Sir Alex seethes and sees red as Manchester United go out.

Manchester United are out of the UEFA Champions League after a home defeat by two goals to one at Old Trafford.  Real Madrid scored twice in the second half coming from a goal down, and won 3-2 on aggregate.  The turning point was the red card shown to Nani after his foot went into the chest of Real Madrid's Arbeloa. United were one nil up at the time.  Nani was a surprise choice to play in this crucial game, which marked Ryan Giggs' 1,000th appearance for United. Rooney was on the bench , another surprise, until well into the second half when United were losing.  Nani had played well in the goalless first half, but his night ended in disaster. Sir Alex was seething and did not speak to the press or TV channels after the match.

Roy Keane believed that the referee Cuneyt Cakir had made the correct decision in awarding the red card but other commentators thought that a yellow card should have been given.  Sir Alex will probably not sleep sweetly tonight. But Jose Mourinho will enjoy his success along with Cristiano Ronaldo who scored the final goal which ensured Real's progression into the quarter finals. Luka Modric scored the other goal for Real, which was a superbly struck against the inside of the right post and beyond the goal line. No United player managed to score as Sergio Ramos scored an own goal for United.

Bashar al-Assad continues to oppress the Syrian people

Despite so much opposition, a dreadful refugee situation and thousands dead from the civil conflict, Bashar al-Assad refuses to step aside and talk to the rebels.  He is unwilling to meet rebel leaders unless they lay down their arms.  Now that's "naive, confused and unrealistic."  Words he used to describe Britain's position and support for opposition fighters with non-lethal aid.  The US is also committed to providing food and medical aid to the opposition.  Sadly many more Syrians will die in this conflict, which does not seem to trouble Bashar.

The Blue Lagoon, Abereiddy, Pembrokeshire, Wales

Looking through my blog posts I have noticed that photographs of the Blue Lagoon at Abereiddy, Pembrokeshire, are notably absent. I cannot understand how this omission has happened. It is one of my favourite places in Pembrokeshire, a place where I have been many times.  My video of the Blue Lagoon on YouTube has the most number of hits of all my uploads. I feel that I should now share my photographs of the Blue Lagoon at Abereiddy.

Abereiddy's Blue Lagoon

Diving into the Blue Lagoon at Abereiddy

Come off it,Tom Cruise is no Jack Reacher !

For those familiar with the Jack Reacher character in Lee Child's excellent thrillers, the author often emphasizes the fact that Reacher is at least six foot five inches in height and about 250 pounds in weight.
"He's a big guy." You could not describe Tom Cruise in that way. No way!

Now Hollywood has miscast Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher for the new film. The big, tough guy of the thrillers  is not the diminutive, pretty guy in the film. In the UK it comes out on Boxing Day. Lee Child has been very diplomatic about the casting and speaks generously about Tom Cruise's attempt to play Reacher.

 Jack Reacher was a hard former military cop, with real combat experience. He has been described by literary critics as a well-built, gruff, grizzly guardian angel, a tough, cerebral drifter, a latter day six foot five inch cowboy.  His size is an integral part of the character. Tom Cruise is not that guy!  Reacher is therefore more of a Stephen Seagal kind of guy. Dolph Lundgren is the same height and weight as Jack Reacher and Dolph would be ideal for the role in the future.

In time more Jack Reacher films will be made and a more suitable actor will be found.

Location of village in today's ITV3 Agatha Christie's Marple

For those who watched Agatha Christie's Marple, The Moving Finger, on ITV3 this afternoon, the charming village was Chilham in Kent, said to be most attractive in the garden of England.

A healthy church (assembly, not a building)

Christians sometimes ask themselves the question, what is a healthy church?  They are referring the fellowship or assembly, not the building though the infrastructure and administrative processes may be part of the answer to the question.

Having thought about what constitutes a healthy church I came up with the following points:

A healthy Christian church

provides good fellowship
preaches the Gospel, the good news of salvation and abundant, eternal life in Christ
performs acts of mercy, charity, loving kindness and grace
promotes faith in Jesus Christ
preserves the truth of God's Word
prays in the Holy Spirit
praises God for His goodness, grace and salvation
practises what it preaches
passes on the teaching of Christ and His apostles by evangelistic enterprise
prepares disciples to becomes leaders and servants who bring others into Christian service and ministry, to meet the demands of the next generation.

John Bunyan: a hero of faith

John Bunyan (1628-1688) is one of my heroes.  The more I learn about him, the more I admire him. 

He did not have a very formal education.  JB did not study at Oxford or Cambridge, like many Puritan divines, but earned his living as a tinker/brazier. Today he would have probably been rejected by theological colleges, ministerial committees and church diaconates because he lacked qualifications. On the other hand, had some of these ecclesiastical bureaucrats seen or read his books or heard him preach they would have probably changed their minds. (John Owen, the great Puritan theologian, held him in very high regard.) The Church of England clergy in the late 17th century saw him as a criminal who deserved a custodial sentence. And that is what he received when JB was brought before local magistrates in Bedfordshire and was asked to refrain from preaching. JB refused to do so as he believed he was called and commanded to preach the Gospel and to obey God rather than men. JB suffered for his principles and conscientious stand as he was kept in Bedford Prison, at his majesty's pleasure, for a total of 12 years. While King Charles II enjoyed the fleshpots of London, JB languished in an unpleasant jail cell. JB worked during his sentence by making leather boot laces to earn a living. During his time in prison he was far from idle; he wrote books. (King Charles developed a taste for fine wine, fine food and finely dressed women. He had many mistresses and bastards, enjoying wine, women and song, and plenty of theatrical entertainment. King Charles Stuart II would have been, no doubt, at home in Vanity Fair.)

 The Conventical Act of 1664, in the reign of the adulterous, lascivious, and licentious King Charles II, forbade church gatherings that did not use the Book of Common Prayer. In 1662 the Act of Uniformity required all clergy to give unfeigned consent and assent to this Prayer Book. Consequently about 2,000 clergy were ejected from their livings and were driven into non-conformity.

Continued and amended on Friday 7 September 2012.

In 1665, the year of the Great Plague of London, the Five Mile Act was passed to prevent ejected clergy coming within five miles of a city or corporate town.  This wicked act attempted to stop these ministers earning a living, pastoring a congregation and preaching the Gospel. Those who did not consent to the Church of England's articles and ordinances in the Prayer Book were known as non-conformists and dissenters.  These Acts of Parliament were known as the Clarendon Code (named after Lord Clarendon).  JB was one of the best known dissenters who fell foul of these repressive acts.

Throughout his life JB wrote 68 books. Pilgrim's Progress is the most famous, and is still a best seller. (It is available in paperback for only £1, in 2012, which is great value.) It is one of the best known books in the English language. It has been translated into many languages. Its eleventh edition came out in 1688, the year of JB's death. Bunyan's The Holy War and Grace Abounding are also in available in print. Today his famous hymn is still sung in churches and the words continue to inspire Christians throughout the world.  C.H. Spurgeon, the great Baptist preacher, treasured it. He once said, "Next to the Bible, the book I value most is Pilgrim's Progress." This book has inspired plays, comic books, television programmes, sermons, blogs and films.  Some of the films are hard to obtain.

To be continued.