Turned the radio on this morning ever hopeful - not all out is a good start; only four wickets, ok; a final total almost 5 runs an over. I pursuade myself that this could be worth watching ceefacts for (342 is the score card if you don't know) Turning the tv on to see the antipodean reply and I notice 1 run and 11 extras in the first over and a bit. Should I go back to bed (?) - I look again and that man Gilchrist is winning it on his own.
Well I was at a profound conference this week. I could tell it was profound because I kept being mistaken for a Time Lord - maybe I'm metamorphosing or something like that. Spoke to a Cambridge Utd 'football' fan - he confessed he found watching them more releasing than t'Villa. The link with the cricket is that my non-holy book was Zimmer Men. Oh the kindred spirits of aging cricketers there within its covers. Did you know (this is my only boring stat) that the only all stumped hat-trick was by W.H. Brain, off the bowling of C.L. Townsend for Gloucestershire against Somerset at Cheltenham in 1893? Ok so you've read the book too - it's a corker (or corkie if you will).
English sportsmen are so tantalising - not always inspiring confidence and yet the potential's there.
I didn't only read most of Zimmer Men I also found tons of confidence building stuff on the conference. A lot of it simply boils down to realising something of the greatness of God and his heart towards us. As one guy said sharing on Revelation chpt 1 'How big is your vision of Jesus' - whatever we face, He is bigger!

Welcome to 2007 - how is it so far? Funny how time marching on and this year is already feeling used, only 358 days 'til another new one. Purple Pippin's Tiger and Bunny have been baking. It is a self-confessed 'girlie cake' but looks ok to me. Not quite up to Time Lord standard but what is. I was in the Tardis' kitchen last June and was surprised to see the cider coming out of the cupboard. I shouln't have been surprised to see the contents poured into the pan to facilitate cider cake. I wonder when Old Peculiar Parkin will make an appearance?
It has been Covenant Sunday over here in Dales-land. It is sobering thought to make promises to God. The great fact is that we do so from the place of being a child of God and with His help. As fathers we have so many hopes for our children (however old they are) but the best we can do is to entrust them to the Father's care. Our God is the beginning and ending of all that is good - might they grow to know and trust him so much more than I do.