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. 

Say what you see.

I like to watch quiz shows and puzzles on television.  There is one at the moment called 'Catchphrase' where you have to try and guess what saying is represented by the picture that is unfolding.  The presenter often says 'Just say what you see'.  Ha!, but that's not always so easy.  Sometimes contestants seem to say just about anything other than the correct answer, all the time of course we are shouting the answer at the television.  I also have a number of books called 'Dingbats' that are the same idea of guessing what saying is represented by the picture.  This only works of course if you have heard of the sayings otherwise you could be guessing for a long time without getting the right answer.

Then there are the puzzles that seem to be two different things depending on how you look at it.  In this picture on the right do you see some columns or six people?  There are many of this type of picture.  Some years ago there were computer generated pictures where if you looked in a particular way you could see a 3D image emerging from what seemed to be just a chaotic scene.  What you see is not always apparent immediately.  Sometimes you need to take a long hard look.  


I once saw all the letters of a sentence written altogether - GODISNOWHERE.  That could be interpreted in two ways depending on where you place the spaces between the words.  You could say GOD IS NOWHERE or GOD IS NOW HERE.  You've probably seen that before.  The point is that not everything is at it seems and people often see things differently.  Jesus was curious as to how people saw Him and so asked his disciples 'Who do men say that I am?' There were various answers but Peter saw the truth when he recognised Jesus as the Son of God.  

I was reminded recently at Easter of one of my favourite Godfrey Birtill songs:

When I look at the blood all I see is love, love, love
When I stop at the cross I can see the love of God.

But I can't see competition, I can't see hierarchy.
I can't see pride or prejudice or the abuse of authority.
I can't see lust for power, I can't see manipulation,
I can't see rage or anger or selfish ambition.

But I can't see unforgiveness, I can't see hate or envy,
I can't see stupid fighting or bitterness or jealousy.
I can't see empire building, I can't see self-importance,
I can't see back stabbing or vanity or arrogance.

I see surrender, sacrifice, salvation, humility, righteousness, faithfulness, grace, forgiveness.

How often do people seem to be one thing but turn out to be quite different when you get a closer look.  Or as a friend of mine says 'the outside and the inside don't match'.  It's not just about appearances of 'going to church' or abstaining from certain things/places/language.  Those things aren't the same as showing the love of God in our actions of daily living.  Reading again those words of the above song, as a Jesus follower I need to ask myself 'When people look at me, what do they see?'  

Targets, Aims, the True Reason

Over a couple of days I heard 3 different viewpoints of targets and aims.  The first one was about targets at work and what could be done to raise productivity or show improvement in the personal file of an employee.  We have heard so much about targets at work.  At times I get quite angry about the whole target-driven society in which we live.  Targets create an insatiable monster that keeps telling us that our best is never enough.  It seems that no matter how much we achieve, more is expected.  In many parts of society, schools, police, nhs to name but three, targets have often become the most important aspect of the work and not the life/work balance of employees or the people such jobs are meant to protect and help.  The whole system goes off course and the targets must be met at all costs.  It is a subtle form of bullying that has invaded all levels of living.  I can understand why targets and aims are put in place, often for very good, plausible reasons but so easily the target takes over and reigns supreme over the reason for doing the job in the first place.  The result is a false sense of reality of a situation; we are made to believe one thing when the reality is something different.


The second instance was with a young man who had decided that he would help his mother in the garden.  To date he has done a lot of digging, trimming, lifting and carrying, using a lot of energy and being a great help.  Some of the things he has done just wouldn't have been done at all if it had been left to the mother's efforts alone.  She was really pleased with the way he was offering to do so much and commented that maybe his dislike of gardening was changing.  His reply was not what she had expected.  Some time before his new found willingness to help with gardening, it had been suggested to him by a medical professional that he should really do a little bit more exercise in order to lose his quite substantial surplus weight.  When it was suggested that he was beginning to like gardening, he straightened up from his work and said quite clearly that he didn't like gardening, had no real interest in growing things and that when he had lost the required weight then she probably wouldn't see much of him in the garden.  At least he knew exactly what his target was and open and honest about the true reason for his efforts.


Then the next day I read a blog where the writer was telling about a young woman at church with whom she was having quite a deep conversation about relationship with God.  She commented about having a deep love for God and how we need to keep falling in love with Him.  The young woman replied that she didn't think that she had ever found that place of love or been 'in love' with God.  The older lady was a little surprised, knowing that her friend had been part of the church since childhood and always appeared devout and active in much of what was going on in the church.  Trying to understand just why she was a Christian, the young woman's reply was 'Jesus has been about getting into Heaven, Jesus has been about getting saved, Jesus had been about getting good'.  Some would say they go for the friendship of like-minded people (except they rarely see each other or know anything about each other's home life apart from what they see or hear on a Sunday).  For some, church and the whole Christianity thing is about the benefits to be got from it, a sort of check list that helps us to reach our target - heaven.  The aim is not so much about God and a loving relationship with Him but about the end rewards if we tick all the boxes and keep up the good work until we die.  This has taken the place of a deep friendship with Father Creator.

It may be good to have targets but lets make sure that they are our servants and don't become our insatiable, ruthless masters.  Let's be honest about what our targets really are and not try to pretend they are something they are not.  And please! let's not confuse the reason for our targets with what should be our real focus and objective, whether that be at work and the reason for our work, helping others or whether it be our faith and why we call ourselves a believer.  We need to ask ourselves 'What am I really aiming for?  Why do I do what I do?'    

Border Country - Middleland

Hadrian's Wall

I recently watched a couple of programmes  about the part of the UK that straddles the border between England and Scotland.  The programme interested me because I was born and raised in a town near Hadrian's Wall and later in life lived over 25 years in Wallsend.  This patch of land centuries ago was known as Middleland and stretched from the Humber up to about Edinburgh, from east to west.  Problems first began after the Roman emperor Hadrian decided to build a wall between Carlisle in the west and Wallsend in the east and decided that everything south of the wall belonged to the Roman empire and all who lived north of the wall were savages to be kept out at all cost.  The trouble was that there were those who had family on both sides of the wall (a bit like what happened when they erected the Berlin Wall).  The people who lived there were all the same and yet a false sense of enmity had been created.  They were living out in the margins, excluded, not belonging.  But it wasn't about the people, it was about building an empire, taking over land and all that goes with it and creating a power system.

Maybe it's because my late husband wasn't English or maybe because I spent almost 10 years living in another country, a different culture and language that I find it difficult to come to terms with country borders and how humans fight over such borders, each side of the controversy trying to gain the land for themselves at the cost sometimes of many lives.  Empires have risen and fallen over such disputes.  People, the innocent as well as soldiers and fighters, are killed over this power struggle for land and domination.  I like the picture of the planet taken from space and the accompanying thought that from space there are no borders, no frontiers, no divisions.  And that is how God created the earth - one planet, one people - the human race.


Drawing border lines seems to be a deeply entrenched human trait.  We draw lines about many things.  The minute the line is drawn then people are divided - those on one side are acceptable while those on the other side are not.  People are put into categories depending on looks, fashion, ability etc and you are either in or out, accepted or excluded.  You have to take sides.  That is often the dilemma I face when it comes to a political election when I can see some things I like in more than one camp but I can only choose one party above another.  Then the elected ones seem to spend more time trying to score political points one against the other while the real interests of the people seem somehow less important and forgotten in the process.  Real issues are overtaken by the need to gain power, recognition, acclaim and numbers and build little personal empires.  We are told that this side is right, that side is wrong while the truth is probably some quite hazy, grey area in the middle.  Some people fit into neither camp but belong somewhere in between. 

I often feel like that when it comes to my own Christian living.  For someone who belongs to God but doesn't congregate in a building it's like being in the wilderness of no man's land, the middleland, neither in nor out, a bit of both.  There are those who question how you can belong to God but not a particular group or denomination.  They draw a line and you must decide which side of the line you are on.  Belonging to the group makes the empire bigger and apparently more powerful.  It becomes a matter of numbers, a head count and not about an individual relationship within the family of God.  Many find themselves in this no man's land when it comes to Christianity and church.  They love God and follow the teachings of Jesus but are not churchy.  Many who congregate consider them to be wrong; they have stepped over the line; they are now on the other side.  The truth is that most of them belong in neither camp but straddle the line that has been drawn between them.  I don't want to take part in the dividing game.  Divide and conquer is the devil's game while God's purpose is to make us one.  And so here I am, standing in the gap, a middlelander living in the wilderness of neither in nor out, not included in the group but not excluded from the family of God.  Or as Henri Nouwen said,

In a world so torn apart by rivalry, anger and hatred, we have the privileged vocation to be living signs of a love that can bridge all divisions and heal all wounds.  

AMEN!!!

Little By Little

In this day and age of instant living it is easy to want instant results with everything.  You only need to walk around the supermarket to realize that many foods are pretty much instant - just add water and mix; put in microwave on maximum power for 3 minutes;  pour on boiling water and leave for 2 minutes; mix with water or milk and microwave for 1 and a half minutes etc. ... ... This also spills over into the world of technology.  Do you remember when we used to have to wait about 5 minutes for the computer to get going before we could actually do anything with it?  Nowadays so much of life is simply press a button and 'Hey presto' - result!  So it's good to remind ourselves that much of life is not really like that.

Peas appearing.

In the beginning ... it took God six stages of creation to make the world, the length of a stage depending on whether you lean to the side of creationism or evolution.  However you view the story, it was not done instantaneously.  And those who do any gardening will appreciate this fact when you need to plan your year according to whether it's time to sow seeds or harvest the produce.  This week, after having sown quite a bit in March, I have seen the first signs of peas and carrots growing, while other things have yet to make an appearance.  We wait and we keep looking and hoping that we did everything right so in time it will happen.  Some things take a little longer than others.


We don't expect children to suddenly overnight be able to walk and talk.  These things take time.  That's why there is such joy when a child utters its first word, takes its first step, gets its first tooth.  Each first in a child's life is an indication of growing, slowly but surely.  So it saddens me when new Christians are suddenly thrown in at the deep end and expected to just know all the rules, what they are expected to do or say, or not as the case may be.  There is often so little tolerance shown to anyone who doesn't immediately conform.  We are all on a journey and are at different points on that journey.  How many of us have children who constantly asked during a journey, 'Are we there yet?' Little by little, bit by bit we are learning what God wants to do with our lives and that is different for everyone.  What He wants of me is not the same as what He wants from you who may be reading this.  So it baffles me just why all who say they are Christians are expected to be and do the same.  We are not a string of sausages, uniform and identical!  


God made us all different and wants us to be different.  We don't all have to dance to the same tune (or worship song).  He wants us to evolve and go forward as individuals.  That's why it's ok when we don't want to do some of the things we used to do, we have moved on to another phase on our journey - growing and learning, little by little.  Sadly many who have stopped conforming are viewed as having left the pack as it were, gone astray when all we are doing is seeking a more personal, individual relationship with the Father.  Our life journey is just that - a journey throughout our lives and it takes a lifetime to evolve our way through it, growing and learning a bit at a time, changing, rethinking, questioning and learning through our lifetime experiences. A child learns by its mistakes and falls but also by asking questions.  Which parent has not tired at some point because of the apparent incessant questions of 'Why?', 'How?'.  So why not ask God questions about things that we don't understand?  We cannot know it all (although some think they do!).  I am not at the same point in my journey as I was 10 years ago or even one year ago - I keep learning, growing and moving little by little.

Listen!

There are times when you see or hear something and you just can't get it out of your head.  So it has been this week.  I follow a website that makes Bible based cartoons.  Some are really funny but one I saw this week got me thinking about listening.  This is the cartoon in question. (You can find this and more here)  







That also reminded me of a video that was on youtube and going the rounds on Facebook - about a 3 year old who was trying to explain to his mother just why he should have cupcakes when she had already said that he couldn't.  She was patiently listening to him and explaining that he was not having cupcakes for dinner and she was putting them  away and that 'NO he couldn't have any!'  He wouldn't take 'no' for an answer and kept on saying 'yes but listen to me', 'you aren't listening to me'.  Ah the frustrations that causes.  ( You can hear it Here)

The thing is that for many, as with the small boy, listening is synonymous with agreeing with.  How often do we say that people are just not listening to us when really we mean that they continue to disagree with what we are saying.  Another friend on Facebook and Blogworld has recently had similar problems with something he wrote and quite a backlash of disapproval because others disagreed.  They tried to convince him that he was wrong and in a sense that he wasn't listening to their explanations when really the point was that they didn't agree with what he said when all he was doing was expressing his thoughts and opinions at this point in his life journey.  We so often want to explain everything and accept things as long as they are within our own sphere of thinking but cannot accept anything that might be a bit different.  How often God must want to lead us further and evolve our thinking but we remain adamant that what we think is right and cannot be changed.

The cartoon at the beginning of this post brought home to me how many times God's presence is amazing and we have some wonderful experience and then we try to interpret it in a way that is for our benefit.  Our thoughts are focused on the experience itself rather than on what God is saying through it.  We have what we think are good ideas and ask God to bless our project instead of asking Him and listening to what He wants us to do with what He has revealed.  Again many think that some wonderful spiritual experience or high is for our own benefit and somehow a sign that we are maybe a little more worthy than others to receive such an experience or that it points to our higher position in the perceived spiritual hierarchy.  Those who pray/speak in tongues or have had visions or seen angels often have a sort of 'holier than thou' attitude when talking about it.  How often we wallow in our own sense of piety instead of asking why God has revealed Himself in such a way.  Really God is using it to get our attention in order to listen to His message.  Such experiences are usually not for our benefit but to equip us for what we are to go on to accomplish for Him.

The disciples wanted to stay on the Mount of Transfiguration.  They wanted to preserve the moment by making monuments.  Jesus' response was to go back down the mountain; there were needy people waiting; there was work to be done.  The mountain top experience was to encourage, strengthen and prepare for the work that was to follow.  If all we want to do is to keep enjoying the moment; if the objective is to recreate some experience then we miss the point.  Or as my dear mother used to say - some people are so heavenly minded they are no earthly use!  How often Jesus said 'He that has ears let him hear!'  And how often I have been a bit hard of hearing.

Spring Hope

The bus reached one of the main roundabouts on its way into town.  As we went around the roundabout one lady said , 'Oh look aren't they lovely?' pointing out all the daffodils and crocuses in bloom in the centre of the roundabout.  Another lady said,'Yes, they bring a smile to your face don't they?'  And it's true that spring flowers bring cheer and hope to a dreary, monochrome winter.  They herald a brighter future.  Even the shape of daffodils indicates the trumpeting of something better on the horizon.  How many of us, when we see the daffodils in bloom, think of those words of William Wordsworth - 10 thousand saw I at a glance - even if that short phrase is the only part of the poem that we know? 

A taste of my garden bringing a smile indoors

The interesting thing is that daffodils are not expensive flowers.  You can buy a bunch for a few pence.  They are possibly the cheapest flowers on sale.  To plant them, you buy a whole pack of bulbs - not like some plants that are extremely expensive for only one.  Maybe that's one reason why they are planted so profusely in our green spaces in towns - there are lots of them!  They don't have the perfume of a rose, the beauty of an orchid, the deep meaning of a poppy or the scarcity of some exotic bloom in danger of extinction.  They are just ordinary, abundant, nothing special and yet are so welcome as they burst into life after the dark, cold days of winter.


The other day I came across this picture of two small boys.  The older one was comforting and encouraging the younger one, bringing a smile to his worried little face.  He wasn't some great preacher with much knowledge or someone with 'film star looks'.  By his appearance, he didn't seem to be wealthy and yet he was able to bring a smile to another.  We can follow the lives of stars; we can listen to great preachers; we can look up to others who have great knowledge beyond our understanding but when we are feeling low, it's the one who cares and listens that brings a smile to our face.  When I think of Jesus and the stories we read of how people flocked to see and hear him, it's evident that he was someone with whom people wanted to spend time, he encouraged, he cared, he listened.  Sadly I often find that non-church-goers do not have the same opinion of Christians, often the opposite.  They come across as judgmental instead of welcoming.  They seem negative, full of 'don'ts' - don't do this, don't say that, don't go there.  Many are very quick to let you know where you are going wrong and how sinful you are - 'God says ... ... ', the Bible says ... ... '  And yet Jesus had the opposite attitude, always caring and welcoming, not for ever telling people how bad they were.



Someone once said that God must love ordinary people as He made so many of them.  When you look at the ordinary plentiful daffodils, you are not immediately struck by its beauty or think of it as being some expensive or rare flower.  What comes to mind is what it points to - Spring, hope, encouragement of more to follow.  That is how we should be living - just ordinary people bringing a smile to the lives of others by caring and encouraging.  You don't have to appear knowledgeable, clever, good looking or important in the eyes of others.  God loves to use and smile through HIs presence in the ordinary.  God in the ordinary, God of the everyday.

Busy, busy

The first half of this past week we have had some lovely weather and I managed to get into the garden and plant quite a few things - a few potatoes, carrots, peas and garlic.  At least I have made a start and hopefully over the next days and weeks more will get planted.  The lawn has had its first haircut of the year and my new lawn mower got used for the first time.  The other day my son said that he wanted to help me in the garden.  This was a bit of a surprise as he doesn't really like gardening but I wasn't going to argue.  Maybe he's taken pity on his old mother!  He did a great job in cutting down an unwanted tree and I'm sure I'll find many more jobs for him to do.


The latter half of the week has been quite cold with a great deal of fog well into the afternoon.  But still the men came and finally mended the roof, replacing the tiles that had been dislodged and broken during the last storm we had.  Slowly but surely it seems that life is taking on a more pleasant aspect.  This week I also managed to finish the jigsaw puzzle that I started a couple of weeks ago.  The trouble is there are 2 pieces missing and so that is now going out with the cardboard recycling next week.   On the whole it has been a week like any other week - always busy, doing the odd jobs to keep the home running and even when not busy with some activity, there's planning, thinking ahead, sorting out and catching up with emails and blogs.  One blog mentioned about someone who had returned to America after living in a country with a much slower pace of life.  She commented how she noticed the difference:

I saw there was a direct correlation between an obsession with self and an exhausting pace of life, even when the obsession was on good, churchy things. ... ... centering an entire day around productivity or effectiveness as a goal equaled very little focus on other people.  On relationships.

(Taken from http://www.aholyexperience.com, post entitled 'Why slowing down is paramount if we're ever to be the Body.')


It's so easy to get caught up in doing and achieving that we don't spend time slowing down.  Even in the everyday, same old, same old.  It is so easy and tempting to fill every minute with some activity to improve our situation or at least not to appear lazy.  And even when physically we stop doing things our minds are often sorting things out so that we have slowed the body but not our inner selves.  We still don't give our minds the space to just be and soak up God or give our time and attention to really listen to people without our minds half listening and half focusing on the next thing we need to be doing.  As Christians our objectives should not be all about monetary gain and profit but about Kingdom values of relationship one with another and with God - a good lesson and one I need to constantly remember.

Sowing for Harvest

Last year the winter seemed to go on for ever.  We had really cold weather right up until June so the things that I planted either didn't come to very much or were very late.  This year is quite different.  Although we have had many storms and very wet weather it has on the whole been quite mild as winters go and things are beginning to grow as spring emerges.  This week I've been to the garden centre and bought loads of compost, canes, seed potatoes and packets of seeds.  If the weather forecast is correct then I will be able to sow quite a lot over the weekend.  At least that's the plan.  Over the next few weeks my garden should start filling up with flowers, fruit and vegetables.

Some things I've moved around in order to make room for other things that I want to plant.  I'm attempting this year to grow a few more, different vegetables than I did last year and other things less than I have before.  You learn as you go along just what works and what doesn't, depending on your individual taste and energy levels for gardening.  We love strawberries (who doesn't?) so I'm making the strawberry patch larger.  We're also losing a small strip of lawn to make room for vegetable plants.  It's really a case of planting things in the required place; sowing the seeds where you want the harvest to be.

I was reminded of this when I read a post entitled Where to Sow? on a blog I follow (Martin Scott)  He puts it very well:

I ask if we have been seeking to sow too much inside the Promised Land and not enough in Babylon.  I wonder if we have been wanting a harvest but have not sown in the right places ..... maybe God is answering the prayers for harvest by relocating many into Babylon.
  
On the whole, I feel that Christianity for many centuries has sown within the system itself.  The emphasis for many is that once you're 'in' the system it's really only a matter of staying there, safe and secure until we die to have an assured place in the eternal Kingdom.  Meeting together to encourage each other and sing praises to God is great but let's not kid ourselves that this is bringing in the harvest that God wants.  The fields are white unto harvest but we stay in the house (of God).  It's almost like we're in the house, looking out of the window at the garden while keeping the seeds safe and secure in the packet on the shelf.  That way we will never have a harvest.  We need to go out there and sow the seeds where they will bring fruit.  So in answer to our prayers, many like myself find ourselves now 'in Babylon'.  Yes, there will be disappointment sometimes; yes it requires effort and work; yes different types of plants require different kinds of nurturing.  There is no 'one size fits all' system or way of sowing, planting or harvesting but yes the harvest is worth it.  

The time is right and I need to get out and sow some seeds - in our garden ... and in Babylon. 

Spring Surprises and Pleasures

The other day I was sorting out a cupboard I very rarely go into.  It's where we keep board games and such like.  I found a jigsaw that I don't remember ever having completed.  So as I carefully re-organised the cupboard and put everything back in some sort of order, I decided to leave the jigsaw puzzle out.  It is a puzzle of 1000 pieces with a lot of green trees so I guessed it would take quite a long time to do it, especially as I only go to it in my spare time.  I haven't finished it yet but had almost forgotten just how much I enjoy completing jigsaws.  I have spent an unexpected but very pleasant and satisfying few hours seeing the picture gradually coming to life. 

I took this at about 7 o'clock in the morning.

Although it still rains just about every day, at least the really bad storms that caused so much damage over the past 2 months seem to have subsided somewhat.  Between showers, it can sometimes be rather pleasant and the sun does have a more warming effect than during the winter months.  The other morning was one such time when early morning I was able to sit in the doorway at the back of the house - early morning is still a bit nippy to sit outside, for me anyway - and I enjoyed my first mug of coffee of the day looking and listening to creation.  The early birds were calling to each other, a couple flitting by 'making friends' as the male sought to convince a female to set up nest with him.  The sun was just beginning to appear, its glow painting the clouds pink against the blue sky.  A moment of heaven's beauty.

Daffodils in Yeovil

That same morning I was able at last to get out into the garden and start sorting out, trimming back and clearing up after the winter.  There needs to be a time of dark days and cold weather.  It is the time when the garden seemingly dies back but in actual fact it is a time of secret growing, deep underneath and hidden.  We don't see it but we wait and then, as if by magic, when the days become a little longer and the air is a bit warmer, creation begins to stir again and is re-awakened.  I walked around the garden.  The crocuses were in flower and the daffodils in bud, there are new leaves appearing on the buddleia, cherry tree and fig tree as the garden wakes up and gets dressed.  The green verges of our town are full of spring flowers and I even heard a neighbour giving his lawn its first trim of the year.  The sounds and sights of early spring cheer the heart. 


This week I also heard from a friend who had moved and I didn't know her new address so haven't been in touch for some time.  We journeyed together for a while when she went through a very difficult personal family time.  We spent many hours together.  I mostly listened, gave hugs and made mugs of coffee.  Eventually after a number of months she was able to begin moving forward, putting the past behind her, eventually meeting someone who was able to offer her a future together.  In the post the other day I received a note telling me to keep a certain date in June free when she and her new friend would seek God's blessing on their marriage.  What a lovely surprise.  It is so good to know that she is now enjoying life again.

Spring has sprung and things are beginning to stir into activity!  It puts a smile on my face just to look at the new life emerging and say 'Welcome Spring'.