My Poor Brain

Our brains are crazily complex and insanely powerful - and it has really weird ways of working. I think my brain is an elitist snob that decides on it's own which facts and memories are deemed worthy enough to grace a hallowed memory slot. Unfortunately, I'm yet to be on friendly enough terms with my brain to guarantee that something you tell me - a date, a meeting, a joke, a story - will be granted one of these slots.

For example, on holiday Louise and I had spent the day by the hotel pool before heading back to the room to get ready for dinner. The next day we did exactly the same thing only when we went to leave I couldn't find our camera. We turned the room upside down and inside out and I was convinced that some scumbag thieving cleaner had nicked it - I even complained to the hotel manager! An hour later I found it inside the shoe I had carried it back from the pool in. Brain why wouldn't you remember that?? Why can't you remember where I left my wallet instead of my defunct BT calling card number from when I was 11?? (144536067377184).

Billions have been spent on trying to make computers do what a brain can do in a fraction of a second - but better than a computer it can imagine and create new thoughts without the need of any pre-programmed input... which is why I want to learn how to tame it. I want to be able to drive my thoughts and train my brain to think clearly and positively so it's power is unleashed for good. In Matthew chapter 5 Jesus understood this already, he said before you've even done anything wrong if your brain has imagined it then you're already there.

Train the brain.

An Ageing Perspective

Technically I'm just one day older today than I was yesterday. In fact, just 12 hours ago I was quite happily carrying on through life as a 26 year old. So why does this feel so different!?

Somewhere in the incredible complicity of my human brain something made me wake up this morning and think "right, 27, that's waaaay different to the 26 you've been used to." Or maybe that seven hours sleep I had was what I needed to up a level of maturity, or the thought that 'late twenties' suddenly changes some of your outlooks.

The last time I had this feeling was when I turned 20. It scared the poo out of me to think I was entering my twenties knowing that this was the decade that many important things happen in... weddings, careers families etc. But now at the grand old age of 27 I sit with a measured assurance that I'm doing ok - great wife, cracking new job and a God looking out for me. So what if I feel a touch older than I did yesterday, I like the big two-seven anyways...

All our worldly possessions

"All my worldly possessions" is a pretty general saying that covers any time we're referring to a load of our stuff. But in this picture you can literally see ALL our worldly possessions!

26.9 years of stuff we have bought, been given and collected all loaded into the back of a lorry within the space of about three hours. The best bit is I didn't think anything of it - we sat and watched three guys load everything we own into their lorry, then watched them drive away into the sunset with just a piece of headed notepaper and an empty flat to show for it.

Everyone has stuff they are thinking about. Everyone has things that are constantly going on in the back of their head as a bit of a worry list, things that there's no immediate answer for or stuff on the horizon coming their way. Maybe just me but hey. One cracking thing about being a Christian is that the relationship I have with God means I can share the burden of my worry list with Him. Makes me think, if I can leave all my worldly possessions in the hands of strangers, then I can trust God with my worry list.