The above is the title of a song from Graham Kendrick, which we sang in church last Sunday. We were on holiday, so we tried the local Baptist Church. After we'd sung the song, the preacher asked us which line of the song particularly spoke to us, although he didn't give us opportunity to share it. By the way, the words can be found at: www.grahamkendrick.co.uk/songs/lyrics/god_of_the_poor.htm
When my wife and I told each other the line that had spoken to each of us, it was the same line! It was, Make us content with the things that we need. Spooky or what? Actually, not spooky! Just God speaking!
Saturday 23 August 2008
More Olympics
Following on from my previous blog, have you noticed that Usain Bolt and his compatroits in the relay had JAM all over their vests!
Wednesday 20 August 2008
Olympics
Well, we're on holiday on the Isle of Wight and, as you might guess, the weather is not good! So I'm in the local library. The holiday has given us time to watch a fair amount of Olympics and hasn't it been fantastic? Well done Great Britain! (I hate "Team GB")
I was watching the women's beach volleyball, actually because I enjoy volleyball, although no-one believes me. My wife pointed out that the Brazilian team had "BRA" across their tops. She wondered what the team from Nicaragua had on their briefs.
But back to the medals. Or at least that grating misuse of English, turning medal into a verb, which it isn't (except, perhaps, in America). You win a medal in a sport, you don't medal in it. That is something different and spelt meddle.
This doesn't, of course, detract from our athletes, congratulations to all of them! Even those who haven't won any medals, because they had to be brilliant to qualify for the team in the first place. It's interesting and heart-warming to hear so many of them saying how much they owe to their parents. At a time when we hear so much of gangs and knife crime, it's a timely reminder that there are an enormous number of good families out there, with kids not getting in to trouble. And just a few of them go on to win medals at the Olympics.
I was watching the women's beach volleyball, actually because I enjoy volleyball, although no-one believes me. My wife pointed out that the Brazilian team had "BRA" across their tops. She wondered what the team from Nicaragua had on their briefs.
But back to the medals. Or at least that grating misuse of English, turning medal into a verb, which it isn't (except, perhaps, in America). You win a medal in a sport, you don't medal in it. That is something different and spelt meddle.
This doesn't, of course, detract from our athletes, congratulations to all of them! Even those who haven't won any medals, because they had to be brilliant to qualify for the team in the first place. It's interesting and heart-warming to hear so many of them saying how much they owe to their parents. At a time when we hear so much of gangs and knife crime, it's a timely reminder that there are an enormous number of good families out there, with kids not getting in to trouble. And just a few of them go on to win medals at the Olympics.
Tuesday 5 August 2008
Don't Stand for Sats!
The dreaded Sats result continue to come out with tabloid headlines. The latest is that 1 in 5 children didn't reach the standard in English. Actually that means 4 in 5 did reach the standard, that's 80% !
I wonder how many journalists would pass the Sats in maths??
I wonder how many journalists would pass the Sats in maths??
The deluded rich
That was how a disturbing article described wealthy people in the UK. It seems the gap between rich and poor is ever widening, and not just in financial terms. The wealthy have little idea of how the rest live. They have an inflated idea of their own contribution to the economy and when asked what annual salary would put someone in the top 10% of earners, they put it at £162,00, when it was in fact in 2007 around £40,000.
They disliked paying taxes and their great defence is the government is inefficient and public money mis-spent. A group said that the admin costs of paying tax credits was astronomical, when in fact it is 3% - whereas the office costs to turnover for an average city bank is nearer 8%.
But the rich are paying more tax - or are they? An estimate by a tax consultant firm was that in 2006 at least 32 of the UK's 54 billionaires paid no tax at all.
You don't have to prejudiced to be rich, but it helps enormously.
Article in The Guardian 4.8.08. See www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/aug/04/workandcareers.executivesalaries
They disliked paying taxes and their great defence is the government is inefficient and public money mis-spent. A group said that the admin costs of paying tax credits was astronomical, when in fact it is 3% - whereas the office costs to turnover for an average city bank is nearer 8%.
But the rich are paying more tax - or are they? An estimate by a tax consultant firm was that in 2006 at least 32 of the UK's 54 billionaires paid no tax at all.
You don't have to prejudiced to be rich, but it helps enormously.
Article in The Guardian 4.8.08. See www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/aug/04/workandcareers.executivesalaries
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