attitude!

There was a piece on the local news tonight about how a coach company had fitted breathalyzer equipment to its coaches which drivers had to use before departing. If alcohol was detected on their breath, the bus is immobilized and they cannot drive. It was an interesting concept and one which the drivers themselves seemed generally in favour of . The presenter then decided to prove the hole in the system by washing his mouth out with an alcohol based mouthwash and scoring a reading equivalent to being eight times over the legal limit to drive.
I wondered why he did it - it seemed out of character with the rest of the piece - which was generally positive. But it also made me remember that how we present things and making sure our actions are in line with the words which we claim bring life, really are.
There is that rather un-English word, enthusiasm. Can the Church really be expected to be enthusiastic - well yes we can because the message we are giving seems to demand something more than a nodding assent. Life and love and hope are all great big concepts - but too often we look at the small negative points - too often we seem to prove, by the way we present the Gospel, the point of those who would deride us and make liars of us.