On Sunday we will be using Hebrews 11 as a way in to thinking about the Bible as a 'holy, human story' with good, bad and ugly all seen in the lives of so many of the 'heroes' recorded therein.

This morning I received news that a faithful saint is at the close of her life, with probably only days left.  She is someone I got to know in Leicestershire and her birthday is the day after mine (she's almost exactly fifty years older than me).  Her long held dream of attending the 2012 Olympics will remain just that as her strength fades and she is drawn gently into eternity.  It is a sad moment, yet joy remains.

This practical, earthy saint with feet firmly on the ground will never be recalled as the stalwart of the Bible class or the prayer meeting.  She never taught Sunday school or served as a deacon.  She was one of the ranks of wives, mothers and grandmothers who simply got on with life against the tough background of a mining community with a gritty tenacity few now have need of.  I recall her telling me a couple of years ago, when she was quite ill, that she was 'ready either way' - to live was good, to die was fine.  I recall posting on those words because they were so profound.  Faith was not a big fuss and kerfuffle, it was just part of life.

Now that the door into eternity is ajar waiting for her to slip through into the safe embrace of God's love, I pray that she will remain assured that all is well and all will be well.  Well done good and faithful friend - go now to your eternal rest.

As one of the more plethoric bloggers and peddlars of twaddle, it tends to be noticed when I am silent and not obviously away somewhere.  Such was the case yesterday when, with nothing to say and limited energy to say it anyway, I opted not to post.  So many thanks to those who checked 'off blog' to make sure I was OK; I am fine and today detect my energy levels rising once more after Friday's street-legal drug-fest.  No doubt in a day or two I'll be back to waffling as much as ever.

Hoax emails and spam are one of the biggest nuisances of the internet age, and some of them are positively dangerous, praying on vulnerable or suggestible people.  There are good websites such as hoaxslayer where you can check out the most common and most pernicious but you do need to be on your guard all the time.  Yesterday I was sent a warning by a friend about a hoax email purporting to be from [sic] John Hopkins Medicine (it is Johns Hopkins)and telling people, it seems, to eschew conventional cancer treatment in favour of weird diets and the right attitude.  Now of course diet and attitude matter - but they aren't gpoing to magic away the sick cells, so such advice is dangerous indeed.

Part of what saddens me is that people have nothing better to do with their time and talents than cause alarm and distress to vulnerable people, to undermine a system that has so much potential for good, to fill email inboxes with garbage or worse.  So to hoaxers and spammers out there - spare a thought for your victims for whom these issues just might be real and your mis-information harmful.

Today is 10/10/10 and people are getting into all manner of tizzes (however that is spelled) about it.  I preferred the jocular approach of Radio 2's early show which I was listening to between 5:00 and 6:00 a.m. this morning finding ten-uous links for songs that could be linked to the theme.  Someone emailed in to point out that 101010 is binary for 42, so a link with the Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy where 42 is the answer to 'life the universe and everything.'

Moving on my own thoughts, I recalled (I think) that in this series of stories the earth was controlled by the white mice... which moved me onto thinking about lab rats and animal testing in all its controversy.  So here's the thing - the drugs that will treat my cancer were orignally tested in mice - so today I want to say 'thank you' to the mice (and other animals) whose lives were sacrificed for my benefit and that of people like me.  Not all animal testing is justified, in my view, but simple answers to complex questions are rarely good answers but on this day of 10.10.10 or 42 or whatever it really is I am glad that people are willing to wrestle with their consciences in ascertaining a midlde course that benefits so many people.

Of course today the Micah Challenge campaign to encourage Chrisitans worldwide to campaign for the fulfilment of the Millenuium Development Goals to be honoured takes place.  Against a background of global economic 'crisis' such commitments are easily compromsied or curtailed.  it is good to reminded of them and to consider our own attitudes and actions.

Maybe 10.10.10 could help us better consider 42... life, the universe and everything

At Camp Hope (Camp Esperanza) people wait for the moment when their loved ones are rescued.  In the meantime they hope and they pray.  Pray.  The news reporters show us people hugging and dancing as the news of the drilling break through comes through... and as they hug and dance they thank God; we even hear of prayer meetings held on the camp site.  How often do we see people praying unbashedly?  How often is prayer reported in the news?

However these people understand their faith - and they may do so very differently from me as a western protestant noncomformist - they are a witness to the world of faith steadfast inadversity.

Lord, grant them strength for this day and hope for those ahead.

After two long months the resuce tunnel should break through today.  Once checked and possibly lined for strength, evacuation will begin in an order determined by perceived health and strength.

How must those men, and their families, be feeling?  Hope and anticipation mixed with apprehension and terror.

Will rescue be successful?  Or even at this late hour what might go wrong?  As each man is lifted out and fewer remain, how will it feel to be next, to be waiting patiently or impatiently?  How will the last one feel?

And once they are out and their eyes blink despite the special goggles; as the media circus descends upon them; as they and their loved ones discover who they have all been changed by this, how then will it feel?

May God's peace and love surround them in these hours and days and beyond once we've all forgotten them once more.