For I know the plans

This week God again proved for me that he does know what is going on and that if I trust in him he will do what's best for me. However I cannot say it was an easy process there was struggle and heart ache involved, probably due to my inability to hand everything over to God deal with but I guess that is a natural reaction for most of us any way - "Here's my situation God but I'll just hang on to this bit!"

I was very encouraged to read this passage from Malachi 3:17-18
Then the Lord All-Powerful said:
You people are precious to me, and when I come to bring justice, I will protect you, just as parents protect an obedient child. Then everyone will once again see the difference between those who obey me by doing right and those who reject me by doing wrong.

So I have been reminded again of how much I need to trust God at the same time as continuing my walk in the world, I need to remember that my God is with me.

Great expectations?

I wasn't at Ashley on Sunday because I was at Lords watching the Test Match. It was a funny sort of day with England captain Michael Vaughan scoring a century whilst his team-mates found it harder going than the pundits thought it should be against New Zealand.

Cricket isn't everyone's cup of tea and I can understand why. If you're watching it expecting a boundary or a wicket from every delivery then you'll be frustrated; in the case of a Test Match its better to manage your expectations by regarding it as a gently unfolding story.

Expectations, whether high or low, are part of our Christian lives. Some would say that to receive great things from God we need to expect great things from God. That may be true, but it sits a bit uncomfortably with my own natural inclination to 'manage my expectations' in order to avoid being disappointed. Can I nurture a healthy sense of spiritual expectancy that doesn't get deflated when God doesn't act in the way I might want him to? I guess its something I need to work on.....a bit like some of the England players with their batting.

Trying too hard

On Sunday we sang a song that we have often sung before, but I got caught up with the words in a way that I sometimes don't. It contained the lines:

'When earthly wisdom dims the light of knowing You
Or if my search for understanding clouds Your way,
To You I'll fly, my hiding place... '

It is quite challenging when our very search for understanding is the thing that is clouding God's way. It comes back to the Easter verse about having nothing left to give but ourselves as finding out that that was what he wanted all along - not our cleverness, or our dutifulness or any of our other' -nesses', but just our raw selves. No wonder we need to fly to him to be hidden; that's pretty exposed. If we're not to try too hard to understand, then we are into heavenly bearhug territory - we need to learn to just be held.
I find that a bit tricky!

Shake it off and step up

This morning was looking at who we are in Christ and how revisitng/remembering that can help us when we face difficult times.

A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule ‘braying’. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbours together and told them what had happened…and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbours continued shovelling and the dirt hit his back…a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back…HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP This he did, blow after blow.

‘Shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up!’ he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought ‘panic’ and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!

It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of the well. What seemed like would bury him, actually blessed him…all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity. Disappointment can make or break us, depending on how we cope with it.

This can all sound very easy and a bit twee but if we also remember some of the things God says to us in his bible then he can help us to shake it off and step up.

So I’ve been reminding myself what God has said to me before about who I am and what he says to me. It will be familiar to you but it’s good to remind ourselves every now and then that God is good and does want the best for us.




Gill R also sent me the lyrics to a song which is very appropriate too, you can also watch and listen here

Sometimes my little heart can't understand
What's in Your will, what's in Your plan.
So many times I'm tempted to ask You why,
But I can never forget it for long.
Lord, what You do could not be wrong.
So I believe You, even when I must cry.
Do I trust You, Lord?
Does the river flow?
Do I trust You, Lord?
Does the north wind blow?
You can see my heart,
You can read my mind,
And You got to know
That I would rather die
Than to lose my faith
In the One I love.
Do I trust You, Lord?
Do I trust You?

I know the answers, I've given them all.
But suddenly now, I feel so small.
Shaken down to the cavity in my soul.
I know the doctrine and theology,
But right now they don't mean much to me.
This time there's only one thing I've got to know.

Do I trust You, Lord?
Does the robin sing?
Do I trust You, Lord?
Does it rain in spring?
You can see my heart,
You can read my mind,
And You got to know
That I would rather die
Than to lose my faith
In the One I love.
Do I trust You, Lord?
Do I trust You?

I will trust You, Lord, when I don't know why.
I will trust You, Lord, till the day I die.
I will trust You, Lord, when I'm blind with pain!
You were God before, and You'll never change.
I will trust You.
I will trust You.
I will trust You, Lord.
I will trust You.

Psalm 139

I have been very encouraged by this Psalm again today and would have liked to play this video at church tomorrow but can't download it so it's here instead. I hope you find it as relaxing and encouraging as I did.

DR WHO'S SERMON ' TOOLKIT ' ???

I came across this email news item which I thought might be of interest. The full article is in the link.

Is it good communication or the church just trying a bit too hard?

What do you think?

DR WHO’S SERMON ‘TOOLKIT’
Dr Who ascended with angels, a vision inspired Rose, and the Daleks terrorised mankind. And, in the Church’s bid to engage with teenagers, this symbolism could help communicate Christian ideas that would otherwise be difficult to explain, ministers heard this week at a Church Army conference. ‘Clergy shouldn’t be afraid to engage with popular culture as, for many young people, television plays a large role in their thinking,’ said Church Army spokesman Andrew Wooding. Revd Andrew Myers, of St Aidan’s in Leeds, said: ‘Even the more cynical have been convinced that this immensely successful series provides a wonderful toolkit!’
Source: Daily Telegraph (4/5) Full text link

Pentecost reflection

Very much enjoyed the service on Sunday, as we were reminded in various ways by various people of the various ways in which God touches us by his Holy Spirit. At the same time we had the sober reflection from Roy of how hard it sometimes is to have faith that God can respond to our prayers when faced with something as massive as the cyclone tragedy in Burma - I often feel that way myself.

Thinking about experiences of the Spirit on Sunday, I found myself thinking about the first time I spoke in tongues - about eight years ago. Since then its a gift I have made use of, but it does involve discipline, and sometimes I've gone for months without using it. Its not something I talk about much because it is a bit of a weird thing, and I don't fully understand it myself. What I have found though is that at times it helps me when I can't find the words to say to God, and that it helps me to engage my heart as well as my head.

I remember once reading something by CS Lewis which I found very encouraging. Reflecting on the fact that sometimes we feel that our prayers are just bouncing off the ceiling - he pointed out that since the Holy Spirit lives in us, what may feel like a monologue is actually God working through us as we articulate our compassion for people and situations. Hope that's of some encouragement to us as we pray (in whatever language!)

Gavin

Pentecost Sunday Presentation

We looked at Pentecost in the light of the book of Joel and the way Peter uses the prophecy to explain the phenomenon they had just experienced. The book describes the devastation of the locusts and then the prophecy of hope which Peter quotes at Pentecost.

Flowers and Weeds

I woke up this morning with a very old song in my head - it probably had something to do with the line 'love is like the sunshine ...' It led me to think of some other old and well loved songs and including Laura's and my old favourite -

My heart may be like a garden, fair,
lots of loving thoughts and deeds blossoming there.
Or it may be a place of poison weeds, growing into ugly thoughts and words and deeds.
Lord Jesus make my heart a garden, fair.
Come now thyself and be the gardener there.

You have to allow for it being a children's song, but having seen how quickly the weeds have grown in my real garden this week, I have to echo the plea for assistance in keeping my heart garden well weeded!

Sunday 4th May

Here is Roy's slide show from Sunday, as I wasn't in the talk I look forward to some comments being posted to help me understand what was going on!

Experiencing God around us

Below are the pictures Ray shared with us on Sunday that reminded him of God's goodness and presence in the everyday.