for geek-speak.co.uk. Other than that it was a quiet day.<br />
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Tuesday Canonical/Ubuntu announced the Ubuntu Edge campaign on IndieGogo, and I just had to <a href="http://bit.ly/11bkkzS" target="_blank">dream</a> about being able to get involved!<br />
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That evening we went to the library to return, renew and checkout books; Tuesday is their late opening day, which means we can get there after I finish work and not feel that we have to rush!<br />
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Whilst we were there Isaac decided he would help the staff and rearrange some of the children's books. I took plenty of pictures and Google+ animated it for me!<br />
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Thursday the weather turned quite dramatically although it wasn't as stormy as other parts of the country had it. That didn't come until Sunday.<br />
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Friday I signed/shared a petition asking for <a href="http://bit.ly/12PURtE" target="_blank">Stricter Controls Over Bumblebee Imports</a>, relating to how some imported bees are bringing parasites into the country and negatively affecting our native populations.<br />
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More importantly (!) Friday was our 5th Anniversary! We celebrated at a lovely Italian restaurant in Penzance.<br />
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Saturday morning I was at the village Farmers Market, trying to flog some <a href="http://www.facebook.com/daveandlucybarefoot" target="_blank">beautiful books</a>. Isaac and I then made the most of the break in the weather to do a bit of gardening, but was rudely interrupted by the ice cream man...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfszUS8fMg8N6J0CeyltZ_3xVDpxQK2LJLr2mr0l7YvjnqNUAM_yHlV9auNJsvoYQYwGO-BoddEFTgvbwCHfM2cZ0oZ0-iJWLkAg7eDdksQdS7ezt8wrYjop6EKUEFQUQha5N4ITXxDE/s1600/1001698_10152183335946917_410110026_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfszUS8fMg8N6J0CeyltZ_3xVDpxQK2LJLr2mr0l7YvjnqNUAM_yHlV9auNJsvoYQYwGO-BoddEFTgvbwCHfM2cZ0oZ0-iJWLkAg7eDdksQdS7ezt8wrYjop6EKUEFQUQha5N4ITXxDE/s320/1001698_10152183335946917_410110026_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/102878521296583529539" target="_blank">+Lucy Lumm</a></td></tr>
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That afternoon despite the weather starting to look a little dodgy we decided to head to Praa Sands to walk a little further along the coastal path than we have previously. It looked like it might rain, but we decided it wouldn't be too bad.<br />
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When we got there the weather was glorious. The water was so warm we both regretted not having our costumes! Thank goodness we always carry essentials in the car: bucket and spade, beach shelter and blanket!<br />
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Only, it was the wrong type of sand for building sandcastles... too dry:<br />
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So instead we had lots of fun walking in the sea!<br />
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Whew, well it took me until Wednesday to write it all up, better get started on this weeks report!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-23111183807020345912013-07-26T23:35:00.000+01:002013-07-26T23:35:00.739+01:00A fabulous week with familyWhen I originally started writing this post I got very excited that I'd managed two weeks in a row, but unfortunately life happened and it's taken me from Saturday until now to finish it. Oh well, I tried...<br />
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This week, from Saturday to Saturday we had Lucy's sister and brother-in-law (also known as Aunty Siân and Uncle Rich) come and stay with us; I took the Monday and Friday off to spend some quality time with them and we had a fantastic week!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://instagram.com/p/bvZCIVoPkF/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></td></tr>
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Saturday started by preparing for our guests, after a long and hot journey we weren't sure what they'd want to do, but thankfully they choose wisely: a trip to the beach.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r8xtpAr-oCU/UeRQK5QyUUI/AAAAAAAAIUQ/9jZcQdMiGFk/s1600/20130713_192959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r8xtpAr-oCU/UeRQK5QyUUI/AAAAAAAAIUQ/9jZcQdMiGFk/s200/20130713_192959.jpg" width="200" /></a>We went to Carbis Bay and had tea on the beach (our usual pasta). Despite being late it was still plenty hot enough to get in the water. Later on Isaac found a pre-dug hole and played in it with his aunty and uncle, telling them when to run in and when to get back out.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crotched bike at Heartlands</td></tr>
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Sunday we took Uncle Rich to see Heartlands, which was a project his company had worked on, and Isaac showed off his walking in the Red River (<a href="http://instagram.com/p/bv0yCuoPsU/" target="_blank">Instagram video</a>).<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5FjND4IE2SE/UeRQK1DWNAI/AAAAAAAAIUQ/DtpV_pNqoD0/s1600/20130714_205130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5FjND4IE2SE/UeRQK1DWNAI/AAAAAAAAIUQ/DtpV_pNqoD0/s200/20130714_205130.jpg" width="150" /></a>It was a very hot day and we really felt for the guy wearing Victorian dress driving a horse-drawn omnibus. After that Rich had to travel back to Bath for the evening, so the rest of us chilled out in the garden with some help from the paddling pool. This was interesting given the back door is still broken...<br />
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Once the evening cooled down we went for a walk through the village.<br />
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Monday, my day off, we went to St Ives. We crammed in lots that day, including a train ride, a meal out, cream tea and a trip to the Barbara Hepworth garden (a new one for Lucy, Isaac and I). I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZfAEcGWxPxU/UeRQK1ypjlI/AAAAAAAAIUU/dwNNrGyauyY/s1600/20130715_121503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZfAEcGWxPxU/UeRQK1ypjlI/AAAAAAAAIUU/dwNNrGyauyY/s200/20130715_121503.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SLKqaDpKINc/UeRQK6NWIxI/AAAAAAAAIUQ/sjDfEfOY6sw/s1600/20130715_154134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SLKqaDpKINc/UeRQK6NWIxI/AAAAAAAAIUQ/sjDfEfOY6sw/s200/20130715_154134.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2GZBNDmd9RM/UeRQKytkGhI/AAAAAAAAIUQ/PdJpnDMUJAI/s1600/20130715_154616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2GZBNDmd9RM/UeRQKytkGhI/AAAAAAAAIUQ/PdJpnDMUJAI/s200/20130715_154616.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Over the next few days I was back at work and Lucy and Isaac stayed at home to allow our guests to explore on their own. They were on holiday after all! I'm not sure I can remember what we did on Tuesday evening, but I do know that Isaac took his first unsupported steps between the two of us:<br />
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Wednesday evening we joined Siân and Rich in Mousehole for a little stroll. The tide was right out, so Isaac made the most of the revealed beach:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google+ generated this animation</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via <a href="http://instagram.com/p/b4XmfRIPlH/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></td></tr>
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That evening Isaac decided he'd rather co-sleep with his aunty and uncle, which made for a pretty cute photo opportunity!<br />
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Thursday our guests treated us to a lovely home-made lasagne, despite having spent all day at the beach. Whilst they were busy sweating in the kitchen us three got out of their way and went to one of the parks in the village, although it was far too hot to be outside without any shade... whew!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-isBFoDRxAUM/UerQtAIJmsI/AAAAAAAAJAE/uz3FptG6hog/s1600/20130719_143235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-isBFoDRxAUM/UerQtAIJmsI/AAAAAAAAJAE/uz3FptG6hog/s200/20130719_143235.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4k-kJh7-Zhk/UerQtP80nrI/AAAAAAAAJAE/qn0DCVYxZkk/s1600/20130719_131206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4k-kJh7-Zhk/UerQtP80nrI/AAAAAAAAJAE/qn0DCVYxZkk/s200/20130719_131206.jpg" width="200" /></a>Friday I took another day off and we all headed off to Kynance Cove. Siân and Rich had discovered it earlier in the week, which was exciting as we had never been! Unfortunately the tides weren't on our side and we started out squeezed on the beach - but that was fine as we spent lots of time in the water.<br />
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Isaac also practised his walking even more, and really enjoyed walking in and out of the sea! (Google+ animation supplied to prove it)<br />
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Despite the wind and the slightly chilly seas it was really nice to spend lots of time in the water.<br />
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The plus side of arriving at high-tide was the slow reveal of the next part of the cove. In fact we got a little impatient and walked through chest-height water to get around to it.<br />
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I carried Isaac round on my shoulders, something he loves doing anyway!<br />
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Because the tide was still separating several parts of the cove it was like being on a tropical island! There were also bits of beach you could only get to either by walking around the cliffs through water or by walking through caves; very exciting!<br />
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Friday ended with a rather disastrous attempt at a barbecue, but we did our best to enjoy ourselves anyway!<br />
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Saturday we had American pancakes for our breakfast and said our goodbyes as our guests headed home. But did we rest? Oh no, we headed down to Penzance for a nice stroll and a go in the big park!<br />
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Right... it's taken me so long to type this one that I'd better get working on writing the next weekly summary!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-44282957500320111032013-07-12T23:14:00.000+01:002013-07-12T23:14:10.441+01:00What a lovely week!It's time for a <a href="http://daveonthespot.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/what-is-blogging.html" target="_blank">weekly catch-up</a>! Surprised I'm following through? Me too... That being said it's been too good a week not to share ;-)<br />
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So last Friday after I finished work we went to St Ives for the evening for some fish and chips (or pizza in Lucy's case). It was a great evening that finished with us overlooking Porthmeor beach:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JOp-sKRKCSw/UdiBC_CMAiI/AAAAAAAAG4A/-tYoenMmevU/s1600/20130706_142342-MOTION.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JOp-sKRKCSw/UdiBC_CMAiI/AAAAAAAAG4A/-tYoenMmevU/s200/20130706_142342-MOTION.gif" width="200" /></a>On Saturday we travelled further up the county to see St Nectan's Glen, something I blogged about on the <a href="http://backrods.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/adventures-in-walking.html" target="_blank">BackRods Blog</a>. If you can't look right now, in short it's amazing.<br />
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Here's an animated gif kindly generated by Google+ of Lucy and Isaac in front of the waterfall!<br />
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On Sunday we went to Trengwainton Gardens, a lovely National Trust garden in Madron near Penzance. We had a picnic lunch (picture below) and then a lovely stroll around the gardens. Isaac was particularly impressed by all of the bamboo, pointing it out to us as we walked around. The weather was so hot we felt like we were in another country!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Picnic under the flowering dogwood at Trengwainton" Instagram <a href="http://instagram.com/cyberneticiandave" target="_blank">@cyberneticiandave</a></td></tr>
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Unfortunately towards the end of Sunday our inside back door decided it would be fun to smash into a million pieces so since then we've been avoiding using the door in case the remaining glass decides to also jump out. This would have to happen when the weather is hot and we might actually <i>want</i> to go out in the garden. Still, Lucy has been making up for it by visiting both of the parks in the village (we're so blessed to have two) most days this week!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Monday called for a trip to the beach, complete with Lucy and I swimming in the sea (not at the same time). Photographic proof was required, as this is not a regular occurrence, especially for Lucy, unfortunately no such proof exists for me.<br />
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When I wasn't helping Isaac splash in or walk through the little pool that had formed on the beach I was cooking our tea; it's not unusual for us to make some pasta on the beach after work using a little gas ring, but we've never seen it quite so busy. Lots of others barbecuing etc, but no one else eating freshly cooked pasta... we're unique...<br />
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Tuesday was a slightly quieter day, some shopping and a little walk around the village in the evening. No photos for you of those special moments...<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cljpISQgfGA/Ud2tT-76jGI/AAAAAAAAHzI/ikiJAak74bg/s1600/1016926_888819853573_1801711592_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cljpISQgfGA/Ud2tT-76jGI/AAAAAAAAHzI/ikiJAak74bg/s200/1016926_888819853573_1801711592_n.jpg" width="200" /></a>Wednesday we got back on the adventures and a trip to Penzance after work. We had a stroll up and down the promenade and threw pebbles in the sea. Isaac had so much fun doing that he wasn't keen on finishing our stroll, but eventually he followed us up the stony bank and rode on Dada's shoulders the rest of the way.<br />
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Apart from the pebbles another Isaac highlight was looking at the lighthouse (that may not be) and saying "flash flash".<br />
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Thursday involved collecting a load of firewood, thanks to freegle, a bit more shopping and chilling out at home.<br />
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And finally today, we went back to Penzance after our tea to play in the lovely park there looking out to sea.<br />
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So all in all, a good week. Next week we have visitors and I've got a couple of days off, so that should be good. The weather is forecast to continue too! :-)<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-56607417662942215932013-07-05T11:44:00.001+01:002013-07-05T11:44:07.658+01:00What is blogging?I have to be honest, I tend to try and use my blog (or rather blogs, I have a few that I maintain about as well as this one...) for big thoughtful posts. I tend to write short essays on deep topics, "articles" or reviews and things like that; but that sort of writing takes time, it takes time to think about what to write and how to write it.<br />
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A blog, short for web log, is a public form of journalling.... Dear diary, today I ate a sandwich... etc. But I write short updates about my life on Facebook, share geeky things on Google+ and publish pictures through both Facebook and Instagram.<br />
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I like having a blog, for those times I do have something to share, but perhaps I'm not making the most of it...<br />
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So here's what I'd like to do:<br />
This blog becomes about me, I'll start trying to journal interesting events in my life, projects I'm doing (unless they're software-related in which case the <a href="http://twinklebob.co.uk/news/" target="_blank">TwinkleBob</a> blog might be the place to do that), books, geeky stuff and perhaps a weekly update of my activity elsewhere across the interweb.<br />
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The <a href="http://backrods.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">BackRods blog</a> I would like to become much more a journal of our family and our adventures in autonomous education, as well as the articles on our parenting choices (which is how it is primarily used at the moment). Again a summary of relevant updates from across the rest of the web might be nice.<br />
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The <a href="http://missioncornwall.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mission Cornwall</a> blog becomes the place to share all of my/our updates on deep faith related matters as well as adventures in serving God in this beautiful part of the country. Not that all faith-related stuff will leave this blog, but if it relates to both of us or specifically to our calling then that'll be the place it'll go.<br />
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And of course there'll be geeky/tech related reviews and articles on <a href="http://www.geek-speak.co.uk/author/dlumm/" target="_blank">geek-speak.co.uk</a>...<br />
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Let's see how this goes!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-3814093011623825602013-04-02T22:16:00.003+01:002013-04-02T22:16:44.833+01:00What about prayer?Our recent journey of effectively de-churching has led us to question pretty much every aspect of our faith and how that affects our day-to-day lives. This post is going to be part of a series on <a href="http://daveonthespot.blogspot.com/search/label/Fundamentals2013" target="_blank">the fundamentals of our faith</a>. Our first fundamental is prayer; what is it, why is it important?<br />
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I remember a chorus I learned when I was younger that claimed that prayer “is like a telephone for us to talk to Jesus”. I always found it a little trite; prayer is supposed to be more than that, more close, more intimate. But here’s what struck me recently, prayer changes as we move along the journey of faith. It changes purpose, meaning and method, but sometimes it is like a phone!<br />
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The journey of faith starts when we start to think about faith. Do I or don’t I believe? Is there a God? What does he want with me? In these early steps prayer is like a long-distance telephone call, one where our receiver doesn't always work very well. We take the tentative steps of reaching out to a God we are yet distant from to see if he will reach back. Perhaps it is less like a telephone call than a letter that can only be answered by a very short telegram (or to put it in modern parlance, half a tweet!).<br />
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This journey of faith doesn't take us along some cheery, easy-going yellow-brick road, but on a series of tough climbs and gaping chasms. As we make each leap of faith we get a little closer to knowing God, and as we do we become a little more keen to listen to our new friend and to do the things he wants us to do. Our conversations are still quite selfish, we spend a lot of the time asking for what we want and listen to maybe a quarter of what God has to say to us.<br />
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Our early “phone” conversations are very formal, the way we might phone a business or someone in authority, but it changes over time, it has to.<br />
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I'm not always good at keeping in contact with my friends, but when I speak on the phone to my friends I can easily get into deep conversation, even if we haven’t spoken for ages. That’s what prayer has to become in us, a moment of connecting with God deeply, of listening to the other (sometimes more than we speak) and finding that you don’t want to stop and look forward to the next time. That’s something I've not got to yet, the thing is I don’t really know God all that well yet.<br />
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Often our church practices keep us far from God, it’s a side-effect of our <a href="http://www.paganchristianity.org/" target="_blank">paganised religiosity</a>, not least the bizarre practice of calling Him by a vague title (capitalised to keep it distinct from other gods) rather than by His name. He has many names, I'm trying to find out what His name is for me and us at this point in our lives - and why not ask Him, rather than look somewhere else for the answer?<br />
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Prayer must be a conversation, a two way process of getting to know one another. God knows me, because of who He is, but He’s not intrusive (at least that’s what we’re led to believe) so a part of prayer has to be me telling Him about myself, opening up and sharing some intimacy with Him.<br />
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Although I enjoy partaking in the <a href="http://www.northumbriacommunity.org/pray-the-daily-office" target="_blank">Nortumbrian Daily Office</a> and I love the thought that I'm part of an unbroken chain, this is mostly a meditation for my own benefit. It is a time to allow me to refocus on God, to feel some rhythm to my faith, but it is not a two-way thing.<br />
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So basically, what I've been trying to say is that yes, prayer is definitely a fundamental, but the structured repetitive prayer we often use the most is not enough. Let’s use prayer to get to know our Father God.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-6403337098481732142012-12-25T21:40:00.001+00:002013-02-13T12:01:49.252+00:00Care in the community<div dir="ltr">
Whilst watching the excellent Christmas special of Call the midwife I was struck with the nuns sense of mission.</div>
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<br />Their purpose is clear, to care for the whole community in body, mind and spirit.</div>
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<br />In the trailer for the upcoming series was this nugget, "we're not here to pity, we're here to serve".</div>
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<br />We watch the nuns as they mix together service to their wider community and devotion to rhythms of their order.</div>
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For me this is how missionary community ought to be. As the Salvation Army say (but sometimes forget to do) "With heart to God and hand to man".</div>
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Now I just need to put it into practice!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-8156633068007744982012-07-19T13:43:00.000+01:002012-07-19T13:43:38.778+01:00The Rory Gilmore Reading ChallengeI love books, you may know that. What you may not know is that I also like Gilmore Girls - there, I said it. I want to live in Stars Hollow!<br />
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So imagine my excitement to find that someone has <a href="http://bookreviews.me.uk/rory-gilmore-reading-challenge/" target="_blank">listed all the books</a> that Rory is seen reading!<br />
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I've read a few, but there's plenty there to inspire me if I ever run out of ideas!<br />
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Here's the list, stating which I've read.<br />
<span style="color: blue;">1984 by George Orwell - Read</span><div>
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole<br />The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain<br /><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - On my pile</span><br />The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon<br />An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser<br />Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt<br />Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy<br />Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank<br />Archidamian War by Donald Kagan<br />The Art of Fiction by Henry James<br />The Art of War by Sun Tzu<br />As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner<br />Atonement by Ian McEwan<br />Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy<br />The Awakening by Kate Chopin<br />Babe by Dick King-Smith<br />Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women by Susan Faludi<br />Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie<br />Bel Canto by Ann Patchett<br />The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath<br />Beloved by Toni Morrison<br />Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney<br />The Bhagava Gita<br />The Bielski Brothers: The True Story of Three Men Who Defied the Nazis, Built a Village in the Forest, and Saved 1,200 Jews by Peter Duffy<br />Bitch in Praise of Difficult Women by Elizabeth Wurtzel<br />A Bolt from the Blue and Other Essays by Mary McCarthy<br />Brave New World by Aldous Huxley<br />Brick Lane by Monica Ali<br />Bridgadoon by Alan Jay Lerner<br />Candide by Voltaire<br />The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer<br />Carrie by Stephen King<br />Catch-22 by Joseph Heller<br />The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger<br />Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White<br />The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman<br />Christine by Stephen King<br /><span style="color: #6aa84f;">A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - In my pile</span><br />A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess<br />The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse<br />The Collected Short Stories by Eudora Welty<br />The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty by Eudora Welty<br />A Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare<br />Complete Novels by Dawn Powell<br />The Complete Poems by Anne Sexton<br />Complete Stories by Dorothy Parker<br />A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole<br />The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas père<br />Cousin Bette by Honor’e de Balzac<br />Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky<br />The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber<br />The Crucible by Arthur Miller<br />Cujo by Stephen King<br /><span style="color: blue;">The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon - Read</span><br />Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende<br />David and Lisa by Dr Theodore Issac Rubin M.D<br />David Copperfield by Charles Dickens<br /><span style="color: blue;">The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown – read</span><br />Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol<br />Demons by Fyodor Dostoyevsky<br />Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller<br />Deenie by Judy Blume<br />The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson<br />The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band by Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx<br />The Divine Comedy by Dante<br />The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells<br />Don Quijote by Cervantes<br />Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhrv<br />Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson<br />Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Tales & Poems by Edgar Allan Poe<br />Eleanor Roosevelt by Blanche Wiesen Cook<br />The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe<br />Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn<br />Eloise by Kay Thompson<br />Emily the Strange by Roger Reger<br />Emma by Jane Austen<br />Empire Falls by Richard Russo<br />Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol<br />Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton<br />Ethics by Spinoza<br />Europe through the Back Door, 2003 by Rick Steves<br />Eva Luna by Isabel Allende<br />Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer<br />Extravagance by Gary Krist<br />Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury<br />Fahrenheit 9/11 by Michael Moore<br />The Fall of the Athenian Empire by Donald Kagan<br />Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World by Greg Critser<br />Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson<br /><span style="color: blue;">The Fellowship of the Ring: Book 1 of The Lord of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien (TBR) – read</span><br />Fiddler on the Roof by Joseph Stein<br />The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom<br />Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce<br />Fletch by Gregory McDonald<br />Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes<br />The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem<br />The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand<br />Frankenstein by Mary Shelley<br />Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger<br />Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers<br />Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut<br />Gender Trouble by Judith Butler<br />George W. Bushism: The Slate Book of the Accidental Wit and Wisdom of our 43rd President by Jacob Weisberg<br />Gidget by Fredrick Kohner<br />Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen<br />The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels<br />The Godfather: Book 1 by Mario Puzo<br />The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy<br />Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Alvin Granowsky<br />Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell<br />The Good Soldier by Ford Maddox Ford<br />The Gospel According to Judy Bloom<br />The Graduate by Charles Webb<br />The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck<br />The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald<br />Great Expectations by Charles Dickens<br />The Group by Mary McCarthy<br />Hamlet by William Shakespeare<br /><span style="color: blue;">Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling – read<br />Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling – read</span><br />A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers<br />Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (TBR)<br />Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry (TBR)<br />Henry IV, part I by William Shakespeare<br />Henry IV, part II by William Shakespeare<br />Henry V by William Shakespeare<br />High Fidelity by Nick Hornby<br />The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon<br />Holidays on Ice: Stories by David Sedaris<br />The Holy Barbarians by Lawrence Lipton<br />House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III (Lpr)<br />The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende<br />How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer<br />How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss<br />How the Light Gets in by M. J. Hyland<br />Howl by Allen Gingsburg<br />The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo<br />The Iliad by Homer<br />I’m with the Band by Pamela des Barres<br />In Cold Blood by Truman Capote<br />Inferno by Dante<br />Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee<br />Iron Weed by William J. Kennedy<br />It Takes a Village by Hillary Clinton<br />Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë<br />The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan<br />Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare<br />The Jumping Frog by Mark Twain<br />The Jungle by Upton Sinclair<br />Just a Couple of Days by Tony Vigorito<br />The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar by Robert Alexander<br />Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain<br />The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini<br />Lady Chatterleys’ Lover by D. H. Lawrence<br />The Last Empire: Essays 1992-2000 by Gore Vidal<br />Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman<br />The Legend of Bagger Vance by Steven Pressfield<br />Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis<br />Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke<br />Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them by Al Franken<br />Life of Pi by Yann Martel<br />Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens<br />The Little Locksmith by Katharine Butler Hathaway<br />The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen<br />Little Women by Louisa May Alcott<br />Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton<br />Lord of the Flies by William Golding<br />The Lottery: And Other Stories by Shirley Jackson<br />The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold<br />The Love Story by Erich Segal<br /><span style="color: blue;">Macbeth by William Shakespeare - Read, but only at school</span><br />Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert<br />The Manticore by Robertson Davies<br />Marathon Man by William Goldman<br />The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov<br />Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter by Simone de Beauvoir<br />Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman by William Tecumseh Sherman<br />Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris<br />The Meaning of Consuelo by Judith Ortiz Cofer<br />Mencken’s Chrestomathy by H. R. Mencken<br />The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare<br />The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka<br />Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides<br />The Miracle Worker by William Gibson<br /><span style="color: red;">Moby Dick by Herman Melville - Started, not yet finished</span><br />The Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion by Jim Irvin<br />Moliere: A Biography by Hobart Chatfield Taylor<br />A Monetary History of the United States by Milton Friedman<br />Monsieur Proust by Celeste Albaret<br />A Month Of Sundays: Searching For The Spirit And My Sister by Julie Mars<br />A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway<br />Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf<br />Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall<br />My Lai 4: A Report on the Massacre and It’s Aftermath by Seymour M. Hersh<br />My Life as Author and Editor by H. R. Mencken<br />My Life in Orange: Growing Up with the Guru by Tim Guest<br />Myra Waldo’s Travel and Motoring Guide to Europe, 1978 by Myra Waldo<br />My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult<br />The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer<br />The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco<br />The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri<br />The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin<br />Nervous System: Or, Losing My Mind in Literature by Jan Lars Jensen<br />New Poems of Emily Dickinson by Emily Dickinson<br />The New Way Things Work by David Macaulay<br />Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich<br />Night by Elie Wiesel<br />Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen<br />The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism by William E. Cain, Laurie A. Finke, Barbara E. Johnson, John P. McGowan<br />Novels 1930-1942: Dance Night/Come Back to Sorrento, Turn, Magic Wheel/Angels on Toast/A Time to be Born by Dawn Powell<br />Notes of a Dirty Old Man by Charles Bukowski<br /><span style="color: blue;">Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck - Read (at school)</span><br />Old School by Tobias Wolff<br />On the Road by Jack Kerouac<br />One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey<br />One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez<br />The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life by Amy Tan<br />Oracle Night by Paul Auster<br />Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood<br />Othello by Shakespeare<br />Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens<br />The Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan<br />Out of Africa by Isac Dineson<br />The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton<br />A Passage to India by E.M. Forster<br />The Peace of Nicias and the Sicilian Expedition by Donald Kagan<br />The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky<br />Peyton Place by Grace Metalious<br /><span style="color: blue;">The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - Read</span><br />Pigs at the Trough by Arianna Huffington<br />Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi<br />Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain<br />The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby<br />The Portable Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker<br />The Portable Nietzche by Fredrich Nietzche<br />The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O’Neill by Ron Suskind<br />Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen<br />Property by Valerie Martin<br />Pushkin: A Biography by T. J. Binyon<br />Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw<br />Quattrocento by James Mckean<br />A Quiet Storm by Rachel Howzell Hall<br />Rapunzel by Grimm Brothers<br /><span style="color: blue;">The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe - Read</span><br />The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham<br />Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi<br />Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier<br />Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin<br />The Red Tent by Anita Diamant<br />Rescuing Patty Hearst: Memories From a Decade Gone Mad by Virginia Holman<br /><span style="color: blue;">The Return of the King: The Lord of the Rings Book 3 by J. R. R. Tolkien (TBR) – read</span><br />R Is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton<br />Rita Hayworth by Stephen King<br />Robert’s Rules of Order by Henry Robert<br />Roman Holiday by Edith Wharton<br /><span style="color: blue;">Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare - Read (at school)</span><br />A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf<br />A Room with a View by E. M. Forster<br />Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin<br />The Rough Guide to Europe, 2003 Edition<br />Sacred Time by Ursula Hegi<br />Sanctuary by William Faulkner<br />Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford<br />Say Goodbye to Daisy Miller by Henry James<br />The Scarecrow of Oz by Frank L. Baum<br />The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne<br />Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand<br />The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir<br />The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd<br />Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette by Judith Thurman<br />Selected Hotels of Europe<br />Selected Letters of Dawn Powell: 1913-1965 by Dawn Powell<br />Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen<br />A Separate Peace by John Knowles<br />Several Biographies of Winston Churchill<br />Sexus by Henry Miller<br />The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon<br />Shane by Jack Shaefer<br />The Shining by Stephen King<br />Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse<br />S Is for Silence by Sue Grafton<br />Slaughter-house Five by Kurt Vonnegut<br />Small Island by Andrea Levy<br />Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway<br />Snow White and Rose Red by Grimm Brothers<br />Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant in the Making of the Modern World by Barrington Moore<br />The Song of Names by Norman Lebrecht<br />Song of the Simple Truth: The Complete Poems of Julia de Burgos by Julia de Burgos<br />The Song Reader by Lisa Tucker<br />Songbook by Nick Hornby<br />The Sonnets by William Shakespeare<br />Sonnets from the Portuegese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning<br />Sophie’s Choice by William Styron<br />The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner<br />Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov<br />Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach<br />The Story of My Life by Helen Keller<br />A Streetcar Named Desiree by Tennessee Williams<br />Stuart Little by E. B. White<br />Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway<br />Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust<br />Swimming with Giants: My Encounters with Whales, Dolphins and Seals by Anne Collett<br />Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber<br />A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens<br />Tender Is The Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald<br />Term of Endearment by Larry McMurtry<br />Time and Again by Jack Finney<br /><span style="color: blue;">The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger – read</span><br />To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway<br />To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee<br />The Tragedy of Richard III by William Shakespeare<br />A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith<br />The Trial by Franz Kafka<br />The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters by Elisabeth Robinson<br />Truth & Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett<br />Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom<br /><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Ulysses by James Joyce - On my pile</span><br />The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath 1950-1962 by Sylvia Plath<br />Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe<br />Unless by Carol Shields<br />Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann<br />The Vanishing Newspaper by Philip Meyers<br />Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray<br />Velvet Underground’s The Velvet Underground and Nico (Thirty Three and a Third series) by Joe Harvard<br />The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides<br />Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett<br />Walden by Henry David Thoreau<br />Walt Disney’s Bambi by Felix Salten<br />War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy<br />We Owe You Nothing – Punk Planet: The Collected Interviews edited by Daniel Sinker<br />What Colour is Your Parachute? 2005 by Richard Nelson Bolles<br />What Happened to Baby Jane by Henry Farrell<br />When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka<br />Who Moved My Cheese? Spencer Johnson<br />Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf by Edward Albee<br />Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire<br /><span style="color: #6aa84f;">The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum - On my pile</span><br />Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë<br />The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings<br />The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-22725925533456092752012-04-02T15:44:00.000+01:002012-04-02T15:44:49.513+01:00Why I'm not signing the marriage petitionThis is a hard post to write, because I'm struggling to put into words exactly why I feel what I feel, and also I know that a lot of people will disagree with me, and of course they're entitled to. Please understand that these are solely my own views, based upon many conversations and reading and thinking. Other people could easily have the same conversations and come to different conclusions.<br />
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In a very quick summary, I've come to this conclusion because marriage has already been redefined by society and a lot of the Christian upset over this situation is based on the (incorrect) assumption that we live in a "Christian society". We don't. Christendom is rapidly disappearing from this country and Church is having to adapt or die; many, sadly, are choosing to die. Still, it means there are a lot more Whetherspoons in the country...<br />
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Anyway, back to my post.<br />
<br />
As Martin Thompson puts it "<a href="http://missiome.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/why-i-cant-get-excited-by-council-prayers-and-persecution-of-christians-in-the-uk/">I can’t get excited by ‘council prayers’ and ‘persecution of Christians’ in the UK</a>", the battle is already lost. We're too late and frankly I'm glad. I'd rather have grass roots real Christianity that makes a difference than this bizarre assumption that we're all Christians.<br />
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As a Christian, my definition of marriage is related to my understanding of covenant and my understanding of God's view of family. It's already different to the legal idea of marriage in this country; marriage here is about sharing a name, sharing a legal responsibility and sharing wealth etc.<br />
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I first committed myself to Lucy long before we got married, before even we got engaged. I was locked in, no way was I leaving. If we hadn't felt like that it would've been over pretty soon, however much I was desperate for a girlfriend ;-)<br />
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A wise friend of ours once said that the state of marriage was changing. He died before this latest thing kicked off. He also posed the following question to us: "A couple come to be saved. They've been together a long time, not married, and they have reasons to stay unmarried. What do you say to them?" I'll mention some of the good reasons in a bit, but as we talked around this subject we decided that marriage involves three very distinct things: 1, the civil rite, 2, the family rite, 3, a covenant with God.<br />
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<b>The civil rite</b> is about satisfying legal requirements and it bestows legal rights and privileges. However, some of the changes triggered by marriage can be covered in other ways, changing name, will, joint ownership etc. a civil partnership, whether called marriage or "doo-dap-a-woo-lee" doesn't mean that someone has entered into a covenanted relationship.<br />
<br />
<b>The family rite</b> is all about standing before your friends and family and declaring to the amassed that you give yourselves to each other, that you "leave your father and mother" (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%202:24&version=NIVUK" target="_blank">Genesis 2:24</a>) and that you're staying together forever. You may also be sharing with those gathered that you've entered into a covenant and ask them to witness to that.<br />
<br />
<b>The covenant</b> is between the husband, the wife and God. Nobody else needs to be involved in that. Briefly, the difference (as I understand it) between a contract and a covenant is that in a contract everybody puts something in, everybody gets something out of it; a covenant is a set of promises that are made generally forever, they don't necessarily benefit every party, at least not all the time, they generally have a big cost on the non-God party. A couple can make this covenant without <u>ANYONE ELSE</u> present.<br />
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People already do these things separately. They may have a wedding abroad, come home and take care of the legal parts of this and then have a big party. Lucy and I covered the covenant part pretty early on in our relationship, the other two parts came in July 2008.<br />
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Now what about good reasons to not get married? There may be a few reasons, but I'm going to go through just one right now. It's financial, which isn't always a good reason, but this one might be good. The woman has been married before, she currently collects a pension because her last husband passed away, the man is currently unemployed desperately seeking work, even so desperately as to work in a completely different part of the country. If they became Christians today some Christians would expect them to marry as a matter of urgency, it would frankly be a foolish thing to do. But we can talk them through covenant, we can ask God to bless their union, we can even celebrate their union and leave the legal things for if and when they're appropriate. So what does it matter if they're "married" or not (in the legal sense)?<br />
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I don't agree with gay marriage, but I'm judging that situation based on <i>my</i> definition of marriage and <i>my</i> understanding of sexuality as a Christian. However the world does not share my opinions, nor do all Christians. Technically there is little difference between a heterosexual civil marriage and a homosexual civil partnership. The gay community already think of the latter as marriage. We were invited to share with a dear friend of a the family in his "wedding" to his partner, the legal language didn't matter to them, as far as they see it they're getting married.<br />
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If the legal definition of marriage changes it will be sad, but it will be a sign of the times. Christians will still keep a different internal definition. You can redefine the legal aspect, but the covenant remains the same.<br />
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One last thing. Although I won't be signing, I do wholeheartedly understand where the others are coming from, I believe it is good for Christians to stand up and be counted and I think this is a great chance for Christians to explain <i>why</i> we disagree that marriage can be redefined. I worry, though, that this movement risks alienating people who could otherwise be open to getting to know Jesus.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-11143141220480125672012-01-12T15:41:00.002+00:002012-01-12T15:47:24.444+00:00Confession is good for the soul?Hi folks<div><br /></div><div>Been a long time since I've blogged, sorry! I need to borrow your eyes for a moment. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+5:16&version=NIV">James 5:16</a> says "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."</div><div><br /></div><div>I need to confess.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have become lax, self-centred, selfish and apathetic. I have fallen way <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+3:23&version=NIV">short of the glory of God</a>. I have failed to keep the <a href="http://www1.salvationarmy.org/heritage.nsf/1e66c5a3687a37638025692e00500ad4/fea4acf97c61102c80256a2200443120?OpenDocument&Highlight=0,doctrines">covenant</a> I made with God.</div><div><br /></div><div>I hereby remake my covenant and seek to love, worship and honour the Lord in all my life.</div><div><br /></div><div>Please do me a favour and pray for me that I "may be healed"! :-)</div><div><br /></div><div>Cheers</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-77033573664038480492011-11-11T10:33:00.002+00:002011-11-11T10:49:36.391+00:00I never finish anythingIt occurred to me the other day that I never seem to finish anything. It's my biggest flaw.<div><br /></div><div>I looked back over my education and realised this happened over and over. I completed very few of my DT projects, including my GCSE project. I failed to complete my A-Level Computing project to an adequate standard and had to redo it <i>after</i> I left college. My entire degree suffered because my final year project was naff.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've started a mobile app for a charity back when I was unemployed. Should've been finished by the summer, still unfinished.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've been meaning to redo my personal website. It's seriously poor for someone who does websites for a living. Not even started that one.</div><div><br /></div><div>I keep saying that I'll put a media PC in at home, that I'll convert our existing old PC into a server, that I'll scan in all our documents that aren't vital to keep and shred them; all still not done.</div><div><br /></div><div>Worse still, I said I'd read the Bible in a year. I started 1st January and, according to YouVersion.com, I'll be finished 1st July <i>next</i> year. Yep, that's right. Year nearly over and I'm not even half way.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have a brain full of ideas most of which that I never get started and the rest never get finished.</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't really know what sharing this will do, but hopefully it's the start of me working out some ways to get some things <i>finished</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>BTW. It's never been a problem with work, I always get my stuff finished. Weird, huh?</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-84606470508921390682011-10-04T16:08:00.003+01:002011-10-04T16:19:11.817+01:00At the foot of the crossWas catching up on <a href="http://armyrenewal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Andrew Clark's blog</a> today and came across a post where he mentions <a href="http://armyrenewal.blogspot.com/2011/09/mercy-seat-comes-home.html">installing a mercy seat in his house</a>. For those of you who don't have any experience of The Salvation Army, the Mercy Seat (named after an aspect of the Ark of the Covenant) is a public place of prayer where Salvationists have traditionally made their covenants and had some of their most powerful encounters with God.<div><br /></div><div>Now personally the thought of having a mercy eat in my house seems a little strange, although I do miss it's focus when I'm at other churches. However, it led me on a train of thought about kneeling at the foot of the cross. You see, you kneel or stand in front of the mercy seat.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, long story short I was reminded of these words and wanted to share them with you all. It makes me ask myself, do I kneel at the cross enough? Do I humble myself before God and before my peers often enough, or have I elevated my own position?</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>At the foot of the cross - One Hundred Hours</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div></div><blockquote><div>At the foot of the cross,</div><div>where I kneel in adoration</div><div>And I lay my burdens down</div><div>I exchange all my sin</div><div>for the promise of salvation</div><div>And Your name across my brow</div><div><br /></div><div>At the foot of the cross,</div><div>I give up my vain ambition</div><div>And I leave my selfish pride</div><div>In the peace that is there,</div><div>will You restore my vision?</div><div>In all the places I am blind</div><div><br /></div><div>I will wait here at the cross</div><div>I will wait here at the cross</div><div>I will wait here at the cross</div><div>I will wait here at the cross</div><div><br /></div><div>At the foot of the cross</div><div>there is healing for this nation</div><div>There is rest for those who wait</div><div>And the love that we find</div><div>is the hope of all creation</div><div>We are stunned by what You gave</div><div><br /></div><div>We will wait here at the cross</div><div>We will wait here at the cross</div><div>We will wait here at the cross</div><div>We will wait here at the cross</div><div><br /></div><div>We will wait at the cross,</div><div>a hungry generation</div><div>With our broken hearts and lives</div><div>Will You hear? Will You come?</div><div>Will You fill our desperation?</div><div>Oh God let this be the time</div></blockquote><div></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-31309750266913288782011-08-19T20:11:00.003+01:002011-08-19T20:18:01.775+01:00WebOS is dead. Long live WebOS.So <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/its-official-hp-kills-off-webos-phones-and-the-touchpad/2011/08/19/gIQARW6OPJ_story.html">HP are pulling the plug</a> on WebOS hardware development.<div>
<br /></div><div>It's sad news, but apparently the OS might hang around a bit longer.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I love WebOS, I think it's fantastic. There's some things about the Palm Pre2 that I love, but it's sometime not quite powerful enough and the camera just sucks.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>The TouchPad should've been brilliant, but they went all cheap on the hardware again. You'd think HP would know what they doing with hardware, but they let themselves down. They needed to build market share, so they should've built something incredible to match the software and practically given it away! Looks like they might be doing that now, so I'll keep my eyes open for a bargain.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-59122191401791532022011-06-17T12:01:00.004+01:002011-06-17T12:30:32.222+01:00I need to update my websiteI'm not sure if anybody really uses it these days, but my personal website at http://david.twinklebob.co.uk seriously needs overhauling, particularly in view of my recent <a href="http://blog.twinklebob.co.uk/?p=26">web design manifesto</a>.<div><br /></div><div>Plus I want to do some new stuff:</div><div><ul><li>integrate Google Buzz feeds into my update stream,</li><li>use another profile to update the one there (so I don't have to update so many profiles all the time)</li><li>have a hidden section of the site with my contact details on - to add to my email signature</li><li>actually show (and have linkable) full blog entries</li><li>have some kind of CV on there</li></ul><div>I'm just putting this on here to remind myself and keep myself accountable!</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-57737876315748993152011-01-04T11:55:00.003+00:002011-01-04T12:03:52.734+00:00Happy New Year!So, it's another year. 2011!!<div><br /></div><div>Hardly seems that long ago that we were celebrating the millennium! Man, that's a long time ago... so much has happened in the last decade!</div><div><br /></div><div>But looking forward, what about new years resolutions? Well generally I don't make them, saying you're going to stop doing something is difficult. Having said that, we said we would stop watching as much TV and we're getting there with that. We've unplugged the freeview box for the last couple of months, but we've so far replaced it almost like-for-like with DVDs and on-demand stuff... we'll get there!</div><div><br /></div><div>I read something in the Sunday Times at the weekend where someone spoke about resolving to <i>start</i> doing something instead of resolving to <i>stop</i> doing something - now that's resolutions I can get on board with.</div><div><br /></div><div>So here's my list:</div><div><ul><li>Learn Cornish (got some useful aids in this respect for Christmas)</li><li>Read my way through the Bible (already failed as I didn't start straight away, but I can catch up)</li><li>Sort out my office (well, a man can dream...)</li><li>Relearn to play the piano</li></ul><div>Be interesting to see where I am in a few months!</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402337713046809389.post-76950225248969091982010-11-18T09:53:00.003+00:002010-11-18T11:10:32.469+00:00Here we go again...We went away at the weekend up to Newcastle to visit some friends. It was a lovely trip and it was great to see them. Whilst we were up there they took us to Durham Cathedral, Sanctuary21 in Durham and Lindisfarne. All excellent places. The conversation turned to celtic christianity and monasticism and also how The Salvation Army fits into that.<div><br /></div><div>The Salvation Army is, in many ways, an early form of neo-monasticism. It is an "order" of believers who take on a burden above and beyond that required to be a Christian.</div><div><br /></div><div>A big part of Celtic Christianity, Monasticism and, at least the early, Salvation Army is a daily rhythm. Bizarrely we tend to have a dislike of things like a liturgical calendar or whatever, but many people actually swear by such a rhythm to their life. Having prayers and bible passages that you can recite just like that has it's benefit.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, by taking up such a rhythm, there is a visible constant in your life through your ups and downs, a gently reminder of the constant presence of Christ. No matter how your day, your week, your month or even your year (couldn't resist a friends quote there) the prayers are the same, gently building your faith and reminding you that the big picture is <i>much</i> bigger than a single person.</div><div><br /></div><div>Those of you who have followed my blog for a long time will probably recognise a recurring theme here (hence the title of the post). I keep coming back to this idea, yet always fail to actually put it into practice.</div><div><br /></div><div>I like the old Salvation Army terms for this practice, they used to call it Knee Drills (for prayer) and Sword Drills (for Bible reading/study). Much as other drills, they sometimes don't appear to have much link to reality - remember the drills performed by Daniel in The Karate Kid? What about the daft things that soldiers do tossing guns around? It's about making certain actions completely second nature. So it should be with prayer and study.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, I'm once again having a crack at this. I've started reading a <a href="http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/">Bible in one year</a> plan, although I've decided to start on the correct date than from the beginning. I'm also planning on at least 3 separate prayer times through the day - Morning, Noon and Evening. At the moment I'm not sure what prayers I'll say at what point, as it's important that at least some of those prayers be consistent, so that they can be learnt. I'll need to do some research, but I'll get back to you when I've got a plan.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pray for me that I stick with it and establish a pattern of prayer and bible reading!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388471512800770268noreply@blogger.com0