Blessed

Sunday mornng: to an exquisite village church at Oakamoor, Staffordshire for simple Free Church worship. Home for superb lunch prepared by smiling wife. Sunday evening: to the parish church for compline. The lay reader arrives in the nick of time, and gallops through the prescribed order for evening prayer. It takes 20 minutes, and we are not led to think prayerfully about Christians in Nigeria, under heavy attack from a ferocious Islamic sect. Many dead. Feel guilty because I will now sit secure and safe for at least four hours doing nothing except drink tea, and be conducted round the nation on TV. First to the glorious British countryside in 'Countryfile', then to the Alexandra Palace to see breathtaking snooker. Then to Mancheter to see Man City play Tottenham. Then to the Emirates to see Man United against Arsenal. To travel to all these events in person would cost more than the annual TV licence (But hang on....  I do not have to pay it, being legally ancient). To access these events by buying tickets would be a cost beyond  all possibility. To get ringside seats and hear commentators explain what's going on - no chance. I just sit and drink tea. 'We have a better view here than we would have actually being there' I reflect. All this, plus not having to face Islamic Terrorists...... To prayer, and to bed, richly blest. What have we done to deserve all this?