2023 Sunrises
December Sunrises
Happy Day-After-Christmas
It’s official!
Christmas Day came and went!
The rushing,
the planning,
the buying
….all over.
But the reason for Christmas hasn’t gone anywhere.
He’s still here.
He still cares,
loves,
guides,
rules.
That's good news.
‘…and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age’.
Jesus - 2000ish years ago.
Click on the link to hear this beautiful song
https://youtu.be/oqqjjT_XxUU?feature=shared
Oh Holy Night
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
After a very difficult and lonely year for so many, may you all know something of the presence of
‘Emmanuel - God With Us’
this Christmas time.
'The God Who Came Down’
Well!!
Christmas is nearly here!!!!
Are you excited?
Relieved?
Dreading it?
Tired?
Energised?
Do you expect lots of fun?
Madness?
Noise??
Mess??
Chaos??
Or are you expecting a quiet day??
A lonely day??
An empty day??
I was walking through Liverpool City Centre one day this week. I saw a homeless guy’s face light up as someone handed him a sleeping bag. As he turned to walk away, he bumped in to a lady carrying a lot of expensive bags. As he apologised, her words were choice, angry, cruel. How dare he bump into her gift bags?….he could’ve ruined Christmas!
Gregory Porter has a new song out. It’s a story of his childhood. Every Christmas time his mum would tell him and his seven brothers and sisters the story of Christmas all over again. And with grateful, thankful hearts they would cook feasts and then deliver them to those with nothing at all. On Christmas Day they would collect a favourite toy and some favourite clothes and take them to the children with no gifts at all. A beautiful story of gratitude and sacrifice and love.
Christmas, that time of year when you stress, get in to debt, compete with the neighbours, fight with family……
Or Christmas, that time of year when you remember all over again that Jesus was, and is, a gift given in love.
The God who came down.
‘The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father,
like Son,
Generous inside and out,
true from start to finish.’
My prayer this Christmas is that you have the most wonderful Christmas time, whether noisy, fun and messy, or quiet and fuss-free, or maybe something in between.
But whatever your day looks like, I pray that you remember the birth of that baby called Jesus, and say Thankyou.
Have a listen to Gregory Porters new song here…
https://youtu.be/XHIwCTLe_ns?feature=shared
Precious Promise
'The grass withers,
the flowers fade,
but the word of our God shall stand forever'
Isaiah 40:8
Everything in life changes.
Our looks,
our circumstances,
our memory,
our energy levels,
our likes and dislikes....
but God never changes.
His word never changes.
'Jesus is the same,
yesterday,
today and forever'
He loves us, and that will NEVER change.
NEVER.
That's the best kind of news.
Have a lovely day.
This beautiful song written and performed by Steven Curtis Chapman is about the gift of Jesus, come down to earth, because of His never ending love for us all.
https://youtu.be/iCMbkyX2F0o?feature=shared
O Come All Ye Unfaithful
Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Colossians 3:12-14
Every Christmas time we sing the popular carol,
‘O Come all Ye Faithful, joyful and triumphant....’
It’s a beautiful carol.
But there’s many people who don’t feel faithful, joyful or triumphant.
Are they still invited to
‘come and behold Him, born the king of angels’?
YES!!
Yes they are!!!
Jesus came for everybody.
No one left out.
No one not invited.
Jesus came because we need Him, not because we’ve got it all sorted.
May this very beautiful song bless you today.
Glorious Night
That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly an angel appeared among them, and the landscape shone bright with the glory of the Lord. They were badly frightened, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you the most joyful news ever announced, and it is for everyone! The Saviour—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born tonight in Bethlehem!
Luke 2:8-11
Oh What A Glorious Night
https://youtu.be/0WTgFKHiZN4?feature=shared
Rogue Trolley
Yesterday I braved the supermarket!
I hate food shopping at the best of times, but with the ‘festive busyness’ it’s even less fun.
People were bustling around, there was a sense of urgency in the air.
The ‘need’ to get to the sprouts, the parsnips, the Turkey…
No one was taking their time!
Get in!
Get out!
I collected my trolley and walked through the doors.
Moments later I discovered that I had a rogue trolley!
As I went one way it wanted to go the other!
It pulled me in directions I didn’t plan on going.
(I should be used to this with four daughters and two dogs!)
I kept tight hold and navigated through the fruit aisle!
So far, so good!
At one point I audibly congratulated myself on my ‘driving’ skills, much to the amusement of an elderly couple who assumed the roles of ‘supporters’ and cheered me on past the bananas!
All was well.
I began to relax.
‘I’ve got this trolley under control!’ I thought to myself.
As I smiled to myself turning the corner, the trolley gave one great big lunge and headed off towards the cucumbers!
Note to self, NEVER relax when you’re in charge of a rogue trolley.
I was only in the second aisle and already I sensed a rise in stress and blood pressure!
And then I heard it!
It wasn’t quiet at all.
Raucous in fact!
The elderly couple who had been so kind as to cheer me on just a moment earlier where now laughing so hard that I feared they would pass out.
They wandered over to me and despite all attempts to compose themselves, they couldn’t.
The laughter was infectious.
It doesn’t take much to make me giggle...and so we laughed, and we laughed!
After what seemed like several minutes, this wonderful couple found the breath to say thankyou to me.
‘Thankyou?
Why are you thanking me?’
They went on to tell me about the struggles they’ve had recently and their desire to see family who lived away.
They said they were struggling to find the good in their days, something to smile about.
Until now.
Our chat was brief, and beautiful.
They went on their way with their well behaved trolley, still chuckling and smiling and enjoying.
I spoke to my ‘teenage’ trolley sternly and then it dragged me off in another direction.
Life is really tough at the moment, for many.
Some suffering far more than others.
But laughter truly is an incredible medicine, even if it provides you with just a few moments of distraction!
Give me a wayward trolley and a shelf full of cucumbers any day if it helps somebody laugh.
The Bible says,
‘Happiness and laughter are great medicine’.
In these uncertain, difficult days, let’s keep trying to find little things, daft things, to laugh about.
We all need that good medicine.
How Beautiful
But you, friends, do not become tired of doing good.
2 Thessalonians 3:13
Church is a word often mistaken as being a building.
Church is the people.
The people coming together in love, unity, fellowship and devotion to God.
And when we are truly being church, we are not the only ones to be encouraged and supported and blessed, but others are too.
This song tells of how beautiful God is and how beautiful the church is when we focus on Him.
Look Inside
Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7
We live in a culture where appearance is of the utmost importance.
Young people in particular face huge pressures from social media and peers to ‘fit in’ or face rejection.
And it’s not just our hair and make up and clothes that are up for judgement,
but our homes,
cars,
type of mobile you hold in your hand,
and whether your tv is as big as the neighbours.
Keeping up with the Jones is exhausting and damaging and the rewards are short lived.
Christmas time can be so overtaken with buying
and buying
and buying
that the true meaning of Christmas gets lost.
Instead of a celebration of
‘Emmanuel, God With Us’,
it becomes a competition of who gets the most,
who spends the most,
who ‘does’ Christmas the best….
God shows no favouritism.
He’s not more impressed or interested in someone because of their outward appearance being more ‘put together’.
He’s interested in who we really are.
What we really think.
What our hearts are like.
May we all find comfort in this and may we all think twice before judging someone’s appearance.
This beautiful song speaks of where we find our true hope for the future.
Smile
The ways of right-living people glow with light
Proverbs 4:18
Right living doesn’t mean easy living.
Choosing to do right can often mean making a difficult choice, maybe a lonely one.
Let’s not stop doing what’s right even though it may mean difficult times.
Let’s encourage one another, and help each other ‘glow’ and smile....
even on the toughest days.
https://youtu.be/Z8SPwT3nQZ8?feature=shared
Kirk Franklin - I Smile (Video) - YouTube
9 to 5 or 24/7?
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31
As you’ll have noticed we are having a lot of music in December.
The song choice for today is a little unconventional maybe?
Dolly Parton grew up very poor in a large family.
But she had determination and she knew she wanted to be a musician.
Her faith in God is not hidden away but something she openly talks about.
One of her most famous songs is on the link just below!
A bit of a fun song about the daily trials of life.
Whatever we do in life, whatever job, whatever hobby....let’s do it all for the glory of God,
not just 9 to 5,
but 24/7.
Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/xQv3Lk1HESI?feature=shared
Dolly Parton 9 to 5 (Live 2019 Performance from 50 year anniversary) - YouTube
Hope Was Born
Suddenly a great army of heaven’s angels appeared with the angel, singing praises to God: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!”
Luke 2:13-14
I can’t even begin to imagine what the shepherds thought or felt when the angel appeared to them.
Shepherds were considered the ‘nobodies’ of society and yet God chose to share the news of a new baby, a new king, with them.
If you feel a little bit (or a lot) like a nobody, remember this....
God loves you,
God has given you gifts and skills,
you are here for a reason,
you are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’.
Yesterday was a very special day for us as church.
It was our first time meeting as church in our new church building.
It was a very beautiful and significant time.
I posted the following words some months ago when we first obtained the keys for our building.
However, just thinking about how God looked upon the shepherds and shared His great news first with them, it seems right to post these ‘Church Rules’ again….
It’s quite simple….
Wherever you are from,
whatever your past,
regardless of language,
ethnicity,
cultural background,
job status, (shepherds welcome)
educational background,
rich
or poor,
small
or tall,
long hair,
short hair,
no hair,
whatever your gifts,
whatever your family looks like
whatever you look like….
YOU ARE WELCOME!
And as you join with us, my prayer is that you don’t experience gossip,
judgement,
cruelty,
cliques,
irritability,
impatience,
frustration,
rejection,
negative words
or unfriendliness!
But that you do experience something of our awesome all-loving God.
May He transform us,
bless us,
challenge us
and guide us.
May our church be filled with imperfect people who love much,
forgive much,
and seek to be more like the God who loves and wants relationship with us all.
A HUGE Thankyou to all who have stuck with us over the last 15 years of
blood,
sweat
and tears,
fun,
laughter
and chaos,
and much joy,
much inclusion
and much love.
May we move forward on this next bit of the journey with that same
determination,
unity,
fun
and love.
‘…But the gospel doesn't need a coalition devoted to keeping the wrong people out. It needs a family of sinners, saved by grace, committed to tearing down the walls, throwing open the doors, and shouting, "Welcome! There's bread and wine. Come eat with us and talk." This isn't a kingdom for the worthy; it's a kingdom for the hungry….’
(- Rachel Held Evans)
This beautiful song tells that when Jesus was born, hope was born.
Have a wonderful day, filled with hope.
Christmas Lights
It seemed so easy, all we had to do was to go to B&Q and pick up some lights.
Simple.
Not true.
We started by looking at all the colour combinations and deciding on our favourite.
That was made slightly awkward because we had different favourites.
However, being a gentle and patient human, I changed my mind, so we agreed that the white and blue colour combination was the best.
See, it’s easy!
We had already measured where they would have to fit around the outside of the house, but all the boxes of lights indicated that the contents were too small, apart from one set which was four times too big.
So off to The Range, but they didn’t have our choice of colour.
Bother!
We will have to continue our search next week.
There’s not many Christmas lights where we are, so we thought we should make an effort to provide some light in our dim locality.
On the first Christmas night, God provided the best light of all, the little baby born into poverty was The Light of the World.
You won’t find that in B&Q!
In a modern version of a statement made by Jesus to His disciples, we hear Him say, “You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colours in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—SHINE!
Bringing illumination to a drab street in Liverpool at Christmas is a start, but that’s all it is. God’s people are meant to shine day and night, in all circumstances, however we feel, wherever we are.
Even in B&Q!
Watch the TV news programmes, and see how dark the world is.
Last week, with God’s help, we brought light to a building that has been lifeless and without light for years.
Let’s take The Light of the World out of our building and display Him to our community.
I Worship the King
Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the time when Herod was king. Soon afterward, some men who studied the stars came from the East to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the baby born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star when it came up in the east, and we have come to worship him.”
Matthew 2:1-2
Right from Jesus' arrival as a baby in Bethlehem, God was showing that this King came for ALL people.
He wasn’t born in a palace, His first visitors were shepherds, who, in society, were recognised as the lowest of the low.
And today we read about the wise men.
They probably travelled from somewhere that today is Iran or Iraq.
These men were not local.
They were clearly educated and had wealth.
But when they saw the unusual star in the sky, they knew it was important.
They knew that this King was different.
This King was the King of all shepherds, and the King of all wise men.
No exclusions, no prejudices.
Jesus, King of All.
This beautiful song is one that our gospel choir have been learning for Christmas.
Happy Thursday everybody.
I Will Follow Him
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.....and love your neighbour as you love yourself.
Mark 12:30-31
When we love someone it always requires a sacrifice of some sort.
Maybe giving up an expensive hobby to save up for a family car?
Maybe giving up your ‘free time’ to help your son or daughter with their homework?
Maybe being the one to graciously backdown and agree to go and see a soppy romantic comedy at the cinema when you really wanted to see the new spy thriller?
There’s always a sacrifice to make.
This tiny baby we remember at Christmas came to make the greatest of sacrifices for each one of us.
He grew up, and died for us.
That’s how much He loves us.
Jesus made it so simple,
‘love God, love your neighbour’.
Sister Act- I Will Follow Him - YouTube
https://youtu.be/VPpd-6X3tEo?feature=shared
Joseph
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths’.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Very little is known about Joseph in the Bible.
I imagine, that just like Mary, he would’ve had hopes and dreams for his future life with his soon-to-be bride.
One thing is for certain, he didn’t expect what was coming!
He could’ve walked away, but he chose to stay.
Joseph was certainly a man of faith!
Joseph’s Lullaby - MercyMe
https://youtu.be/NgcGmgrNuLM?feature=shared
The Gift
'Thank God for his Son—his Gift too wonderful for words.'
2 Corinthians 9:15
Quite a few years ago now, I was given a gift!
I carefully opened the paper to reveal a strange looking object.
I had absolutely no idea at all what it was!
I was lost for words....and it was all very awkward!
Paul who wrote the verse above had once hated Christians and made it his mission to kill them.
Then he met Jesus and changed.
His transformation was so incredible, so miraculous, words simply weren’t enough to describe how thankful he was.
I hope, when you get to open your presents you recognise what the gift is and can find great words to say.
And I pray that the real gift of Christmas will render you speechless, just like He did Paul.
The following piece of music has no words.
Speechless!
It is truly beautiful.
As you listen to it, maybe spend a moment being thankful for all the gifts you’ve been blessed with.
Yiruma, (이루마) - River Flows in You - YouTube
https://youtu.be/7maJOI3QMu0?feature=shared
Mary, Did You Know?
“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favour with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
Luke 1:30-31
Mary was just a young teenager when this happened to her. Such an incredible honour for her, and yet it led to her experiencing judgement, shunning and cruelty.
Let’s be mindful of how we view others.
May our thoughts, words and actions be kind and without malice.
We have no idea what people are experiencing.
Below is a link to the song, ‘Mary, Did You Know?’
A very beautiful performance by Mark Lowry who also wrote it.
https://youtu.be/z4GOg3ulX90?feature=shared
Lights On!
Well it is now December and the Christmas lights are appearing on houses and street lights.
It has been lovely to see that Melling has put the lights on the street lamps.
The style of lights can vary so much and there are many preferences over colours or white or warm white.
There are so many different characters and shapes, not just stars or angels.
Some people will go for a drive or walk around the area to look at the lights.
It does bring a smile and cheer people up when they see the lights.
You may remember over the last few years, more people decided to leave their Christmas trees and lights up because it cheered them up.
Electric lights on Christmas trees and houses have been around for over a hundred years. Originally, the decorations were candles.
The candles were introduced to Christmas to represent Jesus being the “light to the world”.
But the lights we see now have been turned into so much more.
There are reindeer, polar bears, penguins, let alone the Santa Claus and elves.
There are times when people’s view of Christianity and the church has grown above what was originally a simple message, like the candles have become great scenes of variety and colour.
The simple message of the bible is:
For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
When you look at the many Christmas lights, enjoy them and let them cheer you up.
Also remember, this is the time we remember and celebrate Jesus coming to this world because he loved us.
Look out for those lights which remind us that Jesus is the light for the world.
Who Would Imagine a King?
Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
James 1:17
Welcome to December!
Where has the year gone???
It feels like only yesterday since last Christmas!!
As we think about and prepare for this Christmas, let’s just take a moment to be still, and to be thankful for all that we have been blessed with.
The stars in the sky
The sun that rises and sets every day,
The trees, plants and animals that bring so much beauty and diversity to our world.
Our friends and family,
And for the greatest gift of all....’Who Would Imagine a King?’
Who Would Imagine A King - (From "The Preacher's Wife")
https://youtu.be/lLkvGADleuk?feature=shared
November Sunrises
Preparations
Well, whether we like it or not, the preparations for Christmas have started.
It’s the first of December tomorrow, the advent calendars are ready and lights are starting to appear in the windows.
Advent is an important time in the Christian Calendar.
Like Lent, it’s a time of preparing, a time of getting ready.
Now, I have to admit that I spend a lot of time in December ‘getting ready’.
It's definitely a busy time of year.
However, its not just the presents, decorations, and food that we should be getting ready for.
Advent is a time where we are called to get our hearts ready for the amazing gift of love that God gave us 2000 years ago, in his Son Jesus.
Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God!
Now I read this verse at this time of year and to be honest, I think ‘I haven’t got time to be still, there is still so much to be done’!
What I found out recently, is that this phrase ‘Be Still’ is the best English translation we have of the Hebrew word that was used in the original Old Testament.
The Jewish word that’s used here is rapha, which means “to be weak, to let go, to release.” Essentially, it means surrender.
In this verse, God asks us to take a moment to stop, and let God take your worries, your cares and your problems.
God is aware that we often feel overwhelmed, particularly in busy preparation times.
He also is right there with us, every step of the way if we let him.
So, a challenge for this advent.
Take a moment each day to stop, and surrender to God.
Let his love fill your heart, and give you peace.
A God That Cares
Yesterday we received the joyful news that we had been given permission to put a portaloo outside our church – the whoops of celebration and joy could be heard all over Melling!
Who knew we would get so excited about a toilet?
Who knew that a toilet would become the focus of so much concern or the topic for so many prayers?
It would be easy to think that a mere toilet is not important enough to bother God with, after all, you need only take a brief look around at the world’s events to realise that our toilet problems don’t even come close to the trials that so many people are facing.
A long time ago King David asked a similar question:
‘When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers – the moon and the stars you set in place – what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?’
Surely God is too busy dealing with the big stuff to worry about the little worries in our lives?
The fact is, when we think like that and hold back from taking everything to God in prayer all we are doing is limiting him.
Isn’t our God big enough to deal with the little stuff as well as the really important, life-changing stuff?
In the book of Philippians we read these words:
‘Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life.’
God wants us to bring everything to him and not try and decide first whether it is important enough.
So let’s look around us and hold those suffering because of ill-health, wars, famine or injustice in prayers, but let’s also bring our daily worries and stresses to him as well – he wants to hear them and he cares.
And let’s thank him for the provision of a toilet – it matters to us, it matters to him.
‘Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner’
I flew through the air with the greatest of ease! At least that’s what I tell myself.
This was a pre-Christmas afternoon out with just a few friends.
Afternoon tea!…with a band!!
Dignified.
Refined.
Elegant.
And then the music started.
The feet began to tap,
there was the occasional sway
and then we couldn’t help ourselves…we just had to dance!
There we were, strutting our stuff.
All that was missing were the white stilettos and the handbags!…maybe next time!
And then it started…the ‘oh so familiar’ tune,
‘Now Iiiiiiii’ve had the time of my liiiiiife….’
Before I knew it the owner of the restaurant, a very smiley and fun man stood in the middle of the dance floor and signalled to me to run to him for the all important lift!
Here it was, my, ‘nobody puts baby in the corner’ moment!
I wasn’t about to miss it!!
I ran, he picked me up, we spun round several times, he laughed, I laughed, everybody laughed….and thank goodness it happened so quickly no one got a video!!
THAT was fun!!!
And he didn’t drop me!
That was a bonus!
After two hours of good food, great music and wonderful company, we all went home having laughed and chatted and laughed some more.
A good time.
Looking back now, I smile and laugh thinking about our afternoon out.
And no doubt I will smile and laugh many times in the future when I think of it.
But this is not something that will keep me going during the hardest of times.
That event caused so much happiness, but my joy comes from God and God alone.
The Bible says,
‘The joy of the Lord is my strength’.
And so it is.
When I’ve been sick,
broken hearted,
desperate,
grief stricken,
sad and frustrated…
those times when I’ve not been happy, I’ve still known joy.
A joy that says,
‘God is in control’
‘I have a hope for the future’
‘I’m not alone for He is always with me’
‘He is my rock, my shelter, my rescuer’
‘Jesus is my all in all’
Start the music and I’ll be up dancing! I can’t help myself….isn’t that what feet are for???
But NOTHING compares to knowing the One who holds the future.
And just like that, I’m very happy to be back in the corner.
Secretary of the Year
Way back, in my past life in Texas, I found myself between jobs.
My friend was going home to visit her family in Fiji, and I was asked would I step in to her role for a couple of months.
She was PA to the charity’s Chaplain.
J, was a lovely guy, partly responsible for some major international decisions and having the broad responsibility for the welfare of all involved with the charity, near and far.
I, on the other hand, was a health teacher. A creative-minded, people person.
Not known for my administration skills!
But it was only for a couple of months!
What could go wrong?
Everything started off well!
I kept my head down.
Smiled at people.
Photocopied.
Answered the phone.
Chatted to people.
And chatted to people.
And chatted....I’ve got to confess, the job wasn’t really me.
I was getting bored by the end of about the 2nd day.
I found the spinney chair a bit of light relief!
Then one day, the phone rang, it was the CEO, he was in West Africa.
He wanted to talk to J.
‘Of course, I’ll just put you through!’
Click!
Oops!
Where’s he gone?
The phone rang again!
‘I’ll just put you though!’
Click!
Oops!
I went through to J, ‘there’s something wrong with these phones, Jack keeps cutting off....’ He rang again, ‘Jo, don’t try to put me through, just tell J that I’m calling him on the direct emergency line, but it’s not an emergency!’
The days went by.
I was bored!
One morning I decided, ‘Right I’m going to be proactive,’ so I went to work and before J got in to the office I had tidied, boiled the kettle, faxed, emailed, and shredded his, ‘To Shred’ pile.
I was on a roll!
When J arrived I was really pleased with my attempts at admin!
J came through to me. 'Er, Jo, do you know where my To Do pile has gone?’
‘No. I’ve not seen it. I only saw the pile to shred’.
As the words left my mouth, the realisation hit me!
‘Oh J, I’ve shredded your To Do pile!! I’m so sorry!!’
I was devastated! A mess!
‘Was it all very important stuff?’
I knew it was.
J hadn’t said anything. He just stood there. Probably out of shock!
And then he smiled at me, ‘Nothing important Jo, come on, I’ll take you out for lunch’.
Later that month he told me that they were taking me for a meal to celebrate Secretary’s Day.
I thought it was a bit odd but went along with it.
After the meal, a guy stood up and said that it was time to announce the new, ‘Secretary of the Year’.
There was great anticipation from the other guests present and a noticeable ‘holding of breath’.
I continued to eat my fruit salad.
Before I knew what was going on, I heard my name announced down the microphone.
The room erupted into cheers and claps as I was pushed to the front, completely bemused and with a piece of pineapple stuck in my throat, to receive a bouquet of flowers and a gift token, for a job well done!
J was leading the clapping.
He beamed at me.
But I shredded his To Do pile!!!
It was ALMOST the most undeserved title I’ve ever been given!
Second only to,
‘Loved by the King of Kings’.
We read in the Bible, Paul saying,
‘For I am convinced, that neither death nor life,
nor angels,
principalities nor powers,
nor things that are now,
nor things that are to come,
(nor bad admin skills)
can separate us from the love of God.’
I’m rubbish at admin but I was ‘Secretary of the Year 1997’.
I am imperfect.
Good at some things and not at others.
Maybe you question your role in work, in your family, life...maybe you feel like you aren’t much at all, just plodding through life, no one special!
You couldn’t be more wrong!
We share the title,
‘Loved by the King of Kings’.
I was very happy to hand my PA role back to my friend, and needless to say, it was the only year I won that title.
But ‘Loved by the King of Kings’ is a title I’ve held since before I was born, and no matter who we are, what we think, say or do, we’ll never lose it!
Anyone need me to shred anything?
What is Truth?
Many years ago, I was working with a firm who had provided a computer programme to a company for a product they were selling. All was well but then it was realised that the programme needed to do something extra. In order for this extra bit to work, the best way would have been to rewrite the programme. However, that would have taken a long time, and the customer might have been unhappy. So a temporary fix was devised and the customer was none the wiser.
The issue with the temporary fix was that over time it kept having to be fixed, until the whole programme no longer worked properly! There were many discussions about what to do and how to do it.
I sat listening and said to them, “Why don’t you just tell them?”
This customer was a long-standing customer and after some debate, they decided it was the only way to go. They had the difficult conversation to explain what had been happening.
After a moment of quiet, the customer just looked at them and said “Why didn’t you just tell us?”
Sometimes, when you are not entirely truthful, the web of stories grows and becomes more and more complex.
Jesus told a story about a farmer sowing seeds,
“Some seed fell on the stony ground. Not much earth covered the stones. The seed started to grow right away because it was not deep in the ground. When the sun began to shine, it was too hot for the new plants. They died because they had no roots. Some seed fell among the weeds. The weeds grew up and made the new plants die. But some seed fell on good ground. The seed grew and the plants gave more seed.”
When people hear about the truth of Jesus, sometimes the truth can be squashed out by other things.
Sometimes people don’t really want to hear the truth.
But for those who hear it and let it fully into their lives, it will grow and be fruitful.
Don’t let any “temporary fix” block out the truth in your life.
Clear out the weeds and let the good seed grow.
Chasing Time.
It's been a strange week.
I spent the first few days feeling quite under the weather so I've been trying to catch up with my days during the latter half of the week.
I hate chasing time.
It's the one thing that I feel we can never truly catch up with.
When we fall behind with things, whether that's due to illness, an overfilled schedule, or anything else, it's an intense battle to regain control of things again, and it never fully feels like we can.
I feel like most of us battle with time: making sure we don't miss a train, arriving on time for certain events, or even something as simple as making sure we're home in time for a TV show we've been looking forward to.
It can be tricky balancing life with time and making time for God can be even trickier.
Sometimes it feels like we can't connect with God unless we really make time to do so, but we can find time for God through the other things we do during our lives.
If we understand that everything around us is a gift from God, making time for him will feel natural as he will become a part of our routine.
For example: going food shopping and thanking God for providing us with the opportunity and resources to keep ourselves fed and healthy when so many others are not as fortunate.
Small things that we can connect to God help to keep our faith strong, even if we feel like time is running away from us.
‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’
- Matthew 6:33
How Long?
It was really exciting to see a new baby Rhino born in Chester Zoo this week.
This excitement was echoed around the world as the Eastern Black Rhino is Critically endangered, with only 600 of them left in the wild.
It didn’t happen overnight though.
For conservationists, this was the culmination of 24 years of dedicated work.
In 1999 a group of European zoos, along with the Kenyan government and Wildlife organisations started a dedicated work to protect and conserve the Eastern Black Rhino. The odds were stacked against them.
Decades of poaching had wiped out 95% of the Rhinos population.
Many feared the extinction of the species.
The project was three-fold.
Whilst the Kenyan government funded better wildlife protection, agencies on the ground raised the Rhino’s profile, and attitudes slowly changed.
In Europe, the Zoo’s collaborated using their breeding programme to start to build up the population.
In 2019, the safety of the wild Rhinos was so improved that Rhinos from Zoos could start to be relocated back to Africa.
And then in 2023, this beautiful new Rhino is born in Chester Zoo, who will one day, make their way back to Africa to continue this cycle.
I don’t know much about the whole process over the last 24 years, but I would imagine that not everything went smoothly.
There will have been setbacks and disappointments.
But they kept going.
When I read about the men and women in the Bible who told God’s story to the world, very rarely did things go smoothly for them either.
Despite their circumstances, God never left them and did amazing things through them.
Today, let's thank God for his gift of enabling us to keep going, even when things hoped for still seem a long way off.
Let’s also celebrate how far we have come already on our journey with God.
And if you are fed up with persevering, look at the pictures of the beautiful newborn Rhino, and how far that species has come, and be inspired.
Romans 5:3-5
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
Spring is Coming!
Yesterday, I spent a happy couple of hours in the winter sunshine planting bulbs.
When I had finished I stood back to admire my work but I have to say it was really rather disappointing.
I had planted a mixture of different daffodils, a whole array of different coloured tulips and some beautiful blue hyacinths but for all of the effort that had gone into the planting, the garden looked no different whatsoever.
Obviously, the bulbs need time and water and warmth but all being well, when we reach the spring those exciting first signs of shoots breaking through the ground will appear, they will grow taller until heads appear which will eventually burst open and bring the beautiful and happy colours that I’m hoping for.
I look forward to that day but for now I must be patient and wait while nature does its thing.
But it did make me think about how change can often start small; quite discrete, almost imperceptible but with the right nurturing those tiny changes can be encouraged to grow and grow until they become something really quite beautiful.
I once read a book which likened the Holy Spirit to the gardener of our soul – I like that thought.
That slowly and carefully God is encouraging the good in me to grow and blossom while methodically and with great patience and persistence He weeds out those not-so-desirable qualities that I have allowed to flourish.
In the same way I have to wait for those bulbs to be ready to grow and flourish, I also have to wait for God to complete his work in me.
In the book of 2 Corinthians we read these words:
“So if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”
But that may not happen overnight, in the book of Philippians we find these words:
“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
I’m a work in progress and, while I might be a bit impatient, I’m ok with that.
I’m not perfect but I know that God is continuing to work in my life, nurturing the little shoots of hope and patiently weeding out the rubbish until I am made new.
Our gardens might look a little bleak right now but let’s just remember that exciting things are happening out of sight, just as they are inside each of us when we allow God to work in our lives.
Let’s give thanks to God for the patient and attentive gardener that he is, and let’s look forward with anticipation for the results of his work in our lives.
How Beautiful
But you, friends, do not become tired of doing good.
2 Thessalonians 3:13
Church is a word often mistaken as being a building.
We are all getting excited as we edge that little bit closer to finally moving in to our new church building.
But it’s a church building.
Not a church.
Church is the people.
The people coming together in love, unity, fellowship and devotion to God.
And when we are truly being church, we are not the only ones to be encouraged and supported and blessed, but others are too.
The church is very much looking forward to the day we can throw open the doors of our building and say ‘Welcome!!’ to whoever comes our way.
This song tells of how beautiful God is and how beautiful the church is when we focus on Him.
Expectation
I thought I would be there and back in an hour one day this week. I didn’t have to go far, only one junction down the motorway. But there was an accident and suddenly I was in a six mile long, three lanes wide, traffic jam.
One evening I had to go to Burscough, I left in plenty of time and cruised down the road, clearly I would be early. Nobody told me about the five sets of temporary traffic lights on the way!
This week, two tradesmen from different companies had agreed days and times to meet me: I’m still waiting!
I expected it to rain on Saturday, so I knew that the job that needed to be done in the garden would have to wait for another week.
I was not happy, what a week, everything has gone wrong!
By mid-morning the sun was shining, I galloped out and spent three wonderful hours completing the project.
Suddenly, the week feels better.
I didn’t expect that.
We all make plans for our future, whether that’s one day away or twenty years.
We try to imagine what could disrupt our master plans so that we can avoid shocks along the way. However, we all know that we can’t guarantee that our plans will remain intact.
So we hope and pray that our ideas for future events will be safe.
In the Bible we read of the disciples, experienced fishermen, coming back one morning with an empty boat. Peter explained to Jesus, “We’ve fished all night and caught nothing.” The carpenter told the fishermen what to do, and they filled two boats.
They didn’t see that coming.
It was a good day after all.
A lady who had broken the law of the land, expected a violent death, but Jesus intervened, and she walked away, shocked that she was given her future back.
Our God didn’t just create the earth and the universe, He created time and is in total control of all events; we read, ‘When the right time came, God sent His Son into the world.’
Our times are in God’s hands, He knows about your tomorrow and all your remaining tomorrows.
David wrote, ‘You are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.’
Whether we are expecting good news or disappointing news, we are in God’s hands and He has plans for us, in this world and the next.
Paul reminds us that,
‘We are citizens of Heaven.’
Fair Penalty?
In lots of sports, there are decisions taken that we may want to question. It will often create lots of debate and discussion.
In football, they have VAR to help the referee try to make sure that decisions are fair.
In motor racing, they have a stewards panel to review things and make decisions.
In snooker, they have a referee and can also refer back to a video screen.
These sports will have decisions taken and if people are thought to have broken the rules, there will be a penalty.
In football it can actually be a penalty kick, in snooker points will be given to the opponent, in motor racing time will be added to their race making them slower.
Each time a referee in sport makes a decision, there is debate and discussion about whether or not it’s the right thing to do.
Sometimes the discussion adds to the enjoyment of the sport.
But sometimes, you look at it and just think, “that’s not fair”.
When we play games ourselves, do we play games according to the rules or do we play them to our benefit?
I remember a story about a young child playing games and getting upset when they lost. The parent, trying to explain about games, says that in games sometimes you win.
But then before being able to say that sometimes you lose, the child interrupted saying “ and sometimes you have to cheat”!!
In our lives, there are ways to live fairly and positively but then there are also some who are just in it to cheat and be selfish.
As Christians, our example of living is Jesus.
The Bible gives us lots of examples of how we should live.
It's not always easy to do, for example “love your enemy”, but then not everything is easy in life.
Our God had a way of life in his mind when he made us but gave us free choice as to how we live our lives.
But God also told us he would be with us and share everything that we went through.
We are told in the bible,
Do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
There are consequences to how we live our lives.
God gave us a way to live, He gave us an example.
Let’s thank God that he loved us so much to not only give us a choice but to give us a way back to Him and follow Jesus.
Friends.
Earlier this week, my friends and I played a game called, ‘We’re Not Really Strangers.’ Basically, the game provides an opportunity for people to get to know each other better. One person selects a card, and it will ask a question like, ‘If your life was a book, what would this chapter be called?’ and everybody thinks of their answer and shares it with the group. It was a very wholesome evening filled with laughter at silly answers and tears at emotional ones, and it really helped me to feel closer to the friends that I have made at university.
Meeting new people and learning about them is tough; people come in and out of our lives all the time and it is difficult to know who we can share our personal stories with or who we can count on when we feel low, but there is nothing we can do about it other than experience it.
And that is the most human thing we can do: experience this life that we have been given.
Through all the friends we make and break and people we find and lose, we grow into the people that we are now.
And the experiences yet to come will shape us further.
Despite all this, the one we know that we can always count on, who always listens, who is always there, is God.
God is with us in our most vulnerable moments, our happiest moments, our moments of doubt and worry and remains with us through everything.
God is the ultimate best friend.
God is the friend that never turns his back on us, even if we have moments where we turn away from him.
He is the friend that we all need; the friend that loves us for exactly who we are.
‘And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.’
1 John 4:16
Unexpected??
I recently discovered the story of a woman named Theresa Kachindamoto.
She was born in the Dedza region of Malawi, the youngest of 12 children.
As the youngest, she was never expected to amount to much, and had few responsibilities placed on her. When she requested to go to school, she was allowed, and when she got a job in another district, she was allowed to go, as there were so many of her siblings to carry on the family work in her district.
So she quietly moved away, got educated, married, had five children and worked in a school.
However, back in her home district, things were not going so well, and they wanted change. To her complete surprise, in 2003, she was elected chief of her tribe (whether she liked it or not).
She took the challenge, and moved back home.
She took the challenge because there was one thing she was passionate about changing. She wanted to abolish Child marriage in Malawi.
At that time, most girls were married before the age of 18, some as young as seven, and terrible abuses went on.
All of a sudden, she was in a position to do something about this.
So she did.
She worked with tribal leaders, went door to door, and worked with the government as well, so that 12 years later, marriage was outlawed under the age of 18.
Her work with individual tribes and people meant that the law was followed and customs changed.
By 2019, it was recognised that she had stopped at least 3500 child marriages.
Theresa consistently campaigned for girls to be in school and not married.
Theresa says, "Educate a girl and you educate the whole area ... You educate the world”
A girl who was not expected to amount to anything, changed the world.
In the Bible, there is a whole book about a girl Esther, who was unexpectedly put in a position where she could (and did) save God's people.
Theresa reminded me of her.
God continues to change the world for the better through unexpected people.
You may not think that you are doing anything particularly important today in the grand scheme of things, but never underestimate what God can do through you.
God has put you in this place, at this time for a reason, and if you are willing, he can and will do amazing things through you.
Go read the story of Theresa (hooray for Google) and Esther and be inspired today to do something unexpectedly amazing for God.
Esther 4:14
Who knows if perhaps you were put in your position for just such a time as this?”
Good Boy!
So our puppy training is going quite well.
At least it is going quite well when our puppy decides he isn’t too busy to listen or suddenly suffer from temporary deafness.
I have become that person that walks around with dog treats in their pocket on the off-chance that their dog might accidentally do something right so that I can reward him with a treat, a pat on the head and an encouraging “good boy!”
All in the hope that eventually I can influence his behaviour to such an extent that I can trust him to behave in what we consider to be a socially acceptable way – we’re not there yet!!
Every time we ask our dog to do something there is a look in his eyes that says he is deciding whether what we are asking of him is going to be worth his while and whether he can trust us.
Thankfully, with each passing day he seems to be learning that he can trust us even if he is still the world’s most stubborn dog!
Our home is filled with retorts of either “good boy!” or desperate shouts of “No!”
But in the same way that we are trying to train our puppy to know what behaviours are good, acceptable and safe, God wants us to learn from him.
He has given us the most amazing instruction book that shows us the best ways to live, not to restrict us or spoil our fun, but so that we can have full, safe and joy-filled lives.
In Proverbs we read:
“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honour God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over. But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline; don’t sulk under his loving correction. It’s the child he loves that God corrects; a father’s delight is behind all this.”
May we each decide to trust God’s guidance and discipline so that we can also glow with health and vibrate with life – I’m not particularly wanting to hear a “good boy!” or “good girl!” but I’d love to hear
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”
A Touch of the Master’s Hand
I first heard this beautiful poem when I was very young.
You may have heard it before, but it’s worth being reminded that every person, of every country, language, status, background….whoever they are, have amazing gifts and value. Gifts given by God, who looks at us and desires to walk with us each and every day.
We are worth so much to God that He considered us worth dying for.
Have a beautiful day knowing you are gifted and valued.
'Twas battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer thought it
hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin,
but he held it up with a smile.
"What am I bid, good people", he cried,
"Who starts the bidding for me?"
"One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?"
"Two dollars, who makes it three?"
"Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three,"
But, No,
From the room far back a gray bearded man
Came forward and picked up the bow,
Then wiping the dust from the old violin
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet
As sweet as the angel sings.
The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said "What now am I bid for this old violin?"
As he held it aloft with its' bow.
"One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?"
"Two thousand, Who makes it three?"
"Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going and gone", said he.
The audience cheered,
But some of them cried,
"We just don't understand."
"What changed its' worth?"
Swift came the reply.
"The Touch of the Masters Hand."
"And many a man with life out of tune
All battered and bruised with sin
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd
Much like that old violin
A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on.
He is going once, he is going twice,
He is going and almost gone.
But the Master comes,
And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the Touch of the Masters' Hand.
- Myra Brooks Welch
‘This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God’.
1 John 4: 9-10
Close to Home
Our minds and our prayers have been focussed on the appalling events, cruelty, and suffering in the Middle East during the last week.
Now that we’ve done that, what’s next?
Surely we have done enough for them, where in the world shall we go now?
Shall we visit North Korea or Afghanistan?
Maybe we could slow down for a while and pray for a little community on one of the South Pacific islands, I’m sure we can think of some prayer needs to remind God about.
And that would produce better images for our stressed-out minds than bombed hospitals and screaming children.
After all, don’t we need to look after ourselves as well as others?
Then we hear about teens killing teens, not in crazy Texas or out-of-control Myanmar, but amazingly in our own country, even our own city!
This is getting too close for comfort.
The society and culture that now surrounds us, is scary, and appears to be getting worse. There is nowhere in the world that does not need our prayers, it could be 12,000 miles away or 12 doors away!
Or closer!
We could organise 24/7 prayer teams, but we wouldn’t cover everything.
Possibly we need to do more than simply talking, even if our talking is in the form of prayers.
So, let’s DO something.
Our young people, (always causing trouble), have organised how we can help to make Christmas a little more bearable for families in our own city, who are having to choose between heating and eating, sometimes not even that!
With the help of NSPCC, we can provide gifts, not just for young people but for desperate parents, that may make the holiday season almost enjoyable.
Ask anyone in our Melling Baptist Community Hub for information, they will be delighted to explain.
Christians believe in a God who is loving and generous, and who will be happy to see us have a little less for Christmas as we give gifts to those who need them more than we do.
Ultimately, our Bibles tell us that for those who trust Him and follow His leading, God has the most wonderful plans for the future.
Listen!
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new.”
While we wait, let’s continue to pray, without geographical restriction, and demonstrate God’s love and generosity.
SPECIAL WEEK OF PRAYER FOR THE MIDDLE EAST
Prayer for Comfort and Peace
How do we pray in such a difficult situation?
We pray for God to be there and to influence the people who make human choices.
To lead them towards the heavenly choice, the loving choice, the compassion for all choice.
It is too easy to dress up our own decisions to seem like those of a religion.
But our God sees into the heart of all things and all people.
Our God loves everyone.
Our God is prepared to forgive everyone, no matter what they have done.
For peace and comfort, we pray asking God to be in the situation.
We cannot change things but God can.
When the new testament apostles were writing to other Christian communities, they would send greetings and begin with a bold statement of their faith in Jesus.
In the book of Galatians, we read,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Our God is love and he sent his only Son to allow us to be forgiven.
But we need to listen and respond, to hear and act, to have Jesus as the centre of our lives.
On this special Armistice Day, we remember those who gave their lives for our freedom.
We remember the conflicts, past and present.
We pray for everlasting peace.
Let us pray for the many people whose lives have been torn apart by conflict.
We remember especially those who have died, those who are grieving, the injured and those now without food, shelter or medical supplies.
We pray also for those who have the power to bring peace.
May they be touched by a spirit of compassion and kindness.
Lord hear us.
And The World Will Live As One.
My heart breaks everyday when I discover more information about the situation in the Middle East.
The lives of far too many men, women and children, with hopes and dreams and exciting plans for the future have been taken away or permanently altered before they were able to achieve them.
In times like these, it's not unusual to ask ourselves, why can't there just be peace?
Why can't humanity respect each other?
Why are the lives of innocent Palestinians and Israelis being used as bargaining chips in order for both sides to gain control over the other?
And the answers are never satisfactory. They never justify the taking of civilian lives, of children's lives, but it continues, and we watch. We watch with heavy hearts and eager prayers for it all to end, and for some form of peace to be restored.
With our prayers, we provide those caught in the conflict with hope.
Hope that one day, they will be able to wake up without fear, without destruction all around them, without wondering where their next meal will come from, and for the seemingly mundane happenings of daily life to become a part of their routine again.
Our prayers are powerful, and we must never forget that.
We can pray for peace, for love, for an end to the nightmare that the people of Israel and Palestine are facing, and we can rest assured that God is listening with more compassion and mercy than we could ever comprehend.
So even if prayers feel pointless, remain steadfast, for they provide hope to those in need and they call to God to provide peace to the innocent, both those who are still here and those who have been taken too soon.
'And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.'
Philippians 4:7.
'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.'
John 14:27
A Prayer for Israel and Gaza.
As we look in desperation at the conflict in Israel and Gaza at the moment, it almost seems impossible to know what to pray for, there is so much hurt and violence.
This morning, I want to take a moment to pray for three specific areas.
For those who are grieving:
Lord, we pray for all of those on both sides who have lost people they love in this conflict. Family, friends, colleagues. We lift them to you today. For those whose loved ones have been captured we pray for release, and for those who are now homeless, with possessions lost and nowhere to stay, we pray for them. Be with the aid agencies as they work to help and comfort these people.
Let them find your love in the most desperate of places.
For a De-escalation to the conflict:
Lord, we pray for a miraculous de-escalation of this dangerous conflict. Terrible things are being done, many thousands have died, hospitals are overflowing, and homes are being raised to the ground. Violence is provoking violence but we pray for reason to prevail over rage and revenge. May those with a vested interest in escalating this crisis somehow be restrained.
We pray for Mercy from both sides
For Peace:
Lord, we pray for active and effective peacemaking at an international political level. May the measured voices of diplomacy constrain violence on every side.
Please provide wisdom to find a way where there seems to be no way.
Matthew 5:7,9
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
A Hope and a Future
As we continue our week of prayer for the people of Israel and Gaza, can I invite you today to hold the children and young people of those communities in your prayers.
We hear in the news of the horrifying numbers of children that are being killed and injured and that is before we even take into account the emotional and psychological damage that is being caused by seeing their homes destroyed and loved ones lost.
Let us pray that they will be protected from further harm; that the things they have seen and the emotional toll of their experiences will somehow not haunt them forever.
Let us pray that they are granted passage to places of safety where they will find comfort and security.
Let us pray that their experiences don’t lead to more hatred but, instead, to a resolution to find peace; a determination to do better than the generation before them and a desire to bring light into the darkness that surrounds them.
Nelson Mandela once said, “there can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children”.
These children are being failed – this is not a part of God’s plan for them.
Let’s pray today that somehow, in the midst of this impossibly complex situation, the international community can find a way to give these children and young people the peace, the hope and the future that they deserve.
“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’”
Jeremiah 29:11
Way Maker
I found this video yesterday.
A group of talented Christian musicians, both Arab and Israeli.
Singing in their own languages.
Standing side by side.
Worshipping the same God.
I found it to be a powerful image.
As we continue with our prayers for the Middle East may this song (with subtitles!!) and these singers, remind us that one day,
“…at the name of Jesus EVERY knee shall bow, in Heaven and on Earth and under the Earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father”.
https://youtu.be/HhbtVCI67pw?feature=shared
Only Losers
I can still see them. And hear them. I wish I couldn't.
I see a little boy sobbing uncontrollably; I'm a photographer and I look at backgrounds, this one was full of totally wrecked high rise flats and frantic people, adults and children, running in all directions. He was screaming,
"We've done nothing wrong."
I watch as a man, devoid of all emotion, told the world,
"I've lost my four children and their mother."
A cameraman is running after another young boy who is yelling at everyone,
"I want my mother to be alive."
Which side of this hell-like conflict were these tragic individuals on?
It doesn't matter.
The people who find it possible to hand out barbaric and merciless treatment to fellow humans, are on both sides.
This battle will not end the hatred and the fear on either side, but it will almost certainly spread out, and other nations will join the party.
And they all will claim their trust in God.
Strangely, both sides look back to Abraham as their founder.
I wonder what he thinks of his two boys.
From the beginning of the Bible, the history of mankind is saturated with rejection of Gods' commands and desires, resulting in hatred and bloodshed.
Constantly, the Israelites turned to God for protection and victory, then when they got it, they walked away and behaved like the rest of humanity, who chose to worship false gods, created by godless men.
On Sunday mornings we are hearing about the Fruit of the Spirit which contains, love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith.
There is little sign of Gods Spirit in Gaza or Jerusalem.
Both sides claim faith in God, but they only trust in themselves, their weapons, and their allies.
They have rejected the two commandments that Jesus said were the most important..
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself."
Astonishingly, there are Christians on both sides of this bloodbath, Israelis' and Palestinians, whose commitment to the same God, and to each other, leads them to deplore the actions of their own leaders and the opposition leaders.
Their voices are drowned out by the deafening roar of hatred from fellow human beings.
Let's pray for those suffering on both sides, and because we are told to love our neighbours, lets force ourselves to pray for the perpetrators of these remorseless, pitiless, atrocities.
In this monstrous, obscene, God-rejecting conflict, there are no winners, only losers.
The Bible insists,
“The Lord is slow to get angry, but powerful; he will never let the guilty go unpunished".
Good morning everyone.
This week our Sunrises will be focusing on the conflict in the Middle East.
Over these coming days may we all take time out to pray for
peace,
for those families, both Israeli and Palestinian-experiencing trauma and grief,
for those being sent to fight,
for those who are blinded by hatred and revenge,
for the medical agencies desperately trying to help,
and to pray that we recognise that every life matters, regardless of nationality, religion, language, age, status.
The poet Steve Turner, wrote this true and heart rending poem in the 1980’s.
The father holding his dead child
In the smoking Beirut rubble
Loves his child with a love
Every bit as big as my love,
Even though he has no money,
Even though he has not read Shakespeare,
Even though he was not born in the West.
Every human life has value.
May we pray with compassion and empathy for them all.
Jesus said,
‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.’
Kids Questions
When you are bringing up young children you may recall when you were hanging onto every sound thinking how cute it was, eagerly encouraging them and mouthing out sounds to help them learn.
Then at some point, their curiosity also became vocal.
But why? When? How does that work? Are we there yet?
Often, in the most inappropriate time or about the most obscure thing.
Or sometimes, just repeating the same questions no matter how you try to answer it.
Then the teenage years hit and often they stop talking and are just grunting again. Desperate for a conversation, you try to ask open questions so you don’t just get a shrug or grunt or ‘dunno’.
It's funny how the same aspect of life can sometimes be one we want to encourage or then maybe discourage; or sometimes you are just grateful for whatever you get.
Imagine how God feels about us talking to him.
Sometimes we are great at it, other times we don’t say enough.
Or do you wonder if God ever thinks ‘please just stop asking’ !!??
He is far too gracious for that.
But we should always remember to keep talking to God.
Tell him how we are feeling, ask him about the things which trouble us and seek guidance from his words.
One advantage is that God actually knows us so well that even if we do just grunt at him, he knows what we mean!
We are reminded in the Bible in 1 Thessalonians 5,
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Keep talking to God and encourage others to talk to God.
Talk to each other about God.
Ask questions of each other and God.
Fill your mind with God and it will overflow from you to those around you.
Pigeons.
I have a fear of pigeons. They absolutely terrify me.
So much so that I have, on several occasions, diverted my route whilst walking through town to avoid as many pigeons as possible.
I blame a certain Alfred Hitchcock film for my fear. Even thinking about it still makes me shiver.
Avoidance is a natural response to things that we are afraid of, dislike, or don't want to do, but I feel like we can be controlled by our avoidant behaviours.
Take my pigeon example, changing my route might make me feel better temporarily, but it may also add unnecessary time to a journey and result in me arriving at my destination late.
Even if it's something that sounds so simple, like putting washing on a chair because we don't want to put it away yet, we often find excuses to avoid the things we don't like.
And this is okay, but when we let it build up, it can really take its toll on us.
This is why it's important to remember that there is nothing too trivial or silly for God to guide us through; he supports us with everything.
When we face big challenges, he is cheering us on, and when we face smaller challenges, he is still cheering us on with the same unwavering support.
Isaiah 41:10 is a Bible verse that many of us will be familiar with, reminding us of our loving God providing us with strength, but I feel that its importance and meaning never diminishes, so I will use it again here.
'So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.'
God is ready to help us all face challenges, big and small, and his love and support will always remain.
And that is truly amazing.
Just a Minute
‘Hang on’, ‘Be with you in a minute’, ‘Just coming’ and ‘Nearly ready’ are statements that I have used in the last day, never mind the last week!
They are not always words we want to hear though.
In our ever more instant society, the idea of waiting is becoming less and less acceptable.
You can now get same day delivery, as next day delivery was clearly not fast enough!
You can even (if you live in the right postcode) get an ice delivery on a one
hour order.
No more waiting for your ice cube tray to cool down in the freezer, you can have ready made ice delivered straight to your door within the hour at the touch of a button!
The problem is that as our society becomes more and more instantaneous, the idea of waiting becomes more and more stressful.
Waiting is hard.
I remember watching the Evan Almighty film, when Evan's wife was talking to God (actually it was Morgan Freeman) about patience.
She was asked, ‘if you want to have more patience, maybe you have been given an opportunity to be patient!’.
This is not something she wanted to hear, but it made me think.
I wonder if you are waiting for something today? A delivery, a phone call, an appointment, a workman, a moment when you actually have time to sit and have a cup of tea in peace?
Romans 12:1,2,&12
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him……. Be patient and keep going in hard times; pray all the harder.
Whatever we are waiting for, know that God is in it with you.
Give him your ordinary everyday frustrations, and let him walk with you through it all.
It may not make the wait any shorter, but the company is great.
Calling All Saints
Today is All Saints Day; it is traditionally a day that is set aside to celebrate the saints that have gone before us – so that begs the question, how many saints have you known in your lifetime?
Your first reaction might be to say that you have never met a saint personally, but think again.
I have known so many I can’t count them all, granted they don’t have a special day of the year named after them, but they have been saints all the same.
Some have known me all my life, watched over me, corrected me, guided me, taught me and shared great wisdom with me; others may have only been a part of my journey for a short time but nevertheless shared a kindness or an encouragement at a moment when I needed it most.
Some will never know the impact that they have had on my life and the decisions I have made because of their good example or inspiration.
Today is a day to remember all those that have gone before us and paved the way for us; those that have encouraged us and guided us; loved us and embraced us.
Today is a day to give thanks for the impact that God’s people have had on our own lives, however, it is also a day to think about how we might be the saint that someone else is needing right now.
Each one of us is called to be a saint, put quite simply, we are called to be followers of Jesus. When the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth he said he was writing to all those “called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours”.
Well today, I write to the saints of Melling and ask - how can we be better saints and better serve those around us?
Who might need a word of encouragement today?
Who can we bless with an act of kindness?
As God’s saints we don’t have to have a special day named after us, we simply need to be the light that shines on the lives of those around us, to show God’s love, compassion and kindness in all we do and for all we come into contact with.
“Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.”
October Sunrises
Friends
I have to confess I’ve never really watched Friends.
I certainly didn’t watch it first time round.
But
2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th….……time round I’ve watched the odd episode and become somewhat familiar with the characters.
When I listen to Friends fans talk about the characters, they speak with familiarity, like they actually know them personally.
All friends together!!
The news at the weekend of Matthew Perry‘s premature death shocked Friends fans across the world.
He was hailed as a comedy genius.
However, alongside
‘comedy genius’
were the other undesirable titles of
‘alcoholic’ and
‘drug addict’.
Perry was not silent about his almost lifelong struggle with alcohol, and then in later years with a whole concoction of different drugs.
I had heard little bits about his struggles, but I did not know the extent of them.
The battles were real.
What really stood out to me during the news reports of last weekend were the accounts of Matthew going above and beyond to help others with similar struggles.
He encouraged people, and supported people.
Apparently he was a great listener and made people feel heard.
He was practical and active in helping fellow alcoholics and drug addicts.
And his desire was to be remembered for being THAT person…
…not Chandler.
It would seem that Matthew was indeed a friend to many.
Rich or poor.
Struggling or not.
Young or old.
It begs the question,
How would each one of us want to be remembered?
For being rich?
Successful?
A comedy genius?
Super intelligent?
……none of these things are wrong in themselves, but there’s something far more important…
“So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.”
Whatever our struggles, may we all see the importance of being a friend.
WHO CARES?
We all know how it feels; we’ve all been there.
My diary was organised, logical, prepared for the next week, and the week after.
You must know how good it feels to be ready for everything; you’re in charge and your life is in your control.
Then it happens! Oh flip, I didn’t see that coming, and certainly not at one o’clock in the morning. But I’m a sensible man, things happen, I know that, and I can cope.
So, we take our first trip for years to A&E.
There must be more that one hundred people of all ages sitting down, some on the floor, or leaning against anything that will support them. Some of them are babies in Mum’s arms. Those arms are tired because they’ve been there for too long.
As we join the queue and wait for our turn, and look around, we are reminded of all those people who we don’t usually think too deeply about.
Consultants and nurses, cleaners and café staff, security and admin staff, all working twelve-hour shifts, night and day, because we need them.
Imagine if we turned up and found A&E closed!
Imagine if we were turned away because we lacked the funds.
We feel free to complain about so much in our nation, but everywhere we look, we see people who care.
We hear of dogs rescued from cruel owners because somebody cares.
We hear of children encouraged by volunteers who help them to read.
We read of other children who can’t cope with homework or friendships because they are caring for a grandparent.
There are amazing heroes who give up homes and safe jobs to risk their lives in parts of the world we have no intention of visiting.
And all of these people have their own problems, sadnesses, and needs.
If we bother to look, we can see a man on a cross.
His priorities were other people’s needs.
‘Jesus said to the disciple, “Look, here’s your mother!” From that time on, Mary lived with that disciple in his home.’
‘Jesus told the criminal on the cross, “I assure you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
‘When they came to the place called The Skull, they crucified Him…Jesus said, “Forgive them Father.”
We all have tough days, when we pray for ourselves, remember there are even bigger needs than ours.
Let’s add someone else to our prayers.
Perceptions
What is a bad joke?
A sense of humour can be variable, what some find funny others may find rude, they may find it silly or they may laugh out loud.
Some of the jokes that appear on Melling Whatsapp groups can be any of the above.
I am sure it is a tough choice for the group admin to decide whether to delete a message or not.
How people see us can also be very different.
A first impression might be great but is it the real person who you get to know over time?
Or is it the same person when you see them under stress?
We all have different ways that we behave, some of which we may be proud of and some of which maybe not so much.
God sees all sides of us, the good, the bad and the ugly.
But he also sees our hearts and what we really feel.
As part of our bible study, we have been looking at some of the well-known characters from the early part of the bible.
We may know the names and view them with reverent awe, but when you go into some of the details of their stories, they all had good and bad parts.
They messed up big style in some cases, but God knew their hearts.
God knew them and had a plan for them, even though they made some mistakes along the way.
No matter what we have been through or are going through, God knows who we really are. He loves us and forgives us when we mess up.
He still has a plan for us and will still be there for us.
He does not have a perception of who we are, He knows us.
King David was chosen in the bible by the prophet Samuel under God's guidance;
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
We may all see each other differently; we may look at life differently.
God sees us clearly and knows our innermost thoughts, fears and desires.
We should absolutely be ourselves and remember that God loves you no matter what.
Listen for His voice.
Dedication.
One of the traits I have inherited from my mum is my dedication to a theme.
It has become evident to me that I am very enthusiastic about themed events, particularly when it involves wearing a costume, and recently, I have dressed up as a car and as a cowboy for events at university.
I love it.
What has also become clear is that I am the only one who loves it.
There have been several occasions where I have attended a supposedly themed event and nobody else had embraced it.
But I'm quite fortunate that I don't feel embarrassed, and, instead, I celebrate the fact that I took the time to plan my outfit to match the theme.
I remember my mum staying awake until the early hours of the morning, making my costumes for parties and events at school because she wanted me to look the best, regardless of whether I was dressed as Willy Wonka, Paul McCartney or Florence Nightingale (these are all true).
I am pleased that the level of dedication to a theme is something that has been kept in my family, as it makes everything so interesting.
I think dedication is something that we could all benefit from, especially if we apply it to our faith. Remaining dedicated and focused on one thing, God.
He is the centre of everything we do, and it's easy to forget that, but he never forgets us. Despite those of us who may slip along away, losing our dedication, or those who don't establish a dedicated connection to God until later on in our lives, he never forgets us and remains dedicated to us.
And I think that we should return the favour.
'And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.' - Matthew 28:20.
'Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.' - Colossians 3:23-24
Puddles
I saw something on Saturday that really made me smile.
It was in Chester Zoo, the day after Storm Babet had hit the North West and there were a lot of puddles.
What I discovered is that giraffes really like puddles!
I watched them for quite a long time as the herd ran time and time again through the puddles, splashing through them, and then running round to splash all over again.
It really made me smile.
In a week where people in this country have been flooded out of their homes, and over 2000 children have been killed in Gaza and Israel, it's easy to be despondent.
The world has many troubles.
This week. in my small corner of the world, has not been without its frustrations and disappointments.
And yet…..
I still have a family, home, food and safety, I still tell amazing jokes and giraffes love jumping in puddles.
These things don’t make everything alright.
We should never pretend that the world is great when it isn’t, and we should never stop praying and working for a better world.
These things do however, remind me of my many blessings.
Philippians 4:8
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
So today, if you are having a day that is wonderful, give thanks that throughout everything God’s Love remains.
If you are having a day where you wish you had never got out of bed, remember that giraffes love splashing in puddles, and smile and be glad that throughout everything
God’s Love remains.
Our Imperfect Sunrise Writers
Some years ago, I met a lady who was very distressed and very upset over something in her life. I asked her if I could help in any way, but the reply I got shocked me…
“I can’t tell you what’s happened, or what I have done, because you’re a Christian.
You’ll be upset with me.
Aren’t Christians meant to be perfect?“
I was saddened that somewhere in her life she had learnt to think like that.
At some point, somebody had said something, somebody had done something, to cause her to believe that she wasn’t worthy of Christians love and support, and more importantly, that she couldn’t receive love and forgiveness and support from God.
I suggested that she let me tell her my story. Tell her who I really was.
All the messes I had made.
All the hurt, the pain, the stupidity.
I didn’t leave anything out.
That day her view of Christians changed.
And we sat for hours chatting and sharing about our imperfect messy lives, and learning something more about our
wonderful,
awesome,
perfect and
gracious God,
who continues to love us despite it all.
Most days of the year, a Sunrise is posted on our website.
Each day is assigned to a different writer.
And each writer writes words that come from their messy, tired, overworked, stressed, weary, complicated, imperfect lives.
When we read Sunrises about
forgiveness,
loneliness,
grace and love,
peace and hope,
our disappointment in the human race,
our delight in good news stories about the human race,
and our absolute awe and delight in an
all-powerful,
all-loving God,
can I suggest that we remember that the words come from people who’ve experienced all those things,
whose lives are far from perfect,
who ‘get it wrong’,
but choose to get up each morning choosing to trust once again in the One who never ‘gets it wrong’.
These incredible Sunrise writers that I get to share the week with, write from a place of humility,
imperfection and
love.
And that makes their words all the more true and precious.
Thankyou Sunrise writers.
You teach me a lot.
“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.”
Exploration.
I love exploring.
Whether it’s somewhere brand new to me, like Lancaster, or the city I have lived in my whole life, Liverpool, I just think that there is something so satisfying about having a wander into the unknown.
Even if it is just a small, seemingly insignificant thing, like trying a coffee from a different shop or taking a slightly different route to the train station, I enjoy finding new things and taking the time to find out something new about the places I go to.
Today, for example, I went exploring around Lancaster, on the hunt for a hairdresser.
It sounds like something small, but it was quite a challenge.
It felt like there were no hairdressers in the whole city.
Eventually, however, I found somewhere and booked my appointment for Monday morning.
Success!
I love the satisfaction of a ‘surprise find.’
When something unexpected pops up and makes your day, it makes your heart feel happy and a smile spreads across your face.
And that’s the power of exploring; you never know what you’ll find.
It’s just like Forest Gump says,
“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.”
Exploration does not have to be a solely physical thing.
Diving into a new book, watching a new television programme or trying a different coloured shirt can all be acts of exploration and it’s important that we don’t disregard these things, because they are significant.
They all have the power to impact the way we feel, think and act on a specific day.
A good way to connect exploration to our relationship with God is to embrace alternative interpretations of scripture.
If you read a passage and think that it means one thing, don’t be afraid to ask someone around you what they think about it.
It’s a perfect opportunity to start a healthy discussion whilst also furthering our knowledge and understanding of God.
You never know, somebody might just say something that opens your mind to another way of understanding things.
Or you might share something with someone that really changes their perspective.
And that is the power of exploration.
‘As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.’ – Proverbs 27:17.
Neighbours
Luke 10:30-37
Jesus said. “There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man. “A Samaritan (an enemy of the man) traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man’s condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I’ll pay you on my way back.’
Jesus then asked “What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbour to the man attacked by robbers?” “The one who treated him kindly,” was the response.
Jesus said, “Go and do the same.”
In our world where daily violence seems to worsen and divisions between people and nations seem to grow, we are called to be different.
With God's help we are called to love extravagantly, forgive easily and show kindness to all.
We may not all be family or friends, or even share the same culture as one another, but we are all called to be good neighbours.
In Charlie Mackesey’s book, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse, the Mole makes the following observation about kindness:
‘The tiniest act of kindness can save a life’
Jesus said, “Go and do the same.”
When the Lights Go Out
I spent last weekend helping out at a youth event.
Each year we take away a gang of 11-16 year olds to Shropshire for an activities weekend and somehow, about 15 years ago I found myself getting roped into helping in the kitchen and haven’t managed to escape since.
It is one of the most tiring weekends of the year but also great fun.
This year, just to add to the drama of it, there was a power outage on Saturday night.
It wasn’t just us (and we didn’t cause it!), it included a massive area but it just happened to be about 10 minutes after I’d put my sponges in the oven for Sunday lunch and the potato cakes for breakfast were being prepped.
Disaster!!
We did a bit of asking around just to be told that the power should hopefully be back on in the early hours of the morning.
There was literally nothing more we could do.
We were a little grumpy that we hadn’t managed to get everything done and a little stressed about what we would do if the power didn’t come back on but decided the only thing to do was to go to bed and get up early on Sunday morning to see what we could rescue.
So, slightly irritated, we stepped outside and that’s when we all went “Wow!”
As everything had been plunged into darkness, we looked up and the sky was filled with more stars than I think I have ever seen at one time.
It was a clear night and the stars covered the sky like thousands of tiny little pin-pricks in the darkness.
Not only was it stunning and made me stop in my tracks, but it also reminded me how small I am in this enormous universe and yet, God still sees little me.
Yesterday’s Sunrise reminded us of the importance of taking a break and a rest, well I will go one step further today and ask you to find the ‘wow’ in your day.
It’s all too easy to rush through the day being busy and productive and forget to stop and look for the ‘wow’ that God has put in this day – that little something that reminds you of God’s love; of his companionship or perhaps of the awesome power of our creator and friend.
Let’s try and make it a mission to pause each day and appreciate the ‘wow’, however small, that God has put in your day.
“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens…When I consider your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honour. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all the flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
My Day Off!
Tuesdays are now my official day off!
I’m quite excited about this.
Although I’m not sure how it’s going to go!!
I have homework to send to the choir, an assembly to sort, a looonnnggg list of calls to make, visits to make…..y’know….I have things to do!!
But!
Those things can all wait.
Nothing is SO important that it can’t wait.
And if there was something urgent, well, I’d drop whatever ‘day off’ thing that I’m doing, and do whatever I had to do.
It’s important to rest isn’t it.
Whatever rest looks like!
Joining a dance class.
Baking.
Watching old episodes of Colombo.
Binge-reading.
It’s important.
No one can or should ‘keep going’.
Jesus was very deliberate about getting time alone to pray to His Father, and getting time to spend eating with, and having ‘time out’ with His disciples.
Demands on Him were huge.
But He took time out.
He’s our perfect example.
We need to do likewise.
‘The apostles then met with Jesus and reported on all that they had done and taught. Jesus said, “Come off by yourselves; let’s take a break and get a little rest.” For there was constant coming and going. They didn’t even have time to eat.’
If you find yourself stuck on a hamster wheel and your life is
work,
work,
work,
or your brain is so overwhelmed with thoughts and busyness that you don’t get proper sleep,
or you just
go,
go,
go
and never
stop,
stop,
stop,
then something needs to change.
An old pastor was once asked why he looked so rested in the midst of both good and bad times.
He replied, ‘Well the Bible tells me that my Father God never sleeps nor slumbers, so I figured I could get rest, there was no point both of us staying awake’.
A funny reply with much truth and wisdom.
Oh to be that wise.
May we all learn a bit more about rest. Whether the physical kind, or the mental kind.
It’s important!
Hand your worries, concerns, fears and busyness to God and get some rest.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
Happy Happy Birthday Beautiful Choir
As the sun rose this morning at 7.40am I thanked God for our beautiful gospel choir.
On this Monday, 12 years ago,
our choir was born!
Happy
Happy
Birthday
beautiful choir!
It’s has been, and continues to be, an absolute privilege, and a whole lot of fun to meet with these amazing people every Monday night and sing our hearts out.
We have had times of great laughter
and times of shared sadness and grief.
We are family.
And for those last 12 years,
that’s 4383 days,
we’ve been blessed every single day with a new sunrise.
Doesn’t life pass quickly?!
I can’t believe all that’s happened in my life in these last 12 years!…like the saying goes, ‘blink and you’ll miss it’.
To be honest, there are parts of the last 12 years that I would thankfully have blinked and missed.
Those hard times that everybody gets where we can’t see an end to the struggles and worry and life is, well, just rough.
But with each new sunrise we get a new opportunity to make our day count.
We get a new opportunity to find the miracles in the day.
The American author, Eric Jerome Dickey, put it like this,
‘Every day, a million miracles begin at sunrise’.
From the miracle of the sunrise itself,
to new life entering the world,
to seeing trees and flowers ‘do their thing’,
to witnessing people conquer what was deemed impossible….
there are miracles everywhere…
if we choose to see them.
Miracles given to us by a loving, living, just, all-powerful God.
As we enter this new week, may each one of us, regardless of our circumstances, take a moment to watch, or think about, our daily sunrise.
Think of the daily miracle that it is, and that we’ve been given another day to make a difference, however small.
Another day to witness a miracle.
Happy birthday ‘lovely choir’.
12 years and still going strong.
12 years and a group of people who didn’t know each other, became a family.
I thank God for that miracle.
“From the rising of the sun, to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised” Psalm 113:3
How Are You Today?
We often ask each other this question and sometimes it leads to an interesting position. The person asking the question should really make sure they listen attentively to the answer. If not, then why did you ask the question in the first place?
Were you just trying to be polite with an opening question just so you could then say what you really wanted.
If you are being asked the question, how honest are you going to be in giving your answer. You may not want to go into any detail but you can be honest.
The best advice I heard was to answer “about the same as last week”.
Now does that mean you were in a good place last week and things are still good?
Or were you in a bad place last week and things are still not good?
But speaking honestly with each other about how we feel is good for us.
We don’t need to give all the nitty gritty details if we don’t want to, but we can say “do you know what, it's not been a great week”.
Being honest with each other also helps us to be honest with ourselves.
Sometimes, we do need to realise it's OK just to say that we are feeling a bit rubbish.
Hiding our feelings is not so easy with God.
He knows us better than we know ourselves.
And he just wants us to be honest with him.
Whether we are really happy about something or just fed up, be honest with God as he already knows anyway!
In the Bible, Psalm 139 reminds of this,
Lord, you have examined me. You know me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up. Even from far away, you comprehend my plans. You study my traveling and resting. You are thoroughly familiar with all my ways. There isn’t a word on my tongue, Lord, that you don’t already know completely. You surround me—front and back. You put your hand on me.
Be honest with yourself about how you feel, be honest with each other (just vary the details!)
But be honest with God. He is there with us even when we don’t realise it.
His peace and comfort are already there, we just need to reach out.
Joyful.
This week, my lectures at university officially started. I was so excited to start learning again because I just love being in an academic environment.
For me, there's just something about sitting in a room and focusing my brain on the subject I am studying that makes me feel so happy.
And it has been amazing.
Each day has passed so quickly, because I am absorbed in the world of English Language, Literature and Linguistics.
It's been so interesting to hear what combinations other people have chosen: some Psychology, Maths, Physics or Politics, among the many other options, but everyone has their own subject or area that inspires them. And that's super important. Whether it's a school subject, a hobby, a job or just an interest, it is vital that we dedicate time to things that we enjoy, because too much time is spent worrying about things that we might not enjoy.
In the Bible it says,
'Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do,'
Ecclesiastes 9:7.
And when we put this verse into the context of the rest of the chapter, it mentions the presence of evil in the world but, here, God wants us to find the things we enjoy because he has gifted them to us.
God wants us to take a break from the abundance of negativity and find what makes us joyful.
So if that's watching a sport, playing a sport, spending time with loved ones or, like me, sitting in a lecture theatre being told about language, God wants us to do these things.
He wants us to experience the happiness that they bring.
And that fills me with so much gratitude.
'Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!'
Philippians 4:4.
Sewing
I have recently been sewing some items for a gift. Whenever I am sewing, its important to me not only to look at the front or outside of whatever I am making, but also to look at the inside or reverse. The reason for this is that my grandmother, who taught me to sew, would check any sewing I did by first looking at the back of the piece.
In her words;
‘A good piece of sewing will look as beautiful from the back as it does from the front’.
I would wonder how all my knots and lines on the back could be beautiful, especially as at the time I reasoned that no one was going to look at the back, so it didn’t matter really.
Of course, I was to learn that if a garment is full of knots and catches at the back, it will not hold together well in the long term. It may look great at first, but over time it will come apart far more easily.
It made me think of how we all present ourselves to the world.
We may all present a ‘good side’, the ‘I am fine and coping well side’, and people may think that everything is fine.
However, what if people saw the reverse side of us. Would it look as beautiful and put together?
What about the knots and tears that we try to hide?
The Bible tells us that we can’t hide anything from God. He made us and he knows us, knots and tears and all.
Not only does He know us inside out, He loves us, and loves us and loves us some more.
Psalm 139: 13-16
You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you.
Today, know that God knows you and he loves you with all the knots and tears as well.
Walk with him, and let him weave the wonderful threads of your life into his amazing plan.
Setting the World Right
The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.
It is hard to listen to the news and not feel weighed down by the struggles and injustice that we hear about.
There are so many problems that fill our world and we sit at home and to a large extent feel helpless.
How do we even begin to fix our broken world?
Well, the simple answer is that we can’t, but I know someone who can.
We are simply stewards of this world and are meant to take care of it – we don’t own it or anything in it.
At the end of the day, everything will return to its rightful owner and creator – God.
We can argue over possessions, we can strive to achieve more and more but the truth is we can only hold onto things for a short while before God claims it all back.
And what will he say when he takes back the things we find so desperately important now?
Will he really value the fancy car or the big house?
Will he be impressed by our bank balance?
I don’t think so.
Whether we strive for a bigger house or whether we strive to rule a nation, at the end of the day we need to remind ourselves that it isn’t ever really ours, our world and everything and everyone in it belongs to God.
I think that brings some perspective.
Of course, when we realise that everything belongs to God, we need to think carefully about how we treat his world and his people.
Even that annoying person belongs to God and is cherished by him!
So, if there are any world rulers out there reading Sunrise today – please remember that ultimately you own nothing and you rule nothing, but you will be judged by how you treat God’s world and how you treat people.
Let’s at least set our little corner of the world right by treating everything and everyone with the respect due to the owner of all things.
But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.
MEMORIES
They looked great, all lined up above the fireplace, they made us feel quite proud, and certainly grateful.
I’m talking about birthday cards and anniversary cards. We had about twenty of them, surprisingly, all different.
When you receive cards like these, how long do you leave them on display for all your visitors to see?
Do you place them in a row on the front window ledge so that everyone passing your house can see them?
We probably never know how much time and trouble people went to in order to find the most appropriate card, which may have cost 10p or £3. 50.
And now for the big question; when you finally take them down, where do they go, into the bin, or a box where you keep others from previous years?
And, another question; how long do you keep them for?
We have recently moved house and in the process of emptying drawers, cupboards, and the storage room that we call the attic, we discovered literally 100’s, and then more 100’s, of cards going back 30 years, no, 40 years, no, 50 years.
Two things happened; we were flooded with beautiful memories, some of which made us cry, especially those made for us by our children when they were three years old, or those sent by people no longer with us.
The second thing that happened was the sense of guilt as we actually considered taking them to the tip, never to be seen again!
We also thought about dividing them into separate categories, ‘treasured’ cards, and ‘insignificant’ cards.
The result was to increase our sense of guilt. We are still thinking about this; If we keep them, they will stay in the attic and we will never look at them again, and our children will need to decide what to do with them.
We know what that means, but we will not feel guilty.
In Biblical times, people were encouraged or instructed to simply remember the important realities.
‘Remember the Lord who is great and awesome.’
‘Remember the wonders God has performed, His miracles, and the rulings He has given.’
‘Remember the things I have done in the past. I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me.’
‘Remember Jesus Christ, who was raised from death.’
Of course, we can always send cards to each other to express love and concern, but let’s get our priorities in order.
Walking Backwards
I remember a story about Bob Geldof talking about when he was a child and how he used to walk on hands and feet like a crab but looking backwards, because he wanted to see where he had been.
What a curious thought.
When we go about our daily lives are we really aware of where we are and who is around us?
Or are we so focused on where we want to get to that we don’t actually see it.
Other times, it can feel a bit like walking around in a fog, there are so many things going on and the pressure of life is building like a fog around us. It sometimes builds slowly so we don’t even realise that the fog is building.
The thing to remember is that God is right there with us.
Whatever is happening in your life, whether you think things are going along just nicely or maybe you feel there are some things getting to you.
Sometimes, you need God to blow away the fog to help you see clearly again.
God is there.
Whatever has brought you to this point, God can use it for good, he can comfort you, strengthen you, care for you or help you.
Because He loves you.
God knows that our lives may have struggles, we just need to let him know and let him into our lives.
There are many parts in the Bible which talk to us about real life and guide us in how we could live our lives if we choose.
In the book of Romans, it tells us this…
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
So take the chance to just sit, let God blow away the fog, appreciate the people and things around us, look back to see how he has been with you on your journey, thank him for being there and let him guide you through your day.
Spinning Plates.
This week has been my first week at university. It's been a change, to say the least.
Some days have been filled with activity and others, I've spent hours in the kitchen with my flatmates not really knowing what to do. But we've always figured something out.
And even after just a few days, campus already feels like home.
Sometimes, however, it seems like there's too much going on. There are so many societies that it makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop.
I want to join so many different clubs and groups, but I don't want them to get in the way of my studies, but I also don't want to isolate myself away from university life.
Striking a balance between academia and recreation is key.
I think that's a good way to think about everything in life.
Finding balance.
We don't want to give too much to something that it takes over everything, but we also don't want to only scratch the surface so that we feel disconnected.
Balance is key in our relationship with God because it allows us to feel fulfilled.
We can trust in Him to guide our path, whilst not feeling guilty about any stumble that we may make along the way, because we know that God provides us with strength to face the challenges in our lives.
I can do all this through him who gives me strength - Philippians 4:13.
There are times when we all struggle with balancing different aspects of our lives, and we may feel like we are spinning too many plates at once, but it is key to remember that God is with us on our journey and He will help us to pick up the things that we drop along the way.
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand - Isaiah 41:10.
Lead Kindly Light
Life has its ups and downs doesn’t it!
We may feel like we are in the middle of a big mess, or looking at the start of something we are not sure we can make it to the end. Life can often feel confusing and difficult, and it can also feel wonderful and exhilarating.
When we are in the middle of a mess, its difficult to imagine things getting any better. When we are feeling fab, we want these moments to last forever.
However we are feeling today, God is in it with us.
I have recently discovered an old hymn, written in 1833 by John Henry Newman. Its words express a simple trust in God that whatever is going on, He will lead us.
The first verse is below:
Lead, Kindly Light, amidst th'encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home,
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.
I have discovered that this hymn was sung in some very difficult circumstances.
When Corrie Ten Boom and her sister were prisoners in a concentration camp during the holocaust, they chose to sing this song.
It was sung on the Titanic, and then in the lifeboats of the Titanic.
Soldiers sang this in the trenches on the western front in the first world war.
Whatever joys or difficulties we are facing today, let the light of God surround us and lead us on, one step at a time.
Hebrews 12:1-2
And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.
The Living, Breathing Church
We have all been filled with excitement recently as we finally got the keys to our own building.
It isn’t perfect and there is work to be done, but I think we can all agree that we have been hugely blessed by being given this incredible opportunity.
Already, many people are caught up in discussions around how to make this building a safe place, a beautiful place, a place where we choose to spend our time.
These discussions are important and we need the skills of all those involved so that this building can fulfil the potential that we know it has. But the more I think about all the exciting possibilities that this new building might bring, the more I realise that I’m not really thinking about the building at all – I’m thinking about what we can do in it. I’m thinking about the community that we can build, the love and care we will express, the laughter that will ring out and the cake that we will eat together.
When the building becomes about the building, it’s time to move out.
You may have noticed that our logo has changed recently and is now made up of two people reaching up to hold hands – reaching up forming the shape of a church roof.
Our church isn’t made with bricks and mortar, it isn’t made with a tiled roof and it definitely isn’t made with toilets!
Our church is made of us. The people.
When we come together WE are the church. It doesn’t matter where we are, it simply matters that we come together with one purpose – to put Jesus at the centre of all we do.
I will be the first person to say that we have outgrown Jo’s house on a Sunday morning, that there is so much more we could do if only we had the space – but let’s remember that the building will never be Melling Community Church, that’s 100% us.
So, whether you are an organiser, a doer, a listener, a prayer, a planner, a gardener, a coffee maker, a light bulb changer or a joke teller – know that there is a place in this church for you.
A church made of people, none of us perfect, but all with something to bring that we can offer to God as He builds His church here in Melling - together we will be the living, breathing church of God.
“Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honour. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God.”
'Would I Lie To You?’
The television programme, ‘Would I Lie To You’ is a quiz show where the point of the game is that you have to convince fellow contestants that whatever you’re saying is the truth. It’s very funny. Some of the stories are ridiculous and clearly a lie. Other stories are ridiculous and completely true!! It’s a great programme. But lying for a quiz show is a lot different to lying in our daily lives.
I read these words the other day, ‘Tell a lie once and all your truths become questionable’. Isn’t that just so true?!!
These don’t have to be huge, complicated lies.
Being casual about our promises and speaking half truths can be just as damaging. Gradually people start to doubt our words and eventually all trust is lost. And once that trust is lost it takes a long time to be restored.
The Bible says,
‘God can’t stomach liars; he loves the company of those who keep their word’.
The words that we speak are important.
Not only is truthfulness important, but kindness, integrity and patience too.
Let’s choose our words carefully and leave the lies to the game show!
September Sunrises
Who’s Driving?
Sometimes, life can be speeding along and you are watching what is happening ahead, pushing to get to your destination. You think you are doing really well but the world around you is just reducing to a blur. You don’t really see what's there. Things happen too quickly and by the time you do notice something, it's gone.
Sometimes, you may feel like the driver, deciding which lane to be in and what speed to go at. But there are other times when you may feel like the passenger, being carried along and not really in control.
The obstacles that appear in our path are sometimes things that we can power through or sometimes we can avoid them. Sometimes, they trip us up and we stumble.
How we journey through our lives is important to think about.
It's not just about the destination, it's about how you journey.
Take in what's happening around you at each step. You may be the driver, deciding when to slow down and which way to go. You may at times feel like a passenger, relying on those around you to carry you through.
As a Christian, as we journey, our driving force becomes our love of Jesus as we strive to live our lives as he would.
In the book of Proverbs in the bible, we are encouraged
Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
He’s the one who will keep you on track.
Easiest Path.
Over the past few weeks and months, I have been gathering things together to take to university. Due to this, I have realised that I have a lot of stuff.
And I mean, a lot.
Even after packing the clothes that I wanted to take, there was still enough to fill a wardrobe, two cupboards and a clothes rail.
That's an awful lot of clothes. Way more than necessary.
I have a habit of just ordering things online or not being able to say 'no' to the Disney themed jumper in the shop, even when I don't need them.
I think because buying things has become more accessible than ever, many of us just press 'buy it now' without considering what we already have.
And, unfortunately, our overconsumption of material things may cause us to neglect other aspects of our life, such as our relationship with God and faith.
This makes me wonder whether more people would spend time with God if it was as easy as buying things online?
We, as Christians, know that it isn't the easiest path to follow and it is certainly more complicated than buying some new shoelaces on Amazon.
There may be times when we face judgement from others, when we are faced with a situation that challenges our beliefs and times when we, ourselves, feel disconnected from God.
For some people, these moments may be enough for them to turn away from God because, according to Dr. Nobuhiro Hagura, we are 'tricked into believing that the low-hanging fruit really is the ripest.'
We try to follow the easiest path, even if it isn't the right one.
Despite the path not being clear and the turbulence along the way, the reward for our loyalty and continued love for God is so great that we can hold our heads up high and be proud to be Christian, even in the face of difficulty.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Matthew 6:19-21.
Storytelling.
I recently came across the story of a little lady who lived in Maine in the 19th Century. She was the seventh child of eleven and her father was a preacher. As she grew up, along with her family, she became involved with campaigns against the treatment of slaves, and helped her family in the dangerous work of the underground railroad.
However, her options as a woman in the 19th Century were limited.
Her main role in life was to get married and have children. She couldn’t speak out in the way that a man could, she wasn’t allowed. So, she got married and had seven children, but she was determined to help the abolition movement in any way she could.
In 1851, during a church service, she felt that God had planted an idea in her head, and from that idea, she wrote a story.
Just a little story.
This story was entitled ‘Uncle Tom's Cabin’ and her name was Harriet Stowe.
This story was not allowed to be a published book as she was a woman, but she managed to get it published in a newspaper in weekly instalments.
The effect and the story's popularity were instant, and Uncle Tom's Cabin was then published as a book and sold 300,000 copies in under a year, which was unprecedented at the time.
The descriptions of life as a slave were so vivid and so compelling that it was later determined to be one of the sparks that ignited the flames that eventually led (via a civil war) to the abolition of slavery in the USA.
In 1862, she was invited to meet President Lincoln, who reportedly greeted her with these words ‘so you are the little woman who wrote the book that started this’.
It started with a little story, and it changed the world.
God had a plan for Harriet Stowe, and she trusted him and told the story he gave her.
She had no idea what her story would lead to, she just trusted God.
And the world changed.
Each one of us are very different and have different stories to tell. God wants to use each of those stories to change the world, maybe not on the world stage as with Harriet’s book, but certainly in the community in which we live.
Trust him, and tell your story.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.
“My Journey Has Changed Me”
It was around 1923, in Berlin, when the writer, Franz Kafka met a little girl who was crying in a park. She had lost her favourite doll.
Franz searched for the little doll with the young girl but they couldn’t find it. He told her to return to the park the next day to see if the doll had been found. The next day there was still no sign of the doll and Franz handed the little girl a letter ‘from the doll’ saying,
“Please don’t cry, I took a trip to see the world. I will write to you about my adventures”.
And so began a friendship where Franz would meet with the little girl on occasions to read her the latest letter that had arrived from the doll on her travels.
After some time, the doll ‘decided to return home’, (Franz went and bought a new doll for the little girl and presented it to her.)
The little girl stared at her and exclaimed,
“She doesn’t look like my doll!!!”.
Franz handed her one final note where the doll told her that,
“my journey has changed me”.
On hearing this, the little girl picked up her doll and hugged her.
A short time later Franz passed away.
As we all experience our own journeys through life we can look back and see how life has changed us. Sometimes for the better, and sometimes not.
We may become bitter through hurt,
anxious through uncertainty,
confident through success,
happy due to love,
weak due to illness…
Life’s journey has an impact on us all.
We’ve no idea what tomorrow may bring.
The writer of Hebrews likened life to a race…
“….Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls….”
Whether today is the toughest of days for you, or a wonderful day or it’s somewhere in between, may you be able to find that comfort, peace and joy in a God who walked this earth, endured so much, and finished well.
WORDS
I have been visiting an individual in hospital for the last two months. He is an elderly man who has always had an opinion about everything and everyone.
He has worked for decades with people from all levels of society, male and female, and all ages.
He was never short of an appropriate response to a question or an opinion, expressed by anyone.
But it’s all changed! He is now almost completely silent.
Visiting is difficult and stressful because whatever I say, whatever subject I choose to talk about, I am greeted with almost no reaction. It’s not possible to know if he has heard me or understood me. There appears to be no interest in communicating either verbally or facially.
Often, I don’t know if he is aware that I’m there.
He has a vacant expression that could indicate that he is deep in thought, or that he is not thinking of anything or anyone, but we don’t know because he doesn’t tell us..
The gift of language is stunningly wonderful; it allows and encourages us to express our opinions, and explain our thoughts and actions.
Some of us can do that in minutes and others take hours.
There are gifted people who put words on paper or screen, expressing technical, medical, or legal realities, the news of the day, or their hopes for tomorrow. Others entertain us with songs, poetry, and stories.
Life on Earth would be impossible without words, written or spoken.
In our Bibles, we have both types, as writers express their thoughts or tell us what other people have said.
We should thank God for the writers who relay the words spoken by Jesus.
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.”
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
"The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
“It is finished.”
“I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead and now look, I am alive for ever and ever!”
Can you imagine how desolate life would be if Jesus had not said words like these, or if no one had bothered to write them down?
Words are powerful, they can destroy, inform, and encourage.
Let’s be careful!
No Need To Rush
Many of you will know the story of the tortoise and the hare.
As well as being a well circulated fable, it has also been used in many adverts.
The hare is so confident he is going to win, he dashes off into the distance and then thinks he can take a break. Meanwhile, the hare keeps plodding along without any breaks overtakes the resting hare and wins the race.
There are a few different interpretations of this story.
Some say the hare was a bully who was challenged and ended up losing.
Some say don’t be so arrogant in believing you are better than others.
Some even use the story politically referring to the capitalist boom and bust approach.
One looks at the hare’s viewpoint, don’t waste the talent you have by being lazy.
I had a new team member this week and I have told him to take his time to settle in, get to know the company and how it works and do all the background reading he can.
There will be time enough in the coming months for him to really get into delivering his role.
I also told him that we will always welcome any different viewpoints.
We know that some of the team have been in the job so long that we can't always see what could be changed but a new person coming in may see things differently.
The book of Proverbs in the Bible has so many wonderful descriptions and wise words, some of which are used readily today without even realising it is from the Bible.
Here are a few from Proverbs 13 for you to ponder.
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The good acquire a taste for helpful conversation; bullies push and shove their way through life.
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Careful words make for a careful life; careless talk may ruin everything.
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Indolence wants it all and gets nothing; the energetic have something to show for their lives.
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A good person hates false talk; a bad person wallows in gibberish.
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A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life.
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Arrogant know-it-alls stir up discord, but wise men and women listen to each other’s counsel.
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Easy come, easy go, but steady diligence pays off.
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Sound thinking makes for gracious living, but liars walk a rough road.
-
A commonsense person lives good sense; fools litter the country with silliness.
We have some great stories and fables, but the Bible brings us wisdom every day.
Take time to have a look.
Striking a Balance.
Lately, it seems like all I'm doing is waiting.
Waiting for emails, waiting for parcels, waiting for transport, waiting to move away, and the list goes on. Does anyone else ever feel like that? Like there's always something to prepare around or plan around so it never quite feels like you can just live life as it comes each moment.
I know spontaneity isn't a good way to live as a whole, but sometimes I just wish that things weren't always so planned.
I think that striking a balance between structure and spontaneity would be the ideal solution. That way, the boredom of routine can be split up by the excitement of being spontaneous.
An element of spontaneity in our lives can help to bring us closer to God.
I recently read an article about this, and it said that trying to develop our relationship with God whilst having a life of constant routine and order is like trying to figure out what somebody is saying to you in the middle of a disco. There's just too many distractions for any message to be conveyed clearly.
And that is so true; God can become lost amongst the hustle and bustle of life, and sometimes it just takes a minute where we have nothing planned in order to find God again and figure out what messages he wants us to hear.
It can be difficult to find a moment of rest, where we have no plans, where we are waiting for nothing and nothing is waiting for us, but moments like that are the perfect time to reconnect with God and replenish our spiritual cup, which, sometimes, is exactly what we need to continue facing our hectic daily lives.
"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Psalms 23:5-6.
Be More Carlos!
This morning I want to tell you of an incident that happened to me on the bus the other day.
This particular morning, I happened (along with several other people) to be sharing the bus with a delightful toddler and his mum. I don’t know their names, so for the purpose of the story, we will call the toddler Carlos. Well Carlos was really enjoying his bus ride. He loved smiling and waving and chuckling to all the other passengers on the bus, and they enjoyed smiling and waving back. Everyone who got on the bus that day, was smiled and waved at by Carlos, and they smiled and waved back.
Then at the next stop another man got on the bus (we shall call him Bob). Bob looked like a former super heavyweight boxer. He was so tall he had to stoop down to get in the bus door. He also gave the impression that he could have knocked Tyson Fury over with a flick of his little finger. He had an enormous beard and a lot of hair and was dressed all in black. His facial expression was nothing short of a glower! In short, he was BIG and SCARY!
The atmosphere in the bus changed. People shifted in their seats and looked uncomfortable. They didn’t want him sitting next to them!
Carlos however, looked the man straight in the eye, smiled and waved at him. Everyone held their breath to see what would happen……
Bob’s face melted into a broad smile and he smiled and waved back. Carlos chuckled and waved again. Bob sat down opposite Carlos and his mum and smiled and waved at Carlos all the rest of the journey.
I felt like God was showing me a lesson. ‘Look here’, I felt like he was saying, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’, ‘BE MORE LIKE THAT BOY!’
So this is our challenge for today, wherever you are and whatever you are doing, ‘BE MORE CARLOS!’.
Romans 15:7 &13
So reach out and welcome one another to God’s glory. Jesus did it; now you do it!
Oh! May the God of hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!
Out of Sight, In My Thoughts
I saw a quote the other day which went something like “whoever said ‘out of sight, out of mind’ hasn’t had a spider disappear in their bedroom”.
I can completely relate to that sentiment! I do not like spiders!
While I know it is a completely irrational fear, it doesn’t change the fact that if one runs across my living room floor, I will jump up on the sofa and scream like I’m being attacked! And if I lose it, I will move every moveable item in that room until it is found and rehoused.
But the other thing about that quote is that I don’t think ‘out of sight, out of mind’ is always true. Thankfully, we are part of a community who, when someone isn’t present, people notice and ‘out of sight, in my thoughts’ becomes a more appropriate saying.
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognise that you are my disciples – when they see the love you have for each other.”
A number of people in our church family are struggling at the moment and for various reasons are unable to be present with us when we gather together – if you are one of those, can I reassure you that you are missed and remain very much in our thoughts and prayers.
And, for those of us who are able to gather together, let’s make sure we take a moment to pause and look around us and notice who isn’t there so that we can faithfully hold them up to God and maybe send a message to let them know how very much they are missed when they are out of sight.
Finally, let’s remember that even when we can’t be with our friends and loved ones, we are never out of God’s sight – He is always present, always watching, always guiding, always compassionate, always loving.
“O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me… If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the depths, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.”
The Lights Are On
As I approached the building we had waited so long to enter, I saw something I had never seen before.
I had walked around this beautiful 120-year-old church building many times, dreaming of this day and wondering how it would feel. What did I see?
The lights were on!
And there was something else, the noise of many voices, drifting out through the open door and into the grounds, and floating amongst the magnificent trees.
At last, there was light and life where there had been darkness and silence for so long.
Walking in and seeing excited people exploring what they had only been allowed to imagine was such a relief.
Finally, we have arrived, “Thank you Lord.”
We need to acknowledge that there are people we must thank as well. Those lovely fellow Christians who suggested that we may wish to continue the Christian witness into the future.
There are all the individuals who have worked tirelessly for so long to transform the dream into reality.
Now it’s down to us!
As I looked around the room at the beautiful features and space that welcomed us, the aspect of what I saw that encouraged me most was the people.
We have met together for years in rented accommodation and homes; without this wonderful teamwork, we could not have survived the journey. But even as we move in, our journey is not over, it simply continues.
Many years ago, Jesus invited individuals to, “Follow Me.” They moved out of their homes and followed wherever He led them, and as we move into our new Church home, we need to follow wherever He leads us.
We have plans of course, but He may have different ones; who’s plans will we follow?
King Solomon, who is famous for his wisdom, gives us this advice as we prepare to move forward on our journey,
‘With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgement. Always let Him lead you, and He will clear the road for you to follow.’
We all intend to use our abilities and knowledge of course, but let’s remember that those individuals who followed Jesus, transformed the world.
Let’s start with Melling!
What Happened?
Sometimes we don’t realise how things change.
Today is just another ordinary day.
Or is it?
How come all of a sudden my kids have grown up?
It’s a new school term and they are off to college or maybe off to University.
Some are starting new jobs and moving into a new world of work.
Some are finding their own place to live.
How do they grow up so fast?
It was only yesterday that they were little toddlers running and giggling.
Last week was different. It was a lot warmer for a start!
For some around the world, last week was completely different.
The earthquake in Morocco which has devastated so many families.
The flood in Libya which literally swept away anything and everything in its path.
North Korea’s leader left his own country for the first time in years to visit Russia.
King Charles remembered his mum a year on from her passing.
Sometimes, it does not actually dawn on us what has happened, what has changed. Things happen and we move on, we just get on with it.
But it's good to stop and think about all the things that have happened in a day, a week, a month, a year ….
How has God blessed us in that time?
There may be sad things or good things which have happened, but God will have been there with you.
Take some time out to look back and see how God has blessed you, maybe directly or through some other person.
In the bible book of Psalms 103, we are reminded,
I bless the holy name of God with all my heart. Yes, I will bless the Lord and not forget the glorious things he does for me. He surrounds me with loving-kindness and tender mercies.
Count your blessings and thank God for them.
Knowledge.
It's almost time for me to move away to university.
Just a couple more weeks at home until I embark on a new, exciting journey.
And that same excitement will be felt by thousands of other students preparing for university all around the country, each with their own unique university story waiting for them.
I find it amazing how every student's journey to university is different.
Whether it's going straight from college or sixth form, taking a gap year, or returning back to education after a long break, every student beginning university this year will have a series of events that led to this academic year being the perfect time to start something new.
The importance of learning and education can be seen in the Bible.
In Proverbs 16:16 it says,
'How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!'
This highlights the importance of gaining knowledge and how beneficial it is to us.
However, while university is a very good way to learn, it is most definitely not the only way that we can gain knowledge.
There are opportunities to learn every day and our experiences in daily life constantly require us to make choices that result in us learning something that we never knew before.
And that is the beauty of the world God has created for us.
Moreover, because God is everywhere, we can gain knowledge of him through experiencing the world around us and that is the most precious knowledge of all.
'And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”'
Isaiah 6:3
'I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.'
Proverbs 8:17
Names!
I recently had a fairly embarrassing moment in work.
On being introduced to a new Colleague called John, we had a short conversation, during which I called him Tony the entire time! Eventually, he kindly pointed out that his name was in fact John, and all I could do was wait for the ground to swallow me up!
I did point out that I frequently get names mixed up, and often call my children by the wrong name. I have even been known to call them the dog's name by mistake. Thankfully he was very understanding and we had a laugh about it, and at least he won’t forget me!
It did get me thinking about how important names are to us.
We belong to our name and our name belongs to us.
The naming of a baby is an important job, and if we change our name as we get older, it’s not something that is done lightly at all.
We can even be put off certain names if we associate them with a school mate or colleague who wasn’t very nice.
Thankfully God does not get names mixed up, he knows us all inside and out.
Isaiah 43:1-4
The God who made you in the first place, the One who got you started, says to you:
“Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine.
When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end,
Because I am God, your God.
The God who made the universe, and all of creation, knows our names and loves us.
He will not forget us or get us confused with someone else.
We are loved and known and seen.
That’s something to be thankful for.
I Slept In!!
I woke up late this morning!
7:58am to be exact!!
One of my dogs woke me up with the sound of him walking up and down by the stairs wondering why he hadn’t had his breakfast yet.
I flew out of bed somewhat disoriented!
I don’t remember the last time I had slept in.
I woke up my daughter who had a total of 20 minutes to get ready for school.
I fed the dogs,
I got dressed,
brushed my teeth,
and the day has not stopped being a whirlwind ever since!!
I can’t say I have caught up yet. as you can see, Sunrise is hardly at sunrise!
I had my breakfast at lunchtime
I had my lunch an hour ago.
I won’t feel like my tea until I’m ready for bed.
I had a meeting on Zoom whilst walking my dog around the park.
I had another meeting in person, which surprisingly was on time!
And suddenly it’s evening,
and I still feel a sense of brain fog and chaos… Some would say that’s normal for me…
But today it was worse!
We all have days like this, don’t we, and with the best will in the world things don’t quite go to plan.
We can leave a trail of destruction behind us, we can crash our way through the day,
and we can land in a chair later in the evening, wondering,
“what an earth was all that about?“
Just another day.
I’m so thankful that,
while I may be chaotic,
not always on time,
quite often with brain fog
and spells of disorganisation…
(Quite a lot of disorganisation…)
Our wonderful and loving God is nothing like that.
He is structured,
organised,
always on time,
never suffers from brain fog,
and nothing ever surprises Him…
He will never look at the time and think,
“oh no, I’m late!“
If life at the moment is chaotic,
disorganised,
not as you had hoped for,
or planned,
May I offer you this word of comfort that
God knows,
God understands,
God cares,
and God is never late with an answer.
There’s an old saying,
“for I know not what the future holds, but I know who holds the future“.
So today,
I thank God so much,
that while chaos can often reign in my house,
I serve
and love
the most reliable,
loving
and powerful
Saviour God,
who meets me in the midst of my chaos.
May today’s Sunrise, offer you a sense of comfort and hope for a brighter tomorrow.
Sleep well everybody XX
“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
A Whole Lot of Ants
I’ve been reading a new article about ants.
Scientists have come up with a new estimate of how many ants exist on our planet.
I hope you’re sitting down.
It’s a ridiculous 20 quadrillion.
In case you don’t know what that looks like it’s, 20, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000.
That’s a whole lot of ants!
Obviously we will never know how accurate that estimate truly is.
Nor is it essential that we know the exact number.
But the Bible tells us that God knows everything.
He knows when a sparrow dies,
He knows how many hairs are on our heads,
He knows how many ants are in the world…
He knows everything about us.
As you move in to this new week, may you rest in the knowledge that God knows your fears,
hurts
and sadness,
your hopes,
ambitions
and joy.
What an awesome God.
‘Cast all your anxiety on Him, for He cares for you’
Start Date?
I have some people joining my team in work and we are discussing when they can join us.
It is interesting how different people face this question in different ways.
Some will be super keen and wanting to start as soon as possible, whilst others are happy to work out when it would be good to leave their old role and move into a new one.
Others might even try to work into the timings some personal time to stop one role, have a break and then start another.
Sometimes, the timing of things can be confusing and may not be what we want or expect. But very often, things will work out OK, and we sometimes just need to be patient.
I sometimes struggle when we try to get ready as a family. I tell people when we need to leave (sometimes going slightly earlier if I can get away with it), yet, we are often not ready when I would hope.
But I have to admit, very often it makes little difference (just don’t tell my family).
Sometimes though it does make a difference and my stress levels start to rise, as sometimes events won't wait for us, like catching a train. It will leave when it's ready and won't worry about whether we are on board or not.
You may have read on these sunrise messages before, God has a perfect plan for us.
We don’t always know or understand what that is.
Sometimes, we may feel that our plan would be better!
Sometimes, our plan goes wrong and trouble besets us.
But God is in control.
No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.
1 Corinthians 10v13
Our God is a loving God, he knows how we feel, he knows what we are going through.
He will help us and comfort us through all things, but we do have to trust in him and trust in his plan.
One way or another, God will help us through.
Best Laid Plans
Once again, this week I faced the struggles of unreliable public transport, this time, on a day trip to Llandudno with my mum.
We arrived at Chester with no issues, when, suddenly, all trains to North Wales had been delayed or cancelled.
Immediately, I turned to my mum and took the blame for our unfortunate situation.
With my prior experience of going to Edinburgh just a couple of weeks ago looming above my head, I couldn't help but laugh at the thought that I was indirectly responsible for the delays.
After a laugh and a little bit of guilt on my end, my mum reminded me that, while it would be incredible if I was responsible, I'm not that powerful.
What a relief!
Sometimes, we do feel like we're responsible for all the negativity in the world, and it can really bring us down. It can make us feel helpless and vulnerable.
We are definitely not alone in these feelings and we can even find immense sadness and hopelessness in the pages of the Bible.
In Matthew 26:38, Jesus said 'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow,' and in 1 Kings 19:4, Elijah turns to God and says, 'I have had enough, Lord.'
Knowing that Jesus, God on earth, faced many moments of vulnerability, allows us to connect with him and feel comforted by the fact that he knows our struggles, he understands that we do not always feel our best.
Due to God's deep understanding of our feelings, he knows exactly what we need to get us back on track.
In Matthew 6:8, Jesus says, 'Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him,' and in Jeremiah 29:11, it says, '"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."'
Even when we feel down, God knows what we need and can provide us with hope when things are tough.
God can ease our burdens like nobody else, and that is wonderful.
We got to Llandudno in the end, and we had a lovely day.
Rabbits
I thought I would start this morning with a joke:
A Priest, a Politician and a Rabbit go to the Blood donation centre to give blood. The nurse in charge asks the Rabbit “Which blood type are you?”
The Rabbit replies “I think I am a Type O”!!!!!
I thought of this joke as one of the news stories this week has been about a typo.
The UK air traffic control system crashed causing hundreds of planes and thousands of passengers to be stranded because of a typo.
As the pilots enter their flight plan into the system before they travel, they use five letter waypoints to plot their route. One route inadvertently entered the same waypoint twice causing the computer to get very confused and ultimately shut down!
All because of a typo.
It might seem amusing now, but if you were a passenger stuck in Europe with no way of getting home, it was not funny at all.
Of course, we all make mistakes don’t we!
My life is filled with Typos big and small, some amusing, some with bigger consequences than others.
I once bought a grapefruit instead of a melon and didn’t realise it until I cut into it to serve as a starter for Christmas lunch!
Good job my guests had a sense of humour!
The good news is that God’s love doesn’t depend on us being perfect.
He loves us completely totally and utterly, and he also knows us inside and out, and he still loves us.
God also knows that we are going to make typo’s.
That’s why Jesus came.
Jesus took the blame for all of our Typo’s, big and small, so that through him, we can have an amazing life giving relationship with him.
We just need to be honest with God and Jesus, and he will forgive us.
If there is something that you have messed up today, take it to God.
Hebrews 8: 10-12 (Message Version)
I’ll be their God, they’ll be my people.
They’ll all get to know me firsthand, the little and the big, the small and the great.
They’ll get to know me by being kindly forgiven, with the slate of their sins forever wiped clean.
Season of Change
The start of every new year is quite often a significant moment for people as they assess their goals for the coming year, but for me, I often find that September is just as significant. This probably comes from having children and the rhythm of life centring around the school year.
Seasonally, September signifies a change as we approach autumn and dark nights (although at the moment it feels like it is the start of our summer!) but it also brings about changes for so many of our children and young people.
Starting school or changing school; moving on to college or university; leaving home for the first time or leaving the education system and navigating the world of work.
Change can be a positive thing but it can also be difficult and disconcerting – a time when it feels like everything has shifted and we have to work out what the way forward looks like.
But whether change is bringing exciting and new possibilities or whether it is bringing uncertainty and doubt, the Bible tells us that we can always be certain of one thing:
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
We don’t need to doubt His faithfulness or His companionship.
We don’t need to doubt whether He will be available when we call on Him or whether He can hear us at all.
King David put it like this:
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my saviour; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”
Even when David was surrounded by enemies and the future seemed uncertain, he knew that God was his rock – something sure and stable and unchanging.
Whether this September you face exciting times or a future that is less certain, know that you can stand sure-footed and confident on God your rock, unchanging and never failing.
ALL IN THIS TOGETHER
I don’t like jigsaws!
What’s the point of tipping out on a table 1,000 tiny pieces, each one containing a miniscule part of an image, then spending hours, days, (weeks?) putting it all together, admiring your handiwork, then breaking it up and putting the pieces back in the box?
Surely the least you could do would be to frame it and put it on display.
When I am persuaded to try one, I always start by finding all the edge pieces, they are clearly the most important ones because they provide a frame for all the other pieces to fit into.
Now that I think about it, the corner pieces are the most important because they are easier to find and put in position.
But the problem is that the edge and corner pieces don’t build the image, they just surround it.
I suppose it could be argued that all the pieces are equally important because they work together to produce the final result.
In the near future, I hope we will find that we have a building complete with a huge garden and a car park.
But with the advantage of a new site for our community groups to meet in, not only will we have new possibilities, we will have new needs and responsibilities.
It has already been arranged that we meet to discuss the way ahead, but there is an important principle to understand.
When we look around at the amazing range of people involved in our wide selection of activities, we can see how varied we are in terms of experience, ability, knowledge, age, and availability.
We will all be able to use our personal gifts in this wonderful project. We all will have a role to play.
We are all in this together.
The Apostle Paul, started a Christian community in the city of Corinth.
A few years after he left, the church was struggling because various individuals thought that they were the important ones and wanted to be in charge and lay down their own rules.
Paul wrote to them to address this sad and damaging development. This is part of his message to them,
‘There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, but the same Lord is served. There are different abilities to perform service, but the same God gives ability to all for their particular service'.
To another church he wrote,
‘Don’t be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves.’
This is God’s way forward for us in Melling, we each have our God-given ability, position, and purpose in His church; we are all equal pieces in His picture.
Let’s find our place and activity, and support each other.
We are all in this together.
What’s the Vision?
As part of my work, we each agree objectives that we are expected to complete across the year.
At the moment, I am looking at what we want some new starters to be doing when they join in the coming weeks.
But part of what I need to do is to explain the vision. The vision being where we would want to be in the future.
It's often easier to understand what you need to do if you know the destination.
In our Melling Community Church, we are about to be able to make use of our own building. It's exciting to think how this can help our community.
But there are steps that we need to take in order to get there.
Our vision has been to get our own building so that the many groups and people who have been sharing this journey so far, can enjoy greater freedom and space to do things without worrying about finding a venue.
Now we have that opportunity, we need to turn our vision into a reality.
But the thing about following Jesus, is that we don’t always know the vision or the timings, because God wants us to trust him.
God knows what he is doing, he knows the details and he knows the best time.
Our vision of a Melling Community Church is already here, because it is us.
The building is just another step along the journey.
We will have to clean it, develop it, maintain it; but it's not the destination.
Our destination is to share the love of Jesus with those around us.
The book of proverbs has many helpful sayings to guide us,
Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
He’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
The Beauty of Language.
I'm really fascinated by languages.
I think it's amazing how languages have developed over time, and how new words are constantly being added to our vocabulary.
But the main thing that I love about languages is the fact that they can give us insight into different cultures and how other people view the world.
This allows us to further our knowledge of the world around us.
The Bible, at least in part, has been translated into over 3,500 languages, with the whole Bible being translated into more than 700.
Isn't that amazing?!
And this number continues to grow every year, as I've recently read that there are over 2000 translations of the Bible in development at the moment.
Originally, the Bible was written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, but as time passed and Christianity gained followers from every corner of the earth, God's word became more accessible to his followers.
What is truly amazing about the language in the Bible is the fact that, regardless of the language we read it in, the beauty and wisdom of the words still remain.
We can see this in the final verse of the Parable of the Prodigal Son:
"But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found" Luke 15:32,
or in Psalm 148:1-4, "Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies."
The fact that we can still take so much from these verses shows us that the word of God transcends language and time and, regardless of the language we are most familiar with, we can still take time to connect with our creator.
August Sunrises
Pause
I have been greatly saddened by the local news in the past few weeks. And when I say local, I mean in the L31 area. Our Doorstep so to speak.
The reason for this is that in the past few weeks, two local teenagers have been stabbed. One survived the attack, one very sadly did not.
Both boys were local, both incidents were local. I knew both boys and their families.
They both had loving families who are now devastated.
Whether we like it or not, the increase in violence that we see in the news is on our doorstep.
Now we can pretend that it isn’t happening, or that it isn’t our problem, or to blame society or lack of youth work or education funding, or many other things.
Martin Luther King, the American Human Rights activist wrote this statement whilst in prison in Alabama for protesting against segregation.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.
Whilst the issues that Martin Luther King was protesting about may be different to the problems we face in our community, we are all called to be part of the community in which we live.
He is also quoted as saying:
Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate, only Love can do that.
As people of faith, we are called to love.
Love people with God's love.
We are called to be hope bringers ,encouragers, to be Light in dark places.
We also don’t have to face these issues alone.
John 16: 33
Jesus said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Take some time to Pause and Pray today.
Pray for the teenagers, the families and everyone involved in these incidents.
Pray for a way forward, for Light in dark places and for Hope.
A Field Full of Puppies
So, we have recently entered the fun and chaotic world of puppy training classes.
We turned up in a field early one evening and joined a group of dogs mostly of the same age but massively varying in size as well as temperament.
It turns out that we are not the only ones who appear to have chosen a dog with attention deficit.
To be fair, it was easy to get very distracted by bouncy Cooper to the left and huge, cuddly Buddy to the right.
What was really interesting though was the instructor’s definition of the purpose of the training classes.
The classes aren’t intended to create submissive or fearful dogs obedient to their master, neither were they intended to quash a dog’s personality or character – the classes are simply a way of teaching a dog how to behave so that you can keep them safe as well as keeping the people and other dogs they come into contact with safe.
Often we hear people complain that the Bible is just a book full of rules that is intended to spoil our fun or perhaps that God just wants to use it to set rules for the sake of keeping us in check, but that really isn’t the case.
The Bible itself tells us exactly what it is for:
“Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another – showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.”
The Bible is simply a book that tells us how to live well.
We can learn lessons from people who have gone before us and lived well, while others have made mistakes that we can learn from, either way, it’s not about restricting us but about setting us free to live a life that is good, fulfilling, God-honouring and joyful.
Let’s open our Bibles with gratitude and humility knowing that this is God’s word for us, not to limit us or subdue us but to instruct us in how to live the best life possible.
Let’s live like a field full of puppies, happy to be together, learn together and confident that our life lessons exist for our benefit and joy.
“I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you…I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word.”
I Need Help!!!
Dear Lord,
So far I've done all right.
I haven't gossiped,
haven't lost my temper,
haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or overindulgent.
I'm really glad about that.
But in a few minutes, God,
I'm going to get out of bed.
And from then on,
I'm going to need a lot more help.
I found this funny prayer yesterday, and while we can smile at its words, I’m sure we can also agree with what it’s saying!
We need God’s help.
The words of this beautiful, well known hymn are taken from the Bible.
May they be our prayer as we get up this morning.
Click on the link below….
https://youtu.be/NT0HcAr9aeI?feature=shared
LITTLE THINGS
It’s only a toe, not even a pretty one, although none of my toes could be described as pretty. And it was only a little sore on top of it that was causing some discomfort.
My master plan, like all of my master plans, was to be quick and non-fussy, but it would do the job so that I could get on with the important things in life, like walking the dog and playing badminton.
So a strip of plaster was fixed in place, job done!
That’s what I thought!
Suddenly I was verbally battered by a multitude of voices (about 4), who insisted it was time for me to grow up and treat this issue seriously.
The local surgery nurse agreed, and two days later I was sitting in hospital with a specialist doctor who prescribed four visits to hospital and instructed me to take 270 tablets over a month.
I haven’t taken that many in a year!
As I said, it’s a little sore on one toe, how could it generate so much attention and action?
Quite often, it’s the little things in life that create concern; the way someone looks at you; no response to a text you sent; a neighbour had a day out in Manchester and didn’t invite you; it was your birthday and somebody forgot.
Of course, you’re perfect and would never behave in this thoughtless way, would you?
Recently, I’ve come into contact with two elderly people who have lived next door to each other for decades and never speak to each other.
The reason is lost in history, but this behaviour has caused both of them to lose a neighbour.
Nobody wins! How sad.
We understand that we are all different and have various strengths and weaknesses, and in our culture, it is easy for us to consider some people more acceptable than others.
The teaching of Jesus and the Apostles in the early days of the Christian Church, revolutionised relationships between individuals and groups.
Paul stated that all national, social, and gender barriers were removed by faith in Jesus, ‘Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are Jew or Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman.’
In our daily lives, Christians have a responsibility to demonstrate the characteristics of Jesus, ‘The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.’
So often it’s the little irritations in life that separate people.
Let’s make sure that a minor disagreement doesn’t grow into a lifetime barrier.
Whatever we think of them, let’s talk to the neighbours!
Do Your Best
We all find ourselves in many different situations where we are either helping someone out, doing our jobs or doing a favour for someone.
Sometimes, we may find it difficult to put everything into the tasks which lay before us.
We have all heard about the struggles that the NHS is suffering and the resources that the staff have available to them are not always the best. Yet, many of the staff I have seen recently have still done their best to get their job done even though the circumstances can be difficult.
This week has always been school results week.
It is difficult when trying to encourage young people about exams but you can only ever expect them to do their best.
I remember hearing someone say to me that they hoped my results reflected the effort I put into the work.
Watching the World Athletics competition this week, some of the athletes are performing as well as they can, they produce their own personal best or season best.
It may or may not bring a medal, but what more can they do than their best.
In the Bible, when the disciples were encouraging Christians in their faith, the verse in Colossians says this,
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people. Remember that the Lord will give you as a reward what he has kept for his people.
We all have different things we can do, different skills, different abilities.
As we work together in our Melling community, let's do our best for each other.
Let's do our best for God.
According to Plan.
This week, I've been in Edinburgh. It's festival season, and every corner is brimming with culture and energy. I've seen acrobats, magicians, musicians, artists and some of the most beautiful architecture in the world.
But the journey getting here was a challenge.
The initial plan was to get the train, which would have been fine, had the train not been cancelled.
We were told the train was delayed by 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 40 minutes, up until nearly two hours later when they announced the cancellation.
This left many people, myself and my nan included, confused and lost about what to do next.
Fortunately, four hours later, we made it, after an amazing drive from my nan and a little bit of help from a vegan KitKat and a couple of onion bhajis.
And, in the Bible, many people who embarked on journeys also had problems along the way.
Abraham left everything behind, not knowing where he would end up and allowed his faith to guide him, facing challenges regarding the fulfilment of God's promise among other things; Mary and Joseph made the journey to Bethlehem during winter with Mary heavily pregnant and, of course, the difficulties they had with finding somewhere to stay and Moses being chased by enemy forces and being led through the desert with no access to food and water.
The challenges serve as reminders of the humanity of these individuals.
While they have been chosen by God to serve a specific purpose, they did not execute the plan perfectly.
This allows us to forgive ourselves when our plans don't go smoothly, because God was able to forgive those who he had chosen when they strayed from the original plan.
This is a very comforting thought as many plans in my life tend to go wrong.
Even if plans do go wrong, trying your best and persevering for God is admirable and something that God views very fondly.
'Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.
It is the Lord Christ you are serving.'
Colossians 3:23-24.
Winning Ways
I have really been enjoying the world athletic championships over the past few days.
The different track and field events, the amazing commitment and sporting talent from countries all around the world.
I struggle to run for a bus, but the fastest athletes seem to run a mile with ease in under three and a half minutes!
I was really pleased when the British athlete Josh Kerr won the 1500m. This was not only because of how well he ran, but because of his response after he finished the race.
He went around the track to find people that were there to support him, and went to celebrate with them. His family, his coach, his friends were all there and Josh went to find them in his lap of honour.
In his post-race interview, he took time to give thanks for everyone who had helped him on his way to a gold medal.
Josh made it really clear that if it wasn’t for his family and friends, he would not have achieved.
He recognised that the old African proverb was very true:
‘It takes a village to raise a child’.
It's the same with the Christian faith.
It takes a community of people who love God and love each other to raise a church.
Not an actual building (although a building is fantastic), but a wonderfully imperfect bunch of people who love God and try to live out their faith alongside each other in the community. We are called to help each other out and be there for each other, so that we all may show how amazing God is to those around us.
Hebrews 10 22-25
Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, encouraging one another.
So if you are running for a bus, winning a gold medal, or not running at all! Take time to encourage and help one another today.
The Blessing
Yesterday morning I spent some time on the phone to a wonderful lady. I had sent her a message the previous day to offer my condolences following the loss of a very close friend; in turn, she rang me because she realised after receiving my message that I didn’t know that while I had been away from work her husband had also died.
If that wasn’t enough, a good friend had also lost her husband and her son.
As she spoke with sadness about the string of events that had followed each other in quick succession, I was filled with huge admiration and respect for this lady.
Her voice was filled with sadness but not a hint of hopelessness.
As she recounted precious memories through tears, she gave thanks to God for His faithfulness to her during this really difficult time.
I ended the conversation feeling humbled but also uplifted.
This conversation reminded me of something really important, but something we all too easily lose sight of – we are not blessed because life is good or easy, we are blessed because God walks with us through it all.
It isn’t the absence of adversity that is the blessing – the blessing is in the assurance of His presence; holding our hand or carrying us when necessary.
In the Bible, Paul faced much adversity from shipwrecks to illness and imprisonment but still he rejoiced, not in his circumstances, but in his relationship with God:
“I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Whether you face today with a spring in your step or with a heavy heart, know that you are blessed through it all by the presence of our loving Father.
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
WE GET TO CHOOSE
What a wonderful world we live in!
Despite all our complaints about rising costs, global warming, hospital waiting lists, traffic jams, etc. most of us in our locality are fairly comfortable, safe, and have enough food.
There are always exceptions of course, and as Christians and members of our Melling Christian community, we accept that we need to be aware of the local needs and be prepared to make our own contribution, whatever that means.
Each of us should be able to look back over the day and believe that we have not wasted our time or money on purely selfish interests, or considered people around us as less important than we are.
Paul said,
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.”
It’s one thing to be selfish and greedy, but in our news programmes in the last week we have heard about people who have descended to appalling levels of evil.
Not wishing to remind you of shocking details at the beginning of your day, I’ll just mention; babies in hospital, and a ten-year-old girl.
You know what I’m talking about!
We are used to hearing of Man’s inhumanity to Man around the globe, but some of it is too close for comfort. There is a feeling that people are getting worse, but the truth is that technology simply allows us to hear and see more than ever before.
In our Bibles, there are 1,189 chapters, and we only need to read as far as the 6th chapter to find this,
‘The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the Earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that He had made human beings on the earth, and His heart was deeply troubled.’
The problem is that if God made it impossible for us to disobey Him, we would simply be machines, and our love for Him would be meaningless. So, He gave Mankind freewill.
The result is the world we see around us!
His Son chose to die at the hands of vicious and evil men to pay for Mankind’s sins.
All those who accept His offer of forgiveness, and follow His leading, will one day receive a reward in Heaven.
Whatever we choose, the Bible tells us that in the future, God will take control and insist that,
‘At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, in heaven and on the earth and under the earth…and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father’
One thing is certain, God will have the last word.
The Restaurant of Mistaken Orders
I’ve been reading about a very unique restaurant that has opened in recent years in Tokyo.
The translation of its name is,
“The Restaurant of Mistaken Orders!”
Everybody who works at this restaurant has dementia.
The customers go to the restaurant with the understanding that they may, or may not, get what they ordered,
and they may be required to step in at any moment to help with the confusion.
Kindness,
fun,
appreciation
and love
are non-negotiable requirements of the customer!
(Some of you will now be thinking of our weekly coffee morning, The Hub, and identify similarities!! We do get confused!!)
Dementia is a cruel,
devastating illness,
but while these sufferers are still able,
they take great delight in working at this restaurant knowing it’s a safe environment for them to be in.
Now while it’s not exactly practical to have every restaurant functioning with this level of confusion, this story is a clear reminder
that we all make mistakes,
we all get confused,
we all get things wrong.
Question!!…when somebody messes up, how do you treat them??
The Bible has the best answer to this question!
‘…do to others as you would have them do to you…’
In a world of increasing anger,
cruelty,
impatience
and frustration,
a little kindness,
encouragement,
patience
and love will go a long way!
I don’t envisage going to Tokyo any time soon, but I will be back at The Hub in the next few weeks
where confusion often reigns!…
and grace,
and laughter,
are always abundant!
Life Is A Balance
As part of my work, we have been recruiting a number of people over the last few months.
I was talking to one of our new recruits this week and we were discussing some of the wider team and their different approaches to their job. I shared a bit of history about the team and discussed with him that some of our more long-standing team members were less dynamic and pragmatic in how they did their job, partly because of how long they had been there.
Part of the purpose of recruitment was to re-vitalise the team.
We needed to re-balance the members to create a more vibrant team.
Sometimes, in our lives there are different things happening which can affect the balance of our lives.
Within our Melling community, there have been a variety of life experiences with some people having good news and some having tough times.
Our lives are not always balanced and sometimes it can be a struggle.
However, as Christians we have a hope and faith in God that can bring us strength and comfort.
In the Old Testament book of Isaiah, we are encouraged in the comfort and strength of God:
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.
As we go through our lives, reach out to God and trust in Him, He will comfort and strengthen us.
Even though our lives may sometimes feel like a struggle, He will help us to soar like eagles.
Natural Beauty.
This week, my family and I are away on holiday in Northumberland. It's a beautiful part of the country with so many absolutely stunning landscapes and greenery that speaks to your heart.
It's very different from what I'm used to.
Liverpool is a very urban area, so it's been wonderful to have a break from the busy city and spend time with nature.
Leaving the house in the morning and hearing the sound of a river flowing less than 100 metres away has been blissful.
I think it's important to connect with the outdoors when we can, as we live in a world where we can be distracted by so many things that we forget about the beauty that occurs in the natural world.
So many of the most beautiful sights on earth are places of natural beauty.
And it's this beauty that can help us connect to our creator.
'In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.'
Psalms 95:4-5
For me, nature is one of the things that makes me feel closest to God.
It fills me with peace and allows me to think about the beauty of creation and the power of God.
'Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.'
1 Chronicles 29:11.
So the next time you have the opportunity to spend time in nature, reflecting on the beauty and power of the sights around you can really help you to feel a strong connection to God, and that is priceless.
Broken Bones
I don’t know if you have heard of an anthropologist called Margaret Mead.
She was a well known American anthropologist in the 20th Century.
She was once asked what she considered to be the first sign of a civilised society in ancient cultures.
I wonder what you might have decided upon if asked that question?
You might choose the wheel for transport, or the use of stone cutting tools, or indoor plumbing (that would be my choice)?
Margaret however, did not give any of those answers.
She chose to show the questioner an ancient thigh bone, one that had been broken and had healed.
She explained that in the animal kingdom, no matter how much care societies or family groups have for one another, if you break your leg then you will die. You can’t run from danger, or gather food or drink.
No animal survives a broken leg long enough for it to heal in the wild.
A broken thigh bone that has healed is a sign that there is a society that sacrificially cares for one another.
Someone has taken the time to stay with the injured person, bound up the leg, carried the person to safety, given them food and looked after them until they were better.
Loving someone sacrificially is the start of civilisation.
John 13:34-35
Jesus said “Now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
Jesus knew all about sacrificial giving.
At this point in his life as a man on earth, he was about to willingly give up his life for his friends and the whole world.
This statement is one of the last things he tells his friends before he is arrested.
Jesus knew that love is not a word or an ideology, it's an action, and it's at the heart of Christianity as well as civilisation.
How can we show God's love to others and make our society a bit more civilised?
Let's love imaginatively and sacrificially and in a very civilised way!
Family
Some of you may be aware that we have a new member in our family now.
As of a week ago we invited into our home a little boy who has proceeded to turn our house upside down.
He likes to bite ankles, toes and pretty much anything else that moves in front of him; he chews cardboard; runs in from the garden and never wipes his feet and gets a little over-excited when new people come to visit.
Our new family member is a 12 week old cockapoo called Bobby and despite the chaos and destruction we have all fallen in love with him.
Just as we are getting used to Bobby and learning to adapt our lives to him, he is also getting used to our ways and learning how to live with us (like not weeing in the house!), it’s not all easy but we’re getting there with patience and encouragement and love.
As a church, we are also family.
We all come together with different personalities and skills with different likes and dislikes but what binds us together is love – love of God and love of one another.
In 1 Corinthians we read these words:
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
We’ve still got some work to do with Bobby, but we will welcome him into our family with love.
Each and every one of us has our faults and quirks and God still has some work to do with us, but each and every one of us is welcomed into His family with love.
Let’s be a living and growing example of God’s wonderful and diverse family, embracing one another with patience, kindness but most of all love.
Happiness
I don’t know about you, but lately I am witnessing many people going through more than their fair share of struggles.
Illness,
bereavement,
stressors,
and worries seem to be piling up around them.
And sometimes it just seems impossible to see a way forward.
It’s important that we take our worries and our grief to God and ask him to help us through these times.
It’s important that we offer encouragement and support.
And sometimes it’s important to offer some light relief that may just cause someone to smile or laugh for a moment.
Ken Dodd was a master of comedy.
A genius who just wanted to make people laugh.
He did that for many years and countless people would leave his shows having laughed so much that for a short time they could put their struggles to one side.
If today, you are struggling, can I suggest that you invite God to
help you
and strengthen you
and encourage you.
‘Come to me, all you who are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest’
Can we all look out for one another and offer encouragement and support where we can.
‘Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing’
And maybe go and find a clip of Ken Dodd, or one of his funniest jokes, and share it with others.
And for a moment may we all be able to laugh.
‘A cheerful heart is good medicine’.
THE WALL
I love walls! I’ve photographed hundreds of them over the years, from single-storey bungalow walls up to walls that reach up more than fifty storeys.
I’ve been lifted up wall-faces in buckets swinging from gigantic cranes, and I’ve looked down on them from helicopters.
Frequently I was scared stiff, but I was always ready for the next adventure.
Walls can be made of brick or block, timber, glass, metal, or even plastic, and probably other materials.
They provide places to live or work in, they give us safety and privacy, and protection from the weather.
I love old walls that are weathered and crumbling because of great age, and I imagine the stories they could tell of earlier days.
As you walk around our city streets, you will see wonderful works of art painted on brick walls.
In the house we have recently moved into, now that most of the repairs and decorating are complete, it’s time to think about what we want on our walls.
The first decision was to put up clocks and mirrors, so now we know what we look like and what time it is. That was relatively easy, but the next stage is much more difficult.
What pictures do we hang on the walls?
In our attic we have more than fifty framed paintings and photographs! We will probably pick some because we love the image, “it’s a work of art.” However, it appears that our main reason for choosing images will be because of the memories they provide; holiday destinations, family and friends, events, pets, etc.
How do you choose yours?
Memories, good or bad, are a map of our journey through life.
In the Bible, we find many references to things we should remember.
‘I will remember the deeds of the Lord, I will remember your miracles of long ago.’
‘Remember this, keep it in mind…I am God and there is no other; I am God and there is none like me’
‘As I lie in my bed I remember You; all night long I think of You because You have always been my help. In the shadow of your wings, I sing for joy’
As our pictures revive memories, let's be aware of the reasons for remembering God, His love, His power, His patience, through the years.
What Day Is It?
It is sometimes confusing keeping track of the days.
When I go on holiday, it will often take a couple of days to get out of “work mode” and relax into holiday mode. Then once your normal routine goes away, the regular points of reference disappear and I start to lose track of the days.
It's great when you don’t actually need to know what day it is.
Some of you may remember the quote from the film Shirley Valentine, when her husband sits at the table and just says “I like chips and egg on Tuesday but today is Thursday, I like steak on a Thursday”.
Routine can be good for some people, but for others, they like to live life a bit more random.
I wonder which you prefer?
Some people need to know the plan ahead and need that structure in their life.
Some people just need a philosophy to live by and see what happens.
Each is fine and it is up to us to live our lives the way we feel comfortable.
But don’t miss the chance to do exciting things and adventurous things.
Also, do not worry about what will happen.
As a Christian, we know that God will be with us and love us no matter what. If we love him and trust him, we can have our own plan but God will also have a plan.
They may not match but we can trust God's plan.
In the book of Matthew in the bible, Jesus is talking to his disciples about how they should live their lives.
“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”
Focus on God, live your life with God and he will be with you, always.
Don’t worry about what day it is or worry about your regular schedule, focus on God and his beautiful world around us.
Unique Combination.
Recently, I have started to learn how to bake. I don't just mean cakes and cookies, I've started to learn how to make more interesting things like pastry too.
It was an accident really, stemming from the fact that I had left some bananas for a few too many days and made banana bread so I didn't waste them.
And I've baked almost every day since.
What I find fascinating is how the ingredients can all be combined and work together seamlessly to create a variety of tasty treats. And how flavours can be transformed by adding just a drop of this or a pinch of that.
The flavour possibilities are endless!
I wonder if that's how God felt when he created each of us?
If different personality traits, skills and abilities were all the ingredients and God selected a unique combination for every one of us.
A splash of creativity, a pinch of humour and 200g of kindness, for example.
We have been created by God, each of us unique and special in our own way, with different amounts of every ingredient.
"Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."
Isaiah 64:8.
Due to this, we all have something different to share with the world, different God given abilities and talents that he wants us to show to others.
"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms."
1 Peter 4:10.
So whether you're superb with your soufflés, a beginner baker, like me, or if you've never baked a cake in your life, embrace your unique combination, knowing that God lovingly selected the attributes that make you who you are today.
Words
I love finding new words.
The English Language is an amazing collection of words that has developed over many years, and I love it! I also love the fact that it is constantly changing. New words are discovered each year, and words seem to fall out of favour and are not used any more.
I recently discovered the old English word ‘Scurryfunge’!
It describes the panic tidying that goes on in a house when you realise that you have visitors about to arrive and your house is a mess!
I love that word, and I am sure that lots of people have had a scurryfunge recently!
I also find it interesting that we have lots of different words in the English language for rain, but only one word for love!
The Greek language has 8 words for love, and the Arabic language has 12!
They have different words for family love, friendship love and romantic love.
The English language only has one word to describe all sorts of different types of love.
We love our favourite book, or outfit, or TV programme, and we also use the same word to describe how we love our friends, family and our partner.
The bible was written in several different languages originally, and lots of the New Testament was written in Greek. This means that sometimes when the bible is translated into English, some of the Greek words used for love all get translated into the same English word ‘Love’ and the meaning can sometimes get a bit lost.
One of the Greek words used to describe love is Agape.
This is not just love, this is unconditional self sacrificing love.
It’s the kind of love that never thinks ‘what about me’ or thinks about whether the person deserves love. It’s the deliberate intention for another’s good, even at the expense of the person giving that love, and is demonstrated in action.
The Greeks believed it to be the highest form of love.
This word Agape is used a lot to describe the love that God has for us in the bible.
However, in the English translation, it is translated as love.
Love is a wonderful word, but the English language lets it down here, as it doesn’t describe adequately the depth of love that God has for us.
Let's read this verse from the bible using the original Greek word today, to help us understand Gods amazing Agape love.
John 3:16
For this is how God Agape the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Be Like Louis!
Did you know that in the average, animal loving, family home, a dog will bear a grudge for approximately five minutes?
So when you accidentally stand on your dog’s paw he’s completely forgotten about it and moved on, in the time it takes you to make a good cup of coffee!!
To be fair on my dog, Louis, it doesn’t even take him five minutes before he’s forgiven me!
As opposed to a cat, who will bear grudges for almost an entire day!!
If stand on your cat’s tail, he would quite literally still be licking his wounds 16 hours later!!
Don’t be fooled, as any cat lover knows, they can be beautiful and vicious all at the same time!!
Our beautiful cat, Sooty, that we had when we were growing up, would take a swipe at us, at any known moment, probably for some wrong we had done, and not known of, much earlier in the day!
While we can laugh at the funny and fascinating ways of the animal kingdom, grudge bearing does not cause much laughter amongst humans.
I was talking to someone just the other day, and they were speaking of the huge grudge they held for a lady who had passed away a number of years before.
The grudge bearing was real and consumed this person’s thoughts.
They were livid, and sadly it showed in many aspects of their life.
They couldn’t let go.
And to top it off, they had never even met!
She had never even heard of him.
Someone once said,
‘Holding a grudge is like letting someone live rent-free in your head’.
In Proverbs we read,
‘If you are sensible,
you will control your temper.
When someone wrongs you,
it is a great virtue to ignore it.’
And in writing to the Ephesians, Paul said,
‘Get rid of all bitterness,
passion,
and anger.
No more shouting or insults,
no more hateful feelings of any sort.
Instead,
be kind and tender-hearted to one another,
and forgive one another,
as God has forgiven you through Christ.’
Can I encourage each one of us today to put aside our grudges,
choosing to not allow people to live ‘rent-free’ in our heads,
and recognising the God who sees and hears all of our thoughts,
words
and actions
AND STILL loves us.
Have a lovely day everybody and let’s be more like Louis.
Pause
Before you get stuck into your day, with all the busyness,
noise, distractions…
can I suggest that you just stop.
Grab a coffee.
Find a seat.
Click on the link below to hear this beautiful piece of music.
And in those few quiet moments, maybe offer your day to God.
The struggles.
The fears.
The hurts.
Doubts.
Needs.
The huge To Do list.
The loneliness
and deafening silence.
Offer it to God.
Ask for His help.
Wisdom.
Guidance.
And choose to trust Him.
The one who holds our future.
‘BE STILL, and know that I am God’
Have a very peaceful, hopeful and blessed Tuesday.
LIFE?
It was about two weeks ago that my brother took ill and was rushed to hospital.
I and some family members went in to see him. He lay in bed, not moving, not speaking, eyes closed. We stayed for two hours, talking, and looking at this non-responsive figure lying there.
After that, each day I went in, I was greeted with exactly the same scene, plus tubes and wires connecting him to mysterious equipment. But no controlled movement, no speaking, eyes closed. We sat around and chatted and looked for signs of life, all we could see was him breathing.
So, there was life there, just a little.
We ran out of things to talk about as we met up most days and looked for progress. Nothing changed.
Then two days ago, I was the only one who could visit, and I went in expecting to see what I had seen before but praying that I may be able to report an improvement, no matter how tiny.
He was propped up, awake, eyes open! He recognised me and spoke for the first time in two weeks.
After that, I worked very hard to engage him in conversation that included every subject under the sun. I went home exhausted but delighted.
Driving home I began to think about life and what it means.
My brother had been totally committed to his faith and his leadership activities in church. His life had been a picture of constant activity and service for God. For two weeks I had watched him in bed, still alive, but his life had changed.
When I look back at my life, I see energy expended in multiple ways and for various reasons. Probably we can all do the same thing. But I wonder how much of the life God has given me over the years, was worth living.
Have there been times (years?) when I have been as active and useful as my brother has been in the past two weeks?
Is it time for me to wake up, open my eyes to the world around me, speak encouraging words where they are needed, and actually do something that makes my life meaningful?
Paul made a very significant statement to the people in Antioch that reaches down to us over the centuries. He said, “When David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep.”
This points out that God allocates a definite amount of time for each of us to fulfil His plans, before we run out of life.
David understood perfectly, he wrote, ‘I trust in You Lord, I say ‘You are my God.’ My times are in Your hands.’
Let’s understand that we are only still breathing because we have work to finish. God will decide when it's time for us to sleep.
The Lion and the Lamb
When you think of animals I think we can all agree on the fact that a lion and a lamb couldn’t be more different?!
The lion…
The King of the Jungle,
The King of Beasts,
Is a fierce and mighty animal!
He has an awesome and terrifying presence…
..Unlike the lamb…
Meek,
Mild,
Gentle,
Vulnerable.
And Jesus is known as both
The Lion
And The Lamb.
Jesus, The Lamb,
is kind, gentle, meek
and He made Himself completely vulnerable all those years ago and became the
sacrificial lamb.
For you.
For me.
The greatest gift we’ve ever been given.
Jesus, The Lion,
is powerful, dangerous, formidable, majestic, King of Kings.
‘Meekness and majesty,
Manhood and deity,
In perfect harmony,
The man who is God’
May we be in awe of Jesus, the Lion and the Lamb.
Terrible Train Journey.
This week, I had a terrible train journey. Delays, cancellations, having to get off due to further delays - basically anything that could've gone wrong managed to go wrong.
A collection of hurdles stood in the way between me and my destination.
And, when I was thinking about it afterwards, I realised that this experience explains basically every other journey we embark on during our lives.
We are faced with bumps in the road along every path we choose to go down, and very few things are achieved without a few setbacks during the process.
It's easy to feel discouraged when things go wrong and it's natural to want to give up if we don't see results.
We may also feel like turning away from God, but we must remember that God wants what is best for us and continuing to have faith will provide us with the strength to face the challenges in our lives.
Just like Job, who had his moments of doubt, but persevered with his faith, even when faced with immense difficulty and suffering.
'In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing,'
Job 1:22.
Life is filled with situations that will challenge us, and we may struggle with what to do next, but our continued faith and trust in God can help us with making the right decisions.
He is with us, through our good days, our bad days and our terrible train journeys through life and we can be comforted by the knowledge that he won't lead us astray.
'Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”'
Lamentations 3:22-24.
A Good Sort Out!
I could not put it off any longer.
Some of my kitchen cupboards could barely shut and I was not sure what was in some of them!
The time had come for a sort out.
I set to it this week, armed with cleaning supplies and spider catching equipment (just in case) to reach into the far recesses of the cupboard that goes round the corner and work out if I actually need everything that I have!
The answer was in fact no. I do not need everything in my cupboards, and I have also discovered I have an awful lot of mugs.
So the cupboards have been cleaned, I have a box for the charity shop, and all of the chipped mugs have been thrown out.
Now please don’t worry, I still have plenty of mugs, so anyone coming for a cup of tea at my house will not be disappointed!
Now even before the sort out, when the kitchen cupboards doors were shut, my kitchen looked ok.
Unless you looked in the cupboards, you wouldn’t know that it was all a bit messy inside, it looked ok from the outside. It also wasn’t all the cupboards that were messy, some looked great, it was just a few ‘problem’ ones.
That can be the same with us. we can have some parts of our lives that are on track, and look ok.
We can even appear to be doing great, until you open the metaphorical cupboard doors that is.
God wants to be a part of every part of our lives. Not just the bits that we think are ok, or the bits that look ok on the surface.
God wants to be part of the mess, the things we haven’t got sorted yet, the scary bits at the back of the cupboard!
God loves us and wants to help us. He doesn’t mind the mess!
Deuteronomy 10:12
Love God and serve him with all your heart and soul.
Let God join you in the mess of life today, he is ready, willing and able. Nothing will surprise him and nothing is too messy or scary!
The Shepherd
I came across a video on social media recently which made me laugh.
A woman had gone out for a run which took her through a wooded area, after a while she heard some noises behind her and turned to discover a whole flock of sheep was following her.
She paused for a while when she met another woman hiking and explained her predicament – the sheep all waited very patiently for her to finish her conversation and then, when she continued with her run, so did they!
It seems that the flock of sheep had become lost and followed the first thing that came along that seemed to know the way – unfortunately, it wasn’t the right way for them.
While this story amused me, it did make me think how easy it is for us to find ourselves a little lost and to be tempted to follow the first person that comes along who seems to have life sussed.
Unfortunately, if we don’t choose who we follow wisely, that can also take us down paths that aren’t good for us.
Many times in the Bible, Jesus is referred to as the ‘shepherd’:
“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.”
The shepherd is the person that knows what is best for his sheep, the shepherd protects, guides and loves each one of his sheep.
If you find you are feeling a little lost, don’t just follow the first person that comes along who seems to know the way, it may not be the right way for you – instead, call out to the shepherd and let him be your guide.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eIQQayhpak
The God Who Stays
Throughout August some of our Sunrise’s will be sharing songs with great meaning and a message to be heard.
There’s countless incredible songs out there written by people who have a story to tell. Enjoy.
Matthew West is a singer/songwriter from the States.
During a late night, quiet time at his piano, he came to realise all over again that God never walks away. When the rest of the world can get distracted, or bored, irritated, fed up and annoyed with us, and walks away….God stays.
“Many times we can get discouraged in thinking that perhaps God might get fed up with our imperfect lives and leave us, too. I wrote this song in the hopes that it might be a line by line reminder that no matter who’s walked out on you in your life, no matter who has left you, there is one who never will.
The Bible reminds us over and over again that He is not a god who walks away. He’s the God who pursues.
He’s not a god who gives up. He’s the God who persists.
He’s not a god who changes His mind. He’s the God who has made up His mind about how much He loves us.
He is not a god who leaves. He is the God who stays.”
Click the link below to hear this beautiful song…
July Sunrises
READY?
One of our younger family members has a summer holiday job working in a restaurant.
We are all watching to see if she gets any tips from happy customers.
This reminded me of a young man, studying computer science at college, who did the same thing some years ago, but for him it was a difficult time.
If he made a mistake and delivered the wrong food, or the right food to the wrong table, he discovered how angry, impatient, and abusive some people can be.
He learned over two years how to pacify grumpy clients and transform their irritation into satisfaction.
When he left college he applied for a computer job in the local university, but they were more interested in his restaurant experience because he had learned how to manage people.
They were impressed by this and he discovered that his unpleasant two years had prepared him for a better job.
When young David was a shepherd, he discovered that it wasn’t always peaceful and beautiful, because on occasions he had to deal with wild animals attacking his father’s flock.
When he went to deliver food to his brothers in the Israelite army who were being challenged to fight Goliath (nobody volunteered!), he offered to face the giant, but King Saul said it was not a job for a boy.
His response was to say, “I have killed lions and bears, and I will do the same to this heathen Philistine who has defied the army of the living God. The Lord has saved me from lions and bears; He will save me from this Philistine.”
Being a shepherd didn’t earn David much respect, but it did prepare him to have a go at Goliath, and remember he went on from there to be Israel’s greatest king.
I don’t know how you’re feeling this morning.
You could be on top of the world, or you may feel that the world is on top of you but it’s worth remembering that tough times are often allowed, or sent, by God in order that we are strong enough, and have learnt enough, to be ready for the challenge that’s coming our way.
God can use the troubles of today, as preparation for the battles of tomorrow.
As David said later in his life,
‘You armed me with strength for battle.’
A Simple Word.
Sometimes, something insignificant can transform your day.
For example, I sneezed in Lidl the other day and a lady turned to me and said 'bless you.' I thanked her, we had a little chuckle and she gave me a lovely, warm smile before continuing with her shopping.
On the surface, that sounds like such a minor thing, but afterwards, I felt genuinely happy and thought about the friendly stranger often for the rest of the day.
But, unfortunately, it's not always a friendly encounter. In some cases, what many would class as a simple word or phrase could either brighten someone's day, or ruin their mood for the rest of the day or week or beyond.
We shouldn't give that level of power to words, but as humans, it's inevitable that we take things to heart no matter how brave we try to be.
I know I've had many conversations about being upset with things that people have said, and ended these conversations with, 'I shouldn't let words get to me, but I just can't help it.'
And it's due to the fact that things can play on our minds for a long time after they have occurred that we have to be careful with what we do or say to others.
In the Book of Proverbs, it says,
"Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."
And, in Paul's letter to the Ephesians, he writes:
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."
And, together, these verses highlight the importance of choosing our words wisely because of the impact that they can have.
Moreover, choosing our words carefully and being kind towards others embodies the message of love that Jesus brought with him and shared throughout his life.
And it's through this that we can make a difference, even if it's just as simple as a 'bless you' in Lidl.
Be Still
I had the time a few days ago to have a swim in a relatively warm (not freezing) sea on the south coast. It was a quiet section of the beach and it was very calm. My family were on the beach behind me, and it was shallow enough for even me to stand up in, so I was very safe.
However, as I looked towards the horizon, all I could see was the gentle waves and the sky. No boats, no people. Just never ending sea and sky. I felt completely alone and calm.
It was incredibly peaceful.
I took a few moments to take it all in.
In this busy life, I don’t have many opportunities like this, and I took it in.
I felt very small, in the big wide ocean, just me and the sea.
Psalm 46:
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.
Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!......
Be still, and know that I am God!
Now I know that swimming in the sea is not everyone’s idea of calm, but everyone has something, be it a place or an activity, that enables them to have a small moment of calm.
Take a few moments today to be still, and let God fill your thoughts.
Be still with Him and marvel at his creative beauty.
Think about how Big God is, how small we are, and how much he loves us, and Be Still.
Whatever is happening today, take time to Be Still and know God.
Come To The Table
I have been reading about the ‘subway pushers’ in Japan. These are people employed to do one particular job....during rush hour, they are paid to push more and more people onto the already crowded trains.
Just when you thought that someone was already invading your personal space…another three turn up as well!!
These subway pushers must have been trained to know when to stop, at least I hope they have, but the idea intrigued me!
Room for one more!!
One of my absolute pet hates is cliques!
I’m not talking friendship groups that form easily and openly with common interests, but the friendship groups that form in a tight knit, exclusive way.
If you’re ‘not the right kind’ then you don’t get in. Cliques are often found in schools and can cause much hurt and isolation.
But sadly we also find them in the workplace, in social settings and even in the church!
Maybe your look isn’t right,
or your lifestyle isn’t picture perfect,
maybe you don’t sound the same,
or you’re simply ‘not good enough’ to be part of the group!
People get left out,
just because.
The bible has such a lot to say about this!
Paul writes these words,
“Bless your enemies;
no cursing under your breath.
Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy;
share tears when they’re down.
Get along with each other;
don’t be stuck-up.
Make friends with nobodies;
don’t be the great somebody”.
Can I suggest that here in Melling we adopt a gentler form of ‘Japanese subway pushing’?? Wherever we are,
whoever we’re with,
as church,
we get alongside others,
tell them that we’re in this journey of life together, hold the doors wide open
and ALWAYS make room for one more.
This beautiful song sums up what church should look like…
all welcome,
all invited,
all accepted,
always room for more,
no one ‘too far gone’,
all loved by a beautiful, perfect God who just desires relationship with each one of us….and we’re ALL invited to….
‘Come To The Table’.
TWIG
I love my new tree! When I say ‘new’, it's only new to me.
It's three years old and has been standing in a tub in a local garden centre all that time, waiting for me to arrive. It’s a silver birch, very slender and nearly twelve feet tall and it sways beautifully in the slightest breeze.
The main stem is not stocky enough to be called a trunk. I hope I live long enough to see my tree with a ‘trunk’.
I wanted to give it a name, but in my ignorance I didn’t know whether a tree was male or female. I asked Google who told me that silver birches have male and female catkins, so I had complete freedom to select any name I liked.
So, my tree is called ‘Twig’.
Of all the plants in God’s garden, my favourite is the tree.
I love flowers, especially tiny wild ones that survive and blossom independent of human involvement, in contrast to all those spoilt and cosseted varieties like roses and dahlias, (you may disagree!)
Jesus is on my side; He said,
“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these.”
But the tree, whether it's tiny or flipping enormous, always wins my beauty competition.
I walk a black Lab around Ruff Wood that is made up of hundreds of trees and I’m always moved when I look at the biggest and wonder how much history they have lived through.
If only they could talk!
We are a little like trees ourselves because we also live through history;
How much have you seen, is the world very different to the world you were born into?
How many Prime Ministers have risen and fallen during your years;
Do you remember the Swinging Sixties?
One of the differences between us and trees of course is that we can talk.
Can we talk about the time we realised that God was real and loved us enough for His Son to die for us?
Can we talk about how God has been transforming us into His likeness over the years?
In the book of Jeremiah, we hear God saying,
“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Do we look back and wish we had borne more fruit?
Trees are beautiful, but silent.
God has given us the wonderful gift of language, so that we can share with people around us the years we have lived through, and what we have discovered about, not just trees, but the Creator God who has blessed us with them and so much more.
Another Advert?
Have you realised how much adverts are taking over in our world?
We are used to having adverts on the TV and in the newspaper. There are billboards popping up all over the place with old lorry wagons slowly crumbling in a field with an advert on them. A company can sponsor a roundabout and advertise on it. On our phones, as we browse the internet, we are bombarded with adverts.
Isn’t it also slightly unnerving that they are advertising things that are very relevant to us!
They are all keen to provide the opportunity to browse and buy their product, sometimes it can be something really useful. Other times, it can be spending on something we maybe did not really need!
Opportunity is presented to us every day in many different ways. Sometimes we see them right in front of us, sometimes we miss them.
Whatever happens during each day, remember to look for the opportunities.
God wants to be a part of our lives and He will present us with opportunities to see Him, in the things which happen or in the world around us.
He will also present us with opportunities to be like Jesus to others around us, maybe to talk with someone or maybe just to listen to someone, to show them someone cares.
It’s a bit like an advert for God, it's an opportunity for us to see God in our lives and the world around us.
It’s an opportunity for us to live our lives as God would want.
We are reminded in Galatians 6:
So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all.
Summer Slump.
Has anyone else been feeling a bit unmotivated lately?
There have been times where I've felt as though I was just going through the motions of my day rather than paying conscious attention to them.
I started to get worried, so I googled it and apparently there is a term for it: Summer Slump. This is where free time during the Summer leads to an inefficiency when performing general tasks.
I think it's likely because, while I have been busy, this is the first Summer I can remember where my plans for the immediate future have not all been sorted and planned out.
In previous years, I knew that I would just be progressing in school and, after that, I had a job lined up. I know that I'm going to university in September, but as I'm still waiting for everything to be confirmed, I feel a bit lost just waiting for things to happen around me.
When we're unsure of where our lives are going and we feel stuck, it's important to remember that God knows what's in store for all of us.
'For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' Jeremiah 29:11.
And while we worry about the future, we can be comforted by the fact that God is with us, providing us with strength to face the days, even when we don't feel like there is any direction to our lives.
'So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.' Isaiah 41
Rest
This is the time of year where the normal patterns of life change slightly. The Big Summer Holidays (as my children used to call it when they were little). Even if you are not directly involved with school age children, there are changes. Regular groups often have a summer break and normally nice quiet cafes and shops become overrun with families! Some people may get a lot busier, especially if you have children or grandchildren, and some people, particularly if you work in a school setting, are quietening down.
When my girls were little, at the start of the summer break I would get them to write 5 things that they wanted to do over the summer, and we would do our best to complete them. There were a few big requests, but most of them were very simple pleasures. Activities such as having a picnic, or watching a film, or going for a walk, were usually there, along with seeing friends and playing monopoly (that might have been mine!).
If you have a spare few hours, what are your favourite ways to relax and recharge? It could be a walk, time in the garden, time to sit and read a good book.
Taking time out to rest can be just as important as working. We all need time to recharge our batteries, sometimes by involving ourselves in a different activity, sometimes by just resting.
So why don’t you write yourself a list for the next few weeks. Five things that you really would like to achieve, to recharge your batteries.
It could be as simple as a big lie in, or time to sit in the garden, but put it on the fridge and see how you get on.
It could also be to spend time quietly sitting with God.
Taking time out to just be still and listen to Gods’ gentle rhythms of grace and love.
Why don’t you put him on the list this summer?
Psalm 62:
Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.
We Are In It Together
I wonder how you are doing? Are you enjoying the mini heat wave?
Are you managing to go on holiday?
Have you recently had any fun times and memory making occasions?
Or maybe these months have been a long drag for you? Maybe it has been a time of loneliness?
Remembering times gone by?
My weeks have been crazy.
I have to say that’s not a lot different to normal life in our household.
There’s always something going on,
a deadline of some kind to meet,
somewhere to be,
the house often filled with a variety of friends and family, and let’s not forget our two dogs.
FULL of life!!
And mischief!
Yes life is indeed very busy and I do find myself looking for a quiet space with increasing regularity!
Just ten minutes!!
Just so I can hear myself think!
But!
While I am seeking a few moments of quiet, I am acutely aware that others would do anything to have something of our noise and madness and activity!
Sometimes it can be easy to miss the blessings that are staring you in the face!
It wasn’t long ago when I was waking up each morning wondering how I would have the strength and wisdom and courage to face another day. Wondering how to make ‘everything better’ for my girls.
Wondering if life would ever again ‘not hurt’.
If you’re in that place today, can I encourage you to do what I learnt (very slowly!!!) to do? (Still learning!!!)
Can I encourage you to hand over your struggles and hurts to a God who truly understands and cares?
A God who is so devoted to you that He went through the struggle and pain and rejection in order for us to draw close to Him.
A God who so understands our struggles that He was called the ‘Man of Sorrows’.
Jesus said, ‘Come to me all you who are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest’.
And if you’re in that good place right now, can I encourage you to say Thankyou to God.
To recognise the blessings you’re experiencing. And maybe look to those for whom life is tough and invite them into your ‘world’ for a cup of tea and a chat.
That simple action could mean the world to them. And one day, maybe they will be able return the favour?
‘To God be the glory’
HOW IMPORTANT I AM
I am just one person out of nearly eight thousand million people on an incredibly tiny tiny tiny planet that sits in a corner of an insignificant solar system. Our Earth is a miniscule dot of dust amongst the billions of universes that God created. So clearly we are of no importance at all.
David had this in his mind when he wrote,
‘When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is mankind that You are mindful of them, human beings that You care for them?’
However, this dot of dust is a store house of miracles. Everywhere we look we see miraculous creations that amaze us and help us to realise that God has been busy. These things are not accidents, they are the result of great power and ability beyond human comprehension.
And so am I!
And so are you!
David wrote,
‘You are the one who put me together inside my mother’s body, and I praise You because of the wonderful way You created me. Everything You do is marvellous. Of this I have no doubt.’
In the first chapter in the Bible, we read,
‘God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them, male and female He created them.’
God has made us in His image, this means we are superior to all other created creatures, and He can communicate with us, and we have the ability to respond. We are more miraculous than all of the other God-made miracles.
We all have days when we feel insignificant, unnoticed, and of no importance. That’s never true; every minute of every day, we are important to the God who created us.
‘God showed how much He loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.’
God knows all about us, our thoughts, activities, plans, relationships, secrets, everything, but He still loves us.
How important you are.
Oh, and me!
What Is Your Intention?
I do like watching “Who Do You Think You Are?” on the TV, as some of the stories that they find in peoples family history can be quite interesting and sometimes surprising.
If you saw it this week, Bear Grylls was the person in the frame.
Bear is an adventurer and TV personality, and he also works with the Scouts and The Princes Trust. Bear is a Christian and considers his faith the backbone of his life.
He is quoted saying “You can't keep God out, He’s all around us if we’re just still enough to listen”.
Whilst looking into his history on his mum’s side of the family, his great great grandfather Rev Lionel Ford who as well as being an Anglican vicar was also headmaster at Harrow school in the early 20th century. He also wrote about Scouting and the 7 promises of Scouts, he wrote about it being easy to be “unintentionally cruel” and in order to avoid this we should be “intentionally kind”.
It is an interesting observation that we sometimes don’t mean to be unkind or cruel or rude, but we sometimes end up doing that by accident. If we purposely think about being kind and generous, then we are far more likely to be so.
As a Christian, we also need to continually and intentionally live our lives as Jesus would.
The Bible describes this in Ephesians as;
Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.
Let’s try to start each day by intentionally living our lives as Jesus would.
Find time during the day to be still, to look and listen for Jesus.
What’s Your Calling?
Music has been a huge part of my life for longer than I can remember.
My mum would sing to me in my cot and we’d always have the radio playing while completing tasks around the house.
As I grew up, I began to take music more seriously and dedicated a lot of time to learning the theory too, which is a lot more challenging than I first thought. There are key signatures, time signatures, scales and so many other elements that comprise our favourite pieces of music, even if they only last three minutes.
However, like most things, not everybody has a passion for music and would rather spend their time learning other ways to express themselves, like painting, poetry or sports.
These are equally as challenging, and, when they go according to plan, equally as rewarding.
I guess this is what we would call our ‘calling;’ activities that we have been drawn to, things that we are determined to perfect.
But what’s important to remember is that our ability to have unique interests and a variety of amazing talents is due to the loving God, who knew us before we were formed in the womb, that bestowed them upon us.
He knew the artists among us, the athletes, the musicians, the writers, and everything in between.
So, whatever your calling is, participate in it with joy, knowing that your ability is God given, and there is no one more powerful to bless us with incredible gifts.
‘You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.’
Psalm 16:11.
More Butterflies
After the exciting discovery last week of a species of butterfly, I had the opportunity to study some butterflies more closely, in the butterfly house of a local zoo. There were many species and they were all wonderful, but the one that really caught my eye was a species called the ‘Blue Morpho’.
The reason was that when its wings were shut, it looked terrible to be honest. It was brown and dull, and the edges of its wings were ragged and looked almost torn. I am sure it was a camouflage protection, but it really didn’t look great.
Until it opened its wings. This is because the inside of the Blue Morpho’s wings are the most amazing brilliant blue. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful colour, and even more so as the outside of its wings are so different.
I think people can be a bit like this butterfly.
A person may look ragged and torn and not in great shape, but underneath that exterior, once you get to know them, they have the most breath-taking beauty of heart.
Sometimes when we have had a rough day/week/month/year, we can feel rough and ragged, and can almost talk ourselves into believing that that’s how we are on the inside as well.
God doesn’t see us like this at all. The bible tells us that God doesn’t look at how a person may appear to the world, He looks at their hearts. God looks at you and he loves you. He knows the amazing beauty and potential within each one of us, and he is delighted with you.
Ephesians 2:19-22
You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together.
However you feel today, remember that God loves you and sees your amazing beauty inside.
Let's take a moment today, to attempt to see ourselves and others as God sees us and them, let's look for the beauty within.
Stormy Weather
I love a good storm. We’ve heard rumbles of thunder over the past few days and seen the flashes of lightning in the sky – in fact, we walked into choir yesterday evening in beautiful sunshine but by the time we left we had to run across the car park to avoid getting too wet in the rain as the thunder rumbled in the background.
The crash of thunder nearby and the flash of lightning can be both awe-inspiring and terrifying all at the same time.
The raw power of a storm viewed from a safe place can be an incredible thing to witness but if you are caught in the middle of that storm, that can be a frightening place to be.
In the Bible we read about an occasion when the disciples were caught out in a storm:
“Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.”
The storm was terrifying and the disciples were understandably afraid but they hadn’t understood that no matter how big the waves got, how tossed about they were or how deafening the thunder, they would come through the storm because Jesus was in the boat with them.
Sometimes life can be like that storm – apparently from nowhere tough times can hit and we can feel like we are being tossed around, battered and bruised with no control. But we can be assured that so long as we have Jesus in the boat with us then we have nothing to fear.
The choir used to sing a song with these lyrics:
“ ’Til the storm passes over, ‘til the thunder sounds no more, ‘til the clouds roll forever from the sky; Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of your hand, keep me safe ‘til the storm passes by.”
Whatever today brings, let’s face it with the confidence of knowing that Jesus is in the boat with us on the stormy days as well as the sunny ones.
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
Hungry Like The Wolf
‘Seems like all I could see was the struggle,
Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past...’
Redeemed - Written and performed by Big Daddy Weave
A grandad once sat down with his young grandson and told him a short story.
“Y’know, I have two wolves inside of me and they are fighting each other. One wolf represents greed, anger, unforgiveness, impatience, hatred... The other one represents kindness, gentleness, forgiveness, patience, love…“
The young boy looked at him intently,
“Grandad, which wolf is going to win?”
His grandad’s answer was short and full of wisdom,
“The one I feed is the one that will win”.
Our thoughts and feelings can sometimes become overwhelming. Some days we can have irrational fears, and another day we can have huge regrets. Some of us may live and breathe anger from the moment we wake up each morning. And maybe there is an argument that we had with somebody, possibly years ago, that still plays on our mind and continues to cause negative thoughts and feelings.
Putting it quite simply, we become what we dwell on the most.
That grandad was wise and gave his young grandson a valuable life lesson about feeding wolves!
Paul in the Bible, knew all about negative thoughts. He had once lived with enormous hatred and anger and resentment. Jesus helped him not just turn his thoughts around, but his whole life around. Paul wrote these words,
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things”.
Paul achieved more in the years of right thinking than he ever did in the years when his mind was filled with anger and hatred and unforgiveness.
Life is so very short, let’s recognise the wolves inside of us and make sure we feed the right one.
Let’s make every day the very best we can.
Everything’s New
So here I am, it’s 7am, and I’m looking out of the window where the silver birch used to be, but it’s gone; the lovely little decking area, which was only constructed two years ago yesterday, has vanished; the big shed at the bottom of the garden, which contained all my tools has disappeared; a beautiful Persian cat has just jumped over a small stone wall, they’re both new; I’m looking at the kitchen, but it’s not where it used to be; and the sun has risen on the wrong side of the house! I know you’re ahead of me, we moved to a new (old) house a week ago and everything is new.
I’m still getting used to the fact that we no longer have any stairs in our home, it feels very strange.
Even stranger is the realisation that this morning we can walk to church.
Walk! That’s also new for these old (-ish) legs.
The truth is that we don’t need to start life again for everything to be new.
Priorities. Attitudes. Our futures, hopes, and dreams, can all be restarted now, whatever age we may happen to be.
In our bibles, we constantly read of people, adults, whose lives were transformed by God’s power and love.
“Naaman was the commander of the Syrian army. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.”
In those days, this was a death sentence, but at the end of the story we read,
“His skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed.”
So Naaman could start his life again.
In the new Testament, we read of a man called Legion, who frightened everyone, he was chained up but broke free, and lived alone in a graveyard. Jesus went to visit him, and the result was that local people came and,
“Found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind.”
His neighbours would see a new man with a new life.
There was an unnamed woman, ill for 12 years, who had spent all her money on doctors fees, but was still desperately sick. She saw Jesus in a crowd and all she did was reach out in faith and touched the hem of his cloak.
“Jesus turned; He saw the woman and said, ‘Don’t worry! Your are healed because of your faith.’ At that moment she was healed.”
She walked away with no illness and no doctors fees!
These three people and many more in the Bible started life all over again, whatever their age.
Jesus had a word for it; he told Nicodemus, a religious leader,
“No one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again.”
Christians didn’t make that up, Jesus did.
Thank You
How often do we say ‘thank you’? In what way do you say ‘thank you’?
In my work, there is a specific service available to managers called “impact recognition”, which I think is actually quite a good name for it.
We were discussing the different ways to say thank you in an office environment.
There are various ways this can be done, sending an e-card through the email service, which is nice but we thought should be after you have spoken to them personally. These emails can also include a gift card of varying values so the person could buy themselves a little treat or go out for a meal.
We also discussed whether we should give a “shout out” when we meet together as a team, but we discussed how some people may find this awkward or embarrassing, so should be done with care.
But it was always about when someone went out of their way and in doing so they made an impact.
Sometimes when we do something for someone else, we don’t always know what sort of an impact it has on the recipient. Sometimes a small action can have a big impact. Or it could be that a collection of smaller acts of kindness from different people can have an impact. But whichever way it is, it's always good to say ‘thank you’.
In the Bible, the Christian leaders would write to different churches to encourage and guide them.
In the book, 1 Thessalonians 5, we are advised to;
Honour those who work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other. Brothers and sisters, encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Let’s do as Jesus would want us to, look after each other, pray for each other and be thankful.
Have A Little...Patience
This week, I went on a trip with work to the University of Liverpool. Its purpose was to encourage the students to look into learning another language, and one of the activities was to try some Chinese calligraphy.
This art form is so beautiful, with each character drawn with absolute precision and many individuals still dedicating hours to practising their technique, even when it seems that they have perfected it.
The lady running the class told us a story about a young man called Zhang Zhi who used to rinse his brushes in a pond near where he was learning calligraphy, and over time the pond slowly began to turn black because of his continued dedication to his craft. Due to his patience, perseverance and commitment to learning, he went on to become one of the most celebrated calligraphers in China. And I think that the message behind this story is one that we, as Christians, can really relate to.
We pray, and, sometimes, our prayers can feel like they’ve gone unheard. This can cause us to lose patience and start to question if it is worth continuing if we do not feel listened to by God. But it is crucial to remember that God’s timing is perfect and we have to trust and be patient that things will be okay – in the same way that Zhang Zhi trusted that, one day, his practice will result in excellent calligraphy skills… and it certainly did.
Psalm 40:1 – 2.
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
And in the same way God is patient with us, we should be patient with him.
As he is the only one who knows when to perform the final brush stroke, to complete the masterpiece and answer our prayers.
Butterflies
In the hawthorn hedges of south east London, something very unexpected has occurred.
Not just unexpected, completely totally and utterly unexpected!
A small group of black veined white butterflies have been spotted on numerous occasions.
Now these are very pretty and delicate butterflies, but what makes these sightings so unexpected is that they have been extinct in Britain since 1925!
To add further intrigue, to the scientific community’s knowledge, no captive breeding for this butterfly exists in the UK, so it’s a complete mystery as to where they have come from.
So how does a species of butterfly go from being extinct for 100 years to suddenly here and present in London!
How wonderful and what an unexpected surprise.
Sometimes in life these unexpected blessings appear. It could be as small and as delicate as a butterfly, or something much larger.
People can be unexpected blessings, in the giving of time or a gift.
It can be the little things that often give great Joy.
A kind word at the right time, a hug, a reminder of a great memory, all of these things and more can bring a spark of joy to your day, and provide an unexpected blessing.
As you go about your day today, why not make a conscious effort to be an unexpected blessing to those you meet?
Let’s spread God's love around, and be the reason that someone smiles today.
Numbers 6: 24-26
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favour and give you his peace.’
Desert Storm
Australia is home to the largest population of feral camels.
Last year there was an estimated 1 million camels living in the wild and they’re expected to increase dramatically in number over these coming years.
I’ve never had a camel ride and can’t say I’m particularly sad about that.
I got up close to one in Lebanon some years ago. His natural aroma took my breath away!
These incredible creatures are known for their ability to travel long distances in extreme heat and severe sandstorms and not need to drink water for up to a ridiculous 15 days!!!
It’s simply incredible!!
But there is another side to camels which is less pleasant.
Camels are huge grudge bearers.
If you upset one, they will remember it!
Beware!
They have been known to refuse to stand up for people sitting on their backs,
or stand up quickly and run until the person falls off them,
and on occasions they’ve been known to seek revenge by running after a person they dislike and jumping on them!
Ouch!
Their legs may be long but their memories are longer.
Sadly, camels aren’t the only ones to bear grudges.
We can be pretty good at it ourselves.
All it may take is a word spoken out of turn,
a moment of irritation
or frustration,
somebody doing something you don’t like,
or don’t agree with,
and the grudge bearing begins.
It probably starts with a bit of a grumble, but if not dealt with, can very rapidly become an all-consuming list of all the perceived wrongs that have been done to you.
And putting it simply, that’s not good for anyone.
There are many times in the Bible where grudge bearing has been addressed.
It’s a huge issue,
and it can destroy the grudge bearer
and their victim.
Forgiveness is so important for us all.
The Bible says,
‘Stop being mean,
bad-tempered,
and angry.
Quarrelling,
harsh words,
and dislike of others should have no place in your lives.
Instead,
be kind to each other,
tenderhearted,
forgiving one another,
just as God has forgiven you because you belong to Christ’.
‘Hatred starts fights, but love pulls a quilt over the bickering’.
Maybe the next time we see a camel we can make a special effort to be kind to it,
and at the same time be mindful of any grudge bearing we may hold.
Let’s leave that to the camels!
Living Hope
Good morning everybody.
Last night I lay awake thinking of several people for whom life is really tough at the moment.
The kind of ‘tough’ that I feel helpless with.
But not hopeless!
If you are going through the toughest of times and life seems, well, almost unbearable, may this song not only be a beautiful sound to you, but may it remind you of the hope we can have in a living God.
‘…but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.‘
Click the link below to hear this beautiful song…
Britain’s Got Talent?
Well the title of this Sunrise has got to provoke at
least some tiny bit of a reaction??
Did you watch the Britain’s Got Talent final last night??
It was a packed event with numerous child acts.
The adorable Ugandan Ghetto Kids,
the talented Irish magician,
the little opera singer with a taste for good footwear and with a voice that resembled the young Aled Jones?
Liverpool had our very own child gymnast/dancer. And then there were the adults in the competition! From singers and dancers,
to aerial acrobats to
comedians!
Who’d have thought,
‘Don’t worry….I’m wearing pants!’ could be so funny?
Or what about
….’One more time….’?
At the end of the night the Norwegian comedian Viggo Venn took the prize with his hi-viz jacket-laden act.
What did you make of it?
Few people have no opinion!!
Fool?
Or comedy genius?
I’ve got to say, I thought he was a hoot!!!….much to the disgust of other family members.
But whether you saw the show or not, whether you voted or not, whether you are disgusted or delighted with the winning act, it’s not really going to change our life.
In the Bible, Paul, who had made many wrong decisions in his life, was writing to the church in Philippi, encouraging them to remain focused and keep their eyes on the ‘goal’ of living a life in relationship with Jesus.
He knew,
all too well,
the distractions life can throw at us, causing us to look elsewhere for
significance,
satisfaction,
worth.
And he knew how empty those distractions were…
‘…..I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it….’
Whether you display competition-winning skills in singing,
dancing
or comedy
or display more discreet gifts of loyal friendship, encouragement,
reliability
(the list goes on and on!!)
may you know today that your worth to God is vast. Your place on this earth is not accidental.
And God beckons each and every one of us onward, to Jesus.
Tonight we have choir practice…I’m off to buy 50 hi-viz jackets!!!
But Why?
The favourite question from kids growing up was always “but why?”, on and on it went. You would give an answer, they would pause and think about it and then “BUT WHY?” I think this was their revenge on parents for telling them when travelling that it was “just around the next bend” !!
There are times, however, when each of us will come across something and not be able to understand. Why has this happened? How does that work? Who would do that? Why would you do that? It’s very confusing and sometimes can be upsetting when something happens that you just can’t fathom.
How is it that whenever I go for a forest walk it is just when a military plane flies overhead and I don’t get to see it and watch it?
How is it that friends surprise you in the middle of cleaning and you have run out of teabags?
Sometimes it is more serious and you see some news on the TV and you ask why did that happen?
Why would someone do that?
As Christians we have a hope in Jesus that He will save us and He knows what is going on. We don’t always understand but then we are not God. Our hope is not based on us but on our faith and trust in Jesus. Our strength of heart and mind is not based on our feelings but in the peace and comfort that Jesus brings.
In the Bible, King David went through many difficult times and he made many mistakes but he often cried out to God and these are recorded in the book of Psalms, here is one text from Psalm 62 (CEV)
Only God gives inward peace, and I depend on him.
God alone is the mighty rock that keeps me safe,
and he is the fortress where I feel secure.
God saves me and honours me.
He is that mighty rock where I find safety.
Trust God, my friends,
and always tell him each of your concerns.
God is our place of safety.
If you are finding things hard to understand, don’t worry about them. Talk to God about them and tell him how you are feeling. It's not going to answer every question but you will find calm and peace and love in talking about it with God.
Bingo!
I didn't know that it was possible to be bad at bingo. It's a game of luck that requires no skill whatsoever. But, somehow, I have never ever won. And every week that I attend bingo with my nan, I watch as the same people shout 'Line' or 'Bingo' and silently seethe that I have never felt the satisfaction of being in their shoes or the butterflies that would build in my stomach when I finally get to cross off the last number from my bingo card.
I suppose I don't mind all that much really, as I still have a great time.
There's only a small group of us and we play in the community room of my nan's apartment building and I am the youngest attendee by at least 50 years. It's led by the building's manager, and it always makes me smile when I see how good her relationship with all of the residents is. And how comfortable the residents are together. Like they have known each other forever.
And, each Thursday, they have a food bank run by volunteers - several of whom are residents in the building, my nan being one of them - and they'll gather shopping for those unable to make the journey downstairs, and carry it up for them so they don't miss out.
This close knit community is something that I find so beautiful, and it reflects the second greatest commandment given to us by Jesus, in a literal and figurative sense. 'And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:39.
Having a close community makes the whole stronger. It ensures that there's always someone who has your back, someone to make sure that you're not alone, someone to talk to when life gets tough and people to celebrate with during the great times… Even if they do continue to beat you at bingo.
'Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.'
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12.
Treasure!
I have recently read an article detailing the 30% rise in shoplifting in the past year. Whilst I cannot condone shoplifting in any way, it’s a sad measure as to how the cost-of-living rise has really impacted on households and their ability to buy the food necessities that they need. Ironically it means that supermarkets are now spending an ever-increasing amount on shop security, which puts the price of food up even more!
What intrigued me though, was the items that were top of the list in terms of the amount shoplifted.
I would imagine bread and milk, but no, the most shoplifted items are now Coffee, Cheese and Steaks!
Clearly, the daily espresso is definitely worth going to jail for!
It did make me think about what item of food I really could not do without.
Probably for me it’s my morning cup of tea, how about you?
The bible speaks about treasure quite a lot. Many Old Testament kings had loads of it, such as Solomon. He even had Gorillas brought halfway around the world to prove how wealthy he was!
Jesus, though, talked about treasure in a different kind of way. He wanted to let us know that whilst earthly treasure can be great, if that’s all you think about, you will be disappointed eventually. In other words, ‘you can’t take it with you’.
Jesus wanted us to concentrate on a different kind of treasure.
Matthew 6:19-21
Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Jesus was talking about the kind of treasure that would last forever. How much you love God and love others. How much you decide to live your life God's way, and not your own, loving and serving him. Loving God and others is the treasure that will last, and last and last. It will never devalue, or rust, and no-one can ever take it away.
Let’s concentrate on that kind of treasure today.
May Sunrises
What Day Is It?
As wonderful as it is to discover that there is another bank holiday, I do find that it causes me quite a bit of confusion and I spend the rest of the week not knowing what day it is and running at least a day behind. It’s a wonder I actually manage to turn up to work!
Our days and weeks are punctuated by familiar routines – choir on a Monday; Hub on a Wednesday; Bible study on a Friday; Church on a Sunday – change the routine and it is quite possible that I will start to turn up to Hub on Friday, choir on Sunday and goodness knows what might happen on Wednesday!
We can easily become a little obsessed with time, whether you are someone who always needs to be on time or someone who is constantly stressed because you always seem to be running late – time (and sometimes lack of it) can sometimes start to rule our lives.
But if we were to ask God about time, I think he may take a slightly different view – as the Psalmist puts it “For you, a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours”.
God’s timing isn’t always the same as ours and sometimes he appears to be taking his time over things that we think should be rushed ahead with. In Ecclesiastes we read these words:
“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for Peace….God has made everything beautiful in its own time.”
So the next time that your timeliness, or lack of it, starts to stress you, just remember that God has given a time for everything including a time to sit with friends, a time to pause in the sunshine and a time to stop and look at the beauty of his creation around us – and for the benefit of my boss, a time to know when the bank holiday is over and go back to work!
Same, But Different
I’ve joined a Pilates group.
It’s been nearly two weeks since we started and we’re ever so encouraging!
We’re given daily exercises to do online, and we cheer each other on from a distance.
I never used to be a Pilates kind of girl.
The very slow, controlled, small movements really didn’t float my boat!
Years ago I was more of a gym girl…
oh and then there was Mr Motivator…
then it was Zumba…
next was a short stint with maracas…
and I know there was a moment with Rosemary Conley!!
But Pilates, well that was never my go-to…until now!
With those repetitive, slow, intense movements, I’ve never walked so much like John Wayne in all my life!!
Exercise choices have a lot to do with personality don’t they?!
Some people prefer the quiet, discipline of Pilates,
others feel the need for a daily carnival complete with bright orange leggings, words of encouragement shouted out in Spanish and the smell of tropical fruit scented body spray! Maybe you’re more of a 10,000 steps a day kind of person?
Headphones in, enjoying your own space and thoughts?
I could go on but you get the picture!
We’re all different!
And isn’t that just wonderful!?
Imagine a world where we all did Pilates!!…it would be like a world in slow motion!
Or how about everybody being driven constantly by Zumba sounds and movements???…Madness!!!
And how boring if we all put our headphones in and walked and walked and engaged with no one else?!
How wonderful to have such mixtures of loud and quiet, calm and lively, cautious and impulsive, studious and not-so-much….
But the Bible tells us there are things we do need to be the same on….
‘….Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.’
So today, whether you’re a Zumba person or a Pilates one, thank God for all these wonderful differences we experience in one another, but let’s agree to all choose to bless each other today and always.
FOLLOWING
It seemed well planned, I had thought everything out, I knew what time I needed to be there and how long it would take. I’m used to considering road works and accidents, but road works had finished on this road and problems caused by an accident were unlikely.
I was right; no road works and no accidents, who’s a clever boy?
So, I sailed along on that beautiful late Spring morning, cruised round a bend and discovered I hadn’t thought of everything. It was only a squirrel, a young one who didn’t seem to understand how cars and squirrels mix. They don’t! I’m not sure if it was panicking or if, in its little brain, it thought this was fun. It was a narrow country lane and the squirrel decided to run down the middle. I’ve watched squirrels shoot up trees like rockets but on level ground they don’t move as fast, certainly this one didn’t give the impression that it was in a hurry. I tried several times to persuade it to move over by driving hard over to one side, then the other, but it simply matched my movements, so we continued this procession for about a mile at little more than walking pace. I confess I was tempted to run it over, but I’m sure you will be proud of me for rejecting the temptation. So I chose to keep following, which was inconvenient and required patience until suddenly it turned sharp left with no signals and vanished.
I was on my way to church where the speaker talked about Jesus inviting twelve men to “Follow Me.” It would mean they would leave behind family, home, and work, with no guarantee of safety or returning home.
How many of us who call ourselves ‘Christians’ would agree to that?
The squirrel event happened yesterday, which was Pentecost, and the speaker talked about those 3000 people who agreed on that day 2000 years ago to follow Jesus. This was not inconvenient, it was a massive change of direction, and it didn’t need patience but huge commitment that would shock them, their family, and friends.
‘Following’ means different things to different people; certain individuals yesterday were either devastated or elated because they follow certain football teams.
Choosing to follow Hoppy the squirrel cost me nothing but ten minutes; following a football team can be hugely frustrating and expensive, but choosing to follow Jesus is life-changing, challenging, costly, and massively rewarding.
This is a sad world, people all around us are troubled in many ways, but to those who choose to follow Him, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.”
WYSIWYG
What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) pronounced “wiz-ee-wig”.
This is a term I first heard many years ago when working on a spreadsheet. Computers can be confusing and making them do what you want was not easy. A colleague of mine used to call me up sometimes and say “Help, the computer is doing what I tell it to do, not what I want it to do”. He knew what he wanted but did not know how to get the computer to do it. Then they started to use a method called WYSIWYG which made it easier for people to make the computer do what you want (though for some computers are still a dark art!)
Some people would say that scousers are like that, what you see is what you get.
There are passages in the bible that are like that, they speak for themselves. Psalm 23
Read it slowly and take its message to heart. Then read it again.
The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths,
bringing honour to his name.
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.
You honour me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
Forever.
Face Your Fears.
Doing things outside our comfort zone can be terrifying. There are few things in life that fill us with the same level of anxiety that facing an unfamiliar situation brings.
And earlier this week, I did exactly that. I faced a fear. Something that had tied my stomach in knots at the very thought of it. Honestly, I don't know why I was so afraid; I was surrounded by friends and in a very relaxed environment, but I was still extremely anxious about it.
In the end, it wasn't too bad. I think. I hope.
I find that happens often, we tend to psych ourselves up, imagining the worst case scenario, thinking that everything is going to fall apart, and then it turns out fine. But that rarely makes the next time we find ourselves in an uncomfortable situation any easier.
In the Bible, the phrase 'Do not be Afraid,' is used many times. And it's simple enough to be told that we do not need to be afraid, but in practice, it comes with a lot more baggage than just accepting the words. Fear can cause physical responses that can't be soothed with comforting words, and overcoming it requires a lot of trust and hope that things will be okay.
These are the times when our trust in God is key. Trusting that, whatever happens, God is with us, by our side as our biggest supporter.
He knows our fear and uneasiness, and provides his presence in our lives with love, compassion and courage.
"Be Strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." - Deuteronomy 31:6.
Through our trust in God, and the courage supplied by the knowledge that he is always with us, our fear may finally start to ease, and 'out of our comfort zone' might not feel so daunting.
"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose words I praise - in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" - Psalm 56:3-4.
Ice Cream!
On Monday’s sunrise, the ISW (individual stages of weariness) was described as a new way of measuring tiredness. I have been inspired by this to create another system, this time for measuring stress. I call it the Ice Cream Barometer of Stress ICBS. The basic principle is that the larger the ice cream you need at the end of the day, the more stress you are under! So if you are having a mini milk sort of day, then you are doing well. Then comes the rocket lolly and the feast. It builds to a ninety nine and then finally a Magnum as the top of the scale.
As I was contemplating this on a double magnum sort of a day, and also my expanding waistline, I was reminded of how many people in the bible suffered extreme stress.
David ran for his life from King Saul, Moses had to face extreme opposition to free his family from slavery, Elijah ran away from Queen Jezebel who had threatened to kill him. Esther had to petition the King in order to help her family even though it could mean death for her. Paul was imprisoned and tortured, and Joseph was thrown in prison as well, even with his amazing taste in clothes!
Whilst it's unlikely that any of them had ice cream to help the situation, the one thing that stayed the same throughout all of these experiences was that even though these situations were terrible, none of these people had to go through it alone.
God met them, and was with them in every situation. He was with them in jail, in caves, in the desert, whilst they were running away and when they approached the king/pharaoh in great fear. He was with them through the tears and the upset, the uncertainty and the pain.
David puts this into words when he wrote Psalm 56, when he clearly had had a triple magnum sort of day:
Not a day goes by but somebody beats me up; They make it their duty to beat me up.
When I get really afraid, I come to you in trust.
You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights,
Each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book.
David knew that no matter how bad things were, God was always there. It’s the same for us today. God keeps track of our tears and sleepless nights, and he is with us, loving and caring for us every step of the way.
He never lets us down.
Standing at the Crossroads
There have been so many times in my life when I have found myself with a set of choices before me and decisions to make. It can be so hard to try and discern what the ‘right’ thing to do is.
At this time of year, I’m particularly thinking of our young people – taking exams and tests which will open new doors for them; a new set of choices and decisions to make. Should they study for this subject which will take them in a particular direction or something different which may bring a whole different set of options for them? How do you know what the ‘right’ thing to do is? What is the ‘right’ career path for them?
It doesn’t really change when we get older though does it – should we live here or there? Should we spend money on a new car or go on holiday?
The options we are faced with in life are endless from minor daily decisions to the big life-changing ones, and the fact is there is rarely one straightforward, absolute, ‘right’ thing to do – just options.
But if I could give just one piece of advice to all of our young people who are facing stressful exams which lead to stressful decisions, it would be this – choices are rarely as simple as ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ but there is one decision you can make which will not only change your life but will also be the basis on which all other decisions can be made:
“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”
The decision to follow Jesus won’t solve every problem and won’t give you a blueprint for life, but it will be the rock on which everything else in your life will be built. So, the next time you are standing at a crossroads and wondering which way to turn, just pause for a moment and make sure that you’ve invited Jesus to stand beside you and you will find that you never journey alone.
“Stand where the roads cross and look. Ask where the old way is, where the good way is, and walk on it. If you do, you will find rest for yourselves.”
Turning The Music Off
Driving my daughter to school every morning is usually a noisy affair!
We get in the car at 7.50am and drive to pick her friend up.
But before we are out of our driveway the music is blaring!!
We’re in a country music phase!
Don’t get me wrong, the music is great. There’s a serious lot of talent in Nashville.
But at 7.50am I’m not quite ready for it!
This morning I was a bit tired.
I’d accidentally knocked my alarm off and flew out of bed a bit later than normal.
As we got in the car I said,
‘let’s not have music this morning Hope. Let’s talk!’
‘Talk? But I want to put music on.’
‘Yes, but it’s nice to talk too!’
So, after a few teenage grunts, we talked.
We talked about school, lessons, exams, friends, bad drivers, the lady who was walking fast, the man with the look of concentration, the dog walker with the nice leggings…..
It was, well, lovely.
And peaceful.
And funny.
Then Hope’s friend got in the car and proceeded to talk about needing to wear tights this morning because she had one orange leg from a fake tan crisis.
Our drive to school was beautiful.
All we needed to do was turn the noise off.
I was at a funeral yesterday, and during one of the eulogies we were given the reminder that time is precious.
Can I suggest that each day we find time to ‘switch off the music’ and really BE with someone.
Even if it’s just for a few minutes.
Good friendships and family are a gift from God, let’s protect them.
Have a beautiful, peaceful day everybody.
‘I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.’
Getting Back To Bare Walls
For the last few years we’ve managed to have quite a good system going in our house of one in, one out. One off to university as one returned. Now we find ourselves with one returning from university with perfect timing as one moves out into her own home. This does, however, lead to the inevitable switching of rooms yet again and yet again I find myself with a paint brush in my hand.
Three years ago I wrote about how we’d needed to do a quick job and so simply painted over the previous paper to change the colour scheme and quickly tidy it up – well this time we decided we really did need to strip everything back and start again. I was actually quite sorry we started that! It turns out our years of cheating and doing a quick job have caught up on us and it took us a week to strip the walls of a tiny room – the layers of paper and paint were so thick it came off like cardboard!
Now that we have finally cleared all previous layers away, however, we have been able to prepare the walls properly making sure we have a good base and foundation for the new wallpaper.
Sometimes in life there can be things that we would rather just cover up and hide away, perhaps hurtful things that we have said or done – but covering them up doesn’t make them go away and it certainly doesn’t hide them from God. God doesn’t want to do a quick fix-up job on us, he wants to strip away all of the old, remove it forever and create something beautiful.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
But that can take time and patience and effort.
There are no patch up jobs with God, but if we let Him, He will create something new and wonderful.
Do we dare to allow God to do the redecorating of our lives?
It may be hard work but the end result is always better.
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
My Front Door!
We are getting a new front door!
It’s pink!
I’m very excited!
In the middle of the night, a couple of weeks ago, I looked up front door colours.
I was interested to know if historically, front door colours carried meanings and symbolism.
I was amazed with what I found!
Who’d have thought that years ago so much could be conveyed by what colour front door you had??
A red door meant “welcome”. If a family had a red front door tired travellers travelling by horse and cart would know that a home was a welcoming place to rest. ...
However, In Scotland, homeowners would paint their front door red to signify that they had paid off their mortgage.
A purple front door represented wealth, honour and royalty.
Having a purple front door let others know that you were living a prosperous life.
A pink door was fearless and fun, the person who dared to paint their door pink loved making statements. It’s also a colour of health and nurturing, and in colour psychology, pink is a sign of hope. A home with a pink door can be thought of as full of loving energy.
A white front door would tell your neighbors that you're clean, organized, simple, and serene.
Apparently, in Amish homes in the Stares, having a blue door, can suggest that a daughter is available to be wed!!!
A blue front door may symbolize prosperity and abundance, and the darker you go the more a blue door can project a sense of tranquility, peace and elegance….I’d better not get a blue door!!
A yellow front door is associated with happiness and warmth.
A black front door creates protective, solid energy. Black brings elegance and calmness, and it acts as a powerful shield.
Well that’s all very interesting isn’t it? But while we all ponder and deliberate about how our front door looks and what it’s telling our neighbours, God is far more interested in whether it opens…
“…..Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!…”
I picked my front door because I looked at it and thought, ‘oooooooo!!!! Yay! I love that!!!’ But what’s important is whether I open it!
Happy Tuesday everybody xx
WAITING
I think I may be very annoying to many people because of my attitude to time. I believe that the astonishing gift of language and speech, given by God, that allows us to explain our thoughts and plans, should be used as God intended.
When we agree to meet at 6.30pm, it should mean that we are planning to meet at 6.30pm! Surely that’s reasonable? Isn’t that what language is for? But it appears that to some people 6.30pm means before 7pm, possibly., maybe, if you’re lucky.
I remember staying at a home on the Isle of Skye where the house owners were waiting for a plumber to arrive. He said he would come, but they knew that meant, sometime in the week. They had a saying on the island, ‘Tete galore’, which means ‘plenty of time’. That would drive me nuts!
I’ve spent most of my working life governed by deadlines, and on the thousands of occasions I have agreed to meet a client somewhere, I have always made a point of being there first; the client could never complain about my poor timekeeping.
However, it seems that life is not as reasonable and organised as I clearly am.
Deliveries are late; you could die waiting for your surgery to pick up the phone; when your visitor arrives an hour late and talks about the traffic, you can be tempted to wonder why they were surprised there were other cars on the road.
For the Christian, waiting for God to answer our prayers can be hugely frustrating. Clearly, we understand that He is in charge and knows what is best for us. On most occasions when we are waiting for an answer to our prayers, we don’t get a message from God saying, “I’ll sort it by Friday.” The Psalmist understood that God says, “I choose the appointed time.”
He promised Abraham that he would have a son, which he did have, eventually, but he had to wait for years and years and years. Yes, that long. ‘After waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.’
We probably all know Solomon’s words about time, ‘There is a time for everything…a time to be born and a time to die…a time to weep and a time to laugh…a time to be silent and a time to speak…’
Even the timing of events in the life of Jesus were determined by God, ‘Christ died for the wicked at the time that God chose.’
In our little local Christian community, we have waited, sometimes patiently, but not always, to hear the jangle of keys that would allow us to open an empty building.
On Friday we heard what we have been waiting for!
Let’s not forget, in our joy and excitement, this gift from God and fellow Christians, this answer to our prayers, comes with responsibilities.
Now, it is God who is waiting! Hmmm.
Oh Well …
The phone rings and when you answer, the first thing said is “I need your help!”. What has happened? How bad is it? Should I panic? Should I be calm? Should I be angry? What's going on? What will I have to do?
And there you have it. We have a choice about how we react.
There is always an immediate emotional answer to any situation.
I remember a while ago, when I got a call from a friend with that same for statement. They had been in a car crash and could not think straight. They wanted help from someone who could calmly go through what needed to be done. They wanted reassurance and comfort.
I still don’t know why they called me for that!!
Our emotions are part of us and a really good part, they can often be aligned to our own moral response too.
But how we actually react to people around us can often have more influence.
Often in unexpected situations, what people really want is comfort and love.
Some emotions can be negative and others can be positive.
There is a story in the Bible when Jesus is out on a lake with his fishermen disciples and a storm is growing on the lake. Now these experienced fishermen are getting scared so it must be quite bad. But Jesus was asleep in the boat. When they woke him, he asked them why are you afraid? And Jesus then calmed the storm and the boat settled down. The disciples were amazed.
So when the unexpected happens or you are in an unusual situation. Be the calm and comforting.
Show love and compassion.
In the Bible, in Colossians 3 it says this,
Since God chose you to be the people he loves, clothe yourselves with tender-hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Above all, clothe yourselves with love. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives.
Put To The Test.
As I'm writing this, it is the evening before I finish work. And honestly, I can't wait. It has been a year that, as a whole, I would like to forget, but it was also a learning curve that I will value nonetheless.
Life often puts us in difficult situations where we are tested in different ways: whether it's our skills, knowledge, temptation or patience, we can be put to the test throughout our lives. And God isn't always the first thought in our minds when we respond in these situations, as self-preservation can play a big role in our answers when we are faced with difficulty.
However, as Christians, it's important that we try our best to be living examples of our faith. With our actions, words and behaviour, we have the ability to influence others, and being a good example of our faith can help to guide those who may be in need of God in the right direction.
It won't always be easy, as I've previously mentioned, and there will be times when an easier way may be shown to us, and it may cause us to turn our heads. But, like when Jesus was in the desert and the Devil tried to tempt him three times, we must remain steadfast and trust in our God because,
'No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And
God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.'
1 Corinthians 10:13.
God knows us all, he knows our limits and he knows our hearts. Therefore, keeping his presence in our lives will help us to face difficult situations and respond to them in the best way possible. And a key way to remember him each day is to think of how Jesus responded to being tempted.
He said: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’
Doing this will keep us on the right path, for ourselves and for others.
On another note, I hope everyone has a wonderful time this evening at the Summer celebration.
Memories
I don’t know if you are aware, but today is the Anniversary of Live Aid.
Even if you weren’t alive 38 years ago, this has become such an iconic benefit concert, that I am sure everyone will have heard of it.
38 years ago, appalled by the famine in Ethiopia, Bob Geldolf and Midge Ure got together as many of their friends as possible to hold a benefit concert. It was one of the largest satellite link-ups and television broadcasts of all time. An estimated 1.9 billion watched it live in 150 nations, which was nearly 40 percent of the world population at the time.
It was also an amazing concert, with a list of performers bigger than any celebrity A list.
I wonder if you watched it?
It raised so much money, the live aid foundation was set up, and its estimated that more than £150 million has been raised for famine relief.
This was a huge undertaking and could only be done by people in the music industry working together.
Whatever you think of their music, those performers stood up to be counted, and used their influence to raise money for people who had no voice.
So, what does this mean for us today?
We may not be involved in multinational concerts, but we are all called to help those who need help wherever you are.
It could be a kind word, a timely phone call, a hug, some time to chat, but these small differences can make a massive difference to those you help.
We are all called to love and help each other.
Hebrews 13 v1, 2 & 16
Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers ……And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.
Change
Do you enjoy change? Some people thrive on change, others not so much. Sometimes change can be exciting and positive but very often change also induces stress and anxiety. People often use the expression, ‘a change is as good as a rest’ but not all change is like going on holiday. A new job can be both exciting and stressful as can moving home, starting at a new school or moving to university and it can take time to adjust to some of the bigger changes in our lives. But neither can we simply stand still and never make any changes – if we never started a new job, we’d never work; if we didn’t start school/college/university, we’d never progress our education and fulfil our ambitions. Life can be described as a journey and there will be inevitable changes that take place as we travel through it, some good and exciting, some perhaps more difficult.
It is important and necessary at times to embrace change, even if it is difficult, but it is also good to know that there are some things that never change and can be relied on throughout all of life’s challenges.
Time and again the Bible reminds us that God remains unchanging and completely dependable throughout everything:
“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.”
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
“Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing. You will change them like a garment and discard them. But you are always the same; you will live forever.”
Whatever twists and turns you may be experiencing in life at the moment, exciting changes or stressful and disconcerting life events, know that God is beside you ever constant and dependable, a sure and steadfast friend to steady your path.
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end.”
I’m A Somebody!!!!
I was watching a programme the other day about status. How power and position can most certainly corrupt.
There were top doctors, business men and women, lawyers and musicians, to name but a few, who openly declared their elevated status and presumed that this qualified them to treat others with disgust and contempt.
Their behaviour towards others was nothing short of outrageous and abusive.
They appeared to thrive on their ability to intimidate.
This behaviour is nothing new.
We read in the Bible of people who abused their positions, considering themselves above others.
Kings
Queens
Pharaohs
Religious leaders
Political leaders
And even those who lived in the ‘better parts of town’, elevated themselves to god-like status, chief critics, mockers and scorners.
Doing what they liked to who they liked.
God took no pleasure in that behaviour then and takes no pleasure in it now.
When King Saul was less than impressive,
God sent a shepherd boy to kill the giant.
When the fearsome Canaanites were approaching and fear spread throughout the people of Israel,
God chose Gideon, ‘the weakest member of the weakest clan’ to stand up to the enemy and conquer.
When Jesus was teaching crowds of people and they were all hungry, He took a young boy’s lunch of five loaves and two fish and shared it amongst thousands.
Some of us are blessed with very specific and great skills and talents,
discovering cures for diseases,
performing unbelievable operations,
writing pieces of music that are so beautiful they bring tears to our eyes.
Those gifts are incredible and may the bearers of those gifts remember to thank God for them and use them to bless others.
And then there’s the rest of us,
who may not hold degrees,
may not earn much money,
and may not have been offered opportunities,
but still equally important to this world and still gifted.
If God can take the ‘nobodies’ of the Bible and do great things in and through them, then be encouraged, He can do it in you and I too.
Whoever you are, and whatever role you play, remember you are gifted and needed and equally important to our world.
Whatever we can offer, however small and apparently insignificant, let’s bring our,
‘five loaves and two fish’
to the God who can take our offerings of ‘nothing special’ and do something amazing with them.
‘God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.’ Ephesians 3:20
Happy Tuesday everybody.
FREEDOM
I wonder how you view your weekly activities; are they the kind of events that people around you would love to enjoy with you?
If you’re flying to New York this week, I would love to keep you company. Maybe you have booked some theatre seats to see a live production of Henry the Fifth, if you have a spare seat, I would love to re-live that particular episode of my school life, but only that bit! Of course, you could have the sheer joy of visiting Morrisons or Asda for the week’s shopping, or even going to work, but I think I will let you go by yourself.
There are so many things we do each week which we consider ordinary and boring, things we wished someone else would do for us.
Increasingly, over the last few years I have become aware of the millions around the world who would absolutely love to do our boring shopping for us.
You will be aware that in the last week in one Asian country, all lady’s hairdressing salons have learned that they must close because the male authorities have said so. In the same country, all girls and young ladies are banned from education.
In many places Christians have lost their freedom because their faith is more important to them.
We often find things to complain about in our own country, but if we look around the world, we realise how fortunate and blessed we are.
I had ten minutes to spare last week so I just wandered around B&Q, not needing to buy anything, but just enjoying the freedom; that caused me to remember the millions who would love to have walked with me.
For the Christian, there’s another kind of freedom that’s even better than strolling around the shops; it's spiritual freedom.
Jesus said to His followers, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings…then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free…If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free.”
St. Paul writes, ‘Now you have been set free from sin and are the slaves of God. Your gain is a life fully dedicated to Him, and the result is eternal life.’
It is vital that we understand and acknowledge what God has done for us. There are Christians around the world who have lost their earthly freedom, but their reward is freedom for eternity.
That beats walking around B&Q!
How Hot Will It Be?
I was given a chilli plant earlier this year and I have looked after it carefully. I've made sure it's had enough water and sun, checking the leaves and watching the flowers appear. Then the chilis started to appear, they gradually grew in size, starting out green almost camouflaged into the leaves. Then they would start to turn red, becoming a brighter and darker red as time passed. Then I started wondering when to pick them? I have no idea how hot they are going to be. I read that the longer you leave them on the plant the hotter they get. Now I am thinking how long have they been there?!
So I have picked them now, they look great but I still don’t know how hot they are.
The anticipation now is whether they will turn my mouth into an inferno or whether they will provide a gentle warmth and flavour to whatever dish I choose to add them to.
Sometimes you're not quite sure how things will turn out.
For some people, this may put them off trying as they think about the worst possibilities.
For others, they jump in without even thinking of what may happen.
And then some will tentatively step out a bit at a time, testing, to see if it's safe or if they want to go any further.
In the Bible story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, they did not know where they were going or what may lie before them. God provided a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day for them to follow. There are times when we need to trust God to lead us step by step, not really understanding the journey or sometimes even the destination. But God will lead us.
In the book of Proverbs, we are reminded
“Take hold of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands, and you will live.
Get wisdom, get understanding;
do not forget my words or turn away from them.
I instruct you in the way of wisdom
and lead you along straight paths.
When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
when you run, you will not stumble."
Trust in God and he will be with you step by step.
You Can't Please Everyone.
The phrase 'not everybody will like you,' is something that bothers me deeply.
On the surface, I know that it's practically impossible to be liked by everyone, but my intense need to be a people pleaser makes the thought of being disliked play on my mind. And it always has. Even at school, if I argued with someone, I would immediately apologise and, if my apology was unsuccessful, I would cry and work myself into a terrible state at the thought that somebody didn't like me.
But that is something that I'm working on.
And if we look to the Bible, we discover that even Jesus was not liked by everybody.
He was criticised endlessly by the Pharisees, for his growing popularity, for revealing their corruption, for healing on the Sabbath, for associating with those on the perimeter of society and the list goes on.
'The chief priests accused him of many things.'
Mark 15:3.
The Romans didn't like any threat to their power and Jesus' ability to attract a crowd whenever he spoke intimidated them, so they opposed him and, ultimately, crucified him.
But Jesus never let being disliked and challenged get in the way of sharing his message. And that's the example that I am trying to follow: to continue in the face of negativity.
I think that's a really good message to keep in mind, even when people may take a dislike to us, not allowing it to impact how we feel about ourselves and our own plan is very important.
While I have no intention of going out of my way to be disliked and will continue to try my hardest to please everyone, following Jesus' example may begin to ease my mind whenever I struggle with the thought of not being viewed in a favourable manner.
Packing
I recently saw a quote that defined two types of packers in this world.
The first type has everything laid out on the bed two weeks before you are due to go anywhere, whereas the second type waits until a couple of hours before they are due to leave and then starts to think about it!
So, are you a packing in advance person, or a last minute packing person?
I am definitely the latter. I am not a fan of packing, so I leave it till the last possible minute. It drives my other half crazy. It also usually means that I forget something! Last time it was a toothbrush!
However, whilst I hate packing, I love adventurers and holidays, so once we are on the way, I am really excited.
Whilst holidays and trips away are great, God also has other types of Journeys planned for us.
There are tasks that he has for each one of us to accomplish, and he gives different tasks to each one of us, as we are all different and have different gifts and abilities.
The good news is that on these journeys, God helps with the packing!
He knows what we need for each step of the way, whether it's patience, time, bravery, or five minutes peace!
If we rely on him he will make sure that all the right things are packed for us to complete our journeys well.
Hebrews 13: 20-21
Pray for us. We have no doubts about what we’re doing or why, but it’s hard going and we need your prayers….. May God, who puts all things together, makes all things whole…. put you together, provide you with everything you need to please him,
Make us into what gives him most pleasure, by means of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah.
Whatever journey you are on today, listen to God and rely on him.
He is the best packer of all, and he never forgets anything!
High Noon
So you may have been wondering what happened to our daily ‘Sunrise’ this morning.
I could try and tell you that it was completely intentional and that we thought we’d try something different today – more of a ‘High Noon’ than a ‘Sunrise’. However, that wouldn’t be true – the truth is that I jumped up in the middle of the night with the sudden realisation that I hadn’t written it!
I had to send a grovelling message to our Sunrise Queen this morning to apologise and promise to get it over to her just as soon as Hub was finished.
My intentions are good, I always mean to get to places on time and be punctual but the reality is often different as life can just get in the way sometimes. Your time-keeping may be much better than mine or perhaps you are someone who is known for being late everywhere you go, or perhaps you prefer to turn up early only to see the panic on people’s faces as they have to admit they’re not quite ready for you yet.
Whichever kind of person you are, the fact is that all too often our good intentions can be ruined by things out of our control, the general chaos of life or (as in my case) sheer forgetfulness.
Thankfully, we have a God who is never early and never late and never forgets.
His timing is perfect, and despite our impatience and our lack of understanding we can sleep at night knowing that God holds everything in His hands, He is utterly dependable.
In the book of Proverbs it tells us:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”
And in Ecclesiastes:
“He has made everything beautiful in its time.”
So whatever today may bring, and while I get back to the chaos of my life, let’s remember and give thanks that we are being held by a God whose timing is perfect – He will never be too early and never too late and whatever the remainder of this day holds for us, He will make all things beautiful at the perfect time.
How Cold My Toes, Tiddly Pom
Don’t you just love Winnie the Pooh?!
I grew up listening to the stories.
Always feeling sorry for Eeyore.
Always identifying with Tigger.
They went on many adventures together with the rest of their friends,
often involving honey bees,
Heffalumps,
Woozles
and the wisdom of Pooh Bear!
Yes, this, ‘Silly old bear’, seemed to speak such wonderful common sense!
How about,
‘Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your hearts’?
Every grandparent will be nodding now!
Or what about,
‘We didn’t realise we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun’
And then there’s,
‘Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them’
Wow! Straightforward, simple, easy language! Winnie the Pooh had such a simple and humble take on life and he’s been teaching us ever since!
If only we didn’t complicate things quite so much.
Maybe you’re a bit like me and you want to figure everything out, find answers to life’s big questions, fathom God out???
Do you want to understand exactly what He’s up to?
Me too!!
But, in the Bible God is talking to Isaiah and He explains to him,
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways....As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts”.
I can look at the world and stress and fret and see all the injustices
and question
and question
and question where God is in it all.
And when I don’t get the answers I can become angry
or bitter
or blame God.
Or,
I can accept that I don’t understand everything (most things!) that are going on in the world, and I never will.
But, like Pooh Bear, I can do my part to make this world a better place,
trust the One who does know what’s going on,
take a deep breath
and thank Him that He holds the future.
Tiddly Pom!
MUCKY CORNERS
I’ve been so tired, really exhausted, and fed up. Mostly with myself, not with anyone else, just the situation.
I’ve been standing in this big old garage that is now my property, and I’ve been making plans. I know how I want it to look and what I want it to contain.
I see myself in the near future standing in my beautiful new workshop, smiling, because everything is the way I planned it, and everybody is welcome to look around.. But the process is really challenging, because before I can make it suitable for my purposes, I need to remove a ton of junk out of it. It’s made more complicated and confusing because I brought my own possessions with me when I arrived here. The only place to put much of my property was in this old garage that was full of someone else’s belongings, most of which I don’t want or need. Now it's all mixed up and I can’t find things I’m looking for.
Everything I try to do takes ten times longer than it should.
Last week I spent four hours moving things to allow me to get to the far end of the garage, only to discover that it hadn’t been cleaned for years and was very mucky and contained items that clearly hadn’t moved for decades. It also contained many things with legs that could move very quickly and shoot off in all directions.
However, with the help of family and friends, we are getting on top of the situation, and this last weekend has produced a transformation that has delighted us. It’s beginning to look and feel like home and although there is still much to do, we think the worst is behind us.
I’m reminded of Bible passages that tell us that we need to make sure that we have no mucky corners hidden away that need to be cleaned up.
Paul tells the Christians in Ephesus, ‘No more lying! Each of you must tell the truth to the other believer, because we are all members together in the body of Christ.’
Peter is equally direct, ‘Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.’
This all sounds very judgemental, but they both wanted to make sure that Christians paid attention to the details in their lives. It’s so important that we have no hidden corners that we haven’t dealt with.
We read in Paul’s letter to the Christians in Galatia what people should be able to see in us each time they look, ‘God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled.’
So let’s clean up the shadowy corners; let’s not feel the need to hide anything from each other; let’s make sure the garage of our lives is open to all visitors at all times.
It’s Obvious, Isn’t It??
I was listening to the cricket this week and talking about it with some people who don’t follow cricket at all. They were a bit confused about how the game works and I remembered an explanation I had seen a while back:
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You have two sides, one out in the field and one in.
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Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in, and the next man goes in until he's out.
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When they are all out, the side that's out comes in, and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in out.
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Sometimes you get men still in and not out.
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When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out, he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in.
It’s obvious isn’t it!!
Sometimes, there are things which we just don’t get, some people can look at a maths formula and it's all gibberish; some may look at ballet and just see people prancing around the floor. To others it is art (and I mean both maths and ballet).
Some of the messages that Jesus talked about with his followers were confusing.
Jesus would describe how things could be if we trusted him and followed him.
In the book of Mark, as Jesus had been talking to those around him, the disciples were confused.
The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples were even more amazed. Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
With God, all things are possible.
Sometimes we may not understand it, but we can trust God , that if we live in His strength, He will be with us and He will comfort us.
June Sunrises
Wonderful World.
Haven't we had some amazing weather lately?!
Sure, there have been some drizzly days, but, on the whole, it's been glorious.
I find that everyone seems to be in such high spirits when the weather is good.
For example, a man has started saying 'Good morning' to me on my way to work when he passes me on his mobility scooter and a lady that I see at the bus stop lets me onto the bus first, even if I arrive after her.
Even though they may sound like mundane things, they never fail to make me smile and fill me with gratitude.
However, the kindness of others is not the only thing that I feel particularly grateful for at this time of year; when looking at the greenery, the flowers and the stunning blue sky, I am so thankful that we live in such a beautiful world, and I am grateful to the creator of all of that.
'In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.'
Psalm 95: 4-5.
God created a wonderful world, filled with nature so beautiful that it can bring you to tears. Through nature, we can learn about the world, we can be provided for and we can learn more about the God who lovingly created everything for us.
'They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty and I will meditate on your wonderful works.'
Psalm 145: 5.
Lightning!
We have had some amazing thunderstorms in the last few weeks haven’t we! Some people and animals really don’t like thunder and lightning, but I am one of those people who really enjoy a good thunderstorm. I love looking out of the window and watching the rain roll in and counting the time in between the lightning and the thunder to see how far away the storm is.
Did you know that a lightning strike only lasts a millisecond but is approximately 5 times hotter than the sun? Interestingly, men are 4 times more likely to be struck by lightning than women, and even though it is so hot, you are 90% likely to survive a lightning strike!
When I am watching a thunderstorm, I often marvel at the power of nature on display.
It reminds me of this verse in Psalm 8,
Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory in the heavens…. When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honour. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild,
the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Our Lord, the maker of heaven and earth, the creator of thunderstorms wants us to walk with him through our lives.
His love is so great, the hands that created lightning, want to hold our hands and take us through life, one day at a time, loving and serving him.
Let’s give thanks for God's amazing power and awesome love today.
Giving Freely
Now that our wonderful quizmaster has resumed our Friday quiz, I take it as my weekly opportunity to be reminded of how little I know.
Each Friday I sit down with my husband to listen to this week’s questions and see how many we can answer between us. What amuses me is that each week we will listen to a question and my husband will answer something like it’s the most obvious thing in the world while I sit there feeling really stupid because I’ve never even heard of it before. But then suddenly I will get my turn to excitedly answer a question while being incredulous that he doesn’t know that one!
The genius that was Albert Einstein once said, “Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid.”
How wonderful that someone so clearly a genius in his time, was so willing to see the genius and abilities in other people.
Every single one of us has some skill or gift to contribute to our community, not one single person is worthless or stupid, we just have different things to bring.
God created each one of us different, not some better than others, just different, so that we ALL have something to offer.
The Bible puts it this way:
“Be generous with the different gifts God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything.”
Let’s share our gifts generously with one another giving freely from our strengths and receiving humbly in our weaknesses.
I’m still not holding out too much hope for this week’s quiz, but I’ll continue to bring my little offering, it might just make the difference.
We Are Equal!!
Last night I was reading about a woman called Sarah Rector……
“In 1913, 10-year-old Sarah Rector received a land allotment of 160 acres in Oklahoma.
The best farming land was reserved for whites, so she was given a barren plot.
Oil was discovered there, and she became the country's first black millionaire.
She was so wealthy that the Oklahoma legislature legally declared her to be a white person.”
What?????
Did I just read that right??
She was so wealthy that she couldn’t be recognised as black?
Yes, this was 1913, but that does not make it any less outrageous!!! And to make matters worse, people are still treated like this today. Whether it’s in the work place,
in schools and colleges,
whether it’s regarding equal treatment and opportunities in society,
racism and prejudices are still very much alive and kicking!!
What’s wrong with us??
What on earth gives us the right to treat badly, someone who’s different, for whatever reason.
How come our perfect, all loving God looks upon our human race with love and compassion, and desires to have a relationship with EVERY single person?
But we pick and choose!
The Bible tells us that we are all
‘created in the image of God’.
Wow!!
That means everyone!!!
But there’s more….David wrote these words in Psalm 139….
‘Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvellously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made,
bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you.’
We are ALL loved, by our creator God!
Not one person a mistake.
Not one person less important than another.
Jesus said,
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your strength, AND love your neighbour as you love yourself’.
Today, may we love our neighbour well.
May we look at one another and see someone created in the image of God.
And may we know that not one of us is a mistake.
Happy Tuesday everybody.
MIND YOUR LANGUAGE
You would expect in a little country like ours, that you would be able to understand the words that other people use.
I came across a little instruction booklet for a Jones sewing machine with the title, ‘Useful Attachments’. OK, I understand everything so far but when I opened it up and looked at the Contents page, I realised that this was almost a foreign language.
The names of some of these attachments were quaint.
For instance; The Five Stitch Ruffler, The Gathering Foot, The Four-wide Hemmers, and my favourite, The Quickunpicker Stitch Ripper. Try saying that quickly!
When I thought about it, I realised that we all use language that is appropriate to our own work, hobby, or sporting activity.
In my own professional circle, we would almost on a daily basis discuss, Reciprocity Failure, Converging Verticals, Dodgers, and Circles of Confusion.
Maybe in our weekly quiz, our quizmaster should collect words that different people use daily, that only they and their colleagues understand. Could be fun!
It's not just in our work activities that we use specialist words, some of our churches take great pride in using expressions that the average visitor struggles with.
If a church speaker uses words like, Theophany, Transubstantiation, or Theodicy, visitors may wonder why Christianity is so confusing and walk away thinking that all churches are the same.
The truth is that it's not meant to be difficult to understand, God does not require or expect people to have degrees in Greek and Hebrew and a PHD in Ancient History.
When Jesus talked to fishermen and shepherds, He talked about sheep, fish and weather. If He met somebody who was frightened or lonely, He would talk about peace and the presence of God. If he encountered a person who was ill, words took second place to healing action.
Christianity is for everyone, irrespective of education or knowledge.
‘God is Love’…’Christ died for sinners’…’In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’…’He will wipe every tear from their eyes’…’This very day in David’s town, your Saviour was born-Christ the Lord.’
No big words. Just the truth.
What Speed?
It was funny when someone commented on the Quiz chat about listening to the questions at 1.5 times speed. I wonder whether that helped them get the answers 1.5 times quicker?? I also noticed that sometimes people will listen to audiobooks at a faster speed or watch a training video at 2x speed, just so they can get it over quicker.
Sometimes our lives can feel that they are running faster than we would like and you long for them to slow down a bit. But then sometimes, there are more difficult times and we just want them to speed up so that we can get through them quicker.
For those with longer memories, the kids TV show Pinky & Perky was voiced by actors but the audio was played at 2x normal speed to make their voices sound different, even before clever mobile phones came along.
But what speed should we try to live our lives?
Do we savour the moment and take it all in?
Do we try multi-tasking so that we can get things done quicker?
Take your time, enjoy the moments you have today because we don’t really know what tomorrow will bring.
In the Lord’s prayer, we ask that God will provide our food for today, “give us this day our daily bread”; whether that is actual food or maybe it is spiritual food that we can digest and understand more about God.
In Isaiah 40, we are encouraged that
“those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”
Let's not try to rush about our daily lives, take a moment to appreciate the people and the world around us.
Let's recognise God as we pause, thank Him for the beautiful world we live in and the wonderful people around us.
Ask God to speak to those around us, maybe through us with a kind word or deed.
Trust in Him and we will find strength.
The Soundtrack of Your Life.
Songs can mean so much to us. The soundtrack to each of our lives accompanies our brightest and darkest moments and every time we hear a song, it can make us feel something different.
For example, if I hear a song that we sing in choir on the radio, my heart will fill with pride, a smile spreading across my face, knowing that we can sing it too!
But, also, songs can serve as reminders. Reminders of people, places or a particularly special time in our lives. And the memories that certain songs can bring to life are ones that we cherish forever.
For me, Phil Collins' 'In the Air Tonight,' will always remind me of the first time I went to Blackpool on holiday as a child. I would sing it, not knowing any of the words, and make my mum laugh until she had tears in her eyes.
Elton John's 'Rocketman,' now serves as an illness indicator in my house, following my brother's flu-riddled delirium spent singing the song at the top of his lungs. We know it's bad when it reaches the Rocketman stage.
The way music communicates messages to us can have a huge impact, and this is acknowledged in the Bible.
Following the Israelites' escape from Egypt, 'Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.”'
They were filled with so much emotion and so much love for the God that had saved them, that music was the only way that they could express it.
So, the next time you hear your favourite song, think about how it makes you feel and why it makes you feel that way?
Thinking about the music in your life can make a heavy day feel lighter.
And God created a musical world, even the birds sing and the wind whistles, so finding a connection to that can strengthen our relationship with Him and that's what is really important.
Selfies
For those who didn’t realise, yesterday was national selfie day. I really enjoyed seeing everyone’s selfies, even those who didn’t quite manage to get into shot!
It did occur to me though, that the word ‘selfie’ can’t have been around for that long, as it’s a relatively new concept. So, after investigation, I discovered that ‘selfie’ came into being in Australia about 20 years ago, and now it’s a normal part of our everyday language.
It's not that we didn’t take pictures of ourselves before then, it's just that they weren’t called ‘selfies’!
Although we might think of our language as a constant in our lives, the reality is that new words come into being all the time.
Every year the official dictionaries add more and more words.
In 2022 455 new words were added to the official dictionaries.
Some are my favourite ‘new words’ are below:
Amirite: this is literally the three words Am I Right combined into one new word! Something to use in an argument!
Copypasta: any test that has been copied and spread online (ie copied and pasted)
Fluffernutter: a new sandwich consisting of a peanut butter and marshmallow filling!
I had never heard of a Fluffernutter before, let alone eaten one, or realised that there was an official word for this particular sandwich!
It can seem sometimes that the world is changing so fast, that it can seem overwhelming. Blink and another few words have been added to the dictionary, and a new craze has started.
It's really important to remember that whatever may be changing around us, we can be certain that God does not change. His love, care and awesome creative power are ever present.
No matter how many new words there may be, God remains.
James 1:17
Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
So, whilst you are taking a selfie of you eating a Fluffernutter (your challenge for today!), and wondering what the next new thing will be, know that God does not change and his love is forever.
Amirite!
All Boxed Up
As I write this, I am surrounded by boxes and bags and furniture stacked to the ceiling. Each day as I try to carry out normal everyday tasks I have to climb over chairs and mirrors and move boxes from one side of the room to the other just to do a job before moving them back again.
We’re not even moving house – but our daughter is preparing to move into her own first home.
She’s had to buy all of the things that she will need like cutlery, bedding and saucepans but she is also working her way around our house claiming all of the things that belong to her and packing them carefully into boxes to take with her. She has boxes filled with the practical things of everyday life, but she also has boxes filled with memories – from teddy bears that she has had since she was tiny to ornaments that she has acquired from her grandparents’ homes that hold treasured memories of time spent with them.
As all of this ‘stuff’ mounts up around us it has amazed me how we surround ourselves with so many things – some of which we need but much of which we value for other reasons. But no matter how many boxes we might be capable of filling, no matter how many items we may hold on to because they remind us of happy times and loved ones, there is no box big enough to contain the person we are and the life we have lived.
The value of our life cannot be contained in a box – we are so much more than that.
We are all made up of our experiences and our memories, our relationships, our gifts and skills and emotions – none of these things can be contained in a box but they all go with us everywhere we go without packing a single bag.
God isn’t interested in how many things we own or the stuff that we surround ourselves with, he’s interested in each one of us individually and values us and loves us for the person we are, not the boxes we are capable of filling – whether you live in a huge mansion filled with things you have forgotten you even own or whether you are homeless and just about surviving, God sees YOU and values YOU and loves YOU and delights in YOU.
For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty saviour. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.
There’s nothing wrong with owning good things, but let’s never lose sight of what’s important – God doesn’t.
ISW
This all started at 2.30 on Sunday morning, which is a bit weird because I was so tired, no, more than that, I was totally exhausted, so why on earth was I awake at this ridiculous time?
I lay there thinking about how worn out I was from the activities and significant stresses of the week, and told myself to get back to sleep; but my brain was already on a journey.
Who else was awake at that time and why? Clearly nobody else had been through as tough a week as I had, so they should be sleeping peacefully.
I wondered how you measured peoples tiredness and if there were different types of it. So I invented a system that is now called ISW, Individual Stages of Weariness; remember you heard it here first.
I thought of my own tiredness and realised that it was the result of physical activity, but there was more because I had been very stressed by illness of someone close to me. That caused me to remember others around me who were suffering from both physical and mental exhaustion. The combination of both types of weariness can leave people completely drained.
My guess is that some people reading this today know what I’m talking about.
By the time I got this far, my mind had moved on and was wondering if anyone out there was lying awake drained by spiritual exhaustion.
Where is God? Doesn’t He know what I’m going through? Is He punishing me for mistakes I’ve made? Are my problems beyond His ability to fix, or doesn’t He care?
When we get to this stage of three levels of exhaustion, there is only one place for Christians to go.
Listen to what we read that Isaiah wrote, ‘Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the Earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weak, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.'
Let's be encouraged by these possibilities and let's celebrate that a time will come for God’s children when, ‘There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.’
I woke up at 8.45!
Life is Perfect?
You may have seen in the news that the US state of Montana has banned new downloads of the social media app TikTok. It's not really a ban, because they have not banned current users from using it but they want to restrict the spread.
Many US regulators fear that personal data and information is being used by foreign governments.
Earlier this week, there was also a news article about having regulations around the visual improvements that some of the social media apps can do, it's like having a virtual makeover allowing people to “fix” their looks, removing wrinkles or spots, changing colour of hair or eyes.
But how far should these things be allowed to go?
Does it present a different reality that people will strive for but is not actually real?
What is this perfection that people aspire to?
How reliable is the life presented on social media as opposed to, say, a TV news show?
But then the TV news is sometimes accused of reporting mostly bad news, specifically trying to finish on a brighter note with the “and finally…” piece with a bit of fun or heartwarming news.
Life can be a struggle but that’s OK. There are many wonderful times that we can remember but there are difficult times too.
As Christians, the Bible encourages us to wear “the armour of God” to help us stand firm in our faith. The words in Ephesians 6 encourage us to be true, to have good morals, to walk in peace and to read the bible. Our faith in Jesus will give us strength and a comfort bigger than anything of this world. And after describing how we can guard ourselves, the last encouragement is to pray for each other.
Be prepared. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up (Eph 6 The Message).
Talking about Jesus is often referred to as bringing “Good News”. It's so much more than that, it's wonderful, fantastic, amazing news.
Jesus loves you just as you are.
Our lives are not perfect, but Jesus loves us and our prayers for each other will support us and help us to stand firm in knowing God’s love and comfort.
Blossom
Sometimes we do things on autopilot. We go through the actions of our daily life without thinking about anything, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Especially if we do similar things each day, they can start to blur into one until you wonder where the days have gone.
But, as Christians, mindlessly performing the actions of our day to day life doesn’t help us to feel close to God. In fact, it can do the opposite and make us feel separated from God.
This is where the Fruit of the Spirit comes in.
‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.’ Galatians 5:22-23.
Finding each of the fruits in our day allows us to connect with God and find a snippet of Him, even in the mundane. They are part of our life with God; he has gifted them to us and we have the opportunity to seek them, nurturing our spirits and providing the opportunity for our faith to blossom.
This can transform the dullest of days into a chance to deepen our relationship with God, and there is nothing more powerful than that.
A Masterpiece!
In our house at the moment it's all about exams! My three girls all have exams at the moment, alongside coursework deadlines and all in all it's a lot of pressure.
Whilst they are all at different stages of education, in this country, how they are getting on is all measured by achieving qualifications and taking examinations.
Now we will all have different opinions as to whether this is a good idea or not, but in our current society, we are placing an increasing value on qualifications as opposed to experience or education.
It's not enough to be able to read and write, you have to have a qualification to prove it. You might have years of experience doing a particular job or skill, but without the qualification to prove it, you might struggle to get a similar role in another area.
You can have qualifications in everything now, from tree surgery to neurosurgery, and from hairdressing to animal care. I am looking forward to the day that they invent the mind reading qualification, as I feel that would be very useful!
Now qualifications are really useful and people work very hard to obtain them. However, we must remember that we are more than the qualification we do (or do not) possess. The pieces of paper we earn do not define us, and we should not measure our worth by them.
There is a famous quote regarding education:
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
So what does our amazing God think of us?
Ephesians 2
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Whatever our qualifications, we are all God's masterpieces! God has created us with amazing abilities to do amazing things for him.
Let's encourage one another today by complimenting people on something that they are good at, even if they don’t have a qualification in it.
Let's also pray for our young people who do have exams at the moment, that whatever their results, they will remember that they are God's masterpieces.
Think Twice!
I was driving home the other day from being out with my dog, Louis.
Let me set the scene.
It was mid afternoon,
beautiful, sunny weather,
music was playing,
Louis was in the passenger seat,
snoring,
and all was well.
I stopped at a familiar roundabout. Waited for the car to my right to drive past me and….
A man who’d been walking towards the roundabout, on the other side of the road to me started yelling at me!
Out of the blue!
Apparently my car was where he wanted to be! Even though he was nowhere near us.
I’ll be honest I was completely confused.
I looked around to see if I’d done something wrong.
While he was getting more angry with me, I was getting more confused.
And then he walked away!
What was all that about.
Not got a clue!!
Every day we have the potential to meet angry, aggressive people don’t we?
Whether it’s road rage,
shopping trolley rage,
neighbour rage,
queuing for an appointment rage,
or in this case,
walking down the road rage!
So much rage!!!
Don’t get me wrong, there could be a whole host of reasons why people are angry and frustrated!
Illness,
stress,
broken relationships,
fears and worries...
But lashing out at others isn’t the answer!
The Bible has much to say about angry, aggressive people…
‘A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.’
‘A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.’
‘Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.’
I genuinely wish that man well. Whoever he is. But his anger was unnecessary. I kept quiet and drove away, but someone else might have got out of their car and punched him!!
God says, ‘Be still! And know that I am God’
So the next time you’re feeling wound up with whatever has gone wrong with your day, and it may genuinely be a very rubbish day, be mindful of how you vent that anger. The innocent bystander doesn’t need a mouthful from you….chances are they are dealing with their own tough circumstances!
But may we all be encouraged to, ‘Be still’. God is a god of empathy, devotion, understanding and is wanting to walk with you through each day and gift you with His peace.
Remember to Remember
‘Remember the way He led you up to the top of the highest mountain
Remember the way He carried you through the deepest dark
Remember His promises for every step on the road ahead
Look where you've been and where you're going
And remember to remember’
(Steven Curtis Chapman)
On May 31st 2008, Christian musician and singer/songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman’s youngest daughter, Maria-Sue passed away in a tragic accident. Maria, just 5 years old had been playing in her garden when she saw her 17 year old brother, Will, arriving home in his truck. As Will backed into the path, Maria appeared from nowhere and was knocked down.
For many people it will be hard to comprehend the devastation felt by the Chapman family. Not only for the loss of their adored little daughter and sister, but also the pain and guilt felt by Will.
In the days and weeks, months and years since the accident, the family have spoken of having great days and terrible days. But one thing has remained constant, their belief in a God who has laughed with them and wept with them, and never left them.
Remember to Remember is one of Steven’s more recent songs. It speaks of the trials and traumas of life, the good times and the bad.
Life!
And it’s the words of a man in the midst of both joy and deep grief acknowledging that God has walked with him through it all. It’s a powerful and beautiful song. (Click on link below)
Sometimes life can be tough, painful and overwhelming, at other times we can have so much joy and happiness. Whatever place you are in at the moment, can I encourage each one of us to look back and see all that we can be thankful for. And in those toughest of times may we recognise and remember a God who said,
‘Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you’.
May we all remember to remember.
Still Waiting
Saturday was beautiful; sunny, lovely blue skies with fleecy white clouds, and it was finally warm. We have waited a long time for this weather treat.
Just over two weeks ago, on May 1st in Oxford, people gathered early in the morning to welcome Spring into their lives. At 6am on this day each year, Magdalen College Choir sing from Magdalen Tower. Many locals gather, waiting in anticipation for the early morning darkness to be repelled by singing.
We all experience the tedium and frustration of waiting for something to happen.
Half of Liverpool’s population had waited for months for the Eurovision Song Contest to arrive; well, it’s been and gone, and only you can say if it was worth the wait.
Most Christians can look back to periods of waiting, accompanied by numerous prayers. Locally many of us have been waiting, far too long in our opinion, for a building to become available. It has led to many questions about the reasons for the delay and also confusion regarding God’s timing. But this is just a building. There are Christians all around us who are waiting for answers to much more important and frightening delays. Some things are outside our control, and we look to God for reasons and action.
The writer of Psalm 130, knew how we feel, he wrote, ‘Out of the depths I cry to you Lord; Lord hear my voice…I wait for the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning.’
Some situations feel like the darkest of nights, and we long for daylight to appear to bring us hope and encouragement.
The Psalmist, in his night, knew where to turn, ‘I wait for the Lord.’ He anticipated God’s response but knew that it would come in God’s time. But often we pray “Lord I need your help NOW.”
We read in many places in our Bibles that God has great compassion, and He cares for His children. ‘The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise.’
If today we feel that we are in the middle of the darkest night, let’s be encouraged; because of His knowledge of our situation and His ‘unfailing love’, the dawn is coming, either in this life or in the next beautiful life where, ‘God Himself will be with them…and He will wipe every tear from their eyes.’
It’s Not the Taking Part
The Eurovision final is nearly upon us, Liverpool has put on a spectacular event. For those who have been able to wander around the city or attend one of the many concerts, its been really great to know that the heart of Liverpool, our love for people and our love for music has been blessing so many people.
It's been really good also that we are not forgetting that this event is only here because of the trouble in Ukraine. The support that has been shown to the refugees from Ukraine is wonderful and I hope that we can continue to support them and many other refugees whose lives and homes are threatened by others.
As part of Eurovision, watching one of the semi-finals, it is obviously a competition and each performer wants to succeed. But it has also been great to see the camaraderie between the performers. When the results come out, they cheer for each other and they console each other.
Watching the presenters walking through the performers and chatting to each of them, not ignoring them but supporting them. It is a competition but it's also about how you behave toward each other. It is not “win at all costs”. You need to be sensitive and compassionate with those around you.
We each have goals that we want to achieve, something as simple as wanting to complete a task that particular day or maybe to go on a particular holiday. But life also presents us with other opportunities to welcome an unexpected guest or to help out someone else in need. We can have goals but we need to try to still treat others with love and respect on our own journey.
The Bible includes many sections that are to help and guide us to live our lives as Jesus would.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4
So let's remember, even though we do have our own goals, whether we get there or not, we should always look out for others.
We are not the judge, just another person living out our lives and trying to do so like Jesus did.
Lost on the Path.
Sometimes I wish that I had a rewind button. If I do something too impulsively or act in a way that I wouldn’t normally, I often spend weeks being haunted by the actions of a past version of myself, wishing that I had a way to go back and change it.
I think that’s a very human experience. We’ve all had those moments, whether it be because we’re tired, fed up, or, in my case, ‘hangry,’ where we’ve made the wrong behaviour choices and cringed when we’ve looked back.
Despite the fact that we make mistakes and act in ways that we regret, God’s love for us does not change.
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus shares the Parable of the Prodigal Son, where a young son asks his father for his inheritance, but wastes it and becomes poor and starving. To his surprise, however, he is welcomed back into his family home with ease and celebration. This serves as a reminder to us that God’s love for us remains constant, even if we get lost and lose our way on the path, making mistakes and acting in ways that we are not proud of, God is ready to welcome us back to him. He is ready to forgive us, when we realise that we have made the wrong decision, when the ‘cringe’ feeling starts to creep in and we want to seek forgiveness for the way we have behaved.
God loves, forgives and encourages the best out of us, even when we struggle to forgive ourselves. So, anytime that you find yourself awake at 2am, your mind filled with mistakes you made 10 years ago, turning to God and opening yourself up to receive his forgiveness is a great way to begin to forgive yourself.
And, remember, “You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.” Psalm 86:5.
It’s a Small World.
I don’t know if you have taken a wander through Liverpool this week, and around the Eurovision village, but its really quite something. Liverpool has really done itself proud. As I have wandered through the docks and the Pier Head this week, one thing that really struck me was the amount of different languages and accents that I heard. It was wonderful to hear and see the many people from lots of different countries that are visiting Liverpool this week. It felt really cosmopolitan.
It also made me realise how bad I am at speaking another language! I am not quite in the ‘point and shout’ category, but I know that I could definitely do better. So, if you are in Liverpool over the next few days, here is how to say ‘Welcome’ in some European languages:
Willkommen (German),
Bienvenido/a! (Spanish),
Bienvenue (French),
Benvenuto (Italian),
Valkommen (Swedish),
Witaj (Polish),
and of course
Laskavo Prosymo (Ukrainian).
Whatever language the people I met in Liverpool spoke, whatever their tastes in music are, it occurred to me how special and loved by God each one of those people visiting our bright and vibrant city are. Each one different, each one loved by an amazing God.
God created each one of us, and he created us all unique and different. Lets celebrate our differences, even our different music, and look at each other through Gods eyes. God wants us all to be part of his amazing diverse and cosmopolitan family.
Isaiah 12
"Sing praise-songs to God. He’s done it all! Let the whole earth know what he’s done!
Raise the roof! Sing your hearts out, O Zion! The Greatest lives among you: The Holy of Israel.”
As they say in Ukrainian, Harnoho dnya! (have a great day!).
Singing Out Loud
Living in Liverpool at the moment, it is quite hard to ignore the impending Eurovision Song Contest. With just a few days to go it seems to be dominating everything from music to art installations not to mention some of the outlandish and occasionally ridiculous outfits! You may not be a fan of the contest itself but it certainly seems to have brought a buzz and life to our city at the moment.
But what about the music? Do you find yourself singing along or tapping your toes to any of the entrants? I was woken up this morning by the German entry coming on the radio – not a fan if I’m completely honest although it did get me out of bed if only to turn the radio off!
The music of Eurovision may not be your thing but the Bible invites us many times to bring our singing to God:
‘Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!’
‘Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.’
‘I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.’
‘Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.’
‘Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!’
‘Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord.’
We are invited to sing out to God, to sing of our praise and worship. It’s not about being in tune, or clapping in time, it’s about coming into God’s presence by acknowledging who he is and what he has done for us.
Let’s start our day with a song to God – sing it loud and don’t worry about how tuneful it may or may not be – because God is listening to the beautiful sound of heartfelt praise.
- But I might still get my earplugs ready for Saturday night!
Hallelujah Anyway
It’s one of the greatest privileges in my life to belong to the church community that I do!!
Whether it’s being together on a Sunday,
Drinking coffee together on a Wednesday,
Singing together on a Monday
Or doing Bible study,
Meeting for lunch,
Chatting about a tv programme on a WhatsApp chat Or something else….
I absolutely love our church without walls!
But belonging to such a beautiful group of people has consequences.
When one of us hurts, we all hurt.
When we hear of struggles, illness, grief, pain, our hearts break.
And so they should.
Having faith in Jesus does not mean cruising through life problem-free.
It does mean having His company and His gift of peace when the bad times hit us.
Having had my own bad experiences I can honestly say that I was encouraged, supported and held up by people who chose to hurt with me.
Who chose to be there.
We may not ever understand why the bad stuff happens in our lives, but may I encourage you,
To be there for one another,
To recognise that privilege,
And to choose to trust the one who understands everything and wants to walk through the pain with us.
The song below speaks of choosing to trust God and find His peace in the midst of the darkest times.
What Should We Call You?
Have you ever wondered what the meaning of your name is?
I am fascinated by names.
Choosing names for my girls was like a military operation.
I spent months working my way through baby name books until I found a name that I liked, and also had a great meaning.
I once had a friend called Innocent.
He was a prison chaplain.
On his first day he walked in there and said, ‘I am Innocent’, to which the reply came, ‘We all are mate!’
My name, Joanne, means ‘grace of God’.
I’m assuming Jo, means ‘grrrr’!?
In the Bible, names were massively important.
Names had meaning and often gave an insight in to the person’s character.
There was one man, in the book of Acts, whose name was Joseph....but his friends called him Barnabas!
Seems a bit weird!
Let’s not call him by his name, let’s call him something else! Barnabas means ‘son of encouragement’, the name was given to him as a compliment!
Joseph was such an encouragement to people that they started to call him by what they saw.
Ooooo, that got me thinking!! What if, we were all given names that reflected our characters? What would we be called?
Happy?
Dopey?
Friendly?
Greedy?
Gossip?
Loving?
Jealous?
Sarcastic?
Provoking?
Generous?
Gracious?
Miserable?
Two-faced?.....I could go on, but you get the picture?!
When people watch us, listen to us, observe our lives, both in the good and the bad times, what do they see?
The Bible puts it like this, in Matthew 17,
‘by your fruit you shall be known’.
And so, I look at the life of Jesus, the all perfect, good life of Jesus. I want to be like Him.
I want to get to know Him more and more each day and for His good ways to influence me.
I hope and pray that when people observe me, they see far more ‘grace of God’ than they do, ‘grrrr’.
And if so, all thanks to God and His amazing grace.
Another Long Weekend
Here we are with another long weekend, just after the last one. I could get used to a 4 day working week, but then it felt like I did 5 days work in 4 days last week just to make up for it. I wonder what the long weekend is bringing you?
Maybe your focus is on the King’s coronation or maybe it’s a day with family. For some it may just mean another list of jobs to be done. For others, it may not make any difference at all. For teens, it’s an extra day of revision before the exams start.
For Liverpool, it's nearly Eurovision, which is quite exciting for our city, the focus of millions of people will be on our lovely city.
Its been quite a busy week, lots of different things happening, some good and some not so good. Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming with so much going on. Things to do, people to see. But don’t forget to make time to just sit.
Find somewhere quiet and stop thinking about all the things happening and listen for God.
You may hear him in the birdsong or see his handiwork in the beautiful world around us. You may think of a favourite song that brings a smile. You may think of family or friends. You may think of how God has been there over the last few weeks or months. You may think of how you want God to be with you in the coming weeks or months.
Don’t be so busy this weekend that we don’t allow time for God to be part of us.
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life.
When we stop and make time for God, God will be with you and you will find a new perspective on all the things around you.
So Much More.
As human beings, inevitably, we worry about what we look like. We dedicate time and effort to making sure that we look just right and a good level of respect for our outward appearance is often seen as a positive trait.
But some people focus on their appearance to the point of obsession, and it’s not unusual to see them on TV, talking about spending thousands of pounds on plastic surgery to look like a Kardashian or a famous footballer or popstar. I remember seeing a man who had spent over £30,000 on surgery to look like David Beckham and the results were far from satisfactory.
Because we worry about what we look like, it’s easy to forget that God knows our hearts rather than our appearance. He knows that we are not just what we look like on the outside and that we are so much more.
1 Samuel 16:7 says, ‘But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’
Knowing this makes me feel at ease, as I have days where I feel very worried about what I look like, but knowing that God knows me much deeper than that brings me a lot of comfort.
So, whenever we feel like we don’t look our best, remember that because our hearts are with God, the bad hair days, or ‘last clean t-shirt before washing’ days can feel like we are walking on a catwalk in Paris.
Caramelised Love
Recently I made the decision to make some caramelised onions. It’s a very nostalgic dish for me, as my granny would on occasion make it for me when I stayed at her house.
For anyone who doesn’t know, it takes a long time to caramelise onions! You have to cook the onions low and slow for several hours (without burning them) so that the sugars in the onion slowly cook and turn the onions into a dark sweet and sticky delicious mess.
There are various cheat ways which are meant to speed up the process, but nothing works better than giving the recipe time and effort and attention.
I think that the fact that it takes a long time to make this dish, is one of the reasons I used to love it so much. I knew that when my granny made it for me, she had spent time and effort and love making the dish. It was a sign of how much she loved me that she would spend the time creating this for me.
It occurred to me, over the onion pan, that God loves us and wants to be part of our lives in a similar kind of way. God wants to spend time with us. Not a quick flash in the pan, but genuine quality long lasting time with us. God wants to work in our lives in a gentle way in order to get rid of the sharp edges and those bits that make people cry. To bring out the very best in us. And all of this takes time, attention and love.
The wonderful transformative patient love of God.
Jeremiah 31:3
The Lord said to Israel: "I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself."
Have we got space today to sit down and just be with God? To let his transforming patient love into our lives and shape and guide us. He is always willing to spend time with us.
How amazing is that!
‘That’s A Cracker!’
When was the last time you really laughed? Were you watching TV?
Chatting to a friend?
At home witnessing someone do something funny?
Can you remember the last time you really laughed?
Or was it too long ago?
Life can sometimes be really tough can’t it? Stress and upset, illness and worry. It can become overwhelming.
Laughter may feel like a distant memory.
It’s a well-known fact that people who have particularly difficult and stressful jobs can often find humour to be a great help. In fact they would go as far as to say that laughter is essential!!
I found this to be particularly true in some of the relief and development roles that I had overseas.
When circumstances can feel desperate, overwhelming and quite hopeless, laughter can be the greatest of medicine.
So do you have a favourite comedian? How about Ken Dodd? Tim Vine? Eric Morecambe? Lee Mack? Frank Carson?
Enjoy!….
‘I told my girlfriend she drew her eyebrows too high. She seemed surprised.’
‘Today a man knocked on my door and asked for a small donation toward the local swimming pool. I gave him a glass of water.’
‘My wife just found out I replaced our bed with a trampoline. She hit the roof!’
‘When life gives you melons, you might be dyslexic.’
‘My wife told me to stop impersonating a flamingo. I had to put my foot down.’
‘I was wondering why the frisbee kept getting bigger and bigger, but then it hit me.’
Ok, ok, I’ll stop!!!…….
The bible says,
‘A cheerful heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit makes one sick’.
This isn’t about ignoring the struggles and pain that we ourselves, or those around us may face.
Nor are we to dismiss the daily news and ignore the tragedies that are happening internationally.
But it’s about finding a moment of relief.
A moment of lightheartedness.
A moment where mental and physical batteries can be recharged.
A moment to release a whole lot of stress with one big laugh.
If you’re needing to laugh, find that person or those people who can bring a big smile to your face.
And if you are somebody who is able to laugh and encourage, pick up the phone and pass that gift on to somebody today.
‘The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.’
Proverbs 11:25
Be Like a Dog!
Did you know that in the average, animal loving, family home, a dog will bear a grudge for approximately five minutes, as opposed to a cat who will bear grudges for almost an entire day.
So when you accidentally stand on your dogs paw he’s completely forgotten about it and moved on in the time it takes you to make a good cup of coffee, while your cat would quite literally still be licking his wounds 16 hours later.
Don’t be fooled as any cat lover knows they can be beautiful and vicious all at the same time.
To be fair on my dog Louis, it doesn’t even take him five minutes before he’s forgiven me!
Unlike our beautiful cat that we had when we were growing up, who would take a swipe at us, at any known moment, probably for some wrong we had done, and not known of, much earlier in the day!
While we can laugh at the funny and fascinating ways of the animal kingdom, grudge bearing does not cause much laughter amongst humans.
I was talking to someone a few months ago, and they were speaking of the huge grudge they held for a lady who had passed away a number of years before.
The grudge bearing was real and consumed this person’s thoughts.
They were livid, and sadly it showed in many aspects of their life.
They couldn’t let go.
As for the lady, she hadn’t even heard of him.
Someone once said,
‘Holding a grudge is like letting someone live rent-free in your head’.
In Proverbs we read,
‘If you are sensible, you will control your temper. When someone wrongs you, it is a great virtue to ignore it.’
And in writing to the Ephesians, Paul said,
‘Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ.’
Can I encourage each one of us today to,
put aside our grudges,
choose to not allow people to live ‘rent-free’ in our heads,
and recognise the God who sees and hears all of our thoughts, words and actions
AND STILL loves us.
Have a lovely day everybody and let’s be more like Louis.
Alone. Never.
This past week I’ve been looking at photos of people who are alone in the picture. The people come in all shapes and sizes, all colours and ages, all very different, but all of them are alone. Some of them appear to be confident and in charge of their situation while others appear vulnerable and fragile.
Of course, appearances can be deceptive, and our judgement of their situations may be completely wrong.
One photograph shows a man by himself sitting on the floor. If you could see his surroundings you would recognise the street and you would know that he couldn’t possibly be by himself. The plate on the floor in front of him with some coins in tells you that he is within touching distance of hundreds of people, but he is still alone.
Another image shows a solitary young child on a beach walking in shallow water as the tide comes in. There are no footprints in the sand apart from hers and you would wonder about her safety; but the photographer could tell you that just outside of the picture, her parents were close by, eating ice cream and smiling at their beautiful daughter.
The Bible tells us about a young mother called Hagar sitting in the desert under the boiling sun after she had placed her son under a bush. Both were dying but she couldn’t bear to watch him. She sat under the sun sobbing, alone, and waited to die. In the Bible account we read, ‘God heard the boy crying, and the angel of the Lord called to Hagar from Heaven and said to her, “What is the matter Hagar? Do not be afraid.”….Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.’ The story continues to tell us that the young boy grew up to be the leader of a great nation.
It's possible that we could be surrounded by friends and family but experiencing loneliness, and we may assume that nobody knows.
In our brief Bible study on Sunday morning, we reminded ourselves that God knows our situation, cares about us, and can help to remove fear and provide a way forward as He did for Hagar. She gave God a name based on her experience of His knowledge and compassion, she called Him, “The God who sees me.”
Often we struggle with life’s disappointment and fears, we can feel alone and unnoticed, but our God misses nothing, He knows about each of us and cares for us.
You may feel alone, but you never are.
April Sunrises
Smart Footwear
You may have come across Crocs footwear. They are quite a popular style to have, if you have not seen them, they are a bit like a clog in style but made from a hard foam plastic. They are actually very comfortable and easy to wear. What I had not realised is how many different types of additions you can buy to go with them. The Crocs have holes across the top of the shoe and of course some people found that you can secure things into the Croc making use of this hole. There are thousands of different things you can add from different little flowers, Disney characters, Star Wars characters, sports or letters and logos. It’s all good fun decoration.
But then I recently saw that you can now buy little lights that actually work that you can pop into your shoe! A shoe with headlights. Now practically, being able to see where you are putting your feet in the dark is a great idea. But when I saw this shoe with headlights, I did wonder if it was just a scam or wind up. Of course, it does then make you think, whatever next?? Answers on a postcard to Jo please.
But it does remind me of how I must trust Jesus. Some of you may have heard of the verse “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path”. Its also a beautiful song by Keith Green.
There are times when we are not sure what is happening or where we are going. There are times when we may wonder where Jesus is during our troubles. But as with these Croc headlights, we just need to look where our next step is going to be as in some of the words of this well-known verse in Psalm 119,
By your words I can see where I’m going;
they throw a beam of light on my dark path.
I’ve committed myself and I’ll never turn back
from living by your righteous order.
Everything’s falling apart on me, God;
put me together again with your Word.
Adorn me with your finest sayings, God;
teach me your holy rules.
My life is as close as my own hands,
but I don’t forget what you have revealed.
The promise of God is that we should learn his ways through spending time with him, reading the Bible and talking with him in prayer.
If we hold this close to our hearts, He will guide us step by step.
We will not stumble. We will know His comfort. We will know His blessings.
Just Pot Something!
I’ve been watching a lot of snooker recently. Often, there are frames that can last half an hour, or more, and it seems like they are going to continue forever. While I am a big fan of the sport, I do have moments where I feel like saying, ‘Oh, someone just pot something!’ or, ‘Just hit it really hard, something is bound to happen.’ And when the frame gains momentum again, it rarely goes the way that I thought it would.
Sometimes, that’s how it feels when we pray. We can sit around, waiting for something to happen and feel like our prayers are never going to be answered, and when they are, it might not be in the way that we had intended.
It’s important to remember that God knows exactly the right time and way to answer our prayers. He listens to us, more intently than anyone else can, and answers us perfectly. It can be difficult to understand sometimes, because we, as human beings, have limitations that God does not. We are unable to see things through God’s eyes: he has the full picture, while we are still waiting for it to develop.
Above all, we can’t forget that God does hear our prayers. Every single one. He knows how to answer us in the best way, and that is worth the wait.
‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.’ - Matthew 7:7.
To Join In or Not to Join In?
There have been quite a few cases in the news recently, of people being told off, or even kicked out of shows and performances for ‘joining in’. The issue seemed to be that they were joining in so loudly, that the performers were unable to concentrate, and others were unable to hear the people they had come to see.
In one performance of the Bodyguard musical in the West End, the show had to finish early, as two members of the audience were singing so loudly over the performers in the last song, and refused to stop!
Now this may have gone too far, but I am sure we have all joined in with song playing on the radio, even if its more quietly than the Bodyguard audience.
This story reminded me of an encounter Jesus had with someone who wouldn’t be quiet, even when he was told to in Luke 18:
Jesus came to the outskirts of Jericho. A blind man was sitting beside the road asking for handouts. When he heard the rustle of the crowd, he asked what was going on. They told him, “Jesus the Nazarene is going by.” He yelled, “Jesus! Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!” Those ahead of Jesus told the man to shut up, but he only yelled all the louder, “Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and ordered him to be brought over. When he had come near, Jesus asked, “What do you want from me?” He said, “Master, I want to see again.” Jesus said, “Go ahead—see again! Your faith has saved and healed you!” The healing was instant: He looked up, seeing—and then followed Jesus.
It must have been really embarrassing for those around him when the man started shouting, but he didn’t care. He knew Jesus could help him and that was worth a bit of embarrassment. It was worth giving up everything to follow Jesus. He wanted to join in, and nothing was going to stop him.
There are situations in life (such as on the front row of a musical), where joining in may not be the best move, but this is not the case with God. He loves us all so much and he is desperate for us to join in with his big church family.
He shouted his love as loudly as he could by sending Jesus to show us the way to be part of Gods family.
This is one situation that we can all join in with!
You’re Amazing!
Did you know that every second your body produces 25 million new cells which means that in 15 seconds’ time you will have produced more cells than there are people in the United States! Amazing!
Or, that your brain can recognise a sound 10 times faster than the blink of an eye? Apparently the human heart beats more than 100,000 times a day which is more than three billion times in an average lifespan! The human brain can process 11 million bits of information every second and human teeth are just as strong as a sharks teeth! It is estimated that our noses can recognise a trillion different scents! And humans are the only species known to blush!
How amazing we are! Did you feel that amazing when you got up this morning?
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
It’s all too easy to complain about the things that we can’t do whether that is due to illness, age or injury – but what about all of the things that you can do?
God has made each one us with skills and gifts and amazing talents; each one of us unique and each one of us able to bring something wonderful to our community. So the next time you are tempted to complain about the things that you can’t do, or complain about limitations due to creaky knees or a stiff back, just pause for a moment and think about all of the things that you can do – because God made you to be amazing!
You are his masterpiece and you have wonderful things to offer, just the way you are – so tomorrow morning when you get out of bed, whether that is with a bounce or a groan, know that God thinks you are amazing!
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
3.45am
It’s 3.45am. I’m lying in bed thinking,
‘Oh no!! I haven’t written a Sunrise!’
It’s been a busy time. Lots of things to occupy my time and distract me. And so here we are….3.45am!
3.45am can be a popular time for people to be awake….
‘Oh no, I’ve left the meat in the freezer!!’
‘Oh why did I say that thing to him? They’ll never talk to me again!’
‘’I’m so sad’
‘I’m upset’
‘I look horrible’
‘Nobody likes me’
‘I’m afraid’
‘Life is just a huge mess’
‘Where’s God???’
Sound familiar?
3.45am can be a lonely time.
Problems can seem EVEN bigger and more impossible to resolve.
Life can feel overwhelming.
You can feel your heart starting to pound.
Your mind is racing.
And…
STOP!!…
‘So, really, where is God?’
The Bible tells us that God is right here,
‘Never will I leave you, nor forsake you’
‘But He doesn’t know how I’m feeling!!’
‘…for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts’
‘I’m so stressed and anxious’
‘Cast all your anxiety on Him, for He cares for you’
‘God can’t help me with this one!! My problem is just too big this time’
‘For nothing is impossible for God’
‘I don’t understand, why isn’t God fixing this???’
‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,’
declares the Lord.
‘As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.’
‘But God, it’s too late!!!’
‘With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day’
It’s now 4.40am. I’ve just looked out of my bedroom window, the sunrise will appear before long. Never late, never early, always on time.
‘This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it’.
…but the meat’s still in the freezer!….
Equal!!
I was watching a programme the other day about status. How power and position can most certainly corrupt.
There were top doctors, business men and women, lawyers and musicians, to name but a few, who openly declared their elevated status and presumed that this qualified them to treat others with disgust and contempt. Their behaviour towards others was nothing short of outrageous and abusive.
They appeared to thrive on their ability to intimidate.
This behaviour is nothing new.
We read in the Bible of people who abused their positions, considering themselves above others.
Kings,
Queens,
Pharaohs,
Religious leaders,
Political leaders,
and even those who lived in the ‘better parts of town’, elevated themselves to god-like status, chief critics, mockers and scorners.
Doing what they liked to who they liked.
God took no pleasure in that behaviour then and takes no pleasure in it now.
When King Saul was less than impressive, God sent a shepherd boy to kill the giant.
When the fearsome Canaanites were approaching and fear spread throughout the people of Israel, God chose Gideon, ‘the weakest member of the weakest clan’ to stand up to the enemy and conquer.
When Jesus was teaching crowds of people and they were all hungry, He took a young boy’s lunch of five loaves and two fish and shared it amongst thousands.
Some of us are blessed with very specific and great skills and talents, discovering cures for diseases, performing unbelievable operations, writing pieces of music that are so beautiful they bring tears to our eyes.
Those gifts are incredible and may the bearers of those gifts remember to thank God for them and use them to bless others.
And then there’s the rest of us, who may not hold degrees, may not earn much money and may not have been offered opportunities, but still equally important to this world and still gifted.
If God can take the ‘nobodies’ of the Bible and do great things in and through them, then be encouraged, He can do it in you and I too.
Whoever you are, and whatever role you play, remember you are gifted and needed and equally important to our world.
Whatever we can offer, however small and apparently insignificant, let’s bring our, ‘five loaves and two fish’ to the God who can take our offerings of ‘nothing special’ and do something amazing with them.
‘God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.’ Ephesians 3:20
Surprise !
Do you like surprises? Maybe it depends on the surprise though. Some people are OK if there is a surprise party but others maybe horrified at the thought. Sometimes a surprise can be frightening. I know when my children were much younger, they would try to hide from me and then jump out shouting “surprise”. And naturally I would jump and be shocked by their excellent hiding! Maybe the surprise is when a distant friend turns up unexpectedly at your house. The surprise can change your plans completely and maybe that’s why some people don’t like them.
But then the best plans need to be adaptable. Circumstances change all the time, so embrace it and go with the flow. But you do still need a plan, just be prepared that it may change. If we don’t have any direction at all, then we are heading nowhere. But if we have a plan, be prepared to let it change and adapt. Sometimes when you plan one thing and something happens, when you look back, it actually all worked out just the same or maybe even better.
In the bible, we are told that God has a plan for each of us. The tricky thing is that we don’t always listen to the plan. Or maybe we just don’t agree with it, so we try to ignore it. But if we listen to God and understand that his plan is for our benefit and those around us, plans that will show Gods love for us.
"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me."
Sometimes, we have a plan in our minds but as we listen to God, He shows a new way.
He does not necessarily jump out and shout “surprise”, though that would be fun, but to those who are prepared to listen for his guidance and are prepared to follow it, God’s plan will give us hope and a promise of being with Him, forever.
The Small Things
I saw an article the other day about someone in the ‘Kardashian world’ recently wearing a dress with a massive big lion-head attached to it.
I can’t remember which Kardashian it was, I can’t remember the occasion for the ‘big head dress’, and I don’t know where it was.
But I seem to remember that it was a bit controversial and caused great debate!!
To be honest, I paid little attention.
But I wish them and their big lion-head dress, well.
It reminded me of an article I read some time ago about their tv show, ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’.
A continual ‘fly on the wall’ account of each and every day in their very expensive household.
One of them made the comment that they looked forward to no longer being watched, day in, day out, because perfection was just too difficult to keep up.
It would seem that the Kardashians were having trouble keeping up with themselves!?
I saw a photograph of all the various tiny children in their family.
They were having a photo shoot.
All dressed in clothes that complimented the child next to them.
All clean.
All looking at the camera!!
How did they do it????
The photo was, to be fair on those little chicks, very beautiful.
I hope they were having fun.
I hope I was looking at them, not an airbrushed version of them.
Yesterday I was looking through our family photos.
Photos of my four chicks.
Sometimes when they were tiny I’d dress them in dresses that matched.
Not that they cared.
I’d do their hair in beautiful braids, or leave it down with the obligatory hair band in place.
I have some truly wonderful photos! (It helps when your dad is a photographer!)
But what comes with the photo is the memory of the occasion.
We’d just been rolling down a hill.
We’d just watched a funny film.
We’d had a McDonald’s.
They’d just played a joke on me.
One of them had just dropped their chocolate ice cream all down their white top.
They’d just waged war on eachother.
They’d left a trail of destruction in the house, that I would be heading back to, to tidy up.
And it was the rarest occasion in the world if all four were looking at the camera at the same time! Welcome to real life!
I’m sure you can relate?
Someone once said,
‘Appreciate the little things in life, because one day you’ll look back and realise they were the big things’.
So today, I’m thankful for every beautiful, scruffy-looking photo of my little girls that brings back memories of mud pies, baking a cake, climbing a hill, planting flowers…
I’m thankful for the everyday conversations I have with my chicks while we do the dishes together, drive to the shops together,
watch tv together.
I’m thankful for WhatsApp chats with all our amazing Melling family that can get really mad and busy at times, but are always fuelled with love, humour, concern and help.
I’m thankful for my cup of coffee that causes me to stop for just a moment and stare at my garden that I love so much…..albeit a very messy garden at the moment!!
This is my busy,
messy,
complicated,
beautiful,
completely ordinary
and often mundane life.
And I love it.
The Bible says,
‘THIS is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it’.
May today and every mundane,
ordinary,
imperfect day,
bring you reasons to smile,
be grateful,
thank God,
and truly live.
As for the Kardashians, I don’t know them at all, but hope and pray that in the midst of what may be a pursuit for an airbrushed, perfect life, they too discover what it is to truly live.
Just Like Us
It's funny how some things we hardly ever think about can affect people’s behaviour in ways we don’t understand.
I read of a young teenage boy who was very unhappy when he went with his family to the beach on a beautiful sunny day. When everyone changed into swimming costumes, he declined and felt embarrassed and under pressure when people asked him to join them. His father watched, said nothing, but understood what the friends around them didn’t understand. His son had a birthmark that covered half his chest, part of his tummy and one arm. When you get to a certain age, these things become important and can cause some distress. His father made a difficult decision; he employed a local tattoo artist to create an almost identical mark on his body to match his son’s. It was a lengthy process and it hurt, but he thought it was necessary and appropriate. His expression of love was costly and painful, but by making himself like his son, the teenager realised that his father knew how he felt.
We occasionally hear about leaders in government or education, who don’t understand people around them because they have no experience of how tough life can be for the majority.
As we read our Bibles, we are taught that Jesus is God’s Son, so we could be excused for thinking that He doesn’t appreciate what life is really like and how much we suffer. But we also read that the Son of God came to Earth, not as a powerful king or ruler, but as a humble child who grew up in the same situation as all those around Him. He experienced pain and poverty, trials and temptation, just as we do. When we are weary, He understands. When we are disappointed , He understands. When we are tempted to misbehave, He understands. When we feel pain, He understands. We all need friends around us who, because they are like us, can sympathise and appreciate how we feel in the tough, scary, or tiring days. Jesus is such a friend; like the father of the teenager, He became like us to share our pain and fears, and He will walk with us on our journey through life.
The Bible expresses it like this, ‘Because God’s children are human beings-made of flesh and blood-the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could He die, and only by dying could He break the power of the devil, who had the power of death….Since Jesus Himself has gone through suffering and testing, He is able to help us when we are being tested.’
Not just a friend, but a friend who is God!
Help, I Need Somebody!
Sometimes life can throw all sorts of challenges at us.
You think that things are going along quite happily and then someone mentions something, “But have you thought of this?” or “Can you just go and speak to this person to sort something out for me”. Even though you had your own things that you were planning to do, now your being asked to do something different and you know you want to help.
So, our world becomes a bit more complicated with extra things to do before you can get back to what you already had planned.
Life gets hectic and sometimes you don’t know whether you are coming or going. And then at the end of it all, you just want to find somewhere quiet to go, to sit, relax and take a moment.
Jesus experienced the stresses of people demanding of him all the time. He would also make time to go off by himself, to find relief from the crowds. Jesus would find some space and then pray to his father God, listen to Him and share how he was feeling.
There is a lovely passage from the Bible which is quite well known that reminds us that God is with us and will bring us peace and comfort in the midst of all the stresses and demands on us.
The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honour to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me, be with me, all the days of my life.
Take a Moment.
Do you ever feel guilty when you take time to relax? Do you feel like there is something more important to do with your day than taking a moment just for yourself? I often find myself counting down to the next evening where I can just get on the couch with my dog, but, when the time arrives, I think ‘I was going to chill out, but there must be something else I can do,’ and fill my time with mundane tasks, just to avoid lounging around.
According to studies found on ScienceDaily and Technology Networks, this is quite a common occurrence and is likely due to the stress that arises from the myriad of issues facing us in the modern world, both personal and collective. We often choose to avoid relaxation so our minds don’t have to focus on anything other than the task we are performing.
After reading articles by a number scholars and academics, I found myself thinking about what an article about relaxation would look like if it was written by God.
In Matthew 11, Jesus says, "Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Here, Jesus is inviting us to turn to him with our burdens and restlessness and follow him. He provides us with the comfort of knowing that we can find rest despite our troubles as we will never be alone; our connection to Jesus gives us strength and enables us to see past the things that make us anxious and weary.
God, in the Story of Creation, ‘Blessed the seventh day and set it apart as a special day, because by that day he had completed his creation and stopped working.’
Now, God does not need rest, he is letting us know that we can rest. We can follow in his example and give ourselves a well-deserved break when we need it. We can place our trust in him and feel confident in the knowledge that he will take care of things for us while we switch off.
So, whenever you catch yourself trying to avoid rest, feel confident that God will handle everything that worries you and there will never be a moment when God will leave you to face things alone.
Howard.
I recently saw a video clip where a man was asked what he thought the name of God was. ‘That’s easy’ he replied, its Howard! When he was asked to explain his answer, he replied, ‘Its in the Lords Prayer, Our Father, who art in heaven, Howard be thy name!!
This made me chuckle, but it did remind me that actually the bible has many names for God, as they describe his characteristics.
God is described as:
The Creator
God most high
The Lord who provides
The Lord who heals
The Lord of Peace
The Lord my Shepherd
God is Love
These descriptions, among many others, tell us about what God is like, and how amazing he is.
Jesus is also described in the bible in many different ways:
God with us (Immanuel)
Prince of Peace
The Word of God
The book of Matthew in the bible reminds us of a promise that was given to the Jewish nation as to what Jesus, the saviour, would be like when he arrived:
Matthew 12:21
And his name (Jesus) will be the Hope of all the world.
Take a moment to look back through all of those names and descriptions of God, and of Jesus. They are mind-blowingly awesome.
Different characteristics of God and Jesus may resonate with us at different times, but God and Jesus are all of these names and more besides! It’s difficult to take in.
It also is truly amazing that the God of the universe loves us so much that he wants each one of us to be part of his family.
Lets give thanks to God today for all of his names and how wonderful he is.
He is so much more than Howard!
Prayer that Changes Me
So, how are you getting on with our challenge to pick up prayer for Lent?
As we approach Easter, we can recall how Jesus taught us to pray, not with fancy words but simply by coming to God in reverence and respect, giving him our thanks and praise for the things in life we are grateful for and telling him about our needs or anxieties. No need to be on your knees or in a grand church, wherever you are, give it a go. Be honest with him, He doesn’t need to hear the words you think are ‘right’, He wants to listen to the real you whether that’s in laughter, sadness, anxiety or gratefulness – have a chat with Him and see how you feel afterwards.
In the words of CS Lewis “I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God. It changes me.”
This week, let’s pray for:
-
The ongoing conflict in Myanmar. This is the longest ongoing civil war in the world, so far lasting over 70 years! That means that there is a whole generation of people who have known nothing other than the horrors of war and conflict. Let’s pray for peace in this tortured region that so far hasn’t responded to any human intervention.
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According to 2022 Charity Commission statistics there are 5.2 million volunteers of registered charities in the UK. These are people willingly giving up their time and skills for no other reason than they have something to offer. I would argue that that figure is massively higher when you take into consideration all those volunteering for smaller organisations and projects – we have quite a few in Melling alone! Let’s pray for each member of this army of volunteers and give thanks for their willingness to set time aside for others. Let’s pray that we can become a nation known for our compassion and care for one another.
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Our young people – we are hugely blessed to have a number of young people all of whom are an important part of our community, however, society often places huge demands on them to perform. There are the pressures of the education system as exam season approaches and they bear the weight of expectations. There are also the demands of social media that they should look like this or behave like that. Let’s hold them up in prayer that they may become the wonderful, unique, strong-minded and independent young men and women that God would have them be.
“I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. … From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done.”
‘Room For One More’
Aren’t cultures fascinating??!!
We live in the most incredible world where not just nature, art and science can regularly blow our minds, but also the differences in cultural practices from one region to another and one country to another.
I have been reading about the ‘subway pushers’ in Japan. These are people employed to do one particular job....during rush hour, they are paid to push more and more people onto the already crowded trains. Just when you thought that someone was already invading your personal space, another three turn up as well!! These subway pushers must have been trained to know when to stop, at least I hope they have, but the idea intrigued me! Room for one more!!
One of my absolute pet hates is cliques! I’m not talking friendship groups that form easily and openly with common interests, but the friendship groups that form in a tight knit, exclusive way. If you’re ‘not the right kind’ then you don’t get in. Cliques are often found in schools and can cause much hurt and isolation. But sadly we also find them in the workplace, in social settings and even in the church! Maybe your look isn’t right, or your lifestyle isn’t picture perfect, maybe you don’t sound the same, or you’re simply ‘not good enough’ to be part of the group! People get left out, just because.
The bible has such a lot to say about this!
Paul writes these words,
“Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody”.
Can I suggest that here in Melling we adopt a gentler form of ‘Japanese subway pushing’?? Wherever we are, whoever we’re with, as church, we get alongside others, tell them that we’re in this journey of life together, hold the doors wide open and ALWAYS make room for one more.
Strength and Peace
Many people find it, not easy, but possible, to watch the news on TV when having their dinner and hear and see some of the horrors unfolding around our world. With our stunning technology it is possible for us to watch an event in another country while it’s happening. So we can view adults and children starving at the same time as we are on our second piece of cream cake. We can view a news report about soldiers bursting into people’s houses and removing the men and boys, never to be seen again, and we would be very concerned but able to stay calm. And we would be very distressed to hear of a child disappearing on the way home from school, but still prepare a meal for our own child who will be in soon, also from school.
It appears to be all about distance; If the starving children, and the house-raiding soldiers, are thousands of miles away, it’s still appalling, but we can remain peaceful. But if the missing child lived next door, calmness would disintegrate and we would be out on the street within seconds. It’s the same with illness, we are sad to hear of a friend’s problem and we are prepared to send a text or even visit, and we constantly pray for them, and we manage to stay calm.
But what happens if the next bad news has our name on it? Does calmness stay with us or run away? Does the experience of living with tough news cause us to ask, “Why me?” or “Where are you God?”
Our world is full of bad news and sometimes it’s personal. God never promised us a carefree life, Jesus made the point, “In this world you WILL have trouble, but don’t be afraid, I have overcome the world.” In other words, God is in charge. We may not agree with His decisions or timing, but even while we are in the middle of difficulties, He promises not just calmness, but ‘Perfect peace.’ While His people struggled in captivity in Old Testament times, God led Isaiah to say, ‘You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.’ Peace does not come from circumstances; it comes from faith in God. David reminds us, ‘The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.’ Life can change almost instantly; we may be surprised or even shocked, but let’s remember and celebrate that in the toughest of times, Jesus reminds us that, “With God, all things are possible.”
Just Sign Here
In my work, when we are going to be doing work with another company, the part that I never look forward to is agreeing with our purchasing and legal team what the terms and conditions are. They want to know exactly what you are going to do, who is doing which bit, what happens to our information and what happens if it goes wrong. There are important things, protect our information, know who is responsible to fix things if it goes wrong and only pay when the work is done right.
It sounds OK but when they start debating over the words and grammar, start using phrases like “in the spirit on the agreement”, they say that’s why they earn their pay cheque but to me its all a bit over the top. Just tell me when I can start work. If there is an issue, then we will fix it.
Even when you are just dropping the car off for a service, there are papers to sign with lots of small text. They pass you the paper and say “just sign here”. Every now and then, I stop and look at them to say “I am not signing until I have read it all so I know what I am signing”. But they are not going to change anything and I still want my car to be serviced , so I will just sign it anyway. But sometimes, making them wait while you read the words is satisfying.
Its largely down to a blame game, they want to have reasons why they can say “its not my fault”, sometimes they will try to blame us for something but mostly its just about not having to pay for something.
Why cant people admit when they get it wrong or when it is their job to fix it? We complain about it when others wont accept their responsibility, but do we accept our responsibility? Are we honest when we make a mistake?
God wants us to be honest with him about how we feel and about the things we have done. But its not so that he can blame us, he loves us and wants to help us, we need to be honest with him. God knows how we feel already and he knows the things we have done anyway. He wants us to admit it, to open up to him and trust him. When we do that, he will forgive us and then we move forward.
When Jesus spoke about blessings, he says “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”. Be honest with God and he will be with you. However you are feeling, tell Him and he will love you and comfort you as our Father.
A Quest!
I wonder if anyone has ever been on a Quest?
The dictionary describes a quest as ‘a long or arduous search for something’.
When I imagine a ‘quest’, I think of someone attempting to climb mount Everest, or finding a rare plant in the amazon rainforest. Now these types of quest’s aren’t really my thing, but this week I have read of someone who went on a quest to find something much more up my street.
Ten years ago, Susan Mercer decided to visit every one of the 244 national trust cafes, and eat a scone at each one! She has recently completed her quest, with her final café at the Giants Causeway. She has even written a blog about her adventurers, ranking each café and scone.
If you were to go on a quest, I wonder what you would pick? Would it be a mountain climbing adventure, a search for endangered wildlife, or just a really good cup of tea?
Just before Jesus went up to Heaven, after he had risen from the dead, Jesus gave his disciples a ‘quest’.
Matthew 28:19-20
Jesus said…….Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, and baptising them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them how to love and live just as I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”
It was a mammoth quest! Go and tell everyone about God and Jesus and how amazing they are, and show them how to live a life with God at the centre, loving and living for him! But they didn’t have to attempt this alone. Jesus promised to be with them, every step of the way, loving and guiding them, even in their mistakes and messes.
This is a quest that continues to this day, with people who love Jesus showing his love to others, and teaching people just how amazing God is.
The good news is that you can join in with this quest! And you don’t have to do it alone. You can join in with all the people who live with God at the centre of their lives, and Jesus will be with you, every step of the way.
So whatever quest you may embark on today, consider also the amazing life changing quest that Jesus offers, and jump in. It’s a quest that everyone can be a part of.
Be The Light
I have to be honest and let you know that I cried at the news today. Sometimes the news just makes me sad. I have been particularly struck today by the death of a small baby. A baby whose short life has been marred with difficulty and instability. A baby whom I have never met, but yet I grieved for.
It is part of everyone’s life that whilst we have amazing and magical days, we will also have days that are just filled with sadness and difficulty. Times when the world just seems dark.
Its at times like this that I am reminded of the quote from Martin Luther King. One of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968, he was no stranger to hate. Despite winning the Nobel peace prize for his work in 1964, he faced constant opposition simply because of the colour of his skin.
He had every reason to hate, and yet he chose non violent protest and the love of Jesus as his philosophy. One of his most well known quotes is below:
‘Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that’.
In the bible, one of the ways in which Jesus is described is that He is the Light of the World:
John 1:
In Jesus was life, and that life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
When we face the darkness of situations, how do we respond? We can and should feel sad and angry of some of the terrible tragedies that are happening in this country and around the world. This may even inspire us to action, to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.
Lets not be overcome with the darkness though.
Remember, Jesus overcame darkness with light and love. Today, we can make the choice to respond to darkness with the light and love of Jesus, and bring light to those around us.
Love Your Work
Is there a topic that you love to read about and learn more about? Is there something you do that you are very happy to doing and will put lots of energy into doing it? It could be a hobby that you love doing, and it came easily to you. The basics were easy to achieve, and the more complicated aspects were actually not too bad. It could be playing an instrument, some people have a gift in music so that when they start to learn an instrument, they can simply pick it up and they know how to get that note and they have the rhythm of the music. It could be a language, when the structure and sounds of the language make sense. You learn the basics quickly and you find it easy to think in another language, you can quickly have a conversational ability.
However, some people don’t find everything so easy and have to work really hard to get even the basics right. But they are determined they are going to do it, so they really apply themselves because they know they want to achieve it. Its really frustrating because you want to do it quickly but it just takes time and practice. But then the hard work starts to pay off and the practice helps you improve. You know it will be worth it and it keeps you going.
Its like learning to drive a car, some people can pick up the skills quickly, co-ordinating their hands and feet on the controls, watching everything around you so you can anticipate what may happen. That tricky reverse park, when do I turn the wheel and which way, how long until I turn it the other way??? It may take a lot of lessons and practice but you are determined to get your licence.
Being a Christian can be really hard, you may stand out amongst your friends and colleagues, the Bible is so big and can be hard to read and understand. You may be picked on by other people or it may even be against the law. But you know it’s the right thing to do. But its also only down to one thing. Love. In the Bible, when Jesus was trying to teach people about following him, some were trying to make it complicated but Jesus had a simple answer for them.
“Teacher, which is the most important commandment?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’
The beginning of being a Christian is to love God, the rest He will help you with
Praying Our Way Through Lent
As is the custom at this time of year, last night we had our annual quota of pancakes. Whether you are a straightforward lemon and sugar kind of person or more of a ‘throw everything at it and fit on as much as you possibly can’ kind of person, traditionally the idea is that Shrove Tuesday would be your opportunity to finish off all kinds of goodies in your cupboard before starting a time of fasting during Lent.
Many people will use this time of year as an opportunity to give up something – perhaps chocolate, cake, alcohol or sweets? All of those things would have health benefits for you to give them up, even if just for a time, but how big an impact would it have on the world around you, your community or family? Dare I suggest that the long-term impact would be minimal if all you do is give something up for 6 weeks simply to go back to exactly the way you were?
I wonder if I could suggest trying something else this year? What if, as a whole community we committed to take something up for Lent this year? I would like to suggest that as a community we take up the act of prayer.
You may have never prayed in your life and might be wondering how on earth it can possibly make a difference – but there isn’t any harm in trying is there?
You may already be a committed person of prayer and firmly believe in the power of prayer – but what difference might we make if we all commit to pray together?
We don’t need to be in the same room and we don’t need to use any fancy words for God to hear us, we simply need to commit to giving it a go. Often we don’t even see the results of our prayers, but no prayer ever goes unheard by God.
Each week throughout Lent I’m going to give you 3 things to pray for during the course of that week – let’s give it a go and see what a difference we can make, you never know, the biggest difference might just be in ourselves.
So, this week would you commit to praying for:
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The people and nation of Ukraine as they approach the 12 month anniversary of the Russian invasion. Pray for a peaceful resolution so that people may begin to rebuild their lives again.
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Our government – for rulers with integrity, discernment and honesty. For parliament to be a place where kindness can be found regardless of political alignment.
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For our wonderful Melling Gospel Choir singing at 2 events this week. May every word they sing be a blessing to those that hear them.
“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.”
Which Seat?
I do like train journeys, it's quite relaxing. But I wonder which seat you prefer to pick? Is it window seat or aisle seat? Each have their own advantages. Window seat gives you a view and somewhere to lean. But then you may have to squeeze past someone getting in or out of your seat. Aisle seat let's you in and out and you can guard an empty window seat to keep your space, but then you get bumped as people walk past. And then is it forward facing or backwards? Table seat or coach style? There are many combinations to suite your preferences There are twists and turns but the train leans over to ease through the turn. Once you start on your trip, the trains destination stays the same. Though there are sometimes delays, usually you end up at the right place.
As Christians, when we trust in God, our life may still have twists and turns but our destination is secure.
In the book of Proverbs, we are advised:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Our journey with God requires us to step fully on to the train, you shouldn't jump on and off, and you can't partially join the journey. We will likely choose different seats and experience the journey slightly differently. But our destination and our aim is the same.
Nobody Expects...
The Spanish Inquisition! I was reminded of this now infamous quote from Monty Python this week. Itappeared to me that the news of Nicola Sturgeon resigning has been met with universal surprise.This was unusual in itself. Normally there is chatter in the news broadcasts and papers when a biggovernment announcement is coming, but this time, nothing. Even the party she represents seemednonplussed, having been given no apparent warning, and having absolutely no idea who will replaceher.Please don’t panic, this is not a political commentary you have stumbled onto, and this is nothing todo with the politics that the SNP represent. Its more that I was surprised how surprised everyonewas about this.Life is like that sometimes. You think that things are going along ok, or even swimmingly, and all of asudden, an announcement or action comes out of the blue and your world is turned upside-down. Itcould be a unexpected diagnosis, an surprise phone call, a job offer, a pregnancy and all of a suddeneverything changes. Your equivalent of the ‘Spanish Inquisition’ appears, and the world will never beviewed in the same way.The good news is that our wonderful and amazing God is never surprised, or unprepared foranything. Psalm 139 reminds us:God…. I’m an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.You know when I leave and when I get back; I’m never out of your sight.You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence.I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there, too— your reassuringpresence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful— I can’t take it all in!Whatever version of the Spanish Inquisition turns up today, God is fully prepared to stand with usand help us find a way through. Even if you aren’t sure what’s next, or how you are going to make itthrough the next hour, never mind the next week, please remember this. God, THE GOD of theuniverse, who loves us so much that he was prepared to die for us, is never phased or overwhelmed.Take some time today to just sit and be still with him. Tell him your surprises and let him in to yourlife.
Happy Valentine's Day
So, what are you doing today?
Are you currently wading through the sacks of cards delivered to your door this morning?
Are you having an extra long breakfast served to you by your loved one complete with a red rose?
Are you looking forward to a romantic meal for two?
Did you forget it was Valentine’s Day and you’re currently trying to make it up to the one who was expecting at the very least a card? Do you not bother with Valentine’s Day at all and see it as nothing more than a money making scam?
Maybe you would dearly love to celebrate Valentine’s Day with someone special, but you just haven’t found that person yet?
Or maybe you’re spending part of today reminiscing about a loved one who’s no longer here and who you miss very much?
Valentine’s Day can throw up so many different emotions for people can’t it?
But who was Saint Valentine and what is his day really all about?
Well, there’s actually a bit of confusion about who this person was!
Some accounts say that he was the Bishop of Terni living in 3rd century Rome, trying to help the persecuted Christians.
Other accounts say that he was a temple priest who was also trying to help persecuted Christians.
Both accounts state that this man (or possibly these men) were martyred for their faith in God and their devotion to helping other Christians. The story goes that Valentine was imprisoned and during that time, he wrote a note to his prisoners daughter, whom he had helped previously, and signed his letter from ‘your Valentine’.
With such confusion as to whether this was two accounts of just one man, or two separate men both doing good and both martyred for their faith, Pope Gelasius 1 in AD 496, spoke of the acts of this man, or men, as, ‘being known only to God’.
Saint Valentine is a bit of a mystery to us. We know little bits about him, but God knows it all.
However you are feeling today, whether great or rubbish. Whether you’re feeling loved or not. Recognised or not. God knows. And He cares.
‘You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.’
Psalm 139
New Beginnings
Last weekend saw the Chinese New Year celebrations as the Chinese community welcomed in the Year of the Rabbit, said to signify mercy, elegance and beauty.
In England, we celebrate the new year on December 31st, whilst in Scotland they celebrate Hogmany on the 1st and 2nd of January.
In some African cultures, the new year is celebrated as the seasons change in June or August or even September.
The Thailand new year is celebrated in April and the Hindu new year, Diwali, is celebrated at the end of October or early November.
The Islamic new year comes in March.
A new year is often seen as a new beginning, yet there are many dates which can be called a new year.
So, our new beginning can actually be at many points throughout the year.
A new beginning is a chance to reset, a chance to begin again, maybe do things differently or maybe just to re-energise.
As a Christian, we have strength and comfort from our relationship with Jesus.
In the Bible we are told,
Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will fly up on wings like eagles; they will run and not be tired; they will walk and not be weary.
At any point, we can turn to Jesus either for the first time or for the hundredth time and we can ask for his help and comfort.
That’s not to say that life will necessarily be easy or straightforward, but our hope and faith in Jesus will give us the strength and peace to help us to get through it.
Each day can be a new beginning when we start the day with Jesus.
Kindness Revisited
So... I was reading the Oscar nominations earlier this week and noticed that The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse has been nominated in the animated feature film category. I was reminded that I wrote a Sunrise a little while ago about the book upon which the film is based; so I thought I would remind you.
I am a big fan of Charlie Mackesy. Many of you will not have heard of him. Charlie is an artist who never went to art school, but spent three months in America with a portrait painter, where he learned about anatomy. He began as a cartoonist for The Spectator and a book illustrator for Oxford University Press, before being taken on by galleries. His work features in books, private collections and public spaces; including hospitals, prisons, churches and university colleges around the United Kingdom and also in women’s safe houses around the world.
He has recently had a book published that comprises a selection of his drawings. The book is called, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse. It is one of the most uplifting books you will ever read. In it, we follow the boy and his friends as they travel through life. The mole is an amusing, greedy little character who believes that all of life's problems can be solved with cake; the fox is the silent, wary companion and the horse is the gentle, wise philosopher of the group.
Charlie never intended to produce a book. He simply created the characters as an outward expression of his feelings and his philosophy regarding life. He first presented his drawings to the world via his Instagram account. Many of the drawings were very basic and, in some cases, you could tell that he had merely adapted a coffee stain or an ink smudge into an image. It was these Instagram images that caught the attention of a publisher, who contacted Charlie and suggested the idea of a book. The rest, as they say, is history. It has became a best seller on both sides of the Atlantic and has been described as, "A book of hope for uncertain times".
Charlie consistently promotes a message of kindness. The horse is heard to say, "Nothing beats kindness. It sits quietly beyond all things”. When asked by the mole what he wants to be when he grows up, the boy replies, "Kind". It is a simple truth that kindness is a much needed commodity and something that you can never get enough of. But what is kindness?
The Bible tells us that kindness is both a fruit of the spirit and a characteristic of love; But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and Love is patient and kind. Kindness is also a choice. We can choose to be kind or we can choose not to be. Like all human characteristics we can practice kindness and through practice become better at it. It is something that I personally need to develop. It is not my instant reaction when faced with a problem, or a person, but that is no excuse. The Bible also tells us; "Let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth". I can't simply talk the talk, I need to walk the walk. I need to follow Jesus' example, as Paul explained to the church in Ephesus; "Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you". I have some work to do.
FOMO
You may well have seen this week on the news, that there is only one country in the world who do not have a national football team. This is the Marshall Islands, which is an island country north of Australia. Its 60,000 residents living over 29 small atolls are brilliant farmers and fishermen, but they have never been a part of the international football community until now.
The Marshall Islands have appointed their first director of football, Lloyd Owens from Oxfordshire. His job is to create a national footballing structure from the ground up, and also a national team, to join in with the rest of the world.
The question I wondered was why? Why are the Marshall Islands so suddenly interested in a sport they have never been interested before. As a island that has strong American links, its not really been that important until they realised that they were the only ones missing out. The title of being the only nation not included in football is not what they wanted, they wanted to be included. A whole country developed FOMO (fear of missing out)!
Now I am sure we have all had FOMO at some point. Wanting the latest technology, the latest game, or wanting to ‘keep up with the Jones’. And there is nothing wrong with having nice things, or even being part of the world football stage.
However, when we are so keen to keep up that we don’t stop to enjoy what we have, it can lead to problems.
Charlie Macksey, in his book, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse wrote these words below:
‘Always remember you matter, you’re important and you are loved, and you bring to the world things that no one else can’
The bible puts it like this in 1 Corinthians 12
Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful.
So today, take time to thank God because He made you the wonderful amazing person that you are, and the talents and abilities He has given you. Now this can be a really difficult thing to do, because we are not always very good at thinking kindly of ourselves, but it is important to recognise how amazing each one of us are, so if you are struggling with this, ask someone else to remind you of your best qualities, you may be surprised by the answers!
Psalm 34
Time for a song!
If you click the link below, it will take you to this beautiful song performed by The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.
The song is the words of Psalm 34 written by David, in a time of fear and threat.
David was known as, ‘a man after God’s own heart’.
He certainly wasn’t perfect!
But he loved God.
And he was real before God.
He thanked him for all God had done for him, but he also cried out to him in times of trouble and asked for his help.
May we know today that we can be real before God, telling him our thoughts, our fears and worries.
May we also remember to give him thanks.
I hope you enjoy this beautiful song that our wonderful choir will be learning in the coming weeks.
Lots of love to you all XXX
What's Your Exercise?
I’ve joined a Pilates group.
It’s been nearly two weeks since we started and we’re ever so encouraging!
We’re given daily exercises to do online, and we cheer each other on from a distance.
I never used to be a Pilates kind of girl.
The very slow, controlled, small movements really didn’t float my boat!
Years ago I was more of a gym girl…
oh and then there was Mr Motivator…
then it was Zumba…
next was a short stint with maracas…
and I know there was a moment with Rosemary Conley!!
But Pilates, well that was never my go-to…until now!
With those repetitive, slow, intense movements, I’ve never walked so much like John Wayne in all my life!!
Exercise choices have a lot to do with personality don’t they?!
Some people prefer the quiet, discipline of Pilates,
others feel the need for a daily carnival complete with bright orange leggings, words of encouragement shouted out in Spanish and the smell of tropical fruit scented body spray! Maybe you’re more of a 10,000 steps a day kind of person?
Headphones in, enjoying your own space and thoughts?
I could go on but you get the picture!
We’re all different!
And isn’t that just wonderful!?
Imagine a world where we all did Pilates!!…it would be like a world in slow motion!
Or how about everybody being driven constantly by Zumba sounds and movements???…Madness!!!
And how boring if we all put our headphones in and walked and walked and engaged with no one else?!
How wonderful to have such mixtures of loud and quiet, calm and lively, cautious and impulsive, studious and not-so-much….
But the Bible tells us there are things we do need to be the same on….
‘….Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.’
So today, whether you’re a Zumba person or a Pilates one, thank God for all these wonderful differences we experience in one another, but let’s agree to all choose to bless each other today and always.
Together
When my kids were growing up, it was important to spend time with them doing things together. Finding things that we would all like to do was sometimes interesting and sometimes we would find things some wanted to try and others didn’t. It is also important to try things out to find the things you enjoy together and also as an individual.
As much as we all have individual gifts and abilities that are important to nurture and use, it is also important to learn how to do things together. Sometimes this may involve compromise between people, which is also a good thing to learn how to do.
Over the years, different activities have interested each of us for different reasons. Things change and we need to learn to change and adapt. Learning to listen and encourage is as important as being able to speak out and lead. It may be frustrating when something I wanted to do previously but no-one else was interested has now become the thing we enjoy doing together. Why couldn’t we do this previously, if only you had listened …
But being together is about mixed abilities and about knowing when things are right for all of us.
As Melling church community begins a new year, we can continue to work together and know when is the right time for us and when we may have to wait.
Together we become whole, with God loving us, guiding us and being our example.
In the Bible, the disciples would remind those in the church
“I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him. In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body.”
Lets listen to what God is saying to us, so that we might work together and follow Him.
Alien Holiday
Just for a few moments this morning, I want you to suspend reality and imagine that you are an Alien. An Alien on holiday to Earth for the very first time. You have seen the glossy brochures in your intergalactic travel agency, and you can’t wait to explore. In particular, you want to see all the beautiful flowers and trees and fields of waving corn that you have seen in the leaflets. You want to sit on a flower meadow and stroll through the lush green countryside.
And then you end up in England in mid January, freezing and wondering what happened! Where are the flowers and lush green meadows, you think to yourself! Where is the riot of colour and fragrance you were promised! So you get on the intergalactic mobile phone to your travel agent and demand a refund!
The agent very carefully explains that earth has seasons, and that the brochures show the spring and summer and you have arrived in winter, which is very different.
But that is not fair, you protest, why can’t it be the same beautiful flowers and lush meadows all the time? The agent explains that underneath the mud that you are currently experiencing, are seeds and bulbs resting, waiting and gathering energy and everything they need to explode with that amazing colour and beauty in a few weeks time. You grumpily point out that you can’t see any seeds or bulbs, only mud, so how can anyone be expected to know its there? However, the agent assures you that the spring is on its way, and that the mud will be transformed into the pictures you were promised.
Now this scene is a bit silly really, but as I looked out of the window this morning, it did occur to me that if you didn’t know that Spring was on its way, the scene would look at bit bleak. Who wants cold and mud all the time!
Sometimes we can feel like we are in situations that seem like a never ending winter, and we can’t see a time when it will be different. God is with us in these times, helping and keeping us going. Jesus reminds us that there is hope, and just like the spring bulbs under the mud, things will not be like this forever.
So whatever the weather, and whatever your situation, keep going. God is in it with you and he will see you through.
Psalm 27:13-14
Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness, while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord
The Graveyard Shift
Going back to the office in the new year is sometimes a tricky time. The majority of people have been off for an extended period, so everything has slowed down. In one sense, its great, there are not many emails, not much has happened, so there is not a lot to catch up on. We are all starting up again at the same time. This year, it felt a bit like when you have an all day meeting, when everyone breaks for lunch and then comes back for the afternoon session. That first afternoon session is sometimes called the graveyard shift. You don’t want that slot to present because people have just eaten, their minds are not fully focused on the task. You need to reinvigorate the meeting, get people’s attention and focus so that you can get back to business. January can be like that, its dark, cold, wet and windy, there are cold bugs going around. You have just had 10 days off for Christmas and New Year, trying to get yourself going again can be tricky.
But then there are plans to be made for the year ahead, there are things that we started last year that we need to pick up again. Its an opportunity to re-start, find a new enthusiasm but sometimes we just need a trigger or a kick to get us going again. Remember the good things about last year, the opportunity to repeat that or to improve on it. The friendships that can be picked up again, hearing what’s happened, the funny stories about strange presents or games.
Actually, January can be quite exciting, looking forward to the year ahead, planning what things you want to do, things in work or at home, planning a holiday (or two?!). Looking forward to spring when the gardens start to come to life again, the first flowers starting to open. What new opportunities will come, new experiences, new friends.
The bible has verse that reminds of this,
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
But there are some promises that come just after that we should also remember
Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you
Our loving God has good plans for us, but we do need to call on him, share our thoughts and feelings, our desires.
He will listen.
He will be with us.
If we also listen to Him, he will guide us to the plan he has for us. Let’s give him our full attention, talk to Him and listen to Him, for He loves us.
Oh Bother
So, there I was, sitting in front of the TV watching a travel programme full of mountains and sunshine, when the presenter talked about the beautiful sunrise. I shot upright in my chair and yelled, “Oh bother,” (honest) “I haven’t written Sunrise for Monday,” and this was Sunday at 6pm! It had been a really tough week, both physically and mentally; I was exhausted and my brain had given up for the day. This was not the time to be creative or imaginative, I needed to access something readily available in the dark recesses of my grey matter. I remembered the Sunday morning service at Jo’s house with a room full of people, not enough chairs, and two energetic and friendly dogs. We had chatted about prayer and exchanged some experiences. One person talked about how little children had been blessed over Christmas as a result of prayer. Someone else thanked the people there for their prayers concerning a family member. Another speaker explained how praying was just the natural thing to do when he was in two frightening situations. And we were reminded that praying is not just about asking God to help us through difficult days and experiences, we could, no we should,praise God for His power and compassion and His creative ability. We could thank Him for his knowledge of us and His patience, as well as His forgiveness when we mess up. Maybe, even before we pray for ourselves, we should pray for the millions of people, Christian or not, around the world and possibly in our own street, who experience dire conditions as a daily fact of life. It was also explained that we don’t need to be in a particular building or with certain people, this was an activity that could be practiced anywhere at any time, even driving (but only with our eyes open). Many people believe that because they can’t see God, He’s not there. The Bible recounts many occasions when people prayed because they knew He was there, even though He wasn’t visible.
David asked a question in Psalm 139; “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I run from your presence?” The answer was; Nowhere. It’s God asking the questions in the book of Jeremiah; He says “Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?Do not I fill heaven and Earth?” This is not meant to scare us but to comfort and encourage us. So as you travel through this week, please remember you can talk with God anytime, anywhere, for any reason; He’s always with you. Enjoy your week.
‘New Year, New Start’ - 08/01/23
It’s a new year, the Christmas decorations are coming down, the kids are going back to school, the adults are back in work. Do we welcome the new year? Will this lead to new things? Have you made any new year resolutions?
For some, the new year is a fresh chance to do things differently or to do new things.
For others, it’s just another day with the same feelings and the same emotions.
Maybe it’s a mix?
For many, the most important thing is hope. We hope its going to be a good year, maybe a better year. We hope for ourselves and also for our families and friends. We may hope for change or we may hope for more of the same.
For many, our hope is based on our relationship with Jesus; and this never changes. Jesus loves us unconditionally. And we can choose to love him too. As in any relationship, the more time you spend together, the more you understand each other. The more you do things together, the more you appreciate each other and work together. As we understand each other and work together, our goals and approach become similar.
So, as the calendar changes to a new year, it may be more of the same. But lets spend more time with Jesus, lets understand him more or remind ourselves about His love and sacrifice, His compassion and empathy, His kindness and generosity. Let’s live our lives faithful to Jesus’ way of living and founded on our hope in Jesus.
In the book of Romans, we are reminded
“May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace through your faith in Him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of God.”
'The sound of Impending Doom' - 05/01/23
So... on Monday we went to see the Christmas lights at Dunham Massey. We should have gone to see them at Christmas, but our visit was cancelled due to the icy weather. Now, it must be said that Christmas lights at New Year have a peculiar feel to them. To be fair, the light installations themselves were not specifically designed around a Christmas theme and could therefore be enjoyed at any time and enjoy them we certainly did. The peculiarity was that the event was jollied along by Christmas music and Christmas decorations, which on January 2nd have somewhat lost their charm and serve to lend the occasion a strained sense of fun. You see, you just can't have Christmas when it's not Christmas.
Now, the lights at Dunham Massey didn't depend on Christmas to be magical. Each installation is in itself a work of art and can be enjoyed all year round, but Christmas is only Christmas when it's Christmas. The wonder of Christmas is that it celebrates the occasion of Jesus' birth. A special time when we recognise the wonderful gift that was given to us in the form of a baby who was and is the saviour of the world. Christmas is the singular celebration of the coming of Immanuel; God with us.
The wonderful news is that whilst Christmas is a singular celebration of a specific event, it is that event which leads to a continuous celebration of the love of God for mankind. At Christmas we celebrate the birth of a baby some two thousand years ago, but we must remember that that baby is still here with us now. Just like the light installations that are wonderful to behold at any time, so too Jesus illuminates our lives every day. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”.
So, let's celebrate the wonder of Christmas at Christmas, but let's remember to celebrate the wonder of Jesus every day.
Master Storyteller
When I was younger, my mum would often read me stories before bed and when I was sick. ‘The Secret Garden’ by Frances Hodgson Burnett was one of my favourites as I loved to see Mary Lennox transform as she spent more time in her uncle’s home.
I think that’s what is so powerful about stories; we can get very emotionally involved. Whether it is because of a particular character, setting or just the way the author writes, we can find ourselves becoming wrapped up in the events unfolding on the page in front of us.
Jesus was a fantastic storyteller and taught many important lessons about faith and life through the art of storytelling. We see this in the book of Matthew, during the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus speaks almost poetically about how to live a good, moral life.
What stands out to me about the Sermon on the Mount is that, ‘When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching.’
Jesus’ followers listened, hooked on every word and filled with amazement, as they were told the most important information they would ever hear, much like the way we would listen to stories as children.
Revisiting Jesus’ teachings can fill us with the same excitement as our favourite childhood book, because of the passion with which he speaks, but also because we know that we are reading the words of a master storyteller, of a God who wanted faith to be accessible to all of us and the Son who was sent here to share it with us.
Eternally Young
I wonder if you have heard of the term Biohacking? Its an increasingly popular ‘lifestyle’ craze in which individuals undertake a strict diet, intermittent fasting, vast amounts of supplements, cryotherapy, red light therapy, gene therapy and more medical procedures than you can think of.
As you can imagine it costs vasts amounts of money.
Its purpose is to remain eternally youthful and energetic, and one devotee Bryan Johnson, spends $2Million a year on biohacking to remain young and keep reversing the ageing process. His punishing regime includes him waking at 5am each day (that’s me out), eating precisely 1977 calories a day, avoiding sunlight, applying seven different face creams, as well as laser therapy, exercise and the constant monitoring of all his organs and bodily functions. Bryan Johnson has invested a significant fortune, and all of his time in this pursuit. To him, reducing the ageing process is worth all of his money and time to get it.
Unfortunately for all the rich biohackers out there, the reality is that despite their best efforts, age will catch up with them.
The question is, in this endless quest that seems all consuming, have they forgotten what they are living for?
The bible tells us that there is a much more straightforward way to gain eternal life.
John 3:16
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again."
This invitation is open to anyone, you don’t need to be a billionaire to get in. Jesus gave up everything for us so that we could have a way back to God.
The choice to follow Jesus and live your life his way is not easy, and often there are real challenges, but He is with you every step of the way, loving and guiding us.
Sat-Nav For Life
Many years ago when I took my driving test there was a section of the test that required you to know your Highway Code. When I say you had to know your Highway Code, I really mean that you had to familiarise yourself with it – just enough so that the driving examiner could wave a few flashcards at you and you could tell them what you thought they meant. How times have changed! When my daughter took her driving test, she had to do a separate theory test before they would even allow her to take her practical test. She had to study the Highway Code in quite some detail before sitting her test. While revising she would often ask me what various signs meant and to my shame I often couldn’t tell her the answer!
To have access to the Highway Code but not understand it or follow the instructions makes it a fairly useless tool and potentially puts the driver and those around them in harm’s way. I could study and know my Highway Code inside out but if I then actively choose to ignore the rules of the road, what’s the point? It exists for my benefit and for the benefit of those around me but I need to put it into action.
In the same way, if we read or hear God’s word and then choose to do nothing with that – what has been the point? Nothing has changed. We need to listen for God’s voice whether that is through the Bible or through those he has placed around us and then we need to do what it says – then everything can change.
Don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise you are only fooling yourselves. (James 1:22)
I am hopeless when it comes to directions and depend quite heavily on my trusty SatNav. She works very hard at finding the best way for me to go, mapping the journey out and calling out timely instructions to me. If I take a wrong turn she calmly advises me to make a U-turn when possible or finds another route to the same destination.
It is pointless if I enter the postcode for my destination but then refuse to follow the instructions – who knows where I would end up! I need to listen for her voice, follow the advice she gives and trust that she understands the map much better than I do.
In God’s own words “For I know the plans I have for you” says the Lord, “plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope”.
Let’s listen out for God’s voice and then let’s follow his instruction, after all, he’s the one holding the map.
Make Today Count
Yesterday my Uncle Les passed away.
I loved him.
When we were little we would go on holiday to Wales and Uncle Les was responsible for the dinghy!
We had many hours playing at the River Wye and Uncle Les would always make us laugh.
One year we went to France.
Uncle Les wasn’t known for his foreign language skills.
He went to buy a can of coke and came back with fries!
To this day we have no clue how he managed it.
Uncle Les was fun.
In recent years the cruelty of dementia took over.
But even then, we had moments of humour that seemed to be ‘the real Uncle Les’ peeking out for just a moment!
‘My name’s Les, short for Lesagne’, was one such moment that made us laugh and possibly cry a bit too.
Isn’t life fragile?
None of us knows what tomorrow may bring. Or today!
The Bible has much to say about
living well,
forgiving well,
not bearing grudges,
not destroying someone with our words and actions,
going the extra mile,
encouraging,
caring,
loving,
and thanking God for each new day.
Life is precious.
If there’s someone you need to forgive, don’t waste another moment, forgive.
If you need to talk to someone and clear the air, talk to them.
Help the person in need,
encourage the discouraged
and love the unlovable.
For life is indeed fragile.
The psalmist wrote,
‘This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it’.
Uncle Les, you will be missed, but we thank God for you and celebrate you, our family member and friend.
And for all those memories of your kindness, friendship and fun…
Thankyou.
I think I’ll have ‘lesagna’ for tea!
Bitter and Sweet
Chocolate is not just chocolate, it comes in various forms, milk or dark, mint or orange, it can have fruit in or nuts or both. It can be individual sweets, or a block, or a pretend egg where the packaging cost as much as the contents. Some of it is gentle and mellow but some can have an intense flavour. People have favourites, mine is Bournville; some like bitter-tasting chocolate and others prefer it to be sweet.
Apparently the ancient Mayans in Central America enjoyed chocolate as a drink, and they seasoned it with chilli peppers. They called it ‘bitter water’. When it was introduced in Spain, the Spaniards sweetened it with sugar and honey to remove much of the bitterness. I’d do that!
Just like chocolate, our days can be bitter or sweet, I’m sure we can all relate to this. A 17th century French monk called Brother Lawrence wrote, “If we knew how much God loves us, we would always be ready to receive equally from His hand, the sweet and the bitter.” It’s easy to say this when life is sweet, but when our days become bitter, it may be harder to thank God for His provision. We may struggle to say to God with the writer of Psalm 119, ‘ You are good, and do only good; teach me Your decrees.’
The Mayans didn’t just like the taste of the bitter chocolate, they also valued its healing and medicinal properties.
Bitter days may cause stress and anxiety, but they can remind us how much we depend upon God for the flavour of our days. The same psalmist said, “My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to Your decrees.”
As we look back on the sweet days, let’s remember they came from God; and the bitter days may have come from the hand of God for a purpose; or from people around us, or we ourselves may be responsible for the bitter days. But we are not forced to only look back to the past, we are encouraged to consider God’s presence today, and His provision for the future where all the bitter days are gone for ever.
The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honour to His name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me…. Surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
It’s Monday, I hope the week is full of sweet days, and let’s pray for those whose days are bitter; let’s get involved and take them the sugar and honey that they would love.
Everything in Moderation
Enjoying a balanced diet can mean many things to many people. For some, it means the right amount of fruit, vegetables, protein and liquid. For others, it may mean a burger in one hand and a packet of fries in the other!!
There is an advert that I keep seeing on social media about being physically fit, where they claim that you can eat whatever you want, no special foods, no fasting, no massive exercise regime pounding the pavement, but one where you balance the right exercises with a sensible diet.
But it does remind me that focussing on one aspect won’t necessarily be helpful no matter how good it may be.
You can have too much of a good thing.
I heard recently that when the Bible talks about Christians being the “salt of the earth” or the “light of the world”, too much of a good thing does not always work. Too much salt would make someone ill. Too much light would make it difficult for people to see.
Its also true about how a community needs to be diverse, there needs to be a balance of opinions and viewpoints together with a way to agree (and a way to disagree lovingly).
We have seen in previous Sunrises how the church community is compared to a body. We can’t all be feet or all be hands. The community needs to have different roles that complement each other. The community needs to be diverse and inclusive in many ways otherwise it wont be able to function appropriately.
Jesus demonstrated the right balance, showing compassion and empathy but also telling people where they should focus their attention to improve the balance of their lives, living as Jesus would. Loving God first and loving others as we would want to be loved.
The one thing that we cannot get enough of, is time with Jesus. The Bible is a book where each time you read it and study it, you see something different. You are inspired by God differently with each reading. Sometimes, you may not even understand it the first time, but don’t give up. Read it again.
When Paul wrote to Timothy, he was advised:
Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.
I encourage you to read the Bible to learn about our amazing God. If you are not sure where to start, ask someone from the church.
Be Your Own Flower
My nan always has fresh flowers in her house. I often find myself looking at them and thinking about how beautiful they are. How different they are. How they each have their own unique beauty that captivates the eye.
I think that's wonderful.
And I think that it's even more wonderful that the same thing can be said about each and every one of us. We all have different strengths and weaknesses, things that make us stand out from anyone else, talents and skills that we've honed throughout our lives. These are gifts that we have received from God, as we are told in the book of Isaiah,
‘But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.’
He is the creator, the one who knows us deeper than we know ourselves. He knows those of us who are creative, who are academic and those who have amazing talents beyond those fields. He bestowed our individual talents upon us and provides us with opportunities to share them with others, creating a lively and thriving community filled with so many different kinds of people, no two of which are alike.
‘For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.’ Romans 12:4-5
As a church, when we work together to spread love, joy and happiness to those around us, we are all our own unique flower, making up one part of a bunch. A beautiful, whole and complete bunch.
Because He Lives
Gloria and Bill Gaither met whilst teaching in America in the 1960’s. They married and started a family. However, life wasn’t easy.
This was a difficult time in the states. There was increasing racial tensions, and the drug culture in the area where they were living was rife. In addition to this, Bill had a serious health condition.
Whilst pregnant with their third child, Gloria became increasingly anxious and fearful as to what the future would bring them and she found herself crying out to God for help.
Overwhelmed with anxiety, she suddenly found herself filled with a gentle calming peace. Instead of anxiety, she felt calm and certain that the future would be ok, if she left it in Gods hands. This calmness helped her through the rest of her pregnancy, and inspired her and Bill to write the following words:
Because He lives
I can face tomorrow
Because He lives
All fear is gone
Because I know
He holds the future
And life is worth the living
Just because He lives
John 3:16
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help,
to put the world right again."
Whatever you are facing today, there is hope for the future because Jesus lives.
Have I Done Enough?
Isn’t life hectic?! It’s filled with chores to do, places to be and things that you promised to do. It can easily become a cycle of shopping, cleaning, housework, cooking, childcare, working, commuting etc etc.
All too easily we fill our lives with all of the things that we feel we must achieve, often in unrealistic time frames and place unreasonable demands on ourselves.
Is this what God really wants for us? Will our busyness and list of achievements really earn us brownie points with God?
The simple answer is that while God has given each one us gifts and skills that he wants us to use for his glory, he has never asked us to rush through life at a hundred miles an hour, forgetting to pause and spend time with him, giving thanks and sharing our day.
The fact is, there is nothing we can fill our day with that will make God love us more or earn us a place in Heaven.
“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
So the next time you are wondering if you have done enough yet or are thinking and worrying about all of the things you haven’t done yet, just remember that as far as God is concerned you did enough when you woke up this morning and said good morning to him and invited him into your day.
I think that life will always be busy but let’s resist the temptation to treat it like a life-long ‘to do’ list and instead make sure we set time aside to stop and pause and
“Be still and know that I am God”.
Secrets
‘Honesty is such a lonely word
Everyone is so untrue
Honesty is hardly ever heard
And mostly what I need from you’
‘Honesty’ - Billy Joel
Recently I read an article about someone I thought had been a good, honest character, full of integrity, with love for his family. I was devastated to hear that this person had been living a double life. Causing many, many people to believe he was someone great and good whilst all along sordid secrets were piling up on his phone and his victims were being silenced.
He passed away, aged 74, and left behind a lot of brokenness. It was a heart-breaking read.
More scandal.
More lies.
No honesty.
Secrets.
Secrets.
Secrets.
Nowadays it would seem that nearly everybody has a mobile phone. Instant access to others through phone calls and texts.
And then there’s the internet freely available wherever we are.
Not to mention all the social media sites.
Oh, and then there’s the photos and videos we take, or we receive. These phones are absolutely incredible!
Where would we be without them?!
But what’s on them?
If someone got hold of our phones would they be shocked by our photos?
Would our messages reveal ‘another side’?
And what about our Search History?
Billy Joel was right when he said that honesty is such a lonely word. There seems to be so many stories of scandal and lies and lack of integrity.
But we can be different.
Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life’.
CS Lewis defined integrity as ‘doing the right thing, even when no one is watching’.
Secret lives cause broken lives.
Let’s all be careful to think right thoughts, say right words and have right actions. It’s so important that honesty, and integrity, are key to how we live.
And we’d all love Billy Joel to write another song!
The Power of Words
OK, it’s Easter Monday morning and soon many people will be back at work, school, or having a morning break in Costa. Before life returns to normal, let’s think about the power of words.
Over many centuries, thoughts have been expressed in words that have been significant because they have encouraged or inspired people, or they have transformed lives and history.
Here’s a few:-
A) ‘Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.’
B) ‘Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.’
C) ‘We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be….we shall never surrender.’
D) ‘There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread, but there are many more dying for a little love.’
E) ‘I have seen the promised land. I may not get there with you.’
F) ‘What passing bells for these who die as cattle? Only the monstrous anger of the guns.’
These words, like millions more, were expressed to cause people to stop and think; maybe change direction or possibly help us to understand something we hadn’t thought about.
A lady who was neither famous or powerful uttered five words that totally transformed lives, and still does today. She simply said to her astonished friends, “I have seen the Lord.”
Two days earlier they had watched in horror as Jesus was brutally and obscenely executed and laid in a tomb. This was the man who said, “I am the good shepherd who is willing to die for the sheep.” He also said to John in a vision, “I am the Living One, I was dead, but now look, I am alive for ever and ever.”
Mary only needed to use five words to express the love and power of God and the reality of life after death.
What else do we need?
Authors.
A) President Kennedy. B) Leo Tolstoy. C) Winston Churchill. D) Mother Teresa. E) Martin Luther King. F) Wilfred Owen.
He Lives!!
Happy Easter to you all!!
On this precious day of celebration and thanksgiving may you all know something of the love that our risen Lord Jesus has for each one of us.
Jesus changed lives 2000 years ago and He continues to change lives today.
The words below sum it up perfectly. They are the words of the beautiful song, ‘He Lives’.
Click the link below to hear it.
Have a good day everybody, lots of love to you all ️
“More than a baby in a manger
To whom nobles would humbly bow their knee
Or the young man who heaven knew as saviour
He is alive in me
More than the man who walked on water
Or the one who caused blinded eyes to see
Greater than all the signs and wonders
He is alive in me
He lives He lives
Conquered the grave, covered our sin
He lives He lives
Death could not hold the promise within
He lives
More than the man who heard, ‘Hosanna’
From the same who cried, ‘Crucify the king’
Freely he gave as they demanded
Yet still He’s alive in me
More than the man mankind rejected
With nails in His hands and through His feet
But the end told much more than they expected
For everyone knows in three days He rose
With power forever to redeem, you and me
He lives He lives
Conquered the grave, covered our sin
He lives He lives
Death could not hold the promise within
He lives
He’s alive
Death where is your sting?
Grave, your victory?
Jesus holds the key
He reigns forever and ever
He lives”
Waiting and Expecting …?
There are many times when waiting and expecting for something or someone can really raise your anxiety. Waiting for distant family to arrive for a visit, stood in the window looking down the road to see them coming. Or maybe in today's world, waiting anxiously for them to answer your WhatsApp message on the phone. You have missed seeing them in person and are so excited to see them that you don’t want to wait.
Or maybe it's waiting for a parcel to arrive, maybe a gift for someone you love. But the parcel is delayed, you get messages saying its on the way and its nearly there. But where is it actually? These days, you can now almost track the driver on a map so you can see where they are up to.
But what happened when Jesus died and was buried in the tomb?
Jesus had told people what was going to happen, it was said in the Old Testament bible and Jesus told them all again, he would be killed and buried but on the 3rd day he would rise from death.
The Pharisees who arranged for him to be captured and killed, feared someone would try to make people think he had come back to life, so arranged for a guard to be on the tomb. But the disciples were not sure it would happen and were hiding away.
When Jesus first appeared and the stories were told back to the disciples, they questioned it and said they would only believe it if they saw it themselves.
The disciples had seen so many amazing things with Jesus, and yet they were not sure if Jesus would actually rise again. And then they saw him. They weren’t waiting or expecting it to happen even though Jesus had told them he would do it.
But this is the whole point of Jesus. He came to live with us and teach us what it is to live, then because of his love for us, he gave himself to be killed but then he rose again to show he really was God's son.
Today, we know that Jesus did rise from the grave, but the disciples were not sure, they weren’t waiting for it to happen because it was so incredible.
But Jesus is risen!
As we “celebrate” Easter, we should be expectant and wait on Jesus.
He will do as he promised just as he did on that first Easter.
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40 v31
An Act So Selfless
I have often wondered why today is known as Good Friday. Did someone accidentally add
another 'o' when writing out God's Friday on a calendar hundreds of years ago? Is it to reassure us that there is hope during our mourning? Or is it something else altogether?
After doing some research, I didn’t find any reliable answers; some sources say that its origins lie with the German 'Gute Frietag', others say that it is an old English term that designates a time in which something holy is celebrated and other sources have another answer entirely.
Then, that got me thinking, does the origin of the name matter?
It’s the meaning of today that is really, truly important. Above all else.
The ultimate sacrifice, the most loving act ever performed. An act so selfless and rooted in the most sincere forgiveness, done for us, in the face of rejection, beatings, ridicule and betrayal.
1 Peter 2:24, “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
He was sent to us, lived among us, taught us and, ultimately, died in order to save us. And, at no point during this, did his love for us ever falter. Even on the cross, Jesus loved and forgave,
‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’
There is nothing more remarkable than that. There is no act in history that carries the same weight and importance. There is no one who loves as deeply, forgives so freely and willing to face such agonies for our salvation.
So today, take time to think of him. Think of Jesus, think of how today, despite being filled with sorrow, can help reassure us of God’s love. And thinking of God’s love may show you that there can be goodness found in today after all.
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Scar Stories
When I was a child, myself and my friends would often have great discussions about the scars that we had obtained, through various misadventures. It might have been coming off a bike, or tripping over on a gravel path, or a nasty slide accident, but we would all discuss who had the ‘best scar’.
Please don’t get me wrong, no one wished ill of one another, but playing and having fun sometimes led to accidents and inevitable cuts and scrapes.
As well as the actual scar, the story of how the scar was obtained was just as important as the scar itself. A great story could make the smallest and most imperceptible scar seem like a giant wound.
This week we remember again the horrific scars that were inflicted on Jesus, as he was arrested and tortured before his death.
Unlike an unintentional accident, Jesus could have walked away at any time, but he chose to stay. He chose to receive those scars, because of his great love for us. So that no one could ever say, ‘You don’t understand what I have been through, You don’t understand my pain”.
Jesus, God, the Son, understands. He is the God of scars. He is the God who has been through unimaginable pain, and chose this path so we could find a way back to God.
His scar story is the greatest story of all time, and each scar speaks of both immense pain and incredible love.
Isaiah 53
He (Jesus) was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.
Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
Seeking God’s Will
This week is known by millions of Christians around the world as Holy Week. It is a very special time in the Christian calendar as we remember the brutal death and triumphant resurrection of Jesus.
Jesus came, not because we demanded he come and not because we were worthy; he came simply because he loved us so much that despite all our failings and rejections, he wanted to defeat death and offer us life.
As he approached the time of his death Jesus became distressed – he knew what he was about to face. In the moment of his deepest distress, Jesus turned to prayer,
“Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
In his darkest moment, facing unfathomable mental and physical torture, Jesus still prayed for God’s will to be done. He didn’t pray for an easy way out, he didn’t pray for God to change his mind, his prayer was simply that God’s will was done regardless of the road that meant he must travel.
What wonderful words to carry us towards the Easter weekend! Whether life is joyful or sad, whether it feels like a dark and difficult road or straight, clear path right now, may we have the courage and strength to make that our prayer this Easter:
“I want your will to be done, not mine”.
If we really mean those words then they are words that can change the world!
So, as we work our way through this Holy Week, let us pray those words over and over.
Let us pray that God’s will is done around the world and nations are united in peace and respect for one another.
Let us pray that God’s will is done in our country and that we see tools of violence and hatred laid down and expressions of love shown instead.
Let us pray that God’s will is done in Melling, that despite the personal trials and difficulties people may be experiencing at the moment that eyes will be firmly fixed on Him, our strength and our guide.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6
My Redeemer Lives
Nicole C. Mullin was a shy, little girl with a stutter, living in Cincinnati, Ohio.
She grew up, got married and found herself in a horrific, violent, loveless marriage.
The abuse she experienced was extreme.
And she recalls how she just ‘longed for Heaven’. Eventually she escaped from the abuse.
Years later she wrote these words,
"There is a beautiful truth that I know.
For the things that have ended in ashes, God has given me beauty.
Where there was mourning, He has given me joy.
For times when I have felt overwhelmed by fear and depression, He has given me clothes of praise.
For all of the questions that are still unanswered and situations without closure, there is the hope of redemption”.
Today Nicole is a singer/songwriter.
She wrote and performed one of our choir’s favourite songs called, ‘My Redeemer Lives’
This is a beautiful song, looking at the wonders of creation and seeing God in it all.
The second verse speaks of this awesome, creator God looking upon each one of us and being there for us even when ‘the storm rages on’.
“The very same God that spins things in orbit
Runs to the weary, the worn and the weak
And the same gentle hands that hold me when I'm broken
They conquered death to bring me victory”.
May these words bring comfort, support and hope to those feeling weary and hurt, lonely and broken.
During this Easter week, I thank God, all over again, that My Redeemer Lives.
Click on the link below to hear this beautiful song.
I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2
Witness Marks
I remember a man I knew some time ago whose passion was old clocks, particularly grandfather clocks. They are such stately items to stand in a corner of a room, just gently and peacefully ticking away and reminding us, not just of the time, but also of the passage of time as they tick the seconds, minutes, and days away.
I read of an elderly clock repairman talking to a young person as he adjusted the settings inside the case of a grandfather clock. He used his torch to find a fine mark scratched on the back inside-wall of the case. He said, “A repairman could have put that there a century ago, it’s called a ‘witness mark’ and it helps me to adjust the mechanism if the clock stops.”
We live now in an age of repair manuals on our computers that explain the workings of almost any piece of equipment around the house. I’ve just downloaded one for a ten-year-old boiler in the house we are moving into soon. Before Google, we relied on people who made things work before we were born. The ‘witness mark’ placed in the clock case was an act of kindness offered to the next person to make adjustments.
Our Bibles encourage us to leave our own ‘witness marks’, based on our experiences and understanding of life as we seek to serve God where He has placed us. Like the mark on the clock wall, they may seem tiny and insignificant, but they could make a vital difference to someone who is following on after us. It may simply be the voice of experience, offering an encouraging word from somebody who has been through a trial years ago and has learned a lesson. It may be the listening ear of someone who can be trusted. It might be the gift of time to a lonely person.
We should always be aware that our understanding of God, or the devil, or people, or temptations, or failures, can be a gift for a younger (or older) Christian trying to make sense of their faith in our broken world.
Let’s pray that we may recognise opportunities to make a ‘witness mark’ in another Christian’s life as they try to make adjustments to their walk with God.
Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome,
‘When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.’
Being an Ally
We were having a discussion in work about equality and what that can mean. Does everyone get treated fairly, have the same opportunities, get paid the same amount for the same role and skill? There was a discussion about whether it should be equality or equity? Equality is making sure that everyone has the same chances. But equity takes into account an individuals circumstances so that people have the chance to reach the same goal.
Diversity and inclusion are important topics, as we should care about others needs and circumstances to ensure that all have the option to join in and have the support that they need. We all have the chance to go up a mountain but some may need more help than others to reach the top.
We then discussed being an ally. When some are being picked up or not being given a fair chance, we should be an ally, we should step in and support them. We should stand with them.
Being a Christian is for everyone. It’s the same goal for each of us even though we each have different circumstances. The support we need can be very different. We all have the same opportunity and no matter what our starting point or what our journey is, we can all reach the same goal.
When the disciples were encouraging other Christians, the bible says,
Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others too.
Let's remember that in loving Jesus, we should also love others, understand their circumstances and love them for who they are and the journey they are going through. Jesus lived his life as an example for us. Jesus came to live on earth to understand our circumstances and support us, giving himself so that we might live.
Let's be an ally, support each other and help each other as Jesus has done for us.
March Sunrises
Difficult Questions
Sometimes things just feel heavy. There are situations in life that are uncomfortable, unmanageable and just plain difficult. Often, we struggle with figuring out why these things are happening, turning to God to ask why he allows them to take place. And that is okay. We are allowed to have our questions, because there is no faith without doubt.
As Christians, people often ask us the tricky questions that make us think about our faith and it’s okay to not have an answer. Not knowing doesn’t make our faith any less important. Being a Christian does not mean that we have all the answers; it means something different to all of us. And because we all bring something different, we are offering others the opportunity to learn from us every day, and we are given the opportunity to learn something new in return. Having such an array of perspectives is a priceless gift and one that should be cherished.
Proverbs 27:17 ‘People learn from one another, just as iron sharpens iron.’
If we, as a community, don’t ignore the difficult questions, and instead acknowledge them, when they come from others and when they come from ourselves, we are given a prime opportunity to trust in God. We can share our doubts and worries with each other, unafraid of judgement and willing to hear a new point of view, before placing our trust in God and embracing that he knows what he is doing, far better than we ever will.
And it is important to remember that faith is a journey, and a journey wouldn’t be complete without a challenge; it’s how we respond to the challenge that reflects how we feel in our hearts.
Proverbs 3:5-6, ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.’
Planetary Parade
I don’t know if you missed it or not, but Monday nights sky was a red letter event for Astronomers in the UK. The phenomenon that occurred on Monday night is known as a ‘Planetary Parade’. This is what happens when several planets line up across the nights sky in an arc, and people are able to view them all at once. On Monday night, it was possible to see Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus, Mars, and the Moon aligned in an arc across the evening sky.
You probably had to be in a nice quiet dark spot in the north of Scotland to see them well, (clouds allowing of course), but if you were able to see this ‘Planetary Parade’, I hope that you took some time to appreciate it in all its glory.
As our planet orbits the sun in this great galaxy of ours, it easy to forget how amazing the universe is, and how many stars and planet are out there, shining, orbiting and generally doing what stars and planets do. When I stop to think about it its mind blowing, wonderful and truly beautiful.
It reminds me of a song (or Psalm) that David wrote in the Bible. Maybe he had just witnessed an amazing night sky when he wrote it:
Psalm 8
Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars you set in place, what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honour.
David looked at the amazing creativity and power of our Amazing Creator God, and realised just how small he was in the universe, and put it into words. Yet God also reminded him that whilst compared to the planets in the sky, he was so tiny, he was still important, precious and loved. He was known by God.
Whatever sky you are looking at today, this is the same for us. God, our God, the God who made the universe, knows and loves us. Each one of us.
How amazing is that!
God is Never Late
“Nothing is impossible for God” are the words of a 12 year old Ugandan girl, Lynet. She was told her father had been rushed to hospital and that he was going to die – the thought of losing her father was understandably terrifying for her. Her father could no longer sit, walk, eat or recognise anyone any more so Lynet decided to pray.
“I believed that when I shared my pain with God, He would answer me… I prayed to God that by the time I reached the hospital, Dad would be able to rise from his bed and have the strength to sit.”
Anxiously Lynet went to visit her father in hospital and was met by the incredible sight of her father sitting up in bed, smiling and greeting her.
(Full story can be found at https://www.compassionuk.org/blogs/little-prayer-warriors/ )
For people who are praying faithfully and waiting for God’s answer, Lynet says this:
“God’s answers don’t always come quickly, but they are never late. I want people still waiting on God to continue praying and praising God and serving Him as they wait. He will answer them.”
What incredible and wise words from this young girl – age is no measure of wisdom or faith, in fact Jesus told us to come to him like children, with complete faith and dependence and not a fancy word in sight!
"…Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, “I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom. What’s more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it’s the same as receiving me.”
So this week, let’s embrace our inner child and pray like children and pray for our children:
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Let’s pray for the children and families devastated by the school shooting in Nashville. For children across the world who fear going to school whether due to gun crime, knife crime or bullying. For children, particularly girls, who are not permitted access to education simply because of gender and either government restrictions or expectations of families for them to work from a young age.
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For children in this country, today, who are living in poverty and parents going hungry simply so that their children can have something to eat. For children who are having to juggle caring for parents or siblings while also attending school. And for children in our nation trying to sleep at night without a bed to sleep in or warm blankets to cover them.
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Let’s pray for the staff and children at Melling Primary as they await the results of their recent Ofsted inspection. For the children who meet weekly for our very own book clubs led by Kate (including their wonderful jokes!) and for their Easter Egg hunt – may there be fun and laughter as well as hearing about the Easter story.
‘In The Jungle, The Mighty Jungle…’
I don’t suppose you’ve ever gotten close to a lion’s tongue?
I didn’t think so.
Neither have I.
But I have been reading about them.
These beautiful big cats have tongues that could literally rip you to shreds. The surface of them is completely covered in tiny spines called papillae that are used to scrape the flesh off the bones of their prey. Nice!
Gruesome really.
And fascinating.
Isn’t nature just fascinating?!
When I read that fact I couldn’t help but smile at the realisation that humans have tongues just like that too!!
Ok, so they’re not covered in tiny spines, but they are still capable of ripping someone to shreds.
What happens when we get angry?
Frustrated?
Overtired?
Overworked?
Jealous?
What about if we’re bearing grudges?
Not getting our own way?
Chances are we let our tongue loose and it becomes a killing machine.
Think of the damage our words can do.
The lies, gossip and venom, the bitterness, criticism, mockery and plain old mean talk!
All capable of killing relationships, hopes, dreams and opportunities.
Of course we can always say sorry for the words we’ve wrongly spoken, and hopefully forgiveness is given.
But why say them in the first place?
The Bible has much to say about our words,
“A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell”.
Those are really strong words about this tiny part of the body.
But we only have to look around to see how true it is.
I have no idea who wrote the following quote but there’s a lot of wisdom in it…
‘Be sure to taste your words, before you spit them out’.
Such great advice!!
May we all stop, breathe, think about the words we would want to have spoken to us, and then do likewise.
May we all learn to speak life into situations and leave the killer tongues to the lions.
Stick with the Snail
Recently, scientists from Penn State University have engineered a super glue. It not only knows when to stick, but it also knows when to let go.
Science is wonderful; our lives are blessed in so many ways because of the work and imagination of clever people. So often, these brilliant ideas and products don’t come from scientists dreaming up bizarre concepts, they come from observing what already exists in the natural world.
In this case, a snail demonstrated that it was ahead of us. There is a particular snail that produces slime that hardens in dry conditions but loosens when conditions become wet. This two-way sticky substance allows the snail to move freely in humid conditions, which are safe for the snail, but develops a powerful grip when the environment becomes dry which can be dangerous for the snail. When the weather becomes damp again, the process is reversed. Clever snail!
The researchers decision to duplicate an adhesive found in the humble snail, recalls Johannes Kepler’s explanation of his own thought processes. He famously commented that he was “merely thinking God’s thoughts after him.”
In the Book of Genesis, we read that God created the physical infrastructure of His creation, the galaxies, sky, land, oceans, on the first four days, then used the next two days to create living creatures, birds, fish, land animals, which included our clever little snail, and you and me. At the end of each day, He surveyed His handiwork and declared that it was ‘Good.’
Down through the centuries, countless discoveries have emerged by simply observing how God did things first.
In Psalm 8, David, who was a keen and intelligent observer of humanity, with all its issues and failings, felt compelled to ask a question, “I often think of the heavens Your hands have made, and the moon and stars You put in place. Then I ask myself; Why do You care about us humans? Why are You concerned for us weaklings?”
The truth is that God considers us to be the pinnacle of His creative activities, even more important than that special snail!
At the end of the creation account in Genesis, we read, ‘God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God, He created us.’
So the question at the beginning of a new week is this, How much of God do people see when they look at us, who were made in God’s image?
Run the race
You may have seen the new BBC programme “Race across the world”? The show comprises couples who are tasked which travelling across Canada from the west coast to the east coast, a distance of 16,000 km or just under 10,000 miles. They have no phone or bank cards and have been given just £2500, which is the price of the flight from the start to the finish. But they can only travel by land or sea. There are check points to reach but the route and costs are up to the couples to decide. They will likely have to earn more money on the way.
The couples have very different approaches, with some willing to pay for a taxi journey, while others choose to car share. Some will pay for a hotel whilst others work for room and board.
It’s fascinating as the relationships between the couples sometimes unravel a bit or they learn to trust each other. Some of them just focused on an easy life, while others seek to enjoy the wonderful nature of Canada.
One of the participants wants to help his daughter understand that if you receive a kindness, then pass it on.
It does reflect on our lives too, in that our start and destination may be similar to others but how we make the journey and what is important to us will affect the impact our journey will have on us and also on those around us.
Our life as a Christian will affect our journey and, in the Bible, the disciples wanted to help people understand what that may mean.
Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way. And now he’s there, in the place of honour, right alongside God.
When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he ploughed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!
Focus on Jesus through spending time talking and listening to Him, read and learn about how Jesus lived his life in the Bible. Jesus has been through this himself so he understands and He can help each of us in our journey.
Every Step
It’s so easy to focus on when things go wrong. The simplicity of dwelling on negativity and fixating on the bad encapsulates us, banishing any thoughts of redemption or chances to find positivity. I’ve noticed that even in situations where things have gone well, I’ve found myself thinking, ‘I should have done this and this and this differently,’ or ‘yeah, it went well, but if I had included that, that and that it would have gone much better,’ rather than pausing and reflecting on the overall positive outcome.
While personal development is a good thing, I think that sometimes the line between development and excessive self-deprecation begins to blur. Ephesians 4:2 says to ‘Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.’ If we are to be patient and loving to others, I think that it is important to extend this inwards and apply it to ourselves, because following the second greatest commandment, ‘love your neighbour as yourself,’ relies on the basis of treating yourself fairly and with kindness already. If we struggle to look at ourselves benevolently, it becomes more difficult to love outwardly and treat others in a way in which mirrors any sense of self respect, self-love or compassion.
If you have difficulty acknowledging value, remembering that God loves us regardless of how we feel about ourselves is always a good place to start. God is with us, every step of our journey, providing unconditional love, even at the darkest moments when worthiness feels like an impossibility.
Jeremiah 31:3 ‘The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”’
His love is constant and, perhaps, through God’s love and with God’s love, learning to treat yourself kindly may no longer feel like a battle destined never to be won.
This Is Your Life!
You may have heard the news that the House of Lords longest serving member has passed away this week. A previous Paralympian and founder of the Spinal Injuries Association, Lady Masham was a member of the house of Lords for 53 years and spent much of that time campaigning for disability rights.
One interesting fact I discovered about her today though, was that she was the subject of an episode of ‘This is Your Life’ in 1976. That’s 47years ago! At the age of 40, having been a Paralympian and founder of a major disability charity, she had clearly accomplished a lot. Certainly, enough for the TV producers to devote a show to her. However, there was much more to come. Following the ‘This is your life’ programme, she might have been forgiven for retiring quietly in the background and enjoying life. However, whilst her competing days may have been over, her campaigning days were not, and a new chapter of her life had begun.
This reminds me of the disciples in the bible. Most were settled in professions, with families and lives set out for them. Then Jesus arrived. He turned their world upside down. They thought they had their lives sorted, but Jesus turned the page and a whole new chapter of their lives began. They could have been content with where they were and what they were doing, but if they hadn’t gone with Jesus they would have missed out on a whole new life.
Matthew 4:18-20
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
Whatever age you are, even if you feel like you are at the ‘This is your life’ stage, when you are ready to have a quiet life and sit back, Jesus has a whole new chapter ready for you. It might be short or long, it might be more of the same or something completely different, but life with Jesus is never boring!
We all have amazing gifts and skills to bring to help one another. Take time today to sit with God, and see what a new chapter may bring.
With a Thankful Heart
In the book of Luke we can read a story about an occasion when Jesus was travelling towards Jerusalem and came across 10 men who were afflicted with leprosy. As they saw Jesus they cried out to him “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Jesus instructed them to go and show themselves to the priests and as they went, they were healed. After this miraculous event, one of them returned to Jesus crying out “Praise God!” and fell at Jesus’ feet thanking him. But where were the other 9 men? Sadly, only one returned to give thanks for what Jesus had done.
God invites us to bring our requests, anxieties and problems to Him, but we also need to remember to bring our thanks to Him. It is all too easy for our needs to become our main focus so it is important to make sure that we set time aside to actively give thanks to our Father for his provisions and faithfulness as He journeys along life’s path with us.
So, this week, our prayers are going to centre around giving thanks – it’s often surprising how when we start to think of God’s blessings, we find there are many, many more things to be grateful for than we might have first thought.
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We live in an incredible world; it is a world of wonder from the humble ant going about its business creating intricate nests to the majesty of snow-topped mountains and every creature, tree and lake in between. Everything has been created to play a role in a cycle of life. We may have caused great destruction in our world due to ignorance but let’s pause and give thanks this week for our beautiful earth and also the people making a stance to defend and restore it.
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Let us remember what a privilege we have in this country to worship God freely without fear of arrest or imprisonment. May we not take for granted what so many others around the world would so dearly love to have.
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In a world where so many people struggle with loneliness, let’s give thanks for one another. We belong to a community that cares, a community that loves. Our problems may not go away, but we are surrounded by people who are quick to support and journey with us – may we never take that for granted, but rather give thanks for the community that God has placed us in.
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”