There's More Than Just Courage

Courage. There are times when you may feel that you don't have the courage to face what may lay ahead. There's no doubt that faith can be your bulwark. But there is something else to add to your strengths. It's the strength of obedience.

The next time you find yourself wavering or needing strength to stand up to a principle and are fearful that you might back away, remember that God commands us to be strong and courageous.

Muster up all your might and say 'buzz off, in the name of Jesus Christ! I have things I need to get done!'


Lord, our protector, You are with us wherever we go. Help us to always remain. For with You in us, no task is ever too great. Amen


Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Joshua 1:6

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I'm Taken to Task For My Actions

Wanted Part-Time Wife

It's Life Jim But Not as We Know it!

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This Is Not A Rehearsal

Taking life for granted is one of the worst mistakes any of us can ever make. We can end up sleeping through most of life, as if we thought it would somehow just go on forever. For many of us, life has a certain air of unreality and sometimes it seems that someone had better issue the warning: This is not a dress rehearsal. This is the real thing.

Jesus made it clear to us when He said ‘I’ve come to light a fire on earth,’ and ‘and how I wish the blaze were ignited!’ What exactly does He want to set afire? Us! All of us! He wants to fire us up with enthusiasm for the marvellous possibilities that life holds out to us - both here and in the hereafter. Specifically, He wants to see us commit everything we’ve got to making God’s kingdom of love and peace come here and now. A task of that magnitude requires total commitment and admits of no ambivalence.

So what does the Lord see when He looks at us? A heart ablaze? Smouldering embers and a little smoke? A pile of dead ashes? Jesus had some hard words about folks who tried to get away with minimal commitments. ‘Be either hot or cold,’ He said. ‘If you are lukewarm, I will vomit you out of my mouth.’

That’s what He said.

It would probably be wise to take Him at His word!

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Christ Jesus, You have given us the gift of life and the freedom of spirit to celebrate our lives. Teach us to recognise when we are taking these gifts for granted and at the same time, hold our hands as we re-light our flames within. It is through You and with You that we regain our sure footing and rekindle our lives. And it is without You that there is nothing but darkness. You Are the light! Amen

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Perhaps You Need a Little Dog in Your Life!

When We Need a Little Help

The Book in The Attic

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What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

The perennial question asked of small children, and older ones as well, is ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ After awhile children develop stock answers for that, and college age folks learn how to fake it too as they're trying to figure out the answer while simultaneously hating to hear the question.

‘What are you going to be when you grow up?’ is a threatening question for far too many people over 25. And that's because we have deep inside us a God-given sense that we're supposed to be special and we're supposed to do something special. That was the profound desire of the new prophet Elisha as he bade farewell to his mentor Elijah. That intuition and desire is right on the mark. The problem is with our definition of ‘something special.’

Jesus has shown us the way out of this cul-de-sac. Real greatness, He showed us, doesn't come from commanding and controlling but from serving - just the way He did. He changed countless lives, and changed the world, not by pushing people around but by caring for them, and in the end, dying for them.

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That's real greatness. And it's a greatness that can be ours!

Gracious God, send us anywhere in this world You would have us go, only go with us. Send us out in the world to live and work to Your praise and glory for the sake of Your Son who died and rose again to restore the world to glory. Amen

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Dogma!

Help Wanted: Part-Time Wife

So Who Are We Forgetting?

Not THAT Old Chestnut Again!

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Love Isn't Blind

It was Adolph Hitler who once said that if you repeat a big lie often enough people will believe it. One of the biggest lies in the world is the adage, ‘Love is blind.’ This simply isn't true. Love, above all, sees. Hatred is blind, without a doubt.

Someone filled with hatred is incapable of seeing anything good about the target of his hatred. But love can see all; not only sin, but the person behind the sin. Those corrupted by hatred see black as black, then grey as black, and finally even white as black. Those who are filled with love see, even in the darkest sin, the human being who is essentially distinct from his sins and for whom Jesus died.


Lord in Heaven, purify our minds with love and help us to see others as You see them. Purify our hearts so that we may serve You throughout this day. Amen

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Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?

A Dog's Perspective on Life

Love is Forever

When Morning Dawns

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You're Not 'In' Without The Right Toys!

When I was a small child one of my favourite pastimes was to peruse a myriad of catalogues featuring model aeroplanes. I would dream of owning a model of the different airlines my father and I would travel on. And I spent countless hours imagining ways to earn money so I could purchase additions to my collection.

All these years later the models are a distant past. But at the time, it was just a child’s enjoyment of those simple fantasies, in a mind that had yet to be laboured with all the complexities of an adult life.

Our human condition is to still have those dreams and fantasies of acquiring things, albeit now on a much grander scale. But for some, the purpose has taken on a new meaning. No longer are they simple thoughts and dreams, but now they become the precursor to happiness or contentment.

Young people often seem driven by the latest gadget or fashion accessory. Men long for the fastest cars and many women feel they are of a lesser society unless they’re sporting the ubiquitous designer handbag.

Some people may never outgrow this pattern of thinking and living, and years of their lives become lost over their inability to appreciate life’s more simple pleasures. They become embittered and angry when they see others who have things they do not have. And some become obsessed trying to ensure they have the full regalia, whether it throws them hopelessly into debt or not.

The secret to happiness is found by investing your heart in others and from the joy you’ll receive from watching them grow. It’s what Jesus did his entire life; and even in the saddest of times He was a man who knew joy throughout His life.

If you want to find your own happiness, for a change try investing in others.


Then Jesus said to His host, ‘When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’ Luke 14:12-14

Posted for Fr Bill

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Words of Comfort for the Dying

The Pain of Disappointment

The Book in the Attic

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Searching For Happiness

I had dinner with some friends this week. They’ve both given me permission to use their names. (but I’ve changed them anyway). Annie is 30-er, um, something and her roommate, Laura, proudly announces her age as 33. They’re lovely. Laura says she’s ‘happily’ divorced. Annie is currently living out her life in quiet desperation, still waiting for ‘Mr. Right’ to come along.

I often remind her that he has knocked on her door many times, but she needs to be a bit more temperate in her expectations and open her door a bit wider. But she doesn’t see this. On this visit Annie (I like to call her Annie Angst), was doing the death scene from Camille over the fact she had found a grey hair in the midst of all the blonde lockets on her head. This catapulted her into a spiralling vortex of self-flagellation.

‘Am I too fat?' (sure, and so was Karen Carpenter!), 'Am I too old?' (Yep, 34ish is absolutely ancient!), 'Am I too dumb?' (well, I could tell you a few stories...) This was at the beginning of the evening. Later, it moved on to her work; ‘what if the new boss doesn’t like what I’ve done, what if someone else takes all the credit,’ and on it went. Until finally, Laura piped in and shouted ‘why can’t you be normal like the rest of us and take a Valium!’

Sometimes it’s easy to see the self-centred fears that our ego uses to betray us. These destructive behaviours can cut us off from the true value of our life-they can cut us off from happiness. That is what Jesus is trying to help us see: If you give in to fear and try to save your life by clinging to every piece of it tightly, you'll just lose it all.

If you want to be happy, Jesus says ‘take up your cross,’ which means face your work or profession joyfully and with verve. Engage yourself; joyfully contribute your talents to your profession. And whilst we all feed on compliments, try not to expect it. Some people do not possess the ability to compliment good work.

If you want to be happy, Jesus says ‘deny yourself,’ which means do not fall prey to your own ego. Be happy with who you are. It will help you see the world differently and you may be surprised to find there are many more wonderful things awaiting you.

There is an alternative to the above. It’s shutting out the world around you and running away from yourself. But you’ll quickly find that you’re even more alone.

Jesus' advice is, relax in the Lord. Forget yourself and your fears. Hand over your life to the Holy Spirit inside you. And then, with the freedom and energy that only He can give, spend your life-every bit of it-on the good work our Father has given you. Happiness will follow as surely as winter turns to spring.


Then He said to them all: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. Luke 9:23-24

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Mr. Piddles Says...

When We Need a Little Help

Help Wanted - Part Time Wife

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How To Get Ahead

You try and try and it seems like you never get ahead. Sound familiar?

There’s a poignancy to the Lord's words: 'You have sown much, but brought in little; you have eaten, but have not been satisfied; you have drunk, but have not been exhilarated; have clothed yourselves but not been warmed; and he who earned wages earned them for a bag with holes in it.' How much of that rings true with our own experience too much of the time?

So much effort yielding so little. We have to ask why this happens. Is it, perhaps, because of some blindness on our part that leads us to invest our efforts in barren fields that can never yield the returns we desire? Is it because we hope to find joy, satisfaction and fulfilment where they can't be found? Yes.

How many times do we have to look inside an empty room before we finally conclude that there's nothing there? Quite a few times, it seems. Do we need a new investment counsellor who can advise us better on how to invest our life? Probably so.

Most of us are not leading evil lives. But most of us are, to some degree, investing our lives and our hearts unwisely. Quite often we have the words right and the insights are there, but the deeds don't follow, at least not with any consistency.

What are we really longing for? Communion: to be a family with God and His people. And how do we become family? By loving and not counting the cost. You see, we know the answer, we've known it all along.

Now we have to let the Lord show us, step by step, how to live it. He's ready.

Are we?

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Lord Jesus, thank You for the gifts You bestow on us each day. Energise us so that even the smallest task may bring You honour. And when we feel discounted we ask that You remind us that we are always loved within the family of Your Son. Amen

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Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it. Haggai 1 5-6

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Words of Comfort for the Dying

When We Need a Little Help

Music is a Gift from God

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Last Call Place Your Bets!

When we think of Jesus the images that usually come to mind are of a man of peace who brings healing and forgiveness to people, the man who saved the life of the woman caught in the act of adultery, and the man who raised dead people back to life. But there are some passages in the Bible that can really rattle our teeth.

So what does Jesus mean when He says that His mission is not to spread peace but division? What follows sounds like a script from the worst of all soap operas, where everyone is fighting with everyone else! Could this possibly be what Jesus intends? Certainly not!

Jesus' point, which He expresses in His customary hyperbole, is that His mission is to press us to make serious choices, to speak a clear 'yes' or 'no' to God, and not just a lifelong 'maybe.' As He says in another place, His whole life is a wholehearted 'yes' and never anything less.

I'm reminded of this all too often when I'm asked to visit a family at the time of a death. I can’t begin to tell you how often I’m told 'Oh Uncle Fester believed, more or less, but he never went to church,' or 'Granny didn't care for organised religion but she was a Christian.'

Yet there I am, representing The Church, asked to invoke Christ's name and our unfailing belief in the Resurrection at the funeral. In other words, when time runs out, we scramble, hoping that we're covering all bets...just in case.

If you find someone wandering about in the Land of the 'Eternal Maybe,' neither getting better or growing visibly worse, try this: offer them God's invitation to a new life. We pray that they don't turn Him down!

It could be their last chance.

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Anglican Prayers

Lord our Father, the path Your Son made for us contains no stones. His path is clear. Guide us to that path so that we may grow closer to You. Remove our fears, our doubts, our insecurities. Walk with us as we make our own journey serving You and celebrating all You have bestowed upon us. In Your Son’s name we pray. Amen

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We Are Never Alone

Thank You Sarah

How the Other Half Lives

With Me and Within Me

I always feel Christ near to me. I feel His presence many times a day. I talk to Him frequently and I read His words every morning.

I'm expecting to be with Him eternally when I'm finished here, and I think that eternal life with Him has already begun for me, only I'm too dim to experience it fully now, distracted as I am by everything being alive in the world involves.

Jesus and I have a relationship and I don't have a relationship more important than the one I have with Him. It’s not the jump up and down, roll on the floor and make a spectacle of myself for the sake of showing others that I’m ‘filled with His love’ type of relationship.

Instead, it’s that warm comfort that you feel when you’re embraced with love, when you feel safe and protected and know, with every fibre of your being that it’s forever. And it's the type of relationship when you know, with such a conviction, that when you share His love and His words, that others have no doubt, whatsoever, that what you say is true.

But I readily admit I don't always know what He thinks. He has surprised me too many times for me to assume anything. I always try to follow Him, but His way is sometimes a mystery, and I stumble frequently, I make mistakes and I’m sure I get it all wrong at times. But it never stops me from picking myself up, dusting myself off and getting on with it.

I read and wonder and sometimes puzzle over His words. I look to see what others have thought about them over the centuries. I absorb arguments about whether all the words we think are His really are, and what it would mean if some of them were not. I accept that through history we have evolved and I believe that Christ would have wanted us to do so.

I harbour no guilt about any of these explorations: we're supposed to explore and wonder about things, including the things of God. We have a relationship with Jesus, and we can trust Him to correct the errors we will certainly make and help us to grow into Him.

And I confess that sometimes our priorities and obsessions get in our way. Occasionally, our mistakes get us into some kind of trouble, and some of it can be pretty serious. We raise plenty of hell right here on earth, without anybody needing to toss us anywhere fiery.

But I know, without any hesitancy or reservation whatsoever, that He is always there with me, beside me, inside me, waiting for me.

And I know that when it's time for me to start the next journey, that I shall not be afraid.
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Lord Jesus, thank You for being in our lives. Throughout this day, let us celebrate the breath You place within us. Amen

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The Road to Redemption

How the Other Half Lives

Can You Change a Child's Life?

.Tut Tut Looks Like Rain

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A Simple Guide To Better Fishing

Last week was particularly challenging. And despite my perpetual state of positive thinking, I must admit I feel that my batteries are still a bit low in this new week. I feel emotionally tired, as if I've been spinning wheels without getting anywhere. It’s a bit like fishing for survival and yielding very little.

So is there any one of us who couldn’t sympathise with those poor apostles, out all night in the boat, doing their best and catching nothing, not even a minnow!

We know the experience well: we think an issue through, we do our homework, we plan carefully and act decisively, and still ... nothing. Your job doesn’t fulfil you, your new business languishes, your relationships sour, your doctor delivers bad news, your financial plans collapse, your children make impossible demands and you grow ever more weary.

Jesus intervened when the apostles hit that point of combined weariness and frustration. He said, ‘Try again, but this time go out to the deep waters.’ It seemed a stupid idea, but because they sensed that Jesus should be trusted, they did what He asked. And the catch they made was the biggest they'd ever seen.

Perhaps there’s a clue there for us. Perhaps we’ve been ‘fishing’ in the wrong places, where there are no ‘fish.’ Or perhaps we’ve been so caught up with our own interests and perceptions of things — OUR OWN AGENDA — that we haven’t seen what's right in front of us. Perhaps we need a new perspective. Perhaps we need to look at things through God’s eyes, for God sees to the heart of things.

Let God show you what He sees. Trust in Him. Offer yourself to Him. It’s the ultimate in truth. Then relax in Him. Let Him guide your hand. He will speak to you in His own silent way. And you will hear Him, if you have learned how to listen.


Lord God, make me strong in spirit. Lead me to follow You that I may discover my own hidden gifts. Help me to keep my heart free of weights and grant me wisdom so that I may see through a pure heart. And as I reach out to touch my fellow man, let my compassion be ever-full of strength and hope. In Your name we pray. Amen

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Posted for Fr Bill

Not That Old Chestnut Again!

Fast Tracks to Hell

I'm Taken to Task for My Actions

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Love Is Forever

Everyone loves a happy ending. Almost all the films we watch about young love intentionally leave us with the feel-good belief that this relationship will last forever. Yes, love is forever.

But upon closer observation, reality suggests that we’d have to amend that judgment to ‘sometimes.’ For so much of what at first looks like love turns out to be mere infatuation, or even worse, just being in love with love.

The same is true of friendship. It can have for a while all the appearances of something that will last, and then when a pressure point or moment of stress is reached, it can disappear without a trace. We’ve all had the experience of being abandoned or cut off in broad daylight, and we can only hope that we’ve not done it to others.

Jesus experienced this often! It’s difficult to believe this of such a kind man. But He made strong demands upon those who said they wanted to follow Him. He asked for a single-minded commitment that required demonstrable changes of heart and of life. That’s not the ‘easy salvation’ that some people were looking for then and are still looking for now, and so many walked away.

Walking away is always a temptation, especially when the path is rugged. So many relationships fail because one partner, and sometimes both, simply find it easier to give up.

At that point we’d do well to remember what St Peter said: ‘Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of everlasting life.’

So stay the course. Invest in it. And most of all, don’t turn back!

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?

Falling In Love at Clapham Junction

The Great Marriage Debate

Wanted Part-Time Wife

Things To Do

Our lives are filled with tasks. There are tasks associated with work, home, and in our relationships.

The most important of these is the task of reconciliation. Reconciliation within our own hearts, with one another, and with God.

Now is the time, as the Old Testament prophet Malachi says, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers...’ God is calling us to do more than merely stay out of trouble or avoid aggravating one another. He’s calling us to be pro-active, to become peace-makers, and makers of peace.

For each of us the task will take a different shape, defined by our gifts, our own life histories, our relationships, and where we live. But none of us is exempt from the work of peacemaking.

Now is the time to take an inventory within our hearts and without. Discover what is cutting off one from another and stealing away the proper joy of life, and find a way to put it to rest.

So now, what are we waiting for?

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Gracious God, through all our frailties we lose our clarity and we can lose our closeness to You. Help us to cleanse our hearts and grant us the courage to take the steps towards reconciling our lives. Through each step we take to cleanse our hearts, we will be drawn closer to You. We pray for Your guidance and comfort, through Christ’s name. Amen

The Pain of Disappointment

When Morning Dawns

When We Need a Little Help

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Explain The Holy Trinity...Someone! Please?

Explaining the Holy Trinity to children? Now there's a knee knocker!

From my children’s earliest school days, I still vividly recall some of the church school assemblies I would conduct on Wednesdays. Every inch of every pew would overflow with children –some of them as young as four, all the way up to teenagers. Each with wide-opened hearts and minds, eager not only to participate, but to absorb knowledge. And I was determined to create a homily that not only involved the children, but hopefully inspired them to think and talk about their experience afterwards. It’s a tall task, as any minister will attest.

One of the most challenging days was when Holy Trinity came around. Even for adults the Trinitarian concept is almost humanly incomprehensible. So how do you thoughtfully and effectively convey one of the cornerstones of our faith to a church full of children? I was always pleased to see my own children, sitting ever-so politely, trying to absorb what I would say, knowing full-well that there would be a barage of questions at home later that evening. But I wasn't so certain that other children would be as prone to 'chat' with their parents about what they had heard during the day.

The first Sunday after Pentecost is the Festival of the Holy Trinity. It is when the Church celebrates the impenetrable mystery that God is triune or three-in-one; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And although we don't see scientific proof of the triune, we accept this as a fundamental article of our faith.

One year I recall lugging into church an electrical lead, long enough to stretch from the organ loft to the transept, where I set up my small table containing an electric whistling kettle, a sizeable block of ice, and a carafe of water. It is a concept often used by clergy to help us understand the concept of three-in-one. But the truth is that this isn’t a perfect parallel to offer, whether for children or adults.

The following year I scoured London in search of a giant prism. White light consists of three primary colours: Blue, Green, and Red. By capturing the white light, you can project the primary colours onto a white board. But again, in sharing an understanding of the Holy Trinity, it isn’t perfect.

There are other parallels, but because our natural inclination is to limit ourselves only to what we can see, we either instinctively reject or foment doubt about the Trinity. In fact, the word ‘Trinity’ doesn’t appear anywhere in the Bible. It didn’t come into use as a religious term until after the Council of Nicaea in AD325 – long after the last books of the Bible were completed. Clearly, even the great scholars found it difficult to put to words.

There are, however, many references to the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures. Zechariah 4:6, Micah 3:8, 2Timothy 1:7, all make reference to the Holy Spirit. Luke 4:14 records that Jesus began His ministry ‘in the power of the Spirit.’ And Acts 1:8 profoundly refers to life after death: ‘You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.’

Astronomers and scientists continue to reach further and further beyond the realms of our abilities and comprehension to explore the heavens. The truth is, however, that we haven’t yet the intellectual capacity to fully understand what is beyond our reach.

Perhaps now is when we must rely upon our faith.

Holy Father, we long to fill our hearts with the knowledge of Your truth. We pray that you draw us closer that we may better understand, that we may always, and faithfully, serve Your will. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen

The Science of Faith

We Can Hear His Voice

Take Eat This is My Body

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?

Faith is Not a Crutch for Living

When Are U-Turns Right?

One of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s most memorable quotes is ‘You turn. The Lady’s not for turning!’ It was comments such as this that earned her the moniker ‘Iron Lady.’

Some may vacillate, hem and haw, or be wishy-washy about their views. But Good ole Margaret ruled her opinions and views with an iron fist and fierce determination. Once she formed an opinion, she was never to revisit it.

Admirable qualities, one might say. Indeed. However, what happens when an individual or group takes such a stance and later learns they were mistaken? We read in the news where technology has now proven that people who were convicted for committing crimes are now being exonerated. Unfortunately, what if their punishment was death? What do we do in those instances? Shrug our shoulders and say ‘ doesn’t matter, I’m not changing my mind?’

Unfortunately, human nature – that determination to be part of the ‘winning team’ encourages us to perceive people who change their minds as weak or as failures. And in some arenas there are those, who despite the evidence, continue to promote their own dogma, regardless of its inaccuracies and the toll it can take on others. It happens each and every Sunday when ministers misinterpret passages from the Bible, or use those passages, however inappropriately, to justify their points.

Whatever way you look at it, repentance, or making a moral or spiritual U-turn, isn't necessarily a sign of weakness. Indeed, in the right circumstances it can be a sign of true strength. Isn’t that the point of democracy versus, say, a dictatorship?

Just as with millions of others, I watched the debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin. They each had an agenda which prohibited the world from really seeing who they are. Nor, in my opinion, did they really do anything to help their presidential candidates.

All too often we expect our leaders to be godlike in their ability to know everything. Yet in most religions, doubt, discovery, and growth are parts of the very nature of being divine.

Take, for example, the humble pie that Jesus had to eat when a woman proved Him short sighted and limited in His vision of His ministry. The story is told in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark and involves a very persistent woman, who was not Jewish, but a Gentile.

She comes begging Jesus to heal her daughter, and receives the rather callous - and in fact, one could argue, narrow-minded - statement that He has come only for the people of Israel. Thus He tries to dismiss this woman.

But she is made of stern stuff and implores Him again asking Him to help her daughter. Jesus compounds His uncompromising stance on a matter of principle - which is probably how today's media would report it - and says even more brusquely, that it is unfair to take the food of the children (meaning the Jews) and throw it to the dogs (meaning the Gentiles)!

Now comes the moment of revelation. Jesus is once again confronted by the woman who says, ‘Ah yes, Lord, but even the dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall from their master's table.’

This is the point at which, were this being reported in some of our more aggressive newspapers, we would have the headline ‘Messiah does a U-Turn’ or ‘Jesus forced to compromise.’ Because Jesus, clearly humbled by this, is suddenly presented with a far bigger picture of what He is here to do. His limited vision is expanded to encompass all people and He heals her daughter. In other words He changes His mind and grows.

Perhaps this message has been too simplistic for us to pick up on it time after time. Perhaps the Apostles are trying to tell us that uncertainty and growth are completely acceptable and part of our own spiritual growth. Perhaps, through these words, they are encouraging us to grow and not become transfixed in our own interpretation of the Bible and the world around us.

If making U-turns, uncertainty, compromise, expanding one’s vision, and changing attitudes is good enough for Christ, then perhaps it ought to be good enough for the rest of us. Instead of seeing a change of mind as a weakness, perhaps we can see it as being just a little bit divine and more Christ-like instead.

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The Pain of Disappointment

When Traditions Become Weights

Can You Change a Child's Life?

The Road to Redemption

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The Wolves Within

In Russian folklore there's a story about an elderly grandmother teaching her grandchildren about life.

She said to them, 'There's a battle going on inside me... it is a terrible fight between two powerful wolves. One wolf is full of fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.'

'The other wolf is filled with joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.'

The grandmother continues, 'This same fight goes on inside you and inside every other living person in the world.'

The children were wide-eyed at the animation she used in telling the story. While they were reflecting upon what their grandmother had told them one of the smaller children asked... 'Grandmother, which wolf will win?'

The old woman simply replied... 'Darling, the one you feed.'

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Heavenly Father, We give thanks for the unconditional love You show for us. We pray that you forgive us for our transgressions, for when we speak unkind words, think of ourselves before others, or in our failure to show sympathy and compassion for those in need. Enable us and guide us, that our actions may lessen the tide of human sorrow and may we always be contributors to the sum of human happiness. We pray this in Christ’s name. Amen

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Have I told You Lately That I Love You?

Forgiving Violence

Have You Lost Touch With Someone You Love?

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First Forgive

‘If someone takes your coat,’ says Jesus, ‘give him your shirt as well.’ Surely that sounds like pacifism. But hold on a sec!

Jesus' contemporaries wore no undergarments. If they gave their oppressor their shirt, they'd be left there naked! And that was Jesus' point: Embarrass the thief into rethinking his theft, which was leaving his victim stark naked.

’When someone strikes you on the cheek,’ says Jesus, ‘turn the other cheek.’ To strike that other cheek requires either changing hands or striking in a contorted manner. Once again, it creates a delay during which the malefactor has a chance to rethink what he's doing.

Our first goal should always be to convert the wrongdoer. Sometimes it will work, and sometimes it won't. And when it doesn't, the right of a legitimate self-defence is there. Jesus' point is simple: You may have to end up using force to defend your rights. But don't start with force.

Start with a sincere attempt to convert your adversary. It won't always work. But sometimes it will. And it would be a shame to miss that ‘sometime.’

Lord God, Grant us patience before we become quick to judge. Help us to learn the art of listening and not discounting others. And when we are hurt, Lord, help us to find charity within our hearts to first forgive, then to mend. It is the peace in our hearts that transcends all. Amen

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?

When Violence Touches Your Own

The Pain of Disappointment

At the Time of a Child's Death

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Sharing The Crisis

A lady I've been counselling for the past few months is suffering from acute alcoholism. I've been amazed that she believes that others don't know she's an alcoholic. Tragically it is most often everyone else who knows this before the actual sufferer is forced to acknowledge it.

Part of it, I suppose, is denial. But the other part is our determination to be self-sufficient and strong. No one wants to expose their weaknesses to others and seek help. Yet, paradoxically, when we do, we often find not only a new source of strength, but a different kind of strength as well.

St Paul had a medical condition. We don't really know exactly what it was. The old authorised version referred to it as a 'thorn in the flesh.' More modern translations have 'a painful wound to my pride.' But whatever it was it greatly troubled him. As he wrote 'Three times I begged the Lord to rid me of it.' Then he went on to say he heard the response 'My grace is all you need; power comes to its full strength in weakness.'

And that is the experience not just of Paul but I believe of all people of faith. Sometimes it is when we feel drained and at the end of our tether, and all we can do is hold up empty hands with a feeling of failure, that we are most conscious of divine grace.

And it's interesting that groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, not only emphasise the need for ruthless honesty before others afflicted in the same way, and the need for mutual support, but the acknowledgement of a power beyond our own.

It would be difficult to imagine anyone going through life without a personal crisis of some kind or other. Even clergy who deal with so many difficult personal issues for people can at times pick-up and carry those sorrows. And when that happens, it is essential they should seek help through their spiritual advisers or other professional avenues. The leadership role of clergy isn't only about being rock-like: it also means acknowledging our shared human weakness.

There's a lovely term called 'the emergency Christian.' These are people who only turn to God when things are difficult. And some have more emergencies than others.

Should you have a need or be in a crisis, don't be afraid to speak with someone you trust. Just sharing your vulnerability could be the change in life you need most.

When Traditions Become Weights

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