My book

This not-yet-epic work of fiction has been long in the pipeline. But I truly believe that everyone has a novel in them. Some may not be any good, but there's one there nonetheless.

So I'm aiming high. Think Brideshead Revisited meets Spooks. Please, humour me at least for a while ...

There's a plan somewhere in place, I've got a few characters sketched out. I've even written a prologue (not sure whether this will stay or not), and a couple of chapters.

The hope is that my blog will spur me on to write even more.

On the other hand, it could be a distraction that will drain my creative (?) resources.

We'll have to wait and see.

Info-tainment

Top Gear set the standard. High Altitude has just raised the bar, surely? I'm not bothered by skiiing (tried it once, was pretty rubbish) but this is TV presenting at it best. Real, funny, outrageous. Shake off your cynicism and make sure you don't miss the next episode.

More pop-theology

If you'll excuse the pop-theology from last time, I've had more on my mind since. This time's it's about the all-encompassing nature of worship.
Listening to a podcast from the guys at www.worshipcentral.org made me think about how much we can express through worship. They were talking about the inextricable link between prayer and worship, even though some people try to separate the two, which only serves to diminish the power of both.
Not only does it give voice to all that God is, worship can be all things to all people (well, all Christians, at least).
It is the bowing down, while also a the lifting up in praise. It is deeply personal, yet has a corporately unifying power. It stills our hearts and minds to the still small voice of God, yet simultaneously breathes great power. It is prayer. It is (mostly) biblical.
It is at times repenting, exulting, pleading, relating, but it is always being. Just being in the presence of an almighty heavenly father.
Above all it's awesome, moving people to tears and bringing great joy.
Celebrate in it, don't limit it. That's my simple plea.

Science v Religion

The fact that these two schools are set up as opposing forces simply defies belief. The challenge that science has set itself to find out "how our brains generate religious ideas" (http://tinyurl.com/c5xrsk) is certainly a tough one.

As for me, I'll simply turn to the most fascintating DVD I've ever seen: Rob Bell's 'Everything is Spiritual'. It does exactly what it says on the tin. From an unashamedly religious perspective, it explains how both scientific and religious 'fundamentalists' can in fact be very happy neighbours. Because, as its title says, everything is spiritual - even the richest complexities of science.