lent25

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiSIxqbqlv8    This post wont make much sense unless you watch this 40 sec clip. If you want to be an Olympic gymnast ( and full confession here, I really dont 😂) you are going to have to do a massive amount of work and sustain innumerable injuries, regardless of your discipline.  Its just not possible to reach the top without pain.  But the reason gymnasts dont just break limbs in practice and disable themselves out of the sport at a young age, is because of the spotters.  What heroes those people are.  Their job is to break the fall of a spinning,  tumbling, jumping athlete hurtling towards them at speed. Their reactions are lightning quick and quite clearly they are prepared to be injured themselves in order to keep the gymnast from coming a cropper.  To me this is a wonderful picture of the role we 'elders' should be playing in the life of the church.   There will be young people in our church ...

Jeremiah 2:13 “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water Have you read this verse before and perhaps pictured a cistern as being some sort of a hole in the ground, lined with a waterproof material - maybe like a square tank or a garden pond? Well that's what I always presumed a cistern was. And therefore the words of the Lord to Jeremiah seem perfectly reasonable - who in their right minds would opt for a small amount of stagnant water in a pot when they can have springs of living water from God? But then I saw this This is a cistern!! This one is in Istanbul and dates from the 4th century. But its not unreasonable to surmise that this is the sort of structure people were also building in the time of Jeremiah. In the above pictured cistern there are 336 giant columns (mostly Ionic or Corinthian in style) supporting the structure in 12 rows of 28 columns. - It...

 Apparently theres a new 'live action' Disney film out at the moment which has reworked the story of Snow White to a more 'woke' and politically correct version.  Because we cant call little people 'dwarves' any more, and no self respecting woman needs to be rescued by a Prince these days 😁 I cant say Ive been paying much attention to the story, but a couple of things have popped up which I found really interesting. The first is that the movie has bombed. Partly because nobody wants to see a childhood favourite messed with but also, sadly, because of a backlash against the lead actress tweeting views on the war in the middle east.  But the second, which I really hadnt realised at all, is that Snow White was originally written with a deeper message in mind.  It was originally a story by the Brothers Grimm published in the early 1800s . They are well known for addressing quite dark and difficult topics and presenting them to children with little fluff or apology....

 Im currently lying in bed looking out of the window at blue skies and white fluffy clouds.  But the weather man on the telly has just told me that this afternoon its going to rain and possibly even hail.  Its nearly April so its what we anticipate at this time of year in the UK.  But not every country in the world has seasons like we do.  Often when I'm wondering if I should be wearing a coat or carrying an umbrella along with my sunglasses I wish I could live somewhere consistently warm and sunny.  But actually I know that I would miss the seasons.  Theres something glorious about each one.  Right now the daffodils are dancing in the garden and a whole crowd of tulips have just popped up. The grass is a specific shade of green and I do love seeing the trees come into bud.  Theres such a sense of anticipation in spring.  But it is very inconsistent and unpredictable. Swings and roundabouts I guess. So the short and hopefully sweet messa...

 Ive probably told you this before but I think its a message so worth repeating. Ive just had another conversation with a friend who knows someone who is dying.  Its going to happen to all of us increasingly as we get older - it probably has already.  There can be a real dilemma for those of us who know Jesus, when we are aware that someone who doesnt know Him is terminally ill. We know we need to pray, we know we should be having conversations about Jesus, but we also know that people are dealing with so many things and can be so distressed.  What to say and how to say it?  Well, here is what and how.  It is super easy to have this conversation and it works! I first had this conversation with my Mum who was pretty resistant to talking about faith over the years. But dying focuses the mind and changes people.  Here's what I said I need to you make me a promise.  When you die, Jesus is coming for you.  He comes for everyone when they are dying...

 We sang a new song last Sunday.  In the absence of anything more meaningful to say today, here it is. Enjoy  (Its probably not new to some of you and its a bit of an earworm......but there are worse things that could be in your head all day! 😀) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHXcW4PTEbk

 Our church runs a cafe.   Its a brilliant wee place where all sorts of people from the community stop by for all sorts of reasons.  Apart from selling great coffee and buns, its a place that Mums can bring kids and not worry about them making a noise .  Quite a few laptops come out over the course of the week as  working people answer their emails whilst slurping their tea.  Friends gather to chat and shoot the breeze.  And lonely people come in for a chat and a laugh, and sometimes a cry and a pray.  There are alot of people out there who really have few relationships and nobody with whom to have a coffee.  The whole point of our coffee shop is to make connections    Thinking yesterday about Jesus being brave, today Im thinking about Him being lonely.  We can probably all identify with moments of loneliness in our lives.  After a bereavement,  when the kids fly the nest, when we move house or church or job...

Ive just watched a documentary about Earnest Shackleton and the unbelievable story of the rescue of the crew of the Endurance.  His boat was crushed in the ice in Antarctica in 1915 and the crew ended up on the iceflow with three lifeboats and a few supplies.  After weeks of living in a makeshift camp and eating seals and penguins Shackleton decided he would have to row to South Georgia for help.  He took five men with him and they rowed for 17 days in arctic waters in a wooden boat, miraculously making it to their destination.  But they landed on the wrong side of the island so then had to walk for 20 hours over mountainous snow covered  terrain which had never before been crossed to reach the whaling station.   As soon as they got there they immediately commandeered a whaling boat to go back and pick up the rest of the crew, all of whom had survived in the antarctic weather and only an upturned lifeboat for shelter.  They had 4 days of rations l...

 We have owned a small house in Lisburn for the past 20 years and rented it out to lots of lovely people who were in need of a home.  Over the years we have done a bit of work to the house, but the back 'garden' has been severely neglected.  I say ' garden' because its actually a space 12 ft wide by about 20 feet long on a very steep slope and it is separated from the house by a lane.  So its not a useful space and none of our tenants have ever used it. Consequently the rhododendron bushes which form the border between the back of the garden and the common green space behind it have grown into massive trees. Ive looked at them over the past few years and known we really should cut them back but..... Anyhow, on Friday we took a chainsaw and set about chopping them down to size.  Keith loves a good power tool so he was happy hacking away at the trunks and I was hauling branches out of the way and pointing out which limbs needed lopping off next.  The weather ...

If one more person mentions the day long power outage at Heathrow airport I will scream. Oh, wait, hang on a second....😂😂 Actually its not really anything to do with the airport, but the surrounding hoo hah about it seemed to involve the word ' resilience' being liberally scattered through every report.  Which is an odd word to use about an airport really, when you think about it. Anyhow, its something Ive been thinking about for a while, mostly in the context of raising children.  Resilience Definition  the capacity to  withstand  or to recover quickly from difficulties;  toughness . "the remarkable resilience of so many institutions" 2. the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity. "nylon is excellent in wearability and resilience" Given that this month marks the 5 year anniversary of the Covid outbreak there has been alot of media chat both looking back at that experience and wondering what the long term fallout has been....

 These days my Facebook timeline seems to be full of nonsense. Adverts mostly.  And random posts from random groups which mean nothing to me.  So I scroll on by.  But occasionally something catches my eye - and today it is this..... ''In some parts of China, you may notice a strange sight: a stone carefully placed over a watermelon. This isn't to prevent it from rolling over or to protect it from prying hands, but rather for a deeper secret related to its sweetness. During the day, the stone absorbs the sun's heat, protecting the watermelon from its scorching heat. As night falls, the stone gradually releases that heat, creating a thermal contrast that stimulates the fruit's ripening process, making it sweeter. It's a simple agricultural trick, but it carries a profound understanding of nature and its effects on crops.'' I read this and felt the nudge of the Holy Spirit saying that theres a lesson here.  I think it is to do with things that feel weighty ...

 In the run up to Easter I am reminded that during Jesus's final week in Jerusalem he stayed with Mary Martha and Lazarus at Bethany.  ( Matthew 21:17  and  Mark 11:11-12 ) It was a couple of miles outside the city and a place with which Jesus was familiar and felt comfortable.  I'm glad he spent those last few days with His friends.  The disciples were His friends and we know that He loved them and had a special group of three out of the twelve with whom He seems to have been particularly close.   But He had something different with Mary, Martha and Lazarus.  I think He had family. I like to think of Jesus being able to retreat to the comfort and familiarity of a cosy home during what He knew was to be His last week on earth.  I can envisage Martha cooking and fussing about making Him meals and attending to His every need.  I like to think of Mary asking Him questions and learning as much as she could - listening to Him telling abo...

 As it is Lent and we are all supposed to be thinking about our own lives in the light of the cross, and the life of Jesus given for us, this post is about the poor. Poor children to be precise. Last night I was at a presentation given by Fields Of Life - a charity which works in Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan drilling wells and building schools.  It's a small Christian charity which was started 30 years ago by one man. So far they estimate they have changed the lives of 846,000 kids. I think I'd like to have a legacy like that. It's hard to think of children who only eat three meals a week, or who get attacked by crocodiles while collecting water.  It's hard to hear that in some of these countries teenage girls are more likely to be pregnant that be in secondary school.  And even harder to grasp that in places like South Sudan there are no NGOs at all working to dig wells or build schools.  But it's heartening to know that £2.50 invested to a school agriculture...

 I watched The Greatest Showman again this week. One of the few films I can see multiple times and still enjoy. Mostly because of the songs and the stellar performances by numerous cast members.  Its a show about a show. And you would think that. as performers, the actors would save the best versions of themselves for the final take, when the cameras are rolling and the investors are watching.  But no. Please take 6 minutes to watch this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1nPfXfzoaI This is what wholehearted looks like.  There is so much going on here. Hugh is not supposed to be singing post surgery but he just cant help himself.  He doesn't give it 50%, he is all in.  He is not going through the motions, what happens here is what happens in the final take of the movie. Total commitment.  Not only that, but the cast are cheering him on because they know that he is putting his own recovery in jeopardy in order to enter into the joy of the performance....

Today is my silver wedding anniversary.  25 years ago I was preparing to walk down the aisle in Edinburgh City Fellowship with my Dad.  I was preparing to leave the keys of my Portobello house into the estate agent and move my life over the water to Northern Ireland.  Id already handed in my notice to work,  settled Cara and Katelin (my teenage foster kid and her baby)  into their new home.  It was a day of the most monumental change.  Everything after that day was different.  Not least the fact of finally being married after 34 years of singleness. To say I wasnt really ready for all the changes was an understatement. The change from single to married was huge and very disconcerting. The change from Scotland to Northern Ireland was much more complex than I had anticipated.  The loss of friends and church family was painful.  But when you are in love and you know that God has a plan then you just adapt and gird your loins and get on with...

    Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.     And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:5-7 A couple of months ago I went through something I dont think Id ever experienced before.  An xiety.   I know lots of you will find it hard to believe that someone could get to the age of 58 and never have suffered from it at all - but I genuinely believe its true.  Or if I have ever suffered it before, it was so long ago that it is erased from memory.  I know I have been incredibly blessed to grow up in a family where worry was just not a thing.  I do not ever remember either of my parents being worried about anything. I know they had issues and difficulties to face as everyone does.  My Mum was widowed out of the blue when she was in her forties....

 Im a great believer in the fact that there is no such thing as a coincidence and that God uses the quirky and unusual things in our lives to get our attention.  So I find myself wondering what exactly it is He is trying to tell me at this point in my life when I find myself selling three houses all at the same time. I havent sold a house in 25 years.  But at the moment Im selling Mum's house (sale due to complete at end of March), our own house (buyer waiting for us to finish major works but very keen to proceed), and now the rental house we have been living in for the past year is about to go on the market.  So this week Ive shown a couple of estate agents round a house we dont own and done all the patter about the rooms and the fittings and the benefits of living in this area.  Its all a bit bonkers to be honest.  And up until today I havent really thought past the practicalities and the hassle of it all.  But Ive learned over the past 40 years not ...

 You need to give this 50 second video clip a watch and see if it takes you down memory lane    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK5-2fPyCjA Im not quite sure where Im going with this one, but for the past year or so Ive been collecting 'technologies'.  Ive been increasingly amused/annoyed by advertisements trying to tell me that items are indispensable to my general wellbeing because they employ a ' technology' of some sort.  So here is a little game.  I'll give you the 'ology' and you try to guess the product its describing cycle-sync technology   motion sense technology octospring technology hair wrap technology  proplex  fortifying  technology   odour removal technology  aerospace approved technology  moisture lock technology  heel pillow technology  spin-scrub technology  Clean sense IQ  auto-curl technology  peptide technology  triple moisturising technology  precision foam...

 I fear I might be a witch. No, Im not joking. And of course most of the time I know Im not one. But you'd be surprised how often this thought crosses my mind. for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered (controlled) them.” (2 Peter 2;19) “ Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry” (1 Samuel 15: 23 KJV). Witchcraft is a work of the flesh – our fallen, rebellious, sinful nature. This nature, even in infants, manifests itself in efforts to control other people. Control = power. We want our needs, wants, and desires to be met and if they are not, we will often resort to manipulation, intimidation, and deception to dominate or control to get what we want or feel we need. (taken from https://www.jesusrestores.com/blog/5qmwpdhz6jh44pkn4cjqemkbn8k31f) Let me just go back a step. Today I was listening to The Archers (its my guilty pleasure, dont judge me 😁) and one of the characters was trying to persuade another to do him a favour. 'Loo...

 I have a confession to make. After 40 years of driving I finally got caught and had to do a speed awareness course. 😊 Apologies to all of you who thought I was perfect and are now disillusioned and disappointed. I was doing 37 in a 30 limit. Because I thought I was in a 40 - no excuse and I thoroughly deserved the punishment.  The whole thing was actually very interesting.  I was surprised at how many of the rules of the road Id kind of forgotten and some things I didn't know at all.  The course was online and there were discussions with other participants and videos to watch. One section was about how speed affects your ability to accurately perceive hazards and I found it fascinating.  I did really well on spotting potential dangers when the video was playing travel at the speed limit. But when they played the car travelling at 5mph over the limit I totally missed the cues.  Having done the course I do find myself being super aware of my driving now. An...

 The thing that most offended me about the Oval office rumpus last month was the fact that the President of Ukraine was berated in front of the world's media for not wearing a suit.  He has never worn a suit, as Trump well knows. His attire has always been 'military casual' ( I just invented that - do you think it will catch on as a term? 😁)  His khaki or black clothes identify him as a wartime leader.  His not wearing a suit was in no way disrespectful to anyone and the fact that JD Vance chose to say it was, was shameful. I had a conversation with a new church member about suits not long ago.  And about respect. And the fact that what we wear says something about who we are. Its actually quite important.  My friend had spent 30+ years as part of a very traditional church where he had worn a suit every single Sunday and felt good about that.  Then he started coming to our very laid back, t-shirt and jeans sort of church where nobody wears a suit and ...