Some people shouldn't be allowed on the road!!

After almost a year of incident free driving I had my first near death experience on my way to visit my folks in Kent. I was merrily driving along the A303 enjoying the sunshine. I'd reached one of those annoying single lane sections but, though the road was busy, the traffic was still moving at a constant 60mph. To my right was a junction with some cars waiting. It seems that the driver at the front of the queue was a bit sick of waiting and so decided to try to create his own gap by pulling right out in front of me while I was doing 60!!!! I had to do an emergency stop (and embarrassingly stalled in the process!) and thought I'd just missed him. As I slammed on the breaks I quietly prayed "please God don't let me hit them, I really don't wanna lose my no claims bonus!!" Thank God the person behind me was paying attention cos they were very close to going into the back of me. I can't believe what an idiot this driver was!! But I feel very awestruck and humbled by the way God protected me.

Unfortunately, it seems I did actually hit the other car (not that he stopped to check!!!). When my Dad got home from work he said "why is there a big puddle under your car?" Looks like I've got a small crack in the radiator :0( So please pray that I'll get back to Yeovil ok and that it won't cost too much to fix!!!

Happy Birthday to me.....!

Yep, yesterday was my birthday. Any guesses how old I am now? Ha ha!

Had a great time skating at Unit 6 in Wellington. Think I've got fakie 18os proper nailed now. As usual the other girls were bugging me to try dropping in and as usual I stubbornly refused! But Adrian dragged me onto the volcano and persuaded me to drop-in from there - holding his hand of course haha!! I'm such a wuss - but I did it. And it wasn't anywhere near as hard as I thought. Hopefully I'll have nailed dropping in on half pipe by the end of the summer.

After skating we headed to Taunton for a few drinks. Ended up in the Perkin cos we were hungry and spent a very pleasant hour or so relaxing on their leather sofas. So, in conclusion, a good time was had by all!

Pearls of wisdom from Pearl Jam

I was listening to an old pearl jam album the other day and as I flicked through the album sleeve I found some interesting stuff...

“Whom to marry or not to marry
One of the greatest causes of unhappiness, nay, misery, in the world, is the steady adherence to the superstition that 2 young people who feel, when in each others company, the sexual excitement that is so often mistaken for love, must marry. It is folly for which thousands upon thousands are constantly paying a most fearful price. Love! Why, love means self sacrifice. It means wisdom….

Nature has decreed that certain dispositions will antagonize certain other dispositions. Marriage is often so hasty that these faulty dispositions are not discovered until after marriage, when it’s too late to retreat!
1. Two people of similar complexion and temperament should never marry.
2. Two tall slim people or two short, heavy-set people should not marry.
3. A nervous fidgety person should never marry another nervous person.
4. A man should never marry a woman who is given to finding fault, or who is peevish and cranky, or who scolds her little brothers and sisters.
5. A woman should never marry a man who is naturally inclined to be arrogant and cruel or who is inordinately selfish.
Don’t marry a girl whose chief aim in life is dress; to dress extravagantly is a blot upon any woman’s character. When the activity of the mind is taken up with finery the soul grows pinched and lean, the mind fails to develop, and such a woman cannot make a decent partner for any sensible man.So, too, should no girl think of accepting any young man for a lover who is addicted to the use of liquor, or who spends money in speculation or in fast living. Shun such as you would an idiot or a fool.”

I think we would all agree this is wise advice not just in selecting who to marry but in choosing who to go out with too. I now realise where I've been going wrong haha!!

No, but seriously, there's some good advice here. I like where it says 'love means self sacrifice'. So often we get into a relationship because of what we can get out of it. But relationships should be about giving. Instead of looking for the 'perfect guy' who's gonna give me all I want, I should be focusing on what I can give to a relationship. I'm starting to see that being in a relationship is a calling. How cool to think that God could use me to help a guy grow, to encourgage him and to help him become all that God intends for him to be.

stuff and things...

Wow, can't believe how hot it is! Been gagging to go skate for days and now I have time it's so humid my head is throbbing. boo hiss! Loving the sunshine though.

So, tonight we've got 31 Brazilians showing up - not sure when, who ever knows with these guys! Gonna be a crazy and exhausting couple of days. Gotta be at work for 8am tomorrow - ouch. But I'm really looking forward to spending time with them and hearing all that's going on in Brazil. I tell you, God's really doing some amazing stuff out there. And the Brazilian church have such a focus on reaching out to others - it's awesome.

The church I visited in Uberlandia has 28 congregations and they have a strategy for planting 250 more congregations in the next 10 years. It's great to see the church growing and thriving and embracing all different cultures and styles of church. I'd love to see similar stuff in the UK too. One of our Brazilian friends preached on Sunday and God really used him to speak to people. I was very challenged about prayer. Amaury was saying that everyone of us who's a Christian has had someone praying for us before hand. Prayer is so powerful!! It's like the key to the storehouse of heaven. I'm really looking forward to seeing what else God wants to teach me while the team are around.

Hope you're all doing well and not too depressed by the football results!!