British beer and British friends

We're now back from our UK Christmas break. Was great to back in the Motherland (as we christened it!) and very reassuring that our two fears weren't realised. Before we went we worried that we'd react in one of two bad ways:
1. That we'd realise the UK is lovely and wouldn't want to return to NZ.
2. That we'd realise that the UK is horrible and wouldn't want to ever return to the UK.
Thankfully, neither emotion swept over us. Somewhat obviously really, as we're both 'middle-of-the-road' kind of people and not usually swaying too far one way or the other on most things. But I guess that in our adaptability we have a different (smaller) problem - there are many many things that we love about being here in NZ, and there are many many things that we love about the UK. The problem is that those things aren't the same for the UK and NZ.
What am I saying? That we were pleased to be home in the UK, and that it's equally nice to be home in NZ - we've now got two homes.

Top of the list of 'lovely-things-we-like-about-the-UK' are real ale (well, Mothy at least, and even Liz a bit), friends & family that fit like a glove thanks to years of relationship, and the UK church.

Real ale - brewed as down the centuries (no fizzy tasteless artificially-preserved lager thank you very much!) - is just wonderful, especially the IPAs. I really enjoy real ale, and it was wonderful to sample a pint in many places. Thanks to so many who indulged me during our UK jaunt. Looking forward to next time! Beer is an interesting subject - not only in the merits of ale over lager but in terms of disagreements in the wider Christian community. Two guys I respect have recently put both the 'drink to the glory of God' and 'abstain for the glory of God' arguments. Mark Driscoll, from Seattle in the USA is for, according to his Reformission book (thanks for the Christmas present Grandpa & Nan!); Paul Windsor of Carey college here in NZ is against, according to his excellent blog (www.carey.ac.nz/pauls_blog). For a host of reasons I'd have to side with Driscoll on this one. Maybe I'll blog later on why, and how to interpret that in a NZ student context, which is certainly very different from the USA and the UK (try telling some Christian students in NZ that many Christian students in the UK go to the pub every week and be amazed at the reactions - I guess from Driscoll's book the same reactions would be encountered in the USA).

Friends and family fitting like a glove. Just great being with people who 'get' us and we 'get' them (at least some of the time). Thank you to all we spent time with - you've encouraged us far more than we you. Double thank you to those that bought me a pint of ale!!

The UK church. Just great to be with old friends and wonderful to see faces new to our home church in the last couple of years - either due to being born physically (so many babies!), being born spiritually or moving into the area. There seemed to be a real sense of purpose and wanting to serve God. In fact, the whole UK church we encountered was encouraging. Something for us to muse - did we like the experiences of church because we're British, or because the church is stronger in the UK, or both? Mmmm.........

A photo with which to leave you - me drinking some fine ale in the New Inn in Gloucester (which, being in the UK is obviously not 'New' but quite old - 1500 hundreds). Me, real ale, new jumper/jersey (thanks to in-laws). Great!