Where is your citizenship?

I had the privilege today of attending a citizenship ceremony at the Mansion House, Doncaster. Sue and I were there to support the Noel family who were receiving their certificates of British citizenship. What a long (and, at times, tortuous) journey it has been for them since they first arrived in the UK several years ago to claim asylum.

As a church, we have tried to support them through the process of asylum application: the initial acceptance; the subsequent refusal following a Home Office appeal; the terrible occasion of the front door of their home being broken in early one morning by Home Office officials who whisked them away to Yarl's Wood Detention Centre for deportation; the miracle of them being returned to Doncaster because one of the children had contracted chicken pox!; the many visits to solicitors; the further appeals; and ultimately the joyful news that they had been granted the right to stay in the UK. Now, the icing on the cake is their being giving British citizenship. What a joyful occasion!

It has been a great privilege to get to know the Noel family over the past several years. They felt forced to flee their home country due to persecution, but have had to endure some terrible situations at the hands of the UK asylum system. It has been heartbreaking at times to witness what this family have had to endure. Yet all through the long years of hopes and disappointments, struggles and difficulties, their Christian faith has shone clear. They have been unstinting in their trust that ultimately God would see them through, and their faith has been vindicated - God has worked a miracle!

Precious though their British citizenship is to the Noel family, I know that they have a citizenship which is of even more value to them. They rejoice in the words of St Paul, when he says in one of his letters, that for those whose faith is in Jesus Christ, 'our citizenship is in heaven.' Whatever trials and troubles we may face in our earthly life, we know that ultimately we belong elsewhere, and one day we will go home to Father. Hallelujah!

Vuvuzelas - love 'em or hate 'em?

Football fans all over the world (including me!) have for a long time been eagerly looking forward to the start of the World Cup, taking place at the moment in South Africa (the first time the competition has ever been held in the African continent). To be honest, it's been a bit of damp squib so far: with one or two exceptions, most of the matches have been fairly unexciting. There have, however, been a couple of major talking points.

The first concerns the ball which is being used. Called a Jabulani, it is slightly different manufacture to the balls most teams are used to. Apparently it is lighter, and also rounder! The problem with it is that it is at times proving very difficult for the players to control. A number of goalkeeping errors and wayward shots have been blamed on the ball!

The other major talking point has been the proliferation of vuvuzelas. They are a kind of plastic horn which, when blown, emits a fairly tuneless whine. Watch or listen to a game from this World Cup tournament and apart from the commentator, more or less the only other noise is the constant vuvuzela whine. Apparently, many viewers and listeners have complained about this constant noise. I must admit to the noise driving me up the wall at times. There have been occasions when a goal has been scored and the cheering of the supporters has been drowned out by the hum of the vuvuzelas.

FIFA, the world governing body, has stated that on no account will the vuvuzelas be banned. Much as I dislike the noise, I believe that FIFA are absolutely right in their stance. The vuvuzela is part of South African football tradition, and what right do we have to try to ban it?

God's creation displays an amazingly rich variety, not least in human beings. The world would be so boring if we were all the same. How good it would be if, instead of complaining about anything we don't like, or standing against what is "different", we were able to rejoice in variety and differences and respect traditions other than our own. But please don't bring any vuvuzelas to the Keepmoat Stadium!

Ben A'an - the effort was worthwhile

I recently enjoyed a great week's holiday in the Trossachs area of Scotland, along with my wife Sue, our daughter Steph, and her fiance Matt. We stayed a few miles from Callander. The weather was fairly good, the midges were few in number, and the scenery was stunning.

Near to where we were staying was a "mini mountain" (or a big hill!) named Ben A'an. One day, all four of us decided that we would climb at least part of the way up Ben A'an. The early part of the route is through forest, so apart from trees etc. there isn't all that much to see. Sue doesn't really like uphill routes, and after a while, with lunchtime approaching, she and I made the decision to head back. Steph and Matt decided that they would press on. Despite the fact that Steph was wearing flip-flops, they did eventually reach the summit.

Steph and Matt returned home a day earlier than Sue and I. After they had set off on their homeward journey, I decided that I would make the attempt up Ben A'an (Sue declined my invitation). The sun was high in the blue skies.

For quite a bit of the journey, the trees hid the outside world from sight. Even when I had cleared the treeline, it was difficult to see the summit. Each time I arrived at what I thought might be the summit, another one appeared in the distance! It was hard work at times, not least because of the heat of the sun. I stopped every now and then to have a break and enjoy the scenery and the atmosphere.

Eventually I did reach the very top, and the stunning views certainly made all the effort worthwhile. To sit at the top of Ben A'an was an experience I won't forget for a long time, and I've got the pictures to prove it! It reminded me that though we have struggles and tough times in our Christian lives, our ultimate destination will make all the effort and hard work absolutely worth it. What's more, we have One who walks every step with us.

The fragility of human life

During the day I have been following on the news some of the tragic events which have been unfolding in Cumbria. At the time of writing, details are still fairly sketchy, but it appears that a Derrick Bird, a self-employed taxi driver, has killed 12 people, injured many more, and then taken his own life. It is hard to imagine what would lead someone to take such dreadful action which has impacted the lives of so many in such a terrible way. My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved and injured, and all those affected by the day's events.

This is another vivid reminder of the fact that human life is very fragile. I am fairly sure that none of the 12 people killed will have woken up this morning realising that today was their last on earth. I wonder whether the gunman himself woke up with the intention of creating such havoc and ending his own life?

The following is a quotation which a friend has posted on facebook, which seems particularly apt: “It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth - and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up - that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had.” Elisabeth Kubler-Ross.

Life is very precious. We should be grateful for each new day, and never take life, or its Giver, for granted.