Restoration 10:10

Truckers have planned a go slow on the M6 Saturday. The action will most likely cause grid-lock on the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. Elsewhere overseas, the Presidential Palace in the Philippians has been besieged, fishermen in Thailand burn their boats and Spanish supermarket shelves are empty. A policeman was battered by a crowd in Almeria. A burnt out coach slumbers on a road in Portugal and a dead man is carried in a coffin in Granada. We have seen public disruptions like this before. Say at football matches; anti-war campaigns and civil rights marches. Violent scenes like this are quiet normal in our crazy world. But all these recent disturbances have one thing in common. They erupted because of people protesting about the rising cost of fuel. Next thing you know we’ll be going to war for a barrel of oil. But what can we do about this latest global fuel crisis?

First don’t panic. Hopefully the government’s emergency plans for keeping the petrol pumps in business will work and disruptions will be kept to a minimum. (I say this unsure grimacing with gritted teeth)

Secondly this global fuel crisis should motivate us to invest more into finding alternative fuel energies. Funding for this should come from the government’s purse. If they can find money to fund an unplanned war in Iraq they can also find cash for some important deliberate research. But money for this project should also come from the billions of pounds profit which rich oil companies make each year.

Thirdly there should be a sense of urgency about the development of Bio-liquid fuels, solar power systems, and any other potential fuel substitutes. We should not underestimate the race against the clock regarding this matter.

Fourthly, no stone should be left unturned. Everything that can be done must be done to find alternative fuels for the future. Otherwise the future turmoil will be much worse than the present recent disturbances.

An army officer told the Sun newspaper of his miracle escape when a rocket-propelled grenade bounced off him.

“Lt David Robertson was struck in the chest by the missile, fired by a Taliban terrorist in Afghanistan. Incredibly it ricocheted off his body armour and exploded against his Warrior armoured vehicle – and David escaped with just minor arm wounds.

The 30-year-old from 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (The Highlanders), said:

“I saw it coming at me head-on. I was knocked back hard, and then there was a bang and a heat wave. My body armour saved me.”

David, of Inverness, is usually based in Germany. A defence expert said:

“Thanks to his armour we are celebrating the survival of a hero and not mourning the loss of a brave officer.”

WOW. How cool is this? The soldier came under attack was knocked back hard, felt the heat of a missile and was bombarded by an explosive loud bang. And he died; NOT. Thankfully the soldier was wearing his body armour and survived with receiving only minor injuries. So come on Christians. You might not be in a battle like the one being fought in the Middle East, but you are in a spiritual war zone so,

‘ Put on the full armour of God’ says the Apostle Paul, ‘so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes’ Ephesians 6:11.

Don your spiritual Kevlar. Take hold of Christ’s righteousness, thank the Lord for your salvation, proclaim the gospel truth, ready yourself for biblical service, live by faith, and walk humbly before your God. And like all the surviving heroes of Scripture we will be more than conquerors.

Fixing Holes

"We want local authorities to implement a system of regular, well-managed maintenance - not to leave things until they deteriorate to the point that repairs become urgent and more costly." Isn’t that good advice? Not merely for maintaining good roads but good and happy lives? Put the chip-paint on your little car door scratch, otherwise the whole vehicle will start to rust. Get your doctor to deal with that little lump in your breast before it develops into a huge cancer. Put your ongoing squabbles right with folks before they cause an irreparable relationship break down. Sort it out before it gets worse. A well managed life will save us from some costly mistakes.