Today's object is the mobile phone, and the temptation to keep checking it... apparently the average person in the UK receives 22 calls a day (of which they answer 6) and checks their phone every six minutes.  Happily, I am not average!

Now, I may have missed the point, but I found myself disagreeing with the writer today.  Let me explain.

Referring to advertisements that were aired at the time the penalty for using a mobile phone whilst dirving was increased to a £200 fine and 6 points on a driving licence, he notes that they suggested putting the phone in the 'glove compartment' where it would not be such a temptation.  It is this 'avoidance' of temptation that questions... and I question his questioning!

His argument (as I understand it) runs roughly thus:

• temptation out of reach is not temptation (no chocolate in the house, you can't be tempted to eat it)
• Jesus chose to go to a place of temptation (the wilderness)
• therefore what we actually nned to do is learn how to handle temptation (don't text whilst driving) not have the possibility taken away from us.

The flaws, as I see it are:

• temptation is all around us (every shop is full of Easter treats!)
• Jesus told us to pray 'lead us not into tempation...' (Lords' Prayer)
• therefore what I feel the need to do is avoid temptations that have the potential to overwhelm me or others (partly why I keep the manse 'dry' as guests may be unsafe it otherwise) as well as learning how to be a sensible and responsible human being (who doesn't walk along wearing headphones and not looking where she's goping)

Tomorrow is the first in a series of seiivces looking at the theme of temptation - strange to say, I won't be iniviting anyone to out looking for temptation, rather be trying to see what we can learn from Jesus about how we repsond to it when it arises.

Oh, and by the way, I don't think Jeuss went to the wilderness seeking temptation - I think it came looking for him!

And a PS - I munched an entire 80g bag of quinoa crisps whilst typing this... some temptations aren't worth resisting!! ;-)