Another great theme from Design Disease gives me a nice new look for 2008. I guess I just like playing around with themes and Wordpress to make this site extra pretty and generally rather cool.

I love the little theology discussions we have at CU, in particularly myself, Si Fi, and the Carve sit on the bench in the centre of campus and debate the issues of the day, probably in some way related to the sovereignty of God. Anyway, sometimes I think we might take ourselves a little too seriously, perhaps we are a little ‘clenched‘? To avoid becoming to serious it is helpful every now and then to mock ourselves, on this occasion to ‘elf ourselves‘!

How ridiculous… which was exactly what Adrian Reynolds thought about the prosperity gospel preachers

I went to the Mecca of shopping today, the temple to consumerism that is Bluewater. Firstly I hate that experience, because I go past all the designer shops and it just rubs in the fact that I’m a student with no money…

But anyway, there was also 3 people dressed up to advertise a Christmas market, in Dickensian dress; a town crier, a chimney sweep and a woman with a protruding-hip dress. Now I’m trying to answer the question in my own mind of why I hate this kind of so-called ‘living history’ so much…? I can’t quite figure it out, I probably had a bad experience as a child at some stupid museum. It’s not the dressing up so much, or the idea of recreating history, but the fact that these ‘actors’ feel the need to interact with the general public, it’s just embarrassing for all concerned. Fortunately I avoided contact today, but only through the use of well practised skills of aversion which I shall now share…

1. Be prepared. Certain places like museums, shopping centres, tourist attractions etc. will likely have something like this going on.
2. Look ahead. These characters are usually highly visible and very vocal, they shouldn’t be too hard to spot, so keep an eye out for them.
3. Spot your escape route. Often these people place themselves in bottlenecks where you can’t not avoid them, try and get objects or other people between them and you as you walk past.
4. Block the senses. Look the other way, start a conversation, pretend you’re deaf… whatever you do, don’t make eye contact or show any other sign of acknowledging their presence!

Also… why would women in shopping centres try and sell me beauty products, what possible use could I have for hand lotions and nail filing blocks?!

Just in the process of relaunching the website for my little business. I sell web hosting, make web sites for people and generally do computery, techie, designy kind of projects for people…

You can find me at Web4Christ.co.uk where there’s some examples of projects done. If you need someone to put together a blog for you, church website, business website, need your computer fixed etc. then get in touch!

Was watching Family Guy last night and it was the episode where Peter has a feature on the news “What Grinds my Gears” where he has a rant about something, well here’s mine….

Do you know what really grinds my gears… why these four things never work together… short leg jeans are always that little too short for me and regular fit, just that little bit too long for my little legs. Consequently I have to plan my shoes and belts; boot-type shoes are ok, they make me a bit taller, the jeans fit better, smaller shoes don’t, so my jeans end up dragging along the floor and ripping. I never really liked belts, but when you buy jeans that don’t fit they’re needed.

I just get annoyed, perfectly good jeans getting wet and ripped cause my legs aren’t an inch longer… and why do jeans, well trousers in general always rip in the groin first??

I have just recently invented a new game, curiously untitled, but subtitled “Hugh Bourne embarrasses Si Fi”. The idea is that whenever I see Si Fi, sorry Si or Simon, Simon Field to be precise (check out his new blog - he’s already started posting Driscoll videos). Well… whenever I see him I raise my hand in the air, and shout rather loudly… “Yo’alright Si Fi?” Simon being a very shy young man finds this terribly embarrassing, I love it.

Today was a great day for the sport in general… unsuspecting Simon arrived at Brighton station, only to be met in arrivals by me shouting the infamous greeting… which met the response “Please don’t ever do that again”… Genius! Reports have suggested that the game may be disbanded as a new year’s resolution, we shall see…

In other news… now term is ended the backlog of proposed blog posts and general musings shall be unleashed. Got very excited to learn today that Pastor MD will be in Brighton in July! Going home soon…

I bought a poppy today and was reminded of the other thing that makes me cry…

I cried today (not ashamed to admit that). I was listening to Mark Driscoll speak from Philippians 1:19-30, ‘A Rebel’s Guide to Joy in Death‘ it was moving enough listening to him talk, then he played an interview with a member of his church in hospital with maybe weeks/months to live having battled cancer for 7 years, then heard the story of Horatio Spafford and they played his hymn, ‘It is well with my soul’ (see below), I challenge you to listen to this and not be moved…

1. See above

2. Seeing someone I love die for the first time, my grandpa

3. Realising that God’s in control, and I’m helpless without Him

4. Films: To End All Wars, Crash, the end of Gladiator, Lion King, and some others

5. Hearing about people giving up everything to serve Jesus around the world

When peace like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul, it is well, with my soul, It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, even so, it is well with my soul.

Recently I have been quite disappointed on this subject… I don’t like having to shave, it’s just a hassle, but I find that before too long I look like a hobo with a ginger beard. But when I leave it, the beard never quite matches my expectations, it’s either ginger, or patchy, whatever it just doesn’t look cool.

Anyway, I’m hoping that one day it may be something like this…

If you’re in Brighton this weekend why not check out the World Beard and Moustache Championship 2007 to see these guys and other weirdos…

Unlike Jesus Christ (Heb 13:8) this website changes frequently. Partly due to a few design issues I wasn’t happy with and in part due to my desire to procrastinate I’ve sorted out this new theme (credits at the bottom) still on wordpress. I like the colours and it’s a better use of space with two sidebars. Also there’s some Google and Amazon ads down there… if you click on them, I make money - this is part of my ongoing experimentation to see if I can make some money out of the WWW, having failed at Poker, advertising could be it…