Tuesday 31 March 2009

Positive punctuation and Negative news

I couldn't decide whether this should be a positive blog or a negative one. So you get both.

The positive is provided by Lynn Truss through her book "Eats, shoots and leaves" which I am reading at the moment.

This should be a boring book because it's about English grammar and punctuation. But in fact it's a very funny book because of her writing style and her quirky use of examples. This was why it was a best-seller a few years ago and gave her the fame and fortune she so richly deserved. A cliche anyone?

The negative comes from Sky News. They promise me "Fifteen minutes of news every fifteen minutes." So I sat down at 9.45 p.m. last night prepared to be told the latest current events and rose at 10.00 p.m. in a rage. Why? Because they showed endless pictures of Prime Minister Gordon Brown meeting and greeting people whom I took to be heads of state and talked over them about the Home Secretary fiddling her expenses.

I was incensed. The business about the expenses will be forgotten next week while the talks the PM has with these people will have an affect for a long time to come. AND THEY NEVER TOLD US WHO THEY WERE. How frustrating and maddening!


Monday 30 March 2009

Getting out and doing it

Living in the countryside is a wonderful thing. Yesterday was a fabulously clear day with bright sunshine. The Dales and the Lakeland hills looked gorgeous.

Matthew and Audrey wended their way up Wernside in the afternoon while I snoozed on the sofa and then prepared my thoughts for preaching at Newby.

As it was Passion Sunday I got them thinking about the Passion of Christ. We sang five hymns and thought about the way Jesus was flogged, crowned with thorns and mocked. It was pretty tough but it was worth it.

I didn't feel like going but I was glad I did.

Saturday 28 March 2009

Well, hello....again

I'm sorry I haven't been around here for a while. It's just that the horrendous weekend really got me down and I could not bring myself to write a bright, breezy blog. And I did not think you wanted to read a right down miserable one. But I am on my way up again now, so here I am.

These last few blogless days have taught me something, . One is that people appreciate it when I do appear here. The other is that I don't seem to be able to use my skills in wordsmithing unless I am feeling well enough mentally.

Tuesday 17 March 2009

Horrendous weekend

This has been the most horrendous weekend for our family. On Thursday Nathan got sent home from his Apprenticeship.

On Saturday he went to visit his girlfriend in Hull. I had arranged the train trip for him but he missed his connection in Leeds and I had to sort out his catching a bus instead.

Eventually we ourselves set off for Liverpool and an Open Doors meeting launching the Walk with Them campaign. We then went to see my Aunty Mary in her residential home.

After that we saw the Anthony Gormley statues of himself totally naked on a windy beach in Crosby. This was followed by a visit to Tescos in Southport for hamster food and bedding, a pub meal somewhere in West Lancashire and a trip through the city centre of Preston.

On Sunday things didn't improve. Nathan had another bad journey home and got stranded in Leeds. I was due to sing with the Shepherds Choir in Burton-in-Lonsdale but had to hare off to Leeds Station with Audrey to rescue Nathan.

He hadn't enjoyed his visit, and the relationship ended yesterday. So things are falling apart. What a mess.

We are clinging to the promise in Romans 8:28, "All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose." We are clinging to it like wreckage in a storm.

Friday 13 March 2009

a sudden stop

Nathan's apprenticeship came to a sudden stop yesterday. I spent the day in retreat at Pilgrim's Rest and when I got home the phone rang. It was Nathan's lecturer at Kendal College to tell me that he had been given his marching orders by the care company. As Audrey had driven him to work, I had to go and fetch him.

So instead of making the tea I found myself haring off to rescue him from work. I tried to make him feel better by taking him to Asda Cafe for tea.

We also got his tickets for the weekend visit to his girlfriend in Hull. I am sure that will help him too. But now, as my wife Audrey says, "Where do we go from here?" God knows. And we can trust him.

Wednesday 11 March 2009

A day in the life

Yesterday I Twittered all day. From getting up in the morning to going to bed at night I was letting all the world know what I was doing. Well, all the Twitter followers and Facebook Friends anyway.

It was a bit of an experiment really, to see if anyone was interested in what a Christian Englishman living on benefits did to pass the time. The most interest came from Facebook. The one Twitter that caused most comment was:
lying on the couch listening to lovely quiet music.

This created several comments. Funnily enough it was the only time during the whole day when I wasn't actually do anything. No, that's not true. What I was doing was recharging my physical batteries so I could get on and do some more.

What was it the Mars ad said? "A Mars a day helps you Work, Rest and Play."

I can't get through a day without having a rest somewhere. Why do we all have to be rushing about without stopping?

I hate the Protestant Work Ethic. Why do we have so many deaths from heart attacks and strokes in this country? Because we're all too busy. Not that we have to be busy actually doing things, but because we think other people need to see that we're busy. That's ridiculous.

Tuesday 10 March 2009

Inernet Intimacy

What a phenomenon it is to have Facebook and Twitter.

They have brought an intimacy to the famous that was previously unknown.


Yesterday I was able to:

1) follow a household name who is never off British TV as he wandered in Manhattan
2) enjoy the exploits of a well known comedian/actor as he catered for plumbers improving his central heating
3) visit the House of Commons with a political commentator
4) aggravate Tory voters by making comments about William Hague's extra-parliamentary activities
5) discuss with a Christian writer/columnist the problems of our respective children

Such a day would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. But I did it all yesterday.
Quite remarkable, and very enjoyable.

Saturday 7 March 2009

Internet argument

I seem to have upset some little Conservatives over my comments on Hague and his huge payments for talking. If you want to follow the discussion have look here

Friday 6 March 2009

He passed!

Every day I write down the successes I have had. Yesterday there was just one, but O what a one. My son Nathan passed his driving test, and I helped him get there.

I was delighted. Thank the Lord. He can now drive himself to his new job.

Thank you Lord

Thursday 5 March 2009

Money talks

Yesterday Harriet Harman and William Hague faced each other across the despatch box in the House of Commons. It was revealed that Hague was paid £30,000 pounds for two after-dinner speeches by the Royal Bank of Scotland.

I can speak well in public but I don't get paid anything. No, wait. A few weeks ago I preached at Settle St. John's and they offered me expenses. At 40p a mile that amounted to £8.00. I do think Mr. Hague speaks well, but surely charging £15,000 a time is nothing short of extortionate.

It begs the question: What can people like that understand about people like us?

Wednesday 4 March 2009

internet obsession

Forty years ago, when I was a teenager I was obsessed with radio: I had my own pirate station called the Wheel; I went around the house singing radio jingles; I desperately wanted to be a DJ. That was how Jesus caught me.

I was in Australia, 35 years ago, when a former radio DJ who was then a pastor challenged his congregation to set up a Christian radio station in Hobart Tasmania. That was when I realised that my life was nothing without Jesus.

Now I'm very keen, I wouldn't say obsessed, by the Internet. Just lately I have got onto Skype and Twitter. I realise that Twitter is best used from a mobile phone but there is no way I can afford to do that at the moment. Nevertheless, I want to be at the cutting edge of this technology so that Jesus can be there too.

I've just put my Skype and Twitter details on my email signature so that others can follow me and hopefully follow Jesus. O, and I'm on Facebook too.

Facebook: Peter McCabe, Leeds
Twitter: PeterJMcC
Skype: peter-mccabe

See you around the ether.