The Hidden Shallows

2010-12-23T18:51:00.003Z

another good question is whether God has already said and done all he really needs to, and now we just need his presence and company to work it out.

turned us from darkness to light....check..
moved us from one kingdom to another.....check..
shown us our past, the challenges of the present, and our glorious future...check.
called us children instead of strangers...check..
given us the power of His spirit in us...check..
given us his word written down..check..
people around us..check..
challengers to help us..check..
prayer to enable us..check..
music to inspire us..check..

art to be created..check..
dances to dance, songs to sing, love to give, fun to have...check..
just one more thing to be done then,...

Come back soon.

past it

2010-12-23T18:49:00.000Z

Don't get involved in nostalgia...

it's a thing of the past....

ME< ME< ME< ME

2010-12-21T10:03:00.002Z

it's quite a long journey, from childhood to adulthood, with so many highs and lows, and so many exhilarating moving moments, and crushing despairs, in dreams, relationships, hopes and ambitions, and who's to say when we've arrived.

it's a long journey also from a me centred universe to a universe whose centre and purpose and sustainability are God. We are supposed to make the journey as toddlers, when our screams and cries and tantrums are dealt with by even minded sensible parents, and all our shouting and screaming are held in proper perspective with what's best and the needs of others. We have created though a childocentric society where everything is geared to their wishes desires and needs being met NOW..IMMEDIATELY...it may be guilt, or fear, or just that we feel we can buy our way out of every situation, but we give in....

That journey is also a spiritual one, from the moment our prayers are about, me being saved, me being healed, me not getting caught by my parents, the tax man, the head of school, about me getting the money, girlfriend peace i deserve, require, to the place where we are Jesus minded, Jesus centred, Jesus focussed. Where we pray YOURkingdom come and YOUR will be done. Where our prayer are for what he wants to do with us and others.

That journey, i suspect for us who call ourselves Christians is the longest journey of all, and not many in the church are prepared to make it.

Still, I've made MY point and had MY say, so now I'M happy.

2010-04-19T19:25:00.003+01:00

I've just crossed it all out, too much frustration...ok, here's the end bit then....

why love living in a place where you have a vote, an opportunity to question your political leaders and opponents, why want things to change, something to be done, someone to be held responsible, and then not vote, not ask the questions, not listen....

people have no excuse for not voting, and not getting to hustings....especially Christians!!

there is a redeemer, and it's not me....

2009-12-26T08:56:00.002Z

so many things to remember, presents custom bought, thought out planned wrapped and placed ready, breakfast organised sorted and prepared, tv pages ready and marked with key moments, and church to get to and enjoy.

but then..........

presents all sorted, but absolutely no batteries.....
breakfast all ready, but absolutely no milk........
tv ready, all seated, absolutely no remote control.....
church, absolutely no idea who'll be there what to do.....

but then...........

Grandad has a torch with the rith size batteries........
church comes up with herd full of milk.......
remote appears somehow, where we've already looked 10 times......
church, little baby, happy children and a big cheer for home time....

all reminds me, there is a redeemer.....and it's not me.

reasonable excuses...

2009-09-23T08:46:00.002+01:00

It seems to me that there are reasons, and excuses, some use one but it's really the other, some can be both i think.
Being too tired can be a good reason, but only you know if it's really an excuse, being too tired for work/church/prayer, but with same symptoms, not too tired to go and see mates, stay up all night watching tv, suddenly it's an excuse.
I ask God to help me see when i'm making excuses, because it is habit forming, and it helps me evade my commitments and responsibilities and become someone unreliable and a bit dishonest to myself.
Last night i heard someone give a reason why they couldn't be at church meeting, it was an excuse actually as they could have been there if they had wanted to, perhaps at least they tried, whereas many members don't even do that.
My problem is that i sometimes see the excuses through the reasons people give, it makes me hard hearted, i am sorting out their splinter, whilst ignoring my plank as it were. God knows the heart, mine and each persons, i'll let him make the call on reason or excuse.

lettting the know.

2009-06-05T16:19:00.003+01:00

i was waiting to turn left out of the junction this morning, when the car in front of me started to roll backwards towards me, after a good hour (few seconds) i decided to get his attention and let him know what was happening using the horn. He stopped just short of me, then got out! uh oh. he came stowards me knuckles scraping on the floor, said, 'did i miss hehehe.' i said 'sorry, yes' he stuck his thumb up and loped away.
when do you tell someone that they are in danger, especially if its personal or private, what are the risks and are they worth it? what sort of friend are we if we don't, what sort of person are we if we do?

wrong way up

2009-03-26T21:31:00.002Z

Good point....Paul spends lots of time, talking about and praying for people to grow deeper, stronger, more faithful in the spirit, and then tags on the end, about healing, family, finances. We however spend our time praying for, or asking for healing, family blessing or financial blessing and then tag on the end,o by the way, deeper, stronger Holy Spirit Lord...Amen...

when

2009-03-22T21:50:00.002Z

By the way, when do you stop offering people something they obviously aren't interested in?

undoing

2009-03-22T21:47:00.002Z

England win 2 matches in a row at Rugby. Most other games they've got into trouble trying to undo the mistaks and mess they've got into, instead of being creative and flamboyant and on the offensive, they give away penalties and have to start from a worse position than when they started. Spot the spiritual link!

Good deal

2009-03-10T10:00:00.002Z

Sometimes you hear that someone has said something which makes you burst out laughing. One of the kid's friends mums got re-married already having 2 boys she wasn't sure she wanted any more. Her new man friend wanted a child though, so she said, ' you convert the loft space, i'll give you a baby! sounds like a fair deal to me!

wrestling

2009-02-24T11:18:00.002Z

Over the years i have spent a lot of time wrestling with the nature of church what it was, what it is, what it should be, always with various levels of frustration. I have in my time said that church as it is is irrelevant, that we should have youth church, oldies church, New testament church, but i have changed my mind, it could be my age/stage, but here is my wrestling. I know church is about people, not about a certain place, day and time. I know that there will come a day whne we meet in houses, and find ourselves under pressure (could be from anywhere). I know that for many church is irrelevant and dull, meaningless. And i know that a lot of what we do isn't strictly necessary to the formation of church. But i love that church, place day and time, Jesus loves the church in all its forms, it seems that those who object loudest to place day and time, are those who won't submit their diary to anything other than themselves, their tastes to anyone but themselves. God puts the orphans with families not groups of orphans, same with widows, there may not be any church with any profile at all, no gathering, no leadership, no servanthood, nothing, if we leave it to the freeform thinkers of this current generation.

2009-02-19T11:02:00.002Z

Just found out that i'm type 2 diabetic! In fact the doctor said mature onset diabetic, Michelle wanted a second opinion, not about the diabetes, but the mature! The doctor asked what my diet was like, i said 'it's perfect, cheese, crisps, cheese, beer, chips, and cheese, and fizzy drinks, and tea and coffee'. He said I should stop all of that.
I am now in mature onset diet control, less fat, less sugar, less grazing, and painfully less cheese. As a consequence of all this i am entitled to free pneumococal injection, and free flu jab, both on the same day which made me feel really ill if i wasn't before, and worse still i have been summoned to have an eye test, free, at the elderly care unit in Berkhamsted...the icing on the cake (not that i'm allowed any of that either !!!)...Of all the prophetic voices i am turning into Jeremiah the miserable.

Fresh

2009-01-22T10:09:00.002Z

One of our kids made a fresh fruit salad at school yesterday, it had banana in so i couldn't have any anyway (allergies). Unfortunately having put it in the school fridge, a friend told him that he had to leave it there overnight and bring it home the next day. This morning we went to the school to get it, having untangled where the overnight info came from, and mostly it was still fresh and showed what a good job he'd done. the banana was going offish.

It occurred to me that i sometimes sit on a thought/idea for longer than i should, pondering weighing, processing and as a result when i pass it on, either to an individual or a group, it's not as fresh as it was.....

Missed it

2009-01-15T20:57:00.002Z

well another opportunity is lost. Whenever i meet someone reasonably older than me, i find myself determined to get to know them a bit and hear their history, the stories, what made them tick, their experiences. I always say to myself i'll visit them, make friends with them, find out all about them, but then i don't i do something else, or nothing else, and that which i desired i miss out on because they've gone, with all that wisdom humour and experience.

And so passes Bert Steddy, one of our Friday fellowship friends, and i'll miss him, and so will we all, there will never be another quite like him.

Making the bed

2009-01-13T21:13:00.002Z

I am at a conference. They've told me that in the morning i have to undo the bad, make the bed with fresh linen, leave the dirty linen outside the door, put my bags in the car, then go to the session.
I really wondered whether i ought to do the bed this evening and sleep in the car incase i didn't have time in the morning. Really, i did think that.

I am naturally a worrier, more likely to be worried about anything that is likely to happen than anyone i know. I was once asked to collect a friend from Gatwick, i actually arrived a whole day early. Iworried about missing him, or not making it, or the motorway being blocked, so i stayed all night at Gatwick.
Worrying about things which you cannot know about, or effect, is like sleeping in the car, or the airport, just in case. It doesn't solve anything, you miss out on the joys comforts and provision you have, and it gives you a crick in the neck from which to view the world.

Ooops, wrong way round..

2009-01-13T14:34:00.002Z

i remember trying to be a hero, and builing a wardrobe meant for 2 to build, on my own, i put the top on upside down, i took the top off and the whole thing collapsed.....ooopps, how often my kids put their shoes on the wrong feet, just doesn't feel right.
i'm reminded because i've been recently challenged.
i thought like this, i'll build the church God, you look after Michelle and the kids...
However, God says, i will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail etc....You love your wife as i love the church....

No wonder life seemed upside down and the wrong way round, and likely at any moment to all fall down....

Duvet deliverance

2009-01-11T09:33:00.002Z

I think i may have been wrong all these years. Having conferenced and debated and brain stormed etc for many years the fall in church attendance, i think i have finally come to the answer. It's not a lessening in belief in God, nor out of date service styles, not liberalisation of society, nor the visiting of relatives at weekends, more choice of activities or sunday opening. It is something that all the contemporary music, modern bibles thickest carpets, funniest speakers, extravagant childrens work, or worlds best coffe can deal with....here it is, ready....

some people just don't want to get out of bed. In the past because of industry or agriculture more people were morning people, and so their body clocks allowed them to be up earlier whatever the day....nowadays though people just don't want to get out of bed.
i know there are sports and kids and stuff, but getting your kids ready to go out again, after a whole week of doing it, finding some clothes for yourself, it maybe beyond us all.

Is that the real reason, maybe not....but it's another one to add to the list.

You'll grow into it

2009-01-08T21:25:00.000Z

Well here i am. I've just meadered into the online Blog community. And so this is todays etching.

Mark the day, our two littlest Seth(4) and Lily (3) had a landmark day today, they started Reception and Nursery respectively. And so the past few days have seen us searching cupboards and shops in search of clothes that fit, and might fit for a while, the shops we neeeded, either shut down, (adams and wooliies, or empty of school clothes for small people Asda, Tesco primark ), however, smartly togged up, looking so small and so grown up all at the same time! off they went, we'll see what happens next.

I remember the phrase from sitcoms in the 70's, it'll ride up with wear, or you'll grow into it, meaning parents couldn't/wouldn't buy something that fitted, or would just fit for a few months, and so they bought something suitable for the next 5 years, or some hand me downs from your cousin (hopefully same sex, though not always possible!!). oh the great day whne able finally to chose your own trainers..(not the Winfield things fro Woolie), your own trousers/coats, things that suited you and fitted now, rather than waiting years for them to fit only to find they've worn out or gone out of fashion.

I wonder how many people life philosophy or faith is like that, it's just too big for them to grasp, creationism, abortion/euthanasia ethics, sexuality issues, resurrection, Bible interpretation, Holy Spirit gifts, and many others, where we've been told, you're too young to get it yet, but you will, it'll wear in, you'll grow into it. Sometimes though we grow into the understanding that we'll never understand it, rather than into an understanding of it...get my drift, and so the difficult things we ought to be facing, working on, thinking through, debating are ignored, tirivalised or put on a 'back burner'

other thoughts include...the clothes stay the same size...Issues remain static...do they? some do i suppose, but we grow in our thinking and grow out of them? don't know where this is going now, still, something to think about.....from the hidden shallows.