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.

The ups and downs of being a parent

Being a parent is both an awesome responsibility and an immense privilege. As a parent one can experience both deep pain and tremendous joy. My wife, Sue, and I have been blessed to have three children. Caz is our oldest, then comes Steph, and the youngest (our only son) is Chris. They are all now in their 20s. All of them have flown the nest, and so it is a real joy when on occasions we can gather together again as a family. The most recent occasion was last weekend when Chris was married. Caz and Steph were two of the bridesmaids, and seeing the three of them together reminded me again how fortunate we are to have three such fantastic children. We love them and are very proud of them.

Like all parents, I guess, Sue and I can look back over the years when our children were growing up and see many things which, with hindsight, we might have done differently. We were certainly (and still are) far from being perfect parents. Yet despite all our mistakes, our three children have grown up to be young adults of which any parents would be proud. So, is there a secret recipe to successful parenthood? Are there certain rules to follow which will guarantee success? Sadly, the answer is no. If you read the beginning of the Bible you will find that even God, the perfect parent, found that his children went off the rails in a big way!

Yet there are some things which can be said which might be helpful. One of the most precious things a parent can give is time. Sue chose to put her career on hold for some 20 years so that she could stay at home and care for our children. She was always there for them. I am sure that this helped give our children the security they needed in their formative years. The sad thing for parents who can't or don't make the time to spend with their children when they are growing up is that the lost time can never be reclaimed.

We have tried as parents to help our children discover godly values. The truth is that children learn much of their behaviour and values from adults, and especially from parents. Again I have to say that Sue and I are far from perfect, but we have done our best to help our children see how much Jesus means to us and the difference he makes in our lives. We have also been tremendously blessed by being part of caring churches over the years. Our children have learned so much from Christian friends who have loved them and modelled for them godly lives.

Another thing I would say on the subject of parenting is that one of the best things we can do for our children is to pray regularly for them. When our children were young I made it a habit to go into their rooms when they were asleep and pray for God's blessing upon them (don't they look angelic when they're asleep?) Even now, Sue and I pray every night for our children. I have no doubt that prayer makes a difference.

Finally, I would encourage parents to try and cherish every moment they spend with their children, even when they're being a pain. Realise what a precious gift children are. Their childhood will soon come to and end and they will leave the family home. Make sure that they know that they are loved, so they will want to return.

So there is no recipe for guaranteed success as a parent. But there are things we can do. And even for those parents who despair, I would say keep praying and keep loving.