It's Wednesday and I'm due to go to hospital tomorrow for an operation that threatens to be rather uncomfortable. If things go as expected, of course, there'll be a delay and I'll spend most of the day hanging around waiting. We'll see!

Thought I had found a shrine to the current trend of mobile working, but they just wanted to sell me some stamps.

Met a man who described himself to me. I thought he was in sympathy with feminist ideals in our post-modern world, but he just wanted to give me some letters.

Thoughts on 2nd discussion on spirituality last night:
We were trying to define what we believe and categorise those beliefs into 3 categories:
What would be worth dying for?
What is pretty important?
What is not that important?
Having blown my mind in trying to think if eternal life is worth dying for(!!) I began to consider that everything I believe is only an approximation anyway. A bit like when I studied physics and once I understood anything, someone went and found yet another particle (or whole layer of particles). My belief in God is a belief in someone about whom I am trying to discover things. Once I think I've got it cracked then I discover that God is a lot bigger than I imagined. I'm sure of a very few things, maybe they go something like this:
* God exists
* I don't understand God
* If I did understand God then he wouldn't be worthy of the title
* God accepts me and loves me and is interested in me
* God relates to me through a complex structure involving the holy spirit and Jesus
* I don't need to understand that structure
* Existence is more than just physical
* Death is a milestone on a journey
* I can trust God

That's rather more than I expected to put on the list, but none of those things depend on my understanding them.
I think there is a difference between knowing and believing. Beliefs tend to come from the intellectual. I tend to think that 'knowledge' in this area comes from what might be termed a spiritual interaction. I would say that I know that God exists, because that comes from something deep within me. It's not something that someone cleverer than I could argue me out of. It's almost as if denying the existence of God would be denying something that defines my existence.
I like to think that Adam and Eve actually existed because it's a model I can work with and from which I can develop ideas. If someone were to come up with incontrovertible evidence to the contrary I would be happy to start working with a different model. There is not that within me that says they had to exist. Allegory is just as useful a model to me as history in aiding my thinking about God.
Next session in a month.

Came across this quote:
'A fool chooses to starve himself and we all watch, One billion people have no choice and we ignore them.'"

Went to Winchester and looked round the cathedral. It's usually interesting to visit such places but often they are cold and lonely places. Yesterday was one of several days when Winchester cathedral hosts various school groups. All round the building were activity points with children being taught and being invovled in things, including dressing up as monks! This created a completely different atmosphere - the place was alive and felt welcoming and exciting. One of the stewards asked me if I had been able to see what I wanted to see with all the distractions. It was the 'distractions' that made the visit for me.

And here's the second:

LOLLIPOPS

Church is like a lollipop :
you can choose your flavour.
But one thing you must never choose :
your own particular saviour.
Churches can be big or small,
lollipops are too.
It doesn't matter which you choose :
it's really up to you.
Lollies have a stick up them,
churches they just don't.
Sinners get a lot of stick :
conform and then you won't!
If you decide to eat your lolly
hanging in the attic,
The church will not put up with it,
unless it's charismatic.
As icy pieces drop right down,
they will make your belly-cool.
And church will do the same to you -
if it's evangelical.
When you buy your lollipop
it will have a cover,
Will you dare to take it off,
be honest with one another?
Lollipops left in the heat-
they just melt away.
The church, oh it was born in passion,
.........where's it gone today?

We had a 'communion' meal last night when we were supposed to bring a story or poem or something. In a moment of desperation I dug out some poems I had written some years ago. Nick has insisted I post them here. I do so somewhat reluctantly but am used to doing as I'm told! If you notice elements of plagiarism they are entirely intentional.
Here's the first:

Love Me Do!
(Alt. title: Ontology)

How do I love Thee? Let me count the ways:
I go to church on Sunday, and several other days.
I read my Bible every night, & often kneel to pray,
Then I witness to my neighbour, & he listens to what I say.
I divide my money into tens, & keep back nine for me,
Then I follow Biblical instruction & offer one to Thee.
I buy some very expensive meat & make it look quite nice,
Then I invite the vicar round, & serve him it with rice.
The lady who lives next door is old, & can't get to the shops,
So I take my carrier bag with me, & buy her tripe & chops.
My level of activity must surely show to all
That I love Thee very much, as much as did St. Paul.
I know it doesn't match the love You showed to me,
But mine is more practical, the love I have for Thee.
I know You came, I know You died, for me You gave Your life,
I can't do any of that, it's not fair on my wife!
What's that You say? You want my all, my money & my heart?
That all sounds so hard to me, I don't know where to start.
I think I'll go on loving Thee the way I have so far,
I'll even offer lifts to church within my brand new car.
If I had to give my all, to carry a cross for You,
You see I simply wouldn't know just what I had to do!