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Good morning. The announcement by former President Jimmy Carter of his diagnosis of cancer included the commitment that he would be rearranging his schedule as necessary so that he could undergo treatment. It was characteristic of a man in his nineties whose life continues to be full of courage, honesty and action for others. Just a few days ago I visited the Carter Center in Atlanta, where his Presidential Library is much more than a monument - it has been his base for over 30 years pursuing human rights, mediating conflict, monitoring elections and taking initiatives in world health. Since his time in office he has been one of the most active figures in American public life. There is in fact an argument that he has had more influence as a former President than as President even taking into account that during that time he brokered the Camp David accord between Israel and Egypt, further opened up relations with China and began the first serious consideration of future energy policy. In his recent book A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety he recounts some of the motives for his life of service and leadership. As a child his teacher Miss Julia Coleman would say, 'You must accommodate changing times but cling to unchanging principles', a quote which he used during his presidential inauguration. More profoundly, after an unsuccessful campaign to become Governor of Georgia in the sixties, he took time away from politics to learn from defeat and reassess his life. During this time he was impressed with the gentleness but effectiveness in transforming people's lives of a Cuban-American Baptist pastor Eloy Cruz. Cruz shared that he tried to follow a simple rule 'You only have to have two loves in your life: for God and for the person in front of you at any particular time'. As President Carter accommodates to the changing times of major illness, he will no doubt cling to these unchanging principles. While in the US, I found his long life of humble service quite a contrast to some of the brash excesses that I saw during last week's Presidential candidates' debate. It also gives encouragement that even the deep scars and hostility highlighted by Ferguson Missouri can be healed. Now back in the UK, with a few more years before my nineties I am challenged by what it really means to live a full life. Indeed it is in service of the other rather than self-accomplishment that Jesus promises that he will bring life in all its fullness.