October all over

The World Cup is an interesting marker. A chance to remember and reflect where i was four years ago. I've been reading Phillipians recently, and been really hit by Paul talking about counting all things loss for the sake of knowing Christ and about being content in all situations, two things that i've had to fight for recently. I've also been praying in a kind of half-hearted 'i suppose i should' kind of way about not becoming consumed with the World Cup over the next five weeks, not to let it take my energy and my thoughts away from the LORD, knowing Him.

Four years ago, when the World Cup was last staged, i had been a Christian for maybe six weeks. Hardly any time at all. Im those days football consumed me completly. I remember thinking at the start of the Lower Sixth that life was worth living for a change because Wycombe had signed some decent players and might actually go somewhere that season (we didn't). There's a picture of me taken shortly after we'd beaten Argentina in 2002 just looking so happy so overjoyed. I think that photo sums up what football meant to me then.

Football still means a lot to me today, but it's interesting to note the changes in my attitude towards it. I think now, its a very poor second on my list to knowing Jesus. I think today i counted watching Germany-Costa Rica as loss in a very real sense, which surprised me (what a game though). Surprised me, but encouraged me. And i have just enjoyed Ecuador-Poland, and probably will still take in games like Iran-Angola and Togo-South Korea. But today, in 2006, because of Jesus, there is more meaning in my life. I don't just view the weeks as the boring bit between 5pm saturday and 3pm saturday. And i thank God for that. It was great to sit in my sunny garden today and read The Cross Examined, and to be thinking about the biggest things in life, the best things in life. To not be distracted by 'The Greatest Show on Earth' but to be preparing myself for 'The Greatest Coming on Earth'. It's great, really great to be a Christian. I thank God for abnswering my prayers that i would not idol worship service, but that my service would come out of a love for Him. I pray that would continue, that His light would blind me to any others.

Also really cool to hear Pete Lowman spend ten minutes talking about his time with IFES Russia before speaking at RUCU on thursday, got me excited about HomeStart. Man, if i think God is calling me to France to work with students, there no way i can't go. Just no way. I just need to work out whether its a calling for next year or sometime after that...