This morning I rose early as is my wont and after a couple of coffees decided to tune in to Trans World Radio which is an international American-based evangelical station with an outreach station in the United Kingdom. At 8 o’clock this morning a group of English commentators were discussing the problem with ‘noise’ in society and how it distracts us from thinking and focusing our minds where they should be plus a lengthy reminder that we should not seek praise from other people because it gratifies our ego and gives us our reward.

‘Treasure in heaven’ is a reward for doing things privately were only God sees what we do. We should not draw attention to ourselves. For example if we decide to fast we don’t go around in rags but we dress ourselves as normal. If we give to other people we should not advertise the fact, nor to make sure that others are not seeing us. Yes we get our reward but of what value is it?  In short I had an excellent hour of instruction.

In view of  the fulfilling nature of this I asked myself why I should attend a religious service this morning. I have become disillusioned by the Politics of the Vineyard and have told them that I will return only when transparency with regard to the sacking of the church leader in Bath has been resolved. It has had a traumatic effect not only on the main Bath group but on the subsidiary groups in our local area. I do not wish to be associated with these politics.  We then have the local Methodist Church which I have recently started to attend.  There are only two or three men there that I feel an association with. Mostly they are elderly women, nothing wrong with that, but they are very fixed in their ways.

I must admit I don’t get much out of singing hymns, but as I recorded in a recent diary the sermon given by a minister was of note. What I really want is for people to share and grow with and this means we must have a common language. If I speak what is on my mind and no one can even understand it or wants to understand it then I am wasting their time and mine. The ideal Church for me is spelt with a small ‘c’ and consists of real truth seekers. I do not like institutions in any manner shape or form as any form of ritual can become dead and to me dysfunctional. I will take a guess and say that the ideal church does not exist.

Maybe I have to make my own group of kindred spirits, or gather up people within existing organizations who are on my wavelength with whom I can communicate. I have observed that routines can make people dead in spirit and this includes church services. I want to meet rebels, people who don’t fit in, and these are not to be found in the Methodist Church. Jesus was a rebel which is why I like him. He held fast to his own vision even though when he came into Jerusalem on a donkey he knew that by the end of the week is earthly life would be no  more and yet it was business as usual. This to me is the ultimate expression of ‘cool’.

I do not wish to be a critical person but I have noticed a number of problems particularly between the couples in some of the groups I have joined. I think that Christianity can be a plastering over of the cracks where you don’t want to criticize someone because you could be accused of being unchristian. Of course there are ways and means of doing things but if someone is doing something or seems to have a difficulty with someone how do you broke the subject without offending people?

I have to say that Christians are very prickly when touched on certain points.  I admire the great candidness of the 12-step group which is used for and by those afflicted with alcoholism and I’d love to see some of that candour applied in the case of Christian groups. Come to think of it, that is one of my main objections.

After a miserable gray and cold morning the sun has come out and we then he luck come out the odd burst of rain accepted we might have something to  resemble spring/ summer.  It is after coming on to May, the first being on Wednesday.

Countryside on BBC One showed many Gloucestershire farms still flooded and cattle confined inside largely due to ticks and lack of grazing.

and finally

Think of the poor people who want to learn English. See this funny video here.