Now I know that gun law is a controversial thing, but this article really did it for me today. I especially like the bit which says:

"For some reason, most people think that carrying guns is sinful. It's not. I think my life is worth protecting."

I feel that somewhere her logic about sin hasn't quite been extended to the other end of the sentence.

Two other things I have been thinking about:

1. I love chipmunks! They are small, timid, very cute and we have a billion of them around our woody garden

2. I also am still loving our bank (I have previously been enamoured by their constant free provision of nice coffee when you go in and the occasional cake). The other day I went to pay in my cheque to find some of the employees barbeque-ing outside! Upon enquiring what was going on, I found out it was a customer appreciation day and they were giving away free hotdogs, crisps, drinks and cake! Even though I know that it is a big gimmick to try and win more people in, especially with the economy, I was won over and professed my undying loyalty. 

Wimbledon started today - HOORAY!!! I love Wimbledon. I don't really know why - I don't watch the other tournaments. It captures me though and I really could happily spend 2 weeks solidly watching tennis. 

I have managed to find some good coverage here on ESPN2 (for some ridiculous reason the Tennis Channel isn't showing it!!!!!) but I am really missing the UK commentators. It adds something to it and watching it over the years you get used to their funny quips and build up (in a weird way) some relationship with them albeit one sided. Ho hum. At least I can still see some of it!

I also miss my Wimbledon-watching buddies... Hi ladies!

There have been two events in the BBC news that have made me cry yesterday and today:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/8094720.stm

I know Jesus says the poor will always be with you, but surely there should be some regulation about not spending so much on a person who can kick a ball of leather around and maybe giving the money to something more worthwhile. I guess you can't regulate for peoples' hearts though.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8096874.stm

And in particular this bit:

"There is also evidence that many girls are being targeted by child traffickers, Save the Children's country director Rachel Pounds says.

They are thought to have plans to send young Zimbabwean girls to South Africa to feed the appetite of those attending next year's football World Cup finals."

I have just experienced the wonders of a private health care system. 

When my doctor said she was going to refer me to a specialist for some stuff going on, I thought back to the days in the UK where you would wait 4-6 months for an appointment. Then, upon getting an appointment for 3 days later (it was the weekend), I was then referred to get some tests done. Yet again, expecting some delay - a good few weeks at  least even in a private health care world -  I was offered an appointment for the next day!  Sadly I had to turn them down and make one for next week (much to their surprise!) as Tom is away for the week and I have no-one to look after Reubs in the day.

Even though there are some things which are wearing off in their novelty here I really hope that the privilege of having this kind of healthcare doesn't. The NHS in the UK is fantastic  though and although a lot of people moan about it, it is the most wonderful health-for-all system ever. AND it works so fast when you really are very sick. Bring it on here I say.

Today I really am blogging just for me, not because I want to share it for other people to read so forgive me if it's not too coherent and also very long.

Last wednesday was our lifegroup night. There weren't too many of us and we'd wanted to follow up on last Sunday's teaching about destroying idols in our lives. We had a short bit of teaching from Tom, reminding us of what was taught last week, then went individually to a space to be quiet and still before God for about 15 minutes, asking him if there was anything he'd like to bring up, talk with us about, then we came back together to worship. It was a beautiful evening.

In my time, I asked Jesus what he wanted to say and, a little surprisingly to me, he answered straight away talking about how much he loved me, then to look up 1 Corinthians 13:

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails."

When I read this normally I have read it in terms of me needing love in order to make anything worth anything and of vs 4-7 being something I should strive to be like towards others. Suddenly I was drawn to read it in a different light, as only the Holy Spirit can enable you to do sometimes: where it says 'have not love' suddenly I was drawn to read it as 'don't know how much I (Jesus) love you'; that where it talks about what love is, it moved from being a list of how I should be towards others to being a list of how God's love is for me; that if I achieve so much for the Lord in this life but don't know he loves me then it is all worth nothing. 

Needless to say I cried quite a lot, touched deep inside. Last week was a pretty hard one - coming off the last bit of my medication, PMS and having some weird neurological things going on all at once - I was in a pretty rough space. It lifted me and other little reminders along the way have kept me there (along with the side effects of the withdrawal from the drugs wearing off, PMS going, getting some good sleep and seeing the doctor!). The latest nudge was a song sung this morning which I think I posted about a while back, but will do so again. Today's talk, or rather the piece I was struck by most by it, was about intimate relationship with God and at the end Dan got up and sung the song by John Mark McMillan: Oh how he loves us