On Wednesday, I took an early morning flight from Stansted airport to Glasgow in order to spend the day with my mum. For many reasons it was a great day, and one of the absolute pleasures was being able to take time to notice the amazing gifts God gives us.Driving out to Loch lomond to sit for a while at the lochside, I was silenced by the beauty of the snow on the mountains and the sun glittering off the water, the trees beginning to blossom and the carpet of crocuses covering the field at the side of the road. At night as I flew back , the sun sending an orange glow to light up the clouds beyond which we flew. The beauty of invention that made the whole day possible.

 

It was so good to enjoy God's creation

 

"When I look at the sky,which you have made, at the moon and the stars, which you set in their places- what are humans that you think of them; mere mortals that you care for them?"

Psalm 8 vs 3-4

Recently there was a programme on the radio  about the pschology of list makers. Those who makes lists for everything and those who put at the top of their list, MUST MAKE LIST.

 I am a definately a list maker, and I carry it forward everyday, checking off what I have done and adding new things. I fill notebooks with lists and they never ever end- I never ever get to the end of my list.

 

Just before I sat down to write this, I checked my list again and the thought came to me that no-where on my list is anything fun, nowhere have I written, take an afternoon to paint, or go for coffee, because these things don't seem as important as the others.

 

Jesus had fun during his life, yes his ministry was hard and all consuming, but he took time to go to the wedding, to enjoy the company of his friends. God wants us to have all these things too because the things we enjoy are also gifts from God we do not have to be striving all the time.

 

I love this quote from max Lucado's book "When God whispers your name"

"Jesus knew the fellowship of angels and heard the harps of heaven, yet he still went to parties thrown by tax collectors. And upon his shoulders rested the challenge of redeeming creation, but he still took time to walk ninety miles from Jericho to Cana to go to a wedding."

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday I spend the best part of the day writing up a piece of work for the Christian Studies Course I am taking. I had set aside the day to complete it and was delighted to finish just before the girls got home from school. When I sat down to do this thought however I found I had drawn a real blank, I had no stories to pull from, no observations from the day, no chats with others to inspire me and give me food for thought.

 

For me it is people who inspire, and  interaction with others on a daily basis  is what brings the gospel into focus for me. I know this is not the case for everyone but I am reminded that to follow Christ requires not just the study of his word but actively serving,carrying out his wishes in our own small part of this world.

 

Too much of one without the other and we might all draw a blank.

 

"After sending the people away he went up a hill by himself to pray"  Matthew 14 vs 23

" Jesus got out of the boat, and when he saw the large crowd, his heart was filled with pity for them, and he healed those who were ill." Matthew 14 vs 14

As I write this on Mothering Sunday, the sun is shining as it has all day, it is actually warm enough to sit outside with a cup of coffee, Spring does seem to be on its way.

 

Now I am moving house in three weeks and the schedule is crazy, I have boxes around the house waiting to be packed, coursework to finish, and a million other calls on my time over the next month- but today I am just sat still with my cup of tea, enjoying family and sunshine and taking five minutes to give thanks- it will all get done somehow or other, but right now only one thing is needed....

 

"Be still and know that I am Lord....."

Psalm 46 vs 10

Today I was sitting in the car waiting in the carpark and enjoying the view of fields and trees.As I sat there I saw  an elderly man who had his hands full and was making his way across the carpark. In spite of the fact he was already laden, I watched as he bent down to pick up a piece of litter and put it in the nearest bin.

 

It was a simple thing but it made me consider the idea of going the extra mile, had I had my hands full would I have stopped to do that? Probably not!

 

Jesus talks about going the extra mile, about carrying a pack a little further, about giving your coat as well as your shirt, for by such actions we are showing a love beyond duty, a love beyond that which is expected, the love indeed which Christ shows for us.

 

"And if someone takes you to court to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well. And if one of the occupying troops forces you to carry his pack one kilometre, carry it two kilometres." Matthew 5 vs 41-42

There has been much in the headlines over the last few days about Facebook and the potential dangers of social networking sites, as the mother of two girls what happened is my worst nightmare and I have spent a lot of time (too much my girls would say) reinforcing the advice about using these sites wisely and safely.

 

I thought I would share however a story of technology used to make a very positive influence, by way of contrast. There is  a child in my daughter's class who went into hospital for some major surgery this week, those of us who have undergone some sort of surgery know how frightening that time is as we wait to go down to theatre. Somehow the familiar world of friends and family seems far away and we are transported into an alien environment of medics and equipment which can be terrifying. Throughout this whole time however the girls in her class were sending texts, wishing her well and just chatting right up until she went to theatre.I can imagine how comforting this would have been to feel your friends right there with you.

 

I thought this was a lovely story, and reminds me of the fact that it is the intention that matters not the technology in itself. Yes advances may have opened up more ways for those with dark intent to do evil , but the same technology in the hands of those with a pure heart can be a powerful force for good.

Living in England for the first time as a Scot I am constantly surprised at the different views we have of history. A typical example is Mary Queen of Scots, for us as children she was portrayed a such a heroine, but clearly that is not quite the case here. my point is that it all depends on your viewpoint.

 

Jesus was very clear about his mission in his three short years of ministry, but those around him had such different points of view, Judas assumed he was the leader who would overthrow the Romans,and  the Pharisees saw him as a rebel rouser, a threat to the establishment.

 

Many today believe him to be a great teacher but no more than that. Jesus asked his disciples"

But what about you, who do you say that I am? Luke 9 vs 20

It is worth taking time over Lent to ask ourselves that question, who do we think Jesus is ?

Whilst browsing the bookstore this weekend I could not help but notice the large displays for Mother's Day, but I was amazed and perplexed by the wisdom which seemed to suggest whole piles of cookery books for Mum. The one which sent shivers down my spine was "Cooking for the family" and trust me if that were to make any sort of appearance next Sunday in my house I might not be answerable to my actions.

 

Maybe I am alone in this, but surely Mother's day is about saying thank you, not piling on another set of tasks.

 

I wonder if we make the same mistake sometimes in our prayers, we turn to God, but seldom say thank you just give the next list of problems and worries to be sorted out. I believe we should take all our concerns to God , but we should make thanks an important part of our prayers.

 

Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! ... I Chronicle

 16 vs 8

And in case they are reading this, a nice novel , set in some sun drenched island would be just lovely........

Last week on one of the first sunny days, I went for a lovely walk with the dog on the fields near our house. The sun was out, the birds were singing and there were some rabbits on the hill. Therein lay the problem, I let the dog off the lead and 45 mins later I was still trying to call her back.The lure of Spring was too much to resist and I was left  worrying that she would stray onto the road or meet all sorts of dangers.  So this week I have been starting at the beginning again with the command "Come" to try and train my daft mutt to be like all these other obedient dogs who return the instant their owner calls them.

 

Jesus also asks us to come. He doesn't command or force us , but he asks us to come, and how quickly do we respond? The fishermen drop everything and follow him, but for many of us ,well we run off in every direction chasing all sorts of things. Even though he can see the danger we put ourselves in and the unhappiness we cause ourselves he still leaves it up to us, because unlike our pets, he wants us to follow of our own free will , not because we have been indoctrinated.

 

Some of us will stray and return, and how much rejoicing there is in heaven when we do, some of us however will never return, and over  those people, I am sure, Jesus weeps.

"In the same way I tell you, the angels of God rejoice over one sinner who repents." Luke 15 vs 10

I have been taking time over a series of Lenten readings by Tom Wright and today came across a wonderful line that I wanted to share.

"If you believe in a living God, use a little Holy Boldness"

It reminded me of the last few weeks in the UK before we left to live in America, as we said more and more goodbyes, the whole process became harder with lots of good friends wishing us luck, but also expressing concern about our new start. On one particular evening as I was becoming more and more worried, I described the process as stepping onto the flume at the swimming pool, the process was happening and we were being swept along by it. At the same time however,  I did feel  that all my fine words on trust and faith were being tested and  if I truly believed in this living God, then I had to believe that he  would be at the end of the flume to catch us, that he would not let us sink.

 

All it took was a little "Holy Boldness"

I wonder how much we truly believe and trust how bold we are prepared to be in our prayers, our actions and stepping out in our faith.

"Do not be afraid-I am with you!

I am your God-let nothing terrify you!"

Isaiah 41 vs 10