france was great (when the Boy finally arrived - i'm in charge of passports and tickets from now on!).

coming back sucked. heyho, we can't be on holiday all the time.

we had our first homegroup last night - we've taken over from Dave and Nadene Collins and it felt a little odd. at the start i had to remind myself that they weren't about to turn up!

i nearly had a heart attack half way through though, as our neighbour came to the door. our neighbours are extremely sensitive to noise, and we try hard to accomodate them, but i have been a little worried that we'd upset them (even though we'd not even sung!). thankfully it was something else entirely, as i really didn't fancy the hassle on our first night.

and now to the thing i've been thinking about:

d-day, i guess alot of people are at the moment. one of the things that i find 'food for thought' is that ww2 feels like it was almost as close to a 'just war' as you could find. yes both sides did stuff wrong - the allies committed war crimes too, but the purpose for which our fathers and grandfathers fought, and the spirit in which much of it was done is not something i recognise particularly in today's society.

for example read this:

King George VI and Winston Churchill:

The great crusade sets forth. The King and the Prime Minister call for a renewal of the fight against evil and for a world founded on goodness and honour.

THE KING:
Four years ago, our Nation and Empire stood alone against an overwhelming enemy, with our backs to the wall. Tested as never before in our history, in God’s providence we survived that test; the spirit of the people, resolute, dedicated, burned like a bright flame, lit surely from those unseen fires which nothing can quench.

Now once more a supreme test has to be faced. This time, the challenge is not to fight to survive but to fight to win the final victory for the good cause. Once again what is demanded from us all is something more than courage and endurance; we need a revival of spirit, a new unconquerable resolve. After nearly five years of toil and suffering, we must renew that crusading impulse on which we entered the war and met its darkest hour. We and our Allies are sure that our fight is against evil and for a world in which goodness and honour may be the foundation of the life of men in every land.

That we may be worthily matched with this new summons of destiny, I desire solemnly to call my people to prayer and dedication. We are not unmindful of our own shortcomings, past and present. We shall ask not that God may do our will, but that we may be enabled to do the will of God: and we dare to believe that God has used our Nation and Empire as an instrument for fulfilling his high purpose.

I hope that throughout the present crisis of the liberation of Europe there may be offered up earnest, continuous and widespread prayer. We who remain in this land can most effectively enter into the sufferings of subjugated Europe by prayer, whereby we can fortify the determination of our sailors, soldiers and airmen who go forth to set the captives free.

The Queen joins with me in sending you this message. She well understands the anxieties and cares of our womenfolk at this time and she knows that many of them will find, as she does herself, fresh strength and comfort in such waiting upon God. She feels that many women will be glad in this way to keep vigil with their menfolk as they man the ships, storm the beaches and fill the skies.

At this historic moment surely not one of us is too busy, too young or too old to play a part in a nationwide, perchance a worldwide, vigil of prayer as the great crusade sets forth. If from every place of worship, from home and factory, from men and women of all ages and many races and occupations, our intercessions rise, then, please God, both now and in a future not remote, the predictions of an ancient Psalm may be fulfilled: “The Lord will give strength unto his people: the Lord will give his people the blessing of peace.”

Its from The Times, and its the statement king george vi gave to the nation. yeah there is lots of things about empire etc - king george doesn't deny that our nation did wrong things, but catch the paragraph where he says:

We shall ask not that God may do our will, but that we may be enabled to do the will of God: and we dare to believe that God has used our Nation and Empire as an instrument for fulfilling his high purpose.

politicians and statesmen today all too often try to manipulate religion and faith, our faith. here was a moment when, yes, propaganda was used, but there is something much more going on.

in the same way the whole 'womenfolk' bit is sexist by todays standards, but the message behind it can't be faulted. of course so much of this is from hindsight - we know what went on under the nazi regime.

perhaps its integrity, i don't know. we may find in 50 years that with hindsight the current troubles look rather different; - that people have taken the moral highground with reason, on whatever side. and many of the people the king was addressing were 'christian' in name only, no real faith. but still, reading it gives me the spine tingling feeling i get when God does stuff; when the kingdom of God breaks through.
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