A Cross Word

I read recently about two UK Christian women who have been barred from wearing a cross whilst at work.  They are taking this to the European Court of Human Rights.  The UK government intends to oppose their case, arguing that wearing a cross is not a 'requirement' of the Christian faith and, therefore, employers can ban employees from doing so, and can dismiss them if they insist.

My questions are - why would employers ban anyone from wearing a cross?  What possible harm can it do anyone?  Presumably then, other workers are allowed to wear items which are considered to be 'requirements' of faith.  Why would these give less offence to people of other faiths, than a cross does to folk who are not Christian? What has happened to human rights in this country?  What has happened to live-and-let-live, tolerance, acceptance and respecting other people's beliefs?

Maybe we should look at make the wearing of a cross a 'requirement' of the Christian faith?

But I forget myself.  Christ did not come to bring us rules, regulations, codes and laws: He came to bring us freedom.

Difficult Times

There are three fantastic things about going through a difficult time!

1.       It alters your relationship with God

2.       You discover who’s really in it with you

3.       It ends!

Unfortunately, these things are only fully appreciated once you have come out at the other end!  And the end is truly something to savour.  It’s wonderful to feel your shoulders drop by three inches, to be aware that you do not have that constant twinge of a headache, and to feel your fingers unwind and relax.  Whilst you were in the midst of the difficulties you had not even realised how tense your body was.  Afterwards, you can sometimes be taken by surprise, by remembering it is actually all over!  You had got so used to the tension and the headachy cloud that, for a split second, you had forgotten its over - and then you remember - and you can rejoice all over again!  Of course, this spell is fairly short-lived!

It has sometimes been quite a surprise to me to discover who is actually with me during difficult times.  We make assumptions as to whom we can count on, and from time to time we are disappointed when the folk we thought would be alongside us appear to take a back seat.  I have come to the conclusion that some people, for whatever reason of their own, are simply not able to support others through difficult times.  It’s not a lack of friendship, just an inability to know what to do and how to do it.  Sometimes folk are dealing with their own problems and are unable to take on anything additional.  There is also the fact that some people simply cannot recognise how badly we are affected and are, therefore, blind to the fact that we need their support.

On the other hand, I have been equally surprised by the love and support received from people that I had not expected it from - the ‘out of the blue’ telephone call, visit or card!  These small acts of kindness are the uplift which carries you through a bad day.  A caring word has value beyond explanation.   I maintain that I came through a very bad time in 2008/2009 holding on to the hand of my two year old grandson!  Of course, my two daughters and one particular friend were a strong support, as were my sisters, one or two other friends and some of my Church family.  Ultimately, there are two things that bring us through a bad time – God and the support of other people.

As for changing our relationship with God?  This is much more difficult to explain.  During a bad time it can feel as if God has become distant and out of contact.  Your prayers hit the ceiling and bounce around you – and how can they be answered if they never reach God?  You keep coming across bad news and stories of others that seem hopeless.  You even begin to question why God would allow this to happen to you.  You begin to feel that you are not worthy of God’s help – and if the situation goes on and on, this would seem to confirm it.  However, somehow, we remember that our faith is not measured by how we feel, but by knowing that God keeps His promises.  So we hold on.

And by holding on, we are enabled to be ‘down but not out’.  Then, from time to time, God sends us a word, or an answer to prayer – and this sustains our fragile grip.  Slowly we begin to remember that God will never allow us to go through more than we can cope with.  We are reminded that many others are going though much, much worse.  And, eventually, the difficulties ease and we feel like ourselves again.  One thing has altered though.  Our relationship with God has been developed and this has helped us to grow.  We put on more growth during difficult times than we do during times of ease.  I guess it’s because we have no strength and have to rely on His.   Because we know that we can trust Him to bring us through any future difficulties.  Because it shows us that everything else in our lives may change, disappear, disappoint or hurt us – but God never changes.  He promised to be with us always – and He’s just proved it!

None of us would choose difficult times, but they happen, and when they happen they bring us a deeper relationship with God, the knowledge that people around us care and a terrific sense of relief and joy when they are over!

A quiet place

The other afternoon I was at the local hospital, visiting a friend from Church. It was incredibly busy everywhere, lots of people and lots of noise. Even the ward was, somehow, a hive of activity with lots of coming and going. My friend walked me to the ward-door at the end of visiting time and, as I waved goodbye to her, I realised that everywhere was still crowded, hot and noisy. As is my habit when visiting someone in hospital, I made my way to the Hospital Chapel and sat down to pray. I revelled in the total peace and absolute quiet. Then, slowly, it dawned on me that I would actually have preferred to find the Chapel as busy as everywhere else - rather than being the only place in the hospital that afternoon that was empty and quiet ............

Reasons To Be Cheerful!

We had such a wonderful Easter weekend at Kilcreggan. I must admit that when I arrived I was feeling pretty frayed at the edges !!!! But, as always, God is good and within 24 hours of having arrived I was feeling rested. By the time we left I felt refreshed physically and spiritually. The house is lovely, the scenery gorgeous - Joe and I took a walk down to the waterfront on the Saturday afternoon (down an amazingly steep hill) - and even the weather was fantastic! The company was brilliant, the food good (and plentiful!) and my bed was right in a bay window overlooking the water - the sunrise on Sunday morning was very beautiful.

We shared times of fun, including a quiz-night and rolling eggs (and people) down a hill on Easter Sunday morning. We experienced a real sense of God's presence during worship and prayer and we soaked in His peace and were 'quietened by his love'. So much more than I can describe here!

As I said, we left on Monday after lunch and even the flurries of snow and the heavy traffic couldn't dampen our spirits! And as we approached home and the 'coming back down to earth with a bump', I looked around and was reminded yet again of what a beautiful part of the world I live in.

A short pause......

It's been a while since I posted anything, reason being that I'm soooo busy and will be writing an assignment for the next two days!

However, wanted to mention that Church was great this morning! Three people were Baptised, and there was a real sense of celebration. The Service was followed by a very delicious lunch!

Over the last couple of weeks I have had such a wonderful sense of the absolute 'wonder' of God. It's difficult to put into words. I pray that everyone can experience it!

My News

I've had the 'flu - or something very like it! Feeling a bit better today so heading back to work tomorrow.

My Christmas holidays got off to a good start, meeting some of my friends for a meal. We had a great evening!










On Sunday 23rd we had a lovely Christmas Family Service at church and our Sarah was able to join us. In the evening a number of us from church joined some of our friends at a local housing association for a Carol Service.

Joe was working on Christmas Day and the family celebrating in their own homes - so Joe and I had a quiet Christmas dinner when he got home, and we spent time with the family later in the week. Our youngest grandson is now walking, which is keeping his mum on her toes!

Of course we also had snow, which is very pretty (when viewed from inside!)



Well, I wonder what 2008 has in store for us all? I pray that it is full of good things for everyone.

A NEW YEAR

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
To anyone who reads this blog - I wish you all that's best for 2008.

I wonder what this year will bring? As usual for this time of year, I was thinking - reflecting on last year and pondering on my hopes for this new one. One of them is that I can grasp the pure joy of the fact that I have a relationship with God!!

Another is that I can find happiness in the simplest of things. I watched Michael Parkinson's final show - a compilation of his memorable interviews. Amongst them was a clip from 1980, of Larry Adler (on harmonica) and Itzhak Perlman (on violin) playing Summertime. At one point, Larry Adler smiled at Itzhak Perlman - and it was a smile of sheer enjoyment! What struck me was that he was smiling out of the sheer pleasure over the music that they were making. He was not smiling because he was being admired by Michael Parkinson, his guests, the studio audience and all those watching at home. He was not smiling because he was famous and rich. He was not smiling because he held centre-stage. He was smiling with the joy of making music with another great musician.

In this age of celebrity, and the desire of so many to be famous for the sake of being famous, I pray that we can all treasure the simple pleasures of life, most of which are found in God's creation - the natural world and people.

Random thoughts.........

Immediately after my computer recovered, I suddenly became very busy. Various reasons - waiting to see if my work contract was being renewed, writing assignments for my CWC course, suffering with a sore throat and taking our Tasha to the Vet.

Sadly, Tasha has heart problems - she is quite elderly - in human terms she is approaching 105! We take her back to the vet on Monday to get her checked over again, and to collect some medication.

Joe and I celebrate our Wedding Anniversary on Friday, Sarah will be spending Saturday afternoon with us and our middle grandson, Stephen, will be 7 on 11 December. I know we all say it, but time passes so very quickly!

The last couple of Sundays, I have just felt so blessed to be part of my wee Church!! There is such a sense of family. A week past Sunday I was struck by how many folk were quietly ministering to those around them who needed a hug or a kind word. Last Sunday we were blessed with a real sense of worship and, again, that sense of family - I understand that some visitors so felt this that they have said they will be back.

There has been much discussion of what the Church is, and what it should be doing - should we be seeking to 'do' Church in a different way, so that folk who are not from a Church background can relate to what goes on in Church, especially during Sunday services. Most of the discussion has been at a level that I struggle to fully understand, so I have not often contributed. However, I think that the last couple of weeks at my Church may have provided part of the beginning of the answer........

Finally - to bloggers more experienced than I - other than by leaving comments, how do we know if anyone is reading our wee posts or not? Seems such a waste of time otherwise............

The Angel of the North

I love this sculpture!
Can't be specific about why - I just do.

I passed it a number of times this weekend whilst staying with my friend, Jenna - who, along with husband Dereck, held their wedding reception in a lovely wee hotel very close to "The Angel".

It was a good weekend (although the journey back was a bit of a nightmare!) On Saturday afternoon Jenna and I took 'afternoon tea' at the old County Hotel in Neville Street, right opposite Newcastle Central Station. This was the hotel where we met when we were both working there as receptionists. The food (especially the lemon tart!), the surroundings and the nostalgia-rich conversation were great.
On Sunday morning we attended Bethany Christian Centre - then it was time to leave Newcastle for home. A lovely weekend that passed very quickly!

Cambodia

Three weeks ago our church held a 'Cambodia Evening' - we ate Cambodian style food, heard about folk we know who are working over there, saw some photographs and a film. It was a great evening!

It also brought back memories of seven years ago, to the day, that four of us from the church made a visit to Cambodia. A trip that had lasting effect on my life - the people, the poverty, the fact that there were no 'safety nets' and that life there is lived 'on the edge'. I also remember how close I felt to God during that trip.

I wrote one or two poems while we were over there, and this is one of them....

Two Girls

Intense heat blankets everything

An overcast sky blocks out the sun

Holds the warmth close around us

As we walk through red dust

And muddy puddles

Towards a bridge of planks

Over a stinking stream

Where shanty huts stand in black water

And rubbish spills over the mud.

Motos and bicycles jostle for space

Careering close to the water's edge

Women with baskets of fruit balanced

Across their shoulders or on their heads

A pick-up truck rattles across

Not stopping as people scatter.

And through the confusion

Of noise, and smell, and dirt

Two school girls

In pristine white blouses

Calmly negotiate the bridge,

Deep in conversation

On their way home.

People, people, people!

Some worthy bloggers (Graham and Stuart) have been discussing ‘leaders and followers’ and ‘leading and managing’. I indicated that I would post something which is close to my heart and connected to this.

Some time ago, I was reading from Exodus, and was struck by Ch.28, v.9-12 and v.29-30. These verses describe the priestly garments - how the names of the 12 tribes were to be engraved on two onyx stones, which were to be set in gold filigree and then fastened to the shoulder pieces of the ephod – “Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders as a memorial before the LORD.” Then – “Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart.” And - “Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.”

Prior to reading this I think God was (and still is) speaking to me about people – that it’s all about people, people, people – to love God first, and then to love others. Perhaps I’m over-simplifying this, however, I think that if we first love God and seek His love so that we can truly love others, then marvellous things begin to happen! For the body to function properly, each individual part requires nourishment – the nourishment of love, care, acceptance, respect, and value. When the parts of the body are fully nourished, they will be fit and able to fulfil their God-given ministries.

For this to happen I believe that all of us, especially leaders, are required to ‘bear the names of their people over their hearts when they go before the Lord’. When churches are led in this way, leaders are ‘leading’ rather than ‘managing’, and ‘followers’ feel that the part they have to play is just as essential – that they are valued, and what they do is meaningful – and that’s leading back to last Sunday’s sermon………….