Even though Jesus was very busy doing his Father’s will, he always prayed to his Father. He made time for prayer, and deliberately went out to find somewhere quiet to pray.

If this is true for God the Son, how much more is it important for us as Christians to pray with our Father? Elsewhere, in Mt 6, Jesus doesn’t provide guidelines for us if we pray but for when we pray – prayer isn’t optional, but the duty of a Christian!

We should also have a desire to pray. For if we have faith is Jesus Christ, we are a new creation by the Holy Spirit and the Spirit is working in us and making us more and more like Christ. This is not to say it’ll be easy, as our old sinful nature still haunts us and causes an internal tussle. The old nature can bring up doubts and fears, reminding us of our guilt, and causing us to conclude that we cannot approach God because of our sin. Our new nature, by the Spirit, reminds us Christ has blotted out our sin and has dealt with it, and it is through Christ that we can approach God.

We need to devote time to prayer, just as Jesus did, to get away from the cares of this world and to bring everything to God in prayer. Jesus purposefully got up very early in the morning to go about communicating with his Father. In so doing, he would not be distracted nor would he be easily spotted and bring attention to himself. After praying, Jesus doesn’t sit back and wait for God to work, but sets about his task, that God might work through him.

Whilst Jesus was holy and able to approach his Father, we are sinners and must remember that we cannot approach God with our own effort. We must always remember what it cost God the Son, his suffering and death, that all who believe in him would be justified and sanctified and so have access to God.

Another Saturday, another football match against Cranford Baptist church. A slightly better result for HWEC this time, resulting in a 7-2 victory, mostly as we had a more cohesive team. I must admit, I’m completely shattered now – not withstanding pain acquired from the various antics during the game. Possibly the most impressive one was where I was defending, chasing down an attacker in to the goal area, suddenly realising the goalkeeper was in front of me, jumping clear of him and landing front first on the grass. I might regret doing that when I wake up tomorrow morning – however I think the goalie would prefer the action I took!

Spent the afternoon teaching Sam the rudiments of cooking and finished the day with a most frustrating round of ten-pin bowling. I must definitely either improve my fitness levels, or not do anything strenuous after playing football.

Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough!
It isn’t fit for humans now,
There isn’t grass to graze a cow.
Swarm over, Death!

Come, bombs and blow to smithereens
Those air-conditioned, bright canteens,
Tinned fruit, tinned meat, tinned milk, tinned beans,
Tinned minds, tinned breath.

Mess up the mess they call a town-
A house for ninety-seven down
And once a week a half a crown
For twenty years.

And get that man with double chin
Who’ll always cheat and always win,
Who washes his repulsive skin
In women’s tears:

And smash his desk of polished oak
And smash his hands so used to stroke
And stop his boring dirty joke
And make him yell.

But spare the bald young clerks who add
The profits of the stinking cad;
It’s not their fault that they are mad,
They’ve tasted Hell.

It’s not their fault they do not know
The birdsong from the radio,
It’s not their fault they often go
To Maidenhead

And talk of sport and makes of cars
In various bogus-Tudor bars
And daren’t look up and see the stars
But belch instead.

In labour-saving homes, with care
Their wives frizz out peroxide hair
And dry it in synthetic air
And paint their nails.

Come, friendly bombs and fall on Slough
To get it ready for the plough.
The cabbages are coming now;
The earth exhales.

Sir John Betjeman

I’m not sure what I’m being taught in my violin lessons is actually sinking in anymore. I seem to spend more of my time practicing stuff I should’ve practiced, rather than practicing the stuff I’ve been set to practice from the last lesson! I guess it doesn’t help that I don’t get much time to practice . I need to try and find more time to practice – make better use of spare moments. 🙂