Michael Jackson, fame and mortality

The big news story at the moment is the death of Michael Jackson at the relatively young age of 50. The death of any well known personality, especially if it comes unexpectedly, brings with it the sharp reminder of our human mortality. It was Benjamin Franklin who famously wrote, "'In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."

Personally I was never a big Michael Jackson fan, though it is clear that his influence on the music scene was enormous. At the height of his fame he was a global phenomenon, and one of the most well known personalities in the world. One vivid memory was when, in June 1995, Sony launched $30 million dollar promotional campaign for the album HIStory by floating a huge statue of Michael Jackson down the River Thames. There were a total of nine statues throughout Europe. Each statue was 10 metres tall, 2,100 kilograms in weight and made from steel and fibreglass. It seems to me at the time that is was almost as if Jackson was being given a god-like status.

But of course the later part of Jackson's life brought with it many troubles. It seems like Michael Jackson, despite all that the world had offered him in terms of fame and fortune, was a sad and rather lonely figure. I feel sorry for him, and hope that he got his relationship with God sorted out before he died.

Six months ago I officiated at the burial of ashes ceremony for one of my former church members. Her ashes were carried on that occasions by her husband, who had been widowed after over 50 years of marriage. Little did we know then that just six months later I would be officiating (today) at the burial of the ashes of the husband. As we shared in the short ceremony, we met a lady who had come to replace the flowers on the grave of her deceased 27 year old daughter. Life is fragile. Life is precious.

Lessons from a "long distance" runner

I must start by offering an admission. I did manage to complete the Leeds 10K "Run For All" today, but 10K probably can't truly be classified as a "long distance", and the speed at which I covered the course couldn't realistically be classified as running - more like a gentle (and at time rather laboured) jog! Thus the title of this blog entry could be said to be a little misleading. Nevertheless, I did learn a few lessons along the way.

The first is that if I am ever going to achieve my ambition of running the 10K in under one hour I need to be a bit more serious about my training regime. Having said that, my training was a bit hampered this year with calf problems, though thankfully they didn't cause any problems during the run today.

One of the mistakes which some athletes make is in setting off at too fast a pace. They then pay for it by struggling to find the energy to get to the end of the race. Far better to pace oneself. I decided to pick out a runner ahead who was going at roughly the same pace as I wanted to go, and try to stick fairly close to them. I soon spotted someone who seemed to fit into that category, and all was going well until, about 2K into the race, she suddenly pulled up and started walking! That reminded me how important it is, when we are choosing people whose example we might want to follow in life, that we choose the right kind of people!

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the event. Having said that, there were a few times along the way (usually on the uphill sections) when my body was telling me in no uncertain terms that I ought to stop jogging and take a breather. The temptation to stop was almost overwhelming at times, but thankfully I managed to keep plodding. Looking back over my Christian life, I know that there have been times when I have really struggled, and it has been hard to keep going. But thank God that with his help, and with the support of Christian friends, I have kept going! What's more, God's promise is to those who keep going to the end there will be waiting for them the "crown of life" (James 1.12).

The truth is, I almost certainly wouldn't have completed the 10K run if I had been on my own. But I was running with thousands of others, and many more were cheering along the way. We all need those who will support and encourage us, and journey with us. And we all need to be encouragers to others.

I'm really pleased that I completed the run today. What chances for under an hour next year? We shall see!

Want to meet Jesus?

If you could chose to meet one person from history who had died, who would it be? A recent poll was undertaken asking people that very question. I was fascinated to read that the person who came out number one in the poll was Jesus. Ironically, John Lennon (of The Beatles fame), who once claimed that the group were "more famous than Jesus", didn't even make the top ten!

There's little doubt that, on the whole, the majority of people in the UK seem turned off by religion and church. We could spend a long time asking why that is the case, but it wouldn't change the reality. Yet this survey reminds us that, even if people are no longer particularly interested in church, many people do still recognise a spiritual hunger within themselves, and have a real desire to learn more about Jesus.

All this presents an interesting challenge for those of us who are followers of Jesus and part of his church. Perhaps it's high time we asked ourselves whether we've spent far too much time trying to encourage people to "come to church", when what we should be doing is seeking to introduce them to Jesus. I have no doubt that if those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus lived our lives a bit more like him (in other words, if people could see something of Jesus in us), then more of our family/friends/work colleagues would be interested in finding out more about Jesus.

I have just been looking at a website, LookingforGod.com, which has a useful section asking the question, "Who is Jesus?" Anyone who is interested in finding out the answer to that question would find the website useful. There are a number of useful resources which are available to help people discover more about Jesus. But best of all is when people see Jesus in the lives of his followers.

One final thought. In case you think that I've been a bit harsh on "church", it appears that at least some churches have managed to throw of the old, fusty, out-of-touch image. To hear a fascinating conversation about church on the Chris Moyles radio show, click here.

Is Christiano Ronaldo really worth £80m?

Christiano Ronaldo is one of those people who divides opinion. Some love him (usually the supporters of the team he's playing for); others hate him. Perhaps many don't take to him because at times he appears to be an arrogant, showy type of person, full of his own self-importance. Of course he may be a really nice guy, but that's not his public persona. The one thing which surely not even the most blinkered observer can argue with is that he's a fantastic footballer. The truth is that just about every football supporter, whatever they think of Ronaldo as a person, would love to have him in their team.

His imminent transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid has raised a few eyebrows and made a few people think. Even though football transfer fees have risen considerably over recent years, to pay £80m for one player seems a bit over the top, especially in these recessionary days! Can it really be that a sportsman, however talented, is worth that amount of money? And it's not just footballers. If Andy Murray fulfills our dreams and wins Wimbledon he will collect a cheque for over £3/4m, and if Tiger Woods completes his comeback from injury by winning this months' U.S. Open golf championship he stands to win over £1m.

Compare all that with the following horrific statistics from the charity Clean Water For The World:

According to the World Health Organization, 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to clean water—that’s approximately one in six people on earth.

• Every 15 seconds, a child dies from a water-related diseases.

• 1.8 million children die each year from diarrhea – 4,900 deaths each day.

• For children under age five, water-related diseases are the leading cause of death.

• At any given time, half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from a water-related disease.

• Close to half of all people in developing countries are suffering at any given time from a health problem caused by water and sanitation deficits.

• The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns.

I love sport, and I love football. But sometimes I wonder if we human beings have our priorities wrong.

Message from a coke can

Sue and I have recently returned from a superb week's holiday in the Trossachs area of Scotland. It must be almost 30 years since we last crossed the border to venture into Scotland, but from our experience this time, it certainly won't be as long again before we return!

Almost without exception, the who people served us in shops and cafes etc. were really friendly, polite and welcoming. One sometimes hears talk of the animosity which some Scots people feel towards the English, but we didn't come across it during our holiday.

Some of the scenery was amazing. We felt that it was a privilege to be there, surrounded by such natural beauty. The place we stayed in was almost on the edge of a loch, and was surrounded by hills which were covered in a rich variety of vegetation. Even the fact that our mobile phones couldn't get a signal was something of a blessing! In a place of such beauty we didn't find it hard to turn our thoughts to the One who brought it all into being: in the wonder of creation we see the hand of the Creator.

There were, of course, a few of the infamous Scottish midges around, though fortunately for me they preferred Sue, so I got off reasonably lightly!

We didn't do a lot of travelling around while we were there. The main purpose of our holiday was to rest and relax, and we took a supply of books to read. We were fortunate in that the place where we were staying had very good sports & leisure facilities, so we had several games of tennis, and Sue made good use of the indoor swimming pool.

On a few occasions we ventured out to explore the countryside, both on foot and in the car. I carried my camera with me when we went out, though it seems to me that however good photographs turn out, they never seem to capture the intensity and raw beauty of the real thing. On one occasion I stopped the car to take a few photos of the area we were passing though. Just as I was putting my camera away and was about to walk back to the car, I glanced down and saw something which was not at all in keeping with the beauty and remoteness of that scene - a coke can!

I must admit that people throwing litter about is one of my pet hates - but especially so in a place of such outstanding beauty! How little we sometimes care about the world around us, how little we sometimes appreciate the beauty and wonder of God's creation.

Thank you, Scotland, for a great week. Thank you God, for your amazing creation. Help us all to appreciate and take care of it.