It was almost an aside on an early morning news report (6am or 6:30 not sure which) that the current disruption to air traffic, if prolonged, would show us how much we really depend on the ability to fly around the globe.  Not, it inferred, 'yikes what a mess', but more 'wow, we are fine afterall.'

I am secretly pleased to have booked all my travel for the next month (to Manchester, Plymouth and Birmingham) by rail when flying was an option for all of them and am doubly glad I have reserved seats.

A bit more video-conferencing, a bit more patience, a few less business miles... just maybe we will be forced further along the greener route by the planet itslef.  That's a nice little irony if ever there was one.

I was reading(-ish) a pull-out supplement from a Christian publication and saw an attention grabbing headline that really annoyed me:

"The [Evangelism Resource] more than anything else in the world has enabled people to follow Jesus... And we're not going to stop"

It annoys we because it is humanly wrong - the vast majority of Christians through time have never even heard of this resource and I suspect even in our own time it accounts only for a small fraction of conversions/commitments

It annoys me even more because it theologically wrong - last time I looked it was the Holy Spirit who enabled people to follow Jesus

It annoys me because it as arrogant and in the language of marketing, 'new Raz washes whiter; improved action Bosh kills 99.999% of germs, etc

It saddens me because I know people who have faithfully delivered this brand and seen no tangible results

It saddens me because I know people for whom this brand has been incredibly important in their own story, but was recognised not as 'the thing' but 'a thing'

It saddens me because it reduces Christian experience to a formula, as if one size fits all (or at most has adaptations for awkward traditions like Baptists and Catholics).

It also saddens me because the person being interviewed is evidently fulfilling a great and important mission and pastoral role yet a slant in reporting appropraites this for some other goal (or so it feels to me)

So, at 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning, a short rant!