Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Went to see this yesterday with the kids. Great fun!

Much more in keeping with the book. I think they just about got the Oompa Loompas right this time. Not easy to interpret Roald Dahl’s vision of the little singing dancing men.

Johnny Depp is a very creepy Willy Wonka...wonder who they based him on?!

Deferred Success

A retired teacher will call on the Professional Association of Teacher’s annual gathering in Buxton, Derbyshire next week, to delete the word 'fail' from the educational vocabulary to be replaced with the concept of 'deferred success'.

She argues that repeated failure, such as in exams, can damage pupils' interest in learning.

Political correctness gone mad? (The Art of Failure)

So what of England’s ‘deferred success’ against the Aussies?

Dead or Alive? Part 2

Paul Benger carried on last night in church with our Dead or Alive series taken from Ephesians chapter 2. A great message!

Ephesians 2:4-10

2 great phrases from these verses - ‘But God’ and ‘God’s Masterpiece’

BUT GOD
Paul writes this is where we were - dead in our sins! BUT GOD, rich in mercy and loved us so much, that even while we were dead, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. There’s a big BUT in all of us!

Three things about this truth:

God initiates
We were dead, but God started the process of bringing about change. By sending his Son.

God invests
God was willing to invest all that He had to save the world. Not a little of his love, his grace – but God being rich in mercy and love…invested liberally!

God imagines
God is a visionary. He sees our world differently to how we see it. We need to see what he sees, imagine what he imagines.

GOD’S MASTERPIECE
(Vs 10) For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

God is an artist, a potter at work...we are his masterpiece (workmanship). He’s not finished with us yet!

Three things about this truth:

Don’t get religion get Jesus
Religion changes nothing. Only Jesus in our lives can do this.

We were created to do good things
Not works. Bearing good fruit when we are connected to Jesus – the Vine.

God has planned good things for your life
Seated us in heavenly places (vs 6). He is the ‘lifter of our heads’. We may have failed in the past but God doesn’t see us as ‘failures’.

First Test - A Bridge too Far

There have been improvements since the last Ashes but there is still a gulf between the two sides.

Lessons Learnt

1. Must do better in the field
2. Batsmen must get in and stay in

"We didn't bat well enough and didn't catch well enough" Michael Vaughn

Positives

1. Pietersen
2. We can bowl out Australia...twice
3. Pietersen

On to Edgbaston and hopefully a more competitive performance!

Bouncers or Beamers Brett?

Brett Lee plans to test England's batsmen with short-pitched bowling and has predicted "fireworks" in the first Ashes Test at Lord's.

"It's Test match cricket and the reason why is because it's a test, a test of character, a test of commitment and a test of courage." Brett Lee

Let’s hope it’s the bouncers and not the beamers that our boys will have to contend with...eh Brett?

Dead or Alive?

Last night in church Paul Benger began a series from Ephesians Chapter 2. He opened with a great message and a number of people responded to God’s word. Great stuff! Thanks Paul.

The fact that through Jesus Christ we have been transferred from a dead world into a living world.

There are 7 things from the first 3 verses of Ephesians 2 that we have to die to...

We have to die to a dead world and connect to a living world (vs 1)
We have to die to a life of missing the mark and connect to a life of hitting the mark (vs 1)
We have to die to former things and connect to present and future things (vs 2)
We have to die to Satan and connect to God (vs 2)
We have to die to a disobedient life and connect to a life of obedience to God (vs 2)
We have to die to a sinful life and connect to a spirit-filled life (vs 3)
We have to die to the concept of an angry God and connect to a loving Father (vs 3)

Winning Team?

Michael Vaughn (Captain)

Marcus Trescothick

Andrew Strauss

Ian Bell

Kevin Pietersen

Andrew Flintoff

Geraint Jones

Ashley Giles

Matthew Hoggard

Simon Jones

Steve Harmison

Chris Tremlett

Just 3 days to go!

Pietersen Gets the Nod

Kevin Pietersen has been chosen ahead of Graham Thorpe for next weeks Ashes Test opener at Lords.

Thorpe had been suffering with injury worries and a dip in form.

I think I agree with the selection...just!

Running the Gauntlet

x 2
As all you runners will appreciate one of the dangers of running is coming across those dogs out for their early morning stroll.

Last Sunday was a lovely hot summer’s day and me and my running partner were out in the Derbyshire countryside when we suddenly came upon two rottweilers (that’s two!) - absent owner (I guess). They were near the road where we were running, just coming out of a wooded area.

They begin barking in an aggressive manner and one of them came for me. Fortunately as soon as he came to the edge of the road, where I was running, he stopped. Trained not to stray onto the road perhaps? Or attack unsuspecting runners maybe?

Lucky escape or the grace of God? Anyway it’s a good job I'd bought those extra running shorts recently!

Aussies in Gear

Looking a little ominous eh?....Australia claimed the third and deciding NatWest Challenge match. Which included an awesome century from Gilchrist.

Still test matches are a whole different ball game. Come on England!

Legend or Loser?

Interesting article on the BBC sports pages today. How will history judge Sir Clive Woodward?

Having read his book ‘Winning’ I loved much of what he had done with the England set-up.

Was his supposed failure with the Lions tour a matter of him simply trying to apply too many of his ideas into too short a time frame?

And now he’s moving onto his true love - football!

Team Works

Sharing this Sunday in church...

‘It was genuinely a team effort and Seb Coe and the team were just awesome throughout. For me it was easy coming in with the way that Seb and his team worked. They were focused and clever in every single aspect. It really shows what you can achieve if you work together.’ - Tony Blair

(1 Corinthians 12:12-31) - Many Parts....One Body

Paul deals with 4 areas of attention when it comes to Team, and the Body functioning effectively.

Some feel Inferior
(15) If the foot should say, Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. (16) And if the ear should say, Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body, it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. (17) If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? (18) But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.

Some feel Superior
(19) If they were all one part, where would the body be? (20) As it is, there are many parts, but one body. (21) The eye cannot say to the hand, I don't need you! And the head cannot say to the feet, I don't need you!

Some feel Inconspicuous
(22) On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, (23) and the parts that we think are less honourable we treat with special honour (24) while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it.

ALL are Important
(25) so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. (26) If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it. (27) Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

Let’s make ‘Team’ work!

London 2005

You hoped and prayed it would never happen. Our hopes and prayers are now with victims and their families - for those in mourning today, for those fighting for their lives and for those who are now on the long road to recovery.

Miracles in the midst of tragedy (Taken from Adrian Warnock’s blog)

'Two remarkable coincidences which seem likely to have contributed to the survival of victims because these circumstances facilitated medical care getting to the victims quicker: Firstly, the bomb on a bus went off outside the headquarters of the British Medical Association where doctors were attending meetings and were able to attend victims immediately. Secondly, a meeting of trauma doctors just happened to be occurring at the Royal London Hospital which meant that 18 top trauma doctors could quickly be airlifted to the scenes of these disasters to treat patients who remained trapped'

War of the Worlds

Saw War of the Worlds yesterday. Some of the things that struck me:

• No heroes
• A real sense of hopelessness
• Genuine terror

This is no feel-good movie. I was gripped with fear a number times.

It’s one of those films that you think you’ve enjoyed it but you’re not quite sure why. Even the effects, which were outstanding, do not seem to be enough of a reason for it being an enjoyable film. Not sure...perhaps I’ll have to see it again.

London 2012

Well done London!

No one dared believe this could actually happen....but it has! I'm really hoping this will melt away the cynicism that often grips this country.

God He Reigns

The new Hillsong album is just out. I’ve ordered a copy along with the music book in CD format, which I look forward to with interest.

I notice the Hillsong Conference starts today....would have loved to have been there again! Maybe one day!

Still there's always Hillsong London in September 2006!

Rome wasn't Built in a Day

Spare a thought for my good friends Paul and Jennie Benger (typo - Jeannie). Read on.

They deserve better....I do hope they get there one day!