Well, what do I think about it?

We've all been inundated with the news of Osama's death.  Frankly, you may well be bored of hearing about it.  If so, don't read this :)
First up, I wish people would learn to pronounce Abbottabad. Given it's named after a British bloke by the name of 'Abbott', that gives a hint as to the pronunciation.  I know it's not always easy, but checking Wikipedia would probably do the trick...
Second, there's the whole, 'did the Pakistanis know that he was there?'.  Well, it's certainly a fair question I suppose, but it's also a bit daft.  It makes it sound like he was popping down the road to the chip shop every week, and managed to do so unnoticed (well, popping to the chai shop in the local bazaar would probably be a more likely scenario than the chip shop...)  When you think of major criminals being found, you rarely get the neighbours saying, 'oh yeah, we knew they'd been living there for ages'.  I know that's a slightly different case, because you don't know the identity of the criminal in such cases, but the fact remains that if the person next door doesn't want you to know who they are, you probably won't find out.  There are also plenty of elderly people in Pakistan who are cared for in the family home (much more likely than the 'care homes' we send old folk off to in the West) who you would never see.  So if you're wondering why the people next door seem to be buying extra food etc., they could merrily tell you they're looking after their sick aunt/elderly parents etc.  In a country where people are routinely in 'purdah', it's not difficult to hide someone in a house.  What's more, the walls were pretty immense, the windows pretty small, and, I imagine, the occupants fairly careful!
There's also the question of justice.  I think at the moment that I'm inclined to think that this is justice at least on one level.  If he really did declare war on the States, and was responsible for launching attacks, then he is, in effect, a combatant and therefore subject to the rules of war, which may include being killed.  It's not like he'd renounced his terrorist ideals and they hunted him down and shot him anyway.
Then there's the future.  What of it.  Well, a terrorist organisation is not like an animal that can be killed by decapitation.  Rather, it's more like a prolific weed (take Japanese knotweed as an example, if you want one).  The weed grows wherever the roots are in the soil.  Likewise, to deal with the terrorist organisation, you can't just take a strimmer to it and chop it down, you've got to dig it up.  That means more of a 'hearts and minds' approach.  (I hate that phrase in some respects, because it can smack of imperialism/colonialism 'they're all just a bit dim and need to be enlightened in the Western way of doing things' mindset, which is arrogant and wrong). In fact, doing something like killing Osama can end up being more like pruning than weeding.  The cause of the problem needs to be addressed.  I, for one, wonder if we've ever thought to ask people what their problem is.  Is it Palestine?  Well, fair point, we do seem to allow Israel to contravene whatever it likes...  Is it our historical raping of their countries' resources and wealth?  Another fair point.  Maybe we could talk about it though, and sort out mutually beneficial trade deals rather than shooting each other (it's less messy psychologically) as a means of restoring the parity. 
And of course, there's also the question of what happens to my beloved Pakistan.  Well, people are already accusing it left, right and centre of harbouring terrorists, though I've explained why I think it's not so clear cut already.  And OF COURSE there were people who knew he was there.  He'd have got mighty hungry if there weren't, but they were in the minority.  And it's over now anyway (that bit of it, at least...)  So Pakistan will be dragged through the mud again, and, however untrue accusations are, some mud will always stick.  And what of the safety of people there.  Well, that's been rather compromised.  The Christian community especially (in the minds of many Pakistanis, allied with the West) are likely to face, at the very least, increased persecution and vilification from some quarters.  My hope would be that the moderate Muslims are willing and able to make the most of the opportunity that has been presented to them.  There has been ample time for Islamic extremism to make its mark on the world, and on the attitudes of many people to Islam itself.  Perhaps some will now take the chance to redefine Islam in the eyes of the world.  The moderates don't need to change their message, they just need to speak a little louder.
Finally, there's the celebration of Osama's death.  Here, the West and in particular America, has failed.  How can we criticise the jubilation among Muslim groups following terrorist strikes, if we then celebrate with even greater aplomb the killing of one man?  Yes, a sense of relief is understandable, a sense of justice is probably also wise, but I'm just not so sure about the jubilation.  It's not like the war is over.  In fact, given the splintering down of many of the groups involved, it's hugely symbolic, but I'm not convinced it's much else. 
I guess now the challenge is to keep praying, and seeking to support those in areas of conflict.  Seeking also to understand those who seek to wrong us, and ensure that they have no cause to do so.
That's a few of my thoughts.  By no means all of them, and by no means are they set in stone.  Just a sort of initial response...

The trouble with being sanctimonious...

The scene is youth group on Wednesday night.
We've just begun the 'CY' (Christianity Explored for youth) series and the first question is:
"If you could ask God one question, and you knew it would be answered, what would it be?"
Well, everyone has their own booklet, so we started with all the young people writing their 'question for God' in their booklets.  There are a couple of tough things we're dealing with at church at the moment, and I was sat there wondering what everyone was going to be writing.  The lad next to me kept glancing my way and I started imagining what he was in the middle of writing.  I figured it was something that he wasn't quite sure of, and I couldn't work out whether I'd need to go for the reassuring, hand-on-the-shoulder-whilst-nodding-and-furrowing-ones-brow approach, probably topping it off with a bit of a deep sigh.  I also wasn't sure whether he was wanting me to look over and read it, or whether he was trying to keep it to himself.  (I thought a lot in the seconds we had!)  I decided that, despite his continued glances my way, I'd remain eyes-front and wait to do the helpful-youth-leader-thing when he actually read out his answer (if, indeed, he plucked up the courage to vocalise what was, I was by now sure, a deep and probably painfully searching question).
We went around the circle, and others asked questions along the lines of, 'why are we here?', and other such classics.  And we came to the lad next to me.  "What's your question then?" the leader asked him.  I'd still managed to resist the temptation to read over his shoulder (it was going to make my response so much more real and heartfelt).  I braced myself - poised to react.  He spoke - the question he'd ask God in full certainty that he'd receive an answer:
"God, what's your favourite football team?"

A little idea.

Just thought I'd share this one with you...

I hope you can see it clearly enough.  Joshua and I went shopping (this was ages ago - I'm a bit behind on the old blog-thing) and I thought I'd get him a bit more involved, so he had to find all these things.  My list was, sadly, much longer than his, but he did seem to enjoy it.  (There were six pictures on the other side of the bit of paper too, but I figured you'd get the picture (!) without seeing both sides - besides, the other pictures were even worse than these ones...)
Just a little idea for shopping trips :)
And you're probably thinking you don't have time to be drawing things for a shopping list, but if it's a choice between a pleasant shopping experience, and one where you end up wishing death upon everyone within a 200 metre radius, you'll make the time for the drawings!

Open wide.

Well, landmarks aren't always fun, but this one was taken in very good spirits.  Monday was our first trip to the dentist (well, not my first, Joshua's!)  I figured it was high time he went, as he has now got teeth...
One slight concern I had was that the only dentist he's seen on the telly was the one in Finding Nemo, where things go a bit wrong, and end up with drills, screams and writhing patients...
We've also got a Topsy and Tim trip to the dentist, which is a more positive approach. 
Anyway, I figured we'd go down the line of 'going to the dentist is an absurdly fun and exciting activity'.  This was backed up with the fact that
a)  The dentist has a cool chair
b)  The dentist helps us look after our teeth and keep them in (Joshua already knows they fall out if you don't brush them enough - simplistic but effective)
The big day arrived, and we duly pottered off to the dentist.  We had a couple of books to read in the waiting room, which we'd bought on the walk from the car park to the dentist.  Sort of a treat for being good at the dentist, and to make it a special outing.  Joshua was duly suckered and had not the slightest inclination to fear anything.  We were called in, and I went first to demonstrate how painless and cool it was (a slightly risky strategy, given I haven't been to the dentist for, ahem, a while...)  Sadly, Joshua had not the slightest interest in my dental progress, choosing to read his books while he waited.  Then it was his turn.  He was a little wary of the chair, but the dentist was, it must be said, fantastic with him, and he got quite into the whole thing.  We were both told that our teeth were fine, and Joshua was told his were really well brushed, and he got a sticker.  All in all a very positive first trip!

You've been framed.

Who thinks up all these rubbish titles?
Anyway, having laid the ground cover, and attached it to two sides, this was step one:

 Yesterday's work was the get up the main structure, and this is how we left it at the close of play (well, roughly - the end bit that's on the ground in this picture was actually attached, as was the slide):

 This morning saw the addition of the monkey bars...

 ...followed by the first bit of roof (I can stand up under it)

 ... and the other bit of roof (yes, there's a bit of wood missing)

 This is the view from the climbing frame, complete with little boy dying to go on it.

 At last!  Play time.

 

The view from space.

 Project for the holidays:
Build a climbing frame.  Easier said than done.  Climbing frame is the sort that I'm sure must be visible from space.  Climbing frame needed sanding down and painting.  Painting, painting, painting, painting.  I think it took about 2 1/2 lifetimes, or that's what it felt like, anyway.
I did think that maybe I should just make it like this:

 But after careful consideration, I decided that Joshua would probably struggle to get up the pole to the slide.  It was, however, very tempting.  The plan is to put a boundary around the area, lay some ground covering fabric stuff, build the frame in the middle, and add about 5 tonnes of chipped wood.
Here are some of the climbing frame bits.

 The question is, why are we building (I say we...) a climbing frame when he has so many trees?

More to come tomorrow - it's going to be finished then.  (Wishful thinking?  You bet!)

Jesus and the three little pigs

Well, it's about time for another contribution from Joshua...
Tonight, we sort of ran out of time for a story, but as I was tucking him in, he asked, "Can I tell you a story".
I agreed, and was then informed that it was actually the same story as last week, but the ending.  Here it is:

"There were two little pigs, and they settled down together ..." (ok, I'm going to have to confess, I lost track briefly here - I'm tired and the story wasn't exactly grabbing me at this point.  However, I did tune back in when this happened:)
"Then the pigs ran to the brick house and they got into the brick house and the big bad wolf came.  Then Jesus came up in the sky, and said, "What's going on?", and the big bad wolf said, "Nothing".
"Then I [this is still Joshua speaking] came along, and I said, "Something is going on"".
"That's the end of the story."
"It's a true story because Jesus was in it."

I thought it lacked a certain something, personally (like a satisfying conclusion, for one!), but did like the link between Jesus and truth.  Perhaps that's how heresies start though.
We then had prayers.  After a brief silence, Joshua said, 'Come on!' (indicating I shouldn't be silent, I should be praying) I said I'd like him to pray first, and he came up with:
"Thank you Lord Jesus that the pigs got to the brick house so they were safe, Amen"
I have to say it was a struggle to get my prayer finished without completely cracking up.