This was found on Fark.com. Google map instructions for getting from Chicago to London. Be sure to check out step 20 (how to get across the ocean):

Chicago to London, Google maps

Recently I've been amazed by the book of Hosea. It describes a principle of God's dealings that I've known to be true in my own life but never seen in the Bible so clearly.

Hosea was a prophet called to speak to God's rebellious people, Israel. Though God had brought them out of Egypt, established them in their land, and won victory after victory on their behalf, Israel constantly forsook him to worship other gods.

Today, I received word that Citizenship and Immigration Canada has approved my application for permanent resident status.

The next step is to send them my passport, which they will return with the visa. After that, I have a time limit (usually 4-6 months) in which to enter Canada.

I have to admit my first reaction was not joyful excitement. It was weeping.

Why?

Today, I was thinking about prodigal sons and older brothers.

Everybody in the world falls into one of those two categories, in terms of their life and their relationship to God. (If you don't get this, see the story Jesus told: Luke 15:11-32).

Purely out of a felt need to post something, I am going to moan about the trials of being a vegetarian.

For some reason, people are inordinately intrigued when they find out that you are a vegetarian. Few other facts about my life elicit so many questions as that seemingly mundane piece of information. I could probably tell them that I'm a descendant of the French royal line and the direct heir to the throne and they wouldn't be nearly as interested.

I'm probably a little late to the game, but I watched Little Miss Sunshine over the weekend and it's one of the best films I've seen in some time. Beautiful, charming, dark, funny, and gorgeously filmed, it's well-worth a watch.

I've been thinking of writing about forgiveness for some time, but TR's comment on yesterday's post about the man in our church arrested for sexual assault gave me the push I needed:

"I must admit that when it comes to sex offenders, I can not muster up much forgiveness. There are always exceptions, but studies show if you've done it more than once, you'll keep doing it.

I think of a Lyle Lovett song about a woman who cheated on him, desiring forgiveness -

God does, but I don't.
God will, but I won't,
And that's the difference between God & me."

That probably sums up most people's feelings on forgiveness, especially of serious, unrepented-of offences.

It's been an interesting week. On Tuesday, we found out that a man who'd been coming to our church, who was part of my homegroup, was arrested on charges of sexual assault. A minor girl approached him to buy alcohol for her, he took her back to his apartment, pulled a knife on her and attempted to molest her. Apparently he was a registered sex offender in the state he'd moved from, and failed to notify police when he came here. He'd appeared to be putting his life together, to be genuinely seeking God, to have accepted Christ.

In the small town where I grew up, race relations were not at their best. Black and white people tended to live their lives separately, go to different churches, stay in distinct social groups, and, usually, marry or shack up with the same skin colour. Of course people worked and shopped together; but there was underlying tension and prejudice and long-standing hatred, suppressed or otherwise, on both sides.

One of our favorite pastimes as children was cycling. My brothers and I spent long summer afternoons exploring back roads that opened up ever-expanding vistas of orchards, woods, streams, and fields. When you’re young and restless and love nature, it’s a wonderful way to pass time.

One of our favourite routes led in a five-mile circle back home, through varied splendors of swamp and wood. We went this way when we wanted the predictability it offered of time and direction.