Yesterday I went with Beth and Joe to see Nanny McPhee. We did not realise until we came out that we had seen the film on its release day. That’s a bit of history for the Ryan family!

The film was full of good stuff; the basic story being the death of a mother, unruly kids scaring off 17 nanny’s followed by the arrival of Nanny McPhee, a magical and mysterious figure who brings calm and order back to the family.

This is a film that can be used to illustrate many family and relationship things in groups, so watch out for the DVD. Two key things that I noticed in the film which I think I can share without ruining the plot:

1. Behaviour, and respect, need to be 2 way. Although the children needed to be taught how to behave, the adult in the story needed to learn an important lesson too. A lesson here for government ministers with their respect theme as well as parents.

2. Good behaviour and learned lessons have an interesting effect on McAfee. Loads of mileage here for how changed behaviour can change appearance and outlook of people.

I also love the deep Nanny quote:

‘When you don’t want me, but you need me, then I will stay. But, when you want me, but no longer need me, then I must go’

A good motto for an enabling ministry?

I caught up with my good friend Lucy this week. Lucy and Heath are the proud parents of Alex and Joel, twins recently born.

When I see young babies I am always amazed at how quickly they develop, how quickly they learn and recognise stuff. On reflection, though, it also amazing how quickly adults learn and adapt too. Sitting with Lucy and her boys there was a noticeable air of calm and control. It was just like Lucy had always been mum of twins and was totally in control.

Now, behind the scenes, maybe it is the case that life is frantic and new lessons are needing to be quickly learned. It does strike me, however, that we always marvel at the development in the children; almost a more amazing thing to notice is the development in the mother. How the mum learns new ideas, understands certain signs from the new child, instinctively knows what each child needs, and sub-consciously, but obviously, expresses feelings of love and acceptance to the baby in a way that is understood and received.

It is not until now, a few days later, that I am realising that I was able to experience 2 miracles of a sort. How many more miracles do I miss during my normal every day life?

… nothing for me to go to London for in the evenings for a while, then 2 come along on the same night!

I’m now in that horrible position where I need to make a decision.

Blah’s Re-enchanted looks excellent and I would really love to hear what Ben Edson from Sanctus 1 has to say ‘reflecting on mission amongst spiritual seekers in our culture’.

Also in the diary in the SITC networkers event at Westminster Chapel, looking at how to co-ordinate and work collaboratively in the city.

I can justify being at both from a work and a personal point of view – I need a Harry Potter potion so that I can be in both places at once!

Found this quote from Katie today:

OUR GREATEST FEAR SHOULD NOT BE OF FAILURE, BUT OF SUCCEEDING AT SOMETHING THAT DIDN’T REALLY MATTER

How profound and challenging is that! I’ve found myself starting to reanalyse what I am doing and whether I really do need to get stressed over some things.

I fell in love with this icon the first time I saw it. So much so that I have found a copy on Ebay and am now awaiting its arrival.

I was immediately struck by the warmth of the relationship that there is between Jesus and his mum. Notice the level of contact. The prolonged, comfortable, cheek to cheek understanding that there is between the two. Notice the intimacy. Notice the trust. Notice the love and admiration of each other.

Jesus is embracing his mum, and just chilling out with her. Enjoying her warmth and presence, and she enjoying his.

A beautiful image.

Mary is unique. WE speak of being filled with Jesus, of having Jesus living in us. It strikes me that Mary was the very first person to experience Jesus living inside her. The first person to experience the level of intimacy of the relationship that could exist between person and God. Mary really was the first real disciple!

Today we are all excited to feel and experience God living within us. I also get excited when I see God living within, and making an impact upon, others.

But imagine being the first. The first person to be filled with the creator God. The first person to walk around with ‘him’ living inside you. The first person who asked herself ‘how will what I do today have an impact of the growth of Jesus within me?’ I can’t begin to imagine the mix of excitement,terror, unworthiness and blessedness emotions that must have been flying around in Mary’s head.

I look back at the icon and I see how Jesus loves us. He loves us in the way a small boy loves his mummy. A totally trusting, focused and dedicated love. A vulnerable love, but with a blind vulnerability as the child does not even entertain the thought that his love for mummy will be rejected, nor that it will not be reciprocated. Oh how great it would be if children of today could be so secure in their experience of love.

Mary is experiencing the love of the creator. Jesus is experiencing the love of the created. It’s an extremely powerful, yet balanced, image. I think it’s so powerful due to the fragility also seen here. Either party could easily stop and turn away – the relationship is that fragile, that delicate and inter-dependent. There is nothing to compel them to stay as they are, apart from love. A love that has come through the experience of each other. A love that can be wrecked by either. A love that is honoured and nurtured by both.

The relationship that Jesus has with us as is fragile as fine glass, as thin as eggshell; and yet that is precisely why it is so wonderful. It’s fragility is due to our fickleness, we are free to walk away at any time, and break the heart of our creator. There is no reason to stay together other than love, the desire to be together, to grow together, to dream together.

Mary and Jesus, you and Jesus, me and Jesus – a fine and delicately crafted partnership, best viewed through the iris of complete trust to see it at its intended best.

I am going to this with a few YFC people, and it looks to be a good conference.

You can check it out an book here.

Just seen Mr Baker is drawing attention to this as well – sems like there may be a lot of people there.

Tonight I ran my first session with the young leaders from the cells and worship group of Landmark, the St Mark’s youth group. It seems Sarah has found a little niche for me!

WE looked at the difference between being a leader, and being a good leader. We looked at what the Bible had to say and we had a good amount of time to look at individual situations.

Incredible! I am sitting here in a semi-awe mist. These young people were fantastic. Some of them I have seen become Christians over the last 10 years and tonight was an incredible privilege.

I was struck by the high amount of honesty – they were open and honest, and on appearance it may have seemed brutal. On closer inspection, it was clear no one was offended, no one was taking or making anything personal; instead there was a clear desire, indeed a passion, to do things as well as they could. These young people wanted real feedback from each other so that they could genuinely develop their leadership skills. It was great to see the absence of personal agendas, which does sometimes seem lacking with adults.

I was struck by the maturity and awareness of these young leaders. They are able to reflect on what they do, analyse it and use it as a basis from which to work.

I was struck by the passion and excitement from these young people. The real sense of privilege that they have of being chosen by God to lead and do things. A real tangible excitement. I guess it kind of reminded me of me 20 years ago!

What happens to us – is it as simple s mortgage, family, bills that makes us forget our first love, our first excitement of doing things for God. Is it a bred familiarity that blinds us to the sheer amazingness of being chosen for a role. Is it something far deeper and more rooted in our selfishness and desire for ‘comfort’ that leads us to search for other riches alongside being chosen by God; whereas in the past we were more than happy, more than fulfilled, more than complete by the knowledge that we were where God wanted us to be and being used by him.

I enjoyed this evening. Nothing like a brush with reality to remind you of the important things in life!

The Equipping your church for a spiritual age tour looks interesting. A day looking at worship, mission, reflection, observation …. in a spiritual age.

It’s being run by the Group for Evangelisation and the tours has a variety of locations around the country – I am considering the Brighton one if anyone fancies tagging along.

Dear friend

TEN YEARS IN DETENTION
On Monday 24th October Aung San Suu Kyi will have spent a total of ten years in detention. There is currently no prospect of her being released. She is kept in isolation, allowed no visitors, her phone line is cut and her post intercepted.

NEW MOMENTUM TO FREE BURMA
Our campaign for Aung San Suu Kyi’s release around her 60th birthday in June created headlines around the world, and pushed Burma up the international agenda. A new report commissioned by Desmond Tutu and Vaclav Havel has now called for Burma to be taken to the United Nations Security Council. The USA has pledged to work to get Burma on the agenda. This is a major step forward for our campaign. The British government has been inundated with letters supporting UN Security Council action, and has agreed to support this, but we need them to go further. We need Britain to throw its diplomatic weight behind this initiative and work to persuade other Security Council Members to back a resolution calling on the regime to restore democracy to Burma, and release Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners.

JOIN OUR DEMONSTRATION
Monday 24th October
12.30-1.30pm Opposite St Stephens Gate, House of Commons, London Nearest Tube: Westminster

If you can’t make this demonstration you can still help, we’ll be emailing you next week with an action you take take to support Burma being taken to the UN Security Council.

If you are outside the UK, there may be actions taking place in your country. To find out about the campaign in your country visit our links page
at:
If there is no campaign in your country, and you’d like to help set one up, let us know. Email mark.farmaner@burmacampaign.org.uk

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SECURITY COUNCIL CAMPAIGN
Visit: the Burma Campaign

Thank you for your support

On Sunday I connected with a little used part of my ‘created in God’s image’ characteristic; that of being practicaly and transformationally creative.

A little while ago we had an extension built, and for some weird reason we, or I decided, I would lay a laminate floor in the 3m x 4m rather than let the builder do it. It seemed a great idea at the time but this weekend I needed to do it as the next few will probably be taken up with assignment finalising, church visiting and residentials.

Anyway … 10.00am on Sunday morning I started, thinking this will probably take me about 5 hours. (don’t look too closely at the times – I am a sinner, I missed church in the morning!) After 5 hours, at 3 pm, I had laid 2 and a bit rows. At 11.00pm that evening, Sarah and I clicked the last panel into place. My 5 hour guess had grown massively to 11 hours, and for the last 2 days I have been suffering with back and leg aches from crawling around the floor with fitting blocks, hammers and so on!

Some questions ….

why does DIY always take so much longer than we plan! Things always seem easier at the start, but take ages to complete. Afterwards you always find muscles screaming out in agony that you had forgotten had existed. To add to the pain, you know, deep down, that one of your first visitors to admire your handiwork, or your children, are going to scratch, break, or disfigure you nice new creation.

I wonder ….

was it like this with God?
Did he, one day, wake up and decide to create the world?
Did he think it would take only 3 days, only to realise that after finding problems with the plumbing plan, and straining to get things to fit just right so that the joins do not show, that actually the whole project was going to take him 3 days. Did he also race around the garage looking for the vital tool he knew he had but had been misplaced on an earlier finished job?

I wonder if God needed the Sabbath rest day as he had found new muscles, experienced new pains, and had difficulty getting in and out of bed without the angels sniggering!

And then came the pain; how long did God marvel at his handiwork before the horrible shock reached him – the kids were going to mess it up!!! They were going to mess it up, and bring their friends around to mess it up too.

Laying the floor on Sunday, just a little task, really took it out of me. I really needed to sleep and could have done with Monday off to recover. Because I wanted to get it finished I strained to achieve my aim.

Did God do the same? Did he invest so much of himself into his creation that it hurt to do so. Did he strain to finish because he had his own deadline to meet, to such an extent that he had to sleep the very next day?

I’m proud of my little floor and keep going back secretly to look at it! Does God secretly look upon his earth and think back to what it used to look like? All that personal investment, and look what we have done to it!