www.gatheringgrace.org

Partnerships made in heaven

I love this 39 second clip. Nokia and Microsoft in a strategic partnership.

 

Do you notice the way Elop and Ballmer both obscure the other's company names in the corporate backgrounds?

I'd love to be interviewed in one of those glossy magazines...

- hi, how are you?
- cold, other than that ok thank you.

- what are you drinking?
- nothing at the moment. I've had  a couple of teas this afternoon, and that's my limit.

- we haven't heard from you for a while. What have you been up to?
- well, there's a lot on here at the moment, and I've not had much time to think.

- great, what sort of thing are you working on at the moment?
- well, unsurprisingly, I have quite a few Carol Services to finish.

- any other projects in the pipeline?
- there's a sticky toffee pudding in the bread machine and I've been reading a book about Greco-Roman culture in Asia Minor in the first Century. I am also working on an extended Facebook comments thing in which I hope to include a quote from every John Lennon song I can remember.

- and long term, what can we expect in 2011?
- as a friend of mine used to say "if things don't change they'll stay as they are".

- cool, what's on the iPod?
- quite a bit of Kraftwerk and Toy Story 3.

- Howard Jameson, blogger and all round good guy, thanks for your time.
- pleasure. 

It rarely gets better than this...

So I took a couple of seconds breather from the BBQ as I cooked 100 hot dogs and decided to capture the flavour of the Fete with a quick 360 degree video. Listen very carefully and you'll hear a lady walk into a classic "Dad joke".

These moments are so rare. Treasure them while you can.

What might make me have NOT become a Christian?

I love stories of my Mum's Church. Sometimes I think there is only her in the congregation and everybody else is on the stage in the leadership team. She was telling us of her Church's Passover meal, and the lady doing the catering wasn't sure if everybody would like lamb so she offered a chicken-based option...

I don't think I could have become a Christian if Jesus had been the Chicken of God, sacrificed for us.

A 3D Invisibility Cloak!!??!!

Yup, you read it right. The BBC has an article.

Although I believe many of my colleagues already have robes made out of this stuff.

That day-time TV Baptism visit scenario

You've been there, I'm sure, trying to make some sort of sense to a mum and newborn whilst Jeremy Kyle rabbits on in the background...

So I'm considering buying one of these.

Click.

Geographical problems

One of the villages I look after is called Turleigh. I needed to find a house and thought I'd use Google Maps, but I wasn't prepared for such geographical precision...

 

YES, Turleigh near Europe
 

Church and cricket: a story that made me smile

We covered a bit of cricket in this morning's sermon and a lovely anecdote was relayed at the door which I thought I'd share...

A group of officers were going a bit stir crazy on a Yorkshire army camp (I imagine just after the War) so got a side together to challenge local teams to a game of cricket.

On one such occasion they were met by a rather dour Yorkshire Umpire who informed them...

If you hit t'Churchyard wall its four. If it goes over t'Churchyard wall its a six. If it 'its t'Church windows run like bugger

They don't make them like that anymore.

Christmas notices

(Inspired by the frequent pre-match reports in football I am daring myself to publish the following notice in the lead up to Christmas)

Concern is mounting over the availability from the Ministry Team for the traditional Christmas Home Derby. The injury list is causing some concern with the Vicar (took a funeral and so came into contact with a deceased person and so is ritually unclean) and NSM (doubt) probably out until the New Year. We will have to field a much younger and inexperienced side, therefore Christmas Communion will be taken by Sunday School.

This could well be worth going over to Rome for!

Have been browsing Tomtom's turn-by-turn prat nav options for the iPhone. The one for WEstern Europe lists coverage as being...

Andorra
Austria
Belgium
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Gibraltar
United Kingdom
Ireland
Italy
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Monaco
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
San Marino
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Vatican City State (Holy See)

The Vatican City??!!??

Is it worth 'going over to Rome' to see what anybody would need need a sat nav for in the Vatican? (unless Dan Brown has something to tell us in his next offering).

Google maps shows some streets here...

View Larger Map

but if you click on the satellite view they seem to be mostly paths around the gardens.