Sunday Triumphs

Jack's latest Gymnastics competition was yesterday. We were in MK all day at a wonderful sports facility. The gym arena was twice the size of any we've been to so far. There was a lot of waiting around as usual. It is bad of me to admit I find all except Jack's actual performances pretty boring? Jamie and I stood right at the back at one point making up dances to the music for all the floor routines. There was a Bond tune which nearly landed Jamie up in hospital for his back and some Turkishs music which meade me realise that I could belly-dance! Who knew? Then we caught Jack looking at us sternly so we sat back down.

He did really well on this vault and floor exercises, and got a silver medal. When I finally figure out how to post pictures here I will put one up of him with his medal!

Something that shocked me was how few parents were there. There were about 45 kids taking part in this county-wide comp. and only about 12 sets of parents. I can't believe that rest were all at church! (We missed church that morning in order to support him.) I felt so sorry for all the kids whose parents couldn't be bothered to support them.

Back home, a quick lunch and Grace went off to her small group from church. It is being led by one of the young missionaries based at our church from the US. The small group programme they've established is very good and Grace is getting a lot out of it.

Then we went off to church in Oxford. We go to two churches. We are members of a small baptist fellowship in the small town we live in. We go there in the morning. We often work there. Jamie leads worship about twice a month and Grace and I sing in the music group and alternate that with helping in creche. Jack has started helping the sound-system set-up. It's hard work serving at that church and it's a strange little fellowship. The people are not very friendly and there's a lot of...amateurishness? and not particularly good teaching. But God has called us to stay there and serve it and I guess He knows what He's doing.

But in the evening we go to one of the big evangelical anglican churches in the city of Oxford. The congregation is mostly made up of Oxford academics and their families, students at Wycliffe Hall (evangelical theological college) and young professionals. the place is packed to the rafters at every one of their 4 Sunday services and we go to the informal, contemporary service in the evening. We are usually so tired by the time we get there, but Oh my goodness! what an oasis it is! Great music, terrific, intelligent teaching and a warm, welcoming atmosphere. We really wish it was our main church but we live too far away to be able to really throw ourselves into life there. The kids are better off at the local church at the moment.

We came home and set off some fireworks in the back garden to celebrate the foiling of a plot to blow up Parliament. Well, it was November the 5th!

Remember, remember The Fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and Plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!