Jude Smith

Well we just lost the curling! Ho hum.. am I the only person a little confused as to the US's body hugging "Coolmax" shirts (same as the England rugby shirt but spread over people ranging in size from Frankie Dettori to Peter Kay.. tres odd!) Talking of rugby. I just did something very stupid/ sacrificial.. I'm speaking at the Speak Soundcheck event this weekend.. and one of the sessions is alledgely at 6.45.. Hmmm.. ooops.. is it really bad to make people change that? I hope not!

I managed to get a read of the paper on the train in today. Was good to actually catch up with the world after a few days on world mute! A few stories grabbed my attention... First was the disturbing little piece about Liverpool "fans" who saw fit to attack the ambulance carrying Alan Smith on Saturday.. the poor guy had just broken his leg!! The theme of violence continued as I read about a Christian archbishop in Africa having alledgedly said that muslims don't have the monopoloy on violence... starting all kinds of bother.. Then we have the bombing of a Shia holy site.. Not entirely sure how to react to that.. There's a whole other post about what we mean by democracy but that may just have to wait a wee while..

the more astute of you will have noticed the change from eludes to defines.. not sure its very apt- but.. It occurred to methat Creatuvity doesn't really elude me (it did in titling the blog but in very little else). In fact I find myself trying to find places where I can work out my creativity more and more. Maybe thats what eludes me: places to be creative. I've been pondering this a bit cos I'm not what you might call conventionally creative (its never really been poured into one thing). Its not like I can join a band, or an art group (I could but I think I'd feel a bit hemmed in.) Blah.. Maybe I should just spend some time thinking of more creative ways to gaze intently at my own navel!!

This could turn out to be a very rubbish post! I'm in pain (dead muscles nothing serious).. so my head is a bit addled and my response to most things is to want to beat up computers! But in a more salient moment I was thinking a bit more.. What does God do in our pain? I'm not suggesting that pain is in and of itself good, or that we should go and seek it. But in it God reveals himself. I remember as small child first crying out to God when I was in pain. Pain combats our independence: making us rely on others, and often on God. I wonder whether pain sharpens our senses (while pain killers dumb them down). Pain is a great leveller! And pain puts us into a very real connection with the suffering Christ. That said I'm blatantly going to find more nurofen as soon as possible!!!