Happy Xmas !

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.

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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

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How to Choose The Right Christmas Present

Moving From Darkness to Light

Denying Christmas

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Preparing For Christmas

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

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Advent, Moving From Darkness to Light

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

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Remembrance Day

There is a passage in the New Testament that reads 'Greater love has no man than this; that a man lay down his life for his friend.'

Whilst I can appreciate what the writer is saying, I have to say that I find it difficult to agree with. I think that there is a greater love than dying for a friend and that is dying for a stranger.

And it is precisely that which so many members of our armed services have done over the years and whose deaths we will remember this Remembrance Day.

Having served so many people, whose lives are either in the military or are touched by the military, I have often been struck by the number of similarities that seem to me, to exist between the lives and attitudes of the early disciples and soldiers today.

Consider both the soldier and the early disciples; each has or had a mission that was greater than their own lives. Both had a leader, whom they trusted and followed. And for the disciples, just as for some soldiers, that leader was killed whilst pursuing their common aim.

The impact of that event, on both disciple and soldier, is very similar, as it can affect the subsequent course of their entire life. In the same way both have a commitment that must put their families after their vocation: - 'he who follows me must leave his mother and his father and brother and sister' and again, 'No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'

Finally, both are under discipline. In fact the word disciple comes from the same root as discipline: - one who follows.

Ultimately all discipline is self-discipline; all soldiers go about their business from an inner strength... as do all disciples.


Lord Redeemer, give us the courage to do what we must to make our homes and society a better place for all, despite the fears and desires to live only for ourselves. Amen

Lest We Forget

As Long as We're Remembered

Falling In Love at Clapham Junction

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We Are Never Alone

There are moments when we're very happy to be on our own. What wouldn't we give just to have a few minutes for ourselves! Yet in situations when we don't know if we can cope, or we're frightened, we want someone there with us.

I had just arrived in Moldova. The flights I had taken were long and exhausting and my long drive up to Heathrow Airport had begun at 2 in the morning. I had hoped to sleep for a few hours before I met with people. However, the gentleman who greeted me at the airport appeared extremely anxious as I exited the customs hall.

There was someone in hospital who needed a priest and would I come? Of course, there was no question. I went not knowing what to expect or if I would be adequate for the situation. My language skills were minimal at best, and I felt wholly inadequate, knowing that any words I could offer would most likely be misunderstood.

When we arrived at the crumbling building of a hospital, I was taken to the bedside of a person who was unconscious and dying. There was no family or friend present. I was the only one there. My host explained to me that the dying man was his neighbour and they had been friends for many years. He had spent the day at hospital with his friend and had only left him in order to come get me at the airport.

We had never met. I knew nothing about the person at whose bedside I stood and whose shallow breathing I measured. Yet, in a way that I couldn't express, I knew we weren't strangers in this moment, when life was ending we all stood within the same circle of faith.

As I began the beautiful, simple and gentle liturgy of anointing and the prayers for the dying, I also knew we weren't alone. The whole community was present; the community in which we always stood, whose prayers and loving presence always surrounded us. Here, in the silence of the night, we not only entered the mystery of death but the power of God’s guidance.

I knew that even if I had not been able to come to Moldova that day, this man would not have been alone. Whatever our circumstances, this is true.

This is Christ's gift to us; in the mystery of His Communion the wound of our loneliness is healed.

Holy Lord, show us that we have nothing to fear, for with You we are never alone. Help us to see that our community of faith is global and transcends all borders, forever surrounding us and upholding us. Pray for us now and at the hour of our death. We pray in the name of Your Son, Christ Jesus. Amen

Dying Alone

Words of Comfort for the Dying

Having a Good Death

Helping to Ease The Pain

World Trade Center and Lessons of September 11

Just as with countless others, I too find the anniversary of September 11th to be a challenging day. My own life and my family’s were profoundly affected on September 11. And whilst I certainly don’t dwell on it, hardly a week or two passes when my memory is presented with numerous mental snap-shots of that day.

Some might suggest that the fact I learned about what was happening at the World Trade Centre and Pentagon even before the pilots of our American Airlines flight is unfortunate. Actually, I feel it was a gift in a way, for it allowed me to move very quickly into acceptance, and assist the flight crew and several passengers through the most concerning, yet understandable decisions being made by the captain and later in Canada, the distraught and frightened people in my hotel.

Throughout the days that followed, when it was impossible to reach my family in England, it brought for me a sharp focus the realisation of what we should always hold dearest and most precious.

What was forefront in my mind were the snippets of news articles, where stunned and traumatised people were relating the last seconds of phone calls they had with people trapped inside the World Trade Centre, following the first and second impacts.

Above and below the impact points, as the spectre of death was imminent, many people telephoned their spouses, parents, children, friends and family members not to say goodbye, but ‘I love you.’ And humanity could never dispute there are countless unsung heroes who perished, who set aside their own fears to help calm others. During those brief seconds, all those lives focused on what really matters; Love.

Positions, job titles, possessions- they were now insignificant. In fleeting seconds, the true essence of living, of life, of all our existence, was stripped to its rawest form. The women and men; the clerks, directors, flight attendants, managers, cleaners, cooks, waiters, pilots, waitresses, firemen, medics, any one of them, whether at the World Trade Centre, Pentagon, or aboard the four doomed aircraft, any one of them would have traded everything they had for life. Everything!

When death was falling upon Jesus, He looked down from the cross and saw His mother and his dear friend, the disciple John.

‘Woman, here is your son,’ He said. And to John, ‘Here is your mother.’ (John 19:26-27). Seven years ago, these are the same words echoed by those who phoned their loved ones: ‘I love you, take care of each other: be a family.’ They are also the words of all faiths: love, compassion, and forgiveness. People hunger for this message. We want to know what is important in life, what it takes to make a difference. Is my faith enough? What about the things I have done wrong, will I find forgiveness?

The message of Christianity speaks of the worth of every individual, of forgiveness, and of the sweetness of life that overcomes death. Jesus is constantly transforming us, moving us to the centre of our being, where His image is most beautiful and precious. It is from this spiritual centre, that God is sending us to the outer limits of our capacity to love.

The World Trade Centre stood as a beacon to people all over the world. It reflected both the rising and setting of the sun and countless memories of happier times. Whether it was falling in love at Windows on the World, or a child’s holiday trip to one of the world’s tallest buildings, or the countless transactions that travelled from around the world into the fibres of the Twin Towers, the image was indelibly etched into our minds and hearts.

In the aftermath of its collapse, our emotions reflected anxiety, fear and sadness. But we were also able to celebrate through the countless heroic efforts that continue to reveal the absolute goodness of God inherent in every individual.

One of the most essential roles of our Christian lives is to find within the fractured existence of humanity, the image of God waiting to be released. It is to find within the often complex and difficult emotions of division, anger, and animosity the seeds of reconciliation.

My greatest prayer during all uncertain times is that we seek to maintain a spirit of reconciliation, a posture of openness and a respect towards one another. Whether it is America, Britain, or any country on this planet, where the freedom of democracy reigns, we must be nations where people who hold different opinions can express their thoughts and feelings without fear of ridicule, or rejection.

None of us possesses absolute truth. However, all of us need to listen and speak across our often passionately held beliefs. This is not a call to agreement, but to respectful listening. In the past, we have not done this very well.

In a world beset by religious and ethnic strife, the Christian must take the risk of following Christ into the heart of saint and sinner alike, of friend and stranger, of the beloved and the enemy.

In his first letter, John reminds us, ‘Whoever says, I am in the light; while hating a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light.’ (John 2:9-10) Together, we must live into this teaching, or together we shall shrink into the dark shadows of further racial, religious and ethnic divisions.

Today, we pray for the souls lost in this tragedy. We pray for those who bear the responsibility of governmental power, that they use that power wisely.

We pray for the children whose lives continue without a parent, for those who are still mentally locked in the events of that day, unable to climb from the abyss.

We pray for all who have suffered because of aggression. We pray for all those whose lives have been affected by conflict and aggression. And we pray Lord, that You guide each of us to actively invest our lives to always seek to find peace.

Loving and life giving Lord, we pray for all those who lost their lives on the morning of September 11. We pray that Your love touches the families and all who suffered as a result of this tragic event. We pray too, Lord, for those who sought to use evil to impose their own misguided values. We pray that all who seek to commit crimes of violence and aggression are intervened by Your love and tenderness towards all Your children, that they may use their lives for goodness instead. Amen

Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, Just as God in Christ also forgave you. St. Paul to the Christians at Ephesus

When We Think God isn't Listening

Words of Comfort for the Dying

I'm only Dying!

Music is a Gift from God

The Face Of A Child

If you want to understand the mystery of creation, just look into the face of a child.

Over 50,000 children die every day from abandonment, starvation, cruelty, and preventable diseases. In over 80 countries, children are deprived of any education at all.

Newspapers abound with horror stories of kidnapped and exploited children, parental abuse, neglect, rape and torture. Throughout the Middle East children have been turned into single–minded, rock–throwing victims and suicide bombers. Truly our children are the fatalities of the 21st Century.

Television entices young children into modelling themselves as sexual beings and then society cries out when the child becomes a victim of promiscuity. The internet, whilst extolling its benefits, robs them of human interactive and communication skills, denies them the ability to dream, and creates yet another subculture where the family structure has again suffered. Our society encourages and rewards them for creating fantasy alter–egos, under the guise of ‘security.’

Wherever our western media spreads we turn children into powerful consumers, consuming adults without the maturity to cope with the responsibilities. They strive to emulate the fantasy images of television stars and uninhibitedly mime the most provocative songs and movements.

What have we done? We have manufactured the death of innocence and encouraged disenchantment with the innocence of childhood.

And who is protesting? Sure, when a tragedy occurs, or the newspapers and media choke on the sensationalism and exploitation of yet another tragedy involving a child, what do we do? We forget about it. Yes we do. We do so because we’re too caught up in the next sensational media clip. Their suffering becomes media entertainment designed to sell papers and increase ratings.

Politicians are quick to jump on the bandwagon when it comes to eradicating the offending event. But how many are capable of repairing the root cause? It’s no different than a single hand trying to hold back an ocean wave. Forget all the scandals we read about. This is the scandal of a millennium and our children’s children will suffer greatly for our complacency.

One bomb–one single bomb, one political fundraising event, one lobbyist’s contribution to a political party, or one military aircraft, could provide schools, food, transportation, and medical care for an entire city for ten years in Eastern Europe. But even then the success is so small because as a society we are taught to distrust cultural differences rather than learn about them. We are encouraged to brand cultures as fanatics, nuts, and zealots, rather than build communities of understanding.

And if I’m heaving salvos all around, I can heave plenty towards ‘religion.’ If one word, one single word comes from a pulpit that glorifies, endorses, promotes, or highlights one culture as superior to another, then we have failed there too.

So what does religion do? It provides three important things: Community–the chance for people to gather together and share positive values and build the important foundations of a healthy society. Feeding–it provides nourishment in the form of nurturing and encouragment and helps us to learn to deal with the disappointments that bombard us so often. And Celebration–it brings us together to celebrate Christ in our lives, to share in His Body and Blood and to find salvation.

What will the future say about us? Did we make a difference for our children? Did we envelop them in love? Did we nurture them and demonstrate powerful images of what is right and good?

Right now the answer is: Not yet.

'And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by Him. And said unto them, whosoever shall receive this child in My name receiveth me; and whosoever shall receive Me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.' Luke 9:47.48

Visit Our Children

Talk's Cheap

The Death of Sarah

Loneliness Comes In Many Flavours

Over the past few weeks I have been visiting someone who is incarcerated in one of Her Majesty's Prisons. It reminded me that it has been several months since I last wrote to my friend Larry.

Larry is a murderer. Thirty-three years ago he and two other boys burned down an army recruitment centre in protest against the Vietnam War. Someone died in the fire. Larry didn't start the fire. But because he knew what the others had planned and he went with them, he was equally culpable. And in the blink of an eye, an innocent person lay dead. A senseless tragedy all around.

I met Larry when I volunteered to participate in an American university ministry outreach programme one summer. Our goal was to visit prisons and to share religious services. Larry admitted that he first came to our service out of boredom. But later he came because he felt the need. When I announced that I was returning home he asked me if I would write him. I promised that I would, not realising that my, at that time probably half-sincere promise, would end up lasting decades.

Today, nothing has changed in his physical life. He is just an ageing convict: no longer wild, no longer as convinced as he was when he was young that he doesn't need anyone or anything. The prisons are full of them: old men who did terrible things in their youth but are now just old men, who have problems with their feet like other old men have, whose backs and knees hurt, who tire easily. Couldn't rob a bank or assault someone if they tried, but also couldn't do much else. Frozen in one place by choices they made long ago, frozen in their own lives.

Larry comes to mind often. I'm sure every minister has noticed that visiting someone in a nursing home feels much the same as visiting someone in a prison. It's also not unlike visiting a seafarer on a ship.

This is odd, you think at first, noticing that you're saying the same things to a convicted murderer that you said yesterday to a sweet ancient lady with a broken hip: looking at family photographs, chatting about the food, about how they pass the time, about the past, carefully about the future. But no, it's not odd. Neither of them can leave. Each has lost the life they knew. Each is learning the hard way, what it means to live one day at a time.

And then you remember that there really is no easy way to learn that.

Lord God, under the shadow of Your wings, let us hope. Your love supports us when there is no one – no one to share a word, or an embrace, or a smile. Bless all who suffer from such loneliness. Enrich their lives with a friend or a stranger who will spend a moment caring. In those moments Your love shines through, the world is reborn, and Christ is known. Amen

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It's Life Jim But Not As We Know It

Freedom For All...Almost

Fast Tracks To Hell

Loneliness

Anger MoldovaPrisons Lonliness Anglicans Prison Ministry

The Church Universal

Here in Britain our Bank Holiday is upon us and in America Labour Day will soon follow. For many it’s our reminder that summer is drawing to a close. And for each of us there certainly will be many enduring memories; gatherings of friends and family, open air concerts, the Proms, sporting events, even demonstrations and marches; or possibly crowds of people on beaches enjoying themselves.

The Bible has some notable crowd scenes and it's interesting to see what the biblical authors make of them. In this reading from Acts, (Acts 2:4-8) people have gathered from all over the world for the Jewish religious holiday of Pentecost. What they witness is the birth of the Christian church.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem devout Jews drawn from every nation under Heaven. At this sound, a crowd of them gathered and were bewildered because each one heard his own language spoken. They were amazed and in astonishment exclaimed: ‘Surely these people who are speaking are all Galileans. How is it that each of us can hear them in his own native language?’

Peter stood up with the eleven and in a loud voice addressed the crowd: 'This is what the prophet Joel spoke of: In the last days says God, I will pour out my spirit on all mankind. And your sons and daughters shall prophesy; your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord on that day shall be saved.’

For the author Luke, one of the really important things about the church is that it is indeed universal and not just some local organisation. Luke describes the birth of Jesus as taking place when all the world was gathered to be taxed; And now his picture of the church is like a United Nations meeting with simultaneous translation: a place to celebrate what we all hold, and look forward to with common purpose.

Whatever church you may attend, whatever 'flavour' you may claim as your own, remember - we are all His children.

Lord of all our days, help us to appreciate the diversity of people and languages in our society and to see that as something to celebrate. May we and all Your people honour what unites us and share a common hope for the future of Your world. We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?

Music is a Gift from God

The Good Samaritan

Anglican Prayers Anglicans Anglican Thoughts

Not That Old Chestnut Again!

In a recent edition of the diocesan magazine, Crux, the Bishop of Hulme, The Rt Rev. Stephen Lowe laments that the clergy are working too hard and are risking ‘burn-out’ or severe strains on their marriage.

Our cemeteries are filled with clergy who would love to have shared the same news with us. Unfortunately, a few of them probably dropped whilst running between countless PCC meetings, advisory groups, church fetes, tombolas, school assemblies, stewardship programmes, outward giving planning, evangelism initiatives, choir meetings, funerals for people whom they’ve never met, weddings, pastoral appointments for depressed individuals, failing marriages, infidelities, feed the homeless events, refugee conferences, and somehow in the midst of all this, following their daily ‘office!’

Bishop Lowe went on to say that some clergy never take holidays and he personally knows some clergy families who feel that they always come second. Well, bless his socks! I couldn’t agree more.

But here is where we seem to reach a fork in the road. The venerable Bishop suggests that clergy’s terms of employment could change radically over the next few years, ‘coming much closer to those enjoyed by the rest of the workforce.’ He even stated that the Church might consider imposing European regulations limiting the working week to a maximum of 48 hours.

This week’s news has shown some of the appalling conditions under which our military personnel work - often 24 hours a day, or in some cases until they drop, be it by a bullet or exhaustion. But did these soldiers not understand what the conditions would be before they enlisted in the military?

Don’t get me wrong, I completely agree with Bishop Lowe regarding the potential for burn-out. It is an undisputable fact this happens. But I also recognise that when humans feel they need to see their doctor they will not settle for a brief chat with the chemist at Boots. Trying to move clergy to a working schedule of hours could be compared with suggesting humanity try ‘DIY’ religion, which is already part of society’s greater problem.

So what’s the answer? I don’t feel there is a straightforward answer. And since I’ve spouted off with my own opinion, you would be quite within your rights to ask me what do I do?

It’s simple. I do every thing I can to serve everyone I can for as long as I can, until I recognise I’m about to drop. And then I try to take a day’s break…sometimes two, to regenerate, recharge, renew, and refresh, and then I get on with it again.

Why? Because what I do is a vocation - a calling to serve. It’s a joy to be part of people’s lives, to help when there is a need, to celebrate their joys and to mourn their sorrows. And sometimes, together, we find a moment, or an answer, that helps us have a little more understanding of God’s wonderful world around us.

Christ Jesus, teach me to be generous
Teach me to love and serve You as You deserve,
To give and not to count the cost,
To fight and not to heed the wounds,
To toil and not to seek for rest
To labour and to look for no reward,
Except that of knowing that I do Your Holy Will. Amen

When We Need A Little Help

When U Turns Are OK

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?

Remembering 9/11
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Religious Leaders Anglican Prayers

Anglicans

Alone Time

For many years I have made transitions between 'our' world where life is easy – electricity, heat, water, medical treatment and food are all readily available and another world, where people constantly struggle; electricity is a luxury, running water is unheard of, medical treatment is unknown, and food comes from what you can raise yourself.

And between those transitions I have found that I desperately need at least a day alone so that I can reflect, regroup, and energise myself for the world I’m about to face. I've even found comfort by participating in a cookery club where we share recipes. It's a simple temporary diversion from the raging waters outside.

When I don’t have that break I find that I remain out of sync for many days and eventually slump from exhaustion as a result. It leaves me feeling as if I'm not functioning on all my cylinders.

There are times when the world can close in upon us, and we can feel as if we may suffocate from the sheer numbers of voices competing for our attention and demanding our help. It happens to all of us at times, not just to priests, the mothers of pre-school children, or busy executives.

We need to be alone, to regroup, to remember who we are and where we’re going and why. If we are not to lose our way and fritter away our lives, we need time out regularly. We need to be quiet and alone, just as Jesus made certain that He was at regular intervals.

But in Genesis, God makes it clear that ‘it is not good for man to be alone.’ Isn’t there something of a contradiction there? Only an apparent one, for our times out, our alone times, are in fact directed toward communion, at oneness with God and God’s greater family, which is the whole point and purpose of our lives, our very reason for being.

If we want true communion, either with God or with His family, we simply must invest in time alone, away from the maddening crowd. Time alone is part of the price we pay for bringing our best selves to God’s whole family. It’s not selfishness; it’s just necessary. So take that time out, whether you think you need it or not!

And when you do, learn to listen through the silence. God has some important things to say to you. And your big family needs for you to hear them.

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Not That Old Chestnut Again!

Having a Good Death

When We Need a Little Help

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The Power of Words

The sun in the sky, the warm air, the cadence of the sea as it touches the shore, the sounds of people laughing, and a good book. That's a real holiday for me. A good book - I am constantly amazed by writers who have the capacity to put information together, weave it into a whole and lead the reader through a story.

I was interested to read recently reflections from an author who has written a biography. Her reflections were about how biography influences the reader in their opinions of the main character and how that person's reputation is in the hands of the biographer. She expressed it in terms of the main character's afterlife being in the hands of the writer.

The thought has remained with me. Clearly, I am not a 'writer' and if I aspired to any kind of writing it would not be biography. I consider myself as an 'essayist,' sharing what I see with my eyes and feel with my heart.

But there is a sense in which we are all biographers, writing the reputations and creating the after-lives of those whom we know. We do that writing in the pictures we paint, in the stories we tell about them, in the tone of voice we use about them, in what we choose to tell and what we choose to leave out.

In whispered and suggestive tones we can contribute to the destruction of another person's reputation. We can so easily set in motion a chain of thought and conversation that sees to it that the other person's reputation is destroyed.

No wonder the New Testament warns us that the tongue is a fire. In James we read: The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell.


Lord God, help us with our tongues, which misrepresent so easily, both in life and after. Give us the integrity to know that we hold each other’s after-life in trust and that You mean us for resurrection and not for death. Teach us how to be bringers of life in the words that we use today. Amen.

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And the tongue is a fire. The world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature... James 3:6

When The Church Sins

Who Are We Forgetting?

When We're Needed Most

The Best Waitress In The World

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Moldova Prisons

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

Children In Crisis Exploited Children Death Of A Child

The Children's Story Visit Our Children Moldova Prisons

Freedom For All...Almost

When The Church Sins

Look around your surroundings and you’ll see problems occurring everywhere. There may be political unrest where you are. You may be having problems within your relationship or your business. You may be struggling financially. There are so many problems everywhere you go; who wouldn’t want to escape?

And some come to church for just that - to escape. Or at least in the past, many did. But the church has problems too. Your offerings aren’t enough; you don’t feel accepted because the people who’ve been in the church for so many years have left you feeling an outsider; it has driven you away. And for some, what I regret to hear most of all, you’ve been refused either a funeral, or baptism for your child because you’ve never come to the church.

I received an email overnight from a local parish priest not too far from where I live, essentially complaining because I recently celebrated the service of a high-profile funeral in his area and he did not. He wanted to know why I had been requested and he hadn't. And then he went on to speak of the continuing pastoral care 'he' needed to provide.

I was left scratching my head. The deaths occured over six weeks ago! And it was only now, after the media and press of the funeral, that the minister is asking about the family? Not once have they ever heard from him, not once did he ever make efforts to enquire among the funeral industry about the funeral, but now he wants to know why no one 'came to him.' And perhaps saddest of all, his email extended no hand of support, care, or even Christian ecumenism and camaraderie. Bless his socks.

Everything I’ve mentioned above, everything, has a reason or excuse, on both sides. I suppose it’s just simple to say we all have problems, now get on with it.

During Jesus’ time, there were plenty of problems too. There were interpersonal problems, community problems, and there were certainly problems within the church.

Jesus objected to the moneychangers and the traders in the temple because they refused to accept the offerings of the common people. That child of God had laboured hard and travelled far to make a simple offering to God. When he got to the temple, when he got to the ‘business’ side of the church, he was told, ‘Your offering is not quite good enough. You need a special coin. You need an unblemished offering.’

This is where the church can so often fail us. It is where the church itself commits a sin by not accepting the simple and authentic offering of the people. Sadly there are many churches that run only as businesses, or dare I say, exclusive member groups, because they’ve become lost in their own institutionalism.

The church is supposed to accept us even if we are imperfect. True religion is supposed to accept us, even if we are imperfect and blemished. In fact, true religion is supposed to accept us especially if we are imperfect and blemished, especially if we have problems.

Offerings to God are not just monetary. Offerings come in serving others, reaching out to a stranger, listening and devoting time to your children. Offerings are not only saying that you love someone, but showing them as well.

The body of Christ accepts everything we offer, the good, the bad, the blessings and the sins.

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Who Are We Forgetting?

It's So Easy To Judge Others

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?

Comforting Words For The Dying

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Nameplates

One of the pleasures of being 'European' is that we are able to easily move between so many wonderful cultures. In fact, it can cost us less to hop on the train or Ferry to France, than it does to take the train up to London. One morning we took the train to Lille France. It's a fast trip from Kent -just twenty minutes under the English Channel and a fast zip through the French countryside and you arrive at Lille. From the station it's just a few seconds walk into the centre of town.

As we walked through the quiet sun dappled older part of the historic French village, we paused to look at the wonderfully aged oak front doors of some houses. Inevitably there were the customary beautiful flowerpots and window boxes filled with geraniums and the like, certainly set there for the benefit of no tourist. And on each door, nameplates: 'Monsieur' et 'Madame' et 'Mme'... whoever.

But one in particular stood out. I paused a while to ponder who these people were who lived behind that door, whose nameplate read not only Mr. and Mrs. but added so tellingly the words 'and their children.' Were those children still there or had the years taken them away to other places? I just don't know.

But I like to think that whether small or grown up, living in that village or far away, for those children, this house with that nameplate would be forever home. And that those who wrote those loving words 'and their children' would never be forgotten by them.


Almighty God, on all our journeys through all our days keep us mindful, we pray, for those who at each stage of the journey have held us and loved us. Amen

The Book in The Attic

Have I told You lately That I Love You?

Be True To Yourself

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!

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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

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We Just Won The Lottery

Feast of Epiphany

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.

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Falling in Love at Clapham Junction

Please remember Me

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This Incredible Christmas Present

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

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Suffer the Children

When The Church Sins

Who are We Forgetting?

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Shout Away The Darkness

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.

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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

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The Meaning of Christmas

Preparing For Christmas

The Darker Side of Christmas

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Busyness

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.

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Preparing For Christmas

Suffer The Children

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Christmas Investments

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.

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Choosing The Right Christmas Present

Reaching Out to Children in Need

Suffer The Children

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I Promise

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

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Time is Too Short!

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

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How Good Are You at Giving Gifts?

Moving From Darkness to Light

Wanted: Part-Time Wife

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You Say Tomato

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.

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Preparing for Christmas

Advent - Moving from Darkness to Light

How to Choose The Right Christmas Present

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Gobbledegook

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

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.

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Death is Only a Step

How to Choose the Right Christmas Present

Suffer the Children

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Come Home

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

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The Children's Story

It's a Wonderful Life

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A Simple Exercise

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

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We Just Won The Lottery

When We Need a Little Help

When Traditions Become Weights

The Right Kind of Pain Medication

Choosing The Best Christmas Present

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.

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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

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Advent, Moving From Darkness to Light

It's a Wonderful Life

A Lesson in Forgiving

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Embarrassment

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.

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It's a Wonderful Life

Why is Life so Hard?

How To Be The Best Waitress

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Big World Small Boat