A Day Out

This week my son Diego and I had a day out with South West Coaches.  We spent the morning at a centre called World of Country Life and the afternoon in Exmouth.  It was a good day and the rain kept away although it did rain in other parts of the southwest as some of the roads coming home were a little flooded - as if the winter storms hadn't been enough!  Everyone is given allocated seats when you book and ours was right in the front of the bus.  Behind us sat two ladies in their 40s who had very loud voices so loud my son and I couldn't have a conversation with each other as we couldn't hear ourselves above them.  As we got off the bus we realised that one of them was with her parents and had a few learning difficulties and lacked some social skills.  Just past the reception area of the centre there is a sort of museum with loads of exhibits portraying 19th and early 20th century life in rural Britain.  Diego made a joke and so the young woman, mentioned above, stated that he was her tour guide and comedian!  She sort of tagged along hanging on every word, waiting for another joke.  A little later we did go our separate ways before the situation became too tiresome - for us that is.  The young woman was having a brilliant time and thoroughly enjoying every minute.


Part of the centre had an exhibition of birds of prey that we enjoyed very much.  Knowing that the birds are really really captive and kept in enclosures, it was good to see the ones in the exhibition enjoying flying freely around, although they always came back for food and eventually back to their enclosure.  It reminded me of a picture I saw some days ago with an empty bird cage.  The wording says 'This is not an empty cage, it is a bird that is FREE.'  I can't help thinking that whoever had originally had the bird in the cage would be thinking more of their loss than the fact that the bird was free to fly.


The afternoon we spent in Exmouth.  After a pub meal right on the coast we sat on some seats on the promenade and just watched the world go by.  Ah, so relaxing. It wasn't too hot to be uncomfortable nor did it rain to make it miserable - just right.  Then it was on the coach again for the return journey.  This time the loud conversation from the two in the seats behind us somehow didn't seem so intrusive or annoying.  Maybe it was because it wasn't so unexpected.  They had enjoyed their day out and that was good.  Everyone had had a good day.

It seems that in much of life there are two sides to a situation.  We naturally think of things from our own point of view and how it affects us personally.  There is nothing wrong in that.  We were beginning to be a little irritated with the young lady while from her point of view she was enjoying our company.  It was good the see the birds flying freely but this could only happen because there are centres that cater for such exhibitions and keep the birds in enclosures.  So I was left with a reminder that not everyone thinks or feels the same as me.  Others have the same legitimate right to have their opinion and way of doing things and it's helpful if I can accept that and respect them for who they are.  We are all coming from different points of reference and so see things differently.  There are different ways of looking at the same thing.  There are other points of view that are different from my own but equally valid.  It was a good reminder that a different way of seeing/doing/interpreting something is not necessarily wrong, just different.  And often we can learn something new by looking at things from a different point of view.

Pointing To The Moon

A couple of thoughts have been going round in my head all this week.  The first is that on a few occasions within the past few days, I have seen references to the story in Zen spirituality about a young man who was diligently studying the holy book and practices when a much older spiritual leader approached him and asked him what he was doing.  When the young man explained that he was studying hard in order to become a better disciple of his religion, the older, much wiser man told him the parable of the finger pointing to the moon.  He likened the moon to truth and the finger pointing the way to that truth.  He added that sadly what the young student was doing was that he was more intent on looking at the finger and missing the moon altogether.  We need to look past the pointer to see the truth.

The second incident was of my online friend Paul Leader who used to be a church leader but seven years ago opted out of organised religion.  There are occasions when people ask him back to speak to them in church buildings and he is always happy to accept.  The fact that he returns to the system that he left leaves some people a little confused.  Those who still engage in the system feel that maybe he hasn't totally left it all behind while some of those, like Paul who have emerged from oraganised church feel that he is somehow giving in and letting down the side of emergents.  It seems he can't win so he smiles and does what he feels is right for him.  


The issue as I see it is that we tend to look at the whole church thing as an end in itself when surely it is a way to the end, a pointer to the truth that is God.  Does it really matter how we reach God?  Surely the important thing is that we do connect with Father Creator.  I remember a number of years ago, when I helped in a charity shop connected to the church group where I used to go every Sunday, one of the leaders was asking how we managed to help those who came into the shop.  It was mentioned that for those who wanted, we would pray with them and try to give helpful advice and guidance.  The leader asked if we invited the customers to the church meeting on Sundays and I replied that 'No, we pray with them and leave it up to God to direct them if that is what they should be doing'.  By the reaction, I thought that maybe I had spoken in Chinese or had grown another head or something.  It's as though the only way to reach God seemed to be by attending a building on a Sunday morning; that helping people was a means of getting them into the system they call 'church' and not just because they need help.


There are many discussions, some more amicable than others, about the rights and wrongs of the practices of people of faith.  Those who are wrong are considered to be those who don't agree with our way of thinking.  We, of course are right.  But if we liken the whole issue to a pointing finger, it seems that too much time is spent on discussing what the hand is like - a young, active hand; an older, worn hand; maybe a hand of a different shade; maybe the finger is adorned with rings or painted nail.  There are many types of hand and the finger that is doing the pointing may be very good and interesting to study and look at but all the time we concentrate on the hand and finger that is pointing, we actually miss the point altogether. I'm sure that God uses many different ways to point to Him.  Why wouldn't He?  He created the whole universe so what makes us think that our way is the only way?  We have to stop looking at the finger.  That is not the truth, only the pointer.  Look past whichever finger you choose to use and look to the truth.  

 

Refocusing

It was an easy job so I thought I would just go ahead and do it myself instead of bothering my son, asking him to do it.  All I had to do was to screw a couple of hooks behind the door to hang things on.  Simple!  I had the necessary electric tool ready and charged.  I marked the spot where I had to put the screw and made a small hole to make sure it didn't slip.  As I started screwing I discovered it wouldn't go in properly.  'I don't believe this!' I murmured under my breath.  I thought it was going to be so easy.  In the end I had to go and seek the help of my son.  He took one look and said 'You've got it on the wrong setting.  You've set it for drilling not for screwing.  No wonder it won't go in.'  Two minutes later it was done - by my son.  Please don't laugh, after all I am a woman and getting on in years.  Anyway, how was I to know that the thing had different settings?  I learnt something new that day!

Last week I had my yearly check-up at the optician's.  I knew my eyesight had deteriorated somewhat.  The clue was in the fact that I struggle to read the subtitles when the news is on the television and when I need to wait for the bus to be quite close before I can see which number it is and where it's going.  So the result was no surprise.  The young man was very kind and tried various lenses until I could read the letters on the screen clearly.  He was very helpful and explained the problem - the cataracts are obviously gradually getting worse but as yet it is possible to get lenses that will help.  So later today I go back to collect my new glasses.  What joy it will be to be able to make things out more clearly and at a greater distance once again, for a while at least. 
   
Another encounter I had was with someone who had visited a dietitian to get some help with losing a bit of excess weight.  She had always considered herself to be pretty healthy and always ate what she thought was a very healthy diet.  That is until the dietitian began explaining just where she had been going wrong and how the body reacts to different types of food.  She left the appointment quite humbled and said that after all these years of doing things a certain way she was now going to have to rethink and refocus her attention on other elements of her diet that until now she had considered ok.

All in all, it has been a week of refocusing and rethinking, learning and readjusting.  Things change and we have to change with the situation at hand.  We cannot always go on doing things in the same old way just because 'we've always done it that way' as I was once informed as a questioning child.  It has been said that the Nautilus begins life in a small shell but as it grows it doesn't have enough room and so it builds another bit of shell, another new compartment and moves out of the old, once comfortable place into the new part until it becomes too big for that part.  And so it goes on until it becomes quite large.  The different segments can be clearly seen around the shell of the Nautilus.  What a lesson - we need to keep learning and growing but also often this entails moving on from where we were.  We can't always remain static or we either stunt our growth or die.  We need regular check-ups and then refocus and move on, adjusting to the new situation in hand. 

I am not in the same place spiritually as I was a few years ago.  I have learnt more and moved on.  It's not about turning our backs on the past.  The nautilus carries its past around with it.  Our past is a reminder of where we've come from and what has made us the people we now are.  We look at our past but shouldn't live in it.  It was right for us at that time and in that situation so we need to be thankful for the past and how it has led us to the point where we are today.  It should be a progression on to something new and better.  In our spiritual lives, if we find ourselves in a situation where nothing has changed, then maybe we need to ask ourselves if we need a check-up, learn something new, refocus or do things differently.  If not, then there could be a danger that we might be just going through the motions while we are actually dying on the inside.  We are never too old to learn something new, no matter how long we may have been a Christian.  It is good to re-examine what we do - maybe what we thought was ok, no longer serves us well.   God is much bigger than any human understanding and the nature of his creation is to keep evolving and moving.

Give us a clue

Those who are familiar with quiz shows and magazines will know of the sort of quiz that gives clues and you have to guess the connection.  Small children are often engaged in such activities in order to teach them about different animals and what they're like, for example: 

Who am I? 
1) I live in Africa.                                            
2) I eat the leaves of tall trees. 
3) I am a sort of orange-y brown colour with dark brown patches.         
4) I have a very long neck. 

Of course the answer is the giraffe.  More points are awarded for the fewer number of clues required to guess correctly.

If a clue is 'they like to eat pizza and pasta' then it's a safe guess to say the Italians.  Likewise if the clue says 'They have been known to eat frogs' legs' then the answer would be the French  I began thinking about this in relation to people groups and their way of life and thinking.  Below is a set of clues that the average person in the street think and relate to:


1) They sometimes seem a bit standoffish.
2) They think they are better than everybody else.
3) They can be quite judgmental of others.
4) They don't like or accept gay or lesbian people, telling them they are wrong.
5) They are restricted in the things they are allowed to partake in so don't join in much.
6) They believe their sacred book and their leaders must not be questioned - they are infallible.
7) They join with others in a special building on a Sunday.

The answer to the clues is 'Christians'.  Christians reading those clues would be adamant that it certainly doesn't describe them.  They are nothing like that.  The sad truth is that most people who are not members of a particular denomination or organised religious group do have that impression of what Christians are like.  Over centuries they have been given a very negative portrayal of Christianity.  And sadly nothing like what we read in the Bible about how or what Jesus was, thought and did.  Christians are more often than not thought to be intolerant, homophobic people who consider themselves to be 'holier than thou', better than the rest and separate themselves from those who are not part of their exclusive Sunday club.  You can join their club only if you change who you are and become a clone.  This sadly is what others see.  


In contrast if we take each of those clues and refer them to how Jesus lived we would get something along the lines of the following:
1) He will talk to anybody.
2) He identifies himself with the poor and needy.
3) He accepts people's shortfalls and cares about them anyway.
4) He loves everyone and accepts anyone who wants to be his friend.
5) He goes wherever he is invited or people need his help or advice.
6) He has often quoted from his sacred book and law and tells people to think about it in a  different way.  He insists that the only true lord and master is God.  All others are fallible  humans.
7) He has been criticised for spending time walking in the fields with his friends and breaking religious rules on his special day of rest.

So it begs the question - how do we put that right?  Maybe we should go through each of the clues in turn,comparing the first and second set of clues and being honest as to which really describes us.  People are crying out 'We would see Jesus'.  As Jesus followers we need to set the record straight and show Him to others by the way we live.  People are not interested in going to a building - God is everywhere.  They don't want to listen to someone preaching at them, telling them how wrong and sinful they are.  They don't want to hear about Him, they want to see Him living in us.  So forget all the theological arguments, dogma and splitting hairs.  We need to have the mind of Christ and really put Jesus at the centre showing God's all-embracing love at work through our actions and attitudes in our daily living.  

That's Entertainment?

He should be nicknamed 'Marmite' - you either love him or you hate him.  Some people wouldn't watch anything he's involved in while for others, his programmes are a 'must see'.  I refer of course to Simon Cowell - the man who, at times, seems to monopolise our viewing options.  To be fair he is usually very honest about his feelings towards the wanabees who appear on his shows.  The fact is that some people don't like him because of the way he is so brutally honest, to the point of being offensive.  But he certainly leaves the aspiring entertainers in no doubt as to what he thinks of them or their acts.  He is always saying that he wants to see something new, different, something he hasn't seen before, something that will catch his attention and keep him interested instead of the same old, same old that he's seen and heard so many times before.

The other day I received a phone call from someone who is regularly in touch, keeping me up to date with what's going on in her life.  She commented on what lovely Easter services she had had at the church where she goes.  She went on to explain in some detail of how the church leader had taken them right through the Easter story a bite-size at a time and interspersed his words with other items in the service.  She said that she really enjoyed the way he held the attention of the congregation and so afterwards deliberately made a point of thanking him for his hard work.  While she was talking, for a moment I thought of Simon Cowell and how he's always looking for something different.  I must admit I was grateful that the conversation was by phone and not Skype so at least she couldn't see the cringing look on my face while she related it all to me.  Ok, there's nothing wrong with trying to find a more engaging way of getting your message across but there are those who seem more taken with the novelty, entertainment value, feel good factor of what's going on than what is actually being said.  Has Sunday morning become nothing more than some sort of spiritual entertainment that we consider good if there is some sort of novel idea or thought?


There is a danger of always looking for a new angle, a different way of doing things in order to keep people interested in church - the catchy tune, some gimmick to get attention.  It almost smacks of 'attention seeking' - in a very spiritual way, of course.  A 'good' church leader is considered to be someone who can always bring something new to their congregation, always has interesting ideas for things to do, projects to be involved in.   I know, I have been in church leadership and done exactly that.  I mean, how many ways are there of telling the same story?  The prophets of the Old Testament would live out their parables and prophecies in order to get their message across.  Jesus not only spoke to people about God but he showed what God is like by the way He lived, the things He did and His attitudes.  In parables He praised the publican while criticising the Pharisee for their prayers in the Temple.  He made a Samaritan (national enemy) the hero of a story while showing disdain for the actions and attitudes of the religious of His day.  He not only spoke against injustice but was prepared to stand up and be counted.


So much energy and time is spent on trying to find a new angle on a Bible story or verse, as though God's Word were not powerful enough in itself.  It seems that what is needed is not that Christians look for ever new ways of saying the same thing but actually living it - that's the Jesus way for a Jesus follower.  More of our energy should be used in spreading the gospel message by our words, actions and attitudes in our everyday living and not just gauge it by what happens when people gather on a Sunday morning.  Actions speak louder than words, as they say.