An Anglican Compendium of Thoughts and Prayers

Moldova Prisons

2009-05-09T08:50:00.000+01:00

I doubt if anyone would ever forget their first visit to a Moldovan prison: the forbidding gates, the echoing corridors, the stench of human body odour, rotting rodents, faeces, urine, and the constant moans of the suffering. Spend even a few hours inside and most of us are gasping for the fresh air of freedom. If that's how it feels to the visitor, how must it feel to those who know that the place is to be home, if not ‘sweet home,’ for the next six months or six years?

Yet to meet even briefly the people who inhabit it, whether staff or prisoners, is to find the human face of prison. Within its walls there’s a cross-section of humanity: sensitive and insensitive, kind and cruel, noble and villains - and that’s just the staff!

Within the prisoner community one can find university graduates, accountants, politicians, musicians and actors, innocent children and mothers - alongside the usual mix of drink and drug victims, addicts and psychiatric misfits. Every one of them, the believer would want to say, made in the image of God and for that reason infinitely valuable and precious.

They are there because they are either alleged or guilty of having offended against society, and their penalty is the temporary deprivation of liberty. And at least in Moldova they are also there in the hope, albeit sometimes a faint one, that the experience will lead to a reformation of life.

Shockingly, there are many there who are victims of the former government and old communist laws or practices, where the prisoner is guilty of nothing more than speaking against the government. Indeed, the long needed changes in this practice are happening. But it's more challenging to change behaviours and practices than it is to change a written law in a book. So suffering abounds, both for prisoner and keeper!

Strangely enough, history and religious faith are full of prisoner heroes: Daniel, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, St Peter and St Paul, or John Bunyan, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Those names may help us to realise that time spent doing ‘porridge’ is not always wasted.

These prisoner heroes were also of course, people of faith and there's no doubt that many prisoners are attracted to religion during their time inside. America has some faith-based prisons and in Britain we have prison chaplains, working within the prison service, but very much concerned with the spiritual well being of all the inmates and staff. None of this exists in a Moldovan prison. Often in Britain this is the first time the prisoner is asked to account for his conviction and what journey he will take towards change.

But for many of those prisoner heroes the first step on their journey of faith was simply to recognise that they were in prison as a fair punishment for what they had done. It was too for another criminal, to whom Jesus made His last and solemn promise as he hung beside him on a cross. Unlike his taunting colleague, he confessed that he had been condemned justly, ‘for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds.’ he then pleaded, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ ‘Truly I say to you,’ came the reply, ‘today - not at some future day of kingship - today you will be with me in paradise.’

Footnote:

This year in particular I am in desperate need of help for the women and children imprisoned in Moldova. We waited an entire year for a comprehensive support and aid project to take place, only to learn that in fact, not one of the projects had ever been started by the American church who had assured the undertaking. It has caused some tragic consequences. We are not trying to raise money - only tangible help. If you are interested in learning about the needs of the people of Moldova, please see our blog entitled:

http://www.pnlmoldovaprisons.blogspot.com/

or refer to our website,

http://www.projectnewlife.org/

Lord God, protector of our freedoms, Grant us the grace to work against evil and to promote justice and freedom for all. Protect the oppressed and downtrodden, uplift them with the knowledge that they are not forgotten and there are those who work diligently to bring them freedom. We pray this in Christ’s name. Amen

When we Think God isn't Listening

The Children's Story Visit Our Children Moldova Prisons

Freedom For All...Almost

Be True To Yourself

2009-02-26T10:37:00.000Z

If you’ve used the Internet for a long time, surely you will have received several pieces of ‘Spam’ mail where you are being invited to become the beneficiary of a huge financial estate. And in exchange for your participation you’ve been promised a percentage of the proceeds. All you have to do is say that you are either the relative or rightful beneficiary of the estate.

Of course, there’s nothing there. It’s all a sham. And you will be severely out of pocket, having had paid numerous storage fees, processing fees, etc. Some end up paying much higher costs–with their lives.

There’s something unique about these frauds. The only way you can participate is by surrendering your own values and becoming just like them–a thief. This is why when so many people get scammed out of their money, they don’t report it, because to do so is to announce that not only are they inherently stupid, but their morals and ethics are no different than the criminals they’ve joined forces with.

And it is in this darkest moment that you realise that through compromising your values, you have failed yourself. To be a person of honour, you must first be true to yourself.

This is the same advice that Jesus has given us, not by His words, but by His deeds and how He lived His life. Up until His final hours, Jesus could have saved His life and lived a long, comfortable life just by ‘adapting the truth a little.’ He could have saved His life and gone home to His mother, found a wife, and been a wonderful father. But He would have lost His soul. He knew that the deal sounded good, but that it was a bad bargain.

On Ash Wednesday, we marked our foreheads with ashes in the sign of a cross. It signified an acknowledgement of our own sinfulness and our journey to salvation. That mark will serve as a lifetime of integrity, if we let it.

Living each day truthfully: not just telling the truth, but being true, is the only way of living that will grow into eternity!

Our Father, help us to overcome our weaknesses and sins. Give us confidence in Your love, that we may always follow You. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

We Just Won The Lottery

Feast of Epiphany

2009-01-05T12:59:00.000Z

If you follow the Christian Liturgical calendar you will already know that tomorrow is the Feast of The Epiphany. A child I know once told me he calls it the ‘Ep Ip Hany Day,’ said in such a way to make it sound like ‘Hip Hip Hurray.’ I marvel at how children are able to mind-map things. It was also how he associated the story of the three wise men. And to be truthful, a story it is indeed.

Most people have already put away their plaster manger scenes and have cleared their homes of the secular markings of Christmas past. But just as we celebrated Epiphany Sunday yesterday, the Church celebrates the arrival of these star travellers on January 6.

We can only speculate from where they came. Truthfully, we have no idea. Avid and possibly somewhat obsessed astronomers have spent many cumulative years trying to determine whether there really was a star. Our determination to create impactive imagery always leaves the quintessential wise men arriving on camels. After all, they’re in the Middle East and everyone travelled by camel back then, didn’t they?

And for some reason there are always three wise men. I find this fascinating because Matthew’s Gospel makes no mention of how many there were. But it is accepted that the gifts were a symbolic gesture.

For the Church the entire story is symbolic. The visitors represent nations from the farthest points on the earth. The gifts, combined with their devotion, demonstrate that all nations can join in celebrating the birth of a baby destined to be Messiah, the suffering king.

The Epiphany is the presentation of Christ to the world. The travellers and the story of their visit to Bethlehem are a classic myth - a story told to encapsulate for those who understand a greater truth. In this case, it’s the symbolism. That the baby born in Bethlehem is not just for one place and time, but for everywhere, always, and all ways.

Falling in Love at Clapham Junction

Please remember Me

This Incredible Christmas Present

2008-12-25T23:06:00.000Z

In his famous play, Green Pastures, playwright Marc Connelly has the angel Gabriel walk on stage with his horn under his arm. He approaches the Lord who is deep in thought. God is troubled about what is happening on earth: So much anger and fighting, so much pain and sadness, so many people blindly ruining their lives. God is very troubled because He has already sent any number of prophets and special messengers, but His people just can't hear them.

Gabriel offers to blow his horn and bring the whole sorry mess to a quick end. But God takes his trumpet away. Gabriel presses the Lord about what He's going to do. And finally the Lord answers, 'This time,' He says, 'I'm not going to send anybody. This time I'm going myself!'

And that's what we're celebrating today: God has given us the best gift He had: His own son as our guide, our brother and our friend. And He'll never take His gift back - not for all eternity.

So what are we to do with this incredible Christmas present? Take it in, all the way inside. Silently and simply, speak His name, 'Jesus,' and know that no matter what, all will be well. All will be well!

Christ, our Redeemer, Your birth has given us life. Accept our vow, as servants of Your word, that we shall spread Your message of peace, of love, of dedication, and hope, from this day forward. Amen

Suffer the Children

When The Church Sins

Who are We Forgetting?

Shout Away The Darkness

2008-12-24T01:13:00.007Z

At Christmas time many years ago, during the war, an old priest was visiting the wounded at a local hospital. He came upon a very young soldier whose spine had been shattered by a bullet. He was lying face down in a canvas cradle. A round hole had been cut into the bottom of the cradle for his face. But all he could see was the floor. Thousands of miles from home and fearing he'd never walk again, the teenager felt utterly alone, cut off from all the world as he stared at that floor hour after hour.

He spoke with the priest in hushed tones and then after awhile, the boy asked softly, "Father, could I see your face? I feel so alone. It would help me a lot, if I could just see your face a little while."

And so, carefully, with creaking joints, the old priest got down on his knees, then over onto his back, and ever so slowly he inched his way under the cradle until at last the boy could see him - face to face - and know for a little while that he wasn't alone.

That's what we've always longed for as we stumble through the cold and the dark, trying to find our way in life. We long to see our Father face-to-face and to know for sure we're not alone. We long for His warmth, His light, and His strength. And now on this holy night, our deepest longing is fulfilled and our dream has come true. For as we look upon that tiny face in the manger, we know at last what God is really like: He's the one who loves us with a love beyond all telling, and He holds nothing back.

As we see this child and as we know the man He'll become, we know in our hearts we'll never be alone or cold or afraid again. For God's son Jesus, our brother Jesus, has come to light our darkness, to warm our coldness, and to show us the way home! And on this Christmas feast we celebrate and we sing with the angels: Glory to God! Glory to God in the highest!

I invite all of us to light a candle this Christmas, not just shouting away the darkness of what is, or stuck in the longing for what might have been, but lighting our own candle of generosity, witness, forgiveness, and kindness.

In sharing my wishes for you to have a very happy Christmas, I pray that happiness will bring peace into our hearts, making us peacemakers in our homes, our communities, and making us, in small but real ways, makers of peace in our world.

Loving God, You brought Your Son into this world that we may forever walk in light. We pray tonight for those who are in distant lands, defending democracy and human rights. Wherever they may be, may they find the embrace of love in their hearts, from their families and loved ones. We pray for those who are frightened about finances, the possibility of losing their jobs and homes, and who are suffering from stress. We pray for those who are struggling to maintain relationships due to the weight of financial worries. Bring peace and understanding into their hearts, that they may support one another. We pray for the countless children who suffer at the hands of adults who exploit, hurt, and intimidate them. Guide those children to people who can protect and help them. And we pray for our world leaders; that they may act with wisdom and compassion in all they do. We pray this in the name of Your living Son, Christ Jesus. Amen

The Meaning of Christmas

Preparing For Christmas

The Darker Side of Christmas

Busyness

2008-12-22T10:42:00.004Z

The very 'busyness' of ordinary life today can make us weary and feel overburdened, and that can be a cumulative experience, which gets harder to bear as we get older.

Over the next few days we are in a frantic rush to finalise our Christmas shopping, getting out those last cards, checking the larder for all the items we need for the Christmas dinner -and on it goes.

But what really grinds us down very often isn't simply hard work, but an underlying weariness of spirit which saps our energy and enthusiasm for life. We can lose our sparkle that we long for each Christmas season and even the simple tasks and challenges, which are meant to be wrapped in love, seem to be too much to face.

If we want to keep a proper perspective and live life to the full, we need time in the midst of our 'busyness' to renew our spirit and draw on the living waters of God's grace and presence which truly refresh and invigorate us. The prophet Isaiah was well aware of that when he said that God 'gives strength to the wearied and strengthens the powerless. Those who hope in the Lord renew their strength. They put out wings like eagles, they run and do not grow weary, walk and never tire.' And Jesus also says to each one of us, 'Come to me all you who are overburdened and I will give you rest.'

Lord, give us the grace not to be discouraged by our weariness but to hear and respond to the coming of Your Son where we will be refreshed and strengthened by His grace and presence. Amen.

Preparing For Christmas

Suffer The Children

Christmas Investments

2008-12-20T13:18:00.000Z

The apostle Paul wrote rather pointedly: 'None of us lives as his own master and none of us dies as his own master... Both in life and in death we are the Lord's.' None of us possesses either our life or our gifts as absolute possessions, but as loans from a generous God who gave us both life and gifts for a specific purpose, namely, to be shared with His family. To decline to share our life and to carry our gifts to those who need them is not only bad stewardship, it is stealing from those for whom the gifts were intended in the first place.

So where do you stand on the gift continuum? Are you sitting on your gifts and hoarding them for some unnamed rainy day, or are you learning the God-like joy of giving your gifts and talents away? Where you stand on this most basic question is probably the key to how and where you'll be spending your eternity, so it will be wise to consider your answer well.

Choosing The Right Christmas Present

Reaching Out to Children in Need

Suffer The Children

I Promise

2008-12-18T09:30:00.000Z

Keeping a promise is rarely easy, and sometimes those who make promises are not equipped to keep them or don't even intend to keep them. The flood of divorces and the torrents of lawsuits that plague our society are eloquent testimony to the fragility of promises and the unlikelihood of many of them ever being kept.

It can render us cynical and disinclined to trust anyone, perhaps even God. So we need to listen to the words of the old man Simeon. Simeon had waited all his life for Jesus' coming, and he'd never ceased trusting that God would be faithful to His promise of a Redeemer. At last the child came, in the arms of His parents, for consecration to the Lord as the Law prescribed. And Simeon gave thanks, 'Now, Master, You can dismiss your servant in peace; You have fulfilled your word....'

God is absolutely faithful in His love of every one of us. Even when we turn away and do not walk with Him, God does not turn from us. He waits and waits and waits.

Trust that. He is waiting for you now, hoping that you will give His love for you an opening. If you do, He will show Himself to you in His own way and in His own time, and He will give you what you need to walk with Him faithfully.
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Preparing For Christmas

When We Need a Little Help

When Traditions Become Weights

Time is Too Short!

2008-12-17T01:15:00.000Z

Sixty, they say, is the new forty. Our life expectancy is ever lengthening, so much so that there is talk of postponing pensions to allow for this.

Not surprising then that mortality has ceased to feature among the options of a materialist world! Hip replacements and other spare parts ensure a minimum risk of our being ‘sans eyes, sans teeth, sans everything,’ or at least the appearance thereof.

The isolation of the elderly also helps us in this deceit as they are moved progressively from family homes in the wider community into apartments and then to residential and nursing homes before the exit. Yet the fantasy image sold to those just retiring is still one of eternal leisure - a place in the sun, or at least in the country, and an eternal youthfulness that will never fail them – what Irish folklore calls ‘Tír na nÓg.’

I must seem a bit of a spoilsport then when at funerals I read the Psalmist’s words about the 3 score years and ten, or perhaps 4 score that are our allotted span, and even more so when I suggest subtracting from those allocated 7 or 8 decades the number that we have already used, in full or part - for no one really wants to know that life is so very short or that it slips away so quickly.

This isn’t meant to bring gloom on a Wednesday morning but simply to underline the importance of grasping each passing moment, for time is too short to waste on angers, disagreements, or even on fleeting worldly ambitions.

And that’s why one of my favourite parts of Dickens is where the elderly Scrooge wakes up to find that he is still alive. The bed was his own. The room was his own. Best and happiest of all, the time before him was his own in which to make amends. ‘I will live in the past, the present and the future,’ he says. ‘I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, as merry as a schoolboy.’

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Gracious God, You have given us the miracle of renewing life. Help us to see that the value of our lives are measured in how we live and not how long. As we await the birth of Your son, may we always be guided by Your gentle breath. Amen

How Good Are You at Giving Gifts?

Moving From Darkness to Light

Wanted: Part-Time Wife

You Say Tomato

2008-12-16T09:25:00.001Z

It really does appear to be the case that things are not what they seem. A scientist friend of mine was explaining to me that a red tomato, for example, is not actually red. We see it as red because red light waves can’t be absorbed by the tomato, like the other colour waves in the light spectrum. These red light waves are bounced back at us, so colour-wise we see what the tomato isn't, rather than what it is. The colour tells us more about what's happening on the surface than it does about the deeper nature of the fruit. His comment left me in deep thought for the rest of the day.

If it's difficult to fully understand the nature of what's in front of our very eyes, how much harder is it to know what we mean when we talk about that elusive term 'God?'

Throughout the centuries men and women of every faith and none at all have projected on to God a variety of images - some light, some dark. Wise people recognise that what 'obviously' seems to be the identity of God, may in fact be more an indication of what God is not, rather than what God is. This suggests that we should be cautious in our claims about God.

I can't help wondering if, contrary to popular belief, Holy Scripture doesn't give us the identity of God, but constantly reminds that God is more than we can ever imagine.

You think God is Almighty; here we are waiting for Him to come into the world as a baby. You think God is King of all creation; here He is crucified and dying on a cross. You think God loves the righteous; here He is eating and living among sinners. The message seems to be that the minute we think we've got God pinned down, all we've done is crucify the very nature of what we're trying to express.

During this Advent week, now is the time to increase our awareness of how we bring Christ into our lives. Let us open our hearts to allow God's spirit to live within us.

Preparing for Christmas

Advent - Moving from Darkness to Light

How to Choose The Right Christmas Present

Gobbledegook

2008-12-15T11:12:00.001Z

This morning on telly, the weather presenter rather tongue-in-cheek said ‘I'm 90 percent right—10 percent of the time.’ Of course, that's a ridiculous statement, but some people resort to that type of gobbledegook to cover up a poor record. As proof, all you have to do is listen to some of our world leaders!

However, if you look deep into the Bible you’ll find its prophetic record is extremely accurate. Let's look at a few examples.

The Lord Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) at the time specified (Daniel 9:25). Infants in Bethlehem were massacred as prophesied (Jeremiah 31:15). Jesus went down into Egypt and returned (Hosea 11:1). Isaiah foretold Christ's ministry in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-2). Zechariah predicted His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a colt (Zechariah 9:9) and His betrayal for 30 pieces of silver (11:12-13). David had never seen a Roman crucifixion, yet in Psalm 22, under divine inspiration, he penned a graphic portrayal of Jesus' death. Isaiah 53 gives a detailed picture of our Lord's rejection, mistreatment, death, and burial. These few prophecies (and there are many more) should impress us with the reliability of the Bible.

As all these predictions have been fulfilled, let us also accept with some reasonable confidence what the Bible says about the future.

He is with you. Always. Until the end of time.

Heavenly Father, help us to trust in Your unchanging word. Though all things shall pass away, Your Word shall stand forever. Amen

How to Choose the Best Christmas Present

Advent- Moving From Darkness to Light

Seeking Rainbows

2008-12-12T14:02:00.000Z

This past year has presented so many challenges. The older I become the greater the sense of urgency I feel in my mission. ‘If’ is a word I often use as I dream, or sometimes fret, about all the things I’d like to achieve. My ‘Moldova list’ is endless and my prayers for help are constant. Recently as I was driving through the pelting rain, across the lowlands of East Sussex, I somewhat jokingly asked God to give me a brief little sign that I was on the right track.

I’m certain we can manifest a plethora of ‘signs’ in almost every thing we see. But I was profoundly touched by the sight of a rainbow that began to stretch across the chalkened sky. It was just the message I needed at that moment.

In the Bible the rainbow is a great symbol of hope, the gift that God gave to Noah and his companions as a sign of His promise never to abandon them. It's also a sign of God's engagement with brokenness. And shows that even in dividedness there can be the possibility of something new and creative, the colours that make up light have a beauty in their separateness as well as when they merge.

Whenever I see a rainbow it reminds me that there is always a new perspective and a new sense of hope in the changes we face in our lives. It also reminds me that God never promised that our lives would be easy; He simply said that He would be with us.

Death is Only a Step

How to Choose the Right Christmas Present

Suffer the Children

Come Home

2008-12-11T01:00:00.005Z

The faces of the children in Moldova reveal the suffering they've endured. For so many of them their young lives have been completely devoid of any warmth or love or care or even direction.

Many of them arrive in the night, having been picked up by police - found wandering the streets; lost, confused and hungry. They've been carted across borders, sometimes literally in crates. They have no identification papers and due to the absence of any schooling or education, only what they learned from their parents, who sometimes have virtually no education at all, the child is incapable of even telling where they're from. And it's certain there will have been no missing child report filed with authorities, because it was probably the male figure in the household who sold the child for food, money and alcohol.

When a child arrives, a houseparent instinctively knows not to ask 'where is home?' There isn't one. And when they're brought to us, it's a gut-wrenching fact they seldom show fear on their faces. I'll never forget the words a child said to me several years ago: ' You can't be afraid of something that has already happened.'

So herein begins their new lives. Granted, it may not be a Norman Rockwell image, but it will start with the most important elements of life- the foundations. There is warmth, care, encouragement, the understanding of mutual respect and boundaries - both personal and interactive. And most importantly there will be the most solid foundation of all, the anchor of a home that is built upon Christ's love.

It is that anchor that will carry them the rest of their lives. No matter what the 'bump' or what the challenge, whether they're 10 or 20 years old, the old house will be theirs to come 'home' to. Long after they've been placed with a loving family, and even possibly grow up to have their own children, they will know where they found safety, security, and the message of Christ's love.

I firmly believe we all too easily sanitise the image of Jesus and the children and turn it into an image of softness and bliss. Personally, I agree with Philippe Aries' historical perception of Jesus.

However we may perceive Christ's birth, either through the stories of wise men and stars and so on, or pathetic child born of a disgraced mother in a grotty shed, what is undeniable is that Jesus lived, grew up as an outstanding teacher, healed the sick, embraced the lives of children, and then because He got in the way of the powerful and religious, died a painful death on the cross.

It was then that rumours started appearing that He was alive and many claimed to have seen Him. The church began and the same experience of Resurrection in the lives of millions began to reveal itself. And we pray that all whom we reach in our own lives become able to know and live this message.

Of course, having such an anchor does not mean that our troubles end. The point about an anchor is that it holds the frail vessel when the storms rage around us. Our security lies not in us but in the love, mercy and goodness of God.

Whatever our resolutions and whatever our journey may be for this coming year, may God, who called us out of darkness, into His marvellous light, bless us and fill us with His mission of peace.
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How to Find the Right Christmas Present

The Children's Story

It's a Wonderful Life

Happy Xmas !

2008-12-10T11:03:00.004Z

Here we are in the midst of a beautiful Advent and I’ve heard my first cranky retort regarding a Christmas card. A very kind and dear lady stood over me as I was seated at my desk this morning. She had pinched between her fingers, as if she were holding a soiled nappy, an envelope. ‘Look!’ she exclaimed! ‘How offensive!’

Curiously I took the envelope in my hand. On the back were the handwritten words ‘Happy Xmas!’ and the sender had hand drawn a small cross. Inside was a lovely card bearing an image of a Greek icon depicting Christ.

It’s so easy for us to become caught up in our secular world that we often lose track of, or even patience for, understanding of the world around us. In this case the sender of the card had created, in my opinion, a rather thoughtful use of their time. The first letter in the Greek word for Christ is ‘chi’ and the Greek letter for ‘chi’ is represented by a symbol similar to the letter ‘X’ in the modern Roman alphabet. Therefore, ‘Xmas’ is certainly an appropriate demonstration of their sincerity and creativity in sending a Greek icon image as a Christmas card.

Just as one might use ‘Xian’ as an alternative for the word ‘Christian,’ perhaps there had been even more thoughtfulness on the part of the sender who may have seen herself caught in a quagmire of political correctness. It’s hard to say.

But if we’re forced to live in a world where we may no longer speak from the heart, write from the heart, and love from the heart, out of fear as to whether it will cause someone else offence, we may find ourselves simply no longer bothering to communicate at all.

And wouldn’t that make our world sad.

Loving and forgiving Lord, we await Your coming. As we move from this darkness, shedding our failings, let us reach out to others without restrictions or judgement. Cleanse our hearts, alight our souls, that we may move to that joyous day when Your Son comes to us. Amen

How to Choose The Right Christmas Present

Moving From Darkness to Light

Denying Christmas

A Simple Exercise

2008-12-09T12:21:00.000Z

I'd like for you to humour me for just a moment and try this simple little exercise. And no, it won't require you to dislodge your bum from the seat you're sitting in right now.

I'd like you to cross your arms please. Just fold them over your chest. Now, note which hand has ended up tucked under one arm and which hand is slightly on top of the other arm.

Thank you. Now, I'd like for you to cross your arms again please. But this time I'd like for you to reverse the process, switching the positions of where your hands end up. (And yes, I've already had someone question my sanity this week over something I wrote; please, just humour me for just a few more seconds.)

Ok. Now, which way is the 'right' way?

If your answer is 'there is no right way, it's just different,' then well done you! If your answer is that one of the ways is the right way and the other is wrong, then I feel we should talk.

Ultimately, this is a challenge we're facing on a global level. We face it in our homes, in our societies, our work ethic, cultures, governments, and even in our faith. We become addicted to our own patterns, behaviours, practices and beliefs to such an extent that 'our' way becomes the only way.

Sadly, this pervasive mindset is creating such vast divisions throughout the world that it's hindering our growth and blinding our ability to see and communicate with others and with God. It causes us to fence ourselves in and build walls to keep others out.

At schools children actively exclude other children who do not wear the 'in' labels and brand them as outcasts. Tourists travel to another country and ridicule the culture because they don't prepare a food item the way we're accustomed. Businesses merge with foreign companies and try to force training that fails to acknowledge cultural and national customs. And leaders of countries use powerful strategies to incite its people into believing 'their' views are the only acceptable views. (Remember a certain leader saying -'You're either with us or against us.')

And what about faith? Have you ever found yourself blocking out someone who is trying to share their personal journey in finding God in their lives, merely because they come from a denomination that is different than your own? Or have you believed that the way someone else worships God is wrong because everyone around you has been conditioned to think so? No single church or denomination holds the monopoly on truth.

By refusing to acknowledge that God speaks to us in many ways we are merely prohibiting our own growth and often the growth of others. Perhaps the first step is to recognise that sometimes, the way we look at something isn't wrong, it's just 'different.'

Oh God of wisdom, You speak to us in so many wonderful ways. Help us to listen to Your voice and to look for You in everything we do and everyone we meet. Let our eyes see the goodness You have created and with Your guidance, may we become a lamp for those without light. Amen

Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly-mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? I Corinthians:1-3

We Just Won The Lottery

When We Need a Little Help

When Traditions Become Weights

The Right Kind of Pain Medication

Preparing For Christmas

2008-12-08T08:37:00.002Z

According to Greek mythology, King Augeus owned a stable with 3,000 oxen. Their stalls had not been cleaned out for 30 years—hence our English word Augean, which refers to something exceedingly filthy.

Hercules, the mythical strong man, was commanded to clean the Augean stable in a single day. When He first saw the stable, he was dismayed by its size, filthiness, and steaming stench.

As he thought about how he would undertake such a task, he noticed that the stable was located between two great rivers, the Alpheus and the Peneus. So Hercules applied his great strength and worked throughout the day, diverting the rivers so that they flowed through the great building. And within a short time the rushing waters flushed the stable clean.

The story is a myth, of course, but myths by their very nature preserve the yearnings of the cultures that embrace and perpetuate them. I believe the story is reflective of our own longing to have the accumulated waste and filth washed from our lives.

At this time, when we are moving from the darkness at the beginning of Advent, to the light of Christ’s birth, we are reminded of the powerful river of forgiveness that flows from the cross. Nothing - no defilement whatsoever, can withstand the cleansing and healing flow that comes from our relationship with the living Christ within us.

As we once again prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth, perhaps it’s time to first cleanse ourselves. By lightening that load we’re carrying, perhaps we’ll gain a greater perspective on what we really should value on Christmas day.

Loving Father, give me courage to confess, to bare my heart to You. Forgive my transgressions, Oh Lord, that I may use my renewed life to serve You and be a living image of Your word. Amen

It's a Wonderful Life!

Moving From Darkness to Light

Faith is Not a Crutch For Living

Choosing The Best Christmas Present

2008-12-05T09:41:00.000Z

It's a reality that so many people spend a majority of their time preparing for Christmas by trying to find the right presents. Searching, buying, hiding, wrapping, are the main activities in the build-up to Christmas Day, and something that closely resembles panic sets in when, as seems to happen even with the best laid plans, these tasks are all squeezed into the last few days before, or even into Christmas Eve.

I too share some guilt in this. My first inclination would be to blame my heavy calendar. However, the truth is I'm hopelessly disorganised when it comes to trying to decide what I want to give to whom.

It seems important to give the right gift, and yet as the wonderfully acerbic poet John Betjeman memorably puts it in his famous poem 'Christmas,' we often end up giving or getting 'bath salts and inexpensive scent and hideous tie so kindly meant.'

Betjeman isn't meaning to dismiss these humble gifts, however. His point is that the inadequacy of the things we give at Christmas does not matter, because no gift could possibly compare with 'this most tremendous tale of all,' the gift of love eternal in a recognizably vulnerable human form.

And yet, it still seems true that we all want our gifts to be valued and remembered. Though Betjeman is right to think that no gift of ours stands in comparison with God's gift, the desire that our gifts have meaning behind them has a good theological basis as well.

Giving is a way of putting ones self aside and making others matter. I choose the gift and pay for it, but what I choose and how much I pay is decided by your wants and needs. The right gift will always reveal our knowledge of the person who receives it.

And so it is with the Incarnation itself. It is a great mystery how the divine could become human, but however we understand it, it is essential to see that at its heart is God's setting aside His divine nature in order to enter fully into the humanity of His creatures.

May all your gifts be wrapped with love.

In lighting your Advent Candle:

Oh Father rejoicing, we celebrate the promise of Your Son.
Let the light of this candle remind us of the Christ to come
Brightening our way and guiding us by His truth.

May Christ our Saviour bring light into the darkness of our world, bringing peace among nations, understanding and tolerance among faiths, and respect for the living breathing planet you have given us.

We pray this though Christ our Lord. Amen

Advent, Moving From Darkness to Light

It's a Wonderful Life

A Lesson in Forgiving

Embarrassment

2008-12-04T12:07:00.000Z

There is not one of us who cannot look back on certain moments in our past that make us blush with embarrassment or downright shame. Sometimes it's a matter as simple as a foolish idea that we clung to far too tenaciously and far too long.

Sometimes it's a hurt that we inflicted on someone without even thinking. Sometimes it goes much deeper and involves a profoundly wrong and harmful choice, whose consequences are still reverberating through the years. Whatever the issue, the sadness and shame can run deep and can linger for years, leaving us with the feeling that we'll never be done with it and never leave it behind.

God knows the darkness of soul that our mistakes can burden us with, and the loss of heart as well. He sees into our souls and knows our sins even more clearly than we do. He wants to heal our hearts and to wash away our sins. He wants to make us new, from the inside out, and He can do that if we will let Him. So relax in the Lord. Give Him your heart, and let Him give you a new beginning.

It's a Wonderful Life

Why is Life so Hard?

How To Be The Best Waitress

Big World Small Boat

It's A Wonderful Life

2008-12-03T09:40:00.011Z

I’ve nearly gotten all of the Christmas decorations up. Yes, I’m slow. I admit it.

At the bottom of one box was a DVD - one of my all-time favourites; Frank Capra’s magnificent film – It’s a Wonderful Life, with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. I place it in with the Christmas decorations each year as it has become a family tradition to watch the film whilst scoffing down an array of Christmas goodies.

It’s interesting to know that when the film was first released the public’s reception of it was rather lukewarm. Now it’s a Christmas classic being watched by people around the world.

Whilst the film certainly has a Christmas theme, the appeal that causes our cheeks to redden and our eyes to mist is the message of an overwhelming victory of charity over greed, kindness over rudeness, and friendship over alienation.

Just when George Bailey feels he has nothing in the world, no one who loves him, and he’s so alone in the world, the world shows him that he is loved! His friends come to his rescue during his greatest time of need. George Bailey has clearly reaped what he spent his life sowing.

Isn’t this the essence of our celebration of the birth of Jesus? Just when we felt we were alone in the world, Christ came to declare God's love for us.

That's the message of Christmas that opens the door to a wonderful life—the joy of knowing Christ and living in His love.

Lord Father, You sent a messenger to prepare our hearts for the coming of Your Son. Help us to hear his words and repent our sins, that we may always walk in Your light, living our lives for our Lord, Christ Jesus. Amen

Moving From Darkness To Light

Who Are We Forgetting?

Suffer The Children

Giving Gifts

2008-12-02T09:48:00.000Z

The apostle Paul wrote rather pointedly: 'None of us lives as his own master and none of us dies as his own master... Both in life and in death we are the Lord's.'

None of us possesses either our life or our gifts as absolute possessions, but as loans from a generous God who gave us both life and gifts for a specific purpose, namely, to be shared with His family.

To decline to share our life and to carry our gifts to those who need them is not only bad stewardship, it is stealing from those for whom the gifts were intended in the first place.

So where do you stand on the gift continuum? Are you sitting on your gifts and hoarding them for some unnamed rainy day, or are you learning the God-like joy of giving your gifts and talents away?

Where you stand on this most basic question is probably the key to how and where you'll be spending your eternity, so it will be wise to consider your answer well.

Gracious Lord, You have bestowed us with the greatest gifts of all. Help us to use our talents and gifts wisely and to share them with joy and compassion. Amen

Advent - Moving From Darkness to Light

The Power of Words

There's More Than Just Courage

Taking Inventory

2008-12-01T11:03:00.001Z

When my children were small I would often take them to a park to play. It would all start out in perfect harmony, but it was inevitable that eventually, an argument would ensue. The subject of dispute would invariably be over who was in ‘control’ and who claimed ownership and control of which toy.

How strangely similar this can sound to the relationships between adults and governments.

Wanting what someone else has, to the point of resentment, frustration, and even hatred is no stranger to the human scene. Our Cemeteries and history books are filled with the sad evidence of this.

The gifts given to us here and now are God’s blueprint for us, His guidance for each of us to build a satisfying and productive life. And the best part is that we can make that life with what we’ve got, and without taking or longing for what anyone else has.

When is the last time you took an inventory of what you really have? Have you possibly lost track of being able to identify what makes a difference in your life and what is nothing more than decoration?

If you can’t do it mentally, try writing on something as simple as a sticky pad. What really matters in your life? Name them clearly and give thanks for them. And then use them, share them, as God intended.

You’ll be busy for the rest of your life, and content as well.

Heavenly Father, You have placed such incredible beauty before us and Your hand is seen in everything good. Help us to see our own gifts, which You have given us in ample supply. Guide us so that we may use our gifts to Your glory. We pray this in Your name. Amen

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?

Falling In Love At Clapham Junction

Finding Words Of Comfort

When We're Needed Most

Advent, Moving From Darkness to Light

2008-11-30T13:51:00.003Z

Today marks the beginning of the season of Advent, in our preparation for the coming of the Lord Jesus. The word, 'Adventus,' in Latin, means a coming. Our faith is all about Christ and therefore we begin with His birth, His entrance into the world.

In many ways Advent is a time for renewal or a new beginning. We begin a new liturgical year, and begin once again, our never-ending quest to find our Lord Jesus Christ within our hearts.

Advent is also a time of watchfulness and waiting. We watch and wait for Him to come, that we might pass from our life of darkness into the life of light. The symbol of light is reflective of this Advent and Christmas season. This concept of light, being strongly associated with this time of the year, is not a Christian invention.

The choice to celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25th was made as early as the year 273. This was the date for the pagan (Roman) celebration of "natalis solis invicti," the birth of the unconquered sun. The celebration of Christmas on the same date "Christianised" the ancient Roman feast of light.

During the darkest days of the year, where the days are short and cold, we long for the warmth of Spring, where life renews and once again becomes vibrant.

Advent is also a time for self-examination and asking for forgiveness, as we prepare for Christ’s Second Coming, even as we prepare for Christmas. This is why the colour of the season is purple (or sometimes blue), which is used for marking Lent, the season of self-examination preceding Easter.

The third week in Advent is set aside as more celebratory than the others. Rose is the colour of this week rather than purple, to mark the week, which is why a rose candle is used in Advent wreaths.

Advent, then, is a time of beginning, a time of watching, a time of light. It is a time for the decorations to begin. The lights of our Christmas trees, cribs, and other decorations sign The Coming, the birth of Christ, the Light of the Father, the Light of the World. He comes to light our path, the path to peace and justice, love and happiness.

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans tells us "the night is advanced, the days are at hand. Let us throw off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light."

Yes, He is coming indeed!

Preparing For Christmas

The Pain of Disappointment

A Lesson In Forgiving

Terrorism

2008-11-27T14:24:00.000Z

Terrorism. What is its purpose? Clearly, it is designed to intimidate and frighten its victims into living in a perpetual state of fear and anxiety.

This morning’s news reveals unfolding information regarding the terrorism attacks upon westerners at the Taj and Oberoi hotel, as well as several other key locations in Mumbai. Hotels, hospitals and railway stations have been attacked. A Rabbi, abducted from a Jewish community centre, is being held hostage.

Even as soldiers attempt to escort guests out of the hotels, terrorists have levelled their machine guns against the groups, spraying them with bullets. Television access has been cut off and Westerners have barricaded their bedroom doors with furniture whilst phoning media offices such as the BBC, CNN and Sky News, begging for help and information.

As this fearful scenario unfolds, one of the international news stations has already brought on several of their seemingly endless number of ‘consultants,’ all with grim faces and critical of whatever it is that is being done as a response to the unfolding story. This, even before the sun has risen on the East Coast of America.

‘Don’t travel’ is the most common admonishment. But sadly, that it precisely what the terrorists want. They want Western society to not only stay away – they want us to run in fear.

Whilst still an emerging nation with many internal challenges, such as the elimination of the caste system and the protection of women’s and children’s rights, India declares their freedoms are inviolate. Just as with most other countries in the world: they would not lightly accept a change to those freedoms, simply because there are those outside, or even within their nation, who wish to corrupt a civil society. And we should not lose track of the fact that this assault against innocent people is not simply an assault against India, it is an assault upon of all nations who fly the flag of democracy!

In Britain, we have already adapted to the realities of terrorism, violence and aggression, by our acceptance and recognition that we have the most extensive surveillance system in the world. In London and other major cities, virtually every street, every corner, mews, alleyway, etc., is monitored by overt and covert CCTV’s.

But for us to take any steps to impede the free movement or passage of a citizen would violate every principle of our society. More importantly, it would send a signal to terrorists that they are winning – that they are moving to the forefront of the minds of our citizens – that their strategy to create fear and doubt and misery is succeeding.

Terrorism must be and is being addressed as a multinational effort. The sharing of information between countries to track the movement of suspected terrorists is essential. And sadly, despite how much we agonise over the prospect of every citizen having to carry an identity card, it appears to be the only option of ever being able to really ascertain who a person is.

The tragic events occurring today should serve as a stark reminder that we live in uncertain times. Let us offer our prayers for those who are in fear and at the same time give thanks for the comforts we have.

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Loving God, Comfort those who are in fear today. Protect all who travel through this day, whether as passengers or as staff. Help us in our own fears and uncertainty, and bless us with the knowledge that we are always secure in Your love. Give wisdom, and strength to all those who work for peace throughout our lands. Amen

It's Life Jim But Not as We Know It

Thank You Sarah

When The Church Sins

Why is Life so Hard

2008-11-26T10:29:00.001Z

It is part of our social composition to want to better our lives. We’re constantly bombarded with advertising that strongly suggests that if we don’t have the latest gadgets, or the latest fashion statement, we may as well jump off a bridge…at least some perceive it this way.

We work hard and honestly and we struggle to make ends meet. But at times it seems as if we’re farther behind than when we started. As we watch the years pass by ever faster and faster, we can grow impatient and can even fall victim to despair: Why is life so hard? I try to do the right things, so why don't I have more to show for my efforts? Why do cheaters always prosper? Does God really know or care what's going on? What kind of friend is God? After all this time, what reason do I have for believing that virtue really pays?

The prophet Malachi summed up those fears and frustrations when he quoted some of his own contemporaries: 'It is vain to serve God; and what do we profit by keeping his command?' That is surely the way it seems at times. And when those times come, we need to have an answer that is deeply etched in our soul, an answer that comes from the inside.

That answer won't be there, on the inside, if we've been living our life totally on the outside. If our 'spirituality' has consisted of 'getting our visa stamped,' just showing up at church and putting in our time, then we won't have come to know the Lord, we won't have come to see the world through His eyes, and there will be no answers and no spiritual power within us.

If on the other hand, we've come to know not only the words, but the Lord who gives life and meaning to the words, then when the inevitable doubts and challenges come, we'll know the truth on the inside and no words will need to be spoken.

Our gracious God, we rejoice when we come to know You better. Remain within us throughout this day. Guide us, protect us and let Your love be our driving force always. Amen

It's So Easy to Judge Others

Who Are We Forgetting?

Words of Comfort for the Dying

Never Forgotten

2008-11-25T08:36:00.002Z

There are so many times in our lives when we struggle to achieve goals only to find that we’ve fallen flat on our faces. It happens in every facet of our lives. Oh, and sometimes, I tend to feel it happens even more so when you’re involved in charities.

People make promises and promises, never once seeming to realise that those ‘promises’ are accepted as truths by others, especially children. As a consequence, they become depended upon. And then they break that promise.

Having to tell a child that something is not going to happen because of a broken promise can be especially painful when it involves children who already have nothing in their lives. Some of the children claim that God has forgotten them, or that they’re being punished because they’re not ‘good enough.’ But as adults, we know this is not true.

In the days of King David and his son King Solomon, the Israelites were supremely confident that they were indeed God's chosen people. Anyone who doubted it need only look at the splendid temple that Solomon built and the elaborate ceremonies and sacrifices that went on there from dawn to dusk, year after year.

And then after Solomon's death came the division of the kingdom, north and south, and later the destruction of both kingdoms, with their populations carried off as captives in strange lands.

How far they had fallen, and how thoroughly alone they felt as they wept at night so far away from home. And worst of all, they were certain that their sins had put them there. They felt they deserved their misery, and it seemed as if it would never end. ‘God has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me,’ was their lament. But it wasn't true.

God spoke to them; ‘Could a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.’ And indeed, the Lord brought them home to their own land, and helped them rebuild their lives.

Sometimes we feel alone and forgotten, and sometimes we may jolly well deserve it. But, whatever the case, God never forgets us and He never withdraws from us.

Turn your eyes inward to where He lives and where He never leaves. And you will see: You are never alone.

Gracious and loving Lord, You are always with us. Lead us, guide us, teach us to accept Your mysteries. Protect us during our times of need. Forgive us when we fail. But always lead us back to Your light. We pray this in Your Son’s name. Amen

Angels Among Us

Who Are We Forgetting?

Exploited Children

Maybe You Need a Little Dog in Your Life!