I decided to leave this blog until after Remembrance Sunday, because although it relates directly to the subject of remembrance... I did not want to cross swords on that day.

Basically I have been very annoyed at the tactics of Ekklesia, a Christian think tank. I have grown very cynical over the precise nature of think tanks... and I am especially skeptical about the motives of think tank organisations that purport to be speaking out from a Christian perspective - "my own backyard".

Why?

I feel that these organisations are ego driven, attention getting monstrosities... they seek to make a name for themselves and bend society towards their own particular ideologies.  What has angered me recently is this story, reported by the BBC last week.

 

I believe Ekklesia have deliberately and (conveniently for themselves) missed the point.  By making anti-poppy statements in the days prior to Remembrance Sunday, they must have known that they would easily spotted on the political radar.  Essentially they have stated that the poppy detracts from the Christian message because as a symbol, it implies that redemption can be achieved through military sacrifice.

 

I can't understand how anyone would seriously believe that.  For me, the poppy has always been about remembering the heavy price that men and women have paid in the past... to safeguard the freedoms I have in the temporal world.  Their sacrifice holds no meaning for me in terms of eternal salvation... nobody would claim it did... least of all the servicemen, many of whom came back with precious little to hold on to in this life.  I know of a Burma veteran who when he arrived back in his hometown, fell out of his taxi and grasped the church gates to regain his footing.  Emotionally that man never let go of his desperate hold on those gates... he endured terrible sufferings - but he knew there was a man who lived and suffered unjustly on account of him... and that helped sustain the veteran until he died.

 

I believe Ekklesia callously did this to make a name for themselves, just like Christian Voice did several years ago.  They have conformed to the pattern of this world in their desperate and cynical cries for attention.

 

I have always remembered the price that was paid for me so that I could live with temporary earthly freedoms.

 

I will never forget the price that was paid for me so that I could live in eternal freedom with God my Father.

 

A longstanding tradition of mine during Remembrance Day is to misquote Churchill and use it as an opportunity to remember Christ's sacrifice.  Jesus is the Man of Sorrows and is familiar with all our sufferings... sufferings that men who lay down their lives in defence of freedom, to a certain degree share.  I will never confuse the differences in magnitude between those sacrifices... no matter what similarities they may share.  

 

 

One of my old problems has flared up again... I don't know why; maybe it is a seasonal thing, maybe it's the weather... maybe I'm just plain tired. Every so often I hit a wall... a time when I feel the pinch of walking the road I'm on and glance up to the things I hope and long for... and solemnly sigh at them still being unfulfilled.

It's been a while since I've had a proper girlfriend... heck did I EVER have a proper girlfriend for that matter? I effectively had a seven year solitary confinement sentence once, but that was all give, give and no take... a very sorry and parasitical state of affairs. I have waited patiently and resisted the temptation to move rashly... and sometimes that temptation has been sore. I know I'm not designed or cut out for solitary existence and I know the time will come when these days will end... but sometimes it really does hurt.

To quote a biblical sentiment that U2 echoed in on of their hits... how long must I sing this song?

I feel like I did when I climbed Great Gable the other week... having got over one peak, it was so disparaging to look across at a higher one and be told we hand to go down into a valley and climb up again even higher than before.

When you kill off the locusts that eat your crops, the land can still look barren for a long time to come. The important thing to remember is that the seeds of the new season grow silently beneath the seemingly desolate surface, and long before you see the green shoots of restoration and revival... strong sustaining roots are being put down deep into the fertile soil, where you cannot see it.

I think the most recent pangs I have experienced have come from a sense of "if I hadn't seen such riches, I could live with being poor" to quote the band James. There are a couple of girls I'm keen on... one, far away and one close by. The former probably doesn't give me a second thought and probably just sees me as a helpful but eccentric soul on the all too rare occasions we have met. The other I barely know and don't really get much chance to rub shoulders with. I'm trying to get back into the habit of praying for them... no, not praying for them to be mine... I mean just praying for them... for God's protection, influence and blessing to be upon them. The way I see it you may as well turn these feelings into something constructive.

I would appreciate people's prayers on this one. I'm feeling especially vulnerable at the moment and I have struggled to overcome some inner adversity. Lately I have the feeling that the journey in this area is too much for me.

As promised here is my first update on the continuing saga of my financial redemption. I'd like to restate my deeply held belief that it is by God's grace and empowerment that I am making progress... not my own financial acumen (which is woefully poor).

I'm going to hold a few bits of information back, as strictly speaking they relate to next month. As it stands though the first amount of interest has been added, and the first repayment has been made. I see this month as an acid test, because I still have an outstanding insurance payment to make on my car, a visit to the dentist and a haircut to take into account... so it is likely to be the month with the most expenditure.

Things to take into account during November are likely to include my birthday (hooray!), a work bonus and of course the looming shadow of Santa Claus's sack as we approach Christmas.

So without further ado:

Balance Prior to first repayment: £3,137.91
Current balance on loan: £2,827.91 + interest.
Current finances in reserve: £200.00

The other day I blogged about the curiously misunderstood relationship between politics and christianity. Lo and behold in the week following, there has been a flurry of debate concerning the future role of Christianity in the state of Britain. It comes in the wake of an Evangelical Alliance think tank publishing their views about Prince Charles' desire to be "Defender of Faith" not just "Defender of the Faith", you can read about the story here.

So where do I stand in all this?

I want to go back to something I said in that earlier post I referred to:

Christianity is not about using political power and statutory authority to
enforce belief among non-believers. Do I believe God is calling all of humanity
to righteousness? Yes of course... but at the end of the day, every person has
to choose salvation for themselves... you can lead a horse to water but you
can't make it drink!

I'd be lying if I said I didn't want everyone in this land to know the love of Christ and accept his as their God... and I'd be disappointed if the people of this nation become stiff-necked and heart hearted and rejected God. However, if the people in their free will choose to do that... I don't believe in forcing them back by rule of law.

In fact, were Charles to get his way, I'd actually see it as an opportunity for the Church of England to get itself right before God. At the moment, because it is the state religion, the CofE has to take a broad view on many things. Due to the pressures put on it by its role as part of the state, it is not free to be what God would shape it to be. It can't be contraversial.... because it has to be inclusive of every man woman and child of this nation. What is more, the higher echelons of the Church of England's infratsructure are shackled under secular authority. Every bishop or archbishop you see, is vetted by the Prime Minister... in the past I was ignorant of such things, but when Tony Blair came into power... he took the role much more seriously than other PM's. As I mentioned before, Blair's brand of Christianity appears to be a highly compromised one... which is inclusive of and contaminated by other religious philosophies. It's disturbing when somebody of that calibre starts moving his yes men into positions of authgority within the church.

You may ask what right has a religion to force it's views on the state? A fair question... and you already know my answer to that. I in turn now ask you what right the state has to interfere in matters of faith and doctrine?

The strongest advocate of secularism in the UK is unsurprisingly the National Secular Society. - an organisation that I have special vitriol for. Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with people choosing atheism or humanism as an option... but the NSS is a different creature. In the past, it has lobbied the UN to pursue a "Freedom from Religion" policy instead of the current UN policy of "Freedom of Religion". What that basically means is that religion being a personal thing, could only be exercised in the home or a place of worship. Speaking in a public forum on religious matters would be illegal... which technically I would assume would class this blog as illegal too.

Now the National Secular Society boasts being made up of the greatest atheistic/humanistic minds of our generation... people like Professor Richard Dawkins. With all this grey matter at their disposal, I would have thought the fundamental flaw of their argument was obvious. By pressurising governments and the UN for such a proposal, they become the very monster they have accused organised religion of being. They are trying to force people to comply to their own narrow minded point of view.

Not subscribing to a religion doesn't make you objective in your arguments here... because you are still expressing a point of view. Atheism, agnosticism, and humanism are subjective. It is therefore wrong for people who follow those paths, to impose a gagging order on people who think differently. Do we really want to walk down the footpath that China and North Korea have walked along for so long? I think not. Freedom of religion works fine. The National Secular Society should learn to grow up and shut up on such issues... and put their minds towards more productive matters.

The Bible says that Faith without deeds is dead... but I would say that the same goes for Reason. If you have been gifted with intelligence, use it to benefit God (should you believe in him) and/or mankind. Don't use the talents you have been given to further a paranoid agenda.

Well I'm back... and what's more, I'm relatively unscathed. I will post photographs shortly but I am waiting for a few from a mate who is still on holiday. Here is a brief run down of events as I perceived them:

Friday 13th October
Set off about 4:45 from Alcester after being picked up by Mike... who was driving his father's car (which incidentally received a good, sound thrashing with a horse chestnut branch by Rob's 2 year old daughter - Katie). The journey was for the most part uneventful... I tried to wave at pretty ladies passing by in other cars on the motorway, purely to bide the time... but alas I was stuck on the driver's side and we stayed on the right for extensive periods. We arrived in millom at 9.30pm ate a sandwich and turned in. Curiously for me, I had no trouble sleeping.

Saturday 14th October
We awoke to a glorious sunny day and decide to do potentially the toughest walk first... a steep ascent up Kirk Fell... something like 10 meters vertical for every meter forwards. When we got to the top I was relieved, but then we looked across to Great Gable whose summit was shrouded in mist... and we decided to ascend that too. I don't know about you, but the way I tackle mountains psychologically is to remind myself that you go up and that is as worse as it gets... then it's all downhill (which I find easy). I found the next bit hard going because we descended into a valley quite sharply... only to come back up again at a similar rate to before. I think my brain was shot to hell and back because I was finding it hard to go upward... however having reached the top I found it an easy descent... and was teased horribly by Rob because several girls we came across on a couple of occasions were eyeing me up at various points on the way down... much to Mike's chagrin (poor old Mike thought I was irrepressible enough as it was), still I did enjoy the attention... and it did take my mind off the seemingly arduous climb I had endured. On the way down it was unbearably hot... the sky was sapphire blue and the sun beat down on us. We couldn't believe it was the middle of October, it felt more like midsummer. We went to the pub for our first evening meal. A wonderful pub outside of Millom called the King William - worthy of a plug for it's wonderful atmosphere and even more wonderful food. The landlord and his family are quitting this year... so if you want to sample the delights of real food... go now, while you still can. There is a nice, warm and friendly atmosphere and if you can bare the odd coarse joke... you will find it a pleasant refuge and according to Mike (our resident real ale drinker) a good local brew! We discovered that a small chapel we passed on the way back to the car (during the walk), was the burial place of British expeditionary mountaineers. Originally the church had not been used for burial purposes due to the presence of what the landlord called "evil spirits" (I find it amazing that people of the rural north are a lot more matter of fact about such things than other people elsewhere.... they just take it for granted as an everyday occurrence where most people just view it as superstition). With a hearty meal of cajun chicken followed by sticky toffee pudding inside me I headed for bed.

Sunday 15th October
A much more relaxing walk occurred on this day... up to the Heart of Fell. It was my kind of walk as we had plenty of variety. Yes, we had the climbs... but we also had to traverse woodland, brooks and streams. We got to the summit and looked down through the haze at the tiny villages below. We could just about make out the remains of the Roman Hard Knot Fort... I was amazed that something similar to that once stood in my hometown. The decent down was an interesting one. Mike went over on his foot and had a slight twinge... I'm lucky in that respect, my feet turn over quite often... but they never seem to pick up injury when they should be thrown out of whack. The second event was my attempt to emulate Bruce Banner's transformation into the Hulk. As we came down to a treacherous path there was a distinct tearing sound - a flaw in the fabric of my new trousers had resulted in them tearing from knee to groin! I had to wait until we were on the flat ground below, before I could get my waterproofs on over the top of them. Fortunately we did not pass anyone coming up the other way... and far more importantly it was yet another warm day. Dinner this evening consisted of salmon steak and apple pie for pudding. Mike's had been specially crafted with an "M" due to a comment made in jest at his expense the night before... he dared NOT have apple pie.

Monday 16th October
The day got off to a wondrous start. My TARDIS alarm on my mobile phone woke me up as usual; however, I noticed that Rob was still beneath me in the bunk below. Not wanting to unduly disturb him I reached for my phone on the shelf opposite... bad move. I pawed the air two or three times but became unbalanced and fell right out of the top bunk. there was a loud thud... so loud that Steve (downstairs in the kitchen) had thought the entire bunk had tipped over. In fact, I had actually crashed to the ground head first... my cranium absorbing the entire force of impact. Unusually I was facing the opposite way to the way I flipped.... a mystery have still been unable to fathom. Miraculously there were no injuries... although some would no doubt argue that where there is no sense, there is no feeling. 90 minutes later and I was clambering up Black Combe Fell, the oldest peak in the area. The rest of the day passed without incident and I went o bed after consuming lamb in redcurrant and rosemary sauce, followed by the now almost obligatory sticky toffee pudding.

Tuesday 17th October
Today we decided to explore the woodland outside of Millom which was fun for various reasons... especially when we reached a perimeter fence for a quarry. At first it felt like we were in Narnia because we kept stumbling across seemingly random lamppost in the thin wood. Eventually we passed by the quarry - which both Rob and myself started getting James Bondesque feelings about... as we gazed over the wooden fence, you could easily imagine Ernst Stavro Blofeld having a secret base beneath the surface. As we followed the woodland away from the quarry, it started to get all ethereal and enchanted. It felt like something out of the 80's ITV series Robin of Sherwood... in fact, I swear I saw Hern the Hunter more than once... but maybe I was still hallucinating from the blunt force trauma to the head from the previous morning. Mike was suddenly possessed by an urge to run (this isn't a mike like thing to do) and sprinted ahead of Rob to the top of a tower... and collapsed. We had our lunch atop the platform and headed back to the town. On the way down, Mike again took a tumble and injured his foot... having to limp back the rest of the way - this turned out to be a major disadvantage when we reached a patch of farmland where two bulls looked on us with disgust and more than just a hint of an evil glint in their eyes. Fortunately for us they couldn't be bothered to do anything - good job too, because with one man lame and a field full of bulls on the other side of the wall, who Rob had proceeded to wind up (safe in the false knowledge that the wall protected us), we had nowhere to run. For my last meal at the pub, I ate chicken breast cooked in a red wine sauce... very nice - followed by the now unavoidable sticky toffee pudding.

Wednesday 18th October
I was very nervous today. I had been told we were going up Jake's Rake - which sounded daunting enough... but with my overactive imagination going into hyperdrive... all attempts to disarm my state of panic just exacerbated my fears. As we trudged up the steep hill (twice crossing the river Ghyll), my brain was seriously trying to discourage me and I was losing heart rapidly. We crossed paths twice with some cadets. Now bearing in mind I have no military training and was scared stiff of falling off the mountain, I am especially proud of what happened next. Steve recommended Jake's Rake to the cadets as they supped on their coffee. We passed by them and headed for the Rake - 150ft of vertical climb - for the most part wedged between two walls of rock - but occasionally surfacing out with 500ft sheer drops to the left. We scaled it in about 15-20 minutes (I'm told I did very well - managing to do it practically all with no assistance and transferring my bodyweight onto my arms in some tight spots that required it - although I put that down to pure adrenaline). Where had the cadets gone? That's right... they'd chickened out like wusses and headed for Easy Gully - a relative stroll. Having reached the top of the mountain, we began to work our way back to the car... but not before trying another peak. I was yomping off ahead of the others because I was hearing girls voices and wanted to investigate the sound of these sirens that was coming to us across the mists. Alas we caught up with them as they were coming down from the next peak... with their boyfriends, but we exchanged pleasantries anyway - it pays to be polite! On the way down, Mike managed to yet again do in his foot... but the walk was almost at it's end and as we reached the car we tumbled in and set off from the mist covered mountains on a course that brought us back to our home in the lowlands. I sat on the left this time and managed to smile and wave at a few more fair maidens - who smiled back... what can I say? It passes the time!

Here endeth my chronicling of events in the Lake District 2006.