Teddy Bears, Muhammad and common sense out the window!

So Gillian Gibbons has been charged in Sudan for 'insulting religion, inciting hatred and showing contempt for religious beliefs' according to the BBC Website. Her crime, allowing her school children to call a class teddy bear Muhammad. I am sorry to cast judgment and all that but this is the most pathetic thing I have heard in a long time. Believe me I get the whole, not making images of 'the Prophet Muhammad' viewpoint since as a Christian I believe images should not really be made of Jesus Christ lest we fall into revering/idolising an image as opposed to worshiping Christ Himself. No image will ever be accurate of Christ's incarnated body since we don't know what He looked like and the bible is quite clear on creating images and idols etc...

However, to arrest and charge a woman with the above charges on account of calling a teddy bear after a name some school children voted for on account of some of them actually being called Muhammad is just a religion 100% losing sight of its heart. Christians have been as guilty of this as any Islamic fundamental here. I can't speak for Islam that much since I only have a basic grasp of its beliefs but for Christians when works and the trappings of religion become more important than God Himself then you lose sight of the most important aspect. Surely at its heart, Islam is about service, sacrifice of self for others and worship of Allah, not persecuting an innocent woman on grounds of a teddy bears name.

If I heard similar from Christians I would be astonished and ashamed of them. When telling others what they should and shouldn't do, see or say becomes more important than loving God first and foremost, personal holiness then sacrificially loving others, serving others and by doing so bringing them to the foot of the cross to the reality of sin and the need for repentance, then we have totally lost the point of our faith.

Sudanese Government, please see common sense and release this woman and stop this insanity!

One of those weeks......Part II

Well just as I though things were settling down to normality after having the central heating fixed on Monday this morning it all went blah again. I opened the airing cupboard to find everything soaked and water dripping from the ceiling. Fortunately being lazy I had not put the step ladders back in the garage and got straight up on the loft to find the valve on the new pump leaking quite a lot. How long this had been going on I don't know but quite a while it seems.

Anyway the plumber is here now to replace the leaking valve. Just got to wash all the clothes that were soaked and find a place to hang them all to dry. Will have to wait until it has all dried out before I see if any permanent damage to the plasterboard ceiling has been caused. The joy of owning a house!

Lord please may that be the last thing for a while?

(27 Days to Christmas!!!)

One of those Weeks!

Do you ever get one of those weeks where you think everything is against you? Well I am having one of those weeks. Firstly on Monday evening I reversed into a parked car, dented its door and front wing and also smashed up my rear bumber. It was dark, late and miserable weather and I wasn't paying attention enough. I only have myself to blame for this. My reaction in the car on the way home was less than Christian I must admit. Some words passed my lips that should not have and I got really rather angry with myself. Insurance is sorting all this out for us. Ironically it was a couple of hours after I had ordered my new company car. Not sure if there is anything too that!

Secondly, today my central heating has stopped working on a day it is rather cold and I am working from home. Another thing to sort out and pay out on.

I know neither of these things is hign on the life threatening, very important scale but it is very easy to let yourself start feeling very miserable when little-ish things stack up. It just reminds me of two things. One, that God does not promise a stress free easy life, that is not what being a Christian is. Secondly that He is my source of hope and life and joy, not what happens around me. Nothing that happens to me in this life changes who He is and who I am in relation to Christ. Nothing can separate me from the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:39).

Sorry for the slightly depressing post and lack of posting recently. I have found myself so busy recently at home and with the extra duties of stand in Cell Group Leader at church that my mind has not be inspired to write much. I hope that changes soon and that life calms down.

PS: 32 days till Christmas!!!!!