Our National Trust subscription will run out at the end of the year and we have decided not to renew it as we usually don't go often enough to make it worthwhile. The nice effect of this ultimatum is that we are now trying to make an effort to see some of the beautiful houses and gardens before December.
Yesterday we decided to go to Greys Court near Henley. When we arrived we had a feeling of deja vu and - yes! - we have been there before (oh the glory of a bad memory)!
It was nearly exactly a year ago together with Christoph's sister Annette and her husband Ulf. However, we discovered a lot of new things yesterday and the weather was stunning - a real mini-holiday for the soul...
Here's a short video with some of the photos we took:

(Durham Cathedral, one of our favourites)

Today we have decided to embark on a new quest: all of Englad's cathedrals within the next two years or so. Of the 42 cathedrals, Edda and Christoph have only seen 14 (Christoph has seen a few more on his own). That's only a third. Of the remaining 28, 19 could be done as a day trip on a day off. Three we had to look up on a map because we didn't have a clue where they were: Ely, Ripon, Lichfield. Would you have found them?
Trivia: While attendance at Church of England services is still declining overall, cathedral congregations (together with urban evangelical (often black majority) churches) are bucking the trend.

Wednesday night we were at the Philo Trust's evening with Matt and Beth Redman. Great to hear their story, how God redeems our past and also to listen to some of the new songs from Matt's new album. So this morning during breakfast Edda and I listened to the album on Spotify Free.
We love the album. Fresh, passionate, many songs that I imagine will be very singable in church.
And then, after every second or third song there is a commercial break.
One is for a new exclusive night club in London.
Others are for various retail therapies promising to spice up your life.
Another one from the police, warning you not to flash your latest iPod around while you are out and about.
And then back to intimate or exuberant praise of our amazing God.
First I was pretty annoyed at the interruptions.
But then I thought that this actually represents our life as Christ followers quite accurately: We always live in this tension of worship and "world". Worship can never just be a way to shut out the reality of a broken world, to medicate our painful Monday to Saturday existence. Surely it needs to infuse all we do and speak into the dark places. Of course this happens every time someone is fired up by a time of joint worship and then goes out to be a witness to a God who cares. Sometimes it happens when a non-Christian encounters vibrant worship and is overwhelmed by the presence of God (one of the members of our church who also came to the Redmans interview this Wednesday had exactly this experience some years ago at a Matt Redman concert!).We've got to make sure that our worship "leaves the building" and use our best thinking, praying and creativity to find new ways for this. Any ideas welcome!
By the way, I've just ordered the new Matt Redman album, so I can listen to it and worship along without the commercial breaks ;)