Although it sounds like it comes from a Dr Who episode I enjoyed investigating this church and sharing my thoughts with the people of Frindsbury Baptist this evening.

So that you know I have not forgotten how to laugh at myself I wish to share a personal story, as it is funnier than my planned opening joke for tonight.

Being the sort of speaker I am I wanted a visual illustration to show how something could look great on the outside but rotten and foul on the inside. Great idea … I could inject a lovely fresh apple with ink using my ink refill syringe and needle. The plan would be to pass the apple to a few people to see how lovely it was and then cut it in half. I meant to do this earlier in the day but, as ever, forgot until 10 minutes before I had to leave.

Picture the scene. I am leaning over the sink slowly injecting the apple with black ink. It was quite a crisp apple and there was pressure mounting, so I pushed a little harder … little harder still and then I heard this ‘whoosh’.

I did not realise 5 ml of black ink could travel so far around a kitchen and over me! My hands were covered in ink, as was half my face. There was ink in the sink, across the wall, up the window and over the ceiling. Sarah came into the kitchen and being a supportive wife immediately laughed and called in the youth group who started taking pics with their mobile phone!

I had less that 10 minutes before I had to leave, I had no visual aid, and I looked a pretty poor image of something resembling a dalmation who had attempted to make an ink devil. A quick rush to the sink, a quick change of clothes and I managed to get out of the house only a few minutes late.

The group of people I shared with were a great bunch of people. They were very kind in their comments on my thoughts concerning the church in Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6). I basically drew out two points after sharing the ‘return of the ink devil’:

1. Our physical position can affect our spiritual position.
sardis was on a cliff top surrounded by 2 sheer sides. It was an impregnable town. I offered the idea that this impregnability led to an arrogance and complacency regarding attack. I thought it possible that they looked good on the outside and were dying within because they had lost that reliance on God and had started doing just good ideas.
2. We have lost sight of who we are and how we are valued.
Often when we become busy we forget what we were created for, to be in personal relationship with God. In addition when we screw up (as Sardis had)we feel guilty and enter a downward spiral. I suggested the parable of the prodigal son reminds us that, actually, the past does not matter. As soon as we turn, God rushes to meet us … an amazing truth that, for some reason, we find easy to forget!!!

I enjoyed looking at Sardis … thanks people of Frindsbury, especially Andy for welcoming me and holding the whole evening together.