This is genius! You know when things have gone really well for you and you just kept on pushing it? Remember those times you had really wished you had known when to stop? Well this is one of those times. The video is of Spain's Alvaro Bautista doing a wheelie to celebrate coming third in the 250cc race in the Czech MotoGP, but it backfired as he ends up falling off in dramatic style and smashing the bike up. I guess his team weren't too happy - know when to quit - a lesson for us all!

I am a fan of Twitter and have been tweeting for some months now. There are many celebrity fans as well - Philip Schofield, Stephen Fry and Number 10. Yes, that's right the government are now even using Twitter. Not too bad generally as you do get to hear a bit of what is going on however the latest one takes the biscuit. The Health Secretary want people to tweet and say why they love the NHS! This is nothing more than a political point scoring exercise. There is no room for saying why you don't love the NHS as you think there might be in a democracy. No instead, we have all to put our wonderful stories about how we love the NHS.

Now I think there are some great stories about the NHS and I am sure that everyone will have one or two. But how many people who have these stories to share also have stories of not being seen, not being listened to etc etc. It is undeniable

I have been watching the situation with the Fellowship of Confessing Churches for the last few months with equal measures of growing interest and horror. The 'Fellowship' was set up in the wake of the decision of the General Assembly in the case of Aberdeen Presbytery. It aims to 'stand firm for the biblical gospel' (as opposed to the non-biblical gospel of Christ I stand for presumably?) and 'publicly mark the boundary between orthodox Christianity and spurious forms that claim the same name'.

So far there are 35 churches who have signed a 'covenant' (a credal statement in all but name) to uphold the orthodoxy of the Christian faith. This might surprise you but I really don't have a problem with this! I would uphold the right for every congregation to publicly profess what they desire, be it orthodoxy or not, that is the right of our congregations. And boy is there enough room for all within the Church of Scotland. I know there are certain churches where I would not be advised to apply for a position and the same would go for my orthodox colleagues. Congregations have long had the debate about where they stand on issues of faith and they have an understanding of where they stand theologically. So once again I say, I have no problem with congregations adopting a covenant saying whatever they want.

However, where my alarm grows is when congregations,... (there's more, click the button below to read it)

When trawling through the BBC website I came across this story with the headline 'Postman saves Wedding'. All that happened was that the couple lost their rings and were going to have to cancel the service. Now I know every couple wants their day to be perfect but cancelling because of lost rings ... really? Are there no jewellers in their town?

It got me thinking as to what couples want as the important part of the day - it is great this couple through it was a part of the service that was the most important thing ... but the rings - come on!

Click here to watch the video and tell me if I am mad or there really is a problem that should cancel the wedding!

There has just been so much going on in the Church of Scotland in the last few weeks. Many of you will have read in the media about a friend of mine, Rev. Scott Rennie, minister of Brechin Cathedral who has been called to be minister of the congregation at Queens Cross Church in Aberdeen. It should be a real cause for celebration ... however there is, according to some within the denomination, a problem. Scott, when he applied for the charge was completely honest and transparent with the folks in Queens Cross. When asked he told them that he was gay and was in a committed relationship with his partner, David, who is also a Christian and heavily committed to the work of the church.

When the congregation asked the Presbytery of Aberdeen to 'sustain the call', basically give permission to them to ask Scott to be their minister they agreed but a small group of people complained and have now passed it to the General Assembly to decide on it later this month. There has been a lot written about the case, in newspapers and in blogs across the world. Forward Together, a group of evangelicals in the Church are leading the public outcry in calling for Scott not to be allowed to be the minister in Queens Cross.

A lot has been said that is wrong, and in fact Forward Together had to issue an apology to Scott after facts were wrongly stated about his personal life and the retraction can be read here. The editorially independent magazine of the Church of Scotland, Life and Work, ran an editorial calling on the church to recognise the liberty of opinion that exists on such matters. A new group called the Fellowship of Confessing Churches (whose very title I take issue with as my church is also a 'confessing church', confessing our belief in Jesus Christ, but not necessarily their definition of what a confessing church is nor their theology) have even started an online petition urging comissioners at the General Assembly to block Scott's move to Queen's Cross. 

And now, an organisation I am a part of called OneKirk have issued a new edition of our Journal (which can be downloaded here) which has an interview with Scott in which he tells his story. It is well worth a read as it allows people to remember their is a person involved in this, a real human being, with feelings, with gifts, someone who is loved by God. Surely that is what is important here.

Rev. Gordon Kennedy, a former chairman of Forward Together recently wrote on his blog (not in relation to this specific case, but in the wider debate on human sexuality) that it is "our Christian duty is to love our neighbour, all our neighbours, perhaps especially those with whom we disagree. Too often debates about human sexuality become offensive name-calling exercises which display nothing of the love of Christ or the grace that should characterise Christian living. This is espeically important for those claiming the title of Evangelical as we should be people who not only preach grace but live graciously."

Surely, Gordon makes sense for us all, and I pray that others may hear his words and put them into practice. We all need to remember that behind the news stories, behind the headlines, behind the anger and bitter comments of some sections of the Church there is a man, a child of God, who is loved and cared for just like everyone else. This is someone who has been given gifts by God for building up his kingdom and who is trying in the most faithful way possible to be a servant of God and follow his calling in ministry.

Let us remember and start speaking about the sense of call and the worth of Scott's ministry in the eyes of God, and not vilify him for being who he is ... a child of God.

Sad day yesterday. To finish my week's holiday we went to St. Andrews Church in Blantyre and had lunch with Pete, Carolyn and the family. Was having a lovely time until we smelt a gas leak at their house. That was in the process of getting fixed, and I went out to the car to get something, took out my iPhone and dropped it on the tiled kitchen floor. It did not bounce. It cracked the screen. I felt bad and just a little bit sick!

Phone the phone company this morning who said it was covered by the insurance and a new one would be with me tomorrow. It still works but I have to be really careful with it incase I break it totally and am without a phone!

Oh well, roll on tomorrow! I know it is only a phone but ...

I have been getting steadily more annoyed over the past week or so with the media and Westminster. When we should have been focussing on the economic situation, or announcements about jobs in hospitals we have heard very little except about Gordon Brown's seeming reluctance to say sorry over the email smear fiasco.

The media said that any announcement the government made would be sidelined, even go unheard, because of the lack of the use of the word 'sorry' from the PM. Well, in Glasgow yesterday he said 'sorry'. And in today's papers we have had a shift from him refusing to say sorry to the way he apparantly said sorry far too late into the affair and only because the media called for it! It got me thinking can people really be... (there's more to this blog, click below to read it.)

OK, I know I haven't written a blog for some time but I am going to try and turn over a new leaf and use this as a place to share thoughts and get things off my chest. And looky look at what I read in the letters page of the Daily Record earlier ... 

"Shell Shame - On Easter Sunday, I was astounded to find the smashed remains of dozens of hard boiled eggs littering a local park. In this day and age, is it really sensible to teach children, the remnants of whose egg rolling exploits I presume these to be, that it is OK to waste food? Starving people in the Third World would not understand such wanton waste and I certainly could not explain or justify it to them. I wonder if the parents of the youngsters concerned would feel themselves able to do so?"  Daily Record, April 14, 2009  

Oh my word! You can understand the .... (there's more, click the button below to read it)