Avoiding Hell and Being Acceptable....

I'm getting more and more frustrated with lot's of people who seem to think that my blog title is the whole point of Christianity.

To me it is sad that someone who is as bold, forthright and dynamic as Jesus should be reduced to being a founder of a religion that excels in making people feel bad about themselves.

Let me be clear here, I'm not making myself out to be perfect or enlightened in any way, because I'm far from it, but increasingly lately I've become aware of how irrelevant we are becoming as the Church. Going around living lives that shout out to people "you're not good enough", or "you have to be like me to be accepted by God" is as far removed from the Good News that Jesus brings as you can get.

When I think about Jesus as He's portayed in the Gospels, I think of someone who constantly affirmed people of His love for them, who never judged, but who left Judgement up to His Father. He once said He'd come to do the will of His Father, and He only did what His Father told Him. I do remember one occasion where He lost His temper though, and it resulted in a man being healed. In fact, the only people Jesus lost His temper with, got frustrated at, were the very people who should have recognised Him for who He was. The religious people, the people who said that they followed God. They should have known better, and Jesus got angry everytime he saw them "convert" people to their way of thinking, the way of conforming to be like them in order to apparently please God.

In fact, He once called them "the blind leading the blind", a tragic picture if you think about it.

Jesus sees to create a reaction whenever he's brought up in a conversation, or included in a discussion. Usually, Jesus himself is not the object of scorn, it's people like me who represent him who get that sort of reaction. That makes me think that I should be reflecting him a bit more clearly. But again and again, the religious side of me wants to keep resurecting itself, I suppose Paul put it best in the Bible when he talked about us not doing the things we want to do, but instead doing the things that we hate.

I guess I have to learn to keep putting other people first ahead of myself, and to keep bringing that other side of me, the hypocritical, self-serving side that's so desperate for acceptance and appreciation back to the Cross, where I can crucify it and share as Paul says, Jesus' death, and then in a miraculous way, be raised to life a new person, after encountering God's transforming life in me.

I guess that's what the Christian life is in the end, a cycle of death and rebirth everyday, learning to die to myself and accepting the new life God offers me through Jesus. How I wish I could be like that. How I wish all people who claim to know and love Jesus could be like that. I know a few good people who are like that, and occasionally I get a glimpse of me being like that too, but very often I find myself reverting back to the same old religiosity of those who find it easier to condemn than to show grace, who judge first and think later, who are more concerned with other people's opinion than the One who really matters, the kind of person that wants to set themselves as superior to everyone else.

This, I find, is the person I am most of the time, and I wish I wasn't. I hope someday that as I look back on my life, I will see God changing me gradually into someone who really does care about people, and who acts in love first, and thinks later.

Oh well, pondering over.

A Month Of Beans...

Due to the demise of my contact lenses, and to sitting on my own glasses, (!) I have to spend ALOT of money over the next two months. I just got paid today, and have already spent £139 on my new contact lenses, only to be told that if I get the glasses, the LENSES ALONE will cost me £190!!!

Do you people think I'm made of money or summat?!

Ah well.

It's a good thing I like beans then.

I Have A confession....

I've become addicted to Smallville.

I've watched the entire first four series on DVD, and am now really annoyed that series five is on tv at the moment and I keep missing it. There are four/five episodes on each DVD in each season, and I've been watching one whole DVD a night for the past couple of weeks!! Lol!

Personally, I blame 24. If it wasn't for that series, I wouldn't have discovered DVD box sets and seasons on disc!!

Onto Alias next, I think.....

Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!

Priceless.

First Case Of British Bird Flu!!!

I know, I know. But it was funny.... Lol

I've Had better Days...

......and I've had my hair cut. Finally.
p.s, notice the tightly wound elastic band round the left arm
of my glasses to keep it attached from where I sat on it! Lol!

When Ali walks to work, she sees this...

Lucky Girl.

Liverpool from about 10,000 feet...

It was very sunny when I flew to Southampton. It was great! :-)

Buffy Beware!!

"...little did I know that Toby (Ali's brother) and his partner Elaine (far right) share the same alien heritage as Al, I only saw the eyes later..." (Ali in centre)

Bambi CAN be scary!!!

Alien Midgets Posing As Jm & Ali Take Over The World...

Look!! It's The Girly Map Of Britain!!

And The Award For The "Most Hung Over Couple Standing In The Rain" Goes To...

Me & Ali!! Hehe!

Who says Girls can't read maps?! ;)

Notices... hehe

Breaking News...

Literally.

In the same 24 hours, I managed to break a contact lens, AND sit on my own glasses.

Saturday was NOT a good day in the life of Jm.

I will now be eating beans on toast for the rest of this month, as I have to fork out a total of £160 pounds for my new contact lenses, and £99 for new glasses, which will not be ready for two to three weeks, as they have to specially make them, as I was informed by the optician, I have "complex eyesight".

More like expensive eyesight.

*sigh*

Some People....

...just deserve to be laughed at!!

I had an email at work the other day from some "ministry" or other, informed from a "concerned standpoint" about the apparent "occultic imagery and demonic links" in the Narnia Chronicles.

Hmmm.

Some people need to get a life.

I sent them a one sentence reply first used by the christian band Petra when they deliberately backtracked a message in-between two of their songs, and I quote:

"What are you looking for the devil for when you ought to be looking for the Lord?!"

Hehe

I'm mean.

:)

Long time no blog....

I am not deceased, dying or ill. I just have not had the net access / determination / willingness / honesty / courage / inspiration / strength. (delete as appropriate)

I humbly and profusely apologise.

On the subject of net access, I think we've finally sorted the new router and our home network, it had something to do with base addresses and wep encryption, and other things I have no idea about, but, needless to say, I think it is sorted now. I hope it is anyway.

If it doesn't, I shall go and buy an axe, and calmly and with a smile on my face, hack it to death...

Anyway....

I'm back and I shall blog.

Just to keep you up to date, I am still seeing Ali, and went down to visit her for a week at the beginning of March, which was absolutely fantastic. She then came up here, just for one night, this last weekend!! (she runs an 11-14's group on a friday night so can't travel on a Friday) We hugged and cuddled and kissed, and also chatted in the chat room together on the same webcam to our friends, which was an experience lol. We also went out for a candlelit very nice meal at Bella Pasta in town on Saturday night, and giggled because it was pouring down and the only umbrella I could find was a MASSIVE golfing one, that dwarfs me by about 5 times!! :)

Great hilarity ensued as I tried to be courteous and hold the umbrella, only to realise that because I'm shorter than Ali, I very nearly cut her head off!! She then held the umbrella, but we kept having to avoid cutting other peoples heads off because the umbrella was so massive lol

We had a really nice meal and talked for a couple of hours about anything and everything. Ok, so Ali did most of the talking.... wait, in fact....

She did nearly all of the talking!! Lol

I didn't mind, I was just happy to spend time with her!

She met my family, and had the experience of a Sunday Roast with us on Mothers Day, and now she thinks my whole family are mad!! (she's actually right, but that's beside the point) She was particularly impressed when me, my brother and sister made my dad choke on his dinner by referring to his dog collar (he's a minister) in a kinky way, and even my mum fell about laughing!!

Im happy she's met my family and survived anyway!! She's coming up again at the end of April, so I've got to wait till then to see her next, which is a bit sad, but something to look forward to. :)


Right that's the update bit.

Knowing

Can you truly know people?

I've just found out something very important about someone I know very very well, or rather someone I thought I knew very very well, more to the point.

What I've discovered by accident, isn't that shocking in itself, but the fact that I never picked up on it, and that they've never admitted it to me, is a bit distressing.

Have you ever had those times where you've found out something about someone you love that doesn't fit your knowledge of them, and you realise in one shocking moment that all you knew, was the tip of the iceberg?

You thought you knew them, but actually you only knew a part of them they wanted you to see.

It makes you question your memories of them, and whether you actually know them at all.

Even scarier when it's someone you've grown up with.

Sadder when that person has to constantly watch their words, their actions for fear of being "found out".

Makes me love them more more, out of compassion for the prison they've put themselves in.

I'm back....

After a lengthy absence from blogging, due to failed wireless routers / lack of internet access during non-working hours / being away for a week with my beautiful girlfriend, I am now happy to report that normal blogging service will be resumed very shortly.

I'll tell you about my week, and I've got a whole host of other issues/thoughts/worries/ponderings to blog about aswell, on their way in the next few days...

Don't go anywhere!!

Happiness Is...

Cleaning up, tidying, washing-up and vacuuming your girlfreind's house, finishing five minutes before she gets home, and then curling up on her couch, and stroking her hair till she falls asleep in your arms, and listening to her breathe, while watching the sun's sinking rays brush against the lounge window, thinking to yourself how perfect the moment is, and wanting it to last for ever.

Bon Voyage!!

I'm off to Ali's for a week, I have a week of leave to use up, so I'll post my pictures and comments on the week when I get back!!

I've got to be at the airport early to explain about my needles, it's a bit of a pain!! I'm flying out at 11:50 a.m, but will be there at 9:30!! (I have a doctors letter about the needles lol)

I'll see you all in a week.....

Jm.

(the intrepid explorer who's bouncing like tigger with excitement about a flight that only takes an hour lol)

Hobbit becomes a true Halfling in real life...

I am growing my hair.

Yes I know it's been done many times before by men, but not by me, in particular.

So....

I'm growing it long.

I haven't had my hair cut since November, and my head is nice and warm now in the Cold weather at the moment. I think that is it's main function.

When it's much longer, I will look like a distant cousin of Frodo, and women will fall at my feet. I will be a true hobbit then.

My mum reminds me every day how "scruffy and like a girl" I look lol.
l
I take that as a compliment!

I'm Back... But Not For Long!!

Rumours of my violent and grisly death have been exxagerated.

I now have net access at home again.

Please make the appropriate celebratory arrangements.

However, I am off to Romsey for a week, from Saturday, to visit my gf, 'cos I've got a week of leave to use up in work.

So tommorrow night will be the last time I post for a week or so.

However, I will be taking my digital camera with me, and will post pics when I come back....

Bye for now!!