Tuesday 1st April

Im watching something called Raiders of the Lost Past.   Unsurprisingly its about treasure hunters.  This particular episode is about a man who spent a considerable part of his life looking for a lost Spanish galleon which sank in 1622, nobody was quite sure where.

With just a story to go on and a desire to find something important Mel Fisher invented some sort of underwater detection device, packed in his whole life and spent more than a year scouring the seabed without finding so much as a nail.   Undeterred he then asked a friend to go searching through Spanish maritime archives looking for clues.  Which they eventually found and which helped them pinpoint the right spot in the sea.   By the time he had found what he thought was the missing ship he had run out of money to actually excavate it!

I suppose that if someone were to tell you that there was a million pounds worth of gold buried somewhere within a five mile radius of your house, you would put in some effort to find it.   You would not give up if you hit rock after rock - not if you had an assurance that the treasure was really there.  You wouldnt give up after a week of searching.  Or after a month.  You would spend some money and invest in equipment and the right kit so that you could do the job properly.  Because you would reckon that the end goal would outweigh any time and effort and expense you had to put into finding that treasure.   You might give up your job and go at it full time.  You might enlist your family and friends and promise them a cut of the spoils.  Because lets face it, a million pounds is a life changing amount.

Jesus likens the gospel to treasure.  Matthew 13 : 44
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,  who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.  

I think we tend to read those verses and think that they apply to the process of becoming a christian.  Surrender all to Jesus and hand over your life and BINGO! you have got the reward.   But Im not so sure thats the full story.   The kingdom of heaven is about making Jesus king in the here and now.  And that is an ongoing process isnt it?  Making Him king of our finances and King of our relationships, our parenting, our eating, our driving, our decision making, our humour, our sleeping and our internet habits :-)   We sell all we have and we buy a field in which we already know some treasure is buried.   We have found a piece of the treasure.  Arent we going to dig the whole field now to make sure there isnt any more??  Just owning the field isnt really all that exciting is is?   Actually handling the treasure - now that's the buzz!   Digging for truth and understanding.  Searching out revelation and getting our hands dirty in the life lessons which form Godly character in us.  Unearthing Godly principles and finding the nuggets of truth which sustain us in difficult times.  Owning the field is not enough.  We need to dig and keep digging.

The treasure hunter on the television spent 16 years diving the seas determined to find all the treasure he believed was there.  He didnt give up.  Even when disaster struck.  When the money ran out.  When the storm hit and people died.  And then one day he found it!  And it was all worthwhile.  He said ' I just wanted to shout out to the whole world what Id just found!'   Just like we do every time we have another revelation of the treasures of God.

One day we too will see all the wonders God has got for us in their magnificent glory.  We shall be ushered into His presence on streets of gold through gates of pearl and bow before the emerald rainbowed throne.  Before that day we can choose to own a field.  Or we can choose to dig for treasure.  
Im off to get my wellies  :-)

Monday 31st March

I got told off the other day.  By someone I respect and like and whos opinion I value.  They had seen a facebook post I had copied from somewhere which contained a swear word in the title.  So they messaged me to let me know they were disappointed with me.

Nobody likes to be told off.  And I have to confess my immediate reaction was to justify myself - even though I knew fine well that there was no justification really.  She was right, I was wrong.  I should have removed the offending word.  It probably wouldnt have taken any effort at all.  Truth is I couldnt be bothered and I didnt think anyone would notice or mind.  But someone did both notice and mind.   I dont think she was particularly shocked by the word - lets face it we all hear the words all the time all over the place. What she minded I think was that I was not behaving ' up to standard'.  I was ' letting the side down' by associating myself with something coarse and vulgar.

I knew all of this but it still took me a full 24 hours before I was able to stop justifying my actions to myself and just admit that I had made an error of judgement.  And remove the offending post.  And then go back and thank her for calling me out on it.

Being a Christian isnt about being comfortable.  Its about being accountable and Christlike.  Its impossible to become Christlike without people round us who will be tough on us when we fall short.  Who will tell us the truth when everyone else is fudging the issue.  Who will argue with us when they sincerely believe we are wrong.  I deeply respect people who will take me on and stare me down because they genuinely want me to be the best person I can be.  The world excels at compromise and lukewarm and shoddy unrighteousness.  I want to be better than that.

sunday 30th March

Im writing today's blog sitting in the waiting area at The Sick Kids Hospital Belfast one hour into a three hour wait to be seen.  The place is packed with parents and kids, most of whom look bored but OK. And Im thinking that church is probably missing a trick here somehow.  We could be in every A& E department up and down the land handing out free tea and coffee.  Or in every sick kids waiting area doing a story time for kids or bringing playdough and Lego.  Or something.  Talk about a captive audience of needy people with nothing else to do!!!
Im here cos Josh ( middle son) has been vomiting for two weeks solid.  The anti sickness pills the doctor gave him have come straight back up along with everything else he has eaten in the past fortnight so, despite his anxiety and loud protests, we are in the hospital waiting to see what they say.  We are very fortunate really.  With three boisterous boys we have managed to get away with relatively few trips to A&E.   One broken bone per child.  A rather scary case of bronchialitis when Josh was only 3 weeks old.  Apart from that we really havent had much cause to be in a hospital.   But boy are we glad thay are here when we do need them.

So today I am minded to be particularly thankful for our Health Service and all those wonderful people who work in it.  From the porters and drivers and cleaners to the nurses and orderlies and surgeons.  The receptionists and cooks and administrators.  They are all wonderful and Im so thankful for them

The other day on Desert Island Discs the castaway was the lady doctor who in the Ethiopian famine of 1984 ( Live Aid) had the soul destroying job of labeling the thousands of starving and dying people in the refugee camps.  Labeling them ' Treat' and Do Not Treat'   - in other words,  ' Live' or 'Die' .  There were not enough supplies to go round.  Rehydration salts and simple feeding solutions which could save lives. So she had the job of deciding who got them and who didnt knowing full well that those who didnt would die.  How horrendous.  Yet I suppose being able to save some was better than not being able to save any
There is so much inequality in the world and we take our more-than-fair-share for granted.  We get grumpy at waiting times and prescription charges and ward closures when in many parts of the world people are dying of malnutrition and preventable diseases.  We should be very thankful for what we have

So today I am praying for doctors, nurses, denitsts and everyone who works in the health services.  Lord, bless the work of their hands, give them strength and patience and skill.  Thank You for all the innovation and technology and skill which keeps us healthy and heals us when we are not.   I pray for breakthroughs in understanding those diseases which still defeat us and success in the treatments already in development.  I pray that you will speak to those of us in the developed world who contribute to our own health problems by the unhealthy lifestyles we live and grant grace to those working in the developing world as they battle the ravages of poverty.  Amen.

Saturday 29th March

Yesterday was a grumpy day.  It started with being woken up far too early and got worse as the day went on.  Just the little irritations of daily life which some days get the better of you.  Despite your best intentions you end up throwing tantrums or being unreasonable with people or just feeling tired and tense and miserable...... you know those days.  You have them too right?  :-)

Ive got sick kids, the house is a tip, the schedule has gone to pot and people are being annoying.  Hey ho.  Such is life sometimes.  I bet Jesus had days like that too.

We tend to think of Jesus as meek and mild and always kind and smiling and patting young children on the head.  Healing the sick and talking wisdom and even when in dispute with the Pharasees and religious leaders always keeping His cool.   But of course it wasnt like that.  Because Jesus was a man just like we are.  He got tired.  He got upset .  He definitely got angry.
I love reading the account of Jesus in the temple
13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”  John 2

Somehow I am strangely comforted by the thought that Jesus got so mad.  He was, of course, angry for all the right reasons.  He was angry at the injustice He saw which prevented the poor from coming into the temple.  He was angry at the corruption of God's house and the hypocrisy of the system.   But nevertheless, He decided to show His anger in no uncertain terms.  He didnt call a meeting and preach a new way to the temple traders.  He didnt pray for them to have a change of heart.  He made a whip.
Thats pretty angry.  And its really quite scary.  It is intentional and violent - one has to assume that having gone to the trouble of making a whip out of cords He then proceeded to use it.  On people.
He kicked over tables.  He made a scene.  There was noise and shouting and animals careening about all over the place.  Jesus was yelling at people to get out of the temple courtyard and He was chasing them out with His homemade whip.  Im pretty sure nothing this extraordinary had happened in the temple precinct for generations.  This was on outrage most certainly worthy of the local, if not the national news.

We so often feel bad for feeling angry.  We focus on the whole forgiveness, tolerance, love your neighbour thing.  But actually its probably OK to feel angry - especially if you are angry about the things which make God angry.  And its probably OK to express that anger too.  I wonder if Jesus sought out the people He whipped that day and apologised to them and asked forgiveness....   maybe He did. But I doubt it.   People have used this Bible story in recent days in relation to the bankers bonus crisis and the banking crash etc.  Saying that God still wants to take a whip to the moneylenders.  But I think that misses the point.  Jesus was angry not primarily about the financial aspects of what was going on, but by the fact that people were being prevented from coming to God because they ' couldnt afford to'.  Thats what made Him seethe.   And He is still angry about that today.  If we ever put up barriers which prevent people free access to God we should expect to know the wrath of Jesus and feel that whip.  

Of course today I wasnt angry in any righteous sense.  I was just in a bad mood :-)  I was snappy with the kids and there was no excuse.  But at least I console myself with the fact that Jesus understands what its like to feel cross.  And His mercies are new every morning.

Friday 28th March

I realised yesterday that I have over fifty people on my Facebook friends list who are church friends from my Edinburgh days.  I left Edinburgh 14 years ago.  So thats not bad is it?  To still be in touch with fifty people many of whom I havent seen for a very long time and with whom the sole bond and connection was time spent together in church.

They were formative years for me those ECF ( Edinburgh City Fellowship) days.  I arrived as a 23 year old student and left as a 34 year old Social Worker.  I arrived as an enthusiastic but rather wild christian and left with really solid foundations of great Biblical teaching, discipleship, pastoral input and training in the prophetic.   Of course like many who leave ' home' you dont really appreciate what you have had until you dont have it any more!  I think I just assumed that all churches would be like ECF and I would make friends in other places like the ones I made there.   But of course that didnt turn out to be the case.

The people in ECF were with me through the best and worst years of my life.  They were with me as I graduated and found my first job ( in fact my first job was working for the church so they employed me and paid me for two and a half years!!)  They witnessed me buying my first house - quite a few of them helped me move in and attended parties and came for dinner there.  One in particular shared my home for quite a few years and became my bestest best buddy.   Those people prayed for me every week, housegrouped with me, went on mission trips to Poland several times with me.  We attended conferences together and saw God do mighty mighty things.   We were worship team together.  We were drama team together.  We even danced together :-)   SO many memories - and of course nothing which came after that could ever plumb those depths.  You cant go back to the good old days.  All you can do is build on them

We all have foundations.  There are significant people who God brings into our lives who help to nurture and form us into the people we are destined to become.  They are a huge blessing to us and the hope is that we in turn can be that sort of person in someone elses journey too.   So today let us give thanks for those who have stood with us on the road. Those who prayed for us, listened to us, steered us right and maybe
spoke the truth when we didnt want to hear it. Lets give thanks for the teaching we have had and the love which has kept us sane and safe.  For those to whom we have been able to pour out our hearts safe in the knowledge that we are not judged or condemned.   And lets be thankful for the internet which allows us to track down and keep up with those people years later.

Lord I thank you for all the people who have played a part in making me the person I am today.  I have such a long way to go, but I have also come a very long way and I am deeply thankful.  Your church is indeed a family - a wonderfully rich and diverse one where everyone can find a place and all our gifts and talents can be honed and used.  I pray for those who today are feeling that they dont belong and havent found their place.  Bring them into close fellowship with like minded people who will love and stand with them.  Help us all to be givers as well as takers and to build into the next generation of church so that in days to come people will know we are Christians because of our love for one another and for You   Amen

Thursday 27th March

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. 9"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.… Is 55:8

Yesterday a couple of things happened which made me think of this verse. The first was that a friend got a job.  Which was great for him and not, in itself, terribly remarkable.  Except for the fact that the circumstances in which the job came about were..... well...  let me tell you a story

There were two jobs advertised.  One very near his home and church with seemingly the perfect set up and for which he was exactly qualified.  The other a bit further away, slightly less appealing and possibly more challenging.  So, as they were both being interviewed at the same time he applied for the first one.  Got an interview.  Felt he had done really well at interview.  Didnt get the job - and was seriously disappointed.

Then he discovered that the OTHER job which had interviewed on the same day had not made an appointment and was now readvertising.   So he applied for it.  And got it.  Yesterday.  Hooray!!

My friend had looked at the circumstances and evaluated the possibilities and decided that job A was a dead cert.   God, however, had other plans :-)

Then last night I was out for coffee with Karen.  And amongst other things we started to discuss heaven and hell ( as you do!) and how hard it is to understand why God allows suffering and how a good and loving God who does not want any to perish can condemn people to hell.  You will not be surprised to know that we didnt manage to reach any earth shattering and definitive conclusions in the hour or so we were chatting.  But I did come away from the conversation once again aware that God does not think as we think.  He does not have the same priorities as we do.  Because He is eternal, He does not view our lifespans in the same way that we do.  He sees the whole picture - we only see a miniscule fraction and even then we see it ' through a glass darkly'.

God reminded me of something else this week.  He is in the business of tying up loose ends.

I have often used the analogy of God being a weaver, weaving the different threads of people and circumstances across our lives .  We only see the back of the tapestry - a mass of threads which often seem to make no sense at all.  Its only when the thing is turned over that we see the full picture and can understand what each thread was for and where it fit into the completed scheme.  From the very start of our lives God knows what He is weaving and what our finished picture is going to look like.  He does not leave any loose ends.  He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it !!  Even though we might not understand how He does it or agree with His methods.  Even if it all looks a bit of a shambles and we cant make any sense of what is happening.  The Bible, the Gospels, church history, the testimony of so many people we know and our own history with God show us again and again that there IS a plan and that God is working it out.

So take heart if you cant see the way forward.  Or if your current circumstances dont seem to make much sense or be taking you in the right direction.  If you are submitted to Jesus then He is at work ordering your steps.

Lord I thank you that Your plan is perfect and Your ways are true.  Thank you that You dont think like I do.  Help me to trust You when I just dont understand.  (Which is most of the time!)  Mould my thinking to be more like yours - with an eye on eternity and an understanding of the bigger picture.  Help me to cooperate with the weaving process so that together we produce a part of the divine tapestry which is uniquely and wonderfully the real me.   Amen

Wednesday 26th March

Im not an envious person.  I really dont compare myself with others much and I cant remember the last time I coveted my neighbours donkey.  But something I saw today made me green.  It was this headline in the Belfast Telegraph

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/health/firefly-upsee-lean-on-me-invention-that-lets-disabled-kids-take-their-first-step-30121787.html

I had two reactions when I saw that article.  One was' Oh how fantastic!' and the other which came almost simultaneously was ' How much do I wish that I had thought of that?!!  Its so SIMPLE! Its going to change thousands of lives.  I want to have invented that!!'

Maybe it's just me.... I want to invent things which are going to change the world :-)  And its always the most simple things which are the best isnt it.

 Like this.                              Or this



And did you see the two students who invented the invisible bike helmet?   If you didnt you really must look it up.  Its genius. Considerably more complicated than the concept of the post it note - but solving a problem... which is what all these inventions are about.

God's people have throughout history been at the forefront of invention and problem solving. Unsurprising really given that we are designed to be creative and are motivated by a love for people which desires to see them living to their full potential.  Many many ideas for inventions come to people in dreams.  Go and look it up - it is astonishing.  Here are a few examples :

Einstein had a dream which led him to the theory of relativity
The inventor of the sewing machine had a dream which showed him how to resolve a glitch in the process he was developping
Insulin
an understanding of the structure of molecules
the periodic table
the idea for Google
'Yesterday' The Beatles biggest selling song

Anyone can dream.  In fact we all do!  And God has always spoken to people in dreams - so there is no reason why He could not drop an invention or idea or a song or a new understanding or the solution to a problem into your mind as you sleep.  He might even do it tonight!

Lord,  thank you for inventors.  For people who see a problem and are creative and persistent enough to work out how to solve it.  Thank you that You have the solution to every difficulty and know the answer to every problem.  I pray that the church would once again be at the forefront of innovation and ideas.  That Your people would be the ones seeing the problems, caring about them and finding solutions.  Be it in our own homes, in our churches and communities or further afield in the big wide world.   Waking or sleeping may we be tuned into You .  And when the seed of the idea comes to us give us the courage to run with it and make it happen.

Tuesday 25th March

Monday nights I watch a programme called Long Lost Family on ITV3  which films people tracking down
relatives from whom they have been separated ( quite often through adoption) for many years.   It is always very moving to see people who didnt know they had siblings being told that they do.  Or seeing mothers who gave up babies for adoption finally reunited with their children decades later.  Sometimes the stories take people half way round the world for their reunions.  And sometimes people have been living merely streets away from each other all their lives without realising it.   It makes for good television

After that I switch over to One Born Every Minute.   I know there is possibly something a bit odd about watching people giving birth - but its not the actual process which I find fascinating ( although it is ) so much

as the vast array of different people they film.  All sorts of family groups, ages, colours and creeds.  Single mothers, multiple births, unexpected pregnancies and longed for IVF babies.  All of them have a story to tell - ordinary people united in the excitement and adventure of bringing new life into the world

So my Monday nights leave me thinking about the significance of family and the need to belong.

People have a deep need to know where they come from.  I cant imagine what it must feel like not to know - but I think it must be terribly isolating and frightening to have no idea of parentage or ancestry.  No idea about the people who brought you into the world and what they were like. We all need to be rooted somewhere and to feel connected to other people.  God made us that way. He sets us in families.  It is not good for man to be alone.   He takes particular care over orphans and widows.  Family is important.

The reason I think it is important is because a family mirrors on earth so much of what things are like in heaven. They are a pale foreshadowing of the relationships we are ultimately destined to enjoy.  God is Father.  Jesus is brother and lover and friend.  The Holy Spirit is comforter and adopter and revealer.  In some small ways our families provide us with some of what we were created to enjoy eternally.  For a while. In the meantime.  When they are working at their best.

So today let us remember those we know who are struggling with family issues.  Those who are alone.  Those who long for children and cant have them.  Those who have lost loved ones. The parents with prodigals who are waiting for them to return.  People who are in the midst of family conflict, family breakdown, sadness and turmoil.   Let us be thankful for our own families and the sense of belonging and connectedness they provide.  And let us look forward with hope to the day when we are welcomed into the presence of the Father Son and Spirit to partake of true family.

Monday 24th March

Today on the way to church I felt reminded of Psalm 24 and Josh had a picture of a sunflower in his mind. The pertinent phrase seemed to be ' Lift up your heads'    This Christian life is all about growth.  Being planted in good soil and then, watered by Gods ongoing presence, growing up towards the sun.  The point of the christian life is to bear fruit.  And the fruit is  love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control ( Gal 5 22)

When I first moved to Ireland I learned a few new customs and sayings and traditions.  And one is about the planting of potatoes.   Apparently you plant them on St Patricks day ( 17th March) and lift them from the ground on 12th July  ( public holiday here) and you will have the perfect crop.  I've missed planting day again this year - I must buy some seed potatoes this week and get them into planters soon.   Spuds dont take much effort to grow.  You chuck them in the dirt and they do their own thing.  As long as they have water they will grow without needing much tending and before long one seed potato will have produced dozens and dozens of 'offspring' which taste delicious boiled with a sprig of mint and a pinch of salt.

Most plants need light and reasonably good soil to grow.  But mushrooms grow on rotting matter, horse manure, seaweed any old rubbish really  and they grow in the dark.  Even without light its possible to grow and bear fruit.  Whatever our circumstances - whether like the sunflower we are growing tall and straight and the sun is shining on us,  or like the humble potato we feel that we have been left to get on with it without too much fuss or attention, or whether we are floundering in the crap of life and utterly in the dark we can all grow and all bear fruit. 

So lift up your head. Stretch up towards the light and the promise is that the King of glory will come in. 

1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
    the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it on the seas
    and established it on the waters.

3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
    Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
    who does not trust in an idol
    or swear by a false god.

5 They will receive blessing from the Lord
    and vindication from God their Saviour.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
    who seek your face, God of Jacob.

7 Lift up your heads, you gates;
    be lifted up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord strong and mighty,
    the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates;
    lift them up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
    The Lord Almighty –
    he is the King of glory.

Sunday 23rd March

I read a very touching story today about a 54 year old Zoo worker with learning difficulties who was in the final stages of terminal cancer.  His last wish was to be able to say goodbye to the animals with which he had worked for most of his adult life.   A make -a-wish- charity organised for him to be able to visit the zoo in his hospital bed and when he was wheeled into the giraffe enclosure this is what happened.

Animals are very special arent they?  Not only are many of them majestic and beautiful and amazing but they hold a special fascination for us humans.   We keep them as pets, we animate them in films, we write about them in epic tales and we quite often consider them to be better friends to us than our fellow men.

One of the things that we lost in the fall was that fellowship with the creatures God gave us with which we were supposed to live in harmony.  When the animals came to Adam to be named, the bears and lions and tigers didnt consider him as a potential meal.  Adam didnt cower in terror from the scorpions or the pumas or the alligators.  Man and animal lived in harmony because that was what God intended.

But then of course Adam and Eve sinned and ruined everything.  Not just between man and God but between man and the creation over which he had been set to rule.   Because Adam and Eve were now naked and ashamed God had to kill animals in order to give them skins to cover their nakedness.  This was the first ever shedding of blood and it was an animal which was sacrificed in order to pay for Adam and Eves sin.   Ever since that moment mankind and the rest of God's creation have had an uneasy relationship. 

This is my lovely Molly.   She is a seven year old lab. She is daft but devoted to me and we love each other dearly.  She likes nothing better than sitting in the passenger seat of the car with her head on my knee whilst I am driving. When she sees me after Ive been out or away ( even if its only for half an hour) she leaps about like a nutter and cant wait to make a huge fuss of me.  She is loyal and loving and great fun. And despite the fact that she was supposed to be a ' family dog' she is mine.   She gets on fine with everyone else, but Im the one she adores.  We understand each other do Molly and I.  :-)  

I think that our relationship with our pets and with wildlife and even the animals we watch on the television harks back to those days in the Garden  before the fall when there was harmony and peace.  When the lion lay down with the lamb and we could walk with wolves.  Something deep within us misses that - we were originally created to live in total harmony with the earth and we long for that oneness with nature.   But because of sin and selfishness we are now not only not in harmony with creation we are systematically

destroying it.  We slaughter animals for food and for sport.  We throw so much rubbish in the seas that we dont know if a 24 meter long piece of debris in the ocean is a missing plane or just a swirling raft of plastic and junk.  We chop down rainforests and destroy habitats and drive species to extinction through greed.    What a mess we are in.  Who can save us from this wretchedness?

 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. (Romans 8)

Lord, it is not only mankind which will benefit from your salvation plan but the whole of creation will be brought into the same freedom and glory on the day You return.  Thank you that You have a plan to redeem everything which was ruined in the fall.  Your death and resurrection have purchased freedom for the whole of creation.  Oh how we long for the time when we can once again walk with you in the cool of the day in the peace and harmony of the garden.  Forgive us for how we treat the beautiful planet You have made.  This Lent help us to be much more careful with the piece of this earth You have set us upon to tend.  Amen

Saturday 22nd March

I find myself increasingly perplexed about the things I read or hear in the News.  Things which are presented as being factual and truthful but which I have a suspicion might only be one side of a story.  Stories which are presented as evidenced when they are really little more than speculation.  Items posted and reposted on social media which turn out to be hoaxes.......... so how do we know what is true?

I fear that in this media driven world the need for a good story and the desire to always have a soundbite is pushing the need for truth out of the picture.  It doesn't matter if the newspapers make a mistake - they can just print a retraction and an apology the next week and all is fine.   It doesn't matter if the photograph appears to show something which wasn't actually happening or if someones reputation is trashed as long as the headline is good and the readership or viewing figures hold up.   And meanwhile the average man/woman in the street is left trying to discern the good from the bad and the ugly.  Or worse, is left deceived.

Does it matter?   Does it really make any difference if we know the truth behind the news stories or not?  Is it even possible to know the truth?  Who cares anyway - its not stuff which really affects our day to day living.

I would contend that it does matter.  The Bible tells us that Satan is the father of lies  ( John 8.44)  so every lie which we tell and every lie which we receive and listen to and believe is accomplishing his work on the earth.   We believe so many lies.  We believe lies about what we should look like and what we should or shouldn't eat.  About how we should be living and the things to which we should aspire.   We believe lies about how our clothes are produced and who is making them.   We listen to the advertisers who tell us we need more of this or that and that we cannot be happy unless we have the other.  And its all rubbish - worse than rubbish, it is from the pit of hell.  And it does us no good at all.

Jesus says He has come to show us TRUTH.   He IS truth.  Truth is not a concept or an idea.  Truth is a person and that person is Jesus.  When you get to know the truth ( Jesus)  then you can be free from the tangled web of deceit in which we are all caught.  We can discern the right from the wrong.  We can ' know'  even when we cant possibly know

An example.....  in 2012 a news story broke that a woman and a baby had fallen overboard from the Belfast ferry in icy cold waters and that a search had located the woman alive but the the baby was missing presumed drowned.    Normally when I hear something like that on the news or radio my first reaction is to send up a quick prayer along the lines of ' Oh Lord please help them find that baby ' or ' please let the child be OK'  or whatever.   But on this occasion I felt absolutely nothing.  No compassion for the woman or concern for the child and certainly no desire to pray.  It was really odd.   It was so odd that I mentioned it to my friend Denise and she said that she had felt exactly the same.  We both felt rather mystified..... until.... a few days later it transpired that the woman had not had a baby at all and had made up the child - causing untold expense and distress to the emergency services who had spent hours and hours searching.   The missing baby was a lie.  And the Holy Spirit in me knew that and didn't want me wasting my time and emotional energy on praying for and wondering about a child who didn't exist.

A small and silly example really, but throughout my life I have felt the constant checking of the Holy Spirit when someone has said something which is untrue.  Or only partially true.  ( Its very handy when it comes to parenting :-) )  I am always keen to look for an alternative explanation or see behind the presented facts to another point of view.  And of course it means one cannot get away with telling a lie oneself.  Ever

Truth is a weapon.  It destroys lies.  It pushes back darkness and doubt.  Speaking the truth is absolutely crucial when talking to people who are tangled up in the lies the enemy loves to sow.  ' Im unloved'  Im ugly'  'Im stupid'  ' It's hopeless'  'It's my fault'   ' I deserve it'   ' I cant change'  ' nobody cares'  and on and on and on.   When I am talking to people and hear these things escape from their lips I am instantly in battle mode and I leap to do war with these lies.   Usually with the words ' that's not true'  followed by a complete negation of what they have just said and a statement of the truth of what God says;   'You say you are ugly but that's not true.  You are fearfully and wonderfully made.  God calls you the apple of His eye.  He rejoices over you with singing.  You are not ugly'   It is not my words which can set someone free, or even my prayers.  It is Truth.  Jesus speaking His creative words of truth right into someones heart and mind.   If we had any idea how powerful truth is we would speak a whole lot more of it.

So this Lent let us take on the lies.  In our own heads, in the lives of those around us, and even in our culture.  Take a stand for TRUTH.   Truth will set you free.

Friday 21st March

Youve got to love the UK.   In the past 24 hours over a million pounds has been given to Cancer Research UK because someone decided to start a fundraising campaign on Facebook.   The makeup-free selfie ( and associated £3 suggested donation) has gone viral and the charity has been inundated with texts - as have several other cancer charities.  How wonderful.  I wonder how the person who came up with the idea feels today about having kick started something so simple yet effective.  Its the sort of thing which makes one rejoice in the internet - which, lets face it, can often get a bad press

As with everything in life, the internet is something which can be used for good and bad.  Yes, of course one might spend way too many minutes ( hours, days?) playing stupid games and putting off doing the ironing whilst watching youtube clips of your favourite bands.  But it can't be denied that it is also a tool for great good.

There are lots of isolated and lonely people on the planet.  Many of them are now on the internet.  In the old days we used to send a card to someone to let them know we were thinking about them.  Now we can send an e-card.  Or order them a bunch of flowers online.  Or Skype them.

So today I have a challenge for you as we cross the halfway point of Lent.  Go through your email addresses or your friends list and pick out half a dozen people to encourage.   Send them a message/email/text to say you are thinking about them and tell them something great.   It will take five minutes out of your day - but just like the person who started the Cancer selfie campaign, who knows the effect it might have.

Lord Jesus,  thank You so much for all the amazing technology we have at our disposal these days.  Help us to use it for good.  To bless and encourage people.  To witness and testify.  To re-establish and maintain contact and even to make new friends.  I pray that everyone who comes across the ' virtual' me will see something of the real You.   Amen

Thursday 20th March

Disappointment

The milk was off this morning.  I lunged somewhat desperately for my morning coffee only to find it had a horrid sour taste.  Uugggh.  It might seem trivial  ( well, it IS trivial)  but you have no idea how much I look forward to my morning cuppa!   And then Josh is off school sick.  He has been throwing up for four days poor wee soul.  But it means that all my plans for the week have had to change.  Which is annoying cos .... well cos none of us cope too well with plans having to change at the last minute do we?  Even if its just a plan to go and do the supermarket shop!

About seven or eight years ago I was standing at the ironing board ploughing my way through an endless mountain of shirts and school trousers when I suddenly burst into tears.  I was overwhelmed by misery and despair and I just didnt know what was wrong.  I remember distinctly saying out loud ' God what  on earth is the matter with me?!  '   And instantly the answer came back '  You are disappointed'
That brought me up short.  Because of course He was right.  When I stopped to think about it I was crushed by the disappointment of my whole life.  Here I was, in my early forties stuck behind an ironing board for the rest of my life.  When I was twenty I was going to change the world.  Well, perhaps not, but I was at least going to be HAPPY !   At twenty when I looked forward I saw purpose and fruitfulness and security.  I was going to do something great for God.  I was going to have a blissfully happy marriage and parenthood was going to be fun and fulfilling.   Ah yes.  How we dream.   And here I was twenty years later realising that not only did it not happen, but that it would now never happen.   I think that was the most crushing part.  The acknowledgement that something was over.  The chance for something was over.  The chance to realise all those possibilities was gone and I was stuck here doing this.  Forever

God spoke to me again.  Clearly.  He cut across the monologue of self pity and said  ' Caz (I always know He is dead serious when He calls me by name )  I am not a God of disappointment '

Oh.   OK.  I guess thats true.   So.......

So the obvious conclusion is that if God does not disappoint then my expectations must have been faulty from the start.   The reason I was so gutted at the way my life looked at that time was because I had expected it to be radically different.   And my expectations were based on what?   On what God had told me?  No.   On my own dreams and schemes and imaginings.  Yes.

It is only possible to be disappointed if you expect something.  Sometimes people let us down - we expect them to be decent and kind and fair and reasonable and sometimes they just arent.   Sometimes things dont go our way - we think we are going to get the job, the house, the baby and we dont.  We are more than disappointed - we are devastated.  But God is not a God of disappointment.  He doesnt set out to send us down dead end roads.  He does not delight in our heartbreak.  He wants to direct our paths in ways of peace and righteousness. He wants to whisper in our ears ' this is the way walk in it'.

Lord,  I recognise that I sometimes run ahead of You into places You are not going.  I know that at times my own dreams and hopes have led me to be disappointed - even crushed.   Please help me to walk in step with You.  To hear Your voice and have realistic expectations.   I pray today for all my friends who are dealing with difficult situations where things have not turned out as they hoped or expected.  Remind them that they are in a battle but that You have won the war.  That you are with them to bring them hope and not to disappoint.  Thank you for Your great kindness    Amen

Wednesday 19th March

Im watching a programme about the Vikings.   I have always been fascinated by history, archaeology, the ancient past.   And one of the things which amazes me most is the level of artistry that really quite primitive cultures were able to work into their metal and stone artefacts.   On my television screen right now is a tenth century iron axe-head inlaid with a beautiful pattern in silver and gold.   Its not just the fact that ancient peoples were able to create such beautiful things with very little technology which is astounding.  Its the fact that they would have bothered to take the immense amount of

time and effort to do it.   Why decorate your axe with such beauty?   Why make jewellery for yourself when you lived the life of a hunter gatherer?   Why bother to decorate your cooking pots with rich stamped patterns when you were living a subsistence life?

I suppose the answer has to be that man is created to be a creator.  In the image of God we are made - and He is the first and supreme creator.  Everything from our DNA to the stars and galaxies and all of nature was His idea.  So I suppose its not surprising that we, who are made in His image, would also be creative.   It would appear from the earliest cave paintings that mankind has wanted and needed to express his creativity through art and making things.  And not just making things which are useful, but making things which are wonderful.

People have always used their skills to make their worlds more beautiful.   Today there are people living on rubbish dumps in Paraguay who are making violins out of scrap metal and forming orchestras out of junk instruments so that they can make music in the midst of squalor.  http://www.improvisedlife.com/2012/12/10/in-a-poor-village-classical-instruments-made-from-trash
In middle class homes up and down the land we cover our walls with paintings and our beds with woven throws and our bodies with jewellery and make up.   We have an inbuilt desire to add colour and texture - but more than this, we also have a need to use our skills in order to be creative.

Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze,5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. 6 Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you: ( Ex 31; 1-6)

God loves ' all kinds of crafts'.   He loves knitting and baking and calligraphy and photography.  He loves embroidery and musical composition and collage and fine art.  Silversmithing and pottery and woodwork and tatting.  He loves all of it .    I think it is interesting that in the passage in Exodus when the Tabernacle is being kitted out that God gives ' ability' to workers who are already considered skilled at their trade.   People had
trained and learned and worked hard to become skilled...... but then when God asked them to use their skills specifically for Him He gave them ability.  Perhaps it was the ability to work long and hard to get the job done.  Or perhaps it was the ability to think more creatively than usual.  We talk about people having ' God given talent'  - more often than not I think God takes the skills and talents we have learned and worked hard to achieve and then adds an extra sparkle at the crucial moment.  Just to make us look good :-)

So this Lent why not take a stock check of your skills and talents.  Are there things which need to be brought out of the cupboard and dusted down?  Skills you have not kept sharp?  Talents which are not being used?   If you have put in the work over the years to develop a skill in an area of creativity why not commit this Lent to use that skill to the best of your ability.  Submit it to God and ask Him to give you increased ability.  He would love to.  He really enjoys what you do.

Lord,  I thank you that You are creator and you have made me in your image.  You love it when I do the things Im good at.   Today I want to thank you for the skills I have learned over the years.  Forgive me for neglecting things which I used to enjoy .  Help me to use all my creative gifts to bless others and to bless you.  Together perhaps we can make ,cook, sing, play, paint, craft something wonderful.   Amen