Sausage Saturday

On my only 'lie in' day I was up earlier than usual. I had to be at church for 7.45 for the 30 minute drive to Woodhatch Farm, Tawney Common. 5 men from Christ Church were going to the men's breakfast run by the Nationwide Christian Trust at Mulberry House. There are about 65 men there and no women or children.  The speaker for today is Neil Harvey. On arrival I am directed to a car parking space. The driver of the car in front is a friend from years ago, who I haven't seen in ages. We have a lot of catching up to do. There is plenty of time to talk before the morning gets started.
About 9 o'clock breakfast is served. A traditional English breakfast, and I'm really hungry now, having succeeded in my first 'breakfast only Friday'.  I have started these in Lent, but that is really just a means of getting started.  The purpose is to loose weight, but after Friday I'm sure I'll have other things to report on later. Anyway, the full English is served - Bacon, scrambled egg, sausage, tomato, backed beans, hash browns.  I'd been OK with the tea, coffee and orange juice, but the smell of bacon makes me really hungry.  I eat the lot, none of my careful removal of fat and avoidance of sausages.  It is my first sausage since my cholesterol shock 5 year ago.
There is good chat over breakfast about food, the redefinition of marriage and other assorted topics.  After that we worship (3 songs only - nothing else) and then it's the main event.
The room is quiet as Neil starts his story.  Some jokes about Wales to get us in the mood are followed by the real story.  A boy born to young parents, who split up, brought up by grand parents, never fitting in anywhere and turning to a life of crime.  It's a classic story.  This one is different though.  This one has smatterings of Sunday School and contact with Christians.  This one has the power of God.  I will not ruin the story for you, in case you get the chance to hear him.  Ultimately he becomes a pastor, the details of that are in the link above.  It shows God's redemptive power.  It shows we can all be saved.
There is little talk about the story on the way home.  The drama of it will take time to sink in.  Time was a major element of Neil's story.  Without time to spend with God there is no hope of building the relationship and trust required to follow Jesus properly.

The Bull, Blackmore

We went for a walk centred on 'The Bull' at Blackmore. Blackmore is in rural Essex and is one of the prettiest villages, with a duck pond in the village green. We walked past the church, which has its own claim to fame, and out into the fields around. I must first admit that our guide book is 15 years old. Things change. That's OK, but moving footpaths is not allowed. In one place the path was overrun with nettles, in another it had been ploughed into non-existence. We added over a mile to the planned walk because the locked gate that you are supposed to be able to walk past was firmly planted in the hedge on both sides. Without a machete or bolt croppers, there was no way through. I had brought the sat-nav, so when we did arrive at the road we were able to check that it was the right one. I also had my compass, and the binoculars. Both proved to be essential in finding the path, or at least in linking the posts that mark the path. At one point, use of the binoculars clearly upset the local residents - who began watching us back. The path we were on was not correct, the one we should have been on was in the process of being ploughed. Jo is standing near the point where the 'river' Wid crosses the road. Sometimes it is in flood, but today it was barely a muddy ditch. To the right is the walkway supplied to allow pedestrians to cross the river - when it is a river. We arrived back at The Bull. It being Tuesday, there were only a few people in. There was a guest beer, so I tried that. I've forgotten the name, but that's OK because I wouldn't rush back for another pint. The first pint I was served was decidedly vinegary and was quickly changed. The first main course I ordered was off the menu (all gone). The food was good, and the service was good. Sadly, there was nothing to make me want to go back. On leaving The Bull, we were treated to a starry sky - Blackmore has no street lights. We were fortunate to still have a car to return in, judging by the skid marks on the road just feet behind our car. They were not there when we parked! On the drive home we spotted a deer at the extremity of the headlights, and shortly after a rabbit - much closer. I'm not sure about the fate of the rabbit, but I now know that the anti-lock braking system works a treat.

8.4 out of a possible 5

Sounds like a good score doesn't it. It most definitely is NOT. This is my cholesterol level from a couple of weeks back. The excesses of Christmas - too much 'rich' (i.e. fatty) foods - not enough exercise (too much working from home). This has led to a fairly radical change of diet. Out go the chocolate bars, tins of sweets, cake & cream, sausages, cheese & cheese and more cheese. In come the vegetable soups, vegetables, skinless chicken, and lots more fruit. Sometime soon I'll have to get it checked again - to see if there's been any progress.

While I'm sitting here wondering what to have for breakfast, I read this.

I can't write anymore after that