Giant killers...almost

I like underdogs, the small, less experienced teams who live the dream for a while and, at times, against all expectation and logic, upset and beat the more powerful team. It was thrilling to see part-timers Havant and Waterlooville get to the 4th round of the FA Cup and make Liverpool work for their money today. The H&V team are made up of a group of hard-working guys who are cabbies, bin-men, physios in their day jobs. They didn't beat the multi-million pound Liverpool men today but at 5-2, playing at Anfield, and twice going ahead, they did themselves proud. C'mon the underdogs...

Perkification

I think I’ve turned into a coffee snob. Sometime over the past year, I don’t quite remember when, I stopped drinking instant coffee. No, now the choice is either perked or filtered in the morning, with tea and water my drinks of choice in the office. No instant coffee for me, thank you very much.

I don’t know why this happened, apart from the vast difference in taste and pleasure received from a freshly brewed cup of coffee rather than downing a mug of the dried stuff. Perhaps it was the multiplication of cafes on almost every street corner or the intense aroma inhaled when in perkification. Maybe it’s the extra effort (albeit small) required to make it. I don’t know...but I love it!!!

There is a new non-chain cafe in Edinburgh slightly off the beaten track, which awakened my taste buds for the black medicine recently. If you’re ever walking down Broughton Street, check out Artisan Roast (you can click here even if you're not walking down Broughton Street - http://www.artisanroast.co.uk/). I’m not on commission there, in case you are wondering! Even if you’re not a coffee snob like me, it is still worth a visit for the rich aroma, the amazing, antique-looking huge grinder and the hot chocolate. And their slogan is For Beans That Dance - how cool is that?!

I know, it can be expensive but I think it is a small price to pay for one of life’s simple pleasures.

The Unseen

Why is it that, so often in life, we have a siege mentality - that when life gets messy and tough and uncomfortable we shrink back, start to fear and doubt and feel that we deserve better? That, somehow, we don't deserve things to turn out the way they do?

I was challenged reading II Corinthians 4 : 16 - 18 today:

...We do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Our focus in life determines how we live our lives. Are we, am I, focused on eternity, or on the here and now, the immediate? Am I bound and shackled by circumstances, captivated by events, however haphazard and tumultuous they seem to be? Or do I experience life to the full, with all its changes and surprises, and, yes, grieve and weep and sorrow at times, but not as those with no hope.

God is in the business of renewal. He is making all things new and His plans and purposes are eternal and unchanging and pure and life-giving. And He wants us to take these experiences to Him and to view them in the light of eternity and His victory through the person of Jesus. That doesn't mean we will, necessarily, understand the circumstances. Often, we won't. But, He will give the strength and peace that surpasses understanding and a purpose to live for Him in this messy world, giving hope and light to others, while trusting a God who is good and sovereign...all the time.

Oh, how I want that to be true of me...

Life Means So Much - Chris Rice

Chris Rice sings it so much better with his song "Life Means So Much"

Every day is a journal page
Every man holds a quill and ink
And there's plenty of room for writing in
All we do is believe and think
So will you compose a curse
Or will today bring the blessing
Fill the page with rhyming verse
Or some random sketching

Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much
Life means so much
Life means so much

Every day is a bank account
And time is our currency
So nobody's rich, nobody's poor
We get 24 hours each
So how are you gonna spend
Will you invest, or squander
Try to get ahead
Or help someone who's under

Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much
Life means so much
Life means so much

Has anybody ever lived who knew the value of a life
And don't you think giving is all
What proves the worth of yours and mine

Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much

Every day is a gift you've been given
Make the most of the time every minute you're living

Check out http://www.chrisrice.com/ and http://www.rocketownrecords.com/

What is your life?

Life is so transitory. It doesn’t always feel like it. At times we feel that we are invincible and the eternal hardly crosses our minds. Day to day passes and the here and now seems so pressing, so immediate, so important.

Death can change that perspective, especially when it is close loved ones who depart this life. A grandmother and an aunt recently both suddenly passed away, unexpectedly. I say unexpectedly because, despite old age and illness, death still comes without warning. I lived 2000 miles away from these relatives but despite the distance there are still plenty of precious memories. Both my grandmother and aunt had strong, real faith in Jesus. Both set godly examples of what it means to be a Christian, trusting him through the journey of life, in the good times and the bad times. My grandmother lived a life of prayer for her family spread out over the USA and farther afield around the world. My aunt had pressing physical difficulties throughout her whole life and yet she exhibited a simple, childlike trust in Jesus that was an example of what Jesus said a Christian should be.

In my recent travels to these 2 funerals and a cousin’s joyous wedding, I was struck by the changing nature of the clouds I was viewing from numerous airplane windows. I was reminded that as James said, our lives are like those clouds, appearing for a little time and then vanishing away. What kind of legacy will I leave? Will it be one that leaves a lasting imprint of Jesus and eternity on the lives of others? Will it be one that appears like a vapour and quickly disappears, leaving no impact on others? Will it be a life that, like those clouds, though swirling and disappearing in an instant, gripped and moved me? That, like my grandmother and aunt would have prayed for and lived out in their lives for all to see, giving glory to Jesus, who is the same yesterday, today and forever?

Sightseeing in Sighisoara

The late July day was another scorcher. Much of my holiday in Eastern Europe had been hot but this day was the hottest yet, probably hitting 40 degrees. My travelling companion and I had been sightseeing together in Brasov, Romania for 2 days but on this day planned to go our separate ways: he to Bran and I to Sighisoara.

Sighisoara is a medieval fortress town in central Romania. I caught the train there and, after arriving, found my way to an open air market. There were many stalls and peasant women selling locally-grown fruit and vegetables. The massive watermelons particularly caught my eye and I had to buy a bag of juicy-looking cherries. Part of the thrill was making the purchase in patchy Romanian and making contact with a local person.

I made my way up steep, dusty alleys and lanes into the old fortress itself. Sighisoara is a maze of unmade streets and alleys, sheltering under the ancient embattlements. Perplexed, I stood looking for a while at my guide book when a man, who I thought was local, opened his gate and motioned me inside his property. He turned out to be Italian and knew no English but the contact was heart-warming and added to the atmosphere of the day. We managed to communicate by pointing at the map in my guide book and I showed him where I hoped to get to. He, in turn, allowed me to walk through his house to get to the lower part of the town I was attempting to find.

On leaving the town, I decided to walk by the river to get back to the train station. There were large willow trees overhanging the river and there was a group of Romany people gathered in the shade under the branches. Some of the younger ones said something to me but I did not know the words from my Romanian phrase book.

After spending many delightful, albeit hot, hours in the town, I caught the train back to Brasov. It was a 2 level, double-decker train and I whiled away the long journey sitting next to the open doors, dangling my feet over the edge. The scenery was unrelentingly flat and pastoral, full of sunflowers and sweetcorn. There were more exchanges with Romany people from that train: several families joined the train for a few stops and I made eye contact with one of the children who smiled at me. The train overheated on the journey and had to stop many times. I was not too disappointed, however, as it gave me more time to drink in this rich cultural experience.