Activity, rest and waiting.

The week began with activity.  Last week my elder son Martin spent a few days with us as work didn't permit him to spend actual Christmas with us.  He was off work on Christmas Day but to travel down to Somerset from Cheshire late on Christmas Eve and then travel back Christmas Day night to be at work on Boxing Day just didn't seem worth it.  It was better to get a few days off the week before and spend some time with us.  We went to the cinema to see the new Hobbit film and then went for a pizza - a very enjoyable afternoon and evening out.  So we did a sort of Christmas a week early, having turkey with all the trimmings etc. and we opened a couple of presents, leaving the rest for the actual event itself.  Last Saturday afternoon he went back to his own place in Cheshire and my other son Diego went off to work.  The house seemed quiet after that.  Until Monday that is!  Then the storm hit!  On the Tuesday morning in the light of day we surveyed the results -  there was a drip coming through the ceiling in the front bedroom, a tile off the roof at the back of the house and the fence blown down (for the umpteenth time this year!)

The broken tile off the roof

Sunday was indeed the lull before the storm, literally.  So activity began again.  Phone calls were made to those with whom we have emergency cover and they were very helpful.  The problem, of course was that this was now Christmas Eve when everyone wants to be at home not out on emergencies.   Absolutely, I quite understood. We were assured that it might take a couple of days but they hadn't forgotten about us.  On Boxing Day we received a phone call to say that someone would be around to assess the damage the following day.  That night another storm hit, but not as strong as the first one, thank goodness.  We are now bracing ourselves for the next storm due on Monday.  But at least, whatever happens, the 'rescue plans' are in motion. 

Trying to prop up the fence again til it is replaced

So Christmas Day was a calm day and again on Thursday as on both occasions we waited for the phone calls ... ... and waited ... ...  and waited ... ... or so it seemed.  I watched the news and was grateful that our damage was so little in comparison to many who had had no electricity since Monday, could not celebrate Christmas, were not able to have the traditional Christmas meal and in some cases had to evacuate the house because of flooding.  I felt quite guilty - I had no reason to moan.  Someone has already been contracted to put up a new fence in the back garden.  We made the agreement way back at the beginning of December but he is unable to do anything before the middle of January but at least that problem is in hand.  The man came and assessed the damage of the roof as arranged and that will go through to the insurers who will then arrange for it to be done - quickly I was assured.  Ah! but it's the waiting when things aren't the way we want them to be that gets me.  It's frustrating.  I want things sorted.  It's like life is on hold.  But this week is just like life. 

There are days of planned activity that we look forward to and enjoy.  There are also days of quiet.  But it's the days of unexpected activity that bring problems and the seemingly unending waiting for things to be resolved.  In the mean time we seem to just plod on but it's not what we really wanted and it's kind of unsettling when life seems to have lost its flow.  How often do we find ourselves in the waiting room of life unable to move forward?  Life is not always the planned activity and days of rest.  So what will 2014 bring?  I wonder.  Maybe some plans will become reality but there will possibly be some waiting time while God sorts things out on our behalf.  Whatever 2014 brings, I hope it is good for you.

Christmas - Through the Eyes of the Three Wise Men

The three wise men is the part of the Christmas story that has always fascinated me.  Christians on the whole steer well clear of anything vaguely linked to the stars, horoscopes and their effect on people's lives.  Yet here we have three astronomers (not to be confused with astrologers who give us horoscopes).  They had studied the stars and believed that the position and relation of the stars and planets did indeed have some bearing on life on earth.  When they saw the particular configuration in the sky and saw the brightness it caused, they interpreted that as being the birth of a very important person, a king, who would have an enormous part to play for humanity.  They got together, packed up some belongings and set off on their journey to search for this special person, using the stars to guide them.  They may not have understood or studied the Jewish scriptures as they were from a completely different culture but they followed their beliefs to search for truth.

The obvious place it seemed would be to go to those in authority, the rulers of the place where they believed this new king had been born.  They were surprised to discover from Herod that the person they sought was not there but that didn't deter them.  Herod meanwhile consulted his own wise men who had studied the scriptures and was told of the Messiah who would be born in Bethlehem.  He told the travellers this and sent them on their way urging them to go back to him and tell him where the child was.  They kept on going, following the star and their convictions until they at last came to the stable in Bethlehem.  They understood the significance about this young child and so brought gifts to reflect their beliefs that he was king (gold), deity (frankincense) and sacrifice (myrrh).  God then told them in a dream to go back home by a different route and so avoid Herod who was just interested in eliminating any opposition to his rule or power.

What has always intrigued me is that although there were many among the Jews who studied the scriptures, none of them seemed aware of the importance of the birth of Jesus.  They totally missed the great event.  'He came unto his own and his own received him not'.  Yet here were people from a completely different culture who understood and God guided them and spoke to them through their own particular way of understanding life and through dreams.  They may not have known or understood all about Jewish history and their chosen status or their words of scripture but they did know how to read the signs of creation that was all around them.  It is good to remind ourselves that God doesn't just use his prophets and those who study his word but he does also quite clearly speak to those outside of his chosen people.  The wise men also learned that God, although so powerful does not always inhabit the grand places but encapsulated the emptying of himself and shows his loving humility in a tiny, helpless child.  Like the shepherds, (see last week's blog post) they learned that God does the unexpected.  We need to learn that we cannot tie God down to our expectations of Him or our way of thinking and understanding.  God will not be limited by our finite minds.

And so again I am reminded in the Christmas story that God is not just seen through the written word.  I need to read the signs, the things that are happening all around me.  God has ways of revealing his truth without all the study and religious observance or allegiance and we are seeing in our own day signs of God working for change in the world through people other than Christian - think of young Malala speaking out to allow education for girls.  We Christians don't have the monopoly of or exclusive access to truth nor are we the only ones through whom God chooses to work.  God uses whom He chooses.  I need to expect the unexpected.  I may need to change my views on things and learn to accept that which until now has been unacceptable to me - a renewing of my mind that God can and does work outside of my limited world of understanding.   

Christmas - Through the Eyes of the Shepherds

Here was this group of blokes just doing what they always did.  They were the tough, outdoor type who were able to fight off wild animals that threatened their flock of sheep.  They were used to spending long hours outside in all types of weather.  They would possibly be passing the night time hours exchanging anecdotes and a few jokes, like men throughout the ages have done.  They would always be alert to any danger that might creep up on them to cause havoc among the sheep with the intention of providing a meal for some hungry wild animal.  But suddenly... ...!  I can almost hear them mutter 'What the ... ...?'  (or their Jewish equivalent) as they searched the bright light for some explanation but not sure what was going on.  

I'm sure that they didn't expect that while they were just carrying out their nightly responsibilities that God would suddenly burst in on them in that way.  To say that they were taken aback is an understatement.  But then God often does that sort of thing - surprise us when we're least expecting it.  We tend to expect God to turn up in places that are deemed to be 'holy'; at special gatherings; in big meetings; when there is the 'right kind' of worship music and groaning prayers.  Angelic visitations appear when we're in the right mood and frame of mind don't they? ... ... not at work!   

The angels gave them directions to go and find the child that had just been born.  They explained the importance of this child - the long awaited Messiah.  Who would have thought that such an important message would have been revealed to a few simple shepherds?  They were probably not very well educated and maybe didn't manage to get to the synagogue very often because of their work.  They had been raised in the Jewish faith and knew about God and their history and being the 'chosen race' but were probably not very active in their expression of their faith.  They didn't question the angels.  They went and found the baby exactly as they had been told.    They weren't all dressed up in their Sabbath best.  They were in work clothes suitable for working with animals outdoors.  They went as they were and found him in the stable with the animals, a messy, dirty, smelly place, away from where people would normally live and sleep.

They saw God in a new way, identifying Himself with them.  He didn't expect certain conditions, education or understanding of Scripture.  He came to them where they were, as they were, out there.  His incarnation was for everyone - all included, not just the religious.  And they worshipped Him, right there, in the middle of their nightly work, as they were, with no great preparation or understanding.  That is Emmanuel - God with us (all) here, now.

Christmas Through the Eyes of a Child

During this advent season I am thinking of how different people view the whole nativity story.  The first one is through the eyes of a child. 

I have to admit that I am a great aunty to the most lovable 3 year old.  The other Saturday I had the privilege of accompanying him and his father, my nephew Darren and grandma Marilyn, my sister.  We went to see the Christmas decorations at the local garden centre Brimsmore.  We walked into the store and immediately young Oliver's eyes were taken by all the lights and sparkly things.  He just stood and said 'WOW!'  All the way around he kept uttering the word 'wow'.  He loved the animals that moved and all the decorations and of course the toy train layout featuring Ivor the Engine and his friends.  All the magic of the moment seemed to explode into his mind and only one word could sum it all up - wow! 

For a young child of 3, everything catches the eye, almost to the point of being overwhelming.  He loves looking at everything and touching if he is allowed to.  His little mind is in overdrive as he tries to assess all that is around him and the limited vocabulary of a toddler is not adequate to put into words what he is thinking and the emotions that it all conjures up.  And so  'wow' is all he can come out with.  We often hear Christmas being referred to as a time for children, maybe because of their sense of wonder at it all.  As we get older we lose some of that sense of wonder.  How often do we hear an adult refer to Christmas as 'wow'?  Probably never.  Sadly in maturing and growing up we all lose some of that childlike sense of wonder and awe.  It's like we've heard it and seen it all before.  We become blasé about it and so think of Christmas as a time for the children who see everything as new and fresh.

Jesus says that we should be like children before God.  To think of God being willing to limit himself in human form and come as a helpless baby dependant on his parents for everything - this God who created all things from nothing and yet laying aside all such power that when he speaks universes come into being, and becoming totally dependent instead of the Almighty, limited to one place instead of being everywhere - how can we not be filled with amazement and wonder.  This servant king evokes such emotions that we cannot find the words to express and in worship we just stand and say 'Wow'.  I want to drink in again the wonder of it all as a child.  WOW, God loves me that much!

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Preparations

This past week I have started my preparations for Christmas.  First of all there are countless lists!  Lists of meals depending on who will be here and when and lists of ingredients for said meals.  As I have the luxury and time to shop around, I have different lists for each shop I go to - the cheap shop, the freezer shop, the supermarket, the family butcher, lists of extras, just in case, the shop that has that special something I can't get anywhere else... ...   I keep adding to the lists as I remember things I need to get.  That's my own coping mechanism - I'd be lost without my lists!  Then of course there are the to do list, the wish lists, both given to family and received from family so that we all get more or less the things that we really want, hopefully avoiding recycling of presents or putting them in a drawer to be forgotten.

Apart from the shopping for food and presents there are of course other preparations.  The Christmas tree and decorations are down from the loft, thanks to my son, and are ready for tomorrow the 1st of December.  The usual ornaments have been put away to make room for the Christmas ones.  Christmas cards and newsletter have been written and ready to post.  Some for abroad were posted earlier this week.  And of course there is the list of people I send cards to each year so I don't forget anyone.  Some meals I like to prepare from fresh ingredients and freeze ahead of time ready just to take out and defrost when needed so the freezer is gradually being stocked up.  I am also pleased that I live in the northern hemisphere where there is less to do in the garden at this time of year so I can set my attention to other things while still enjoying the blooms on my Christmas Cactus.  It seems that even the house plants are preparing for Christmas.  People who are involved in a play or pantomime, carol service or concert have already been preparing and practicing for some weeks even months ready for the big day when they do it for the public. 

 Of course Christmas is not just about eating, a day off work and receiving presents.  That happens to be the way that we like to celebrate a special occasion.  Christians prepare for Christmas throughout the time of Advent.  The original Advent Calendar where we open the window each day to reveal an aspect of the Christmas story, was a good reminder of the other face of Christmas - the reason behind the celebration.  Nowadays a very popular Advent Calendar is the one where each day on opening the window you get some chocolate goodie.  Now I like the idea of having a little bit of chocolate each day but I have decided this year to make my own sort of Advent Calendar.  As I was reminded this week that our American friends celebrated Thanksgiving, I decided to make my own Advent Calendar of Thanksgiving.  It's a list really where each day I think of something for which I am particularly thankful. 

That just about sums up my preparations really - enjoy all the busyness, the little chocolate treats, the giving and receiving but be reminded of why I'm doing it all and be thankful to God.

Aims and Targets

We are told that it is important that we have aims and objectives in our lives in order to motivate us to higher and better things.  One of the favourite questions to a child is 'what do you want to be when you grow up?'  It has been said that John Lennon, when asked that question by a teacher, replied that he wanted to be happy.  The teacher, allegedly commented that he hadn't understood the question and John Lennon, in his inimitable way suggested that he had in fact understood the question perfectly but the teacher had not understood his reply. 


Just about every group, company, industry, committee or service will happily lay out their aims and objectives to us the customer, client, receiver, largely to try and impress.  It is fine to say what we are hoping to achieve and make clear the aims of our business or group.  But then the matter goes another step further and the aims become targets.  We begin to put numbers on our aims.  It is then that the hopes become obligations and the stress kicks in until the targets become an obsession.  We have seen this happen across the board in industry and public services.  Sometimes the target figures become all important and the only thing that matters, often to the detriment of the actual service given.  Some even fiddle the figures in order to give the impression of having achieved what they set out to do.   It's as though nothing else matters.  And if as a worker you don't reach your targets then, woe betide, you can be hauled in front of the higher management and told in no uncertain terms that your work is not good enough and that if your targets are not reached within a certain length of time then your employment could be in jeopardy.  That seems to me to be a way of stressing people out even more to the point of making them ill rather than a way to motivate them. 

The sad thing is that I have witnessed that even Christian groups use these methods of having a  5 year plan and saying that within 5 years just what they hope to have achieved.  I say it's sad because that is not the way that God works.  We don't have to pass some test or learn a certain number of verses of the Bible by heart.  He doesn't expect us to say that we have brought so many people to our group or we have carried out so many 'good deeds' this week.  He doesn't give us a check list that we tick off every day the things that we have accomplished in His name.  No wonder some Christians go around looking as though they have the weight of the world on their shoulders.  That's not the way He works.  It's not about numbers or how many activities we are part of.  There is no striving or competing one against the other or one denomination against another.  He just loves us and tells us to rest in Him.  'My yoke is easy' He says.  We are told simply to follow Him and do as He asks us and if we don't manage to fulfil what we have hoped He won't get rid of us.  Just the opposite - He gives us a big hug and reminds us that He loves us unconditionally for who we are and not for what we've achieved.

When I was younger, I had my aims firmly in my mind.  I was going to change the world!  That didn't happen!  But I know that God's love for me is as real today as it was then.  Those expectations were mine, not God's. 

The Centre of All Things

I enjoy reading the blogs of other people and regularly catch up with quite a number.  Some leave me pondering throughout the day and others seem to confirm something that I have been thinking for some time.  This week I read such a one by Martin Scott.  (You can see his 12 min videocast here under Pentecost as paradigm #3).  The whole idea that God works outside of the established church is not a new thought.  Although we like to think that God chooses to work through Christians, the fact remains that many times we see what seems to be God at work in a situation where there is no church.


I was thinking about Galileo who dared to suggest that not everything revolves around the earth.  We are not the centre of the universe.  He was persecuted for that thinking and was forced to recant by the Inquisition but time proved that he was indeed right.  Nowadays we know of course that the earth and all the other planets in our universe revolve around the sun and not as was thought previously that everything revolved around the earth.  It seems to me that we are living in a time when a great number of Christians who have moved outside of the established church are saying a similar thing.  Not everything revolves around us, the Church, Christians.  God does work through these means but He also works outside of us and often without us.  This is difficult and almost heretical for some Christians to accept.  If we insist that God is confined to work through Christians, then we are limiting God to our ideas and thinking.  God is bigger than anything we could imagine so surely it is possible for Him to work in some way outside of our understanding and without our help.

As Martin Scott mentions, this thinking is very biblical.  Peter was made to realise this truth when he had the dream and told to eat, re-enforcing that truth that nothing that God has created is unclean.  Later when Peter visited Cornelius, he came to the realisation that Cornelius was searching for God and truth and that God was indeed working in his life.  Cornelius was not a Christian, hadn't heard the disciples' message about Jesus and wasn't even an adherent of the Jewish faith.  He was a Roman centurion but he was a good man and searching for God.  Peter had to undergo a complete change of mindset to go into the house of a Gentile and accept that God could reach those who were not of the Jewish faith and did not need to become part of the Jewish community.  While Peter was telling them about Jesus, Cornelius and his family were all baptised in the Holy Spirit.  In the end Peter had to accept that God was at work in ways and places that the disciples knew nothing about.  Throughout the centuries God has continued to work in unexplained ways and places and in people beyond our Christian input or evangelism. 

Simon the Cyrene, a foreign visitor to Jerusalem was made to carry the cross for Jesus.  This must have had an impact on him as his sons Alexander and Rufus (mentioned in Matthew's gospel) were later mentioned among the early church followers.  We also see Philip transported to meet the Ethiopian eunuch and baptise him.  A eunuch was a man who was recognised for his sexuality - today we would call him gay.  On both occasions God meets with those on the margins of society before they have contact with (and so have no input from) those who follow Jesus.  We sing 'Jesus, be the centre'.  These are not just words that make us feel a bit emotional.  It is a truth that we need to embrace fully.  The body of Christ does not revolve around us, it revolves around the Son and the Godhead can work with or without us as He chooses among Christians or people of other or no faith.  We have to stop limiting God to our concept of Him - He is much bigger than that and works among ALL who seek Him, whoever, whatever and wherever they are, with or without our help or input. 

Remember

It is that time of year again when people are wearing a poppy.  The tradition began way back in 1920 when the very first poppy was used by the American Legion to commemorate American soldiers who had died in the 1914-18 war.  It was then adopted by the UK and some other Commonwealth countries, notably Canada, Australia and New Zealand.  The whole idea of using a poppy was based on the poem 'In Flanders Field' written on May 3rd 1915 by the Canadian surgeon and soldier John McCrae.  He wrote it after witnessing the death of his friend in a field in Flanders.  He noticed how the poppies grew up around the soldiers who lay there having sacrificed their lives on the battle field.  And so the poppy, a wild flower growing in the fields came to symbolise the sacrifices of war.  Nowadays in the UK it is the symbol of the British Legion and their appeal as a charity for much needed funds to help soldiers and families affected by conflict.

Over the years there have been a number of different versions of the simple poppy.  This year there seems to be a great number of quite large poppies, still to be worn on the lapel.  Also there are ever more elaborate ones with crystals used more as jewellery and also enamel brooches and pins.  I don't know why people cannot just use the humble poppy as before.  Is it for some sort of attention seeking where they are noticed for having a really large version?  Has it become more of a fashion accessory?  Is it that it looks as though they are more patriotic than the rest who wear the simple poppy?  It would seem that their contribution is therefore bigger than that of others - except that for many of the most expensive ones only a small percentage of the price actually goes to the charity.  There is a danger that the whole idea of remembering those who have sacrificed much has been somewhat side-lined and overshadowed by a personal effort to 'look good' and be well thought of.  
  

There are varying views of the wearing of the poppy.  Some feel that it glorifies war and prefer to use the white poppy that is a symbol of peace.  There is also a purple poppy to commemorate animals that have died in conflicts.  I remember a dear uncle, a wonderful Christian man, who was taken prisoner by the Japanese during WWII and forced to work on the Siam railway.  He never wanted to talk about those war days or his memories saying that war makes people on both sides do some dreadful things.  Harry Patch, the last veteran of the 1914-18 war is quoted to have said that war is 'organised murder'.  Many who come back from a war zone traumatised and wounded, often just want to forget the dreadful experiences they have had and try to find some closure and healing in order to rebuild their lives.  Do we do them more harm than good by reminding them?  And why are soldiers and their families who have carried out their patriotic duty, then be expected to depend on public donations and the excellent work of charities like the British Legion?  It is so easy to get carried away on some 'patriotic' wave of 'supporting our heroes' and forget the real horrors of war for not just our own soldiers but their families and the innocent who get caught up in such terrible conflicts.  Who can forget the image of 9 year old Vietnamese Kim Phuc fleeing from an attack of napalm by the Americans?  When are we going to learn that such violence causes so much suffering on both sides of a conflict?  I for one was very pleased that quite recently the UK parliament voted not to get involved in the war in Syria and, although I don't often agree with his politics, I take my hat off to David Cameron for accepting the decision and not trying to convince MPs to change their vote, even though he may have been criticised on the world stage. 

Nations and frontiers are man-made.  God made earth as one.  So this weekend as we remember, let's think of the bigger picture of all who have suffered.  We need seriously to search for ways to stop war by peaceful means or the sacrifice of those who have given their all will be for nothing - such a waste of life potential.  What is the point of remembering if we learn nothing from the past?  Remember not just for the sake of remembering and because it seems like the patriotic thing to do, but in order to learn lessons to build a better future.  The words of John Lennon come to mind, 'Imagine all the people living life in peace.'  Like Martin Luther King Jnr. - I have a dream!

Adapt to survive

Talk about being adaptable!  My son has recently started a job which began with working a few hours a week - not enough to sign off from receiving Job Seekers' Allowance.  You need to work for over 16 hours a week to do that.  He enjoys the job and has been wanting to increase his hours.  His manager has also been doing his best to find him more hours as he wants to keep him in the job and not lose him if he finds something else with more hours.  Last weekend he started work at 4 am.  On Monday he was asked to go in for 5 am but on Saturday was asked to change that to 11 am.  One day he had to be there for 1 pm and another for 10 am.  This weekend his starting time is 10 am til late.  At the moment he is covering for others who are on holiday or off sick.  Hopefully it won't be too long before his working week will be sorted and take on a more settled routine so we will not be wondering what each day will bring.  So this week our sleeping and mealtime habits have certainly NOT been habitual.


Looking in the garden this week, especially after the big storm we had the other night, it is apparent that things are really changing.  For one thing part of our fence blew down!  That is going to be repaired soon (I hope).  What has changed and I can't do anything about is the lack of leaves now on the trees.  Autumn is a time when nature adapts ready for the winter.  Some things need to go in order to conserve energy for what is to come.  Trees shed their leaves and plants seem to die but all the time they are building up their reserves ready to burst out again in the Spring. 

A bearded tit

This week we have also been able to watch Autumnwatch - a favourite programme in our house.  Their theme has been migration and has followed many birds as they prepare to move further south for the winter, some having already gone.  Young birds, born only this Spring are flying, some non-stop, for thousands of miles.  After having spent most of their lives to date in the nest, life is really changing for them.  They also tagged and followed a number of foxes.  Some of their habitats have been taken over by humans and so they are having to adapt to urban living.  Other birds like the bearded tit have to adapt their eating habits as their diet changes from insects and worms to seeds and berries.  They eat small pieces of grit to help in this.


It is the very nature of creation to change and adapt according to the circumstances. My life now is not the same as my life was 10 years ago, or even 5 years ago.  But God is still relevant to my situation, now.  Life happens!  Life makes us make changes - this is how God has ordained things.  We need to adapt to changes in our lives to cope with new technology and ways of doing things.  It just seems a shame that people don't follow the natural laws of creation into their spiritual lives.  I remember when quite young and asking why things in our denomination were done in a certain way and the answer was 'We've always done it that way!'  Maybe that's a good reason to change!  When a movement fails to adapt and change then it is no longer moving. It has becomes an institution.  People who don't profess any religion, often get the impression that God is not relevant to 21st century living.  And sadly the Church as a whole has contributed in giving this impression.  Some Christian groups are proactive in changing but others are not.  Some fear that change will mean a watered down gospel or that their particular group will cease to exist and so they don't want to change.  This is unnatural in God's creation and in our daily lives.  Creation adapts in order to survive.  Nature shows us that adapting and changing may mean no longer doing things we used to do but it does mean doing things effectively for what is to be in the future.  It may seem to be a sort of dying as we let go of the old but it is a doorway to something new and better.  If God is relevant today then we need to express Him in 21st century ways and not keep Him enclosed in an old, out-of-date box.

Life in the Ordinary Lane

Stottie Cake

As I mentioned in my last post, a couple of friends recently visited the northeast where I was born and lived until my early twenties.  I later lived there from the mid 1970s until I retired in 2001 when I moved down to Yeovil in the West Country.  On their return, they called round to give me some stottie cake.  That is a sort of flat bread that is typical of that region of the UK.  It took me back to my childhood and subsequent years when I lived in there.  It is traditionally eaten with ham and pease pudding (a sort of very mushy peas with the texture rather like humus).  The thing that really stuck with me was the fact of how I had actually missed eating the simple, humble stottie cake and prompted within me a desire to rekindle those pleasurable tastes.  That's often the case with things that are part of our everyday lives - we don't really think about them.  In fact we often ignore those mundane, simple pleasures in search of something a little more upmarket or exotic.  The saying 'you don't miss the water til the well runs dry' comes to mind.  I also remembered how when we returned to live in England after having lived in Argentina for 10 years, I realised just how much I had missed having the humble snack of baked beans on toast.  it seems silly really that something so ordinary would be greatly missed.


The other day I heard on a television programme someone saying 'we underestimate normal'.  For a number of years I have taken part in a health study among a million women, receiving questionnaires on a regular basis.  I have recently just posted off to them my latest completed survey.  One of the questions was about everyday living and asked if I was able to wash myself, dress, prepare food, walk unaided, do shopping and so on.  I was happy to answer 'Yes' to all the questions and then I remembered what I had heard on the TV - 'we underestimate normal'.  You would think that to answer 'yes' to such questions would be normal for anyone but for some, these activities of basic everyday living are not something that they are able to do without help.  And I had to admit that I don't always realise that I am fortunate to be able to function quite normally in most things.  When I take longer to clean the house that I used to or find that I cannot carry such heavy bags of shopping and I tend to doze off in the chair while 'watching' the news on TV, I can feel a little sorry for myself so it was a good reminder that actually I have a better quality of life than many and should be grateful for 'normal'.


There is a tendency for this attitude to attach itself to other aspects of life.  Many people love the sensational headlines and it is claimed that this is often what sells newspapers.  Ordinary, good news doesn't get a look in.  It would seem that people are not interested in the ordinary; they get carried away on the wave of sensationalism caused by eye-catching headlines.  Sadly it's a bit like some Christians who crave the excitement of large gatherings and search after the next big thing, as if God is only found in the spectacular.  I am reminded that in the Bible when God called Moses to free the Israelites from Egypt, Moses felt inadequate and questioned how he could do such an enormous task.  God's reply was a question, 'What do you have in your hand?'  He didn't give him a list of necessary equipment that he somehow needed to acquire before he could set off on the momentous journey back to Egypt.  He was to use just what he had, what he used every day in his work, his staff.  God used what Moses already had as part of his daily life and used it to work the miracles before Pharaoh.


When Jesus fed the 5000, he didn't send the disciples off with a long list of things to bring back.  He took what anyone would have on a day out in the country - a packed lunch, nothing spectacular, just two small fish and some bread for a hungry young lad.  What is spectacular about how God works is that He takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary.  He takes the mundane, everyday, nothing special along with ordinary, nothing special people and performs miracles through their ordinary-ness to bless and feed others.  The amazing gifts of the Holy Spirit are wonderful and it is indeed great to experience such gifts and see the wonderful outpourings of God but it would be wrong to think that God only works through the spectacular.  God is in the day-to-day living and works through the ordinary everyday occurrences and speaks to us and through us to others.  It is good to seek spiritual gifts and be part of a big move of God but we must be careful that we don't waste a lot of energy craving after the spectacular in order to find God while ignoring (and sometimes even demeaning) what we already have.  It's a bit like the elder son who returns from his work in the fields and hears what a great time his prodigal brother is having back at the house and he complains to his father.  His father reminds him that everything they were enjoying at that moment had been there all the time if only the elder brother had realised it.  He is already with us in so many ordinary ways if we only stop and look for Him.

Roots and Community

I've been thinking these past few days about our roots and community.   Some friends have been visiting my neck of the woods - the northeast of England, where I was born and lived until my early twenties.  They have been visiting all the touristy places - well why else do you go on holiday?  They went one day to the living open air museum at Beamish.  The man was explaining about the mines and how the coal was retrieved and bagged etc.  Because of the broad Geordie accent particularly of miners (known locally as Pitmatic), there was a misunderstanding in what he said - it made me laugh.  It took my mind back to my childhood as my father was a miner for years until ill health caused through coal dust on the lungs and a serious stroke forced him to retire early.  He died at only 69 years of age.  I remember visiting friends who worked with him down the mine in the small mining village of Backworth and how everyone knew everyone else and the whole community was there for each other.  Those days are long gone - the mines are no longer producing coal and such village life is not so usual any more.

This was reinforced this week as we remembered those who had died in the terrible accidents in the mines of Wales and there were photos of the whole village being out, helping each other in their time of need.  Such community spirit of those by-gone days!  How many of us (and I include myself) know the names of those who live in our street or even a few doors away from us?  What do we know of their struggles or problems?  Sadly these days there seems to be an unwritten code of 'keep yourself to yourself'.  I know that life has changed and we no longer live the way we used to.  Many are very private and don't wish to share things with others.  But it seems a shame that we have lost something of that community spirit in the interests of 'progress'.

We hear of community work and think of projects where people go into communities and carry out activities for the children or elderly in order to give them something to do to occupy them.  I'm not saying this is wrong - it is commendable there are those who are concerned enough to actually do something about it.  But it isn't really being in the community - it's more like visiting the community with our plans to 'do some good' and then going back to our, often more privileged world.  Sadly it's more likely to get a reaction about being do-gooders who haven't really got any idea how the other half live.  

Many groups of Christians are known as Community churches, possibly because they consider themselves to be in and part of the community where they live.  However, many of them go each Sunday and 'commune' together and then go home.  I ask, does meeting together in small groups during the week really make us a community?  When the early Christians met together it was out of a real sense of need for each other's encouragement  in difficult times.  That's why Paul says that we shouldn't stop meeting together - we need each other's support, being a real community.  Community is living alongside each other, knowing what the other is going through because we have also experienced it.  It's not always about coming out with the appropriate verse of scripture or repeating what we feel we ought to say but it's more about just being there, crying together if that is what is needed.  The Lord's Supper shouldn't be about a small wafer or mouthful of bread and a sip of wine but sharing a meal and chatting together, really getting to know each other and being friends, regardless of sexual orientation, religious views, education or social standing.  

I remember many years ago in Buenos Aires being at a meeting with the then Assemblies of God minister Juan Carlos Ortiz and he was telling us that a lady in his church group had gone two consecutive evenings to hear him preach.  He asked her why she had come again and she said that she loved to hear him preach to which he replied, 'You shouldn't be here every night.  If you were here yesterday, today you should be at home inviting your neighbour round for a barbeque.  I don't want to see you at every meeting.  You hear me preach one night and then you go home and live what you've heard.'  Or to put it another way, from a blog I read this week - 'being the church and choosing community is more than small groups on Wednesday nights: community is doing life with the people living next door to you.'  And another quote from the same blog - 'come out of cocoons and commune.' (Taken from Ann Voscamp's blog A Holy Experience)

It's good to remember our roots - it helps us to understand so much more about ourselves.  We may have moved on from those days but it would be a great shame if we lose the real sense of community in the pursuit of progress and modern living.

What a harvest!

I have been inspired this week by two particular blogs.  The first by Sarah who writes about harvest; how she remembers celebrating the harvest festival in her post 'Harvest in a tin' and asks how can we relate to it today?  The second was by a lady called Jamie who considers how we often seem to be thinking that things will be 'Better when'.  We seem to pin our hopes in the future instead of enjoying the present.


It's true, as Sarah says, that most of us who live in towns don't really relate to harvest as being produce that we have nurtured from seed.  How many can truthfully say 'we plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the land'?  I know my friends Jo and Ian in Latvia can but most of us reading this won't.  Many have moved away from the traditional celebration with fruit and vegetables displayed on a long table.  In modern times many congregations opt to bring tinned food for the celebration so that it can later be given to food banks and help the homeless and those who are unable to provide for their families.  Financially things are not as we would like and we need to count our pennies more than ever.  We no longer have the luxury of eating out occasionally but on the other hand we have never gone without a meal or needed help from a food bank, not like many others in the UK and in other parts of the world.  And so at this harvest time I thank God for His continual provision.

We are hearing much in the media these days about the National Health Service.  The great thing is that it is free at the point of need.  Ok, you may say that nothing is free; everything must be paid for at some point by someone.  It is true of course that all my working life, I like all other workers in Britain, have put my required share into the system each month.  While I worked I was fortunate in my health so didn't need to use the NHS as much as some people might - although I cannot say that I never went to the doctor's!  But now in my more senior years I do need regular medication to help me live with the physical failings that seem to be part of getting older - and as an OAP my prescriptions are free.  What I need is there when I need it without worrying about how much it's going to cost me.  What a blessing!

The other day while in the garden I saw a beautiful butterfly.  I love butterflies.  I think that most gardeners don't like what they have evolved from - caterpillars.  The caterpillars seem to love to eat everything that we want to eat.  But I'm reminded that the birds also love to eat the caterpillars and nurture their young on such treats.  So as I love butterflies and enjoy having the birds visit my garden, I guess I need to have the caterpillars - as long as they don't eat too much!  To get back to the butterfly I saw the other day - a rare sight now in October - it was just resting on the trunk of a tree, wings open, soaking in the benefits of the autumn sun.  (See photo) Such a sight is priceless.  I don't need a load of money in order to enjoy such a beautiful creature.  I stayed for a few minutes just watching it and realising how little time I just sit and enjoy the blessings of the moment, not worrying about the future or what if ... ... Soak up the pleasure of now!

So although harvest isn't maybe what it used to be, I have been considering all the blessings I do have. 
I am fortunate enough to have a pc and access to the internet in order to shop, browse, learn and communicate with friends and family. 
Harvest time/autumn is a wonderful time of the year bursting with incredible colours, especially in the trees as in this beautiful photo. 
I have two wonderful sons and a very inclusive extended family. 
I woke up this morning grateful that I have another day full of possibilities.  I take my tablets and carry on doing all the things I enjoy doing.  
Things may be better when ... ... as Jamie reminded me but right now I have much to thank God for.  I am taking great pleasure in the now moment - a bountiful harvest of countless blessings.

Pioneers

There is a television advert that talks about doing things differently and uses the example of the man who changed the way athletes do the high jump.  Before they used to jump facing the bar but this man changed it by jumping with his back to the bar and his legs following.  That now is the norm.

Throughout the history of humanity there have been those who have pioneered new ways, thoughts and practices.  Galileo Galilei (known by his first name, Galileo) was a physicist, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher.  He was born in 1564 and died in 1642.  Throughout his life he played an important role in the scientific revolution of his day, improving the telescope and compass among other things.  His improved telescope along with his love of astronomy and his observations of planets and the sun led him to conclude that the earth moved around the sun and not vice versa.  He was condemned for his beliefs and brought before the Inquisition.  The church took verses of Scripture to 'prove' that he was wrong.  Psalm 104:5 states 'the Lord set the earth on its foundations' and Ecclesiastes 1:5 says 'and the sun rises and sets and returns to its place'.  From those verses the church believed that the earth stood in a fixed position and the sun moved around the earth while Galileo was stating the opposite.  In the end he was judged guilty of heresy and kept under house arrest until his death.

In more recent times doctors Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards became well known for their pioneering work into IVF treatment for women who were unable to bear children the natural way.  The first baby to be born in this way was referred to as the first 'test-tube baby' and that was Louise Brown.  This was a ground breaking medical achievement.  But there were critics who raised some ethical questions about surrogate motherhood, 'baby factories' and wondering just where such knowledge would ultimately lead.  The photo is of Dr Steptoe, Louise Brown and her mother and also her own child who was born naturally.  This treatment is nowadays very common and an accepted part of life.

In 1966 the National Association of Food Chains met to discuss the possibility of automated check-out systems.  The scanning systems had been in operation in various forms for nearly 30 years but not on a commercial level on the High Street.  After this meeting, various tests were carried out until on 20th June 1974 a 10 pack of Wrigleys Juicy Fruit gum was scanned at 8.01 am.  This was the very first item to be scanned in this way in a shop and the Universal Product Code was born.  It was ridiculed claiming that there would never be enough for it to be worthwhile.  Some Christians thought that codes hid the number 666 and one TV host called it a 'corporate plot against consumers'.  At the time in the UK the programme Tomorrow's World was shown on TV.  They tried out new gadgets and gave predictions as to how well they might do in the future.  The then presenter Maggie Philbin famously said that she didn't think it would catch on.  How wrong she was!  Almost everything we buy now has a bar code and is scanned at the check-out.

It seems that all who move away from what is considered the norm and offer new ways of thinking and practice, are usually criticised, some persecuted, others questioned, not believed or taken seriously and even ridiculed.  There are many others - Christopher Columbus and his belief that there was land over the ocean, Martin Luther and his struggles against the established church, Lord Shaftesbury and his fight against slavery, the example of Nelson Mandela fighting for equal rights for all the citizens of his country, to mention just a few.  Although they all came across opposition, persecution and ridicule they all held on to what they believed was right and kept on fighting.  So I guess the lesson from these pioneers is to carry on and follow you heart in what you believe no matter what others say or think.  Who knows where it will lead?
 

Adapting to change

We have had a few changes this week.  Over last weekend we learnt that our next door neighbour had moved out.  It was a surprise as no-one seemed to be aware of it until some men were there emptying the house of things that she hadn't wanted to take with her.  She was a single mother who had personal problems and although she had 6 children, she herself was rarely seen outside so it was difficult to really get to know her.  We are now waiting to see who our new neighbours will be and what they are like.  It is a 3 bedroom house so we expect a family with children.  It will be interesting to see if friendships develop at some point in the future.



The other day the man who has helped me with the large back garden for the past couple of years delivered the news that at the end of October, at the end of the season, he will be giving up that particular job as he is training to be a coach driver.  He hopes to start his new job in November.  We have quite a good sized lawn and knowing that he comes regularly and keeps it under control, is a great help and relief.  For the rest I manage to potter about and see to fruit and vegetables and tend the flower beds.  So come the spring, when things begin growing again, I will have to reconsider whether I'll be able to manage it all on my own or look for someone else to help.  Who knows, our new neighbour might be just the person!


Last Saturday my son started a new part-time job - 12 hours a week as a cleaner at an Express branch of a large supermarket.  He works 2 hours a day for 6 days, starting at 5.30 in the morning.  Fortunately it is within a 5 minute walk from our home but it still means a very early start to the day.  My plan was to continue sleeping and get up when he returns but as I am aware of him moving about, I am usually wide awake by the time he goes out at 5.15 am.  I have found it a very good time of the day to read, iron, catch up on Facebook (or my blog) or just think and organise my day.  Yesterday was his day off (although eventually he will get a Sunday off) and it felt as though I had a good lazy start to the day - I slept until 6 am!



Choices that we make for ourselves often means some change in our daily routine.  The thing in all these situations is that sometimes things happen in our lives because of the choices of other people that need some adaptation on our part to the new circumstances.  I have no control over when other people move house or change jobs but their choices can affect me in some way.  Life is continually evolving and we have to sometimes change direction in order to compensate and cope with the change.  This week I also received the latest newsletter from Martin and Gayle Scott.  He was commenting on things that had changed and people with whom he had connected who had since moved to another country.  The comment that caught my attention was - 

Our strong encouragement is ... not to focus so much on what has been but to look to see where and to whom he (God) wants to connect you.

It's such a temptation and pull to stay comfortable and stick with what we're used to.  We're fine just as we are, thank you!  But in life, the reality is that things keep changing and evolving and we have to move and adapt to the changes - whether physical, emotional or spiritual.  Here's to change!

Talk about Church

There has been much discussion about the word 'church' and what exactly we mean by it.  But the other day I got to thinking about the phrase 'doing church'.  Although we say that church is not the building, it does imply the meeting together.  There are those who claim not to 'go to church' as in attending a building.  Instead they meet in houses in small groups.  My question is 'what's the difference?'  It seems to me to be the same thing only in a different venue.  There tends to be some singing/worship, some chatting and some reading and explanation of some verse(s) of Scripture and prayer.  We claim that the small groups meeting in houses is how 'church' began.




Others who have left organised religion sometimes talk of 'doing church'.  This seems to incorporate the occasions when we meet up with someone for coffee and chat, visit someone or organise a meal or get together with some friends (who are often also among 'emerged' Christians).  But using the word 'church' still seems to imply some sort of gathering together, meeting, whether that is in a large congregation in some purpose built building or 2 or 3 sharing coffee.  Again I strain to find the real difference.  With or without the organised setup and music, (somehow, for some, music equates worship and 'feeling' near to God) the idea of assembling, meeting and sharing together is the same.


Jesus teaches that we are temples of the living God.  He lives within us.  The Bible clearly teaches that God does not live in a temple built by humans, no matter what we like to think.  Jesus is referred to as the 'cornerstone' of His temple and we are 'living stones'.  There is nothing there about going to some place.  It's rather about living and being part of His temple.  So maybe we should stop talking about going to church or doing church and start using the phrase being the church.  I love the words of the song Breathe:  'This is the air I breathe, Your holy presence living in me.'  You can find a version of the song here.  Jesus says the Spirit is like the wind blowing where it will.  You can't go to air; it's all around us; how do we 'do' air?; we just breathe it in; it becomes part of us; it makes us live.  And each one who breathes in the living breath of God is another living stone in His temple.  He doesn't put a load of conditions and rules, He wants us to breathe in His presence and be His presence wherever we are. 


We seem to get so hung up about some details of our living in God's family.  There is a danger of focussing so much on one aspect, sometimes the wrong thing.  It's not about taking sides for or against or how we 'do' church.  So much energy is being used up in negative attitudes, searching for a specific verse to prove our own particular standpoint and show that we are right, that we actually miss the point - that God loves us all and wants to be with us and in us.  I believe that God in His graciousness reaches out to all who seek Him, whatever the circumstances.  Going to church?  Doing church?  Maybe it's time to think differently.  We should start changing our whole concept of what church is and how we are church instead of trying to redo it and just bringing about another version of the same thing.  We live church by breathing in His presence whether that is on our own or with others and in His love He meets with us in His temple that He has put within us.