No Mess

Last week I decided to redecorate my bathroom which included reviving the grouting between the tiles in the shower. I went to Wickes and was shown to the correct section by a young man who stood dutifully beside me while I squinted to read the tiny printing on each of the grout refreshing products. I don't think he's stood beside many people who read that much small print that slowly for that long. He shuffled from one foot to the other and said nothing. I eventually chose an anti-mould, easy application. no mess tube.
It didn't do exactly what it said on the tube. The applicator was quite clever, it was like one of those shoe polish applicators with a sponge on the end of the tube. Shoe polish applicators never claim to be "no mess," as the manufacturers must have realised that most people will squeeze the tube so hard the black liquid wax will squirt out of the little hole with alacrity, avoiding both the little hard sponge and the shoe and landing on your clothing and the local floor. Not enough people have yet complained about the no mess grout revive. One tube will revive all but two lines of grout which will mean you need to buy a second tube to complete the task.
Psalm 119 verse 50 talks about God's promise reviving us and comforting us in our troubles. A modern version of the Bible renders it thus: "When I am hurting, I find comfort in your promise that leads to life."
I wish I could tell you God's promise to you was a no mess promise but it wasn't. God wants you to have comfort in your hurts and he wants you to have life, in order to achieve that, his son Jesus was crucified and it was messy. However, Jesus carried the mess and came alive again so that you can be revived and alive and when you're squeezed you won't fall apart.

Ink saving mode

I entered next year's calendar dates on a website with a customiseable template and chose "ink saving mode" to print the twelve pages. It worked marvelously well. I didn't use any ink at all. Alas the twelve blank pages were less than helpful when planning my events in 2015.
I recently went out to breakfast with my husband at a local restaurant. The advert said, "Unlimited breakfast £4.99" The waiter asked me how many mushrooms I would like. I said "Loads."  His response... "I can do you three." Since when was three, unlimited?  Last week I saw a five year old dragging his feet when his father clearly wanted to hurry home, The dad shouted, "I 'an't gorrall day," the boy responded "I 'ave."   So I surmise that we have different perceptions about how we measure things like, ink, mushrooms and time. I've found something else that's difficult to measure and I discover I'm not alone. The Apostle Paul  wrote to people in Ephesus about the love of Jesus and although he gave vague dimensions he concluded that it's too great to fully understand. Nevertheless his prayer for people was this "May Christ make his home in your hearts as you trust in Him. May your roots grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, how wide, how long, how high, how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to fully understand." That is also my prayer for everyone who reads this.

Puzzling questions

Why do historians on Radio 4 always use the present tense? Why are scientists amazed when a chimpanzee figures out that moss is more absorbent than leaves and tells his mates? Why did a man called Zeb Sykes present an item on donkeys breeding with zebras? Why do we need paint that is so black that when you paint a room with it you get totally lost when you go in? Why does the shipping forecast still hold such fascination? Why are my feet always cold? Why does the phone stop just as you get to it? What is a side dish with 13 letters, possibly beginning with G? Why is it that when you drop a mug you don't like it bounces and doesn't even chip, but when you drop a mug you really like it smashes into smithereens. Why can you only have smithereens and not one smithereen?  Why can't you have one sud?
Life is so full of questions. Some weeks, life seems to be more puzzling than others.
If you have answers to any of the above questions please feel free to message me on the comment section of the blog. Thank you.