Hi all

Hope everyone is doing well. I thought I would update everyone on how Cliff was going.

It has been totally different from the year before, but still enabled me to grow far beyond my expectations, I can see everyday how God is working in my life. a couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to Newham, London. Newham is the most culturally diverse place in Britain, Europe and some argue the world and is thought of by many of the locals as the world on one street. That was definitely the impression I got so it was great to have our urban mission lectures there. So many of my preconceptions were challenged there and I learned so much more about people, religion and culture than I thought possible to do in a week. I set foot in places where many would not deem appropriate as a Christian but met people there who have brought new perspectives to me.

One experience in particular that challenged me was going in to the bookies, which in itself is alien ground to me. we went in to understand more about places which so often we as Christians are ignorant about and expect others to agree with our perceptions of things. while in there I met a man and we asked him about betting, how to place a bet, what would be best to place a bet on, we obviously didn't have a clue and he could see that. He said something that will stay with me for a long time. "Don't place a bet, you've already won" he said. It struck me how much this 'hobby' can take people, how it can own people. I realise how throughout that experience, even though I had a pound in my hand I could not place that bet. It wasn't about the money, after all it was a pound, I lose pounds out of my pocket and think little of it. But to place that bet was inaccessible to me and I had no idea why.

I looked at my experience of gambling and remember my Grandad putting a couple of quid on the horses on a saturday and me sitting with him watching them on his TV. I saw that it was for him a passtime and very little harm ever came out of it (at least at this time). Yet I also remember my parents stance on gambling, never even taking part in raffles, they just gave the money to whichever cause it was in aid of.

For me gambling has often been a grey area, like alcohol too much of it can be bad yet if it is only done once in a while, then what is the harm in it. But what about that man who was in the bookies who thought we have already won by not starting. As more and more adverts for bingo and online poker etc are coming up on our screens, where should we stand on it, especially in view of 1 Corinthians 8, a dominant piece of scripture for us that week.

Its something that all people need to think about and especially how the Church should respond to this.