"About an hour ago," writes 24-7 UK Base Leader, Phil Togwell, "I dropped my daughter, Poppy, off at her school - it's just around the corner to Highbury & Islington tube station (from which I, and my fellow London-travellers were evacuated yesterday morning just after 9am, at the time completely oblivious to what was happening one stop down the tube line at Kings Cross).

Standing at the bus stop, I was a bit surprised to see a tv-crew filming the bus-stop-queue, and the oncoming bus. Until, that is, I noticed the number - 30 - the same as the one bombed near Tavistock Square yesterday. As it drew close, I was even more surprised to see *another* tv-crew *on* the bus itself, dangling from the hand-grips, trying to interview bemused passengers. News, news, news, I wondered to myself... we seem to be addicted to the tiniest little morsel? I opted to get on the number 43 behind.

As I travelled down to the City of London Boiler Room, 5 minutes from Liverpool Street station, that strange little encounter got me thinking. It reminded me of the ITV News last night. Trevor MacDonald introduced a little vox pop item - one of their 'roving reporters' was out on the streets at 6pm, catching commuters who were trying as best they could to get home.

"Hello, so-and-so from ITV here, what a miserable day, eh?"
"Well no, I wouldn't say 'miserable'. It's been tragic, desperately sad though."

"Hello, ITV here, how long has it been since you left work?"
"About 2 hours. I've been walking for about 2 hours so far."
"That sounds miserable?"
"No, not miserable really. You just do the best you can don't you."

"Hi there, ITV here, I bet you're feeling pretty miserable trying to get home now?"
"Miserable? Me? There are a lot of people far worse off than I am."

Cut to the studio, and Trevor MacDonald was seated opposite a media-type, an 'expert' in terrorism. As images of the day's events scrolled behind them, MacDonald followed up the same line of 'miserable' questioning. The media-man, on the other hand, tried valiantly to talk some sense amongst the non-sense - "we must try not to overreact at times like this... the emergency services have handled the situation extremely well... we, the media, must try not to inflame an already tragic situation with our behaviour..." Astonishingly, as he spoke, the images behind him inexplicably switched to grainy black-and-white footage of the London-Blitz - buildings on fire, buildings collapsing. After 30 seconds or so, MacDonald finally mentioned them, to which the media-man immediately responded, "and this is a good example - today was *nothing* like the Blitz. Your vox pop just showed that people are coping, they're finding ways to make the best of a terrible situation. They don't need us encouraging them to be miserable."

I wonder sometimes if we've become addicted to (miserable) news, like news-junkies, needing a 'bigger hit' each time to satisfy our appetite? Maybe? Maybe not? But here's an appeal to us all, myself included - let's pray. Be informed, yes of course. But let's do something with our 'information' - let's pray. Pray for peace... pray for wisdom and good leadership... pray for skill and expertise to be in the right place at the right time... pray for compassion and kindness... pray for healing for those injured, and hope for those feeling hopeless, having lost loved ones... pray for Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to do what no human being can possibly do amongst the grief and anger... and let's pray for ourselves too.

And one final thing that's bugging me already. Yesterday's bombs are not 'God's judgement', they weren't a *sign* of 'God's anger', or anything of the sort. What London *doesn't* need are uncompassionate 'words'. What London (and the world) needs are more Christians like those from the Salvation Army near Kings Cross yesterday - offering tea and coffee and blankets to those that needed them, space to sit and be quiet, prayer for the hurting, a shoulder to cry on, compassion... kindness... love... just like Jesus."