Surprise, surprise!

Nobody saw it coming [we had fixed 5 year terms] when Theresa May decided we needed an election. The unexpected happens. Whether it's fake news or lazy journalism, there are allegations that Russia is hacking democracy in order to have the right people 'elected'. Trump sacks the head of the FBI.

itv.co.uk

Jesus was good at surprises. Nobody thought he would come alive again, and he appeared among his followers when they had locked themselves behind doors for safety. Then he commanded them to be at peace. What was he doing?

It wasn't a panto routine: now you see me, now you don't. But it was helping them understand that the spiritual world is as real as the physical. Just because we can't see something doesn't mean it's not there. We can't see the wind, radio waves, or magnetic radiation ~ but we can know their effects: a cooling breeze, my favourite show, or the miracle of a scan that can see the inside story of my body.

Love, trust, hope, vision, and many other dimensions can't be seen or bought ~ but they're real, and vital. Without them we exist; with them we thrive.

bluemaize.net

If I unplug a kettle then I can't draw electrical power to boil. If I'm unable to draw on the power of love then there are many things I can't do. The former power is only available from a fixed connection, whereas the latter may be received from a child, a stranger, loved ones, and can often surprise us.

How we respond to the unexpected says much about our character. If we know a fulfilled life of purpose and loving relationships, then things that knock us down will be temporary because we will soon spring back to normal. Jesus once described his mission as enabling us to live life to the full.

This is not being naive about pain, frailty, or illness. Jesus Christ went through pain and death, so his coming to life afterwards is a powerful signal that heaven's truth frames our temporary earthly existence. We can't see heaven, but we can know it.

May we continue to be surprised by God.

Generosity is incredibly attactive

Over the years it's been a real pleasure to meet so many generous people. Their character has spoken volumes. They may have few possessions, can be of any age or background, and come from the whole spectrum of personality. What they have in common is a warm attractive spirit that notices, cares for, and responds to those around them. They are not self-centred.

stylesatlife.com/articles/different-types-of-kisses/

One example springs to mind. A new widow stood alone by the votive candle stand; should she be left in private rather than crowded? Was she desperate for company? Someone got up and joined her at a slight distance, not imposing but caring. The generosity was acknowledged by a kiss on the hands. It's a gift that often flows in two directions, and sometimes its language is through important little actions.

Being generous does not mean we become a doormat for others to walk all over. That doesn't do us or them any good. It is being prepared to go the extra mile, to look out for others. But it's not about being exploited.


Some international business leaders have set an example of greed over others' need. I hope Philip Green pays the full amount back into the employees' pension pot he raided to buy himself another yacht. Bill Gates on the other hand is using his vast wealth, from his Microsoft empire, to find new cures and make a positive difference to millions lives.

http://gregtoddpt.com/generosity

Thanks for donating to and running foodbanks, but it's not the best form of generosity. There's not much dignity in receiving bare necessities without being able to give something back. Generosity needs to work through local business and infrastructure so it empowers people with real worthwhile jobs and incentives.

So where are we? Generosity notices, is hugely attractive, flows in many directions, is not to be exploited but makes a difference on every scale. Jesus showed all these traits: realistic, open to inconvenient demands especially from the marginalised.

He gave his life so that we can find the vital gift of forgiveness. He rose from the dead to prove that love is stronger than death. In his new life is ours. You can't get more generous than that.

Oil a squeaky wheel?

I don't know how many telly channels there are. Add on radio, mobile, and Internet to bring up thousands ~ all screaming for attention. Politics is in on the game. How do we cope? Sometimes it's the noisiest that win, but is that wise?

I create more noise than I hear. These Views are written in Blogger, printed, and exported to Google+, Facebook, and Twitter; so that's five noises for one squeak! However, at the same time, I send out the minimum of emails. I only respond to an email if I feel it is necessary, and only when it's clear how to answer. Most people I know are overloaded ~ I certainly am.

If we only pay attention to the loudest, we might be feeding their egos at the expense of encouraging others who are quietly getting on with things. We need to trust that real conversations last. When becoming rural dean, I had to free up space in my diary. Having supported All Saints' School for 15 years, I thought they might like a rest! Four years later I've picked up dialogue where I left it.

So how do we work out what to do with our energy? Early radios were evaluated by their signal to noise ratio. Could you hear clearly, or did interference squash the output? One obvious question to ask in the noise jungle is what can I hear? And the next question might be is it worthwhile listening?

Some are getting thousands of hits on their internet sites exporting fake news. No harm done if it's a bit of banter, but when claims being made are gross distortions we need to be careful. The freedom to speak out as we wish can erode the truth we all need to treasure. Jesus had fake stories thrown at him, and at one point in his trial chose to remain silent.

He also refused to waste effort on those who were self-righteous, or hypocritical, or just time wasters. In fact he put it pithily: 'Don't cast your pearls before swine!'.

Easter is a reminder that the power of love will always triumph over lies, or anything else that belittles. It beat death. But it needs all of us to be reminded of that true power.

Happy Easter, and may we bathe in the sunshine of its awesome potency.

Yes, we are!

Are what? Responsible for your actions! Whether we are part of a rural community or live in an urban environment, whether we have local or international responsibilities ~ that's what they are, responsibilities.

www.healthyspirit.co.uk

The Old Testament part of the Bible includes material from pre-history until about 2,200 years ago. The earliest stories were passed on from one generation to the next by word of mouth. It's a fantastic collection of literature, and around a third of it is poetry.

This span of time sets out the basics of human relationships with our Creator, with nature, and with each other. One of the fundamentals made absolutely clear is that we are accountable for our actions. What does this mean in practice?

I signed the e-petition to Parliament which understands President Trump's visit, but asks that it should not include undue pomp. May I encourage you to sign it too, as part of our democratic freedom? [https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/171928]. I agree with Speaker Bercow that Trump should not be invited to address political leaders because of the wild claims he has made, and the dangerous disrespectful language he has used.

Jesus became embroiled with the politics of his day, and pointed out that it is by their fruits that you shall know them. So let's see what Trump's tenure brings. Some have argued that he does 'what it says on the tin' rather than vacillating. I'm not one who would have bought that tin in the first place.

www.boldsky.com

As always, for every finger we point far more point back at us. Jesus also said, we shouldn't worry about the speck in someone else's eye if we have a plank in ours. But that's doesn't mean turning a blind eye!? We should challenge lies, and anything that demeans people or faith or gender. Avoiding hypocrisy is vital. We should never be self-righteous.

In short, we are all accountable for our actions, words, and manner.

Why Church is good for you

Getting cold
A kindly minister noticed one of his regular members hadn't been at Church for a few weeks, so he called for a cup of tea. In front of a cosy fire they chatted about football, his family, you name it. Five minutes into the conversation, the minister took the tongues and removed a burning coal and placed it safely on the hearth by itself.

As they talked it cooled down and went out. Just before leaving, the minister put the lump back into the fire. From then on his host regularly joined worship in Church. We need each other.

Does God need our worship?
Of course not! He would be rather pathetic if he wanted us to praise him in order to boost his self-esteem. How patronising to even imagine that the creator and sustainer of the universe could not manage without us. So why does he command us to worship him with our heart, mind, spirit, and strength?

We need to keep ourselves, and what we do in perspective. It has been my privilege to be alongside many who have been told they have a terminal illness [and to some extent we all do!]. Surprisingly they often said that after the shock of diagnosis, they really began to live. Why? Because all the secondary things in life didn't matter any more.

I love this simple image. Thank God for our NHS, and all who care for us. Do pray that our government make the right commitments for the long term. Thanks too to care homes, and volunteers like Community Angels. Our hats off to all of you!

https://pagingdrbrittniblog.wordpress.com/

2015/10/23/stethoscope

OK, perhaps terminal illness is a bit drastic, but getting a true view of values is empowering. It's one reason God calls us to worship. In the 'chances and changes of this fleeting world' [to quote an old prayer], he never changes. It's why Psalm 121 is so popular; it speaks of the permanence of hills as a picture of God always being there for us. Aren't we fortunate to leave by the sea, and beneath the hills.

Research shows benefits
We are at peace this century, an awesome gift when compared to last century. However peace in our hearts is important too. Even the Daily Mail has published evidence, based on 30 years of research, which shows that regular Church attendance is good for our health; see http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-23308/Why-going-church-healthy

St Andrew's Church has been designated a gym in the mobile phone game Pokemon-Go. It turns out that's exactly what it is, however the exercises are for minds and spirits.

Spinners, and spanners

Spinning yarn
Our clothes are ridiculously cheap compared to what they were a couple of centuries ago. Cloth then was incredibly expensive, and those who made it were the professionals of their day. Women who could spin yarn were known as spinsters; a term which has become almost mocking was originally one of great respect. It recognised the first women who were not dependent on men, but could generate their own income.

wikipedia

Marriage registers are quite musty in their attitudes because they only record the father's details, however there is a move afoot to modify records to include mother's details. Unmarried parties used to be described as bachelor and spinster. Nowadays they are called single, which is boring in comparison. 

Spinning a yarn
There's a worrying trend which argues we should now accept that leaders will 'vary the truth' to suit their ends. This spinning of a yarn has led to a general reduction in our trust of each other. If you take that away then nothing works, so being trustworthy is vital for all of us.

The recent Brexit and US Presidential election campaigns made claims or promises were denied within days, and it may appear that we can do nothing about it. The old saying that 'power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely' may well come to haunt us. However there are two things that we can do to make a difference:
1) Vote on evidence rather than rhetoric.
2) Seek out the truth, and spread it widely.

Jesus made the bold claim that he is 'the way, the truth, and the life'. This new year we have opportunity to follow a person rather than dogma, and that he wants to empower us to maximise life's possibilities by walking his way. That's far from being boring.

Spanners make the world go round
I had a great conversation this afternoon with a lad I've known for many years, and now he is beginning to flourish as a mechanical engineer working on Portland. Teased as 'spanners', these men and women enable our world to move. So much of what they do is never seen, but their skills are vital in keeping things ticking over efficiently. May I encourage you to show appreciation for such amazing people.

In this field, trust is important too. Huge advances have been made in road vehicles' combustion efficiency. Thank God for improvements. If you're driving behind an old vehicle you'll soon smell unburnt fuel. However, software fiddles gave false readings, and pollution from diesels in particular is far too high. It has become a major killer for city dwellers.

Spanners in the works
Of course achievement can quickly be undermined by some selfish clumsy person putting a spanner in the works. It could literally be mechanical interference and destruction, but it could also be political or entrepreneurial incompetence or dishonesty.

Wherever we find those destroying what's precious, we must challenge that vandalism. Those who absorb the energy of goodness should be checked. All of us can play a part without becoming moaning minnies. Let's excel at praising those who are trustworthy and fun!

Christmas wifi

I wonder how many millions of extra devices will connect to the internet this Christmas. Wifi networks will be challenged to respond to a huge increase in conversations from smart devices, and increasingly intelligent domestic items which can switch themselves on and off from remotely sent commands. All this wifi traffic is unbelievable.

ahshirts.com sell these

There will be parents who pray a thank you as their little child marvels in Christmas delights. Prisoners might pray in sorrow at living such a bodged life. Tired carers will call out for strength, as they feel a kind of permanent jet-lag. Southern hemisphere folk will be lying in the sun, thanking God that Christmas falls at such a sensible time of year! We will continue to pray for war torn areas across the world. Think of all that traffic.

Thing is, I can't see any of it. Prayer signals and mobile signals are a mystery, winging their ways through the ether. Huge banks of servers consume about 10% of all the electricity we generate in order to maintain internet flows. God's prayer-net on the other hand has infinite capacity, and can never be overloaded.

But neither unseen communications should be taken for granted. We are becoming incredibly vulnerable to cyber attack, scams, and the like. It wouldn't take much to close down our amazingly complicated communications system ~ and then we couldn't shop, chat, or organise our lives. However, nobody can jam up God's network.

Sometimes, at a crucial moment a laptop will decide it needs to upgrade. It becomes temporarily useless, and then improved, although some things that worked OK before no longer do. We can feel our prayer signal is weak, because we are expecting God to answer in our predetermined way. I've often felt as if banging my head against a brick wall, only to step back in sheer frustration and notice an easy way through a few feet away.

Sometimes our prayers are 'unanswered' because we are pointing in the wrong direction. I remember some advice which has helped me over the years. When feeling frustrated or confused, stop. Collect yourself, and offer a simple prayer. Then take notice of new things that occur to you.

If you have a wifi gadget for Christmas, I hope it works well and doesn't drive you Christmad!? Far more important, whatever your circumstances, do enjoy God's totally free prayer network. It's available to everyone he created. It never jams up, upgrades, or loses signal. Prayer operates in both directions, and can challenge us to see things in a new light. In my experience regular use is best.

Enjoy your Christmas celebrations, and new perspectives in the year ahead.