Faith

I'm feeling the wind of patriotic fervour whisping through my hair as I type today.

Not only is it Saint George's Day - and like a good Yorkshireman I'm still proud to be Yorkshire, and English; but, we've just joined in the service for Her Majesty The Queen as part of her 80th birthday celebrations.

We may give the outward signs of being a part of a society which is destined to go to hell in a hand-cart; but, somewhere deep inside of me, I can't help believing that some of those who we live and work with, are looking for that extra dimension in their lives - something spiritual.

Why would so many tick the Christianity box on the last census if this wasn't so? I can't accept they just did it, without any thought.

Maybe it was done because of the example of some of our elders, like Her Majesty The Queen.

Through all the changing scenes of life, the rough, the smooth, the highs the lows; the disappointments and the successes, the one constant she has given us as a country
is leadership which has been rooted in a strong and very personal Christian faith.

Even members of her own family have failed her, but she has displayed qualities which mark her out as somebody different.

It is right she should be called Our Sovereign Lady because of the sacrificial service and dedication to duty she's demonstrated for so long.

It is a struggle to look for role models when it comes to leadership. We've learned not to expect it from politicians for instance, because of the dirty business which that has become; even the church is so wrapped up in itself and its petty disputes in many instances to offer the moral leadership our country so badly needs.

Thank God for our Queen - someone we can respect; surely one of the great gifts we could give on this Saint George's Day is to join her in doing our bit to make our country a bit more Christian?