Category Archives: life

blessed

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I have an interesting job.
On occasions I have chance encounters in which I think I touch the divine.
Yesterday I had one such encounter.
It just so happened that before this encounter I was reading The Irresistible Revolution.
My mentor thought it would be useful to read.
In a coffee shop I just finished the first chapter.
It ends with this Mother Teresa quote:
‘in the poor we meet Jesus in his most interesting disguises’.

I left the coffee shop and walked thought he cathedral on my way back to the office.
This is my normal routine.
Immediately the stewards directed me to the rear of the cathedral.
A man had come in who had been beaten, mugged, and hospitailised a few days ago.
The guy was clearly distressed and wanted to get home to London.
He had been discharged but had no resources to get home.
I think he was intending to walk home.

He was directed to the cathedral as a place that might help.
That thought brings a tear of joy to my eye.
Someone ‘out there’ thinks the cathedral is a place of help.

After a little chat I offered to walk to the station and buy a ticket for him.
He accepted happily and we walked together down the High Street.
We talked a lot and the guys life story was a privilege to hear.
He was an HIV counsellor who had lost his job due to funding cuts.
(the politics of cuts are for another post!)

As I walked with the man a verse from the Emmaus story in Luke 24 hit my heart.
‘We’re not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road…’

My heart burned
I was intrigued by this man’s presence.
As I handed over the ticket he shook my hand
He looked me in the eye
held my gaze
and said
‘I’ll pray for you’

Strange …
I was going to offer to pray for him

humbled ..
and a little watery eyed …
I waved goodbye ..
and returned along the High Street

blessed

Cyril’s selling!

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Another great saint celebrated today – Saint Cyril of Jerusalem.
Another saint that has made an impression on me today as I have reflected upon his actions.

At a time of famine, St. Cyril sold precious robes and communion ornaments and utensils and used the money to buy food for those that were hungry. This wasn’t because he had a low view of the sacrament – the very opposite as he instructed those receiving communion to ‘make your left hand a throne for the right – for you are to receive a king’.

Seem,s St Cyril did not only have a deep view of the sacrement, but also had a deep understanding of what consuming and becoming the body of Christ meant in reality.

It’s not only what you believe … it’s how you believe!

crap n all!

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I have recently stumble across, via TSK, the blog of Jamie the very worst missionary. IT makes quite refreshing reading.

Here, I think, we have a woman who is committed to her calling but also committed to sharing the grittiness of her life as a missionary in Costa Rica. Some of her blog posts make you laugh, some like ‘I have a heart for you’ (written on Feb 14th) bring me close to tears.

Too often people in mission gloss over the crap and stuff and share just the exciting bits, just the ‘victories’ and just the bits they think people want to hear. jamie says it as it is ‘crap n all’. I shall be following Jamie from now on as God clearly beams out of her writings. Why not go check it out…

sudden turn of the wheel

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Yesterday we went to the Titanic Exhibition at the O2. We were looking for something to do and Beth found it. It is well worth a visit if you are in the area.

The exhibition has a very personal edge to it. There are some amazing artefacts – such as the poignancy of Crows Nest bell that was rung once they new the ship was sinking, or the order of the perfectly preserved and ordered au gratin dishes. What seems to make this a fascinating exhibition is, however, the personal stories. Each visitor is given a boarding pass with the name and story of a particular passenger and at the end of the exhibition you can read the names of those ‘lost’ and those ‘saved’.

The stories of the people were fascinating but I was struck more by the situations which resulted in them being on the Titanic – for many it was not a choice …. more an accident of circumstances. My character, Joseph Laroche, was leaving France due to racism and was booked on another ship. They transferred to the Titanic because their original ship would not let children dine with adults, and the parents did not want to leave their children eating without them. The father was ‘lost’ while the wife and two daughters were ‘saved’.

Through such stories the magnitude of the sadness seemed to be grasped by us all, along with the real fragility and unpredictability of human life.

A good thought provoking exhibition to visit.

encouraged!

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Today has been one of those good days where I have felt that bit more encouraged. (I feel encouraged all the time … but just a bit more today!)

I have had good conversations in all the places I have visited and I end this part of my day feeling incredibly conscious of how privileged I am to be able to spend time with some truly amazing and wonderful people.

Today I met with Bishop James who visited me in in the place I spend most of my mornings … and that in itself is very very encouraging. We chatted quite a bit about what I do, my normal day, where I see things going and all that kind of stuff. I was particularly excited to see the Bishop interacting and chatting comfortably with the people I spend my mornings with. I think they were pleased to see him being so approachable, and tomorrow I will be very interested to hear what they thought of ‘the new Bishop’.

I found Bishop James to be very interested in people and after a very short space of time I find myself feeling a great amount of respect and trust for this person. I hope we can all continue to pray for him as he seeks to do what he feels God has called him to do … if you do that prayer sort of thing please remember him!

Today has been a good day …

in case we fool ourselves …

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Asbo Jesus again reminding me of the reality of situations.

it’s not where you take it from … its where you take it to.

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Found this …. so true!

world malaria day

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Today is World malaria Day.
One of the most heart wrenching moments I have experienced recently was the Sport Relief report on 3000 children dying unnecessarily from malaria each day due to not having a simple thing like mosquito net. Such a thing costs a mere £5. £5 to save one life …. such a little that can make a massive and real difference.

There are suggestions for action here or you can still go to Sport Relief or Oxfam and make a donation for the purchase of mosquito nets.

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As I have said before I am reading Maggi Dawn’s ‘Giving It Up’ during Lent.

I have been moved close to tears by this morning’s reading and thought. The reading is Exodus 3:1-4 where Moses ‘turns aside’ to investigate the burning bush.  Maggi uses this to outline how Moses has seemingly got into a rut, trying to stay below the radar, so not to get into trouble for his past life.

When Moses turns aside and follows his curiosity that he hears God’s voice. He did not do the sensible thing – the sensible thing would have been to stay away from fire and protect the sheep that were in his care. He left the sheep to look after themselves and went to see what was happening – he was attracted by the bright sparkly thing …. and in the bright sparkly thing which he was naturally interested in he found God.

I chat with too many people today who seemed trapped inside their own minds. People who feel the call from God on their lives means lots of hard work and little fun. It’s the ‘Oh I don’t say I’ll never go to Africa – because if I don’t want that God is sure to send me there’ syndrome.

How doid we get here?
How have we missed one simple fact which oozes from scripture.
GOD LOVES US AND WANTS THE BEST FOR US!
yep – that’s in capitals, yep its bold, and yep I was shouting it!!! No … it’s not netiquette!

If you love dancing and that gives you joy – dance for God!
If you love singing, sing. It’s its football, play for God.
If you love numbers, solve sums with God!
If it’s serving in the armed forces, serve for God!
Follow your dreams – they come from your creator!
Don’t believe all callings are into full or even part time ministry -God needs people who are fully alive, and you become fully alive by following your dreams and using the gifts you have.

Maggi ends todays thought with this paragraph:

Put aside what other people say you ought to do, and put aside your own mental commentary about what you think God will make you do. Instead, do what Moses did. Follow whatever you find intriguing, intellectually or artistically stimulating; go where your curiosity and your natural gifts lead you; and when you do, keep an ear open, because sooner or later you will hear the voice of God whispering your name.

Go be …..

is FB the new 3rd space?

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Ryan Bolger writes an interesting article here looking at the idea of third spaces and whether Facebook has become the new Third Space (i.e. places where we relax and socialise; by definition not placews of home or work so coffee shops, bars etc.). It is an interesting question and one that we should be thinking about.

Personally, I see that lots of people spend lots of time on social networking sites, a number of people are voicing concerns over (particularly young) people living more and more in a  virtual world but I don’t see this myself. From the example of my children and other young people that I know FB and others does not stop them form going out to their ‘third spaces’ and being with their friends. It does seem to, on the other hand, keep them connected and know of what’s going on. As a parent I suppose I should question where the time for FB comes from if it does not detract from third spaces – it’s probably homework, but that is another issue!

I’d be interested to hear what other people think …. is FB becoming the new Third Space?