2024 Sunrises
November 2024
Waiting
On my rounds of Christmas shopping, I saw a brilliant bag for sale. It was meant for children, but I nearly bought it for myself! It’s a normal backpack, but instead of a front pocket, there was a fidget push pop grid. These are the toys that look a bit like bubble wrap, but brightly coloured. The idea was that whenever you needed to wait for something, you could just sit and play with the push pop grid, and it would make the waiting easier. And as it was attached to the bag, it shouldn’t get lost or left behind (a big plus for me who is constantly leaving things behind).
The reality is that waiting is hard for everyone, no matter how young or old we are. Sometimes it's not long, but sometimes its years and years that we wait for something we long for.
Sometimes it's an illness or a difficulty that we wish we didn’t have, sometimes its for relationships to be repaired. I have been waiting and praying for 30 years for some members of my extended family to know the love of Jesus, and I am still waiting and hoping and longing for this to happen.
The one thing I know about waiting is that I never have to wait alone. Jesus has walked and sat and listened to me through all the waiting and his love never changes. Even when I get frustrated and fed up with waiting, Jesus is still there.
When God gave a promise to his people that he would send a saviour, it was nearly 600 years before he arrived. That’s a really long time, and waiting was hard but God kept his promise.
Psalm 27:14
Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord
Isaiah 9:6
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
No Judgement
There are millions of people who every year pay to take part in crazy and very muddy events, apparently because they enjoy them. They run for miles over an obstacle course, climb vertical walls, scramble up inside an upright pipe with water pouring down inside it, slip and slide through mud that’s feet deep, frequently disappearing completely. They swing or try to swing over filthy pools of smelly disgusting water (I think it’s water) and squirm through very claustrophobic tunnels, and after all of this they get a certificate that confirms their insanity. They insist on doing it all again next year and collect another certificate that joins all the others, proudly framed, on their kitchen walls.
Some of them consider it to be a personal challenge to overcome their fears and test their limit of endurance. For others, the attraction is teamwork where the crazy competitors help and support each other. One competitor came up with the expression, ‘The No Judgment Zone’ because people who are complete strangers go out of their way to help and support each other. It doesn’t matter about colour, gender, age, size; everyone helps everyone. There’s no 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, everyone who gets to the end of the course is a ‘winner’.
In the early days of Christianity it was understood that the way forward was to imitate Jesus in His approach to people of all kinds. He broke all society’s laws and customs by talking to, listening to, and helping anybody. The leaders who made the rules were appalled but He ignored them, and He changed the lives of many individuals and families by demonstrating respect and concern.
Nothing has changed, being prepared and willing to help anyone, if we have the ability and opportunity, is still a biblical principle and a demonstration of God’s love. In the Bible book of Hebrews, we read these words of advice to all Christians, in all countries, and at all times in history, including us here in Melling today,
‘Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together (as some people do), but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.’
When we meet people in our church, in Asda, on the bus, in fact anywhere, let’s make sure we are not strangers. And if new people join us in our lovely church, let’s remember ‘The No Judgment Zone’.
First Snow Fall
This week saw our first snow fall of this winter, it's suddenly turned cold and I was sceptical about the forecast of snow. When I was growing up in Liverpool, snow was quite common, but lately it hardly seems to happen no matter what the forecast. This week however it did actually snow and we had about the amount that was forecast.
Some countries cope with changing weather so much better than the UK. I remember when I was a lot younger and there was a heavy snowfall, the cars around the area drove quite carefully making channels of compacted snow leaving deep ruts in the road. Back then most cars were a similar size and all was well apart from one poor driver who was in a 3 wheel car. His back 2 wheels fitted perfectly into the channels but his single front wheel had no-where to go and the driver had a terrible time trying to drive around. I found it all quite funny.
But how well do we prepare for the possibility of bad weather? Do we have de-icer ready? Do we cover the car to make it easier to clear? Do we allow more time to get ready so that we can prepare the car for a journey? Do we drive more slowly and carefully? We could cope a lot better if we just thought about the possibilities a bit more and gave ourselves a bit more time to get ready and do things.
As Christians, we should remember to be prepared and ready to share our faith in Jesus, we should read and re-read the Bible to learn from it. We should chat with God regularly. We should love and care for others as Jesus would love and care for them. Sometimes, in doing this, we may have to also give up some time to listen to others and comfort them; to share Jesus’ love with them. It may disrupt what we thought we were going to do and make us slow down a bit. Sometimes, Jesus has a plan for our day that we didn’t expect but we should be ready.
In the bible book of 1 Peter, we read
But make sure that in your hearts you honour Christ as Lord. Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you about the hope you have. Be ready to give the reason for it. But do it gently and with respect.
Don’t Miss It!
On the bus recently, there was a little child who was pretending to be a superhero! They were using their superpowers to jump down the bus and stick to the floor so that they didn’t fall over. It was wonderful to watch this child using their imagination to help them balance as they made their way to the front of the bus to get off at their stop.
It was only a little event, but it really brought a smile to my face and made me very grateful for children and their imaginations.
What I realised though, as I looked round at the faces of the other passengers on the bus, was that most of them had missed the event completely. They were busy with their phones, or reading the paper, or deep in thought. Even though this child had literally bounded down the bus, they had not noticed it at all.
I wondered how many times I miss chances to be grateful because I am simply too busy with other things, or just not looking for them?
The Bible calls us to live a life of gratitude. To be thankful both to Jesus and to others, for the many Blessings that we have. That’s not to say that life isn’t hard, but that we should take every opportunity to say thankyou and be grateful for what we do have.
So today, let's really be on the look out for opportunities to be thankful, as like the child on the bus, they can so easily be missed.
Psalm 107:1
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
Nothing Lasts For Ever?
Edward Schulman discovered and named Methuselah in 1957.
We read in the Bible that Methuselah lived to be 969 years old, but the one discovered and named in 1957 is a tree, the oldest in the world, estimated to be 5,000 years old. Its exact location is secret for its safety.
The oldest known human-made structure, still standing, is reputed to be Gobekli Tepe in Turkey and it’s estimated to have been built around 9,000 BC!
The oldest living animal on earth is a Glass Sponge which is, it is claimed, to be more than 10,000 years old. These creatures live in every ocean, more than 450 metres below the surface.
This makes me feel really very young, despite the birthday I have recently celebrated.
How do you feel today? Some people feel much younger than they are, whilst others feel quite ancient. As we live our lives, we gain experience and become wiser. Maybe!
If Methuselah, the tree, could speak, what has it seen or heard or learned that would benefit us?
Certainly, that building in Turkey must have seen amazing events and witnessed significant human behaviour in its 5,000 years. If only it could talk, all of us might learn important lessons.
However long we live, surely we would like to think we have contributed to the lives of people around us. Some people are fortunate enough, or lucky enough, to have impacted the lives of people they have never met. How great it must feel, to be able to believe that our lives have not been wasted or devoid of influence.
In Luke's historical account of the early church, he made the point that, ‘When David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep.’ Job done!
Its worth asking ourselves if we will ‘fall asleep’ smiling, because we have completed Gods plans for our lives. I guess that even ‘Sunrise’ will ‘fall asleep’ when it has served its purpose!
As we live, year by year through our ‘own generation’, lets make sure we are more focussed on God’s plans for our lives, than on our own. How wonderful to hear these words as we enter into a new life that does not count the years, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
And however old we are, or however young we are, it won’t matter.
When Is It Too Early?
Have you noticed how there are already Christmas lights appearing, not just on businesses and streets, but in houses as well. We are starting to prepare for our outside Christmas lights. But when is too early for them? Everyone will have their own opinion on that, and no-one is wrong because it is your own choice. The Christmas lights on the streets around Melling do look really good. For a lot of people, they really do invoke a good feeling and a sense of happiness.
The Christmas films are also here with their own channels so you can watch cheesy Christmas movies 24 hours a day. There are new radio stations dedicated to Christmas music. We were planning a meal out in work for the end of year and someone called it a Christmas meal and someone else said, no its just a social meal not about Christmas, it just happens to be near Christmas.
But when are these things about Christmas? Is the Die Hard film a Christmas movie or just a movie based at the time of Christmas? Is “the Great Escape” a Christmas movie or just a film that was always shown at Christmas? The clamour to have the Christmas No 1 pop song is still going and yet some are not always that cheerful or christmassy!
Let’s not let the hype around Christmas blind us to the real Christmas. There will be so much going on with adverts for gifts, toys and food; but is the focus on giving or wanting?
Christmas is about a gift of life given in love. As we near the start of Advent, remember that this is to celebrate Jesus, the son of God, coming to this world to show us a way back to God. Jesus brings Hope, Peace, Love and Joy.
At the start of the book of John in the bible, we read
In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
Trees
Well Autumn is nearly over, and winter is on its way. The trees have nearly lost their leaves, and are creating lots of work for the gardeners unfortunately.
The other day I came across a tree bravely hanging on to all of its autumn glory. Its vivid colours really stopped me in my tracks, I was struck by how truly beautiful this tree was at that moment.
I am sure that at some point, we have all been struck by the beauty of nature. Whether it’s a tree, a view, a spider web, or something else, there are times when nature truly takes our breath away. We marvel at the wonder of this world, and we marvel at the amazing God who created it.
In the UK there are around 100 different species of trees, and worldwide, there are an estimated 73,300 species!
People can make some truly beautiful and wonderful things, but God imagined, designed and made 73,300 types of trees!
If you can today, take some time out to explore and gaze at the beauty of nature, even if its from your living room window. Take time to look at the detail of creation, and thank God for his wonderful creativity.
Psalm 89:11
The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; everything in the world is yours—you created it all.
Missing But Not Forgotten
It’s been a very emotional weekend. We watched the Remembrance Service on Saturday evening and heard many stories of bravery and sacrifice, the like of which most of us have never been called to exhibit.
The majority of the individuals involved in these accounts were considered to be ordinary people from normal families, who joined various sectors of the armed forces. Some of them went on to be heroes and proudly displayed their medals at memorial services. Sadly, others, also heroes, died within minutes of engaging in conflict. Many of these amazing men and women were teenagers!
Today, Armistice Day, we watched silent gatherings at war memorials in front of thousands of names of people who went to war, but never came home.
Imagine that a stonemason made a mistake and your grandfather’s name was missing! How cheated you would feel that he was excluded, despite giving his life for his nation and his family.
Our Bibles tell us that God would not forget him or his name. Everything about us is known to God, even before we are born.
David wrote:-
‘You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mothers womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well…Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.’
We read in another Bible passage, ’Nothing in all Creation is hidden from God’s sight.’
There are many people mentioned in the Bible, whose names we never hear, but their stories and lives are wonderful examples of strength, love, and wisdom. Thousands of years after they lived and died, we still remember them and thank God for them.
We can all be certain that none of us are invisible to God, we are that important!
Names
How old were you when you realised your Mum was not actually named ‘Mum’?That she had a different name altogether! Or have you ever had those conversations with friends about name s they have for their family members – weird nicknames that no one else understands. Even my own name is normally shortened. You could split it into two and pick a half if you really wanted.
Often, your name encompasses a particular part of your identity. ‘Mum/Dad’ is your role as a parent, a silly nickname is your sense of humour with your friends, maybe your full name is your sign you have overstepped a line.
Jesus goes by many names too. Teacher, healer, king, and the lamb. All of which represent a facet of his character. I wonder if he also had a nickname from the disciples?
This time of year, Jesus is often referred to by another name – Immanuel. A name that God’s prophets foretold he would be called. It means God is with us. At this time of year, this is the most prevalent characteristic of Jesus.
Remember this as we begin the festivities, the planning, the buying and wrapping. At this time, it is important to remember Him as the best gift, that this Christmas celebration is first and foremost for the baby Immanuel – God with us.
Matthew Chapter 1 verses 21-23 [NLT]
21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
Sugar Coated
This is a phrase which we don’t hear too often any more but was used to describe giving a difficult message a sweet surround so that it tastes better. The term “sugar coated” sits alongside its opposite term “bitter pill”. We know that some things are difficult to deal with, so we try to wrap them up so it does not feel so bad.
When we remember things, we will often remember the good or fun part of it, not recalling the hard work and anxiety that led up to it. It is great to remember the positive things but it is also right that we remember them in context.
As we have remembrance weekend, we remember those who have fought for us, and this could be in so many different ways. We remember those people with love and we can smile as we recall the fun we had being with them. We also remember the cost that was paid.
This weekend, let's remember those who died for our freedom and let's also remember those who supported and helped us through our own difficult times. Many of us will have a story of a relative or friend who has put themselves before us. We remember those who put their lives before us.
It is a time of sadness, a time of gratefulness and a time for love.
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.
Pompeii
I had the opportunity to visit the ancient town of Pompeii last week. It's remarkable in that 2000 years ago it was a thriving wealthy Roman town, and then the volcano Vesuvius erupted, covering everything in ash and lava. The entire town was literally suspended in time for 2000 years, until it was discovered by archaeologists, who have carefully uncovered the town again. It’s a real window into how Romans lived 2000 years ago.
The entire place is really fascinating, and it's clear that they had amazing buildings, technology, plumbing, even fast food places! However, the emotion that struck me as I walked round the site, was one of loss. Around 20,000 people lived there, and in an instant, their lives were destroyed forever. They had been going about their daily lives, shopping, meeting, trading, looking after family, being entertained, and then it was all gone.
There was clearly a lot of wealth in the town. Lots of the houses would have been covered in white marble, and there were statues and temples to Roman emperors, Gods, and Egyptians Gods everywhere. They thought that their money and their allegiances made them safe. They were very wrong.
The reality is of course that nobody knows what round the next corner of life, but the bible tells us to concentrate on the things that will last. Jesus tells us to look to God and his amazing love, and to live a life of Love. Love for God and Jesus, and loving each other in the way that Jesus shows us.
Whatever happens, Jesus will send his spirit to guide us and never leave us, whatever we face.
Matthew 6:19-21, 34
Jesus said “Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being”. “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.
Different Perspective
If I go on a flight, I love to watch out the window and look down at the land. Obviously you need no cloud so it’s not always that simple! But I like to see how the fields connect and the housing estates roam and wiggle, look at how the rivers work their way across the land. It’s very different from being at ground level in the middle of it.
Sometimes, just being in a different place and thinking about what’s happening at home, but from somewhere else, let’s you look at things differently.
When we are in the middle of it, we can sometimes feel overwhelmed or confused. It may make us feel anxious or helpless. But our God sees things differently. He sees the whole story and He knows how we are feeling about it.
In the Old Testament book of Zephaniah, we are reminded
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.
Remember that our God is the true God who loves us, who knows us and knows what we are going through. He does not just see the whole picture, He is also right there with us to comfort us, love us and guide us.
Ask God to help us see things as He sees them and be ready to listen and receive Him.
Reflection
In amongst all the other news this week, was a small article reporting on a Look-a like competition for the actor Timothee Chalamet. Many people who looked vaguely like him crowded to the event, hoping to win a cash prize for being the best reflection of him.
The reason why this became newsworthy is that Timothee Chalamet himself actually turned up to see if he would be recognised.
Thankfully for himself and his fans, he was quickly spotted as the genuine article.
Many people make their living by impersonating a famous actor or singer, from Elvis, to Dolly Parton, and even Donald Trump! These Look-a-like actors can make considerable money by deliberately pretending to be someone else.
The Bible asks those who follow Jesus to try and be like him in a different way. Rather than physically looking like him, we are called to be like Jesus in character, and to love people and the world in the way He does.
Now we don’t do this by simply trying hard, or some clever trick or disguise.
God and Jesus are there to help us every step of the way.
God sends his Spirit to help us become more and more like Jesus in everything we do.
Galatians 5:1, 13, 16, 22&23
So Jesus Christ has truly set us free……… and you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters….Use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself”……Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. It produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
May God send his Spirit to each one of us today to inspire and help us to reflect the amazing love and character of Jesus in everything we do.
Shadows
I wonder if anybody reading this is interested in, or impressed by, shadows.
Most people don’t even notice them, but there are a few of us who love them. Many people think of shadows as being drab, or boring, or miserable. But to get really strong shadows outside with lovely clear edges, you need the sun to shine.
Good shadows indicate that there is a clear sun in the sky, not covered by cloud, and it’s surrounded by a beautiful blue colour. How can that be boring or miserable?
The earlier or later in the day, the longer are the shadows. In the middle of a city, shadows have fun creating shapes that could be twenty storeys high or even bigger. How can people not notice them? Out in the countryside, sunlight on trees produces works of art on the ground, but people walk over them and never seem impressed!
I’ve heard of individuals who are struggling in life, described as ‘living in the shadows’, as if shadows destroy the joy or meaning in life. But if there are shadows, it means there’s a light shining!
Jesus made this statement when he was in Jerusalem, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
And we can read in the book of Psalms, the writer requesting God’s protection when he says, “Hide me in the shadow of your wings.”
Christians have the double blessing of the light of God and His protection.
Next time you’re out walking, and the sky is a beautiful blue, take time to appreciate the brightness of Jesus, and the protection of God.
It's That Time Of Year
It's that time of year when there are coughs and colds about. I have been cornered by one this week, couldn't avoid it! But it was definitely made worse by how burnt out I am.
Proverbs chapter 18 verse 14 says 'The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear a crushed spirit?' (NLT), and gosh that has felt the case for me this week.
Maybe I need to put up my Christmas tree to spark a bit of joy? Thank goodness that God anticipates our needs, sending his spirit for us all. So that even in times of our own weakness, our relationship with God does not have to suffer.
"And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words."
Romans 8:26 NLT
Competition
I don’t know if you have heard the news, but Maghull Station has beaten off all the competition to win the 2024 World Cup of Stations Best Railway station! It's great news, and worth celebrating.
There was strong competition from 48 other stations, including one with a whiskey distillery and one with an art gallery, but the support from the local people meant that it won overall. Well done Maghull Station!
I don’t know about you, but I can’t remember winning anything of note. Some people win all sorts of things in competitions, the most I can lay claim to is the second prize in the beauty contest in monopoly! There are all sorts of competitions advertised on TV and social media, from winning a house to winning trips to all sorts of places, to things like a year’s supply of ice cream! I know someone who once won a year’s supply of ice cream, and it arrived all at once. They had to buy a new freezer!
It;s easy to measure how we feel about people and ourselves, by looking at the prizes they may have won, or the type of job they have, or how much money or car or house they have. Whilst winning competitions is great, the Bible tells us that the most important way to look at people is not at how much they have (or don’t have), or how lucky they are. The bible says that we should all look at people through the eyes of God.
1 Samuel 16:7
But the Lord said “Don’t judge by his appearance or height…….The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
We might not have won many competitions, or have lots of stuff, but that is not the way God looks at us. God looks at us with love and compassion. We might have messed up, but God sees potential and hope. God decided that each and every one of us were worth dying for.
Whoever we meet today, let's try and look at them and see the potential that God sees in them. Lets treat them with love, and remember that God thinks that they and us are worth dying for.
The Dachshund Speaks
Now and again, we take a trip to watch the tide come in and drown the Iron Men in Another Place. We were late last week and the tide was early; I think the tide is a better timekeeper than we dozy humans. When we arrived and found a parking place in a great spot which gave us a good view in the front of the car park, the tide was fully in and very high. It was made much more interesting by the strong wind that was creating wild waves. We risked walking for a while, but the flying sea water persuaded us to apply some common sense, so we returned to our cosy place in the car.
Many people weren’t as sensible as us, and we were entertained by the cyclists occasionally getting soaked or blown off their bikes. There were brave people walking side by side enjoying ice cream cornets or coffee, trying to protect their food from the increasing energy of the attacking salt water covering the promenade.
Then we noticed the tiniest creature passing in front of us. It was a Dachshund about the size of an average cat. Fortunately, it was on a lead, but the owners had forgotten to put its silencer on. It made more noise than the wind and waves combined, and it was clearly ready for battle. Each time a wave crashed over the sea wall, the Dachshund almost disappeared but emerged out of the pool of water and raced straight to the edge of the promenade and expressed its feelings very clearly and loudly.
The River Mersey, of course, had feelings too, so the insane mini dog was drenched again. There could be only one winner in this conflict, so the stroppy animal was scooped up by the owner and moved away from the enemy, and into a peaceful place.
Sometimes life gets tough, and we react like the brave, but out of its depth, Dachshund. Some battles we can’t win and we may need to be picked up and carried away. It may be people, or the weather, the football results, the cost of living, or indigestion that ruins our day. As Christians, we always have someone who is able to pick us up and calm us down.
Jesus said, “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.”
Catching Up
Do you have friends or family that you don’t really see very often? You can keep in touch when you are apart. It used to be exchanging letters or an occasional phone call. With our modern technology, we can now easily send each other messages or photos, we can not only call but we can video call and see the others. But its never quite the same as being in person and being able to give them a hug. Some of our family and friends are spread across the UK, into Europe and America. We keep in touch as best we can and when we can we try to meet up to see each other face to face.
It's also more like that in work as well, with so many people working from home a lot of the time, it's good to be able to meet up and chat, something which is never quite the same on a video call. Some work places are starting to bring their staff back into the office more because they think the culture of the company is not what it was.
People are meant to be with other people. People respond so much more when we see each other face to face. God sent his son Jesus to be with us face to face, to show us love, to show us compassion. He wants us to be with Him because He loves us so much. The bible encourages us to meet together, to share with each other and to show compassion to each other. God wants to be with us, and in the meantime, we can still talk to him and we can still be with his family.
In Matthew chapter 11, the bible tells us
Come to Me, all of you who work and have heavy loads. I will give you rest. Follow My teachings and learn from Me. I am gentle and do not have pride. You will have rest for your souls.
Talk to Jesus about your worries and you will find comfort.
Melling Community Church is a family where all are welcome, where we chat, we share, we pray. Jesus being at the centre of it all.
Morning Chaos
Anyone who knows me knows that mornings are pretty chaotic in our house. Your mornings may be calm and serene, and I aspire to calm and serene mornings, but I haven’t made it yet.
Yesterday morning was even more chaotic than usual. We got up late, there was a mad rush, but I made it to the bus stop on time. Thank goodness for that, I thought, only to watch the bus driver fail to stop for me and drive right past!
To be honest, I was not calm and serene at this point. I was less majestic swan, and more exhausted penguin! And it wasn’t 8am yet! Thankfully, due to a phone call, a lift, and a train, I did make it to work on time, if slightly dishevelled.
As I sat reflecting on the madness that had been my morning commute, it occurred to me that although not ideal, there were lots of things in my morning that I am very grateful for.
Firstly, I woke up in a warm bed in a safe house. Then I got to eat breakfast, and I had a choice of different transport options to get me to work (of which I used nearly all of them). I have family and friends and a wonderful church family. I really am very blessed.
Unfortunately, around the world, lots of people do not wake up in a safe place. There are more than 120 million people who have been forced to leave their homes due to war or famine. In our own city, every night an average of 820 children are registered homeless and placed in temporary accommodation with their families. Children who have hopes and wishes and dreams, but have no safe place to lay their head.
Matthew 25: 35-40
Then Jesus said ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! For I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’ Because whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
Today, let's thank God for our blessings, and also pray for those charities working in
Liverpool, the UK and all over the world to help those who have no safe place to live.
Lets also pray for our local food bank.
A Walk In The Park
We felt in need of some fresh air and exercise this morning, so we wrapped ourselves up and went out to face the weather. It was freezing and windy, but the sky was a beautiful blue. It’s funny how often we have to take the good with the bad. Life’s like that! But we braved the cold wind and headed for the park. Autumn is a beautiful season, with the colours in parks and gardens changing almost daily.
Although winter is on the way, I look forward to seeing the trees without their leaves, because the collection of branches and twigs is so often crisp and sharp and reveals the real shape of the tree. And if we are blessed with morning mist also, I’m a happy photographer.
As we walked along the park paths, we saw little dogs with their colourful winter coats on, several squirrels negotiating tree trunks and branches like monkeys, and we watched with total joy as tiny tots fed ducks with great enthusiasm and energy. We forgot how cold we were and how far we had to walk to return to the car!
On our walk through life, we meet the same mix of lovely experiences and uncomfortable events. But as we watch the TV news from around the world, we realise how blessed we are. Each person, young or old, wakes up in the morning to face their own world, circumstances, and possibilities. Many of us can smile as we face the day, but there are others who have forgotten how to smile.
The wise writer of the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible makes the point that all of us go through good times and difficult times. Here are some of his observations,
‘There is a time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to uproot.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build.
A time to weep and a time to laugh.
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.’
Whatever kind of time you are going through, the Bible reminds us that God said,
‘I will never leave you; I will never forsake you.’
Rest
I took some of my annual leave from work over the past two weeks. Deary me was I completely muddled up!
Thursday felt like Saturday, Wednesday felt like Monday, and somehow I had two Fridays in a row.. I didn't think that was possible.
But oh my goodness was it good to have a day to just be.
I deliberately made no plans other than little inklings of what I wanted to do (specifically not 'needed'). What a luxury it was. I don't think I've stopped like that for quite a while.
It's funny how work is always busy when life is busy too... they can never be organised enough to alternate.
And one thing our brains and our bodies always need is rest.
God rested on that seventh day, declaring it to be as such - a day of rest. Jesus took breaks and rests from his busy touring schedule.
'Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.'
Mark 6:31 NLT
I pray for each of us that we find time to rest. From whatever may be making us weary.
And that our amazing God who understands the importance of rest takes you under his wing and that you may feel his peace.
Soaring
One of the lovely things about living near fields and woodland is the variety of wildlife that you can see around and about. Above a local large field at this time of year, the young buzzards are trying to find their own territory and whilst they circle the local buzzards come along to let them know that this area is taken. The other local birds are also very bravely barracking the buzzards as well to protect their own young.
I do find it quite amazing to watch the buzzards circling with little effort and rising on the wind and soaring over the fields. They don’t seem bothered by the other birds around them and just carry on doing what they want to do.
There is also a reminder in the bible similar to this.
But 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
It is a reminder to us that God will be there and lift us up. We don’t need to do anything except trust in Him. He will lift us up, whatever state we are in and we will feel free. It may not stop others around us trying to bombard us but we will find the strength to cope. It may be simply God or it may be through other Christians around us. Our lives will not necessarily be without problems but our trust in Him can provide strength and other Christians around us can provide support too.
Open your arms to God and let Him in, and He will lift you high.
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!
Light
John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
These verses are often heard in carol services or around Christmas time. It’s the very beginning of John’s gospel, when John starts to explain just how amazing Jesus is. Before he tells us of all the miracles Jesus performed when he was a man, or even how he died for us, he wants us to understand something of how great and wonderful Jesus is.
John calls Jesus the Word and the Light, because at the beginning of all things, God and Jesus were together and created the world. Jesus was and is the light of the world and nothing can ever put that light out.
Sometimes it’s all too easy to see the darkness in this world. War, famine, drought and greed seem to be all around us. Just turning on the TV or listening to the radio can require a long sit down in a dark room to recover from all the hurt and pain that humans seem intent on causing each other. Some problems seem too big and have been going on too long to be fixable.
And Yet………
The light of Jesus still shines and nothing is able to put it out. It is in the hearts of the aid workers and emergency services. It is in the hearts of those who open their homes to the scared and the lost and the dispossessed. It is in the peacemakers and negotiators. It is in those who choose forgiveness over bitterness and hate. It is in our hearts, as we pray for peace and choose to be the light and love to those around us.
It is our hope and our future.
Today, let the light of Jesus shine through you. Remember that nothing can ever put it out, because Jesus stands with us, loving us and leading us through.
The Hill
Every home has memories that are meaningless to other households. One of ours is ‘The Hill’. When we moved to our second home a million years ago, we had a large garden. Our first home only had a back yard, complete with an outside loo. Ah, those were the days!
We had no garden tools and no idea how to manage ground that was covered in grass rather than flagstones. But we were young and energetic, so we set to work. We were advised by many people who explained what plants we needed and where to put them, and also why we didn’t need a tree. As we re-organised our new home, we collected rubbish of all kinds. In those days, we didn’t have the luxury of three bins, we had to manage with just one! So, being a really clever creative person, in my wisdom, I decided to build a hill in the middle of the ‘lawn’. We collected all the rubbish together, covered it with soil and grass seed and celebrated our brilliance.
Nobody told us not to put a tree on top of a hill because their imagination didn’t include a hill. Dougal, our precious black lab, loved it, and sat on top to get a better view of the universe. That gave me an idea, so I bought a book about the planets and stars and joined him on many dark nights learning about planets and moons, constellations and their history. My book, written by experts, told me everything I needed to know about each of the planets.
Eventually we moved to another home, but we were too busy with children to build another hill, so Dougal had to be satisfied with a boring lawn.
I rediscovered my wonderful book after many years and was shocked to discover that almost every page was fantasy land. Science had moved on so much, that my cherished book, written by experts, was total nonsense. All the so-called ‘facts’ had been replaced by real science!
Last week I bought a new book called ‘Our Incredible Universe’, and guess what, our experts are re-writing the history of the universe all over again. It appears that every time we think we understand the incredible worlds above our heads, we learn new realities and re-write the books.
There’s one book, we don’t need to amend. The Bible says, ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.’
Sorted!
Showing The Love …
Birthdays are a wonderful thing and yet so varied. It seems that age helps determine whether you count the years or not. The younger you are, the older you want to be, so you are desperate to be older. Then you get through the teens and you start thinking I don’t want to get older and be an adult. Once you settle into being an adult you are happy to have a birthday again. But then as you get older you start wanting to slow down again as the age range creeps ever onwards. And then you reach a certain age, where you start telling people how old will be next birthday “he’s nearly …. you know”.
In our church community, we celebrate birthdays each time they come around and sing happy birthday ( as best we can!) to celebrate with others. We buy cards and sometimes presents to show someone how much we care about them and love them.
It is so important to show each other how much we do care, and not just on a birthday.
Think of those around you, your friends and family, those who care for you, those who
are there for you. Remember them to God and thank Him for them being there. And when you can, thank them for the love they share.
Also, remember, that each of us is also there for those around us. Show others how much we love them. Show them God's love too and explain that our love for them is bolstered by God's love for us all.
Remember those words from 1 Corinthians which thoroughly describes God's love.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
Priorities
If you can remember back a few days to Monday (the day when it rained non-stop all day), I saw something that made me think. There were lots of rain protection items that people were using to keep themselves dry as you no doubt saw. I saw plenty of umbrellas, coats of all shapes and sizes, and even paper bags were used to keep people dry.
The most interesting sight I saw on Monday though, was somebody walking down the road wearing a waterproof hair covering wrap. It only covered their hair, and they were wearing no coat, or any other means of keeping themselves dry, so their clothes, face and shoes were getting very wet. However, their hair remained dry.
Clearly, on a rainy day like Monday, this person’s priority was their hair.
Unfortunately I did not get to see the (what I can only assume is) amazing hair underneath the cover, so you will have to use your imaginations for that, but it did make me think.
How do I choose my priorities, and what comes first? Is it always the same thing at the top of the list, and is it clear to everyone what my priorities are?
Family, Friends, Home and Food are usually on most people's lists. Then it gets more individual, Pets, Cars, Shoes, Chocolate, Books, Photos, Hair, and the list keeps growing. What about Faith and God?
The Bible tells us that when it comes to priorities, to keep it simple
Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your 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.’
So whatever is on your Priority list today, make room for God as well. Spend time with him, love people like he loves us, and just like the amazing hair wrap, let's let others know how important God is to us
Billions
Are you sitting down? You need to be, to hear this. There are about ten Lego pieces sold every year for every person on earth, that’s seventy-five billion little plastic blocks! Every year! Ole Kirk Christiansen, a Danish toymaker, was responsible for this invasion. Without him, the Earth would be Legoless. He struggled for decades trying to produce a toy that would capture the imagination. His workshop was destroyed by fire twice, he experienced bankruptcy, and World War Two destroyed the availability of materials. However, in the late 1940’s he had finalised his plastic locking-bricks product. He died in 1958 just as Lego was being launched on an unsuspecting world.
Life can be tough; it can sometimes persuade us to give up when everything appears to be against us. Our spiritual lives and intentions can wear us down, telling us to try something else. Great Christian missionary movements would never have formed, and transformed people’s lives, beliefs, and hopes, if the opposition was greater than the intention. All around the globe, across hundreds of nations, millions of men, women, and children have thanked God that giving up was not a Christian characteristic.
On a smaller local scale, the same ambition and determination is helping tiny churches with almost no money to survive, grow, and to encourage the community to understand that God cares. Maybe you can think of individuals locally who are helping people to build lives of faith that will last longer and be stronger than plastic bricks?
In our Bibles, there is a letter written by James, who was probably the brother of Jesus. He was writing to Christians who were scattered in many countries and living through difficult, even frightening times.
His aim was to guide and encourage. He made the point that, “The testing of your faith produces perseverance” and he continues with the comment, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
As we often face disappointments and sadness on our journey, let’s remember that the journey on Earth will lead us to a reward in Heaven.
September 2024
In All Seasons
This is my absolute favourite time of year. Maybe not always the rain and winds that can sweep you off your feet. But the patches of blue sky and sunshine peeking through, and a little chill in the air. They are the conditions that make me feel alive, that make me step outside and take a big deep breath. I love to watch the summer season start to get cozy in preparation for colder temperatures, getting covered in a warm orange blanket of leaves. Autumn can often be seen as a loss. A loss of warmth, of flowers, of green canopies above us.
But what we don't always see is the path that is being prepared. The path for changes to winter again, the path to be restored anew next spring. The loss of leaves on one tree to magnify the beauty of the evergreen that had been hiding behind the flowers. God's wonder is evident before us each day, and in each season; His magnificent orchestration of the world around us. Is it true that, for ourselves too, we often find it easier to see what is lost rather that what is coming? Or to appreciate exactly where we are?
A beautiful verse in Matthew prompts this very question... "And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you." (Matthew 6 v 30).
Remember this today as you get swept up in the wind, or you push through the leaves on the ground. God loves you, and he will care for you. In all seasons.
Speaking On Mute
With workers often spending a lot of time working at home, you spend a lot of time on conference calls. Very much like we used to when we were all stuck inside during Covid. You would think that we have all had enough experience of using them now but we still have people who don’t know about the “mute” option. It works both ways, sometimes people are desperately trying to contribute to a discussion but they forget to unmute and no-one can hear them. But that’s not as bad as when people forget they are not muted and start making comments or go to the door to speak to a delivery driver. Sometimes there are other noises from other people in the background that are mis-interpreted as something rude! 😊
But then there may also be times when you wish you had a mute button to stop someone from talking at you! Or maybe the world around us is getting so noisy you want to silence it. There is also the possibility that you are talking but you feel that no-one can hear you, everything you say is just being ignored.
As a Christian, one thing you can be sure of is that God is always listening. But are we listening to God? And God will hear all that we say, see all that we do and know all that we think. We don’t have a mute button so God won't hear us. He knows all about us and yet he still loves us.
So let's remember that with God there is no mute. He will always listen and he will always answer. Sometimes the answer is not always given the way we expect and sometimes the answer may require us to wait for the full answer. But there will always be compassion and understanding and love.
In Jeremiah, God is reassuring his people as He says “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.” In this same chapter, He reassures them “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”
Speak to our God and Father, he will listen, he will know our hearts and listen to our innermost thoughts and He will answer. God is love.
Patience
There is a quote from the film Evan Almighty about patience which I was reminded of this week. Its when Evan’s wife is having a conversation with God (played by Morgan Freeman).
God : Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient?
It made me think, how many opportunities do I have to be patient, and how good am I at it?
For me the Bus is a definite opportunity to be patient. It's always on time in the morning (unlike me), but after work it can be a bit pot luck when it's going to turn up. I just have to wait and see. It always does turn up, just not always on time.
I can get cross about this and stamp my feet at the bus stop, but actually that’s just going to upset me, and won't make any difference. I can shout at the bus driver when he arrives, but that won't actually make the bus come any sooner either.
There are lots of times in the Bible when people wonder at God's timing and want him to hurry up to provide something, or stop something, or sort something out. David in Psalm 13 gets very frustrated.
Psalm 13:1-3
How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
You can sense the frustration and despair in his voice.
At the end of this Psalm though, David has wrestled with his thoughts and reminds himself that even though things are not happening in the timing he would like, God can be trusted.
Psalm 13: 5-6
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.
Whatever is going on, even if the wait seems never ending, God can be trusted.
Memories
We had a party yesterday for a lovely lady who has reached the age of 90! We had fun and cake, and scouse and cake, and tea or coffee, and cake. I loved it, especially the…you get the idea? There was a display of photographs of the lady going all the way back to the 1930’s. How many of us could do that? There were pictures of her with her parents and grandparents; they were born in the 1800’s! Family history can be amazing, and the memories can be wonderful and sometimes a little sad.
She took me by the hand and pointed to three prints of a trip four of us took to Guatemala thirty years ago. Immediately, memories came flooding back and we re-tasted a very special meal, and in our minds we re-visited wonderful people who lived in a totally different culture. They were almost on a different planet! No matter how precious our memories are, they are all in the past, and even if we could travel today to places we experienced years ago, it wouldn’t be the same. The place will have changed, and so have we! Not every day has been wonderful and memorable, there are times in our past we may wish we could forget.
As Christians move through the years, we are collecting memories, experiences, relationships, and lessons, which have transformed our attitudes, and improved our understanding of our loving, always-present, Creator God. Looking through our Bibles, we can imagine that Noah’s favourite memory would be walking out of the ark into a new world. David would remember meeting Goliath. Daniel would smile as he recalled walking out of the lions den.
It could be very educational to ask yourself and your family which memories are most powerful to you. Do you remember when you accepted Jesus as Lord and the difference it has made? When you get to Glory, will you have added any more memories of God’s involvement in your life?
David in Psalm 143 said to God, “I remember the days gone by; I think about all that you have done, I bring to mind all your deeds.”
Maybe we should take time to share our precious memories?
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.
Information, information
In today’s world, we seem to be bombarded with information. We have our television with news, documentaries, adverts, live events. We have our phones with social media sharing with friends and family along with sponsors and adverts (and the occasional phone call!). Even walking around there are shops advertising things, leaflets pasted on walls, adverts on buses or taxis or work vans. The newspapers seem to be filled with more opinions on people or politics and more adverts than actual news. There are “celebrities” who are famous but don’t actually do anything? We are bombarded with information. Sometimes, do you want to just shout STOP!
Do we have the willpower to switch it all off?
Do we then fear missing out on something or not being there for someone?
Is it possible to enjoy the quiet?
How long can we sit not doing anything, not reading or chatting, just sitting?
When Jesus started teaching and telling people about God and about living our lives full of His love, everyone wanted to listen and talk with him. Jesus was surrounded by people wanting his time. But Jesus knew the value of solitude. In Mark chapter 1, it tells us…
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
But even then, the disciples with him then went looking for him!
Today, take some time to be quiet, maybe find a nice spot in your garden or park, and just sit. It doesn’t have to be “very early” in the morning, thank goodness.
Listen to what’s happening around you and listen for God. Watch out for God around you.
Then if you want to, silently talk to God about what's on your mind. God is a great listener and then He will find a way to guide you to. What a wonderful God.
Worth The Risk
I wonder if you like taking part in potentially dangerous or high risk activities. Things like free climbing, zip wires, sky-diving, abseiling, that sort of thing? Some people absolutely love this sort of thing. I think the official term is adrenaline junkie!
I have had a go at abseiling, climbing, but to be honest I am a bit too scared to be any good at it.
Give me a long walk and a good book any day!
There are all sorts of fun things you can do which are ‘high adrenaline’, but they all come with some sort of risk. Each person has to weigh up the risk and reward, and decide if it's worth it.
What about other risky things though. Things that if you decide to do, may have a much higher risk, such as imprisonment? Some things that we freely do here are illegal in other countries. For example, you can be arrested for calling your daughter Sarah in Morocco!
In the news this week, a US man called David Lin was freed from jail in China after 18 years in prison. He was arrested after travelling to China to help an underground church launch a meeting centre in Beijing. He missed his daughter’s wedding and the birth of his grandchild. He knew the risks, but made the decision to travel anyway. Why? Because he felt that helping people know the love of Jesus was worth it.
Throughout history, people have given up everything for Jesus. From medieval saints, to more modern-day figures like Corrie Ten Boom (sent to Auschwitz) Jackie Pullinger (worked with Chinese triads), Mother Teresa (worked in slums of Calcutta). There are also countless people that we have never heard of who have moved to new cultures and situations, or have been arrested or killed, just for loving Jesus. And each one would say that it was worth it.
Paul in the bible, had his fair share of suffering for Jesus. He wrote lots of the letters to churches in the bible from prison, having been arrested for his faith. However, he was keen to point out that the love of Jesus was worth everything.
Philippians 3:8
Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.
Lets pray for those Christians across the world risking their lives for Jesus, and lets give thanks for the release of David Yin, and his wonderful family reunion.
Our Amazing God
Well we are definitely moving into autumn, the radiators are being switched on, the long sleeves and warmer coats are coming out. The northern lights were being seen across the northwest of England again.
The beauty of the autumnal colours will start to appear. If you can, take a moment today to remember how amazing our God is, maybe a walk in the park or by the canal, how He created a beautiful world around us and how much He loves us.
We cannot understand how He made it or how it all works, but God made it all. And in all of this beauty around us, He knows each and every one us and He loves us. Should we not love Him in return?
https://youtu.be/y6yy7Zr-l7Y?si=twhYewHRDOENUMOf
Inspired
I have been inspired over the past couple of days by reading about young people across the world who have taken simple ideas and turned them into something amazing.
There are two sisters, Melati and Isabel Wijsen, who were so fed up of plastic washing up on a beach near their home in Bali, that they organised a beach clean up and a petition. The idea spread, and today, less than 10 years later, Bali and Indonesia are officially a single use plastic free country. All because of a single beach clean up organised by two young people who were 10 and 12 at the time.
There is also the story of Nicholas Lowinger, who at 12 met a homeless brother and sister who had only one pair of shoes between them. They took it in turns to wear the shoes and go to school. He gave them his shoes, but was so moved by this brief encounter that he started an organisation which gives children in homeless shelters shoes. So far he has given out over 99,000 pairs!
Or 14 year old Yash Gupta, who was frustrated at how long it took him to get a replacement pair of glasses, and how stuck he was without them, started an initiative to redistribute old glasses to children in South America and India. To date, over $1.5million worth of glasses have been redistributed!
It's amazing how a simple idea can snowball, and do amazing things. These were just ordinary young people who did brilliant things and changed the world.
Changing the world is not just for other people, it's for all of us.
You may not think that you have any good ideas, or can do anything special, but that is not the case. Each one of us brings something to the world that no one else can.
1 Peter 4:10-11
God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ.
Be inspired today to use what you have to help others, who knows what may happen!
An Awesome God
There are times when the use of the word “awesome” I think is over-rated. It can lose its meaning when people use in what are sometimes ordinary situations. You should reserve some descriptive words to use as an exception so that it retains some gravitas.
There are times when we need to remember who God is, look around us and see the wonder of nature that he created. We cant begin to understand it and each time we scratch at the surface we realise how little we really know.
Our God is awesome! He is amazing! And He loves us, He knows us and He loves us anyway.
https://youtu.be/y6yy7Zr-l7Y?si=6flmurJZX-m89Dvj
Blindfold
I don’t know if you have been watching the Paralympics? I have and have been really enjoying it. Team GB are doing really well which is wonderful. I have been constantly amazed by the challenges that the different ability athletes have to work with and achieve amazing results.
One classification that I was astounded by, were the swimming races for those athletes registered blind. This is because its possible to have a small level of sight and still be registered blind, and this may vary from person to person. So, in order to create a level playing field for these athletes, they have to wear blindfold goggles! In athletics this is the same, but they get the advantage of running with a guide. With swimming however, there are no guides. They stand the edge of the pool, blindfolded, and when the starter gun goes, they dive in and have to swim in a straight line as fast as they can! I think this should be in the dictionary as a definition of bravery!
Sometimes life can feel like you are standing blindfolded at the edge of something, and you have to step out into the unknown. There can be situations where we simply don’t know what’s happening and are not sure how to deal with it.
Thankfully, unlike the swimming, but like the athletics, we have a guide. We may feel out of our depth and unsure of the next step, but Jesus says, ‘follow me, I know the path ahead and I will show you the way to go’.
Jesus loves us so much that he gave his life, so we could have a way back to God.
John 8:12
Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."
Jesus wants to be our guide, to be with us every step of the way, whatever kind of a day you are having today, let Jesus guide you.
Tongues
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.
A Place In The Country
You will all have seen this TV program, it’s been on so long that you can’t have missed it. A couple decide that it’s a good time in their lives to move house. Maybe, the kids have grown up and moved away, or husband or wife have changed jobs, or they simply grow tired of the view through the kitchen window that they have been looking at for thirty years. They pick an area in the country, it’s usually down south, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a couple heading north, and they make a list of their hopes and dreams, then the TV company finds three possible new homes for them.
The first question they are asked is, ‘What’s the budget?’ Today’s couple could only afford to spend up to one million pounds, but they would prefer it a little lower. I’m sure you can relate to this! Then they go off to investigate the three possibilities. Today’s choices were in Cornwall and included details such as: a large kitchen with views of fields and cows, four double bedrooms, three large bathrooms (but not a single shower!), a twenty foot long office in the attic, and two large living rooms with wide patio doors leading to your four acres of land. If you didn’t walk around outside, you could miss the double garage and the barn which had been converted into a self-contain flat with three bedrooms.
If this was something you would love to do, what would your priorities be? What’s important in your eyes. Are you prepared to move away from family and friends for some new scenery? In today’s three locations we were shown the local grocery store and the pub, but not the local gym or garden centre, and no mention of Primark, McDonalds or the local badminton club! Why would anyone move to a place that had no badminton facilities?
One other thing I noticed, there was no mention of any local church. Are you prepared to move away from your Christian family to start again somewhere else?
Jesus said to His followers, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me. My Fathers house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, so that you may be where I am.”
No stress, no sadness leaving people behind, and you can put your one million pounds to better use!
And the greatest of these ….
It is sometimes referred to during wedding ceremonies, a passage from 1 Corinthians chapter 13.
So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
Sometimes, it can be easy to love someone, but then again there are occasions when it is hard to love someone. It is said that “God is Love”, He loves all of us no matter where we are, what we are doing, what we have done; God loves us. As we love God, learn about Him and begin to love and trust Him, we also can learn to love as God loves. God’s love never fails.
https://youtu.be/6_KXsMCJgBQ?si=x-ngHRZhf_EhxUQ1
Sleep Well Tonight
It’s the end of another day.
We will lock our doors,
close our blinds,
switch the tv off,
hug the dog,
kiss the kids, loved one, dog, cat, hamster…
brush teeth
and crawl in to bed.
How was today?
How did you do?
Was it good?
Did you achieve things?
Tonight can you sleep well?
Or tonight will you go to bed irritated,
angry,
upset,
lacking forgiveness?
Will your conscience keep you awake?
Will you rehearse conversations over and over in your head until you’re completely wound up and then lie awake seeing every hour of the night on the clock?
Days are unpredictable aren’t they?
It only takes one unwelcome comment,
or a side glance,
or someone else’s bad attitude
and our day can go downhill and our nights render us sleepless.
Or maybe we’re the ones who’ve ruined someone else’s day?
An old pastor was once asked,
‘why is it, you deal with people all day, every day, and often face difficult problems and worrying scenarios, but always look so well and rested?’
The old man thought for a moment and replied,
‘I’ve learnt over many years that going to bed anxious and angry doesn’t help me at all. I’ve come to understand that God doesn’t slumber, nor sleep, so there’s no point both of us being awake’.
Can I suggest that we take on board this wise advice?
Tonight, before we settle down, if we have worries let’s tell God about them and leave them with Him;
if we have unforgiveness maybe we need to make a phone call or contact someone to bring closure and forgiveness;
if we need to say sorry then let’s say sorry.
We have no idea what tomorrow may bring so let’s settle down in peace tonight and trust the God who holds the future.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
https://youtu.be/La9Zy917JcQ?feature=shared
Goodnight everybody, sleep well tonight x
Blessing
Well, it’s the end of August and the summer holidays are nearly over. Just in case you needed further reminding, the autumnal weather is doing its best to point it out!
This time can be as much a time of new beginnings as the start of the year. New school years and uniforms, new schools/colleges or universities for some, or a different sort of new beginnings.
The song I have chosen today is a blessing song. Its taken from the book of numbers in the bible, where God tells Moses how to pray a blessing over people.
It's been translated into many different languages and styles. In the Covid pandemic it was used as a prayer of blessing over the world. It has been sung in 257 languages.
It’s a sung prayer reminding us that God is with us whatever we face. Whether we are carrying on with what we have always done, or starting something new, God is with us.
Numbers 6:24-26
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’.
I have put in a couple of versions, so if you prefer a more orchestral version, click on the first link. If you would like to hear this sung prayer in lots of different languages by Christians all over the world, then click the second link.
Or you can listen to both!
Orchestral version
https://youtu.be/GrBLSBdL8J0?si=QWTEtwICVrnM92pc
World Version
https://youtu.be/d48-qbcovVY?si=y7F9Gu0raGa2msMh
This Little Light of Mine…and Yours
I’ve been reading about polar bears.
Fascinating fact coming up!….their hair isn’t white! It’s colourless.
How incredible is that?!
Each transparent strand reflects the light around them making it appear white.
In the bright, beautiful, clear sun of the arctic, the polar bear is a brilliant white reflecting the light; whilst on darker days they will appear less white.
They’re completely influenced by the light in their surroundings.
It’s exactly the same for us.
The Bible says, ‘Bad company corrupts good character’.
We can see this in all walks of life.
Who we choose to socialise with,
give lots of our time to,
can often determine whether we ‘shine bright’ or ‘appear dark and dull’.
We’ve all met that person who can’t help but light up a room when they walk in to it.
They are encouraging, kind, interested, positive, concerned for those around them.
Then there’s the flip side,
the person who can steal your joy, feed you bad thoughts, threaten your sense of security and drag you down with bad talk and bad habits.
We all have the potential to be either of these people and it’s important we recognise who our influencers are.
Jesus called Himself,
‘the light of the world’.
He was saying to us,
‘spend time with me,
learn from me,
be like me,
reflect who I am’.
Spending time with Jesus was important for so many people during the time He was on earth.
He made a massive, positive, life changing difference to their lives.
And nothing’s changed.
He still does.
We have choices.
Who do we want to spend time with?
Who do we want to reflect?
It’s up to us.
Have a beautiful, positive and ‘light’ day everybody and click the link below to hear South Africa's Ladysmith Black Mambazo singing, ‘This Little Light of Mine’.
https://youtu.be/MQU-2_nvqWI?feature=shared
We All Need Hope
There are times when things can feel quite oppressive, when we struggle personally or see others struggling around us. We all need hope. As a Christian, we have a hope in Jesus as we are promised an eternal life in heaven, Jesus gave us a way back to God.
Jesus gave himself so that we might be free.
We have a hope that no matter what we go through, Jesus is there with us, to love us, comfort us, support us and give us an inner strength and hope that is only through what He has done for us.
This song helps us to celebrate what Jesus did for us and the hope he gives us.
https://youtu.be/FJeSh64OqYw?si=zT7qOaAUrh8TvZAC
Earworm
You know when you get a song in your head and it gets stuck?
Well this happened to me with the song I am sharing with you today.
It’s a great song, all about how faithful God is, no matter the circumstance.
I have been singing it all day, so I am passing the earworm to you to be encouraged.
Encouraged that God loves us with an everlasting love.
Encouraged that God never leaves us
Encouraged that God meets you where you are, and walks with you, even if the journey is hard.
Psalm 34: 1
I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.
https://youtu.be/azGwf-U8rbk?si=ger_2VP2Z6cQohH_
When We Gather In His Name
I missed our Sunday morning meeting this week, and I missed it in three ways. I missed it in the sense that I wasn’t there! I missed it in the sense that I didn’t mix with the people who I normally see, and sit with, on Sunday morning. And, thirdly, I missed it in the sense that when Christians meet in the name of Jesus, it takes on a significance that raises it above just people meeting socially.
We are a very mixed collection of individuals, with different opinions, abilities, and experiences, and we cover a wide age range. But meeting as Christians has the effect of moulding us together as one body.
This very simple song, written by Billy Graham’s pianist, Tedd Smith, expresses this thought, this reality, beautifully.
And we know when we’re together,
Sharing love and understanding,
That our brothers and our sisters
Feel the oneness that He brings.
On Sunday this week, like every Sunday every week, nearly a third of the world’s population had the opportunity to experience this oneness across all boundaries; national, cultural, and language. We are part of a huge global family, but we are all one when we meet in the name of Jesus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPUIaYanq9Q&authuser=0
Oh Come Let Us Adore Him
Every year we sing Christmas carols.
At Christmas!
No surprise there!
But how about celebrating Jesus all year round?
Any time?
Any place?
Any situation?
Goodness of God
One of the wonderful things about our faith is that we can and should remember how much God has done, how much he can do and will do if we focus on Him. There are ups and downs in our lives and those around us but God is always there, God is always love and God is always good.
It's not always obvious to us at the time and sometimes it's when we look back that we can see how God has been following us, supporting us, comforting us; through our prayers or through actions of others, He is there.
https://youtu.be/FVlLluEwsrs?si=Yx4pfzSWyAsg-XFl
I Don't Like That Song!!
Last night I made a mistake!
A big mistake!
I asked our lovely gospel choir which of three songs they would like to learn for Christmas.
Big mistake!
BIG mistake!!
‘Well, I like the 2nd, but not the other two’
‘I like them all!’
‘I don’t like any of them!’
‘The first one bored me! Number 3 was ok’
And so it went on
And on
And on
And…..you get the picture?!
You could say they’re a fussy lot, but then I’ve only got myself to blame!
Music is very personal isn’t it?
You like one thing, I like another.
But isn’t that wonderful?!
We’re all different.
I went to see Billy Joel in Cardiff last week.
It was fabulous!!
All 74,000 of us agreed!
But I wouldn’t want to go to a heavy metal concert, or sit through hours of a male voice choir. But others would.
We are, ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’.
How wonderful!
All different.
All unique.
All loved by a God who knows our name.
I didn’t know what piece of music to choose for today.
So I’ve picked a few!
Maybe you’d like to tell me which one is your favourite, or that you don’t like them all???….or you could just accept that we all like different things, and that’s good.
Have a very wonderful day, my unique, different, amazing, created-in-the-image-of-God friends.
Happy Friday to you all xxx
https://youtu.be/Z8SPwT3nQZ8?feature=shared
https://youtu.be/cM4vBsBPbPE?feature=shared
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LSN-cAdtTM&authuser=0
https://youtu.be/jpwfiQ1gDLE?feature=shared
Counting
Sometimes it can seem like the bad overshadows the good. Especially when the news is full of darkness and hate.
Let's stop for a moment and remember the good things of this world. Love, kindness, care, family, friends, and many more.
I am reminded of a quote by Martin Luther King
‘Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.’
Let's remind ourselves today of how wonderful and amazing God is, and look to the light of his love.
Let's thank him for the wonderful things in our lives. For him waking us up in the morning, our family and friends, to our favourite food, even coffee! Let's also thank God for how much he loves us, and that he never leaves us.
Psalm 103:1-2
Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.
https://youtu.be/aZjWYgq9QfM?si=xIZtA9MirUhHdqYZ
Summer!
I get so excited when I wake up in the morning and see the sun shining!
You can tell I’m British can’t you?!
It’s been a bit of a rare occasion this summer!
Make the most of today’s beautiful weather!
But whether the weather (ha!!) is beautiful and sunny, or rainy and grey, every day is another gift from God.
May we never take it for granted.
At the risk of offending every Vivaldi fan, I think ‘Spring’ from ‘The Four Seasons’ is far more summery than ‘Summer’.
Click the link below, enjoy this beautiful ‘summery’ music and thank God for another gift of a day.
‘This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it’.
https://youtu.be/e3nSvIiBNFo?feature=shared
I’LL WALK WITH GOD
Every day is different, and unpredictable! We can make as many plans as we wish, but we always have to do that ‘God Willing.’ The idea of walking with God, can simply be a catch phrase that is used glibly in church on a Sunday morning, or it could be a genuine expression of our experience. The disciples, having decided to follow Jesus, literally walked with Him, but He always led the way. Sometimes they were led where they didn’t want to go, but they had a choice on a daily basis, they had the freedom to go home.
They discovered that following Jesus was both amazing and scary, but they kept following. Nothing has changed, the same opportunity is available to any of us, if we trust in the Creator God and are determined to follow Jesus, He promises never to leave us. Even those who are humanly and socially alone are never totally alone.
Listen to this classical piece of music and ask yourself if the words describe you and your relationship with God.
https://youtu.be/sTctjFQhj44?si=Deua0IlCnaGSVQ3V
Footprints
The following words, a poem or a prayer thought to have been written by Mary Stevenson, have always been amongst my favourite.
No matter how many times I read them I still get goosebumps and a little tear in my eyes.
Footprints in the Sand Prayer
One night I dreamed I was walking
along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.
This bothered me because I noticed that
during the low periods of my life, when I was
suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.
So I said to the Lord,”You promised me
Lord, that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods
of my life there have only been
one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
you have not been there for me?”
The Lord replied,
“The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints,
is when I carried you.”
Please click on the link below to hear a song Footprints in the Sand, a cover by Lucy Thomas.
https://youtu.be/-kFoiYfrq0M?si=sq7Nx5zJVa4ZcMTO
Sunrise for Saturday
It's been a difficult time in our city, region and country. Despite the violence and prejudice, many others have also shown signs of unity and community. It's good to remember that most people share that same belief that this prejudice is wrong.
As a Christian community, we also look to share God's love that he has shown us. We know the love, peace and compassion that God has brought to us and would want that same conviction to be known by others and shared with others. God is love, to everyone, everywhere. As one of the lines of this song says, God can change the atmosphere.
As we seek to follow God and let him into our hearts, so we pray that others may see this same impact themselves. God has no boundaries or limits, He is the same to all people and can bring that love into our hearts if only we let him.
God is love.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-4bEbk1m_c
Honesty
‘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
I’m off to a Billy Joel concert this evening! I’m very excited!! Thinking about it, it reminded me of 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, 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 right actions
Hope
Sometimes hope is in short supply in this world.
The problems can seem too great, the hatred too much as we look around the world.
Whatever you face today, be it a great day or a really difficult one. God is still God. His love is bigger than anything we can imagine, and He longs to walk with us through life. His hand is our hand, guiding us through. It doesn’t mean that everything will miraculously get better, but he is our Hope.
Hope that you are not alone.
Hope that love wins in the end.
Hope that failures are not fatal
Hope that death is not the end
Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
https://youtu.be/9f2FXxDVO6w?si=ieQirsZAEkSkvA6l
My Jesus
Let me tell you about my Jesus.
He’s the…
King of Kings
Lord of Lords
The Alpha and Omega - the Beginning and the End
The same, yesterday, today and forever
The Good Shepherd
The Bread of Life
Wonderful Counsellor
Almighty God
Morning Star
Prince of Peace
Son of God
Immanuel - God with us
Holy
Lamb of God
The Just One
The Way, the Truth, the Life
Light of the World
Man of Sorrows
Redeemer
Saviour
That’s my Jesus.
When the world around me renders me speechless,
sad,
fearful,
and there seems to be no answers,
I turn to the one who I love and trust,
who’s never early,
never late,
ever present,
all knowing,
all loving,
judge of all the earth
and the one who holds the future.
That’s my Jesus.
I’d love you to know Him too.
This beautiful song, written by Anne Wilson, through personal tragedy, tells of ‘My Jesus’.
https://youtu.be/cWLm6z42Gk8?feature=shared
All Through The Storm
We mostly use the word ‘Storm’when we are talking about the weather, but this past week we have witnessed a different kind of storm.This one has not been restricted to just one corner of the nation, but has moved around unpredictably, not driven by clouds or wind or changes of temperature. The power behind this monster has been violence and hatred. It has resulted in death and destruction, fear and anger. The nation is trying to repair the damageto people’s property, but much more importantly to people’s peace, faith, and confidence in tomorrow. This storm has resulted in such sadness,that it appears to be irreparable. The only sign of possible good news is that people of all ages, faiths, and political opinions, are working together to repair the damage, hoping the storm will subside.
Christians are faced with the reality of the challenge to their belief in a God who cares. This is not new; it has plagued mankind almost from the first day of creation. When God allowed man to have an opinion, He knew that Satan would join the activities. Jesus told His disciples, those men who we would think would be most protected, “In this world you will have trouble.” There are many millions of Christians all round the world for whom this is a daily reality. In the face of the storm that is too close for comfort, where can we find our peace and our hope?
Listen to this beautiful song and ask yourself the question, ‘Can I relate to all the phrases, statements, and names of God contained in these few lines?’
https://youtu.be/s1RD6qzxhoY?feature=shared
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Dear Lord,
So far I've done all right.
I haven't gossipped,
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. Ohhhhh how we need God’s help!
Today, may we all be very thankful for God’s patience towards us, and remember to exercise the same patience towards one another. We are all works in progress!!
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://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT0HcAr9aeI
Holy Overshadowing
This week has been a difficult week for many and for lots of reasons. It's not easy to come to terms with some of the horrible events.
As a Christian, we have a hope and confidence in our loving father and friend. Jesus can be our comfort and shelter, this song is a gentle reminder of God's care for us.
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=holy+overshadowing+graham+kendrick+lyrics
Be Still
This week we have witnessed the unspeakable tragedy of the massacre of children. This is truly awful and thankfully incredibly rare in our society today. It's important that we take time to grieve for this situation, for the families, and to pray for those children and adults who are still very poorly in hospital.
Psalm 34:18
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Take a moment to be still and let this song comfort you this morning.
https://youtu.be/WC36XAcB1P8?si=iSu2qjKsl-nNOvHw
Love Like No Other
We hear a lot about love today on our TV’s, and there are magazines devoted to the subject. But its always about human love, or a person’s love for an animal, or some ridiculous concept of ‘Love’ which will quickly fade away or end in bitter regret. However, there is one example of love that transforms lives, brings hope, generates peace, is always available, always trustworthy, and always forgives.
The Bible explains,
John wrote, ‘This is how God showed His love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.’
Paul added this, ‘I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present or the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our lord.’
Please listen to the words in this beautiful song.
https://youtu.be/Als5Paml-AM?feature=shared
Praise You Anywhere
Not so long ago our 'church without walls' was at Jo's house. We would all gather there on a Sunday morning and it would always be a joyous celebration, often chaotic but always joyous.
Everyone was welcome and newcomers were greeted with open arms... and many hugs.
Now we have our building and that joy, celebration and welcome continues...and the hugs keep on coming.
Our building, our hub, is a place for us all to be together in worship and praise of Jesus but that doesn't mean we can't celebrate Him anywhere else, everywhere else.
In John chapter 4 it says,
...the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship on this mountain or in Jerusalem ... indeed, it is here now, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
Please click on the link below to hear this wonderful, uplifting song.
Have a great day everyone.
https://youtu.be/gprrLDCqOUc?si=qJCk8gyRG0kxrudt
Lean In
I sometimes come across certain phrases which people keep using, more so in work, which are seen as “buzz words”.
What is worse is when I hear them so often that I start using them !!
One phrase used is when the boss feels that someone may need some help and we should “lean in” to assist.
And then, I heard this song titled “Lean in” but the words from this are much more reassuring and encouraging.
It's more about leaning on God for his support, comfort and help.
I hope you are encouraged by it too.
https://youtu.be/sDYTy5tfFNo?si=faCBSHbDJ56BGnjJ
Don't Stop Praying
Our world is a bit of a mess isn’t it?
A lot of people are ill, sad, lonely, suffering from addictions and broken relationships….
Do you ever think, ‘This is impossible!’ I do.
Then I’m reminded all over again that we have a miracle working God who says, ‘Nothing is impossible for me’.
Whatever our concerns and worries and fears are at the moment, big or small, may we take them to God in prayer and ask Him to work in those situations.
And while we are asking for His help, may we all remember to thank Him for the countless blessings He’s already given us.
Happy Friday everybody, this song is one of encouragement and praise.
https://youtu.be/bpbZqMJ-B44?feature=shared
Love Like You Do
John 13:34-35
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one
another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
Let this song inspire you today to listen and learn from God, so that we may truly love people like Jesus does.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEZND1-h3O8
The God Who Stays
Throughout July/August our Sunrise’s will be sharing songs (have you noticed??) 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…
Thanks 😊
I am sure we have all used the word Thanks or something similar already this morning.
It’s used for every occasion to let people know how grateful we are. From everything to opening a door, getting a parcel, to receiving an award and everything in between.
It's also important to say thankyou to God. The God who made the universe and everything in it, loves us more than we can imagine and wants to be part of our lives! He gave up his life so that we could have a way back to him. It's amazing, astounding and wonderful! Somehow a small word like Thankyou doesn’t seem enough.
The song this morning is a song of gratitude to God, I hope it encourages you today.
https://youtu.be/ES0S-BkMnXM?si=Q9RGYNc4H6kwmTVz
1 Chronicles 16:34
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
Hush!!!
In 1872, John Greenleaf Whittier penned the words of a new poem, ‘The Brewing of Soma’. Whittier was a Quaker. He had a devout and real love for God but in true Quaker style he believed that silence and nature were the only ways to experience the ‘still, small voice of God’.
Soma was a drink, native to Asia, made from milk and honey and known for its hallucinogenic properties. It would send people into a wild frenzy and was sometimes drank in an attempt to ‘experience God’.
Whittier had his opinions! He was angry and frustrated with Christians who sang, listened to music and were in any way louder than silent! ‘The Brewing of Soma’ was his reaction to this.
The poem begins,
‘Dear Lord and Father of Mankind, Forgive our foolish ways’
People could’ve reacted badly to his poem. They could’ve argued, complained and gossiped about Whittier. After all, his opinions were quite hurtful.
But the words of his poem were really quite beautiful….if only they were put to music…..and sang!
Just two years after Whittier wrote those words in disgust of those who praised and worshipped God through music, people were singing a new song!
And they were very thankful to Whittier for providing the words.
Oh, the irony!
I don’t think Whittier would appreciate the noise that we make here in Melling!
In Psalms we are told to, ‘Make a joyful noise unto the Lord’, and the use of singing and music in worship is mentioned right the way through the Bible.
But God also says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God’.
Whether we like noise or like quiet, like singing or like silence, whatever we choose, there ought to be room for everyone, and a time for everything.
May Melling Community Church always remain ‘a church without walls’.
All welcome!….EVEN those who sing!
Click the link below to hear this beautiful, peaceful hymn.
LOOKING FORWARD
Our world often appears chaotic, dangerous, and heading in the wrong direction. It’s easy to feel unsettled and afraid of the future. One of the Christian’s most powerful blessings is to be able to look forward with confidence because our God is in charge.
Jesus said to his disciples, and to us also, these words of comfort, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. My Father’s house has many rooms. I am going there to prepare a place for you.”
Whatever happens in our world or in our personal lives, we have a place prepared for us when God calls us home. This beautiful song will lift our spirits and cause us to smile at sunrise and throughout the day.
https://youtu.be/nvPzZq7RmSQ?feature=shared
Gratitude by Brandon Lake
This is one of those songs that when I first heard it I fell in love with it.
It's a song that I can listen to over and over without getting bored of it and if I'm feeling a bit low I can put this on and it instantly lifts my spirits.
It's message is so beautifully humble and yet powerful and fills me with emotion.
This songs means so much to me and I hope you like it as much as I do.
https://youtu.be/dQdfs5S6jyA?si=RhTgXFHxR2Ajuh4S
Have a wonderful day everyone, hopefully in the sunshine 🌞💕.
Taking Time
The other night I was fortunate to go to St Georges Hall in Liverpool to see the light show Eonarium Enlightenment.
It is such a beautiful building and it was really good to be able to take the time to sit inside and just appreciate the wonderful decoration.
We then had the light show set to Vivaldi Four Seasons.
We were laying almost flat on bean bags watching the lights as they danced across the walls and ceiling, it was brilliant.
I was thinking afterwards about how good it was to have the time to relax and enjoy one of the amazing attractions in our fantastic city.
It is something I really don’t do often enough.
I wonder if there is somewhere in Liverpool or maybe another city where you would like to go and just take time to appreciate it.
Maybe it would be Barcelona with the variety of Gaudi attractions, Parc Guell or Basílica de la Sagrada Família.
Or maybe you want to go somewhere like the Lake District and enjoy the beautiful landscape.
Another place I would like to visit again soon is Chester Zoo and be able to just sit and watch the animals playing together.
Despite seeing a lot of bad news portrayed, we do live in a beautiful world.
Take time to appreciate the things around us and the people around us.
In the book of Psalms in the Bible, it says:
O Lord, our Lord, your greatness is seen in all the world! Your praise reaches up to the heavens; it is sung by children and babies. When I look at the sky, which you have made, at the moon and the stars, which you set in their places - what are human beings, that you think of them; mere mortals, that you care for them?
When you take time, remember how much God loves and cares for you amidst all the beauty around us.
God loves us and made us beautiful just as we are.
Coming Home?
Well, for anyone who didn’t watch the football last night, the England men are through to the final of the Euro’s (spoiler alert!)
This was hoped for but unexpected as the general consensus was that the Netherlands would get through.
However, earlier in the day, the correct result had been predicted by Bo the seal from the Cornish Seal Sanctuary. Who knew that seals had such in depth knowledge of European football!
If you want to see the video footage of Bo picking England as the winner, you can have a look online, but Bo is the latest animal ‘pundit’ in Folklore. You may have heard of Paul the Octopus who was cannily accurate in the 2008 world cup.
Outside of sport, there have been many occasions where animals have been hailed as being able to predict the future in some aspect of our lives. The most infamous is the lowly Groundhog, whose shadow has been used to determine the start of spring since 1887 in the USA and Canada. The fact that the success rate in the last 150 years is only 36% doesn’t seem to matter.
It might not be seals, octopi or Groundhogs, but trying to work out what is going to happen in our lives is not unusual. In some senses it is based in fact. Birds who fly south for the winter somehow know when to travel each year. Scientists believe that this is not due to being able to predict the future, but that animals can pick up on signs in nature that humans simply don’t register.
Whatever is going to happen in the next week/month or year, despite all the animal predictions you can name, none of them can predict the future with complete accuracy.
God however, does know the future. God is often described as the ‘Alpha and Omega’. These Greek words literally mean ‘Beginning and End’. This phrase signifies that God knows everything, from the start to the end of time and everything in between.
Jeremiah 29:11
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.
Whatever happens in the next few days/weeks, know that God loves you and cares deeply for you. We can rest safe in the knowledge that through him, he will give us Hope and a future, and that he can be trusted.
GOD’S COLLECTION
Many people are collectors and it’s amazing the range of items that they accumulate. Quite often you can understand why particular products are collected, like small pottery horses or beautiful glassware. These things are the result of a talented individual’s skill and artistry, and many of us wish we could do what they do, but we can’t so we collect these items instead of making them. Then we put them on display in our homes so that visitors can see how sophisticated we are. On the other hand, some people collect the most bizarre and often unattractive products that lead people to mutter words of sympathy and scratch their heads before walking away. For instance, 18th century screwdrivers or Victorian policeman’s whistles. It’s unlikely that these will be put on display or have any resale value.
Sometimes the driving force behind the collection is emotional. I know a veteran photographer who has been building a collection of vintage cameras for years, but recently his wife discovered the extent of it, and when I spoke to him last week he was in the process of selling them on EBay. He’s not happy but his wife is. Then there are the hard-headed business types whose only reason for buying anything is to make a profit, then buy another car. This reminds me of the man I met who owns five mansions around the world and his hobby is collecting Aston Martin cars. Wouldn’t you like to be in his shoes? The slight drawback for him is that he suffers from depression and he collects bottles of rum which he then drinks, and his doctor has told him he will be dead inside five years.
It’s interesting the value we place on things and our reasons for it. Jesus met religious leaders who valued their position and reputation in society more than they valued the safety and rights of ordinary people. He met Pilate who valued his job more than justice. And when it comes to people, who do you value (love) most and why? Paul told the church in Rome, “God showed how much He loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.”
God values us so much that He gave His only Son so that we can join His collection of people.
And He won’t be selling us on for a profit. He will keep us safe for eternity.
Stingray!
Does anyone remember the children’s show Stingray? It was originally created in the 1960’s, but was then repeated in the 70’s and 80’s. For those who don’t, it was a thunderbirds style puppet tv sci fi show, where agents in a submarine saved the world on a weekly basis! It was great!
One of the things I remember about it, was the catch phrase at the start of each episode 'ANYTHING can happen in the next half hour’!
Bizarrely today feels like that sort of day. The polls are open, voting has started, and the vast array of possibilities appear before us. Who to choose, will the party we prefer win overall, will the promises given by politicians actually happen. Maybe not in the half hour time frame of a TV show, but…..
‘ANYTHING could happen in the next 24hrs’
The one thing I am sure of, is that no matter how wonderful our prospective politicians are (or appear to be), is that at some point they will let us down. They are people after all, and no one is perfect. There will be well meant promises not able to be fulfilled, and financial climates not as forecast, or just mistakes.
We should absolutely work and strive and help to bring about a better world, but we should not pin all our hopes on any person, no matter how well intentioned they may be.
God is a different matter. The Bible tells us that God never lets us down, he never leaves us and he loves us with an everlasting love. That doesn’t mean that life is a bed of roses at all, but it does mean love, hope and help every step of the way.
Psalm 64:5-8
Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honour come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. Trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.
So whatever happens in the next 24hrs, God can be trusted, and we can put our hope in him
Getting Close
We have watched this weekend as a junior- school-age young lady from abroad visited a family locally for a holiday. There was the usual nervousness and shyness, made more obvious because she doesn’t speak English. Clever Google made translation in both directions very easy and when I called on them a few hours after they had met, I was struck by how comfortable she was with the family members. One thing that demonstrated how safe she felt was how she held the hands of the family’s teenagers. It looked as though they had known each other for years. How powerful touch can be!
Dr. Paul Brand was a medical missionary in the early days of the twentieth century. He had seen at first hand the stigma associated with leprosy and the appalling mental damage inflicted on sufferers caused by the rejection of people, even family members. During his early days working in India, whilst treating a man with the dreaded disease, he touched his patient to reassure him that he was treatable. Instantly the man burst into tears and Dr. Brand was confused. An attendant explained the tears saying, “You touched him. No one has done that for years. He didn’t expect it, they are tears of joy.”
We read in our Bibles that in His first year travelling through Palestine, Jesus was approached by, ‘a man suffering from a dreaded skin disease, he knelt down and begged Jesus for help. “If You want to” he said, “You can make me clean.” Jesus was filled with pity, and reached out and touched him. “I do want to” He answered “Be Clean.” On many occasions Jesus simply healed by speaking, but this man’s needs were more complicated, he was ill but he was also rejected by society. The touch from Jesus told him he was not rejected by God.
Our five senses of which touch is one, are totally wonderful gifts from God, David reminds us that, “We are fearfully and wonderfully made.”
We are able to ‘touch’ each other in different ways. We can touch someone who is lonely or fearful with a phone call or a visit. I have received hand-made cards in the past week that have touched me. We can deliver food or magazines to each other, it's not the same as a hug but pretty good. Many of us are regularly touched by meeting together throughout the week and on Sunday mornings.
We are not the untouchables, no human is! Enjoy your week, reach out and touch someone.
May Sunrises
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, (for a change!!!)
My music was playing,
Louis (dog!) 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 passed 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.
Dreams
I wonder if you have a plan for the future? Some people might have a 5 year plan or some people might have a list of things they really want to do. Some people might just have one thing that they really want to achieve.
I recently discovered the history of a 19th Century Herbalist called John. At this time, Chemists and Medicine companies worked together to make medicines cost far more than they should have done. It made the chemists very rich, but meant that most medicines were unaffordable for lots of people.
John was appalled at this and decided to do something about it.
So, he made his own medicines, and opened his own shop in Nottingham 1849. It was called the British and American Botanic Establishment. It was an instant hit. He trained up his wife and his son Jesse, who carried on the business after he passed away. Soon, they had to move to bigger premises, but carried on charging more than half of what all other chemists were charging for prescriptions. His son decided to rename the new store and used his family surname Boot. And the rest, as they say, is history.
John Boot and his son Jesse, started a trade reform that made medicines available for all, and he is still a household name today. It all started with a Dream that medicine should be affordable for everyone.
So today, what’s your dream? Each one of us has an amazing mix of skills and talents that no one else has. The question is, how are you going to use them?
The Bible tells us that we all have a part to play in showing Gods love to everyone;
Ephesians 2:10
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.
Now I have to confess, I don’t always feel like a masterpiece, but I am definitely unique! I also want to use what I have to show people how amazing God is, but I can’t do this without Gods help. Let’s spend some time today asking God to show us where he wants us to use our gifts and talents, and don’t forget to dream big, just like John Boot.
My Rock
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. I spoke with one little girl on Sunday who was very excited about the new school she would be starting in September but there are many more slightly older ones who find the changes ahead of them much more daunting.
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 Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
WORDS MATTER
As we look around our sad world, we are compelled,
or should be, to bring the colossal suffering we see to our all powerful and all loving Creator God.
As I do this, I am conscious that whatever words I use, they appear to me to be totally inadequate, faced by the enormity of the issues across God's world.
What about the words we use as we offer comfort to those closer to home, do we believe that we understand their fears enough for our words to bring comfort and peace?
As we put our heads on the pillow, do we relax because we have done our work for the day?
So we sleep, even if others don't.
We wake up, relaxed while some around us may have struggled all night with pain and loneliness, despite our wise and compassionate words.
How many of us assume that our health and lifestyle will simply continue, that tomorrow is just a continuation of today, and it's OK to plan for our summer holiday? After all, we do have a responsibility to be organised for the benefit of our family members, young and old.
But if suddenly, it's our turn to be presented with trauma, pain, confusion, and the reality of a transformed and unwelcome situation, can we accept that this is God at work, or do we wonder where He has gone?
It can be relatively easy to find words from Scripture for the benefit of others, but what words can deal with my shock, my pain, and my confusion as my organised world dissolves into chaos, and I begin to discover how dependent I am on family, friends, medics who are complete strangers, and a mighty God who tells me that He loves me?
We read in our bibles that God talks to us directly and tells us,
'Do not be afraid; I am with you! I am your God - let nothing terrify you! I will make you strong and help you; I will protect you and save you.'
Powerful words from the, 'God who does not lie.'
As we face life's unexpected and unwanted twists and turns, we are not alone, thats a promise.
Go To Option
When you go out for a meal, do you have a “go to option”? I was out recently with some people and one of the group looked at the menu and commented about 3 items that should always be on what they consider a good menu. They were a burger, fish & chips and a lasagne. They considered these 3 options to be the basis of a good menu. What was slightly strange, it turned out that they did not actually like fish & chips. Now firstly, how can you not like fish & chips? But secondly, why should it be on the menu if you don’t like it?
When I go out for a meal, I often like to find something that I would not usually eat at home. There are some things that I don’t like but then there are some I have never tried which I might try in a restaurant. But I do also have some favourites.
I was thinking about go to options and 3 basics to look for, I was reminded of 3 basics mentioned in the bible. Faith, hope and love. Now these are 3 go to options that we should all consider.
Faith is our belief in a context or philosophy; for Christians this is a belief in God and Jesus. Who created everything, who loves us and wants the best for us but who is prepared to let us choose. Our hope is based upon our desire, we hope or desire something to happen or to be true. Our faith and hope are in God and his son Jesus, whose life was an example for us and was given so that might have a way to God.
In Hebrews Chapter 11, it talks about our faith in actions
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
This is when our behaviour is based upon our hope and faith. The result of our faith and hope in God is love, as God is love.
You may have heard 1 Corinthians 13 read out during a wedding which talks about love and it finishes
Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
So what do you think about these 3 go to options, Jesus wants us to put our hope and faith in him and to love him and others as Jesus did.
Slug Watch
The last few years, I have struggled to grow any vegetables due to what can only be described as a slug infestation!
In the day, my garden appears lovely and calm, but at night, my plants and vegetables have been decimated by slugs. They were also super resistant slugs. Salt, chilli powder, and slug repellent were all used to no avail.
This year I was determined to have some home grown vegetables. So, I have created a small but netted area to prevent other pests.
I have then been on a nightly patrol to ensure that the vegetables are not nibbled.
Over the last week I have re-homed nearly 500 slugs!!
There are some beautiful varieties I have found with lovely colours.
This would be amazing if they weren’t all incredibly hungry and determined to munch my vegetables.
This may seem a bit over the top (I prefer determined), but it really is the only way I have found to clear the slugs. Slug hunting has moved onto my priority list.
Apart from chuckling to myself about the fact that Slug hunting has actually made it onto my priority list, it did make me think.
What else is on my priority list and what order does everything come in?
What’s on your priority list? Family? Friends? Work? Faith? Slugs?
Now you will be pleased to know that faith in Jesus, family, and friends are far higher on the list than slugs.
The Bible tells us that whatever else is on your priority list, God should come first.
We should definitely spend more time with him than slugs anyway!
When Jesus was asked what was top of his priority list, he said this:
Luke 10:27
Jesus answered, ‘“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” and, “Love your neighbour as yourself.”
Whatever else is on your priority list today, make some time and space for God.
Oh Bother!
On Monday, I spent a very lovely evening singing with the choir.
We were good. I mean, we really rocked on Monday night! I left choir with a spring in my step having sung and laughed and chatted with all our lovely people.
I got in my car and set off for home.
Oh bother!...my car didn’t feel quite right and as I drove it became very apparent that my car really wasn’t right. My car limped and jolted it’s way home and I was very relieved to eventually abandon it outside our house and hand the keys to my husband (who looked at me with an expression that said “and what do you think I’m going to do?!)
It has really intrigued me though as I wonder what happened while I was in choir practice? I drove there without incident in a car that seemed perfectly happy but while I sang my heart out, something changed.
I don’t know if that ‘something’ is a small something or if it is a significant (and expensive) ‘something’, but one minute it was fine and the next it wasn’t.
All of a sudden we find ourselves having to rearrange our plans or ask for help because we can’t do the things we thought we were going to be doing or get to the places we thought we were going to go to.
How often life throws these curve balls at us; sometimes small things that just interrupt our plans and we have to find a way around them, other times big things that stop us in our tracks.
I’ve had to rearrange my week which I might view with inconvenience but in a strange way I find I’m grateful for the reminder that I don’t hold tomorrow in my hands, only God has that.
In the book of James we read these words:
And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today – at the latest, tomorrow – we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.”
And so I set the inconveniences aside and give tomorrow to the will of God.
Perhaps I’ll have a working car, perhaps not, but whatever it holds, may it be a day that is committed into the safe and trustworthy hands of God.
“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.”
Still Waiting For The Sheriff
Recently I’ve been receiving many texts and phone calls from ‘very lovely people’ telling me I owe some money to a company I’ve never heard of. We chat. I love to chat with them. I talk about the weather, literally.
They, on the other hand, are very focused and just want my bank details so they can ‘save’ me from ‘additional stress’….ha!…I’m not stressed…they’ll have to try harder!
A few years ago I received a phone call from the Sheriff’s County Court in Alabama. It was a deep American accent and I was told I had to attend a court hearing or pay the fee. I asked them what the court hearing was about, he said he couldn’t discuss that with me. I told them I couldn’t attend because I was in Melling! He didn’t accept that excuse!
Then I had an idea, ‘Do you want to join our choir?’
There was a moment of silence which I took advantage of.... ‘They’re the best choir in the world and on top of that they are the kindest, most wonderful people in the world. You’d be made so welcome! And...’ He hung up!
I drove through Alabama about 25 years ago but I haven’t been since. I was intrigued to know what I’d done!
After that calI, I received several voicemails asking for me to deposit money. I did the dutiful thing and deleted the messages.
The Sheriff was going to have to come and get me.
I have been thinking so much recently about what kind of person chooses to benefit from other peoples hurt and fear, bank balance and vulnerability.
Are they desperate?
Vengeful?
Were they brought up encouraged to cheat and abuse people’s trust?
Do they some how believe it’s just fair game?
Plain old uncaring and vile?
Whatever their past, whatever their motives, scamming is wrong!
Completely unacceptable!
And can cause so much pain.
But the scammer is not beyond God’s love.
He loves the scammer.
He hates the scam.
I’m no scammer, I wouldn’t dream of doing that, nor would I murder or steal....but I have messed up.
Many times.
Wrong thoughts.
Wrong words.
Wrong actions.
As I sit at home surrounded by my girls and my boys (for ‘boys’ read ‘dogs’!), I’ve been spending some time thanking God for not giving up on me.
Time and time again I’ve experienced God’s grace,
His forgiveness,
His love.
And when I mess up again, I experience them all over again.
Lamentations 3:22-23 says,
‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning, new every morning. Great is His faithfulness’.
So, today I get up, get dressed, and thank God for His new mercies and great faithfulness....and continue to wait for the Sheriff.
Changes
As many of you are aware, I’ve recently started a new job. I love it but the first week was very hard as it involved setting up the shop from scratch. We all worked very hard as a team and managed to finish ahead of schedule.
It’s a big change for me and something that I’m going to have to get used to again but now the shop is open I’ve surprised myself at how confident I am in my new role.
This got me thinking about all of the changes that have happened in my life over the last five years. If someone had told me ten years ago that I would be very happily married to a wonderful man, I’d belong to an amazing church family, I’d be exhibiting my art at local exhibitions and I’d be happily working in a new role, I probably would’ve laughed but here I am with all of those things and the added joy that our kids are very happy too.
I have become a much more confident and happier person because of the changes that have happened to me and also because of the fantastic people who are around me.
We all experience changes throughout our lives, some good and some not so good but the way we deal with these changes makes us the people we are. It helps us to grow and hopefully to become better people. This, in turn shows to those around us and can maybe offer them some hope and encouragement for their own lives if things aren’t quite going to plan.
We all have the ability to embrace change and to see the right path to take.
It may not always be the easiest path, but it will ultimately be the most fulfilling.
Romans 12:2
Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Proverbs 16:9
We can make our plans,
but the Lord determines our steps.
True
So, what came to mind when you saw the title?
How many of you read the word, then sang the word like the Spandau Ballet pop song? And for those born after 1983 who may be wondering, who is Spandau Ballet? Google it!
As part of my work, there are 3 things that we need to check about our information.
Is it Confidential? Is it only the people who need to know the information who are able to access the information?
Is it Available? Are we able to make sure that when the information is needed, that it is available to those who need it?
Does the information have Integrity? (is it coincidence that the security questions are CIA???) Is the information trustworthy, has it been changed, can we rely on it?
It occurred to me that they are 3 things that I could ask myself.
Do I make myself available for people when they need something?
Do I know how to keep a confidence when someone shares something?
I thought a bit more about having integrity or being true.
Am I true to myself?
Do I behave as I want or should behave or do I get influenced by those around me to do or say things I would not do normally?
Am I true to others?
Are others around me able to trust me?
Am I true to God?
Do I recognise God’s amazing love and live my life according to his guidance?
In the bible, there are many quotes that could refer to being true. I chose a passage which talks about our ordinary lives and how we can be true to God.
These words are from the book of Romans, Chapter 12 in The Message version.
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. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
Be true.
I’m Awake! I’m Awake! I’m Awake!
I woke up late this morning!
7:24am to be exact!!
My gorgeous dog, Louis, 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.
In 20 minutes I would be taking my chick to school.
It’s exam season!….I couldn’t possibly be late!
I fed Louis,
I got dressed,
I 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 just before our Bible study group.
I had my lunch an hour ago.
I won’t feel like my tea until I’m ready for bed.
I had a lovely meeting this afternoon before doing a visit to someone unwell.
I had one more trip to make, to deliver a gift….
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?
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 on 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 I 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
Through a Different Lens
Over the weekend we were inundated with amazing photos of the Northern Lights visiting Liverpool. Whilst its quite common in places nearer the artic circle, it was extremely unusual for them to be visible this far South.
Whilst some people slept, unaware of the show that the atmosphere was putting on, others were out in their gardens trying to catch a glimpse.
One thing that I didn’t realise was that the best way to see the amazing colours of the northern lights is through a camera lens and not simply by looking. Whilst you get an idea by looking, the depth and brilliance of the colours cannot be picked up well by our eyes. A camera, however, picks up the different shades and colours much better.
No matter how much I stared at the night sky, I couldn’t see the amazing colours nearly as well as when I looked through the camera.
It reminded me of a letter in the Bible that Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. He was trying to explain how difficult it was for us to understand how amazing God is, and what it will be like when the Kingdom of God fully comes to Earth.
I Corinthians 13:12-13
We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us! But for right now, we have three things to do to lead us toward that: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
Just like looking through a camera lens at the northern lights, when we see things through God’s eyes, everything changes and becomes clearer. When we love people with God’s love, when we see God at work in the world around us, we get a glimpse of how amazing he is. And in both cases, it leaves us full of awe and wonder.
Today, let’s ask God to help us look at people and the world around us through the lens of God’s love.
In God's Hands
I’m looking for something at the moment. It is a very specific something. Something I know I haven’t thrown away but rather kept in a safe place. I know that it is somewhere, I just can’t find the right somewhere – and so, I keep looking. I’ve looked in every obvious place - all the places that would have made sense – but I still haven’t found it and so now I need to look in the places that really wouldn’t make any sense.
Have you ever found yourself if this situation?
You can visualise the thing you are looking for and you are so certain that you know where it is until you get there and discover it isn’t there at all. The problem is that you are so sure it was there, you waste all of your time looking in the same place over and over because it really MUST be there, even when it clearly wasn’t the first time you looked!
For various reasons there are some things in life that mean a lot to us and we hold them closely and keep them safe, but the Bible tells us:
“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.”
What will happen if I don’t manage to find the thing I am looking for? Well, to be honest, not much really. I will be disappointed – but then I will move on. The real treasure is the treasure in heaven – my relationship with God; his never-failing love; his patience and care and kindness. The treasure that we hold between us as a community as we walk together, laugh together and sometimes cry together. These are the treasures we should guard.
Bus Genius
Going back a few years ago now I used to go to college in Southport. Everyday I would get the 300 bus in the morning, and the same bus home later on that day. It wouldn’t always be the same time. Often depending on the time I was on the bus, you would see some of the same people, whether it be the early morning one with the college and school kids or the one more mid day with people off to do their daily errands.
However, whatever time bus we were on there was often a bus loony! It might have been someone singing on the back seat, people having arguments with themselves, someone sat behind you spurting out conspiracy theories or the women who always took her shoes off. In fact, I was told once if you’re on the bus and there isn’t a bus loony it means you’re probably the bus loony. I realised this might have been true one trip when my friend was the person singing a full musical aloud.
There was one journey though that stuck with me. The bus loony for this journey was sat behind me and my friend on the way home from college one day. For the whole journey home he talked to us about the most random of topics, most of which I cant recall, although I do remember a long conversation about bus engines. However, after my friend had got off the bus leaving me with this very chatty man, he started talking about the weather.
It was a warm day and he warned about the dangers of the sun, but as I pressed the button to get off at my stop he finished on a line that stuck with me. Speaking about the sun he said, ‘whoever put that in the sky knew what he was doing’.
I agreed and got off, but had a little chuckle to myself. For all the absolute nonsense he had been chatting throughout the journey, most of which I couldn’t fact check, on this point I knew he was right, whoever did put the sun in the sky knew exactly what he was doing.
We believe in an incredible loving God who created all of this for us, but whatever you believe in you would have to agree on this - it can’t be one happy accident.
Hebrews 11:3 says,
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Not only did God create all of the earth, all the planets and the sun they circle around, but he created every person as well and he meant it!
Psalm 139:13-14 tells us,
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mothers womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous - how well I know it.
Now I’m no scientist but when even with a very basic understanding of our biology and the physics of the universe, you get an idea about how wonderfully complex it all is and it shows the detail God put into designing every bit of it.
Some of the cleverest people in the world will dedicate their lives to the understanding of why and how, trying to answer the difficult questions around creation. Ultimately the bible doesn’t give us much detail about it, but maybe it says all we need.
Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!
A song for you?
Has it really been a year since Liverpool hosted the Eurovision song contest? The city was filled with so many nations of people, the atmosphere was fantastic and wandering around Liverpool hearing so many different languages was great. People got to visit and tour the best city in the European continent.
But what about the music?
This year has been a real adventure again in styles of song, meanings of the lyrics and, let’s say, interesting stage shows. Which song is your favourite I wonder? Or maybe it’s the last thing on earth you want to watch!!
But then everyone has their own taste in music. Music has a power to move you emotionally, maybe it’s a special song or a special memory. Music can also bring a spiritual response, when a song helps you realise just how much God means to us and how much we mean to God.
In Ephesians 5, we are encouraged
Make the most of every opportunity. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
If you have a favourite song, think of it now, maybe even sing it out loud. Think of how it makes you feel. If you have yet to find a spiritual song, keep exploring, keep listening and keep believing.
Let It Goooo, Let It Go!
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 you 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 hatefulfeelings 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.
Jars of Sand
I once was asked to complete a very simple task based around my daily life. First I was given three things, a golf ball, a large Kilner jar (the posh big jars with the fancy lids) and a large bag of sand.
The idea was simple, the jar was meant to represent one day in my life, and the sand was to represent all of the things that I did in the day, and the golf ball was meant to represent God.
So, I was asked to think about all the things that I did each day, and put some sand in the jar for each activity. From waking up, to showering, to waking up (again) to breakfast, nearly missing the bus, to waking up on the bus (again) I started to fill the jar with sand.
I was amazed at how much I tried to fit into a day! I am sure you are the same. We often rush from one thing to another and try and get everything done by the time we go to bed.
By the time I got to the end of the day’s activities, the jar was full and I had used up all of the sand. The lid of the jar just about closed and I was pretty pleased.
Then I was asked to try and fit the golf ball (God) in. I couldn’t. no matter how much I squished the sand, the lid wouldn’t close.
The person leading the activity asked to take all of the sand out of the jar and complete the task again, but this time putting the golf ball in first. Well, I thought that this was pretty silly, as I already knew that the sand and the golf ball wouldn’t all fit in the jar together, but I was feeling polite, so I did as I was told.
Then something interesting happened. When the golf ball was put in first, all the sand still fitted in! I thought it was some sort of trick, but it wasn’t.
You see, when we see God and Jesus as a sort of afterthought, an ‘if I have time’ kind of thing, the reality is that we will often not have time for them. But if we start each day thanking God and asking him to be in it with us, He is there. It doesn’t mean things are less busy, or stressful, but it does mean that God travels with us, every step of the way.
Psalm 9:1,9&10
I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvellous things you have done. The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.
In God’s Hands
I’m looking for something at the moment. It is a very specific something. Something I know I haven’t thrown away but rather kept in a safe place. I know that it is somewhere, I just can’t find the right somewhere – and so, I keep looking. I’ve looked in every obvious place - all the places that would have made sense – but I still haven’t found it and so now I need to look in the places that really wouldn’t make any sense.
Have you ever found yourself if this situation?
You can visualise the thing you are looking for and you are so certain that you know where it is until you get there and discover it isn’t there at all. The problem is that you are so sure it was there, you waste all of your time looking in the same place over and over because it really MUST be there, even when it clearly wasn’t the first time you looked!
For various reasons there are some things in life that mean a lot to us and we hold them closely and keep them safe, but the Bible tells us:
“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.”
What will happen if I don’t manage to find the thing I am looking for? Well, to be honest, not much really. I will be disappointed – but then I will move on. The real treasure is the treasure in heaven – my relationship with God; his never-failing love; his patience and care and kindness. The treasure that we hold between us as a community as we walk together, laugh together and sometimes cry together. These are the treasures we should guard.
The author and holocaust survivor, Corrie ten Boom once said: “I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that, I still possess.”
The ‘stuff’ of this world will fade and pass, but the things we commit to God, they are the things that we will never lose and will never pass away.
I will carry on looking for my lost ‘thing’, but as I look I will remind myself over and over that it is just a ‘thing’, my real treasures are in safe hands.
Future Plans
People are travelling again, feeling much safer than they have for a few years;
its up—up—and—away time, to sunnier places than we have seen since before Covid. Perhaps you have beaten me to it, but I have my plans, and the word Barcelona is involved. We have been living off memories for a while but now we are planning to make more memories. New ones! Can you remember the rules for travelling to foreign places? I don’t. Brexit has changed things a little, so we all need to make certain that we don’t get rejected at the airport.
Many people have no memories of recent journeys beyond our national borders, but we are all dreaming of favourite places or completely new ones. We are bored with our old memories and have decided to risk looking forward.
I’m excited! I would love to go to New York, but I may have left it late! If I do go, some of my family, or maybe all of them, would like to join me. We could do lots of things together, but for one or two days I just need, really need, to look at some buildings, but I don’t want to bore my companions so I will do that by myself. Brilliant. Dream on!
One of the really amazing aspects of Christianity is that whatever our current circumstances, no matter how bad or scared we feel, we can always look forward. Always.
Listen to what St Paul writes,
‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.’ The Bible tells us that God will make a new Heaven and a new Earth, and Jesus told those who follow Him, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
Forget Barcelona, Paris, Venice, or even New York, God has better plans for those who have faith in His Son. If I just have a shed in Heaven, I will be ecstatic. And I’m not dreaming.
June Sunrises
Life Passing By
Splitting your working time between the office and working at home has become a new normal. A few years ago, the majority of us would never have dreamt that we could end up spending so much time working at home. I have settled into working from a desk in our front room, it can be a bit quiet at times and I put music on to fill in the background. Yet when I actually go to the office, the general noise of people in the office seems deafening!
Sitting near the window, there are times when I can be part of a phone meeting and sit watching the world go by outside. Dog walkers, cyclists, joggers, delivery men, cars, buses; each passing the window with different things going on in their lives. Sometimes, I am so engrossed in my work, I stop noticing what’s happening and if someone I know goes past the window, I am completely oblivious to what is going on just a few feet away.
Do you ever feel that life is passing by, you may notice what is happening but not feel a part of it. Or maybe you are not even aware of what is happening just a short distance away. Maybe we just need to open the door and be part of it. I should open my door and speak to the people passing my drive, or wave at the drivers going past, thank the delivery or post workers who are taking parcels to people’s doors.
At Melling Community Church, everyone is welcome to join any of the different things that are happening. You can come and listen or join in, if you know someone who feels life is passing by then invite them along.
If you are reading this message and want to get in touch, please contact us.
As a Christian, we know that Jesus is with us every step of the way.
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.
‘It Goes Without Saying’
I was chatting with a friend recently, a real bestie, who is going through a very tough time at present.
In my encouragement I said,
‘it goes without saying that you have my support’.
As I came out with those words, it suddenly hit me!….
Why does it go without saying???
Why would I remain silent with my support?
What if they don’t know how supportive I’m being?
What if they need to hear those words?
What if…?
There was no doubt that they had my support and encouragement and friendship.
But reminding them that they had it,
assuring them that they had it,
was really important.
If you know someone who is really going through it, can I suggest that,
‘it doesn’t go without saying’
that you support them,
love them,
are there for them!
Tell them.
It may be the one thing that turns a really tough day into a slightly less tough one.
And we’d all want that, wouldn’t we?
‘Gracious speech is like clover honey—good taste to the soul, quick energy for the body’.
Proverbs 16:24
More Time?
I am sure that at some point all of us have wished for more hours in the day, or more time to complete a task.
Well, the good news is that your wish is coming true!
Scientists have confirmed that our days are getting longer each year.
The reason for this is to do with the way that the moon and the tides interact with each other. If you want a more technical explanation, you can search for it, but the short version is that the movement of the tides affects the rotation of the earth, and this in turn is gradually pushing the moon further away from us at the rate of about 1.5inches a year. All of this means that our days are getting slightly longer.
Don’t get too excited though, when I say slightly longer, its about 1.78ms per century, so you may blink and miss it, but every little helps!
There are situations when everything is so lovely, I want time to stand still and enjoy the moment for longer. Of course, there are also situations that I want to fast forward and get over with as quickly as possible.
The Bible tells us that even with the changes in the tides and the moon, God’s timing is perfect. That’s sometimes hard to understand as we might pray for something to happen quickly, or for something to stop quickly as well, and it doesn’t.
God, however, can be trusted. He is absolutely, completely, totally trustworthy.
Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11
For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.
We might not understand the timing of things, but God does, and he also loves us more than we can ever imagine. If his timing means to wait, even if the waiting is hard, then he will be with us every step of the way
Isaiah 41:10
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.
JUST GET ON
I go back a long way with Microsoft, in fact I think I have probably kept them in business over the years. If I left them, I imagine a panic would ensue on the stock market as their millions of clients would be swayed by my dissatisfaction and find a different supplier. Maybe I’ve exaggerated my importance to Microsoft but I’m important enough for them to send me new terms and conditions because they say they want me to get the service I deserve. I feel quite proud that they go to great lengths to secure my custom. So I opened this new document and started reading, and reading, and reading. Then I stopped for a coffee and two tablets and wondered how many words were in the document. I was quite impressed to discover that I am so important to them that they sent me 8000 words.
But I’m a little bothered about the kind of words; they tell me it’s unlawful for me to ‘disassemble, decompile, decrypt, hack, emulate, exploit, or reverse engineer any software.’ They talk about ‘fraudulent, erroneous, or unauthorised transactions’ and they are very firm about ‘Contracting Entity’. Suddenly I was nervous!
Last year we moved to a new house after being in the previous house for 48 years. The lawyer supplied by the estate agent sent a document for me to fill in. 65 pages!!! It wasn’t like this 48 years ago.
And it wasn’t like this 2,000 years ago. When the disciples swapped jobs from fisherman etc to ‘Follower of Jesus’, they signed nothing; there was no contract and no wages. They just said goodbye to their families and walked away. They could always go home if they got bored or scared, because they signed nothing.
‘One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon and Andrew-throwing a net into the water, because they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come and follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people.” They left their nets at once and followed Him.’
No contract, no lengthy employment negotiations, no money for solicitors, and off they went. It turned out to be a job for life. In 2000 years it has never changed; being a Christian (A ‘Follower of Christ’) is still a job for life. Simply by acknowledging that Jesus took the punishment for our sins and agreeing to follow where He leads, our lifelong occupation starts with no training or experience and leads to eternal rewards with no 8000 word contract to read and sign. Brilliant.
To Do
My week is often made up of to do lists, and success is defined by how many boxes get ticked off. I’ve got to do lists for work, to do lists for my evenings, to do lists for events coming up. With each list that ends, another is written. It’s never ending! Sweeping through tasks, jobs, time with family or friends, ticking the box and moving onto to the next. Now this is not to say that all of those things are a chore. Lots of the things on my to do list I enjoy and cherish! But it is so easy to get caught in a whirlwind of time passing by.
I sometimes look at my to do lists and think ‘Does God have a to do list?’ and what would be on it? Monday: Answer prayers, Tuesday: Healing, Wednesday: Dentist appointment… (probably not!).
Did he begin at Genesis chapter 1 by writing out the to do list for that week?
Day
Night
Sky
Land
Seas...
Probably not.
God was working on the creation of the universe, something I would definitely have a to do list for, and he carefully curated a world that was good. Each creation was complex, He considered its place. With each element added, He reflected. When it was completed, He rested.
When I look back at those whirlwinds of time that have passed by, sometimes I regret not considering the detail of a complex task, or not being present in that moment with friends. I often regret not taking time to rest. Now, I can’t just ignore my to do lists… I want to make sure I have a birthday card for my cousin. I need to make sure I have booked train tickets so I can be with my friends for their important celebration. And I definitely need to keep on top of my washing! But I am striving to pay attention to some of the details, to reflect with God, and to rest.
Genesis 1:29-31 and 2:1-2 NLT
29 Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. 30 And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.
31 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.
1 So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed.
2 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work.
Numbers???
I recently went to the dentist and as I was laying there, mouth open wide, the dentist kept repeating numbers. Now, I like numbers, I like maths but I was very confused. What on earth was he talking about? His assistant obviously knew as she was making notes all the while. No matter what speed the dentist shouted out the numbers, the assistant noted them all down. After, he explained what he was talking about and it sort of made sense.
Do you ever feel like someone who is speaking English but is actually speaking a foreign language? Sometimes it may be an accent that you struggle to understand. It could be some particular jargon that is being used that you just don’t know. It might be slang terms that you are not used to.
To those who know, it makes sense. To those who don’t, it's total gobbledygook.
When Jesus was talking to people and trying to explain how God loves us and how we should live our lives, he knew that some people would struggle to understand. Some of the religious leaders then might talk in a specific language which made it difficult for others to understand. So Jesus spoke in parables, that is, an example story or situation that people could relate to and would help them understand the message.
Even today, the Bible has many different versions and each version is hoping to make the Bible more available and accessible to everyone.
However, the Bible has an extra advantage. When we read the bible and open our minds and hearts to hear it, God will help us to understand it like never before.
In Hebrews chapter 4 it says:
God’s word is alive and working. It is sharper than the sharpest sword and cuts all the way into us. It cuts deep to the place where the soul and the spirit are joined. God’s word cuts to the centre of our joints and our bones. It judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts. Nothing in all the world can be hidden from God. He can clearly see all things. Everything is open before him.
Let's read our bibles daily, open our mind and hearts to understand afresh each time we read it as God helps us listen, hear and understand.
Pot Luck
This summer we have a wealth of sporting competitions to get involved in. The Men’s European Football Championship started this week, which runs concurrently with the Men’s Cricket world T20’s followed by Wimbledon, followed by the Olympics at the end of July and the Paralympics is at the end of August.
A whole summer of armchair cheering, nail biting, commiserating and hopefully some celebrating.
A common occurrence in these sorts of events (especially team events) is the appearance of the pot luck draw. The idea is that teams or countries are chosen at random for each person involved, and the person whose team wins will get some sort of random prize. It’s a fun way to get a bit more involved in the competition.
The problem of course, is you have no choice over the team you get assigned, so you could get the ‘wooden spoon’ or the favourite, and there is actually no way you can alter the outcome either. You just have to watch and wait.
I have definitely got the ‘wooden spoon’ team in my pot luck draw. Austria is known for its beautiful mountains, ski resorts and yodelling, but its football team are bottom of the international league. Never mind.
Sometimes my day can feel a bit like a pot luck draw. Random things just happen, good and bad, I seem to have no control over what’s going on and I seem to lurch from one wooden spoon to another.
Whatever is happening in your life today, God does not change. He can be trusted no matter what. God is utterly reliable and he always keeps his promises. In the days where life hands you a wooden spoon, God’s love and care are still there, and they will never change.
Psalm 18:29-31
The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness….. God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock?
TIME FOR ME
How do you relax? Why do you need to? Do you need a break because you’re physically or mentally weary, or both? Does relaxation look different depending upon your type of tiredness? If you’re mentally tired do you relax by slumping onto the settee, watching TV, and eating chocolate biscuits, or if you’re physically worn out do you lie on your bed and listen to music, and eat chocolate biscuits? How on earth can anybody relax without chocolate biscuits?
Many things can disturb our relaxation; mum’s break is shattered if the kids wake up (if they ever went to sleep). An employee’s weekend is destroyed if the boss keeps ringing up. I’ve spent the whole day helping to build a pergola. I’m exhausted physically and mentally. And I’m not allowed chocolate biscuits! Nobody knows how I suffer! Most of us find relaxation is easier if we can get away from our daily routine and people, even people we love! Relaxation usually means ‘Me Time’.
Many people view Jesus the way they view Super Heroes. Stopping a storm or feeding lots of people – easy for Him. Healing a blind person or raising the dead – no problem. Teaching like no one else could or predicting the future – people were astounded. But the Bible tells us that He became like us, completely human. So He experienced hunger and thirst. He got fed up with some people’s attitudes, occasionally got angry and physical, and just like us He got tired and needed a break away from people.
We read that when Jesus arrived at a town called Sychar He was tired and sat down by Himself while His disciples went to buy food because He was hungry like they were. Along came a lady to draw water from the well and Jesus asked her for a drink because He was thirsty. Tired, hungry, thirsty. Totally human! He became so popular that people would not leave Him alone and we read that, ‘He withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.’ He used these opportunities to speak to His Father. This is a great example for us, just get away and talk to God. It is possible of course that we are aware of the needs around us, so many hours each day may be spent in helping others to manage the issues of daily living.
Like Jesus, we can get tired and sometimes a little fed up with people. Remember He was human too, so understands how we feel. His response is to offer us rest!
“Are you tired? Worn out? Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly!"
So let’s keep going. Just like He did.
Who Decides?
I get the bus to work and 99 percent of the time it’s a very pleasant journey. It takes about an hour and travels through the back roads between Aintree and Southport, passing the lovely villages of Haskayne and Halsall. There is lots of lovely scenery and it's often quite a relaxing journey.
One thing I have noticed just on the outskirts of Southport town centre is a car wash. Nothing outstanding about that you might think, until I tell you that written on the top of the car wash wall are the words ‘The World’s Favourite Car Wash’. Now I’m thinking that they don’t mean this lowly little carwash in Southport but rather the brand of car wash but either way it’s rather a big statement to make….and I must admit that I do chuckle to myself each time I see it.
I often see stories online about the ‘world’s best songs’ or the ‘country’s favourite cake’ or the best this or that…but who exactly is it who decides these things?
Quite often it’s the opinion of the person writing the story or a small minority of people who aren’t necessarily a cross section of views.
So exactly how many people from how many parts of the world need to be asked for something to be classed as the world’s favourite?
There are so many different views and opinions and tastes not just around the world but as near as the same street or even the same household so how can something be seen as the best when only a small number of views have been considered.
Even in our lovely Melling Community Church there are many differing opinions about lots of things including music, tv shows, football and many other things so it would be difficult to choose the ‘best’ or ‘favourite’ just amongst us never mind the world!
But one thing we can agree on, one thing we believe is the best and that is that ‘Jesus Is Lord’.
Our belief in God and our trust in the Lord is what brings us together as this wonderful family and whether or not we have the same opinion as the person who sits next to us about cake or music or football or even car washes, we know that our faith and our Melling Church family is the best.
Psalm 107-1
Give Thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
Have a great week everyone and remember to look out for 'The World's Favourite Car Wash' if you're travelling to Southport 😂
Dad Jokes
It’s Fathers Day!
Happy Fathers Day!
Whether you’re a dad,
a granddad,
uncle,
step dad,
foster dad,
or somebody else who has taken on this wonderful role,
THANK YOU!!
We also thank God for those amazing dads who are sadly no longer with us, and are missed so much.
And for those who are soon-to-be dads
or wanting-to-be dads,
may God provide the strength,
courage,
wisdom
and comfort
that you may be needing today.
Being a dad is both a privilege and a responsibility.
One responsibility is the teller of ‘Dad Jokes’!
These jokes are internationally renowned for being, well, bad!
Really bad!
So bad, in fact, that they make us laugh!
How about,
"I'm afraid for the calendar. Its days are numbered."
Or maybe,
"What did the ocean say to the beach?" "Nothing, it just waved."
And then there’s,
"How does the moon cut his hair?" "Eclipse it."
Can you cope with anymore?…
"What did the zero say to the eight?" "That belt looks good on you."
Last one,
"Dad, did you get a haircut?" "No, I got them all cut!"
Are you still with me??
I promise, no more!
They’re bad aren’t they?!!
But did you laugh?
Smile?
Even a little bit?
I don’t know what makes dads tell such awful jokes but we have to confess to loving them really.
Being a dad is a tough job!
And even the most perfect dad, isn’t perfect all the time.
They get things wrong.
They mess up at times.
They get tired,
or frustrated,
or impatient….just like the rest of us!…and then there’s the jokes!
But the Bible speaks of God being our perfect dad. He wants to protect us,
rescue us,
guide us
and help us.
He’s always there for us and loves us completely.
Paul, in the Bible, writes;
“For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love.
Death can’t, and life can’t.
The angels won’t,
and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God’s love away.
Our fears for today,
our worries about tomorrow,
or where we are—high above the sky,
or in the deepest ocean—nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us.”
Thank you dads for all you do and have done for us!…even the bad jokes!
And thank you God for being the perfect dad who remains the same,
yesterday,
today
and forever.
Where Is Everyone?
This week, I was due to be in a meeting in the office with some of my colleagues. Some of the people I had not seen face to face for a while, so I was looking forward to catching up with them and having some good discussions. When I turned up at the office, I didn’t see any of the other people due to be in the meeting. But then the meeting was on another floor so I assumed they were around and about somewhere. So I went to the meeting room, after catching up with some other people, and found an empty meeting room. After getting ready and waiting for the others, all of a sudden the online meeting started and everyone else suddenly appeared online with, me sat alone in the office !
The meeting went ahead and it was fine but I was a bit disappointed not to be able to chat with them face to face.
Have you ever turned up somewhere and wondered where people are? Sometimes there are lots of people around you but you still feel alone. You may feel like that yourself or you may know someone who feels like that.
Jesus promised to be with us through everything. In the book of Isaiah, it says
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.
Our Melling Community Church is also a wonderful place to turn up where you will not feel alone. Everyone is welcome whatever your circumstances. Whether you are there to be a welcomer or wanting to be welcomed; and each of us can play either part or sometimes both parts. Jesus's love for us and our love for Him is at the heart of it.
Whatever you are doing today, remember that Jesus loves you and will be with you. And please, do come and join us at any of our events.
I Can't Remember!
Do you forget things?
That’s a stupid question isn’t it?!
We all forget things at times.
Some more than others!
I am hopeless with remembering birthdays. Anyone who knows me knows they wait for months after their birthday for me to finally deliver a card and present.
I’d like to say the present is always worth the wait although I’m not sure they will agree!
You may be great at remembering birthdays
and terrible at remembering names?
Or faces?
Or remembering to write a Sunrise? (A few of us know that feeling!!)
And some of us have wonderful memories. Remembering the most interesting bits of information.
And the most trivial!
Great to have on your quiz team!!
But for all of us, our memories fail us at times.
The Bible tells us that God doesn’t forget a thing.
His memory is perfect.
He knows us all and never has a day where He forgets about us.
He once said to the people of Israel,
‘I will not forget you, I have engraved your names on the palms of my hands’.
He was expressing His deep love and devotion to the people.
And it’s this same God who remembers us all today.
If you’re feeling forgotten about
or lonely
or abandoned today,
remember that God has not,
and will never,
forget you.
Happy Friday everybody.
Smiles
I discovered today that June is apparently national smile month! A whole month devoted to smiling sounds great, but why not a whole year of smiles?
It reminded me of a story told by Charlie Mackesey, the author of ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’. A couple of years ago, he received a Christmas card from one of his neighbours. Inside the card, the neighbour had written these words.
‘Thankyou for smiling at me when you see me in the street, I live on my own, and some days, yours is the only smile I see’.
Unfortunately for Charlie, the card was unsigned, so in a busy London street, he did not know which neighbour had sent him the card!
A simple smile in passing made a huge difference to someone.
Whether its national smile month or not, smiling, a kind word, a small act of friendship can make a massive difference. We may not realise it at the time (like Charlie), but kindness is never wasted.
John 13:34
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
So today, whatever you are doing, wherever you are, remember to smile and show Gods love through kindness and care. It will mean more than you realise
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Every Day’s a Picture
I’m working my way through a book of photographs of New York. Some of the images are very familiar to me and so are many of the photographers. A lot of the pages reveal places I’ve never seen before, and I’ve not come across some of the photographers, and a number of the views are by nameless camera-men.
The concept of the book is that there is a new picture for each day of the year. So, if you’re playing by the rules, you will open a new page each morning, or in my case, each evening. The beauty of this is that you never know what’s over the page, there’s no organised chronology, or collection of photos from a particular area of the city.
It’s all unpredictable and lovely.
The last three pages have revealed; Sugar Ray Robinson leaning on his flamingo-pink Cadillac; off-season Coney Island with some of the locals trying to hide from the cold wind; and a waterfront view in the 1880’s.
I don’t know what tomorrow’s image will show, you can ask me when you see me.
I found myself asking the question, ‘What image would I use for today’?
Would it be bright and sunny or show happy smiling faces, would a dog feature, or could I be creative and produce an abstract image to suggest a particular emotion or reaction to today’s events?
Will tomorrow’s work of art be a surprise, even to me?
Christians should be very aware that tomorrow is another day, and an awful lot can happen in 24 hours, or 1,440 minutes, or 86, 400 seconds!
But we can take comfort in our understanding that there are no surprises for God, that His knowledge of the future, even my future, is total.
Our Bibles have many references to our days and our futures.
What do you know about tomorrow? How can you be so sure about your life?
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment. Always let Him lead you, and He will clear the road for you to follow.
Let’s remember what the psalmist wrote,
“My future is in Your hands”
Biggest Swifties
Many of you may know that coming to Liverpool this week is Taylor Swift - and it's actually kind of a big deal! She’s got 3 shows at Anfield Stadium and the city has prepared for her arrival with many Taylor Swift themed attractions across the city. Her world tour has been huge and is on track to make £1.5 billion. She’s one of the biggest artists in the world currently and has a lot of fans, known as Swifties.
Now last year I managed to get tickets to go see her this Saturday.
Now I can't lie, I’m not the biggest fan, maybe more of a secret Swiftie, but I agreed to go with some friends who are big fans, very big fans and with it being in my home city I thought it might be a lot of fun and good to see while she was here.
I made a few people quite jealous when I got these tickets and even had to keep it a secret from my sister for a while.
The idea that people who were much bigger fans than me didn’t get to go and I did probably made some people unhappy. As I said I’m not the biggest fan - I promise. However, there are people who are really huge fans, like massive fans (trust me I know some).
There are people who have designated the last year to following her around the globe, buying all her merchandise and listening to all her music on repeat the moment it comes out.
There are people who would say they live for Taylor Swift.
Now I’m definitely not that big of a fan!
In Exodus 32 during the story of Moses the Bible tells us,
When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.” So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.
Now in our world today this practice might seem strange and we might be able to say we don’t build golden calves and worship them, we might be able to say we only believe in the one God and we don’t worship any other. But when we really think about our lives and our everyday practices, sometimes we may fall into worshiping false gods even without realising.
Whether it be money, material objects, other people, celebrities, a football team, a film franchise, a job, or many other things.
It can be so easy at times to put these things ahead of God.
The story of Moses continues and says,
Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.
Moses had seen that the Israelites had lost their focus in God and turned their attention elsewhere. He went down to them on the instruction of God and brought their hearts back to the Lord.
In a similar way we might have to turn our focus back onto God in our lives.
So you can go and watch every match of your favourite football team live, you can go into work tomorrow and really love your job, you can go spend your money on that thing you’ve been saving up for for ages or you can be the biggest Swiftie, go see her live and sing along to all the words.
You can go and love whatever it is you love, but it's important to remember, don’t put it ahead of God.
17 Years of Peace
17 years ago today, my precious baby girl, Peace, was stillborn.
17 years of
Missing her,
Thinking about her,
Imagining what she would look like
and what hobbies she would have.
17 years of choosing (through the pain) to trust in a God who holds the future…
“How sweet to hold a new born baby,
And feel the love and joy they bring,
But greater still the calm assurance,
This child can face uncertain days
Because He lives.
Because He lives I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives all fear is gone,
Because I know He holds the future,
Life is worth the living
Just because He lives”
I'm so thankful that God is everything He promises to be,
even when life looks nothing like we imagined it would.
There have been many days of pain and grief and seasons that I saw no end to and couldn’t see a way forward.
The desire to ‘give up’ was very real.
I am forever grateful God didn't give up on me.
There wasn't a minute that I wasn't held, and those same steady arms that have held my Peace for the last 17 years, are holding us still.
Life is such a gift.
Make every day count.
And may you all know God’s peace,
Which is perfect….just like my little girl.
Perfect Peace.
Delegation
Are you able to let someone else do a job their way?
In work, as a manager, one of the things you need to do is delegate tasks to your team and not just do them yourself. Some managers find that quite easy and some don’t. Some managers could not do the job in the first place and you wonder why they are your manager! Some managers can do the job and have to allow others to do it for them. It’s important to let them do the job their way and come up with their own ideas. Otherwise, why have a team in the first place, but also, the benefit of working in a team is to have lots of different views. The key thing is that you should have a shared view of the end result. The need to be working towards the same goal and the manager should be giving you the direction and support.
My manager is going on leave and asked me to cover for him while he is off. I have a good relationship with my manager and, I am happy to say, he is confident to leave me to cover his work and trusts my decisions. He has briefed me on the “bigger picture” so I understand the objective and he will leave me to get on with it.
I was then thinking this is a bit like how God trusts in us. God wants us to have a wonderful life living with him, and he gave us a choice. He sent Jesus to show us what He means, to show us what it would be like. And Jesus has given us a way to be with Him. So what do we do with that trust and love that he has shown us? We show it back to Him, we trust in Jesus and we love Him as our father and friend. We all have our own skills and abilities. We will all do things differently but together we make up the whole family. Each one of us is important to that family. And all of us know the main desire is for spending our lives with God. To do that, we believe and trust in what Jesus has told us through the Bible and through how He lived his life.
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.
I Don’t Understand Physics
‘Oh Lord my God,
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works
Thy hands hath made.
I see the stars
I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed’
My office at present, is my bedroom.
Two of my chicks are lost in revision for GCSE and A Level exams, and can be found, in random places around the house, looking at screens, reading revision and writing copious amounts of notes.
So I’m keeping out of the way!
Each day, when I’m not going out to the Hub or to visit someone, I retreat to my bedroom, sitting at the end of my bed, to make my phone calls, write, plan, prepare and anything else I’m needing to do.
Earlier yesterday afternoon, there I was deep in thought when one of my chicks appeared at the door,
‘Mum, do you want to know how 3D glasses work?’
‘Er, no’, was my reply.
She walked over to my bed and settled herself down.
I knew then I was about to receive a physics lesson.
I tried hard to concentrate on what I was doing, all the while very aware that she was still there and wasn’t moving until I agreed to listen to her.
‘Ok, tell me how 3D glasses work!’
She smiled and instantly became animated,
‘So!....’
And off we went.
I listened intently, trying hard to understand what she was explaining to me, but what struck me the most was the sheer delight she displayed in the subject.
She was fascinated,
and fascinating!
I’m not a scientist.
Give me people
and words
and music
and art.
Ask me for ideas
and thoughts!
But don’t ask me about the Periodic Table or how sound and light waves work!
But! That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate how incredible science is.
How every day of our lives we are surrounded by and blessed by ‘science’!
The medicines we take.
The satellites that provide us with instant communication.
The cars we drive.
The trees and plants growing all around us, just doing their thing!
The Animal Kingdom!
Knee replacements!
Our solar system!!
And these incredible, complex ‘machines’ called ‘the human body’.
Every person created with gifts and skills and value.
Whether you call it biology,
physics,
chemistry,
science,
nature
or something else,
our world is absolutely incredible!!
The Bible is full of people expressing their awe of creation.
David wrote,
‘The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands’.
Below is a link to a very beautiful song, here performed by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.
Maybe take a few moments out of your day to recall the wonders of space,
the beauty of our world,
the gifts each person is blessed with
and then say with immense gratitude,
‘My God, how great thou art!!!’
What A Difference A Day Makes
On this day, 6th June, 1944, 80 years ago, the D-Day operation began. Operation Overlord as it was then known, had taken months of planning and preparation. All the planning had to be right, from the weather to the navigation, to the maps, to the code breaking. Thousands of British, American and Canadian troops set off in landing craft to the beaches of Normandy. What has struck me most about the stories of the survivors is that they all speak of three things.
Firstly, their keenness to do their duty, even though they knew that they were more than likely not going to return to their loved ones and families.
Secondly their honesty about how scared they were
And thirdly how adamant that they all were about celebrating who the real heroes were. This wasn’t themselves, but their comrades who never made it back.
We will remember them
The philosopher George Santanya is quoted as saying these now famous words:
‘Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it’.
As we look around the world today, this is particularly important, as war continues not only in Europe, but around the world.
We will remember them.
Let's give thanks today, for those brave men and women who gave their tomorrows for our today. And let's continue to strive for peace in every area of this world.
We will remember them
John 3:16
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.
Another Opportunity
‘The chief beauty of time is that you cannot waste it in advance. The next year, the next day, the next hour, are lying ready for you as perfect, as unspoiled, as if you had never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your life. You can turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose.’
Giles Brandreth.
I read this quote a couple of days ago and have been reminded all over again of the gift that time is to each one of us.
Each one of us messes up!
If you’re anything like me then you mess up every day!!
Missed opportunities.
Missed conversations.
Wrong choices.
Wrong words.
Wrong reactions.
Regrets!!
While we have another year, week, day, moment, we have another chance to make new choices, better ones.
We have opportunities to pick up the phone and have that conversation.
Send that message.
Say those words.
Start again.
I pray that each of you can sleep well tonight, thanking God for today’s opportunities and hopefully lessons learnt.
And may we all be able to wake in the morning and recall the words of the psalmist saying,
‘This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it’.
Goodnight all and lots of love ❤️
A Perfect Holiday
So what would your idea of a perfect holiday be? Sun? Beaches? New places? Local food?
I do find it interesting how some people's desires for a holiday are so mixed.
For me, I do like to explore beautiful places and see how locals live.
I love seeing the different parts of this country.
The weather does not improve for the holiday but it is not about bad weather, just the wrong clothes!
If I go abroad, I sometimes find it too hot to do anything anyway.
This country has some beautiful places to go and visit, be that for beaches or different cities or wonderful countryside. I also like going to other countries and visiting their cities and beaches, learning a little about their way of life and maybe some of their history.
When in this country, one place I often end up is in a book shop. Not usually my first choice, but my family do all love a good browse in a book shop. Especially one that has a good café in it as well. So, we can have a lovely walk or visit some local place of interest, then find a good bookshop/café. I am quite happy with the “good café” part!
I am sure there are many ways to “have a good holiday” and what is important is that you do something that you will enjoy and that will help you recharge. That may be restful or energetic or just doing something different.
For some, it's also a chance to reflect on how amazing God is in creating such a beautiful and varied world.
To reflect on how God has been helping us through our daily lives.
To reflect on how Jesus’ love for us is so amazing.
The Psalms contain many wonderful poetry and songs which help us to reflect on God's creation and Jesus' love for us.
For the Lord is a great God. He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains. The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too. Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care.
Whatever type of holiday you take over the summer, take time to reflect on how awesome Jesus’ love for us is.
What’s your story?
I was listening to someone talk about the author Terry Pratchett and how he enjoyed telling stories. Terry wrote over 50 novels, largely around his surreal “Discworld” where reality and fantasy were a strange mix. Sometimes his stories of reality would tell themselves but other times they needed a little embellishment to bring them to life.
When you meet new people, are you the sort who just wants to hear about someone else’s story or do you want to tell your own? What is your story? Sometimes, you may feel your story is just not good enough or sometimes you make it sound more exciting than the reality.
Sometimes, our life experiences lead us to become what other people tell us. Other people can impose what they think our story should be on how we feel about ourselves. But really, you are your own person and your story is yours to choose.
Jesus’ story can be viewed simply as someone who loved us for who we are and gave his own life so that we might have ours. God does not impose his story onto us, instead, He knows who we really are and He loves us anyway, inviting us to be the person God intended. Letting God show me the person as He made me and not believing what the world might say.
Your story is always important.
In the book of Psalms Chapter 139, we read
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. You go before me and follow me. You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous—how well I know it.
Don’t let others set your story, listen to God for He knows you and you are wonderful.
Aaaaaaaargh Stretch
I’ve started Pilates!
It’s been nearly two weeks since I started and I’m loving it!
Every day a new exercise to learn and master.
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!
How wonderful is that?!!
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.’
Dragons and Song Birds
I am sure you have heard of the term ‘Book Worm’, a description given to people who love reading. You might even be a Book Worm yourself.
Have you ever heard of a Book Dragon though? This is similar to a Book Worm, but instead of reading a book and moving onto the next book, a Book Dragon will read their books and then hoard them like a Dragons treasure.
It is possible that I am a Book Dragon. I love books and I struggle to give books to the charity shops. Consequently, our house has enough books to start our own library! However, I am very happy to lend them out, so if you are looking for a book, let me know.
Now, as long as you have enough room, being a Book Dragon is not a bad thing. Lots of us have collections of one sort or another, even collecting Gnomes!
There are some things though, that should not be hoarded or kept to ourselves. The Bible tells us that the good news of Jesus and God’s amazing love, should never be hoarded or collected. It should always be shared with as many people as possible.
One of the last things that Jesus asked his friends to do, after he had risen from the dead, and before he went back to heaven, was to encourage them to tell everyone about him.
Mark 14:15
Then Jesus said, “Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to one and all.
Rather than a Hoarding Dragon, we should all aim to be Song Birds for God. Song Birds are welcomed wherever they go, as they bring a beautiful song with them to share with everyone.
Whatever we are doing today, lets beautifully announce the wonderful news of God’s love and Grace wherever we go. Sing loud, sing proud!
God Can Always Find Me.
When I turn the TV on, which is not a regular activity in my sad life, it’s almost guaranteed that there will be a quiz programme on. They are one of the cheapest programmes to make, there’s no script to learn, no actors to play parts, no location shooting, and there may be no prize money won.
When they have so-called celebrity- quizzes, the most difficult question for me is, “Can you name our celebrities?” I usually fail on the first question!
It makes me wonder where I have been for the last forty+ years, or where they have been.
Huge numbers of people follow celebrities and mimic their lives.
They base their choice of clothing on the fashion sense of the celebrity, or they copy their activities, attitudes, or beliefs.
According to social media figures produced last month, the most followed person on social media is Cristiano Ronaldo with over 900 million followers!
Somebody called Taylor Swift only has 550 million.
It will probably take Sunrise up to five years to build that kind of following, but I imagine our super new band of musicians and singers will get there soon!
So many people want to be like their heroes, but the truth is you can’t be anybody but yourself.
The first case in legal history where a suspect was convicted of a crime based on the uniqueness of fingerprints was in the USA in 1903.
Even identical twins have unique fingerprints.
When I was (wrongly) arrested for theft, I spent fourteen hours in a police cell and my face was photographed from three different angles, they took a sample of DNA, and nineteen impressions of my fingerprints although I only have ten fingers.
If I had broken out of my cell, it wouldn’t matter where in the world I ran to, and how I changed my appearance, my DNA and fingerprints would identify me out of eight billion people.
There is only one me.
There is only one you.
This reminds me that God said,
“I am God, and there is no other, I am God, and there is none like me”.
The Bible tells us that God knows us individually, and He knows where to find us amongst eight billion.
King David asked the question,
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?”
He concluded that he could never hide from God. This was not meant to be frightening or intimidating; David was delighted that God always knew where he was.
We need to remember that we are unique because that’s how God made us, and we can take comfort in the knowledge that He can find us amongst eight billion other unique individuals.
He always knows where we are. I’m very comforted by that!
However you feel this morning, you are not invisible to God.
If you can trust Him like David did, He will walk with you.
April Sunrise
I Am Not A Morning Person.
I can confidently say, I am not a morning person.
Although I can also confidently say, I am not a night owl. Unless I have had a caffeinated tea after 6pm, then I am wide awake!!
Maybe it is God's sense of humour that led me to getting a job an hours commute away, just so he could giggle at the nonsense string of words I try to call prayer at 6am.
Although, there is one thing I enjoy about silly o'clock conversations with God, and that is peace.
I feel in my own bubble, calm, quiet, as though the world around me has been paused.
It is such a wonderful space to use to talk to Him.
I encourage you today, to find a peaceful time or space. This doesn't have to be the morning (praise God!), it could even be in a busy, noisy space where you feel you can be still amongst chaos.
Take some time to be still, and to be with Him.
Be still in the presence of the Lord , and wait patiently for him to act.
Psalms 37:7 NLT
All the Trimmings
When you want a really special time, sometimes you just go for it and make sure you do all the bits that you want.
Making the time really special sometimes takes preparation and attention to detail.
If you are planning a meal out for a special occasion or a birthday party for a special landmark, planning it, for some, can be part of the enjoyment. Deciding what location to have the event; what sort of decoration should you have? Who should you invite to the event? What would the dress code be? What are you going to wear? What present should you buy? Will there be a theme for the event?
So many things to think about and prepare; and some people love that preparation part.
However, some people don’t plan or prepare that well!
Some people will have an idea and just jump straight in there and then, spur of the moment.
Neither are wrong, just different.
Whilst making an occasion special can be wonderful, that in itself only means something if it's done with love.
Sometimes, love can be expressed in more simple ways as well.
God does not love us because of any special trimmings we try to add.
God just loves us.
God will bless us in so many ways because he loves us.
This is not dependent upon anything except believing and loving him too.
In John Chapter 5, we are told,
I tell you this: Everyone who hears my message should believe in the Father who sent me. If they believe in me, they will have life for ever with God. God will not say that they are guilty. Instead, they have life with God.
As we consider how God loves us, it does not need any trimmings to be real.
God loves us as we are, for who we are, for who he made us.
It’s A Cracker!!!
When was the last time you really laughed? Where 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?...
‘ I haven’t spoken to my mother-in-law for 18 months, I don’t like to interrupt her!’
Or maybe Eric Morecombe?....
‘My neighbour asked if he could borrow my lawnmower, I told him of course he could, so long as he didn’t take it out of my garden’.
Ronnie Corbett?...
‘ I wasn’t a very athletic boy. I was once lapped in the long jump!’
Tim Vine?...
‘So I said to the gym instructor, “Can you teach me to do the splits?” He said, “How flexible are you?” I said, “I can’t make Tuesdays”. ‘
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
Illegal Masks
I have recently read an article which told me about all sorts of weird and unusual laws that there are around the world. It was fascinating!
I learnt that it is illegal for a chicken to cross the road in Georgia USA (I am sure there is a joke about that)! It's also illegal to hike naked in Germany (why just Germany?), and that wearing camouflage is illegal in most of the Caribbean (unless you are a serving member of the armed forces). It's also against the law to pee in the sea in Portugal, but I have no idea how they enforce this!!
One of the other interesting laws is a Danish one. It is illegal to wear a mask in public in Denmark. No fancy dress masks, no spiderman, not even a fake beard! The law was brought into effect in 2018, to aid identification in cases of incidents happening in crowded places. However, it brings a whole new dimension to a fancy dress party!
Now it's easy to see when you wear a unicorn mask or an incredible hulk one, but we can all wear hidden masks. We might wake up feeling awful and really low, but when we walk out the door, we put on a smile, and say ‘I’m fine’. We might worry that if people knew the ‘real me’ they may not like me, so we put on our masks and pretend. It can be exhausting!
Our wonderful church family is a place where masks, especially hidden ones, aren’t needed. All are welcome, and all are loved. Honesty and realism is always the best way, because that's how we help each other and show God’s love to one another.
Let’s be brave and leave any masks behind today, and let God's love in instead.
1 John 4: 17-19
God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry….There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment. We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. God loved us first.
WORDS OF WISDOM
There are plenty of TV programmes that can wear you out, you can probably think of some now.
Political ones are frequently tedious because you don’t believe anything anyone says, or the hyped-up drama that you can’t understand, or the sports programme series that runs for two weeks that a family member insists on watching.
One sports event that only lasts for a few hours that can exhaust you is the London Marathon.
It’s amazing to see more than 50, 000 people starting this epic journey through the streets. Mostly, the runners are seeking to gain funds for their favourite charity, and just a small number are attempting to gain fame and fortune for themselves.
Whatever their reason for this madness, their mix of fitness and determination, is very impressive. So is their inventiveness.
We saw elephants and giraffes, telephones too big for anyone’s desk, lifeboats too small to rescue anybody, and I saw a man with a fridge on his back.
There were men and women, young and old, some far too old to be running, even for a bus, and disabled people sitting in high-tech wheelchairs travelling fast enough for Silverstone.
The really fast runners looked too skinny and many of the slower ones looked a little too beefy.
The fastest finished the course in just over two hours, most of us couldn’t cycle that fast, but many others were still cobbling along the streets of London six hours after they started.
Watching all of this led me to have two responses, one was exhaustion, and the other one was embarrassment, because I could not run that course in a week!
At the end of the day, BBC showed a wide variety of people completing the course in varying times and in vastly different conditions, some sprinted, some jogged, some crawled. Summing up the day by describing the difference in style, ability, and reason for entering the race, the commentator simply said, “IT’S THE SAME FINISHING LINE FOR EVERYONE.”
It reminded me of all of us living our lives in massively different ways, with various lifestyles, abilities, and choice of priorities.
Despite how we manage the journey, we all reach the end of our race.
The athletes go home to rest, where will we rest?
God has provided a place for those who trust and obey Him, and love His Son.
Our Bible describes it like this,
‘God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, because the old order of things has passed away.’
That’s a wonderful prize! Better than any medal!
Are we all ready for our personal finishing line?
Did I Hear Right?
Our wonderful choir performed at Sefton Park Palm House yesterday and what a truly memorable and joyous occasion it was. We brought smiles to many faces and received lots of lovely and thankful comments from people who’d enjoyed the afternoon.
As a choir we are encouraged to learn the words to all of the songs we do and mostly we manage that. However, after reading the words to one of our newer songs ‘Green Door’ made famous by Shakin Stevens in the 80’s, I realised that my initial thought of ‘I know this’ was way off the mark.
Has anyone watched the Peter Kay sketch about misheard lyrics?
He plays ‘We Are Family’ by Sister Sledge and one of the lines sounds like ‘Just Let Me Staple the Vicar’ which obviously isn’t what they actually sing but that is what we hear 😂. Well, that was me with Green Door.
I’d convinced myself of what he was singing when I was a young teenager and that is what I heard all these years until the actual lyrics were in front of me and nothing like what I thought I’d heard.
This can often be true in everyday life too.
We can mishear what people say or misunderstand what they mean.
Often this is down to us wanting to hear our own version of events, not listening to the full context of a conversation or even something like the old game of Whispers where someone says something and by the time it reaches our ears it is a very different message to the original one.
Many of our non -negotiables in church are about listening, understanding, encouraging and being the best we can be, but sometimes we don’t listen and only hear what suits us. This can lead to us not being the best version of ourselves.
In James 1:19-20 it says,
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
We all need understanding and encouragement to hear the true meaning of Jesus in our lives and also what that can mean for the people around us.
It’s A Way Of Thinking
I was recently on a training course for work, which is great in one sense but it had an exam at the end, so I had to listen and learn.
The topic was a familiar one so it was not something brand new but something which I had to improve and learn new ways of thinking.
Some of the other people on the course, from different companies and backgrounds had different starting points.
For some, most of the topics were new, so they had a lot to get to grips with.
As the course progressed, we were starting to think about the exam at the end, and some were asking the trainer “so how will they ask about this in the exam?”.
The training course is often more about how to pass the exam rather than actually train you to do your work in a particular way. After the course, it's then really down to you about how much you actually take away and apply to your job.
So the focus of the course can often be more about the exam. In order to do that, you need to understand how to think about the topic as the examiner would.
For many of the questions, there is more than one way to answer it but how would the examiner want me to answer it?
Some Christians used to wear a wrist band as a reminder with “WWJD” on the band.
This was a reminder to ask “What would Jesus do?”
As we go through our lives and we come across situations, what would Jesus do?
Jesus came to show us how to live and how to love.
Jesus came because He needed to show us the way and He needed to give himself so that we might find God.
If we want to follow Jesus, we need to have a way of thinking “What would Jesus do” each day.
In the book of John 14, Jesus is talking with his disciples about some of these things.
Jesus told them, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works.”
As we go through our day, let Jesus be our way of thinking.
Love as he would, help as he would, show compassion as he would.
It will not just be a way of thinking, it will become a way of life.
Camel Antics
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’s 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. Quarreling, 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!
Seagulls
Did anyone else know that Seagulls are on the decline?
When I heard this news I was really surprised. My recent experience of Seagulls is that they are surviving very well on a diet of my chips and ice cream!
However, avian flu and the lack of fish stock, amongst other things, are dwindling populations and forcing seagulls of all varieties to become increasingly urban.
This is where the problem starts.
Seagulls are super smart and are developing all sorts of skills to survive in urban life, which mainly consists of stealing our food.
We might see this as nuisance behaviour, but scientists want us to view them differently. Rather than criminals, they want us to understand that they are forced to live and adapt to city life, because there is less and less food for them in the seas.
I am still not sure I am going to share my ice cream with them, but it does help me to understand seagulls a bit more.
Maybe I was a bit quick to judge the super clever and adaptable seagull.
That happens with people too doesn’t it. We can be too quick to decide that someone isn’t behaving in the right way, if it doesn’t match up with the way we think things should be done.
The Bible tells us of an experience Jesus had being asked to pass judgement on someone. The woman concerned had broken the law, and according to the law, this meant death by stoning. However, the religious leaders used it as a test to try and trap Jesus.
Jesus though, acted out of compassion, not judgement. If you want to read the full story, it's in John chapter 8, but how Jesus deals with it is below:
John 8: 6-10
Jesus stood up and said, “All right, stone her, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”. “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
Today, let's choose compassion over judgement.
Let’s look for the best in people (and seagulls) rather than point out their faults.
Let’s love others in the way Jesus loved us.
Hebrews 10:24-25
Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, to spur each other on.
Today and Every Day
It’s my birthday today!
I think there are phases in life to birthdays – there is the ever so excited, “I’m not going to sleep tonight” of young children which morphs into the “I’m far too cool to tell you I’m excited but I really hope you’ve got me that thing I asked for” phase of the teenager.
After this comes the party phase of your twenties followed by the “we’ll do something for the sake of the kids” stage of parenthood.
Eventually, many of us slip quite unexpectedly into the “oh, it’s just another day” chapter, possibly as we become more and more aware of ourselves getting older and perhaps wanting to deny the passage of time a little?
The old adage ‘age is just a number’ doesn’t somehow quite ring true when you’ve put your back out or you’re waiting for a new knee!
I’m usually of the ‘I don’t want a fuss’ school of thought, but as I got to thinking about this I decided that being so dismissive of my birthday can’t possibly be right.
It marks another year of life.
More specifically, it marks 55 years of life!
Some 15 years ago I lost a very close friend. She fought desperately for a long time for just a little more life until eventually she lost that battle and died far too young.
This was someone who embraced every moment of life right up until the end – how can I possibly moan about an aching back or a few wrinkles and grey hairs?
Life is a gift and getting older is something we need to learn to embrace and give thanks for; dare I say that getting older is a privilege.
Oh, I’ll still moan about the aches and I will, no doubt, still wonder who that woman with the grey hair is that looks back at me in the mornings – but it is a privilege and a gift to have been granted another year of life, so today I will give thanks.
And if I am granted another day tomorrow then I will get up and give thanks for 55 years and 1 day – because no matter how old we are, we cannot assume how many days we will be gifted, but we can always give thanks for this moment, embrace it, and try to use it well.
May today and every day be a day filled with gratitude.
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! …This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
OUR SECRET
I walk a black Lab, Louis, a couple of times each week and yesterday was my turn for the early(ish) stroll in the park.
The weather is never an issue for Louis, apart from those rare days when it gets really hot, do you remember them? Apparently they were quite frequent in the good old days.
But black labs don’t care, as long as they get their walks they’re happy.
I got out of the car into a gale-force wind and it immediately began to hail. Good start! Off we went on our usual hike and after five minutes I realised that I should have taken my gloves with me; it was freezing.
But it was fine, because Louis was very content without gloves, shoes, zipped-up jacket, woolly hat and water-proof hood.
Just to make the point, he found a large, freezing, and filthy pool, and jumped in!
We continued for the normal hour, and I persuaded him with dog biscuits, to get back in the car. He was not happy, but I was relieved to have survived the experience.
As I drove back, gradually thawing out, I thought about how different dogs and people are. He walked around in appalling weather and was totally content.
But how do people find contentment, do they just need gentle weather, or do we stumble across it?
Some think so, they believe in ‘Serendipity’ the happy accident. So they live waiting for it to happen.
Some say, you go searching for it, maybe by finding an Eastern guru, or the perfect job, or taking part in extreme sports, or winning Britain’s Got Talent.
Some think you can manufacture contentment if you drink or smoke the right stuff.
The apostle Paul lived at a time when, like almost all Christians, he was in danger from the people, the rulers, and the culture around him. But they did not believe that to be content they must move away, find somewhere safe, get friends in high places, get a better job, build up a bank balance and put money aside for their old age.
Paul expressed it like this, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
They understood that their contentment was to be found in the realisation that God was with them, and was not going to leave them. That was to be their source of contentment, not their circumstances.
Unlike in Pauls’ day, nobody out there is trying to kill us, but many of us still find many reasons to complain about the stress of daily life.
Let’s remember where Christian contentment comes from, let’s smile and thank God for His company along our journey.
You’re Just Not Listening!
For a number of weeks now, in fact maybe even months I’ve had a song stuck in my head.
It makes sense since we played it at The Hub a number of times over Easter, and a number of times since (including twice yesterday).
That song is Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.
Now going back a month or so, to when I first started to have this song stuck in my head, I was going through a bit of a rough time, I was struggling to get my head around something that had happened in my life and more how I could move myself past it.
As I would wallow in my dejection and slight misfortune the words continued to go through my head
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full, in his wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace”
As these words kept going through my head again and again, it began to become quite annoying. However, it was then when I realised the answer was right there - in my head. God was talking to me through these lyrics.
For me in that moment it was to turn my eyes upon Jesus, and then the things of the earth would grow strangely dim.
Now the message of this is not that the answer to whatever problem you’re facing is to turn your eyes to Jesus, you’ve probably heard that enough, probably every time the song was introduced.
However, the point is quite often God is trying to talk to us and we’re just not listening.
How often in our lives are we praying or crying out to God for answers, to help us, or just for some encouragement that we are on the right path, and we sit there waiting for his response to come in a big booming voice or for him to come to us in a dream declaring ‘I am God!’
However, for most of us this just doesn’t happen, but this doesn’t mean he’s not talking to us.
Jeremiah 33:3 says,
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”
God is there for us.
He is always there in our easiest and our toughest days.
Sometimes what he has to tell us is not what we want to hear and so we go off looking for his voice in other ways.
Sometimes it feels like he is silent, but we simply don’t open our ears.
God communicates to us through all sorts of creative ways, through other people, through the things we watch, through the words to songs, maybe he does talk to you with a booming voice, or maybe he does come to you in a dream.
We even have a whole book of God talking to us, and yet sometimes we look for answers without even opening The Bible.
Before Jesus left this earth he said, “And behold, I am always with you, to the end of the age”
So often we are screaming for God, asking where are you?
He is telling us I am right here, you’re just not listening!
Are You At The Races?
Liverpool is the focus for a lot of people today as Aintree racecourse hosts the Grand National.
There will be a lot of attention and hopefully the weather will be good and the race will run smoothly and safely.
Liverpool does host an event very well.
The race has had attention for many reasons and the organisers are trying to make it better each time.
They have improved the course to help keep the horses and riders safe.
The venue has been prepared to keep the people safe. Thousands of people will be there to watch the racing and have an enjoyable day.
When the race starts, firstly you make sure that your horse has actually got to the start line.
And they’re off.
Then there is the charge to the first fence and who knows what will happen.
Many times, our lives can be compared to a race. We race to have things first or we race to have the best. Different people have different goals at the finish line. Will they reach them? What happens if they fall short? Do you see the race as a sprint or a marathon? Or is it a relay race or a cross country race? Or maybe it feels more like a 3-legged race!
The Bible compares our lives as a race too. However, the prize is a bit different.
We start with Jesus as our “trainer”, we listen to him and learn from him.
We know that at the end of the race, Jesus will be there and we will live forever with him.
It won't matter what place we finish or if we fall. He will help us back onto our feet to carry on.
In the book of Hebrews, we are encouraged:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. 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.
So as we go about our lives, there will be hurdles and there will be others around us trying to distract us.
Keep your eyes on Jesus, let him into our lives to help us with the things which may hold us back.
And you will receive his promise of love.
Meowwwwww!
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.
Memory Reminders
If you are on social media, every now and then you will get a little notification that pops up and lets you know what you were doing on this day in previous years.
They can be great reminders of happy times, such as lovely photos of a holiday or trip out. They can also evoke sad memories of a loved one no longer with us, or a difficult day.
Of course, it's not just social media that can remind us of the past.
Music is often a very powerful memory trigger and can take us back to events as if they were yesterday.
My Facebook memory from yesterday was probably the strangest I have seen in a while.
It was from 12 years ago, and it said the following words.
‘I have found a piece of paper which has written on it, DON’T THROW AWAY, OLIVER HAS A CHIPMUNK.
Does anyone know why I have kept this?’
I have no idea who Oliver might be, and why it was important that I kept this information.
It was definitely a memory puzzle.
I didn’t know 12 years ago, and I certainly don’t know now!
Notwithstanding Oliver and his chipmunk, memories can be so important.
They can help us to be wise for the future, and to learn lessons from the past.
In the Bible, Psalm 77 tells of how King David deliberately chose to remember the great things that God had done in the past, to give him hope when things got tough;
I remember all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.
They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.
God had not let David down and would never let him down, despite his many difficult circumstances.
This is the same for us.
Think back to all the wonderful things that God has done, both in your life and in others.
He is always in it with us. No matter what you are going through right now, you don’t have to go through it alone.
Take a moment today to think back and ‘count your blessings’.
God does not change, and he will not leave you.
He was faithful in the good and the bad times, and he will continue to be so.
Sometimes we just need a little reminding.
Our Wonderful Youth
I was reading an article this week saying (sadly, unsurprisingly) that analysis of NHS data indicates that there are record levels of children seeking help with their mental health.
I think this is heartbreaking.
At a time in their lives when young people should be carefree, instead, they are finding the pressures of modern life just too much.
I think there is a lot of good in social media, however, it can’t be easy being a young person in a world where it is impossible to avoid the voices on social media and the constant feed of information. The pressure that it puts on them to try and live up to some kind of ‘ideal’ that a stranger somewhere across the other side of the world has arbitrarily decided on, is immense and relentless.
So - I’d like to give a shout-out this week to all of our incredible young people.
From the tiny, giggling tots to the quirky and ever-so-cool teens – I think you are wonderful!
I look around our church and smile as I see young people naturally mixing with others of all ages, chatting and laughing – you bring such joy, don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.
Advice in the Bible to young people says this:
“Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.”
When I look at our young people I see wonderful examples of love and faith all the time and I want to encourage them to continue on the path they are on.
My message to them is simple - whatever career path you eventually decide to take, whether exams go well or not so well, wherever you decide to go in life, continue to live out your faith in all areas of your life and God will not fail you.
This time of year can be particularly tough for our young people as they face exams and difficult decisions about their future.
Let’s hold our young people in prayer and next time you find yourself sitting next to one of them on a Sunday morning – ask them how they are; tell them you are praying for them; encourage them – in a world that is all too quick to try and pull them down, they need us to be their cheerleaders!
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
PAY ATTENTION
I read of an event that was both funny and sad at the same time.
There were two men, Harry and Daniel, in a car park yelling at each other. Harry was telling Daniel, very loudly, that he was selfish and thoughtless, and asked why he didn’t move his car out of the way. Daniel replied, very loudly, that Harry should learn to drive, a child could drive through that space.
People backed off and pretended not to notice, these two men were supposed to be friends, after all, they belonged to the same church, and the yelling was happening in the church car park.
They had just listened to a sermon about love and patience, and the vicar was wondering why he had bothered.
There are times when we forget what’s important and concentrate on getting our own way and not allowing others to interfere.
Harry was well dressed in a suit with a shirt and a tie, and Daniel had jeans (not new trendy ones) and a T-Shirt that displayed the logo of the local rugby team. Their dress styles seemed to suggest that these two had different standards and would never agree about anything.
People are sometimes tempted to judge each other by appearance.
Well, we can all relax because God is not bothered.
Jesus asked the question, “Why do you worry about clothes?” The religious leaders were very proud of their robes and appearance, but Jesus explained the reality in God’s eyes, “You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead.”
The prophet Samuel was sent by God to a family with eight sons, to anoint the next King of Israel. When Samuel saw the eldest son, he thought he would be King, but God said “No”. Samuel looked at seven of the brothers and each time God rejected him. He told Samuel, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
On that noisy Sunday morning, God didn’t even notice the outward appearance of Harry and Daniel, but He was very aware of their internal condition, and He was sad that two men coming out of church should forget what God considers to be important.
We all try to appear well turned-out, but God’s not looking!
Let’s pay attention.
Joyous
Recently, I discovered a song called ‘Awesome God.’
I must admit, the title did initially make me giggle, but once I had listened to it, I understood the message that it was trying to convey.
There was a huge orchestra, a marching band, and a full arena all passionately singing the song and it was just joyous.
All those people, performers and audience, had come together in order to show their love of God through music.
It was one of those moments that truly shows how awesome God is. In every sense of the word – both awe-inspiring and amazing.
Seeing a room full of so many talented people, all blessed with the wonderful gift of music, really reminds us of God’s incredible, extraordinary power.
And to see how happy and at peace everybody looked, all entirely focused on connecting to God, creates a warm feeling inside my heart.
Music is a fantastic way to feel connected to God, and we are lucky enough to have our very own choir – which I miss very much – and music group in order to do exactly that.
And, it must be said that the healing power of music is something that cannot be ignored.
‘Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.’ – Psalm 95:1.
https://youtu.be/sEZDuMGp3WY?si=V05gM3TV0FLsOVV0
Precious Gnomes
Have you ever received a gift that’s a little bit odd? Maybe it’s not really your style,
or it’s a bit pointless
or maybe it’s just really ugly?
And there you are taking the wrapping off it with a bewildered look on your face and
‘what am I supposed to do with that?’
thought in your head??
We’ve all been there haven’t we?!
Some years ago when my four girls were much younger, for Mother’s Day one year, I was presented with four wrapped up gifts.
The wrapping was clumsy and full of sellotape, evidence of the hard work they’d put in.
Their excitement was off the scale.
So to speed things up a bit, they offered to help me unwrap them.
Of course, I accepted their help.
And within seconds, there stood before me were my 4 beaming girls, each holding one ugly gnome!
These ugly,
little,
badly painted,
wonky gnomes
had entered our lives,
to much excitement and hilarity!
They were gifts from my girls,
and therefore,
they were priceless!
We found a good place for them in the garden and every single time I looked at them, I’d be reminded of the precious gift they were.
Since that time, my love for gnomes has continued and now we do have quite a collection!
Each one,
a little bit ugly
and a little bit tacky,
and absolutely priceless!!
Gifts,
given in love (and fun!)
from people who mean a whole lot to me!
And whether it’s a special birthday,
a quiz at Easter
or a competition at Christmas, at Melling Community Church, you can always receive a gnome!
But there’s a reason for this.
Gnomes may seem useless but they can bring about a smile,
and possibly a memory of,
‘that funny occasion when I won a gnome!’
Many of us can often feel useless.
I have had countless conversations with people who have told me they have no skills,
no abilities,
no purpose in being alive.
Let’s face it, we all want to feel useful don’t we?
But actually, we’re being incredibly useful if we’re bringing a smile to someone’s face.
Reminding them of a happy time?
Or showing you care about them,
just by being there.
We may not be able to ‘do’ much at all,
but we can still ‘be’ a whole lot.
The bible puts it quite simply,
‘Don’t just pretend that you love others: really love them.....Love each other with brotherly affection and take delight in honouring each other.’
Romans 12:9-10
So, can I suggest that the next time you’re feeling a bit rubbish
or useless or fed up....tell yourself that you’re a precious gnome and make it your day’s goal to simply be there for someone else.
Eclipse Wonder
If you are interested in astronomy at all, the best place you can be in the next few days is Dallas, Texas, in the USA.
This is because a total solar eclipse will take place there on 8th April.
The sky will go black for 4 minutes and 9 seconds.
A total solar eclipse, when the moon completely covers the sun, is a great astronomical event, and scientists across the world are getting ready to witness it, and to complete lots of experiments during those precious 4 minutes.
Whilst we understand what an eclipse is now, it wasn’t always the case.
In all ancient civilisations, the disappearance of the sun was seen as an extremely bad omen.
In ancient Greece, it was seen as a punishment, a sign that they were abandoned by the gods.
In China, it was thought that a giant dragon was devouring the sun, and they needed to make as much noise as possible to scare it away.
We might look at an eclipse with anticipation and interest, they looked on it with fear and trembling.
Everyone agrees though, it is a truly amazing experience.
It reminds us again to give thanks and praise to our wonderful God, who made the earth and everything in it, and engineered it so that it all works together.
Nehemiah 9:6
You alone are the Lord. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you.
The eclipse is also a very visual reminder to me, that the God who made this amazing universe, and made eclipses possible, also gave everything up, all that power, to save us.
Philippians 2:5-9
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honoured him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honour of God the Father.
God really loves us that much.
Isn’t that even more amazing than an eclipse!
Hidden Talents
So yesterday evening I needed to call in at The Hub – I wasn’t expecting anyone to be there, so was surprised to find the art group ‘Make Your Mark’ all gathered there busily working away.
Well, I didn’t want to waste the opportunity to be nosey so had a little wander around. What hidden talent we have within our community!
The ages ranged from young people to ‘somewhat older’ and there wasn’t a painting amongst them that I wouldn’t have been proud to produce.
One lady said it was her first time last night and yet she had taken a blank piece of paper and was creating something beautiful.
Every single painting was different and unique and yet every single one was amazing.
I couldn’t help but come away thinking about what God sees in each of us that we all too easily miss in one another because we glance so briefly and don’t pause long enough to really discover or acknowledge the gifts that those around us have.
Sometimes a person’s gifts may be obvious to see such as a musical skill that they use in church, but often gifts can be more hidden – but never hidden from God.
The Bible tells us:
“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.”
God knows us intimately. He knows us inside out; our every thought and our every gift – he knows us because he created us this way and he didn’t make any mistakes.
So if you are looking around and thinking how wonderful everyone else is and doubting your own abilities – look again!
YOU are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’;
YOU are amazing.
We might be works in progress, but each and every one of us has some wonderful gift and skill to bring to our community, let’s use and share our gifts generously with one another whether it be to make good coffee or bring some joy through art.
Whatever it is, God gave you your gifts for a reason – don’t hide them away, you don’t have to be perfect to bring what you have to God’s family.
“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 might in everything.”
ALL CHANGE?
Did you enjoy Easter?
Was there a mix of good and bad, plenty of chocolate but not enough sleep?
Did you enjoy the Boat Race but wished they had jumped in the river?
How did your favourite team get on or are we not allowed to ask?
Maybe after Easter you’re aware of things that need to be attended to now. After all, Spring has arrived, so there’s the lawn to mow for the first time since October. It would help of course if it wasn’t a swamp!
Many people appear to wake up when Spring emerges from its own sleep, and decorating suddenly seems to be important and urgent.
Teens of course are acutely aware of the oncoming exam season, while slightly older young people are looking for jobs after gaining degree qualifications.
I can think of several adults who are celebrating finding new jobs and looking forward to more satisfying years ahead.
Many of us have seen our lives change during Easter, but how many lives have changed because of Easter?
For the disciples and other men and women who had been following, serving, and trusting Jesus, the Easter events transformed their lives and priorities totally. They would never be the same as they had been before the shock of the crucifixion and the even bigger shock of the resurrection. Living through those traumatic few days, when they could not predict tomorrow, was infinitely more powerful and life-changing than it tends to be for us who know the end from the beginning of the Easter story.
Having said that, the whole point of the Jesus story is to transform my life and yours 2,000 years after The Son of God paid for my sin by taking my punishment.
It just requires each of us to accept this reality and respond by offering our lives to Him as he offered His life for us.
The Bible explains it like this;
God loved the people of this world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who has faith in Him will have eternal life and will never really die. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent Him to save them. No one who has faith in God’s Son will be condemned.
Fright and Joy
This past weekend we have celebrated Easter, symbolising new life and beginnings. Whether that meant you thought of Jesus rising on Easter morning, or flowers popping up in all sorts of colours; what a joyful celebration it is!
When we read of Mary and Mary Magdalene discovering the empty tomb and their encounter with an angel, it is written they ran off to tell the disciples filled with fright and joy (Matthew 28:1-8).
Sometimes we forget how scary it can be facing a new beginning.
How frightening it can be with the prospect of the unknown or new.
If an angel appeared to me telling me someone I knew to be dead was up and about, I would be terrified!
And yet, in their fear there was joy. Pushing them into those first few steps, and probably adrenaline carrying the rest.
In what I imagine to be a pretty chaotic 10 minutes or so; Jesus stops the women in their tracks on the way to their destination and says ‘do not be afraid’ (Matthew 28:10).
He understands the fear of this new life; the new beginning that has completely shifted their world.
When we face a new beginning, how easy is it for fright and fear to stop us?
What do we rely on to make those first few steps?
Be joyful in our position and take those first few steps!
Jesus will be there on your journey.
8 The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. 9 And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”
Matthew 28: 8-10
March Sunrise
The Day After?
There are many occasions when the day after can be a little difficult.
When you have a house party and the day after when you have to tidy up, wash the dishes, vacuum up the mess. Or maybe when you get back from a holiday and you then have to wash all your clothes, go through your emails and get used to UK weather!
How do you cope the day after a big event?
Are you calm and ready for what’s coming?
Do you look back at the events before, remembering the great times had.
Do you look forward to the next time and start planning for it?
The disciples must have been wondering the day after Jesus was crucified what was going to happen.
Jesus had tried to tell them what was going to happen but they just didn’t understand. Some of them just hid away for fear of being identified as a Christian.
They thought they had lost their friend and that the person who would save them had been taken away.
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
We know what happens.
Jesus came back to life as he said he would.
The disciples had not believed or understood what would happen.
But we have the advantage over the disciples.
They had no idea what was coming, we do.
If your situation feels like a disaster right now, hold on.
Jesus is waiting to walk through it with you, if you let him.
It may be Saturday today, but Sunday is coming.
Jesus, death beating, life giving, all loving, will never leave you, hold on.
The Wonderful Cross
And they brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha. (Golgotha means skull.) Wine drugged with bitter herbs was offered to him there, but he refused it.
And then they crucified him—and threw dice for his clothes.
It was about nine o’clock in the morning when the crucifixion took place.
Mark 15:22-25
‘When Christ died, He died for you individually just as much as if you had been the only person in the world’.
C.S Lewis
The Wonderful Cross - Chris Tomlin
Chocolate Grace
You may well have heard of the Orkney Easter Egg story that has been in the news over the past week or so.
The general store manager of Orkney (population 500) made a mistake in his easter egg ordering, and instead of 80, received nearly 800 easter eggs! He knew that he would not sell all of the eggs, but he had ordered them, so he had to pay for them. He also had to find somewhere to store them! He made a decision to raffle off 100 eggs for the RNLI which would help the storage situation, but not the cost issue.
However, due to the wonders of the internet, his mistake and resultant raffle made the local and then national news.
And then something wonderful happened.
Firstly, he sold over £1000 raffle tickets! The RNLI were delighted and Nestle offered to match fund as well which was wonderful.
Secondly, people from all over the UK realised how out of pocket he was. So, they started contacting him to buy their easter eggs from him this year, to help him out. They even offered to pay for postage!
In fact, so many people contacted him that ALL of his eggs have been sold (apart from the raffle ones!).
Instead of being really out of pocket, he has done far better than he imagined!
This is a wonderful example of what the Bible describes as Grace.
Grace describes what happens when God gives us far more love and help than we deserve or imagine.
The world said, ‘you ordered it, you have to pay’.
Grace says ‘let me buy all your easter eggs and pay for postage’.
The world might say to you ‘you have messed up’, but Jesus says ’follow me, my love will cover it and more besides’!
It’s a wonderful, amazing and undeserved gift.
Ephesians 2:7-8
God has all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish!
This Easter, as we eat our easter eggs, let's marvel afresh at God’s gift of grace.
Jesus gave up his life for us, which is a gift so amazing it’s even better than 800 easter eggs!
You Are Welcome
Most of you will be aware that our church building has been invaded over the last 2 days by our local primary school who have been coming in, class by class, to have some fun and games and learn about the Easter story.
Firstly, let’s give a shout-out to the amazing group of volunteers, all of whom offered up their time and efforts to not only be there over the last two days but also for all of the preparation in the preceding weeks. Our church wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the many people who give freely of their time in order to make things happen – so thank you to everyone involved, I hope you are now enjoying something of a rest!
By all accounts, the last two days have been filled with noise, chaos, laughter, fun and many sticky fingers - the last two days have been filled with ‘church’.
We have been gifted an amazing building and it’s important that we work out practical things like how we’re going to pay the bills; what furniture we’re going to fill it with or who is going to clean it this week – but those things are only about enabling what we do with it. And what we do with it is to fling the doors open and invite everyone in!
I am certain that not one of those children that came into The Hub this week will have left thinking, “wow, that’s a nice building”, but I am sure they left feeling welcomed having been shown kindness and having shared many smiles with everyone there.
My prayer this week is that each of those children left our building, not just having heard the Easter story but having experienced something of God’s love while they were there.
“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.”
May our building never fall quiet because we fail to open the doors and let new people in, even if they come with the noise, chaos and sticky fingers of a class of 7 years olds!
Let’s welcome all and as we do, let them see something of the love of God through us.
Today is Always Special
It’s funny how a twenty four hour period can be significant.
We mark the day we were born or married, when we started work or retired. There are birthdays and anniversaries, and there are some days that I can’t put a date to, that transformed my life, like the day I got my first camera or learned to ride a bike or the day I passed my driving test.
Do you remember that magical life transforming day when you first saw your future wife/husband, (I was fourteen), can you put a date to it? I can’t.
Sunday is a special day celebrated by two billion people worldwide because it reminds us of the day God rested after Creation, and the day Jesus was resurrected.
Then there are those ‘special’ days, organised by unknown individuals or groups for mysterious or obvious reasons.
This year we have already had Employee Legal Awareness Day, Extraterrestrial Culture Day, and Library Lovers Day. Coming up In April, we can look forward to World Autism Awareness Day, and National Coffee Cake Day. You can probably guess which is my favourite! April 2nd is National Ferret Day. We’ll all celebrate that next week, won’t we!
Some of us were so fortunate today because this was the first day we have had whole school classes and their teachers in our new building.
We were celebrating Easter, telling children about God’s love, playing very noisy games and helping them to produce a huge piece of artwork for Easter Sunday.
We will remember this day for many years.
And tomorrow, we will do it all again with four more classes and their teachers.
Can’t wait!
The Bible tells us that Jesus taught His followers to pray, and part of that prayer includes the words, ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’
It’s a reminder to take life a day at a time, and also that our daily needs are provided by God.
In the most famous of all the Psalms, the 23rd Psalm, David starts by stating, ‘The Lord is my shepherd,’ indicating his relationship with God, and he ends his Psalm with these words, ‘Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’
This indicates that all of our days, yesterday, today, forever, are in God’s hands.
This fills me with gratitude and hope.
What does it do for you?
All God’s Creatures.
I’ve read a few articles recently about various wildlife photography competitions ranging from the most stunningly beautiful to the equally stunning yet comedic of creatures.
The most recent Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition was won with an amazing picture of a polar bear sleeping peacefully on the tip of an iceberg.
In contrast, the Comedy Wildlife Photographer of the Year was won with a funny picture of a kangaroo seemingly playing air guitar.
As I look through the entrants to these competitions, I’m in awe of the natural world and all of the wonder and beauty (and comedy) held within it.
I find myself chuckling at the antics of otter ballerinas and happy turtles to ooohing and aaahing at a night sky lit up by fireflies or an underwater hippo nursery.
Aren’t we lucky to live in a world where there are the most amazing creatures around us, whether it’s our own domesticated pets or more exotic animals we can usually only see in photographs or on television.
The natural world that God created should be nurtured and protected and cared for.
It gives us a sense of wonder and can often be a path to peace and tranquillity.
We are all God’s creatures and as such that nurturing, protection and care should be granted to us as human beings too, hopefully carving a way to a peaceful future for our beautiful God given world and opening our eyes to the beauty of finding God in all of creation.
Job 12: 7-10
“But ask the animals and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”
Back To Normal
Is there really a definition about what normal is?
There are times when your life is happening differently for a while, maybe it’s a holiday or doing some decorating or having someone to stay.
Life becomes different.
I have spent most of the last few months working at home and then this week I ventured back into the office, only for a day though.
It felt familiar yet strange.
If you have guests staying in your house, your routine changes. There are more people to cater for and you will probably do different things during the day, being a tourist in your home town and going out to eat more often.
If you are decorating a room, the furniture moves and all your “stuff” moves so that you can decorate. So one room may be emptied into another while you decorate. The room you are working on becomes open and empty, whilst another room may become storage. Neither can be used in their usual way. And then when the job is done, you return everything back to where it should be and life becomes normal.
However my life is happening normal for me is just that, normal.
Normal for you may be very different.
There are some things which are similar, most of us eat 3 meals a day and sleep at night.
God knows that we are all different because that’s how he made us.
We are taught about this in the Bible in 1 Corinthians chapter 12.
There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be. If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body? As it is, there are many parts. But there is only one body. All of them will take care of one another. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honoured, every part shares in its joy.
There are different kinds of gifts. But they are all given to believers by the same God. There are different ways to serve. But they all come from the same Lord. But the same God is working in all these ways and in all people.
Whatever your normal is, celebrate it because it's you and you are important and loved.
For those around you, celebrate what their normal is because that’s how God made them.
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, dare I say, there was a hint of spring,
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.
That Sinking Feeling.
I am sure we have all had that sinking feeling at some point in our lives.
That feeling in the pit of your stomach when you realise that something has gone wrong.
I had it last week.
I was merrily on the train into town when I suddenly realised that I should not be on the train. I should have been meeting someone and they were waiting for me.
I had messed up.
Thankfully the people concerned were very kind and patient and forgiving, but I felt awful.
We all mess up at times don’t we.
Whether it's forgetting where you are meant to be, or something different, it happens to everyone because none of us are perfect.
We are all wonderful and beautiful, but imperfect individuals, who are working their way through life in the best way they can.
So, what do you do when you mess up?
Very often you need to sort it out with the people concerned, but it's really important that you chat to God about it as well.
God knows us and he loves us, with all our mistakes, and he wants to walk through it all with us.
Now talking to God about our mistakes won’t make them magically disappear.
He will however, surround you with his love and help you through it.
The Bible is full of imperfect people, who loved and walked with a perfect God.
Then, as now, He never stops loving, and he never leaves us, even in the worst of our messes.
Micah 7:18-20
There is no other God like you, who pardons our wrongdoing?
You delight in showing unfailing love. Once again you will have compassion on us.
You will trample our wrongs under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! You will show us your faithfulness and unfailing love.
What Are You Rich In?
In the old Testament, there is a story about two brothers who had a falling out - Esau and Jacob. In fear of his brother, Jacob had fled his home and lived with and worked for his uncle for many years. Jacob was thinking his brother was planning on killing him, and so naturally when the time came to return home, Jacob was terrified.
To try and calm the situation Jacob sent many gifts ahead of him for his brother. However, when they met after years of being apart Esau embraced his brother with a hug.
In Genesis Chapter 33 it says,
“Esau asked, “What’s the meaning of all these flocks and herds I met?” To find favour in your eyes, my lord,” he said. But Esau said, “I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.”
I think this is such a lovely verse, because Esau may not have been as rich as Jacob but he didn’t need his wealth, because he already had plenty. Esau was just happy to see his brother again.
This got me thinking about what we are rich in.
You may not have the biggest house or the fastest of cars. You may not be able to eat at the fanciest restaurants or fly off to the warmest countries. But this doesn’t mean you aren’t rich, you might just be rich in other things.
What is it that makes your life feel really full, is it material things, or maybe it’s your family or friends? Maybe you’re sat cuddling up to a pet and you feel rich with their love? Maybe your church family make you feel rich, maybe you are rich in faith?
James 2:5 we read,
“Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the kingdom he promised to those who love him?”
While our world may have a strong focus on how much money people have, God looks at wealth in a different way, he praises those who are rich in faith.
Whatever it is that makes you feel rich, God blessed you with that and that might not be millions of pounds, but maybe he gave you a loving family, whether that be biological, a great group of friends or even our church family.
Proverbs 22 reminds us,
“Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all”.
So take a moment to think, what are you rich in?
Morning Noon and Night
I wonder, what time of the day do you read Sunrise?
Its title suggests that it’s meant for us to read each morning before we go to work or have our first cup of coffee.
Maybe you read it in bed, (I don’t, I’m usually up before it arrives! Honest).
When we wake up in the morning, we probably have an outline of the day in our minds, and that will affect how we feel as we fall out of bed. But we all understand that our expectations can be wiped out by a variety of events, large or small. The trains are off / the dog’s sick / the weather’s foul / the car won’t start / the plumber didn’t arrive / I’ve lost my specs. Add your own!
If we don’t manage to read Sunrise in the morning before we launch out on our day, it should still be applicable over lunch or before we go to bed.
God can speak to us at any time and under any circumstances. Whether we take the thoughts with us through the hours of our day, or reflect on their relevance as we review the day, God’s Word is always truthful and timely.
Those people who are fortunate enough to be able to visit various African countries can often watch a variety of wild animals visiting a river or lake each day to refresh themselves. Giraffes, hippopotamuses, elephants and many other wonderful animals, rely entirely on the provision of water, morning and evening, that gives life and health to these beasts.
In Psalm 1 we read,
‘Blessed is the one whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law, day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither - whatever they do prospers.’
It is so helpful if we step into each day after hearing God’s words for us. However, those words from our loving Heavenly Father will still be relevant as we look back on our day’s activities and relationships.
We cannot hinder His power or wisdom by tying Him down to a time that suits us.
His words and love will always reach us and provide comfort and guidance, hope and encouragement.
Whatever time you choose, God will be there.
Random Patterns
As spring is coming, it is beautiful to see some of the flowers starting to come up.
The flowers are beautiful and when you look closely, the patterns in the petals and leaves can be very intricate and each one is slightly different.
When I go out walking and you see the fern leaves unfolding, the patterns of the tiny leaves are wonderful, so delicately unfurling.
When you look at the clouds, hopefully not raining, and see the different shapes and colours they make; have you tried to see faces or animals in the clouds?
You may know that each snowflake is unique and as they form into beautiful shapes of different sizes and complexities, they make beautiful patterns; far more complicated than I could ever cut into a piece of paper for a decoration.
Each of these things have happened because of God’s design in our world.
He cares so much about these little things, making them so beautiful.
As God has taken so much care and attention to these things, think about how much he cares about us.
We are each unique and beautifully made and he loves every one of us as we are.
He does not have any favourites or preferences as he knows each one of us is special.
We are not random but individually made.
God’s love for us is not dependent on us. He made us and loves us as we are.
In the Psalms, His love is described as this :
Your steadfast love, O Lord, is as great as all the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your justice is as solid as God’s mountains. Your decisions are as full of wisdom as the oceans are with water. You are concerned for men and animals alike. How precious is your constant love, O God! All humanity takes refuge in the shadow of your wings. You feed them with blessings from your own table and let them drink from your rivers of delight.
As you go for a wander today and look around, think of how vast God's love is for us.
Reconnecting.
It has been a hectic few months.
There have been essay deadlines, department changes at work and many, many, many tough work challenges that were definitely not planned - or wanted.
It’s been so busy that I found myself in a position where I could hardly think about God because there were a hundred other things on my mind first.
And that doesn’t feel right.
If God, with all His power and knowledge, is able to know each of us and want a relationship with us individually, why could I not even spare five minutes to think of Him?
That’s when it was time to reevaluate some things.
And I’ve been fortunate enough to have been blessed with a new person in my life who is just as keen to re-establish their faith as I am. Together, we’ve been doing daily Bible study and really focusing on reconnecting with God after feeling lost for a little while.
And those moments where I can feel God, whether that’s when I’m reading the Bible or praying to myself during the day, make life’s stresses not feel quite so heavy.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28.
What I’ve realised is that even when things feel tough and it’s difficult to tackle daily challenges, our connection within God provides us with that extra bit of ‘oomph’ we need to give it our all and face hard times with strength and courage.
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:13.
Quantity Issue
I wonder if it's just me, or if other people also have issues with internet ordering?
I seem to have a knack of inadvertently ordering the incorrect amount or size of whatever I wish to buy.
Over the last few years, I have ordered 8 kgs of mushrooms instead of 8 mushrooms, 16 boxes of 4 glasses (64) instead of 16 glasses, and many others.
My latest one happened last week, when I ordered some tiles which I wanted to be 5cm square. Unfortunately, they were 5 inches square!
In each case, I have received far more than I ordered or expected, and it wasn’t that welcome.
Sometimes, getting more than you expected is not ideal, but sometimes it's amazing!
I had a friend who once a week would offer to pay for the coffee of the person in front of her in Costa. It was an unexpected extra gift that people were so grateful for.
The Bible describes how Jesus gave up everything for us so that we could have a relationship with him as an amazing gift.
Not like my internet ordering, but the most wonderful and overflowing gift of love, mercy and grace.
Ephesians 2:4, 5, 7, 8
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
Now following Jesus does not mean that the world will be wonderful.
Sometimes, it's even worse and more unpredictable than my internet capabilities!
It does mean though, that we have this amazing and unexpectedly extravagant gift of God's love and grace to help and guide us through each day.
When I think of how much Jesus gave up for us, it really blows my mind!
Today, spend some time thanking him for this gift of love, the mind blowing, overwhelming grace and mercy of God.
Light Bulb Moment
Have you tried to buy a light bulb recently?
Our bedroom light bulb stopped working a few days ago so we stopped off at a well-known DIY shop to just pick up a replacement bulb.
It turns out, it was going to be a more difficult job than we first thought!
We stood in the shop and looked at this huge display of bulbs while we tried to decide where to start.
There were big ones, there were tiny little ones; clear ones, opaque ones and coloured ones; did we need a screw cap or a bayonet? Dimmable or not? Bright white or warm white? Did we want a round one, a traditional one or a candle shaped one? What wattage did we need?
And that was before we discovered the ‘smart’ bulbs!
We eventually decided on a bulb which only came in a pack of 3, so we ended up buying 3 bulbs which we have decided still aren’t quite right as we sit in what can only be described as ‘gloom’.
Life is often filled with a series of decisions - from the moment we wake up we start to make decisions about what we will eat or drink, what we will wear, where we will go.
What things we will accomplish with our day; how we will spend our time and who with.
Some of life’s decisions are easy to make, a simple choice; others are much harder because they will have a much bigger impact on our lives – what job shall we do? Where shall we live? Who shall we marry – or not; what college/university should we go to?
Often when we are making big decisions, it can seem as though there is no clear road to take and it is rarely a case of simply one thing being right and the other wrong.
But there is a decision which we can make which will become the basis on which all other decisions are made.
Jesus said:
“Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Following Jesus won’t solve all of your problems and you won’t miraculously know the answer to every difficult decision you have to make, but it will be the best decision you ever made and it will form the basis on which all decisions are made from that point onwards.
What’s more – you’ll find that whatever decision you make and whatever road you find yourself on, you won’t be journeying 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.”
Use What You Have
When I have some spare time, you can often find me looking at photographs of buildings around the world. I’m frequently stunned by the astonishing creations of architects, and wonder how a brain can, not just imagine these constructions, but turn their dreams into reality.
I look at the photographs and wish I could go to these places and see if I could produce better images.
Recently I was admiring the Brisbane City Hall in Australia.
It was built in the 1920’s and has white stairs made of marble from the same quarry Michelangelo used for his David sculpture.
The tower mirror’s the one on St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice and the copper dome was the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.
There was still more to do but they ran out of money.
They had intended to place an Angel of Peace on the top, but financial reality damaged the dream.
Along came a plumber called Fred Johnson.
You may think I made this up, but the truth is that by using a toilet cistern, an old lamp post and some scrap pieces of redundant metal, Fred created an orb on the pinnacle of the building that’s been there for more than 100 years!
Often we have dreams about doing something significant, either for ourselves or a friend or a local organisation.
As we imagine how our creation would look or be useful to people, we discover that life frequently turns our dreams into dust.
Recently I have thought about bringing a bell back to life in a local bell tower.
I ask myself what the chances are, and the answers tell me that it’s too expensive, too difficult, or too time-consuming.
Maybe I’ll find a smaller, simpler, cheaper project; plant a tree, paint white guidelines in our car park, or clear out the gutters.
We tend to believe that our work for God needs to be impressive, almost miraculous, surprising Him.
But He can surprise us by often asking us to do something simple; make a phone call, write a letter, clean a building, go shopping for someone…the list is endless.
Jesus tells us that a tree is recognised by its fruit, and our Bibles tell us that the kind of fruit God wants to see in us is, ‘Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.’
These could be challenging for us, but the results could be life-changing for people around us.
God may not be interested in bells or car parks, but He is interested in people and what we are prepared to do for each other.
Maybe we will hear the bell ringing when we’ve done the important stuff!
What Are You Looking For?
My current read is ‘What you are looking for is in the library’ by Michiko Aoyama.
It is a wonderful book following four individual storylines as they each find a community library with what I’m presuming is some sort of magic librarian!
As they each go to her feeling a little lost and requesting books they have vague interest in, the librarian produces the shelf location of their requested books, alongside another seemingly random book.
This ‘random’ book calls to something inside each of them, highlighting an interest or passion for something once lost and guiding them back to a path they were once on, or once dreamt of.
What a wonderful thing it is to read of people who in their own little ways, find themselves again. Not in big grandiose gestures, but in small step-by-step journeys.
The author leaves the storyline of each person just as they have begun on this journey, teasing you as the reader with the hope and promise of the future.
Whilst I have grown attached to each of the four library visitors and their stories, the one that intrigues me the most is the librarian.
What insight does she have?
How does she know which book will be the key to each person unlocking a door to a lost part of themselves?
I was struck upon reading this book, how similar of a relationship we often have with God. We can’t understand the insight that He has or comprehend the knowledge that He holds. Yet when we choose to trust him, and follow an interest, passion, or path he has placed in our hearts; we are so often amazed at the ways we discover ourselves and the world around us.
Through our relationship with Him we grow and hold onto hope for the future.
And it requires from each of us, a first step, a willingness to reach out, to find ourselves maybe for the first or seventeenth time!
I am reminded of a verse from the book of Esther, chapter 4 verse 14.
‘Who knows if perhaps you were made for just such a time as this?’
What a reminder to step out, be bold, and to look for hope and a future that our God sees – even if we do not.
Weightlifting
I was talking with a friend recently and they were telling me about how a member of his team was a difficult character, who knew everything, was right about everything and his way was the right way.
When he left it was like a new team. Everyone relaxed and the conversations were so much easier.
It was like a weight had been lifted.
I was recently working with a company who had some issues with how they were working and providing services to us.
Being the customer I was expecting the provider to work with me to sort out the issues but they were not prepared to listen to any comments or discuss our feedback.
It made the situation very difficult to handle and once over, was a great relief for us all.
Sometimes, there are situations which we all may find stressful.
It can sometimes creep up on us and we don’t realise it's there until it's really weighing on us quite heavily.
These situations can happen in many areas of our life and the pressure of trying to sort them out can weigh you down.
It is good to remember that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
As a community we can and do help each other out.
It may be direct help or it may be doing something else.
A listening ear to let you share what is going on or doing something practical so they don’t have to worry about it, like giving a lift or providing a meal.
Jesus had a team of people around him who would help him with practical things and they would also pray with him.
As Jesus would pray to God, his disciples would pray with him.
Being a Christian does not mean that our troubles will magically go away, but it does mean that you have a God who will support you and also a community of people who will support you.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
A Mile in Their Shoes
Travelling by public transport is not a new thing for me.
I’ve used buses and trains for most of my life so it’s just a normal thing to do.
For some however public transport is only used if absolutely necessary and is therefore a bit of a novelty or maybe even a cause for anxiety.
We recently had to leave the car at the garage for a service so my other half, who hasn’t used a bus for a number of years, and I had to get the bus to Lydiate.
The bus turned up on time and we got a seat together which was a good start and during our conversation we talked about how it was nice to be able to properly look around instead of being focussed on driving.
It turned into quite a pleasant journey.
It did amuse me that towards the end of our journey our conversation turned to ‘Where are we getting off?’, or ‘Is this our stop?’, reminding me of travelling with the children constantly asking, ‘Are we there yet?’ 😊
The journey home though was a bit different.
We got to the bus stop and thought we had missed our bus so decided to walk to the next stop. When we got there the people waiting told us that the bus hadn’t turned up as they’d been waiting for ages.
Eventually the bus arrived almost half an hour late and we all got on. Luckily, we managed to get a seat together again and off we went.
It was at this point that the man in the seat in front of us turned to ask if we were on a bus that went into Liverpool and would he be able to get to New Brighton?
We assured him that we were and that once he got to town he could enquire at the bus station as to which buses went to the Wirral.
The young man continued to ask us these questions several times at which point we realised that he was struggling and was quite anxious about his journey.
He began to ask if he was safe on the bus and repeatedly asked if he could get home by bus from Liverpool to New Brighton.
We continued to reassure him and answer his questions until we reached our stop, then we told him to look after himself and that we hoped he got home ok.
He thanked us for our help as we got off the bus.
I’ve thought about that young man a lot this week.
I’ve prayed that he did get home ok and that along the rest of his journey he found more reassurance and kindness from people, strangers, that he asked to help him.
He was obviously on a tough journey through life and I hope that people were kind to him as nobody knew what he was going through.
Nobody had walked a mile in his shoes.
Ephesians 4:32
“Instead be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you”.
So, as we go through our daily lives may we show compassion and kindness to everyone we meet in the hope that they may find peace and can travel a little easier on life’s path.
Life Swap
Did anyone watch the Annual British music awards (BRITS) last Saturday night?
It was a very glamorous affair where the British music of the last year was celebrated. Anyone who was anyone in the British Music scene was there.
You may not have been aware though, that amongst the celebrities, was a couple from South Wales, Meg and Charlie.
They had been given the tickets by Radio 1 DJ Greg James!
Greg and his Wife had offered to ‘Life Swap’ for the evening.
Meg and Charlie went to the BRITS, and Greg and his Wife went to south Wales, to look after their daughter (safeguarding approved of course) and do the daily chores!
Greg posted a picture of himself doing the washing up, and Meg and James posted pictures of themselves on the red carpet!
They had an amazing evening and Greg was very pleased to swap with them.
If you were going to swap lives with anyone, I wonder who it would be?
A celebrity? A sportsperson? A politician? Or someone else?
Sometimes it seems like other people’s lives are so much better than ours.
More money, better job, less problems.
The reality of course is that famous saying: “Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about”.
The Bible reminds us that even if we are struggling with our current circumstances, God is in it with us.
He has a plan and a purpose for our lives.
We just need to follow him and trust Him.
God will never leave us, and even though we may not understand it, He will guide you through.
1 Corinthians 11:17&19
And don’t be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God’s place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there……The really important thing is obeying God’s call, following his way.
If you are struggling with things today, tell someone.
Melling is a big church family, whom God has placed in just the right place to support and encourage one another.
Refreshing My Soul
I don’t know about you, but there are days when I just feel empty. Like I’ve given everything I’ve got and I’m struggling to muster up the energy, the enthusiasm or even the brain power to work my way through the day.
If I’m honest, it might even be the week!
We all need to pause at times – just stop for a little while and rest.
Lent is a good time to do that; to take a moment to reflect and refresh ourselves, to sit with God for a while and give him chance to speak without having to compete with the noise and hustle and bustle of life.
We read in the Bible the very familiar words of Psalm 23:
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.
God understands our need to sit for a while, but this isn’t just physical rest that he is offering, he’s offering to refresh our souls.
A refreshment that comes from within, regardless of the noise and chaos that might surround us.
So, today’s Sunrise is going to be purposely short.
I want you to go and put the kettle on, make yourself a drink, find yourself a quiet spot and listen to the words of the song below – really listen to them – play it a few times, as many times as you like!
And allow God to bring refreshment to your soul.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eIQQayhpak
The Dash
The other day I was in a cemetery.
I was walking through and looking at the old gravestones.
It was a beautiful, peaceful place.
As I was looking at the names and dates on the stones I noticed something.
The dash.
That little line between the day they were born and the day they died.
The dash.
I’ll be honest, I’ve never paid much attention to it before.
In fact,
I’ve never paid any attention to it before!
But this time,
that tiny line,
dash,
stood out to me.
Blink and you’d miss it.
But what it represents is life.
Some of the dates were short.
Francis Murphy, 23rd March 1876 - 19th June 1898.
Other dates were much longer.
Mavis Barrow 2nd January 1815 - 17th December 1905.
Francis lived just 22 years.
Mavis lived til she was 90.
I stood for some time, staring at ‘the dashes’, wondering what took place during those years. My mind wandered.
Was Francis happy?
What sort of family did he have?
What hopes did he have?
Why did he die so young?
Who was Mavis?
Did she enjoy life?
Did she have friends?
What did her day to day life look like?
If you’re reading this Sunrise today then you have the most incredible privilege of having
‘a dash’.
You have life.
And that is a gift.
My hope, my prayer for us all today,
is that we will stop long enough to realise that life is not only precious and a privilege but it’s a gift.
A gift from a creator God who doesn’t make mistakes.
Paul wrote to the Ephesians,
‘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.’
Today, if you need a reminder that you are a gift to this world, then here it is!
Your ‘dash’ is no mistake.
God has blessed us with life, so that we may live.
Truly live.
Can I suggest that today, we thank God for life and all the good that is in it.
And dare I suggest,
that if there’s things we need to change (I definitely have things!!!)
to make our lives more meaningful and beautiful and more of a blessing to others,
then we will have the courage and the desire to do so.
May each one of us choose to live our dash full of grace
and love
and energy
and gratitude
and blessing from God
and blessing to others.
THAT would be an incredible ‘dash’.
Can You See The Connection?
There are times when you just need to make sure all the connections are good.
Christmas lights are a great one, when lights used to all go out if just one bulb failed.
I would be given the job of trying to find that elusive bulb that was causing the issue. Thank goodness today's modern lights are now clever enough to work even if a bulb has blown and you can see the failed one straight away.
As I work with computers, I often have to work in a similar way.
When things break, it's not always obvious where in the system it has broken.
I will often have to stop and think “ok, back to the basics” and then work my way from the start to the end , trying to find the break in the connection.
We had a leak in our car with water ending up in the passenger footwell.
I looked at the door trim and could not see where it was coming in. I looked around the side window and the windscreen. I searched and could not see where the water was coming in. I checked in the engine to make sure nothing was leaking.
In the end, I gave in and took it to the garage.
They looked at it and said they had the perfect thing for this, a rubber duck !!!
( I like my garage , they are fun 😊).
It turned out, the leak was from a rear window but the water was tracking all the way to the front footwell.
Sometimes, we don’t see where the break in the connection or the source of the problem really is.
In our lives, there are things that happen which we don’t realise at the time are significant but when we look back, we realise the different steps and turns that brought us to this point.
Sometimes, like my garage, it takes asking someone else to help find the problem, someone who has seen it before.
God sent Jesus to the world so that he could be with us and experience the joy, the pain, the troubles and the fun times.
Jesus knows all that you have been through and He has been with you in each step.
In the Psalms we are reminded
The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;
though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
Sometimes, we may wonder how our experiences have impacted our lives.
Jesus knows this all too well.
When we laugh, He will laugh with us, if we cry, He will cry with us.
Being a Christian does not mean there won't be difficulties, but it does mean you will always have someone with you, to love you, to comfort you, to pick you up and give you a hug.
Delight in the Lord, for He is good.
February Sunrise
Doppelganger
Have you heard of the word ‘Doppelganger’?
It refers to someone who looks really like someone else, but isn’t actually them or related to them.
Supposedly everyone has a Doppelganger somewhere in the world!
I am not sure about that.
However, on the way into Aintree Hospital this week, I really thought I saw Dwayne ‘THE ROCK’ Johnson.
I began to get quite excited at the thought of a Hollywood star visiting a long lost relative in Liverpool.
That is until I got closer.
Then I realised that it was not actually the movie star, but someone who looked very much like him.
Thankfully, I did realise this before I asked for his autograph and completely embarrassed myself!
There was a news article recently about a Doppelganger for Ed Sheeran.
Ty Jones, from Manchester, looks so like Ed Sheeran, that he has to go out in disguise and shop late at night to avoid being mobbed by fans!
Ty and Ed have met up recently to discuss the price of fame!
I wonder who out there looks like me?
That’s an interesting thought!!
Now the bible talks about the concept of being a Doppelganger in a different way. Christians are asked to live life the way that Jesus did.
Now we don’t have to look like him physically, (thankfully, as I can’t grow a beard!) but we are asked to follow his example. To be a doppelganger in our behaviours, attitudes, and actions.
This is so that we can show the world just how amazing Jesus is.
As Christians, we are asked ‘What would Jesus Do/Say/Act’ in our everyday lives, and to copy that.
It is not always easy, and we won't always get it right, but Jesus is there to help us every step of the way.
So, whatever you are doing today, try and be a Doppelganger for Jesus.
Ephesians 5:1-2
You are all God’s Children, so watch what God does, and then you do it. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Jesus loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
Real Rest
It’s interesting how we all get exhausted in different ways.
For years and years, I could get up early in the morning and work for ten hours and go home fighting fit.
After a good sleep I was ready to do it all over again. Six days a week!
I also had a different kind of work in the evenings which didn’t destroy me.
Remember the Day of Rest?
That was as busy as all the others.
But ten minutes in Asda and I was finished!
But the lady of the house can, even today, romp around Asda, then Marks and Spencer, then Matalan, then……!
Some things we do because we must, like washing clothes and ironing, gardening and tidying the house, or fixing the boiler when it goes on strike, which it did today.
Other things still need to be done but not so urgently, like hanging framed pictures on the wall, painting the shed, and taking some worn out furniture to the tip.
We all have preferences and pet-hates, and it helps if various members of the household can work as a team, and manage all the issues without too much stress or fighting.
But life demands more than coping with a job and housework.
There are people in your life who occasionally need you for company or encouragement, advice or help with a project.
More work!
Sometimes it’s you who needs a helping hand.
Often, just sitting with a friend and a cup of coffee is the most restful thing to do.
We are so fortunate to belong to such a wonderful collection of people who are always willing and able to stand alongside us and relieve the pressures of life.
For many individuals, finding rest on life’s journey is challenging, it feels as if they are carrying a heavy load and nowhere to put it down.
But we have a God who promises rest when we are physically worn out, and peace when we are mentally and spiritually exhausted.
Jesus said,
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you will recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
“I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
Bat Days
I read this the other day on a science Instagram account…
‘As a bat biologist I just wanna give a shout out to bats, who for years we've been saying are super-sophisticated at dodging one another and flying in synchrony. Now that we've used high speed cameras on them, turns out they crash into each other all the time.
Bats are cool.’
@makingsenseofscience
How funny is that?!
Daily bat crashes!
There must be unseen carnage in the dark ‘bat cave’ at Chester Zoo!
Countless bats with headaches!!
That fact made me laugh.
But there’s a more serious side to this.
A lesson we can take away from it.
Nobody is perfect!
How often do we look at families, couples, people with high flying jobs, the nicest house, the expensive car….and think that their lives are sorted?
All together?
Dare I say, perfect?
A bit like we’ve believed bats to be like for so long. Going about their bat business with perfect flights, perfect echolocation, well, just kind of, perfect ‘bat-ness’!
But the truth be told, it’s far from perfect!!
The next time you are looking at someone with the perfect life, and wishing you had it all, remember that no one is perfect and they may actually be having a bit of a tough time.
Life has its ups and downs for us all.
And we all deserve a bit of TLC, patience and understanding at times.
Paul wrote,
‘Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.’
I’ve no idea if bats cheer each other on and support each other after a crash, that’s for the bat biologists to discover. But we can certainly cheer on and support each
other!!…in fact, we must, because one day it’ll be us who needs it from others.
Happy Monday everybody!!
The Question Is …
Do you like quizzes?
We had a great quiz at the Hub, with some really good questions.
Some of the questions created a bit of a debate about what the answer was going to be. Some of them brought to mind a funny answer which was also completely wrong.
Others you had absolutely no idea what it was, so a complete guess was required, even when our host was generous enough to give us a clue!
But there was the occasional question when as soon as you heard it, you knew the answer.
Does it bring out a competitive side?
Do you want to sneak a look at your phone to get an answer to improve your chances of winning?
Is it a chance to learn something and hopefully remember it as an interesting fact?
Do you just have a laugh because you know you won't be able to answer most of the questions anyway?
It is often surprising how many you can actually get right with the help of your team to discuss the options and think of possible answers.
Sometimes, even when you are told the answer it doesn’t make sense.
And that’s what a quiz is all about, not the questions but the answers.
A question is only difficult when you don’t know the answer.
But we will all have questions, some of which are harder than others.
There is an answer though, it's God.
Now that may sound trite and sometimes it doesn’t make sense because you can't understand how God can be the answer.
But He is.
The Bible tells us in the book of Galatians, chapter 5,
But the fruit that comes from having God in our lives is: love, joy, peace, not giving up, being kind, being good, having faith, being gentle, and being the boss over our own desires. There is no law against these things.
When you have questions, ask God.
You can come to our Melling Community Church and talk about the questions with us.
You can read a Bible to see what God has to say about it.
We don’t have all the answers either, but we do know God and what He brings to us.
Why?
This is the story of two medieval stone masons.
Both are asked if they enjoy their job.
The first one replies: Well it's hard. If you want to know the truth, it's burning hot in the sun and the work is backbreaking. Just one stone after the other over and over again.
I don’t even know if I will live to see the finished result.
So, no, I don’t like my job at all.
The second one replies like this. Well, as you can imagine, it's pretty monotonous. It's hard and no good for my back. I have been doing this for years now and I don’t know if I will live long enough to see the result.
But you know what? Despite all the drudgery, I love it!
It’s worthwhile because I am building a cathedral, a building where God will be talked and sung about for hundreds of years to come. I am so proud to be a part of that.
The difference between the first and second stonemasons?
The second one remembered the WHY. And the WHY inspired him.
Now life can be tough.
It's been a tough week in my house. There are days where daily life feels like a never ending stream of chaos. The plans you have laid down go to pot and you don’t seem to be making any headway.
It's hard to see past the next crisis.
Remember the WHY.
You are not alone.
You are fearfully and wonderfully made, and you have a God who loves you and will lead you through.
You are part of God's amazing and wonderful plan.
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.
Awful When Hungry
If you walk through any park, just about anywhere, you will notice that there are often small plaques that have been fixed to benches in memory of loved ones.
Often these plaques will reference a happy memory or how special this place was to the person.
Last week I read about a plaque that had been fixed to one such bench that simply said:
For Barbara
Who was awful when hungry
But otherwise pretty solid.
This really made me smile. I don’t know who Barbara was; I don’t know who came up with the words for this plaque in her honour – all I know is that (apart from when she was hungry) Barbara was someone who could be relied on, and someone missed her enough to commemorate her life.
This got me thinking about what my legacy might be.
Now, before everyone starts to wonder why I am writing about my inevitable, but hopefully not imminent, demise – I’m not – I’m writing about life.
How we live our life matters.
It matters to us and it matters to those around us.
Do we live in such a way that is honouring to God?
Do we live in such a way that makes a difference to those around us?
Some people may do some spectacular things during their lifetime, others may be less notable, but every single one of us can make a difference in our small corner.
A kind word of encouragement; a phone call that says ‘I missed you today’; offering your time or help when really you could be doing any number of other things; a generous spirit offering a warm welcome to all … the list goes on.
I’m not sure I am ready to hear what people may, or may not, say about me but I would like to choose to work towards a legacy of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
I choose to wake up each morning and tell God that, whatever happened yesterday, I’m going to try again today to make it a day that is honouring to him and hopefully shines a little light for those around me.
And perhaps one day, someone will say of me – “she was pretty solid” – but more than that, I hope to hear God’s voice saying “well done”.
“And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”
Priorities
Life should be simple shouldn’t it?
We know there’s 24 hours in each day, and we have probably sorted out our sleep time and our mealtimes.
So already there are fewer hours left to organise, it can’t be that difficult!
If you have a job, that will take up most of the remaining hours.
Young people are provided with experts to explain a wide variety of subjects.
If you have put work behind you, the day stretches out invitingly, and you’re in charge.
So whatever group you belong to, your priorities are sorted and obvious.
I suppose that early evening, after a meal, may provide you with some choices; go to the gym, visit the cinema, walk the dog, badminton, five-a-side football, guitar lessons, apparently some people watch TV!
If you don’t go to work, it’s easy to watch TV for 40 hours a week.
Imagine what you could achieve or learn if you turned it off!
Health could be an issue of course; I went to our church building on Sunday, feeling fine, but part way through the meeting, I began to feel rotten, nothing to do with the service, which was fine and inspirational, but I had to go home.
The rest of the day was horrible.
I had planned to visit someone, so I will need to re-arrange that, which will interfere with other plans for the week.
Obviously for some people, health issues are long -term and destroy any idea of making plans.
The idea of organising our lives in a very structured way is possibly fine if we are not involved with people who ask for lifts, or help with a project, or ask us to go shopping, or maybe they just arrive at your front door unannounced.
Then there is the chaos produced when you forget you agreed to do something tonight, and it’s already 9.30!
You get to bed later than planned with a scrambled brain and wake up knowing that the day will not be how you expected it to be, which means that the week won’t be either.
And it’s only Tuesday!
God understands our stresses, and although He probably won’t take any of your jobs away, He does promise to join you on your unpredictable journey through the week.
As you attempt to clarify your priorities, He suggests one:-
‘With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment. Always let Him lead you, and He will clear the road for you to follow.’
Are You Being Honest?
‘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, 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.
Time To Discover
When you go to visit a city, how often do you choose to venture away from the usual tourist places or away from the normal shopping areas?
One thing I enjoy doing is seeing a place in reality, don’t just look at the parts they want to draw your attention to. Go somewhere different and enjoy the real city.
We recently went to London and walked down Regents Canal, not somewhere I would have found on the tourist guide but it took us through parts of the city I would not have ordinarily visited.
It was a lovely route through Camden and then on to Primrose Hill.
A lovely view of the skyline on a sunny day with blue skies, time to just sit and ponder.
Instead of getting the tube around, we also used the bus which allowed us to actually see the areas of the city that ordinarily the tube rushes past.
Going to the parks and discovering wonderful green spaces all over the London reminded me of the great parks around Liverpool that I should also explore more, Stanley Park, Sefton Park, Walton Hall Park, Croxteth Hall Park, Newsham Park, Everton Park, and more besides.
But how many of us have taken the time to discover them?
For me, not enough to be honest.
I should be more of a tourist in my home town.
At this time of lent, many people choose to “give something up”.
But if we take an alternate approach and make time to do something different, we can make time to learn more about God and Jesus.
Read a chapter of a book of the bible or follow a Lent reading plan, you can find some on the internet, such as Christian Aid ‘Count your blessings” or 40Acts with a daily act of kindness.
In the book of Psalms, we are encouraged;
But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.
Take time to discover God, whether this is the first time or the hundredth time, find somewhere quiet and sit; talk to God and listen.
Unexpected Gifts
This week, an 11-year-old boy called Alfie received an unexpected gift.
After seeing him give an interview about his love for trains, a complete stranger decided to gift him the train set that was in her loft.
Val Wilkinson, did not know Alfie before the interview, but he reminded her of her nephew who had owned the train set until his death in 1966 aged 17 from cancer.
Since then, it has remained wrapped up in Val’s loft, waiting for a new owner.
This week, Val decided that this owner should be Alfie.
So, she travelled across the country to give it to him.
To say that Alfie was surprised and delighted was an understatement.
It was a wonderfully kind and completely unexpected gift, and very much appreciated.
It's wonderful when we receive gifts, unexpected or otherwise, and it's important to say thank you to the giver.
Whether we get a gift today or not, its important to remember the wonderful gifts we are given daily.
Our wonderful, beautiful world. Our friends and family. Our amazing if slightly crazy church family.
Our amazing God, who loves without end, and never leaves us.
As we enter Lent, let’s start by looking back and saying thank you for all the amazing things God has given us over the past year.
God has provided us with so much, some more unexpected than others.
I never thought I would be saying thank you for a Portaloo!!
Now life isn’t always easy, and there are many things still to pray for, but looking back with thankfulness can help remind us of just how amazing God is.
Psalm 1
I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvellous things you have done.
It’s All About the Pancakes…Isn’t It?
If you are part of our community chat, you may have taken part in yesterday’s debate about what to have on your pancakes.
Some people remained steadfastly traditional, sticking to lemons and sugar, while others took a more varied approach with chocolate spread, strawberries, syrup and ice cream – and just one or two took a completely different tactic and went savoury!
In our house this year, we decided to start the day with pancakes and had them for breakfast instead of our usual end of day treat.
Whatever your personal preference, we should remember that it isn’t actually a custom based around pancakes - leading it in more recent years to become known as ‘pancake Tuesday’ instead of Shrove Tuesday - but rather a tradition based around the idea of finishing off things like eggs, sugar and fats before beginning a period of fasting during Lent.
The idea of fasting or giving special treats up for Lent is all about trying to help us focus our minds on Jesus as we approach Easter and remember how he died in our place so that we might have eternal life.
Last year we suggested that, instead of giving up some of your ‘bad habits’ for a period of time, we all committed to take up a habit of prayer.
For some, that would have been a completely new experience, while for others, it may simply have affirmed what they already do faithfully anyway.
But if we look back at the last 12 months, I think that prayer has brought about a huge transformation in our community.
We have so much to be grateful for, from people struggling through illness but still able to celebrate another year with us, to people being baptised as well as married.
We are finally in our own building after such a long wait!
If we stop to think about it, we have SO much to be grateful for and SO many answered prayers.
I know that God hasn’t answered all of our prayers yet – or at least not in the way we may have wanted, but surely we should pause for a moment as we look back and give thanks for the journey he has joined us on?
Prayer matters.
Prayer makes a difference.
So I’m not going to apologise for repeating my call again this Lent.
As we begin this season of reflection, let’s commit again to praying as a whole community; for giving thanks for all that God has provided over the last year and for praying for his continued presence at the very heart of all we do in Melling.
If you would like to be part of our prayer group chat, speak to Jo, and join us this Lent as we hold those in need up to God in prayer, but also in giving thanks to a gracious God who has already provided so much.
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.
In It Together
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.”
YOU Are Welcome!
Don’t 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. Cultures are simply fascinating.
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.
Catch Up
Do you sometimes find yourself so busy you are not exactly sure where you are up to?
In my work, I sometimes find the unread email count rising and rising.
I had a colleague who decided that when he went on holiday, he would set up an automatic reply telling people he was not available and to contact him on his return.
When he did come back, he would then delete any emails which had come in during his holiday and wait for people to get back in touch.
Quite brave, I think, but he found it worked.
I sometimes get that when opening up WhatsApp after a while to then find that some topic has come up which has got everyone commenting.
Hub Talk can get quite busy at times and it takes a while to catch up.
On other occasions, you might meet a friend who you have not seen or spoken to for a while.
It's great to see them and there is so much to talk about.
So much to catch up on.
What’s curious is that with God, he knows what is happening and what is going on anyway. But He would still love you to sit down and tell him all about it.
For Him, it's not really a catchup, because He knows.
But He loves us spending time with Him and telling Him all that’s going on.
It's not a list of requests but sharing our lives with Him.
Jesus would often go to find somewhere quiet, away from other people to just spend time with his father.
In the Bible, we are encouraged in the book of Thessalonians to;
Always be joyful. Always keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who believe in him.
Keep up to date with God, be thankful for the blessings we have.
Keep up to date in our Melling Community, for which I am always thankful that God has brought us together.
Make a Joyful Noise
Every Thursday night, we open up the Hub and our musicians and singers come together to practice a variety of songs for Sunday.
I am in awe at the musical talent our church family has within it.
I am well aware that many churches don’t have this privilege.
Last night, there was music flying everywhere.
Give a musician an instrument and they have to play it!!!
And they did!
At times it sounded chaotic as they were all trying their different parts and discussing with one another what key was best and who came in too early and who was playing the intro and…and…and….
Getting music right takes time
and patience
and practice.
It doesn’t just happen!
I was talking to a worship leader some years ago about how easy they made it look and sound to drift effortlessly from one song to the next.
I will never forget their reply,
‘Y’know Jo, it takes many, many hours practice for us to sound spontaneous!’
I laughed at the irony, but oh how true!!
Our music group is new.
‘We’ (that’s the royal ‘We’, I sit and listen!!) have much to practice and learn and patience is necessary.
But!!…while we all want it to sound incredible and perfect, we mustn’t miss the point.
These songs are about God and to God and when the Bible says,
‘Make a joyful noise unto the Lord’,
note that it doesn’t require perfection!
That’s very good news for me with my wrong notes and tendency to improvise at any given moment!!
But God does want our best, as worship to Him, and whatever that may look like to each one of us, that is what is important.
Martin Luther King put it like this,
"If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry.
He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well."
So whatever your skills are, whatever God has gifted you with, may you today hold up your head, smile, and with praise and honour and huge gratitude to God, give your best to the God who gifted you, whether that’s sweeping streets, painting, walking dogs, operating, playing an instrument….
‘To God be the Glory’.
Measuring
We have lots of systems in our culture used for measuring.
Whether its length, money, exam grades, or something else, there is a measuring system designed for the purpose.
Of course, it gets very confusing when these systems change.
We moved from pounds shillings and pence to metric pounds and pence in the 1970’s, which was confusing to start off with.
We are still using both pounds/ounces and kilos/grams in cooking, depending on what recipe book you look at.
The most recent change has been the change in exam grades, from A-G to grades 1-9.
Grade A is now a grade 7, and a grade C is now a grade 4 or 5!
Any new system takes a while to get to grips with.
We should count ourselves fortunate however, as the grade system in Denmark is even more confusing.
It’s a seven-point system, but it doesn’t go from 1-7, or even A-G.
The seven grades you can get are as follows: -2, 0, 2, 4, 7, 10, 12!
So, you can in fact get 12/7 in an assessment!!!
The Bible tells us that the measuring system of grace is even more confusing according to human standards.
We know that as people all of us mess up at some point, as much as we try not to, we are not perfect.
Jesus, however, measures us very differently.
Even though we mess up, He looks at each one of us, and measures our worth so highly, that even with our messes and mistakes, we are worth dying for.
We might think we are a bit of a mess, a -2/7, but God looks at us and loves us.
He pours that love into our lives and measures us as even more than a 12/7.
That is God’s grace. His wonderful, powerful and life changing grace.
John 3:16-17
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.
Meeting God in Lidl
As I walked around Lidl yesterday evening I was surprised to come across a display of Easter eggs. I don’t know why I found it so surprising when you consider that the shops start to put their Christmas decorations up in October, but I was.
I think the shop manager’s intention of displaying these easter eggs was probably in order to try and entice me to buy some – but actually, what I found myself doing was singing! Granted, I sang in my head (which my son was no doubt very pleased about) but nevertheless, the Easter display didn’t prompt me to buy any chocolate at all, but rather sing the words of a very beautiful song that we had been practising in choir the night before.
It is a song that speaks of the awesome power of our God, the same God who, despite holding all of creation in his hands, still sees me when I’m struggling; still walks beside me to guide my path; who still finds time to hold me up when I’ve got nothing left to give.
The same God who succumbed to the nails on the cross and the God who defeated death and lives today:
Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning?
And who told the ocean you can only come this far?
And who showed the moon where to hide till evening?
Whose words alone can catch a falling star?
Well, I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
All of creation testifies
This life within me cries
I know my Redeemer lives, yeah
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 …
I left Lidl without any chocolate but with a spring in my step!
So I thank that shop manager for inadvertently helping me to remember on a bleak February evening that Easter is coming – but it’s not about the chocolate, it’s all about that awesome, unfathomable, loving God who walks with me – even in Lidl!
And if you’d like to hear more of that song and more about the God it speaks about, come along to the Hub on Sunday morning when the choir might just be singing it.
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 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.”
You can listen to that song in full here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRW-jr_PnbQ
Good and Bad
The day before yesterday was not a good day!
It’s interesting how your day can become disappointing after you had woken up thinking everything was fine, and you were looking forward to certain events booked for the day.
For me, unexpected illness for someone close, played a major and disruptive role, not just forcing a change of plans, but it changed expectations for the coming week.
Then there was the absence of a number of people from an event that has become a focal point in many people’s week.
The event was lovely and meaningful, as always, but as I looked around at empty chairs, I felt that they had missed the opportunity to be part of something worthwhile, and I missed their company.
Then there was a misunderstanding that became complicated and difficult to rectify before the end of the day.
Finally, just to make the day a total mess, my team played pathetically and deserved to lose, which they did.
However today the illness issue has moderated slightly, and the relevant medics are on the case, so there is the expectation of an improvement soon.
The sadness caused by the absence of individuals two days ago has been lightened by the realisation that most of them will be back next week, smiling and hugging as usual.
The unfortunate misunderstanding still lingers, but there is an intention on both sides to rectify the discomfort so that life can return to its peaceful normality.
As for the football result, I have absolutely no doubt that there are slightly more important things to worry about; anyway, there’s always the next game.
Jesus never promised that our journey through life would be constant joy, safety, and comfort. Listen;
“In this life you will have trouble.”
Jesus hid nothing from His disciples, it was important for them to know that hardship and difficulties were normal in this world. However, Jesus added to His statement these words, “Take heart! I have overcome the world.”
As we face each new day in the morning, we all know that we cannot predict how it will end.
Paul, writing to the Christians in Rome, who knew all about difficult days, made this statement that through 2000 years has encouraged Christians worldwide, many in circumstances that could possibly destroy us;
‘I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’
I guess most of us, when we wake up, thank God for a new day.
Whatever the day looks like in the evening, let us still thank God for the day, because He walked through it with us.
Interviewing
I have been interviewing recently and whilst I know how tricky it is as the interviewee, being the interviewer is also quite difficult.
When you are being interviewed, you need to do your research about the company and the job that you are applying for.
You can make sure that your own experience and skills can be matched to the new role. You can get a bit nervous sometimes as you don’t know what you are going to be asked or what your interviewers will be like.
As the interviewer, it is also quite tricky.
You have a CV and application to read to choose who you want to meet up with.
You can set your questions beforehand and the answers you are hoping for.
But then when you get to the interview, you never quite know how the people are going to deal with the questions.
I try to make the whole thing as relaxed as I can.
Sometimes, they cope really well and it just becomes more of a conversation.
Other times, you need to gently encourage some form of an answer or maybe just gently move on without making a fuss.
How do you choose the right person with a 1 hour interview?
It’s a big decision, you want the right person for the team and the role.
In the Bible, God asked Samuel to go and choose the next King.
Samuel met with the family and looked through the sons.
Samuel was looking for a tall, strong man to lead the people.
But God stopped him saying,
Don’t look at his appearance or how tall he is, because I have rejected him. God does not see as humans see. Humans look at outward appearances, but the Lord looks into the heart.
Sadly, when doing an interview, I cannot see into their heart in the way God can.
But God knows our hearts, he knows how we feel and he knows what is important to us.
It is not for us to judge anybody as we are probably no better or worse anyway.
So, we welcome all to our Melling community.
We cannot fool God, all we can do is love God and trust God and love those around us.
Bus Etiquette
I wonder how often you travel on a bus? Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Never?
Well as I was on the bus this week, I made an observation that I have decided to call ‘Bus Etiquette’.
This refers to the way that people choose what seat to sit in on the bus.
It appears to be the same system, unconsciously adopted by all, regardless of which bus or the time of day.
Firstly, all of the window seats are occupied one by one.
Then and only then, do people choose an aisle seat.
However, the choosing of an aisle seat is a difficult thing, as it all depends on who is in the window seat.
Some people protect the seat next to them, by placing their bag on it, so you can't sit there.
At this point people on the whole seem to choose the aisle seat next to the person who most closely resembles them in gender or age.
So older ladies will sit next to older ladies.
Young lads sit next to young lads, and so it goes on.
There is one factor however, that can completely change this seating etiquette.
Eye contact.
If you make eye contact with the person who is looking to sit down, and smile and appear not too much like a lunatic, they will always sit next to you.
If people feel welcomed, they will always respond.
Even on a cold rainy day when everything has gone wrong, if someone on the bus smiles at them and appears welcoming, they will have a seat buddy for the journey.
Their day will be that little bit brighter.
Of course, making people feel welcomed is not just for a seat on the bus, it's for every situation.
The Bible is very clear that it’s a vital part of the life of a Christian.
Wherever we go, we love and welcome people in the way that Jesus did.
Romans 15:7
So reach out and welcome one another to God’s glory.
Jesus did it; now you do it!
Whether you are on a bus or somewhere completely different today, remember the Bus Etiquette system; Eye Contact and smile, and try not to look like a lunatic!
Let's brighten up the days of those around us.
January Sunrises
Truth and Justice?
Recently, we have been watching the TV drama ‘Mr Bates vs The Post Office’ and, like many others, have been outraged at the injustice of what happened to innocent people who were just trying to do their job.
It seems inconceivable that our modern legal system can fail so badly that these people were labelled thieves and fraudsters when they had done no wrong.
They lost their livelihoods, their homes; relationships broke down; families were torn apart; innocent people went to prison and in some cases took their own lives, so heavy was the burden of the false judgement they carried.
As we sat and watched the drama unfold and felt the increasing infuriation as our justice system failed so many people, it struck me that it had taken a TV drama to get my attention – where had my outrage and anger been when these people had been crying out for someone to pay attention and listen to them?
It is all too easy for us to join in with our surrounding culture and condemn people for whatever we deem to be their mistakes or failings.
If we’re honest, we all do it.
Perhaps it’s a little bit too much effort to try and discover what the truth of a situation is than it is to listen to the gossip or judge what we see on the surface.
Perhaps we simply don’t have access to the facts.
The Bible calls us to “Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly” (John 7:24).
We’re not entitled to make assumptions or listen to the chatter or the labels that society has placed on people – nothing so simple.
We’re instructed to make the effort to find the truth and, if we must judge, judge with justice.
I recall being told a story about a student minister visiting some inmates in a local prison. The student’s name was ‘Innocent’, so, he got up and introduced himself saying “I’m Innocent”, to which the reply came “we all are in ‘ere mate!”
Perhaps not everyone who claims innocence is actually innocent and we may not have the facts to hand to be able to judge whether a conviction is sound or not, but we can start in our little corner of Melling and, before judging the actions of those around us, ask ourselves if we have our facts straight or are we listening to the gossip?
Before we judge those around us, let’s remind ourselves what God actually asks of us: “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8)
Let’s walk humbly with God and with the mercy he has shown to us, let’s show that to those around us.
Read, Or You Will Be Sorry!
Do you know what Ikea means?
The word is made up from the initials of the founder Ingvar Kamprad, the farm on which he grew up, Elmtaryd, and the nearest village Agunnaryd.
So now you know!
Most people know that Ikea means pain, torment, argument, hours of desperately assembling, disassembling, then finally reading the instructions and starting again.
It only took us two hours to pick the three items we wanted to take home, although it felt like ten hours.
We stood in a queue, paid the bill, then we were set free, all we had to do was to push our piled-up trolley to the car, trying to remember where it was, then load the car.
Have you noticed how heavy Ikea products are?
When we arrived home, we then had to unload the car and carry everything into the house and pile it up where we would all trip over it.
I love Ikea.
That was stage one.
The next stage was opening all the boxes and forcing all the cardboard into our brown bin.
The third stage was the easy one; putting it together.
I guess you have found the same as us, it's so easy, because it's logical.
Why they bother to include an instruction leaflet, with drawings, I’ll never know, do they think we are idiots?
Some people have told me that they worked all weekend trying to assemble a three-foot wide bookcase, but had to leave it in pieces when they went to work on Monday.
Pathetic!
I put together a bookcase and a draw unit in only two days, and I had some pieces left over.
Actually, that may not be a totally accurate description of my expertise.
As a man, I find it very difficult to confess that I had to read the instructions. Several times. But it’s all over now, so I can relax.
As I have some pieces left over, I think I’ll keep the instructions, just in case.
Many people treat life the way they treat Ikea’s leaflets, they think they know better than the makers so they will ignore the instructions.
God, who is the maker of everything, left us with instructions so that we could build our lives successfully.
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
I have discovered that reading Ikea’s advice from the beginning is a good idea.
If we want our lives to work the way our maker planned it, we need to pay attention to His plans, then our lives can be complete, everything will work the way it should, and we’ll have no bits left over.
Warning!!…Work in Progress!!
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.
Today, may we all be very thankful for God’s patience towards us, and remember to exercise the same patience towards one another.
We are all works in progress!!
Paul in the Bible knew what it was like to need God’s help and grace each and every day and he prayed for that same help and grace for others….
‘All my prayers for you are full of praise to God!….
And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in His grace until His task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns.’
The words of this beautiful, well known hymn are taken from the Bible.
May they be our prayer as we get up this morning.
Please click on the link below….
https://youtu.be/NT0HcAr9aeI?feature=shared
RSPB Bird Count
I wonder if any of you are taking part in this weekend’s RSPB garden birdwatch?
There are many people doing this and I am sure it will be a wonderful hour spent watching nature and counting the different types of birds you can see in your garden or maybe in a local park.
There will of course be some of the more common birds that you will see like a house sparrow or maybe a thrush or a blue tit.
You may be lucky enough to see some others as well, like a coal tit or a goldfinch.
There are so many beautiful birds around us and yet so often we don’t even notice them. But when we take the time to sit and watch them, we realise how lovely they are.
Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you.
The wonderful world around us was made and inspired by God.
We should treasure it and look after it and we should remember that our loving God will take care of us even more.
Enjoy our beautiful world, made by God and loved by God.
And as we see the world around us, remember how much more he loves us and how he is longing for us to love him back.
Life’s Journeys.
I recently watched a film called ‘The Last Bus’ about a man, Tom, who embarks on a journey from John O’Groats to Lands End to take his wife home.
It’s a very long and arduous journey with many pitfalls along the way but Tom continues on regardless of anyone’s attitude or judgement.
It’s a very emotional film with highs and lows and it made me smile and cry (a lot), both sad and happy tears.
I’m glad I watched it on my own as I do get very upset and find it nice to be able to ‘get it all out’ without anyone’s judgement, something Tom was unable to avoid in the film.
The film made me think about life’s journeys and the many different ways that people get through it.
Some are very adventurous and travel the world looking for happiness, peace, love or whatever it is they need.
Others stay close to home and are happy with their lot.
Some people thrive in the company of others, while others live a quiet, even solitary life but throughout our lives we are all judged one way or another and often by people who don’t understand or agree with the paths we take.
No matter how far we have travelled or how many people we meet along the way, each person’s journey is very personal and unique and this should be celebrated.
As a church, one of our non-negotiables is ‘Jesus Is Lord’.
These non-negotiables are part of our journey and something that we should also feel happy to celebrate and share freely without fear of judgement.
‘Let us not therefore judge one another anymore, but judge this rather that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way’
Romans 14:13
Tom in the film was judged and misunderstood by many on his journey but there were also those who cheered him on and encouraged him to complete his journey even though they did not know what it was actually about.
We will all have our ‘judgers’ and ‘cheerleaders’ on our path through life but God will always be by your side on your journey.
‘God sent his son into the world not to judge the world but to save the world through him’ John 3:17
Be more Starling
I wonder what your favourite garden bird is?
The Goldfinch, the Sparrow, the Robin?
There are lots to choose from.
They all have different plumage, different songs to sing, and have different favourite foods. The Sparrow prefers sunflower seeds, but the goldfinch likes niger seeds much better.
One bird that may be not much to look at in the garden is the starling.
It's scruffy and big and can often screech rather than sing.
Its favourite food is also mealworms and suet, which is a bit gross to be honest.
However, the garden is not where the starling shines.
The starling needs a wide open space, and a lot of other starlings.
An evening dance of a group of starlings, called a murmuration, is one of the most amazing sights.
Thousands and thousands of scruffy starlings working together to create an ever changing and beautiful display.
Please look it up if you have not seen one.
A murmuration works because all of the starlings work together.
None is more important than any other, and the pattern is defined by all of them.
It's true community in action bringing beauty and wonder.
It's particularly great as you would not maybe expect such an amazing dance from a scruffy starling.
Now we may not be starlings, but the bible calls us all to work together to create a beautiful dance of community that brings glory to God.
We may feel a bit scruffy, and not much good by ourselves, but together, we can create a beautiful community that shows the love of God.
When Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, in the bible, he explained it like this:
2 Corinthians 4:6, 7, 15
For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves……. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.
May our Melling church be a light for Jesus, and may each of us work together and find our part to play to create a wonderful community for God to shine.
https://youtu.be/6N4CtfkbC7Y?si=vwNMxKBJrhuZ_zu9
Lessons in Life
So the saga of having a puppy in the house continues…this week he decided it was a really good idea to take a tiny thread from the carpet and worked really hard to grow that tiny thread until it was big enough to pull on. He pulled on it and pulled on it until we now have one perfectly straight but baldy strip of carpet. We should have known that he was being far too quiet!
When we discovered what he was up to and commanded him to stop, he simply rolled over ready for a tummy tickle and I’m absolutely certain he had a smile on his face.
He didn’t understand that he had done something wrong and certainly not something he was to be proud of or rewarded for!
The onus is entirely on us to teach him what is good and what really isn’t.
It struck me though that he isn’t unlike us in that respect.
The people we surround ourselves with are the people we learn from; the people who help us form our opinions; who teach us how to behave.
There is clearly an important message for all parents in this and the responsibility that we have to help our children grow into kind, thoughtful and generous people – but our responsibilities don’t end there. When we come together as a community of people, it isn’t just about the coffee and the laughter (as important as they are) we are also responsible to and for one another.
They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers. Everyone around was in awe – all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met. The followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.
(Acts 2)
This is a picture of the early church with people coming together; eating together, supporting one another, learning from one another and giving generously to one another whether that be of time, resources, love or instruction.
We now have a new home to meet in, let’s make sure we fill it with love and joy; may it be a place where we learn from one another and give graciously and freely.
And if, on occasions, one of us behaves like a naughty puppy – let’s be kind and gentle in our correction so that we can learn together through love, example and kindness.
Just Words
I watched the Choir of the Year Competition last weekend on TV.
There were five choirs from around the country who had been preparing, probably for months, for this performance of a lifetime. They each chose a different song to demonstrate their abilities to the audience, and to the three judges who offered their opinions and had to decide on a winning choir.
It didn’t matter to me who won because I’m not an expert and none of the choirs moved me.
That doesn’t mean they performed badly, it just means that, when I listen to a gospel choir, I expect to be lifted mentally and spiritually, and that didn’t happen.
You may think I’m biased, but I know a local choir who moves me every time they perform.
I would love to see that choir competing in this competition, I believe that the judges would remember the choir from Liverpool for a long time.
The judges were asked at the beginning of the programme what advice they would offer to the choirs.
One judge told them to forget that they were in a competition, forget the award they may win, just listen to the words they were singing, and if they believed them and sang them honestly, that was the most important reason for singing.
I like that judge!
At our church service on Sunday, we sang these 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.’
I’m sure that all who sang those words on Sunday morning believed that they expressed the truth for themselves and the other people singing with them.
But our spoken words are as important as the words we sing together.
When we talk to people, face to face, or on our phones, we must never offer words that just sound right for the occasion; we have to provide encouragement, compassion, and God’s truth.
The Bible reminds us that,
‘The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control.’
In our conversations, if this fruit of the Spirit directs our words, they will be beautiful, wise, truthful, and will lift people mentally and spiritually.
Even without music!
“Not Walking Away”
Good morning everybody, happy Monday to you all.
At the start of another week, may you know the presence of a God who wants to be part of your life.
Who wants to walk you and guide you through the storms of life.
Who will never stop loving you or wanting relationship with you.
Who will never leave.
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.”
"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
Click the link below to hear this beautiful song…
Thank You.
If you happen to go past some of our health service locations, you may still see the
“Thank you NHS” messages from the Covid lockdown.
We are blessed with some wonderful nurses and doctors, and in Liverpool we are also blessed with a great variety of specialist services within easy travelling.
There are many people who will travel for several hours in order to visit these services and yet we have them practically on our doorstep.
And whilst the service can sometimes be struggling with the volume of patients, the vast majority of the staff remain calm, polite and kind; even when some of the patients do not return the favour.
We have some medical professionals in our Melling community who serve us so well.
Let’s take a moment to thank God for those who support us.
In our own community, we offer our support and prayers for those around us as well. Sometimes, those who we do pray for are not always convinced of its value.
And yet, we have a faithful group of people who will pray and those who will support in many ways, offering practical support or providing comfort in times of difficulty.
Thank you Melling!
In the book of Philippians, we are encouraged,
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds
Tell God about the things which trouble you.
If you want to, tell someone else and they will pray for you.
If you are happy, we can share the privilege and pray together.
Thank God for his love and comfort and answers to our prayers.
Are You Awake?
It’s 5.10am.
I’ve been wide awake for over an hour.
So I’m sitting up in bed, eating chocolate and doing some work.
It’s quiet.
My chicks are asleep.
My dogs are both snoring.
All is quiet.
Except my brain.
That’s busy!
Full of ideas actually.
I have plans!…those three words of mine have been known to terrify people!
I’ve currently written three pages of plans and thoughts and ideas.
This isn’t anything new.
My brain rarely stops spinning and sparking and firing in all directions.
I guess that explains why I need my coffee first thing in the morning when the ‘real’ day begins!
I’m reading Psalm 46.
It speaks of God being,
‘…. our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble…’
It speaks of how He is in charge,
He will have the last say,
how He looks on the earth and says,
‘Be still!’
It’s 5.25am, it’s still quiet and dark and calm.
It’s lovely.
But as my thoughts pour out on to the 4th page,
no 5th page,
garbled,
panicked,
excited,
worried,
jumbled thoughts….I read these familiar words all over again,
‘Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.’
I may be awake for the rest of the night,
I may fall asleep soon,
but this Psalm is my cue to ‘be still’.
Whatever thoughts you have today,
whether you have worries galore
or not a care in the world,
may we all remember that in the midst of it all,
with awe
and gratitude
and peace, to,
Be still, and know that He is God.
And breathe.
Sunrise
In the UK, we take it for granted that the sun will rise and set each day.
Though the times may change, it's one of our constants in life.
However, in the North Western Territories in Canada, it's not.
Every winter, they experience something called a Polar Night.
This is when the night lasts for 24hrs a day.
Due to the angle of the Earth and the way that the Earth spins, they are so close to the Arctic, that every December and early January, they have more than 30 days of Polar nights.
As well as being a very strange experience, Polar nights have documented detrimental effects on the body.
Without daylight, people have less energy, are more prone to depression, and can suffer from vitamin D deficiencies.
As well as people, animals and plant life suffer.
The sun, and its light and warmth are essential for life on earth.
Needless to say, there is a 3 day festival to celebrate the sun's return.
I imagine it's quite a party!
Just like the Sun is essential for us, the Bible describes Jesus as essential for our spiritual well being.
Jesus is described as Light by John
John 1: 4-5
In Jesus there was life, and that life was the light of all people. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.
And Jesus himself describes himself as Bread, a staple food for everyone.
John 6:35
Then Jesus said, “I am the bread that gives life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
These descriptions emphasize how important Jesus is to each one of us.
The Bible tells us that Jesus is as important to our daily lives as Light, Food and Water.
He fills our hearts with Love and provides a way for us to spend forever in heaven with God.
The people of northern Canada have a yearly reminder of how important the Sun is to them and celebrate it each year.
Lets take a few moments today and every day to celebrate the Light and Love of Jesus, how much he means to us, and how thankful we are that he will never leave us.
Good News
As a family this week, we got to celebrate some really exciting, good news as our daughter and her boyfriend announced their engagement.
They worked their way through family members from parents and grandparents to wider family and friends to share their good news and it wasn’t long before messages of congratulations were being sent over social media.
The news spread from person to person as people shared in our joy.
When something good happens to us or something has gone well, it is natural that we want to share that good news with those around us and tell everyone who will listen about the wonderful thing that has happened.
Isn’t it strange, therefore, how we can be so reluctant to share the amazing news that it doesn’t matter who you are or what you have done, God loves each and every one of us?
I mean, that’s pretty incredible news but it doesn’t end there, he loves us so much that he sent his one and only son to bear the weight of our sins and die in our place.
He literally paid off all the debts we owe to God!
Surely we should be shouting about it from the rooftops?!
Sadly, all too often we become complacent and forget the huge debt of gratitude that we owe to God; we forget the excitement we once felt when we first realised what a wonderful gift we have been given.
In the book of Ephesians we are reminded:
“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.”
That’s pretty amazing news – if that’s not worth sharing then I don’t know what is.
Let’s just take a moment to remind ourselves what wonderful news we have and let’s remember to share it with everyone who will listen – people enjoy receiving good news, so why would we keep it to ourselves?
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!”
Last Night
Last night was a special night.
After not having choir practice on Monday evenings since the start of December, our amazing gospel choir got back together.
That’s a whole 5 weeks without our choir practices!!
5 weeks of not practicing,
laughing
and drinking tea together!!
5 weeks of missing each other!!
5 weeks of no therapy!!
5 weeks!!
Yesterday I was excited to say the least.
And the choir didn’t disappoint!
We drank tea,
we laughed,
we chatted,
we sang.
And yes,
we worked hard….we have A LOT of work to do, remembering our parts,
our words,
our timing
our ‘moves’….Yes, a lot of work!!
But as the old saying goes,
‘If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well’.
Our choir has existed for over 12 years and in that time we have made new friends,
learnt beautiful songs,
performed in hospices,
shops,
cathedrals,
churches,
city centres
….for special events and for fundraisers.
It’s been a lot of hard work for every one of us.
And it’s been worth it!
The Bible says,
‘Put your heart and soul into every activity you do, as though you are doing it for the Lord Himself and not merely for others.’
Last night was choir night!!
And I couldn’t wait to get back!!
It’s was a lot of hard work for us all (no apologies!)….but it’s SO worth it!!!
We put our heart and soul in to every single moment, not just the singing!!!
We laughed well,
shared well,
cared well.
and ask any choir member, and we will all say the same thing…we see the benefits.
Better relationships,
better productivity,
peace of mind,
satisfaction,
good relationships,
sense of achievement
….It’s worth the effort!
Have a very lovely day today everybody, remember to give your best in everything you do today, as if doing it for Jesus Himself.
And choir, we meet again next Monday for a lot of laughter,
encouragement,
tears…and hard work!!!…
Your homework is on its way!
Oh Happy Day!!!
What’s That Smell?
You will all have heard of how bad skunk spray can smell, but have you ever smelt it?
I have.
25 years ago in Texas.
Driving along the road one night when suddenly my nose was attacked with quite possibly the worst smell I have ever encountered.
In fact all these years later I can still smell it!
Awful awful awful!
My nose has never recovered!
I can totally understand why other animals are seriously threatened when they encounter a skunk!
Nothing and no one wants to experience that smell!
But interestingly, when skunks are born they can’t produce the bad smell.
They have to ‘grow in to it’, learn how to produce it.
On the contrary, when our babies are born they don’t need any practice in producing numerous stinky nappies every day.
They don’t need to learn that.
But there is a different kind of ‘bad smell’ that humans do learn to produce.
It’s called prejudice and as one journalist wrote recently,
‘…it’s one of the worst smells in the world…’
Nelson Mandela wrote these powerful words,
‘No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.’
As I see news reports every day about hatred, violence, fighting, wars, bullying….I am mindful of Mandela’s quote.
How vile, how cruel us humans can learn to be to one another.
The smell of prejudice is indeed disgusting.
The Bible says,
‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus’.
With God there’s no room for prejudice,
racism,
cruelty,
hatred.
There’s no room for superiority.
Jesus said,
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength,
AND love your neighbour as you love yourself’.
Our neighbour is anybody,
regardless of skin colour,
language,
status,
religion.
No ifs, no buts.
May our thoughts and words and actions towards ALL people create a beautiful sweet smelling atmosphere,
and may we leave it to the skunk to create the foul smell!
Bored Games
Do you enjoy a board game?
Or do you get bored?
I have some great memories of family nights playing board games. Whether it's Monopoly or Cluedo or Scrabble.
The idea of the games can be very different but to sit down as a family, chat with each other, challenge each other and maybe try to cheat each other!!
Being able to spend time together is lovely. Having a laugh together is wonderful.
And then there is the competitive side which can sometimes bring out the more ruthless side of someone’s character.
Maybe you do other things when you get together with friends or family?
Social times help us to build our relationships with each other.
Think of some of the evenings you have spent with people when you have been able to relax, chat and have a laugh together.
I bet they bring you a smile and maybe a giggle.
Maybe there is someone you have just thought of that you could contact and say hi.
We love our friends and family, we choose to be with them and stick with them through the tough times and the good times.
The Bible tells us in many ways that we should love those around us, that we should bear with each other and forgive each other if we get it wrong.
As our church family, we meet together, chat together, laugh together and comfort each other.
We each have a part that we bring to this family.
The disciple Peter wrote about it in the Bible;
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.
Love one another.
Be gracious to one another.
Love each other as God loves us.
Christmas Cards
Now I know that Christmas is over.
Decorations are down, mince pies are eaten, and Christmas cards are in the recycling bin.
I got some wonderful Christmas cards this year, but a couple really stood out for me.
One was from Bethlehem University.
I had never heard of Bethlehem University, so I had a quick google to see what it was all about.
Bethlehem University is unique in that it was the First university to be established in the West Bank.
It is a Christian University, but is open to all genders and all faiths, and has the honour to be part of both the Catholic and Arab Universities Organisations.
Over 50 years nearly 20,000 students have studied with them and there are currently over 2000 students attempting to study at present, in the middle of the conflict.
Its students are a beacon for peace and cooperation through education in an area where peace is in very short supply.
Jesus calls all of his followers to show His love to those around him.
We may not be in the middle of a war zone today, but wherever we are, we are called to bring Jesus with us, and show others his love and care.
To ‘Shine’ for Jesus.
Matthew 5:14-16
You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
Like the students of Bethlehem University, let's bring the light and love of Jesus wherever we go today.
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."
Martin Luther King
Finding Rest
Is it my imagination or are there adverts everywhere you turn at the moment for holidays? Christmas is over and the adverts for brightly coloured toys, sparkly clothes and indulgent food have finished, just to be replaced with the adverts selling us life changing holidays; places we absolutely must visit; golden beaches stretching for miles and sun that shines day after day.
How tempting it is at this time of year to yearn for the warmth of the sun and the escape from the routine of life to something so much brighter!
We all love to get away for a while and there is nothing wrong with looking forward to a good holiday.
The problem is, we can’t stay on holiday, we can’t stay in the idyllic picture-postcard life – we eventually have to return home and return to all of the realities of life.
Life may be filled with health worries, financial concerns or family stresses – these things cannot be escaped so easily by booking two weeks in the sun, however, Jesus offers us another way:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
(Matt 11)
Jesus invites us, however tired or fed up we may be feeling, to walk each day with him; spending time in his company and allowing him to set a new rhythm for our lives.
There is no promise of sunshine or deck chairs, but he does promise us freedom and rest that will be deeper and more far-reaching than any circumstance we may find ourselves in.
Am I looking forward to seeing some sun?
Oh yes!
But in the meantime, I will take the day that God sets before me and give thanks to him for his gracious gift of his companionship through this new day.
“Today is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”.
Oh Lord My God
‘Oh Lord my God,
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works
Thy hands hath made.
I see the stars
I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed’
Our house is a busy one.
An often noisy one.
I love it, most of the time.
But when I’m needing some quiet, I retreat to my bedroom, sitting at the end of my bed, to make my phone calls, write, plan, prepare and anything else that requires some silence.
Recently, there I was deep in thought when one of my chicks appeared at the door.
‘Mum, do you want to know how 3D glasses work?’
‘Er, no’, was my reply.
She walked over to my bed and settled herself down.
I knew then I was about to receive a physics lesson.
I tried hard to concentrate on what I was doing, all the while very aware that she was still there and wasn’t moving until I agreed to listen to her.
‘Ok, tell me how 3D glasses work!’
She smiled and instantly became animated,
‘So!....’ And off we went.
I listened intently, trying hard to understand what she was explaining to me, but what struck me the most was the sheer delight she displayed in the subject.
She was fascinated, and fascinating!
I’m not a scientist.
Give me people and words and music and art.
Ask me for ideas and thoughts!
But don’t ask me about the Periodic Table or how sound and light waves work!
But! That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate how incredible science is.
How every day of our lives we are surrounded by and blessed by ‘science’!
The medicines we take.
The satellites that provide us with instant communication.
The cars we drive.
The trees and plants growing all around us, just doing their thing! The Animal Kingdom!
Vaccines and life saving operations.
Our solar system!!
And these incredible, complex ‘machines’ called ‘the human body’. Every person created with gifts
and skills
and value.
Whether you call it biology, physics, chemistry, science, nature or something else, our world is absolutely incredible!!
The Bible is full of people expressing their awe of creation, David wrote,
‘The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands’.
Maybe today, take a few moments out of your day to recall the wonders of space, the beauty of our world, the gifts each person is blessed with and then say with immense gratitude,
‘My God, how great thou art’.
Worth Remembering
At the beginning of each year, if you’re like me, you will look back and add some memories to your growing collection.
I wonder how we will measure last year. What stands out, and why?
Some events during 2023 were not what we would have chosen to add to our list, because they were disappointing or painful. We don’t choose to remember some things; we just can’t escape them!
On the brighter side, we are very happy to add to our library of events because they were happy or funny, or possibly significant enough for us to experience pride, relief, or satisfaction.
Some of them were so meaningful that we automatically see them as God at work .
Many were so personal that nobody around us, family or friends, were even aware of the gift of a life-changing incident.
Others involved partners, children, or grandchildren.
There may be one or two which were more public, with people looking on and sharing our joy, or our sadness.
It would be a very interesting experiment to see if we could list the top ten memories from our entire lives.
I think we would struggle to select ten because we have so many.
For most Christians, one memory that would survive the challenge would be the day when we gave our life to God because, in Jesus we found a Saviour, and we accepted Him as Lord of our life.
Another one, which for many of us would almost certainly rank in our top ten would be the day we were baptised.
Yesterday we had the thrill and absolute joy of watching two of our friends being baptised. Surrounded by us, they declared publicly, clearly, and proudly, that their lives had been transformed and now belonged to our Creator God.
Their deeply personal stories caused great emotion, and an extraordinary mixture of tears and smiles.
Every time we see someone being baptised, our prayers are always that their faith and witness will last their lifetime.
In the case of yesterday’s friends, we have no doubt that this will happen.
While they thank God for His involvement in their lives, we thank them for bringing us great joy, and adding to our long line of memories.
Yesterday’s event was worth remembering.
‘Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of Heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honour at God’s right hand. Think about the things of Heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.’
COL 3.1-3
New Start…
Who can believe it's 2024?!
I had a new team member join this week and I decided to take it easy and just have a quiet start to his new role. Break them in gently, new year, new job, new team.
Minimise the pressure and stress. Let them ease into it.
At the start of this calendar year, many people like to set themselves a new year resolution or goal for something to achieve this year.
We also now have a building where our wonderful Melling Community Church can meet together and invite people to meet with us, have a drink and cake and talk about our wonderful God.
What are your thoughts about this new year?
Some thoughts on how you can approach this.
Ask God if there is something He would like you to work on.
Think about anything which you didn’t like about last year that you want to improve. Choose something that will help your relationship with God.
We have a wonderful community with so many opportunities to support each other and to share that message of God's love within our own community and also within our wider community, our friends and family.
There are so many ways to help and everyone is able to help in some way.
In the Bible, when the Israelites were escaping Egypt , God wanted to show them that a new thing was coming.
In the book of Isaiah Chapter 18, we read,
For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
Listen for God, this will be an exciting year !!
Rule 147
I recently listened to a radio discussion about the highway code.
I must confess that I have never actually read the highway code from cover to cover! (it was not mandatory to have more than a general knowledge of it when I passed my driving test, honest!).
The radio discussion was looking at some of the more unusual rules contained in the Highway code which made me smile.
So, for example, Rule 102 states that children in cars must be kept under control!
Anyone with toddlers will know how difficult this is to follow!
Rule 148 says that you should never argue with passengers in your car, and Rule 112 informs us that you should never sound your horn aggressively. I am not sure what the difference is between an aggressive horn and a non aggressive horn sound, but there we are!
There are 307 rules in total in the highway code, but my favourite rule by far is rule 147.
Rule 147 states that we must be considerate to all who use the roads.
Really, I think that should be rule number 1, as I think it’s the most important one.
If everyone followed rule 147, the roads would be a much better place.
We have all encountered drivers who are not following rule 147, and it can really ruin your day.
The Bible teaches us that it's not just on the roads that we should be showing consideration to others.
Love, Consideration and Kindness, are a key part in the Christian Life.
We are encouraged to show these things to everyone everywhere we go, even if they are sounding their horn aggressively!
Philippians 4:4-5
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.
So today, let's remember Rule 147 especially, and show everyone consideration and love, the amazing love and kindness and care of Jesus.
We Need An Ark!
Is anyone else fed up with all this rain?
I mean, I know that we need rain, but really?!
Surely it can stop now!
It does, however, remind me about the story of Noah and his ark - I'm sure there are some places in the country at the moment that might be thinking about building one.
But last week, over the Christmas break, I watched the film ‘Evan Almighty’.
If you haven’t seen it, it's a fun film where a man suddenly finds himself being instructed by God to build an ark - in modern-day America!
As you can imagine chaos follows him everywhere - as do the gathering animals and storm clouds!
But at the end of the film Morgan Freeman, who plays God, invites the audience to think about the word ‘Ark’ as an acronym for ‘act of random kindness’ and suggests how each of us can play our part in changing the world for the better simply by doing one act of random kindness a day.
I love this!
Instead of making grand new year’s resolutions that will be forgotten in a week, how about keeping it really simple and start the year by agreeing that we will all try and do at least one act of random kindness a day?
If you have a bad day and miss a day, just try again tomorrow!
I truly think kindness has the power to change the world and we can definitely start in our little corner.
In the book of 1 Peter, we read these words:
“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”
Let's be generous, cheerful and surprising with God's love and kindness, it might just change someone's day.
And if you think you might struggle to remember? - just take a look out of the window and remind yourself how we could all do with more ‘ark’ right now!
Now That's a Good Idea!
Well happy new year to you all!!
All done and dusted for another year!
I happily took my tree down yesterday with the eager help from Louis and Alan (dogs!) and me and my chicks (daughters!) have our home back to normal (never normal!) again!
It’s now that I tell myself,
‘ok, this year I’m going to be more organised;
more on time;
more prepared;
stop eating chocolate for breakfast (not always!); have less muddy paw prints to mop every day (who am I kidding?)
drink less coffee (ha! Just joking!);
make the choir work harder (ha! Not joking!)’
Oh the list can be endless for my plans for being a better, new and improved version of me!!
But I can make as many plans as I like,
if all they do is stay as plans,
then what’s the point?
I can have as many bright and creative ideas as I like, but if all I do is have ideas,
and never do anything with them,
then what’s the point?
Jesus was teaching one day and He asked the people,
‘Why do you call me “Lord, Lord”, and do not do what I tell you?’
He had a good point!! (He always has good points!) Here was Jesus,
Emmanuel, God With Us,
giving guidance and advice and love,
and offering peace that passes all understanding, joy in all circumstances
and hope for the future….
and people heard Him,
but didn’t listen.
And it’s easy for us to still do that today.
Jesus doesn’t just want to be remembered at Christmas,
or Easter,
or 10.30am on a Sunday.
But every day,
in every part of our lives.
Our Melling Community Church motto text for 2024 is Psalm 19:14.
David wrote these words…
‘May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, oh Lord my rock and my redeemer’.
I have a long list of ‘self-improvement’ plans!
I will achieve some better than others (she says drinking her second strong coffee of the day!)
But I hope and pray that with each new day I can choose all over again to make Jesus my Lord, and know something of His love, joy, peace and hope each and every day.
Only God Knows
I went to a photographic exhibition last week. It showed the work of a photographer over the last sixty years.
His main interest was people just being people, no posing or preparation.
He just walked the streets and rode on buses, pointing his camera at people, men, women and children. Most of the time they saw him but surprisingly they didn’t complain, he smiled and chatted and walked away.
I’m amazed he’s still alive and shooting.
The vast majority of his subjects were not rich and none of them were famous.
When you looked at these people, the temptation was to walk away because they were unknown to you and the world, so they were not important.
Nobody cared about their history.
The moment in time when the shutter recorded a new face, it was the face of a person who had a past and a future, hopes and fears, they had a direction in life or they had lost their way, they had a family that brought comfort out of stress.
The camera recorded the clothes they chose, or that they could just afford, or that were given to them.
But we can’t tell much of what’s going on in a person’s life just by looking.
You must have been photographed over Christmas, and just like them, you have a past and a future, and hopes and fears.
We are all the same, people can’t tell what’s going on inside just by looking.
But God understands everything about us, He doesn’t need a camera.
David understood this, he wrote;-
Lord, you have examined me and you know me. You know everything I do; from far away you understand all my thoughts. You see me, whether I am working or resting; you know all my actions. Even before I speak, you already know what I will say. You are all around me on every side; you protect me with your power. Your knowledge of me is too deep; it is beyond my understanding.’
As we stand at the beginning of another year, we can look back and remember many things, happy or sad, disappointing or encouraging, we have found new people and we have lost some.
As we look forward, we have plans and hopes, fears and ambitions, and we think nobody understands what’s in our heads and hearts.
But David reminds us that nothing is hidden from God, the past year with its successes and failures, and only God knows what this year will contain.
Whatever is heading our way in our personal life, with family and friends, or in our Melling community with our new God-given building, there is one thing we can all claim to know; God will walk with us:-
For God has said,
“I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
Let’s remember to pray for the millions who are terrified of what this year has in store for them.
Just out of interest, this is Sunrise number 1,374.
We didn’t see that coming.
God did!