Smith Wigglesworth said to a congregation in Angeles Temple in Los Angeles (as recorded in 'Smith Wigglesworth on Spiritual Gifts' Whitaker House, Pg173-174)

"You may have heard that three years ago I was in Los Angeles.  God's blessing was upon those meetings.  Some of you remember blessings recieved.  But since the time I left, you have not known what I have done because you have not been with me; you do not live with me.  I might have lost annointing or favor with God... ... you do not know what has taken place in my life since I was here.  When the good people of the Angeles Temple wired to see if I could give them June or July, they did no know that I was still living in the centre of Gods Holy will.  Because I am only a man, it is possible that I may have grieved the Spirit.  When I got up to speak here, what I said might have been only formal language without unction, nothing that would move the people.  In this type of situation, someone in the place-and this is what tongues are for-someone in the place who is hungry for God and cannot rest because he is not getting the cream of the truth, would begin travailing and groaning in the spirit and speaking in tongues.  Another person would travail in the same way, recieving the interpretation of these tongues, and would arise and give that interpretation, thus lifting the people where the prophet could not because he was out of the will of God."

I was recently at 'Harrys house' for his 2 weekly, sunday night chilli sausage phophetic gathering.  It's great (both prophesying and the chilli sausages).  On this particular occassion a person (lets call them person A) was prophesying over someone.  As they had finished another person (lets call them person B) came forward to prophesy.  And instead of prophesying person B had a burden to just worship the Lord for a moment.  So person B proceeded to sing in the spirit.  And it was lovely.  It was great, and right on.  After person B had finished, person A made the comment that it was not necessary to enter into a time of worship before prophesying in order to bring the spirit because that would be impractical (for example if you were in a supermarket, and the spirit gave you a word for someone, then it would not be practicle to stop them where they are, while you worship for 5 minutes before giving the word).  And of course this example is true.  However there was also something true about person B's actions.
I'm honestly not writing this to expose person A or person B, I'm just trying to figure out whats going on in this instance.  I think what Smith Wigglesworth said above is a very great definition (to me anyway) of what is happening when someone enters into the use of the gift of tongues.  Tongues helps us hear God clearly, and if we're not hearing God they happen when someone is hungry to hear God.  And it's more of a reaction to the groaning thats going on inside when we are in a place of seeking God, than a decision to start praying in tongues.

One of the best things about tongues is that we don't understand it (unless the spirit revels it to us of course).  Why is this good?  Well because on the most part in trying to be prophetic a lot of us do not necessarily speak for the spirit of God.  But rather we try and offer interpretations of what we think the spirit is saying.  We see things and we try to interpret them.  However tongues are great, because they allow the spirit to speak without hindrance (clearly for him, but perhaps not clearly for us).  And the spirit likes to speak.  He likes to be heard.  He likes having room to move in ways that we don't understand.  He likes it when people take risk, and when there is room made for him.  Like us he likes to talk, and he likes to have his voice heard.  There are many verses in the Old testament where God challenges people with statements like, are you God, were you about when the worlds were made, did you give man his tongue (to Moses) etc.  And I think the spirit is the same.  Yes we can know what he's saying, but we do not speak for him.  We try and say what he's saying and we try and interpret what he's saying, but he is independant of us and he will never tell one person all the revelation for everyone else, all the time.  No matter how prophetic we get we are not the Holy Spirit.

Often the human response to this would be, well what about Paul who said let all things be done decently and in order (in refering to the things of the spirit, and the moving of the spirit).  And yes Paul said this.  However I don't think Paul would class making room for the spirit as creating disorder or indecency.  After all he was a man whose first experience of Jesus and the Holy Spirit was to be knocked of a donkey and blinded by this same God.  So if he regarded this experience as a genuine experience of God, then how much more disorderly do things have to get to come into Pauls interpretation of indecancy and disorder.

The perfect rebuttal to the 'decently and in order' arguement is to look to the book of Acts.  On the day of pentecost, these guys came stumbling out of an uper room where they had just seen flames of fire on each others heads, and heard the sound of a wind blowing inside that room.  They were filled with the spirit and they were speaking in tongues to such a degree that onlookers assumed they had been drinking alcohol.  And the outcome of this was that many people gathered from different nations heard these uneducated county folk speaking about Jesus in their own lanuages (even though these country folks did not speak those languages that they were speaking).  So if this kind of experience is OK what does decently and in order mean.  I think its a matter of perspective.

Anyhow, we were talking about the purpose of tongues.  So person B was perfectly right to get up and let out what was going on inside him.  He was not trying to teach everyone a new teaching that you had to worship before prophesying.  He just felt the unction to want to worship in tongues for a moment.  And this is fine.  The spirit does not follow forms or agendas, human traditions, or patterns of expected activity.  The spirit moves and people respond.  And we can allow people to respond knowing that it does not mean we are wrong and they are right, it just means that he's the spirit and he's choosing to use different individuals at different times for different things. In other words he's God and we're not.  He choses who to speak through, instead of us always listening to the more experienced or more confident individuals.  So for us, there always involves risk in choosing to make room for the spirit.  And to remain in the spirit we should embrace things that are out of the ordinary, and we should all choose to be the ones who are prepared to seek after him and to take risks.  Here endeth the lesson.

Oceans 13 movie Review.
(if any of you wonder why I'm posting a movie review, well it's because I'm experimenting with writing and enjoying it.  I got to go the press preview screening of this movie and send in a review to my workplaces magasine.  Also variation and change is good.  It keeps you fresh).

Oceans 13.  Hmmm.  What to say about a 2nd follow up to a very clever, sharp movie (Oceans Eleven).
Danny Ocean is back with his compatriots, and this time I think their offering may be greeted in a harsher manner by the more critical reviewer, such as Mark Kermod (Radio 5 Movie Reviewer).

From the very beginning, this movie is nice, if in principle more than content.  The movie revolves around settling a score to help a friend.  So on this level its nice.  And it definitely is softer and a lot less grittier that No's 11 and 12.  At times the humor has a modern carry-on slap-stick feel to it, which leaves you feeling, 'did they really put that in this movie'.  Oceans 13 is funnier, and more like James Bond or Mission Impossible, and more unrealistic than the others.  It's definitely entertaining, and in my opinion is epitomised by the scene in which Brad Pitt and George Clooneys character's are found in a hotel room crying over a sentimental moment, watching an episode of one of the well known talk show programmes on US TV.  Weird I know.

So what my recommendation.  Go see it.  Not to be impressed, but to be entertained.  It's fun, and likable.  The set ups are bigger, but not necessarily cleverer.  A decent third (or should that be thirteenth).

I'm getting married.  Probably sounds like a pretty normal thing.  Happens everyday. Well yes it does; but it doesn't happen to me everyday.  And as amazing and great that it is.  It's flippin scary too.

Sarah and I met in August last year, and things were really good between us.  We work well together, we enjoy each other, we fancy each other (or so I'm led to believe).  And yet there's more to being married than meets the eye.  It's more than just another rite of passage to adulthood.

I think back to when we met, and what I met excited me.  She was new, sweet, interesting, funny, and loving.  And we had lots in common (helpful).  And in those initial days, we knew really early on that this was it.  Then as you get to know someone more and more, and get to know their fears and their inhibitions, and you realise that they are not always themselves.  They are not always freely and fully the person that you met.  But sometimes they have fears which hold them back (as I have fears that hold me back).

So, what you discover is that loving and liking is a choice.  You do it because you choose to.  It's choosing the whole person, knowing full well you don't know what the whole person is, or the end from the beginning.  Le Biblio says;
"Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her."

Hmmm.  Not a common concept expounded upon about marriage.  I was at a Christian marriage not so long ago, and the minister/pastor/whatever said in commenting upon the couple; 'you know I think this one might last', or something to that effect.  And I thought, 'that's an odd comment'.  But anyway, perhaps he has married too many that have not lasted.  Maybe he was expressing reality as it was to him.  But that's not a very good reality.

My friend Jason, told me something very interesting today.  He told me the way we do dating may suit us (in our culture), but its in no way close to bible stuff.  In the bible (and in much of the world), marriages were/are arranged (Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekkah), and you didn't choose the best looking girl you could get, you choose to make a wife of the woman you were matched with (by another's will).

For all the things I like about Sarah (and all the bits I'm learning), the more we're together, there is one thing that stands out to me as the main characteristic of what she is to me in our relationship.  She is different.  She is not me.  For so long my life has been about me.  Even how I've related to girls has been the impression of them I've created in my head of them.  I haven't related to them as individuals.  I've related to my version of them.  So in a sense, the modern human search for a wife (and I'm putting this deliberately crudely, I've not seen my self on a wife hunt), is actually about searching for yourself.  Pursuing the dreams in your head.  It's not about looking for another person, it's about looking for an extension to you. But what you discover is that no one is the comprehendible version of them you have in your head.  So their biggest characteristic is that they are actually not you.  And that's important.

Let me put it another way.  Usually when you fancy someone, you don't get to know all of them.  You only get to know the bit you like.  Until you really get to know them.  And how many people with a 40 year marriage experience all the time, what we search for ie excitment, infatuation and desire.  These things come with mystery. But when you get to know someone, mystery goes (largely speaking).  So you've got to have something else to hang you're hat on.

Why is it most popular songs are not about love that lasts, and long term committed stable relationships.  It's because they don't have the same intensity of feeling that comes with the short term search for desire.  Stable relationships are amazing, and to be admired, but for some reason, public admiration doesn't happen.

Am I wrong about the song?  Maybe I am.  I'm not talking about all songs.  Just the popular ones which don't last long, but which strike a chord with people instantly.  These songs are usually about pain, not happiness.  Desire not satisfaction.

But how many people find a love that infatuates them, and live to enjoy it.

The bible does not talk much about finding love.  But it talks a lot about the kingdom.  About choosing to love.  About seeking first the kingdom and righteousness and laying your life down for another.  We are called to find someone to lay our lives down for and this is the profound mystery.  Not to find someone to satisfy us.
Ephesians 5 v 31 - 32
"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.  This is a profound mystery – but I am talking about Christ and the church.  However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."

Sometimes I read back on old journal entries I've made, and I read some intense feelings I expressed about some people, that I didn't even go out with.  And it freaks me out.  But I'm learning that the desire for someone can be intensely strong, but it does not last.  So you can not compare the desire and infatuation of wanting someone with the experience of knowing and loving and being with someone.  So there you go…  Discuss…

What happens to human beings when bad things happen.  A lot of people believe that God allows sickness or tragedies to occur because through them he perfects us.

"My son do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.  Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.  For what son is not disciplined by his father?  If you are not disciplined, then you are illegitimate and not true sons.  Moreover we all have had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it.  How much more should we submit to the father of our spirits and live!  Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12 v 5 – 12.

On the 11^th of September 2001, planes were crashed into the twin towers of the world trade centre in New York's financial district.  There were many tragic effect of this, but I want to look at how it impacted upon the social landscape of NYC in the immediate aftermath.  I don't think it would be an understatement to say this produced a response in the hearts of many people which was similar to a spiritual awakening.  Some will argue that it was more of a religious awakening, which is probably right too.  Either way, it was reported at the time of people turning to God, turning to church, and generally seeking answers and comfort from outside of themselves.  People were upset, people were confused, people were lost.  And so church was an obvious point of reference for New Yorkers to express what they were feeling, and thinking.  Churches were filled as people sought meaning to all the chaos. 

This will probably not go down in history as a spiritual awakening, because this new attitude or feeling didn't last long.  So in view of this, what is going on in peoples hearts on a spiritual level.  I just want to say I do not have hard and fast beliefs on 'who did what' when it comes to saying why do tragedies occur.  There are smarter people than me who get paid to try and figure out who to hold responsible for natural or unnatural disasters.  But I think it is useful to look at the effects of these things, regardless of where they come from.

The word awakening I think is useful in these kind of scenarios, not because God is trying to awaken people spiritually.  But awakening inevitably happens.  When a persons world is shaken they realise there is more going on that they need to take into account, than just their lives.  And they ask questions.  And asking is always a good position to be in.  God answers those who diligently seek him.  People can find God through times like this.  Not always, but sometimes.

Jesus once told a story about 10 people (the parable of the ten virgins) attending a wedding, and awaiting the coming of the groom.  These 10 people were not just attending but had a role to play.  And for some reason it was important that they had lamps burning when he came.  The parable refers to the 5 who kept an extra supply of oil for their lamps as wise, while the ones who didn't as foolish.  He said the groom took such a long time in coming that half of the them practically ran out of oil.  So when the groom came, although they had been waiting they were not actually ready.

Waiting on God requires more than 'just' waiting.  There is an active side to waiting on God.  Many of us who have experienced salvation and have gotten saved, refer to the next big occasion in our spiritual lives as being the return of Jesus.  However I think being ready requires that we do more than just burn the oil he has given us.  It requires that we have more oil than what's in our lamps.  It requires that we continually get more along the way from those who have it.

I don't believe He's coming to save us from the world and the bad things that are happening.  If we've accepted him He has already saved us from all that.  I think he's coming back and looking for people who have done something with what they've been given.  Like with the parable of the talents.  To give back to Jesus what he has given us is not the point.  We need to have done something with it.  In the times we are living in, we ought not to be surprised when bad things happen.  We ought to be ready.  We ought to have a desire to overcome, and be stronger believers.  Not those whose faith is drained away by what we see going on around us.

To be awake spiritually we need to have ears to hear and eyes to see what the spirit is doing, and through whom the spirit is speaking.  Receiving what other people have got regardless of their church denomination, is a key to being those who can respond to the unexpected.  The more oil we receive, the more ready we will be.

We do not wrestle with flesh and blood, but with the powers and principalities in the heavenly realm in this dark world.

When I think about Belfast City Hall, and wanting to overcome there (see www.revive-ni.co.uk), I want to run away.  I don't want to pray for it, because that would mean I have to believe for it.  And it's really too much for one person.  And I ask God for one thought on it, and I see one finger of his hand touching it.  So I pray for that.  That's enough for me to pray for, fr now.  But what does that picture speak of.  To me it speaks of impartation.  It speaks of God imparting something of himself to City Hall.  It says that with his wee finger God can overcome City Hall.

As demonstrated by Elijah praying for his servants eyes to be opened in the midst of a battle, one person with God on their side is a majority.  I can overcome every power and principality that would stand against me, when I have God on my side.

I often think, if I organise myself, I could mobilise a movement of people to 'do stuff' at city hall.  And that might be good.  However I actually thing God wants to impart something of himself to city hall.  Not something us.  God is about humility, one person against all odds (like Jesus establishing his kingdom, with followers).  He's into meekness and the poor in spirit.  I know there's value in being a good steward and being organised, but somehow I'm not convinced we would be bringing a move of God to city hall, by bringing a movement of organised praying people.  Perhaps we would be, I don't know all things.  I'm surmising. 

On one hand though I want to submit to and follow the Holy Spirit and his lead in all of this, not stick to commitments I make to people to be in certain places at certain times.  It's really not my place to organise it.  It's his job to draw the people.  He leads and we follow.

"Why do birds suddenly appear, every time, you are near.  Just like me, they long to be, close to you."

Do you ever think to yourself, what is the 'average Christian supposed to look like?'  If you're anything like me, then you ask a lot of questions about church, Christians, and Christendom.  Not to be awkward but because you're genuinely trying to work out you're faith with fear and trembling.  What happens is you read the bible, and it doesn't line up with you're standard traditional thinking about God, and it makes you wonder…  Well that's a great place to be.  But sometimes, because we've heard so many messages about what others have done in their lives for God, our Christianity can seem to pale in comparison.  And the people with the greatest Christian stories become the most consumable.

So you see how it is.  All the different voices speak into your life and as they expound their strengths, and how they do things, or would do things, they communicate the message; to be a better Christian, be like me.  So, obviously this acting like popular Christians gets harder the more of them you listen to.  So you can see why this makes me ask the question; what is the average Christian supposed to look like, when in reality the average Christian does not have the presentation skills of the famous ones, to make their stories sound God filled and amazing (when they actually probably are). 

I think a lot of what makes up the Christian church, are not the 'impressive' people, but are more like mums and dad's, who are not so much visionaries, as they are just getting on with the day to day stuff, of picking up kids, and dropping them off, being involved in church or community activities, and most of all faithfully fulfilling commitments.

They have faithfulness in them.  This unless I am mistaken is a fruit of the spirit.  Jesus too had faithfulness, I think.  He would have been filled with the various fruit of the spirit, I imagine (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness faithfulness, self control etc).  And it was these things that made him great more-so than the miracles.  The miracles only testified to who he was.  What he was really like on the inside was the valuable bit.  And the messages he gave like the sermon on the mount are closer reflections of what was in his heart, than the stories of the confrontations with the Pharisees, and the teachers of the law.  For example when you are with people you like, you let your guard down, and you share you're heart.  With those that don't like you, you have to be more defensive or confrontational.  And in Jesus heart was blessed are the peace makers, and blessed are the poor, and those who mourn, for they will be comforted (presumably he said this because he was the one who was going to be doing the comforting).

Jesus is given many descriptions in the bible, but the one which stands out most I think is the lamb.  When he went to die on the cross, he was led like a lamb to the slaughter.  And when heaven bows down in adoration of Jesus, they are bowing down to the lamb.  It was his humility and his meekness that made him great.  And that is what is worshipped.  And for this he is beautiful.  I believe he is not to be worshipped because he is in charge, but because of his beauty (obviously what we know as inner beauty more than aesthetic beauty).

So perhaps the average Christian ought to be characterised by the beauty of Jesus.  Or by their inner beauty.

Many times we say that beauty is only skin deep, to satisfy those who are insecure about their physical appearance.  But there is a beauty available to everyone which comes from the inside out, which would satisfy the most insecure persons worries.  And perhaps this is to be pursued, as much if not more than to do great things for God.

Isaiah 56 v 7 says

'for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'.

Hmmm, this is interesting in the light of the new testament understanding of 'his house'.  We are now his house, or dwelling.  And we are to be called those who pray for all nations.  So according to Isaiah the normal Christian is to be someone who prays.  Again this is Jesus chief role.  He ever lives to make intercession before the father on our behalf.  This is the manifestation of his beauty.  And this is how we can likewise share in his beauty.  The average Christian, are those beautiful people who pray.

So anyway Ardvark is not in my dictionary.  How disappointing.  But Armadillo is.  That's some consolation.

Definition of an armadillo according to 'Nuttall's Standard Dictionary of the English Language';

"a small quadruped peculiar to south America, armed with a hard bony shell."

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Honestly my dictionary say's the armadillo is armed.  How crazy.  So watch out!!  Either that's interesting or I need to get out more.

No seriously, I think appreciating these things is good, and taking time out in life for the finer things (like reading the dictionary) is important.

Well perhaps not reading the dictionary.  But frequently I find there's stuff inside me when I just do nothing for a little while.  Ever feel like that.  You notice you can connect with God, and enjoy being alone.  Even want to be alone.  I can understand this is probably attractive to loner types or introverts, but I like people.   I wanna be out of myself.  But wow there's some depths of cool feelings when you just hang out with yourself, and you notice God is gate crashing.  It makes me feel strangely happy or excited, or something.  So anyway, God frequently leads me to Isaiah 56, which has something to do with something.  I'm not quite sure what but it makes me feel good;

"And let not any Eunuch complain, 'I am only a dry tree' for this is what the Lord says,

'to the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose what pleases me…

I will give them an everlasting name, better than sons and daughters…

And to forigners who bind themselves to the Lord, to serve him, to love the name of the Lord, and to worship him…

These I will bring to my holy mountain, and give them joy in my house of prayer…

He who gathers the exiles of Isreal I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered.'

On Sunday I was round at my friend Harrys house.  He was having one of his 'prophetic' soiree's.  On this occassion Brendan (the house prophet) had brought with him an Indian Lady called Mariamma.  Mariamma was an interesting lady, who told us a lot about her ministry in India and what God had been doing through her (church planting, delivering people from demons, healing the sick, running a TV show which is reaching people etc).  And her testimony challenged and perhaps prophesied to us that we need to move into reaching people.  And for her it involved an awareness of the spiritual realities and the reality of Hell.  So they tell people of Jesus and people respond.  It seems easy.

So some of us were chatting afterwards saying it's great what God is doing there through them, but if you stood in the middle of belfast and began to expound upon the various facets of hell and what it would be like to live there, we may not be greeted with the 'why didn't you tell me this sooner' response.

So anyway, a couple of us got chatting to her briefly after asking 'how do you move into seeing the sort of breakthrough you are seeing in a culture where you're not only seeing it occassionally?'.  And her response was that old painful one.  Prayer and fasting, fasting and prayer.  So hmmm.  Back to that.  not that that's wrong, it's just I have not been conditioned to get excited about the thought of fasting.  I'd done it before and never liked it.

So anyway I decided I could do wednesdays.  So i tried.  And I prayed.  And I picked up a virus.  Hate that!!  Tonsilitis actually.  But between the meeting and the wednesday I attended a young girls funeral.  23 married a year.  A stunning young lady, and a great heart for God.  It was tradgic and sad sad sad.  But God still heals.  God id still the healer.  That gave me questions and a bit more passion to get hold of some of this healing going on.

So later on I researched for a bit of writing on healing in Jesus and the bible.  And, there's a lot about it there.  It's god's will.  It's supposed to happen.  All that stuff.  So I'm praying for breakthrough.  And I got something from God on it I think.

I was singing on my guitar and was saying to him 'if I'm going to tell people you're the healer, I relly nee some healing to happen', and sang about Moses and his staff tuning into a snake and back for the sake of proving God was with him tot he people.  So anyway, I'm laying down today and thng to read Exodus, and what do you know it's that story. Read it.  It's good.

Bye.

Hi there folks,

Well I guess the title of this blog is a bit of a give away.  Skip the engagement and go straight to the marriage.  That's the way to enjoy the moment...

Perhpas I'll back up a bit.  I can't give a perspective on marriage yet, as I'm not there yet.

So, guess what.  I got engaged!  I know I know, you probably didn't even know I was dating anyone.  Well I was, am...  Hmmm, when you're engaged does that mean you're not dating anymore?

Yeah so she's half Chinese, half English, 5 ft 6, and beautiful.  Check out the pic's in my pics.  This description probably makes her sound like an internet purchase.  OK so she's Sarah Waddingham.  For all you toronto buddies, she's Ruths sis and Timo's sis in Law.  We got together in a random God kinda way.  She was coming to NI for holiday and asked R + T if she could stay at my house.  And I thought hmm, OK.  With no other intentions.  Honestly.  We'd never even met or anything.  So, we hung out a bit, and she checked out NI.  And before we went home, it was kinda obvious we liked eachother, so over a cheap sunday evening meal of 2 starters and half a guiness and water, we declared... that we liked each other.  So she came back a month later.  I showed her the North coast, and we laughed and had fun (and kissed).  And since then we've been travelling back and forth (she lives in Welwyn Garden City, London (not for much longer though)).  So I spent Christmas over there, and I think her parents and grandparents/pastors liked me (kinda helped).  As so on 22nd March we wisked off to New York for a long weekend (I kept the destination secret up to a week before (What about that.  Personally I think I should get to see the wedding dress a week before, for that act of kindness.  You can sign the e-petition soon).

And yeah so it was while there that we got engaged.  We hung out in NY, saw Mr Charlie Newell, caught a Snow Patrol concert in Camden NJ, and on the sunday nite before coming home went for a meal in Tavern on the green in Central park.  And it was while walking back through central park (avoiding the muggers.  Very romantic) that the question was popped.  I had a little £10 ring in a box all prepared for the moment.  I don't know how she didn't see it protruding from my jacket pocket.  Anyway, so she said yet (when the shock wore off), and we bought a proper ring on monday before flying home, in a lovely little shop on 5th avenue ( I'd love to say it was tiffaneys, but it wasn't).

So we're engaged.  How mad is that.  It was a weird feeling at first.  Took a while to process.  But it's great.  Have gotten used to the fact that I have a fiance, a future wife, a Mrs's.

Yeah, so that's the good news.  We've been going out since August last year, and we're getting married August this year.  We're getting married in WGC, and having a party/reception in NI.  So again for all you Toronto buddies, if you can come to NI for Mon 27th August, it would be incredible to see you.  Her church is a bit small so we can't invite you to WGC for the wedding, but hey I'm not even inviting my aunts and uncles to WGC.  So as I said, if you can come to NI for a long weekend or whatever, we will hang out, and the finger food reception will be on 27th August 07 (weddind is weekend before).

God bless, see you'se all later. Love, R.

Hi.

'My dear Bagginses and Boffins...  I hope you are all enjoying yourselves as much as I am...  I have called you all together for a purpose...  to tell you all that I am immensely fond of you all...  I don't know half of you as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you as well as you deserve'

I love how this quote from Bilbo Baggins is followed in 'The Fellowship of the Ring'.  It says "This was unexpected and rather difficult".  What great use of words.  There's definitly too many words to keep using the same ones over and over.  I guess most of us struggle to say what we really mean at the best of times.  Finding alternative ways of saying it, is probably not foremost in our thoughts.  Howanever!!! (pronounced 'how-an-ever')  Means 'however'.  Or 'whatever'.  And that's why I like being Irish.  My dad used a version of English which is pretty close to the real thing, but you'd never know.  Forign friends are often convinced he's multi-lingual (that's a joke).

Anyhow, I'm blogging.  And I'm saying hi.  I hope to keep blogging because writing is good.  Some people think talk is cheap.  But words are cool.  They can be powerful.  They can change the world.  The right ones can even do some good.  So Jesus just hang out with 12 guys, talking.  He spent most of his time forming sentences and telling cute little stories.  Changing the world by being a good talker.  I can do that. Maybe...

So I hope you're well.  Say hi if you can.  I love you.

God bless, Raymond.

(Blogging - A good way to feel like you're keeping up to date with people, without having to contact them directly)