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9 February 2012

2012-02-08T17:19:00Z

The slogan 'Keep calm and carry on' is everywhere and has been for some time now, it seemed to take on new life as the mantra to cheer us all up in the midst of recession and winter and any other aspect of doom and gloom. Yet it doesn't cheer me up at all, it seems very accepting, submissive, stoic, I prefer my hope to be served in much brighter colours.

I have been reading Joshua for the last few days , now there is a message of hope and inspiriation- as Joshua faces the battle God tells him to

'Be strong and courageous: I will never leave you or forsake you'

Sometimes God asks us to do something, not just to carry on but to make a difference, not just to accept but to change and that can be terrifying, but then we have a promise, God's promise that he, the maker of heaven and earth, will never leave us.

Never mind just keeping calm, with these words behind us we should be positively joyful.

'Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

8 February 2012

2012-02-07T20:36:35Z

My daughters tell me that Facebook will now come complete with a timeline, which basically gives your history since you have been using it. I was listening to some debate about this and that given employers may look at Facebook most people may want to change their name by the time they are 20. There are even companies setting up which, for a fee, will wipe out the things you would prefer not to appear.

I have mixed feelings about this, I feel a bit sorry for our young people because every mistake they make can end up in the public domain. Which of us has not done something stupid, but luckily for our generation it is known only to a few close friends, I can't imagine the horror of having my mistakes public knowledge. So I question employers who actually might be prepared to use this against someone, it seems very unforgiving.

God on the other hand has known our timeline since before we were born, every mistake, every secret is known to him - but far from use it against us, he lets us make our mistakes, continues to love us and gives us chance after chance to get it right. I know whose hands I would rather put my future into.

7 February 2012

2012-02-06T18:32:00Z

At last the chance to use my snow shovel, that would be the shovel which has been on sale outside the supermarket for several months now and which I foolishly thought when I first saw it meant we were about to have snow.

When I say my snow shovel I really mean the one I bought for my husband to use, but he assures me it made a difference.

I was ready for the snow, I had read the forecast, googled the Met office and I knew roughly when and how bad it would be, and I had made arrangements for my daughters to go out and be picked up before it got bad, so I was completely surprised to hear stories of people stranded, or unable to get back from shopping trips, or home from relatives- how could they not know?

Then it occurred to me that maybe I was just a tiny weeny bit of a control freak, that not everyone does check, that some people actually go about their business without planning ahead or checking out all eventualities and in truth I wish I was more like that,OK so things could go wrong but there is usually a solution isn't there?

Jesus warns us to be ready for his kingdom coming, to ensure we are living in ways that he taught us, but then to leave the rest in his hands. He doesn't want us to waste our energy trying to control everything in this life.

So I'm leaving my Met office app alone, not checking it at all, but not until tomorrow as I hear there are ice warnings for tonight.

'Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.' Matthew 6:34

6 February 2012

2012-02-05T19:44:03Z

I loved the story last week about the artist who painted the murale on the walls of the Facebook office and received payment in shares but was very scathing thinking that they would be worth nothing, now however they stand at $200m

I like stories where we can look back on hindsight and see something which meant very little at the time but made a huge difference in the bigger picture. On a similar theme this week I was reading about Rahab the prostitute who gave shelter to Joshua's spies as they first entered the promised land, in return for her bravery she simply asked safety for her family.

Joshua's men promised her this, and now centuries later every time we read the Christmas story we see her name in the family tree in Matthew's gospel which leads all the way to Jesus,for she had a part to play in the lineage yet little did she know what her actions would mean.

Little do we know what part we might play this week or what our actions might mean -its an exciting thought.

Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.' Joshua 2:1

3 February 2012

2012-02-03T10:09:20Z

Yesterday at the airport I noticed a computer terminal which gave an hour of social networking for a pound. Is there really anyone that desperate to stay on facebook while they are travelling?

One of the joys of travelling for me is to buy a book in the airport a large latte and tuck myself away reading, avoiding conversation and using the whole blissful, uninterrupted flying time to lose myself in a book - yesterday it was 'Death comes to Pemberley.' if anyone is interested. There are few times in our days now when we are not available and I think they are to be treasured , so for just a few hours I was back in the time of Jane Austin and Mr Darcy - what bliss.

Sometimes too we need to switch everything off and take a bit of time in prayer. I am slightly suspicious of these shortcut ways to read the bible a minute a day etc, really we need to shift the prioirities and make a bit of time to be in a quiet space, slow down our minds and enter into his presence, then be ready to listen, that we might hear his voice above the clamour outside.

'But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ' Matthew 6 :6

31 January 2012

2012-01-30T17:22:00Z

I keep getting emails from companies I have one time in a dim and distant past bought something from, and it seems all it takes is one purchase for them to never leave me alone. This week I had an email from a company from whom I had ordered a cheap book last year, telling me that because I was such a good customer, they were giving me a loyalty discount. I almost felt sorry for them if I was their idea of a good customer.

It did however get me thinking about loyalty. Loyalty cards are everywhere, and useful too at times I have to admit, but regularly buying ones coffee from the same retailer is not quite the same thing as loyalty. My loyalty to shops is not to be trusted, I will change if their prices shift, if they don’t have what I want or even just if something better comes along whereas I think loyalty is about sticking with something in good and bad times, not for what one gets out of it, but because of love.

Loyalty in relationships carries us through bad times, loyalty to a cause keeps us working towards it even when we are exhausted, loyalty to friends has us doing things we may not want to do, just because we love them. And as for God, well his loyalty to us is unswerving even when we turn away.

Real loyalty is all about love and not really about rewards.

30 January 2012

2012-01-29T19:25:00Z

Closing the Gap is a phrase I have come across a lot in teaching at the moment, closing the gap between a child's current grade and their target grade, encouraging them to reach their full potential.

I was thinking about this for my own life and trying to figure out where my target grades are, not for academics any more (thank goodness) but other little everyday things, keeping fit, cleaning the house, making good healthy meals, being good at my work, good at my hobbies and remembering to slot in some me time. I have to say that I set the targets so high I am never going to reach them but continue to strive exhausting myself in the process.

Setting targets for ourselves is something we do without thinking and how hard we push ourselves may be a voice from the past: teachers, parents, whatever, but it occurred to me the other day that there is no gap to be closed for God, he has taken the gap away and we don't have to strive or earn his love. We just have to accept it and rejoice in it- something we are in danger of missing because we are trying too hard.

I quite liked how this was written in the message;

'God does not respond to what we do; we respond to what God does. We've finally figured it out. Our lives get in step with God and all others by letting him set the pace, not by proudly or anxiously trying to run the parade.'

27 January 2012

2012-01-26T19:54:36Z

Everyday I walk the fields at the back of my house and this week I have walked them pretty much in rain and gloom. At first glance there doesn't seem much to inspire, yet because I know them so well now, I can see the hedgerow change almost everyday, . This week I took some random photos of the chaos in the hedgerow and I am amazed at how they have turned out, the light and dark, the shapes of tangled branches, the crisscross of the tall grass, it is a beautiful design.

Sometimes we need to spend time really looking to see the beauty that emerges- same goes for people too.

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.' Matthew 7:1-2

25 January 2012

2012-01-24T18:01:00Z

I always seem to think I have more of everything in my cupboards than I do. I remember buying ketchup for instance but using it seems to pass me by and before I know it we have run out, in spite of my protestation that I am sure there is more in the cupboard. I read yesterday a quote which made me laugh that if you think you have lots in the cupboard you have probably run out- how true.

I think it applies to other things as well, we are not always very good at seeing when our resources are depleting, when we are getting too tired, or too stressed , or too busy and by the time we need energy and strength there is none left in the cupboard. Sometimes we need to remember to take more care of ourselves, to do a little less, to rest a little more, to make time for our hobbies or just to indulge in something we love to do for no other reason than the fact that we enjoy it.

When Elijah ran away exhausted after all he had done, the angel woke him and gave him the simplest advise to eat and rest, how much better if we remember before we run out.

'Exhausted, he fell asleep under the lone broom bush.
Suddenly an angel shook him awake and said, "Get up and eat!"
⁶ He looked around and, to his surprise, right by his head were a loaf of bread baked on some coals and a jug of water. He ate the meal and went back to sleep.
⁷ The angel of God came back, shook him awake again, and said, "Get up and eat some more—you've got a long journey ahead of you."
1 Kings 19 : 3-7

24 January 2012

2012-01-23T19:57:00Z

On Sunday's papers I read a column where the writer was asking the question , what was worth getting up for at this time of year? Its a good question because it is dark and cold and it is still January (which does seem to have 300 days and not just 31- as opposed to July which only has about 5 days in it).

Yesterday , Monday morning my youngest sat huddled on the sofa before school facing the prospect of outdoor hockey first thing, suddenly whatever I needed to do that day just got better because I couldn't actually think on anything worse.

Yet as I walked over the field with the dog, the trees are budding, the hedgerow is sending up red new shoots and in my garden the daffodils are through (which of course may not be a good thing). So its all happening, even through the gloomy days, it is all getting ready and that seemed very hopeful to me. What is worth getting up for? Today is worth getting up for and giving thanks.

'The LORD has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.' Psalm 118:24

23 January 2012

2012-01-22T19:04:00Z

I have just finished reading Great Expectations and my guilty pleasure has been following the series a little bit each lunchtime as I read through the book.

I wonder if we are not also asked to live with Great Expectations. Throughout the bible God promises to be with us, that he has a purpose for us,that we will be with him in eternity, that we need never be afraid, yet unlike Pip, very few of us live as if we expected it. We worry and stress over all the little things in spite of this promise laid before us. If I had been Pip I would probably have stayed at the forge ,just in case, just to be on the safe side.

In the story Pip is let down in some ways, some of his expectations come to nothing because they rely on man, yet I only have to turn to the bible to realise how much God exceeds our expectations every time. It is enough to make you want to trust....

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19 :26

20 January 2012

2012-01-19T18:33:00Z

Sorry for yesterday's lack of thought but I was a bit preoccupied during the time I normally sit down and write these. What should have been a quick walk with the dog before the day really began became a marathon tramp back and forth across the fields as she disappeared again.

To explain, I have taken endless time and effort to train her better and it was paying off, friends were remarking how much her behaviour had improved, I blew the whistle, she came back, it worked every time, except yesterday. I blew the whistle she took one look at me and disppeared to follow a scent that was obviously too good to miss.

After a very long time, I abandoned the search and came home only to find she had beaten me to it, come in through the dog flap and was sitting looking at me , wondering where I had been no doubt. The scene which followed was not quite the return of the prodigal- I was wet, stressed, late and I am not always a good person.

I have no idea where she had been or what she had doing but clearly paradise didn't quite deliver as she headed for home eventually - if only she could remember that next time she is tempted from the straight and narrow, if only we could remember too.

'Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.....So he got up and went to his father.' Luke 15:11-32

18 January 2012

2012-01-17T19:59:53Z

I was sent a youtube clip this week which was called Why I hate religion and love Jesus which tried to make the point that sometimes people who use the label Christian seem to have lost sight of what Jesus was really teaching.

The point was strongly made and is not a new one, after all didn't Jesus make the same point about the established religion and what God really wanted, we don't have to look much further than the parable of the Good Samaritan to see what he thought of those who preached religion but did not practise it.

When we hear all the rhetoric from politics in the USA just now we might be tempted to think that little has changed . It easy to point the finger, and the clip makes no mention of all those involved in wonderful work in the name of Christ, however it is worth challenging ourselves from time to time .

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:37

17 January 2012

2012-01-16T20:05:00Z

So yesterday was meant to be blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year, I wonder if by giving it a title we make it more depressing. Maybe we didn't realise it was a miserable Monday until someone tells us and then sure enough....

Early in the morning I took myself off to walk the dog, the sun was rising and the fields were white. The plants carried a sparkling frost and glistened in the sun - whatever else might have been going on it was hard to be sad when God had given us the gift of such a beautiful morning.

'When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?

You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honour.' Psalm 8 :3-5

16 January 2012

2012-01-15T18:38:00Z

My kids have been trying to teach me to play Temple Run , not sure if anyone has tried this, but it involves brain hand co-ordination which I simply don't possess, so my poor guy keeps crashing into trees or diving off the wall.

It did occur to me how good it might be if we could just as easily swipe ourselves over the hard times in our lives, avoid the bumps along the way and swerve to miss the obstacles, but then maybe we would never grow and learn. After all the temple run guy has to keep going back to the starting point while I like to think that God holds my hand when I hit the wall, then picks me up and sets me back on the road more ready for the next challenge.

'Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.'

13 January 2012

2012-01-12T18:31:00Z

I heard on the radio this morning that the weather is about to turn colder, but I did a bit of a double take when I arrived at Tesco to see the front of the shop filled with sledges and snow shovels, clearly it is about to turn colder than I thought- or is it?

The two thoughts together in my mind and I think in lots of people's mind make me begin to worry whether they know something we don't and rather than just pick up a pint of milk maybe I should prepare for the worst. Is this a deliberate marketing trick, or an I just a complete pessimist?

I do tend to make provision for things and not just leave them to chance yet all of Jesus's teachings tell me just the opposite, work on my relationship with God and what he asks of me and everything else will fall into place.

So I haven't bought a shovel or ten loaves and pints of milk- I have left it all but I confess I am still just a little bit worried .

'But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.'Matthew 6:33

12 January 2012

2012-01-11T20:11:17Z

Earlier this week having already done my morning dog walk, the sun suddenly came out and I raced back over the field with my camera because there was a particular picture that I have been waiting ages to take. As I got to just the right spot, set up and clicked, the camera wouldn't take , the battery was needing charged.

So today ready and prepared on this lovely morning with a full battery I set out and took just the pictures I wanted, came home saved them and deleted them from the camera, only to discover they were not where I had saved them, nowhere to be seen and I had deleted the originals.

I confess this was not my finest hour until...

I was rescued by my husband who searched my files and found all the photos intact just in a different place.

So what thoughts do I have?

Either the parable of the ten virgins, to be prepared at all times (both with a full battery) and a good relationship with God, or to 'seek and you shall find', no matter how frustrating the search can be.

Perhaps I'll leave it there for now, I really need a cuppa!

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.' Matthew 25;13

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.' Luke 11:9-13

11 January 2012

2012-01-10T20:04:54Z

Last night I was involved in a strange conversation about Quality Street as most of us have been making our way through the Christmas tins we are left with the one at the bottom we like the least. For me it is Strawberry while the person I was talking to loved the strawberry but hated the toffee so it was suggested that we should have a Quality Street swap.

Thank goodness we are not all the same and can compliment each others likes and dislikes ,strengths and weaknesses within our families and friends and communities.

Paul describes it well in Corinthians when he talks of us being many parts of one body each with something valuable to offer and each as important as the other -(although I do think the toffees are better than the strawberries.)

'Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.'

10 January 2012

2012-01-09T18:12:00Z

I have been reading with sadness today about TV chef Antony Worrall Thompson, in the news because he was found shoplifting in his local Tesco. It is sad when people do the wrong thing, and it seems even sadder when they have it splattered all over the newspaper. I know very little about him, and I can’t begin to imagine what journey has taken him from a successful chain of restaurants to this petty crime, except to know he must be suffering.

I can never forget that we are all flawed in some way or another , that at times the face we show to the outside world hides a very different face which only those closest to us see, and we would prefer others not to know.

When Jesus came face to face with the paralyzed man who needed his healing he knew instantly that the inability to walk was the least of this man’s problems, that what he was faced with was not the real issue and so to the consternation of those around him he tells the man he is forgiven, and then asks him to take up his mat and walk.

Whatever help Anthony Worrall Thompson receives I hope it gets to the heart of the matter and it reminds me to be more sensitive and perceptive to see what is really going on in the lives of those around us.

'Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”' Mark 2 :3-6

5 January 2012

2012-01-05T19:30:20Z

On Christmas Eve I went to buy flowers to put on the table the next day and feeling a bit overspent I chose the discounted bunch of white roses thinking I had a real bargain. Although they looked OK on Christmas day , by boxing day I understood why they had been so heavily discounted.

Yet as they started to change I found them to be much more interesting, as the white faded a little the deep pink in the edge of the petal came through more, and for the next few days caught my attention much more than if they had been perfectly white.

None of us are perfect, our body shape is the one we are created with and does not conform to some idea of perfection fed to us on our TV screens, yet perhaps as with my roses, it is the imperfections which make us all the more beautiful and interesting.

'So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.'

Genesis 1:27