More of the Gap

This is the sketch Steve did for Sunday. He was telling me that it was based on his own outstretched arm and that holding the position even for the time taken to draw it was painful which gave him cause for thought.

In the Gap

 














Glyn cast this in lead from sand moulds and the detail is just incredible. I love the curved cut to the left which shows that all of this that happened is just a small part of the whole that is God. Mindblowing.

In the Gap Reflections between Easter and Pentecost

Our Sunday Service with ‘In the Gap’ as its theme had contributions of photographs, drawings, narrative, a lead casting and in the middle of the church a labyrinth with various prayer activities. It reinforced for me the way gaps (ie no planned ‘service’) can be transformed into creative spaces.

Gaps can imply something is missing that we wish was there but space can imply that there is room for new creative things.

At Easter the disciples had a gap wrenched in their life but it was in fact a space for the Spirit to come. Is this meaning of the story of Mary Magdalene not wanting to let go of Jesus after the resurrection?

Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, `I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" [John 20:17]

The labyrinth on the church floor for me symbolised the way an expanse of church floor usually occupied by seats (a ‘gap’) could be transformed into a space for prayer and meditation.

Has anyone experienced this type of transformation from gap to space? Why not let us know through a comment?

"with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" Luke 6:36-38

I had been challenged last week by watching Susan Boyle on Britain's got talent so shared my thoughts on Sunday. They went something like this:-
- how often do we judge others by their outward appearance and not bother to see what they are like on the inside. Thankfully Jesus looks at the inside first and recognises our gifts and talents despite what we might look like outwardly.
- perhaps we have an insight into how Jesus was treated in his day - the audience on the night were quite cynical and potentially hurtful in their initial reaction - I'm sure Jesus had this experience being just a carpenter from Nazareth ("what good can come from Nazareth")
- lastly I was amazed how the audience (and judges) were transformed within seconds of the singing starting - Jesus has the power to do this within our individual lives aswell if we are prepare to get past our predjudices and also in our churches when we receive and allow his spirit to move

On playing the video we were also challenged by the fact that so many of us were affected by it at an emotional level.

What do you think?

The video clip can be viewed at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il5TBgD9kHI

Little bits of Bible

Recently I have read a couple of articles that suggest bible reading should be left to the experts; that we need it explained to us. Certainly there are bits that are so unclear our only hope of understanding comes through someone who has studied the surrounding issues. However, I believe huge chunks of it are very accessible for us ordinary people and so I like to keep looking at it, and if I miss layers of meaning, then I do, but I take what I can from it.
Putting verses on the blog is just a way for me of remembering to look at the bible a bit more often, and I make no claim about how inspired the verses are - they just caught my attention that day. I invite anyone else to chip in at any point.

Psalm 141:2

I always knew tea was important!

I have been reading 'Three Cups of Tea', by Greg Mortenson; an American mountain climber who after a mountaineering trip up K2 went wrong, arrived exhausted and lost in a mountain village in Pakistan. He was welcomed with tea and rest and eventually regained enough strength to leave, but in that time, the warmth of hospitality shown to him by people who had no idea who he was, made a huge impression. He decided, despite having no money, to return and build the school the community wanted.

It is a great book about one person seeing something through new eyes and deciding to help. He had lots to learn about how differently things were done there and there were lots of difficulties, but it is a thought-provoking story, both in terms of seeing a need and being willing to help, but also in terms of the hospitality that started it all.

Antidote to Anxiety - Well it might help!

There was a piece on the media about how we are more stressed than ever and that the news tries to attract our attention by fear. I expect it is only partially true but certainly if you look at the headlines of the newspapers the fear bit seems to be right. The Mail and Express frontpage headlines are both extreme examples of this most days. Always the worst weather is coming, the gravest financial crisis, etc, etc.

The piece I heard went on to interview an occupational psychologist who I thought was surprising sensible. Three simple things to help de-stress:
• Take control
• Keep a good social support network
• Challenge your negative thinking

Not always easy or possible but good to have as an aim.

It seems to me this is much what happens when we find faith in Christ. We put our trust in God both in our actions and our thinking and join a faith community. Well anyway it should help!

Corrie Ten Boom

Romans 8:26
There is so much we don't know how to pray for, but I think the desire to concentrate God's gaze on a particular situation is prayer in itself.

Today my family is going to the museum in the former home of Corrie Ten Boom in Holland. Reading her story reminded me what a strong sense she had of doing what she was believed she was called to even when the circumstances didn't seem to suggest it was a good plan. She was clearly a scary lady and not necessarily easy to live with, but as a consequence many people were helped.

(Corrie Ten Boom was a Dutch watchmaker who helped Jews escape persecution and who was arrested and put in a concentration camp where the rest of her family died. Her life on release was devoted to talking, all around the world about her faith and especially about forgiveness and renewal of hope in dark situations.

PS - Dancing with God's Spirit

I just love the words of The Lord of the Dance. Here is a You Tube Version

Ashley at Easter - Dancing with God’s Spirit

What I tried to say in this morning’s service at Ashley was that following Jesus through death to resurrection with love, forgiveness, and sacrifice is not easy. Each situation we find ourselves in requires not so much a literal ‘what would Jesus do’ (since it not always straightforward to translate Jesus life to ours) as a takeover by God’s Spirit which allows The Holy Spirit’s reaction in our circumstances. I used three metaphors to describe this spiritual take over:
• A stick of rock – wherever you break it there is the same name
• Genetics – the blue print for an organism means it will grow true to its originator no matter where it is
• A dance – I think this is one of the best metaphors for a life led by God’s Spirit – dancing with ‘the unforced rhythm of God’s grace’ (Matt 11:30, The Message).

We need to learn how to dance with God.

Keeping Jesus Contained

Matthew 27:65 - 66

I was imagining the officials trying to make sure this whole Jesus episode is over now; how to stop the story continuing. They know that it has potential to spill over and affect the future if they don't manage it and they think they have Jesus contained.

I was thinking that today as christians we might even do that a little - guard the doors against the escape of Jesus into the rest of the world, in case he goes places and does things that we are not comfortable with.
This is personal, but is challenging to think that God needs the response of individuals to be that which accommodates him while he moves arounds the world, rather than tries to contain him, even though we might think we do it for his preservation.

Palm Sunday - the coming of the messiah

A modern day coming of a messiah (Alan Shearer at Newcastle) with similar crowd behaviour to that recorded in the gospels.

Being a Palm Sunday people?

- We can give Jesus the time he deserves and Easter can be an opportunity for that a time to slow down, reflect, listen, ponder, and take some walks with God
- we can worship Jesus and celebrate what we have seen and heard him do
- we can show our adoration without embarrassment
- Psalm 48:1 Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise.

To be a Pilgrim

I came across these to quotes about journeys in an historical adventure I am reading. Both obvious and not new to me but it spoke to me again about my own faith journey:

“in order to go anywhere, one must leave where he is and arrive somewhere else”

“unless a pilgrim carry with him what he seeks, he will not find it when he arrives”

Byzantium, Stephen Lawhead (p19)

Anyone else came across the obvious and familiar perhaps from an expected source which has spoke to them afresh?

Poor Worms or Giant Slayers?

We had our discussion evening last Wednesday on The Secret by Rhonda Byrn. It is a book about positive thinking and suggests that this is the way to achieving anything you really want. It is not a Christian book and we discussed to what extent it encompasses the Christian gospel.

It reminded me of the prosperity gospel and the teaching of the Korean Pastor Yonggi Cho. The faith, vision and optimism can be a real encouragement when stuck in “I am a poor worm and can do nothing“ type of Christianity and it is time for a bit of being a “David with the faith to slay giants” type of faith.

On the other hand the book does not seem to address the reality of failure and painand the way this can be overcome which I would consider also part of Jesus teaching. It could easily get us into a 'catch twenty –two’ way of thinking which says that “you just have not got enough faith or positive thinking, so it is all you fault”. It is all about that old thing of balance yet again.

There are days when a good dose of positive thinking and praying is the way forward and we need to reach for whatever does this for us. Whether it is The Secret, or Jesus teaching on asking and receiving or David slaying the giant Goliath or somethng else. Other days we just need to know and have the faith that sometimes things happen to us that are difficult, painful, and mysterious and we just don’t seem to have an answer.

Our discussion evenings always make me think and because we take turns to choose a book I read things that I would otherwise not have read. Out next book is 'Outliers: the Story of Success' by Malcolm Gladwell. We would welcome anyone to come along (Ashley 8 pm on 21 May) who wants an exploring and stimulating evening based around the chosen book.

If you can’t come along we welcome comments on the book here or by email and/or suggestions of interesting books we might consider reading/discussing in the future.

Where else would we go Lord?

Sue's suggested bible reading (see below) reminded me again of the disciples response (see title) to Jesus and that even when things seem to be going totally 'pear shaped' where else can we turn but to Jesus. There may be many things that give instant relief from a situation but does not solve the problem or make it go away. We have to be prepared sometimes to grit our teeth and decide to keep going knowing that God will be with us even if at the time it doesn't seem like it. Not always easy but the guys didn't know God's deliverance until they were actually thrown into the furnance but they had the faith and the assurance not to turn to other 'gods' or disown their God.

Daniel 3:17-18

17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."