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Pray for the nation

What I am bringing this week is something I wrote before I had the blog up and running.
It was written during the restrictions which were in place to control COVID. You know, all those restrictions nobody liked.
I am posting it now as I feel I am being lead to.

I woke up a couple of nights back after having a strange dream. I can remember some of the details but not in any kind of order???
I was left with a picture though.
I feel as though it was meant to show what it can be (or could possibly be) like at the top of the government.

It was a picture of a rocket ship on the launch pad, fuelled and ready to go with the pilot sitting in his seat.
The pilot is meant be represent the prime minister.
He is the one to launch the rocket into space.
He will lead and direct the craft making decisions at the appropriate time in order to see that all goes well.

Does success fully depend on the pilot?

I think this is one of those yes/no question/answers.

The pilot has to make decisions based on information that has been given to him. If he is given bad information he could make bad choices which could lead to the rocket crashing and burning.
If he is given good information then he can take the right decisions which leads to success and glory for all.

It was at this point I felt compelled to pray.
Lord, let good information get through to the prime minster and cut off all the bad information.

As I dwelt on the illustration I thought “Is the pilot responsible for the rocket being on the launch pad?”

I believe the answer is no.
There were the engineers who designed and made the rocket. There was the mathematician’s who have worked out all the sums needed for the engineers to do there bit.
When you continue to consider the picture there is even the fuel in the tanks waiting to be burnt in order to achieve lift off.

All these things are out of the pilots control.
He has to trust that every one else has done their bit correctly so that lift off can be achieved.

So who are the engineers, mathematicians and the like?
Government on the whole is one possible answer.

But the one that struck me was, who represents the fuel?
The part that costs huge amounts of money, that will just be burnt.
I kind of think it is us, the people. Without money (taxes) for the fuel the rocket is going nowhere. But I also think it also goes further than just taxes.

I feel as though it is what will we, the people, will do and act as the fuel for the rocket.
Will we be good fuel or bad? Will we be the good fuel that pushes the rocket into space or will we be bad fuel that causes the engine to stutter and fail, which could lead to a crash?

We all have our part to play. We all have a need to make and do the right things to ensure we are good fuel. We all have to do our bit to achieve success.
We may not like the things we currently need to do to achieve success but failure really shouldn’t be an option.

Making the right choice might be inconvenient or painful, but if it is the right choice then we should do it. (Whatever that right choice is.)

It was at this point I was reminded of a train caught in a tunnel which was on fire.
There was a group of people who came out of the train and walked up to the front of the train. Most people of the group wanted to carry on walking up the tunnel away from the burning train, but there was a fire fighter who Knew different.
He said “If we walk up the tunnel where the smoke is going We Will Die from smoke inhalation. No, we need to go down past the burning train in order to escape! It will be hard and painful but is is our only chance to survive.”
The people of the group listened to the fire fighter and they survived.

So the question is, will we do our bit and do all we can to achieve success?

That was the place I got to when I wrote this.
As I have thought about this I also think that the picture is true for smaller groups, such as churches for instance.

In all groups we have a leader, and those who follow or work with the leader.
The leader has their part to play but not everything depends on the leader. We all have our part to play.

The question is, will we try to be good fuel or bad fuel?
Will we try to do our part to achieve success for all?

Father,
Please help everyone in all that they do.
I ask that you will give wisdom to all our leaders so that they can make good choices. I ask that they will be given good information and that bad information is removed from them.
I also ask that you will help us all to do our bit, both for our nation and also closer to home.
That we will be willing to follow your prompting and your guidance so that we can all be part of the solution, doing our part you have for us to do.
Amen

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Do we hear from God or do we only hear what we want to?

If we are honest with ourselves, can we all admit to falling short with the title of this post?

You know how it goes, surely that can’t be from God.
No that’s wrong, surely you mean this.
And the like.

When Father speaks to us and tells us what we don’t want to hear, then how do we react to it?
One of the above responses?
Or will we actually listen to him?

My last post was an example of such a time.
The message I wanted to hear was very different to what I was actually hearing.
I could even point Father to the part of the Bible I would like to hear from at this point in time. Psalm 91

It starts off well with,
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

It’s good stuff, but the part I really like starts from verse 5, 6 and 7,
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

Surely that’s just the message to hear in the middle of a pandemic?
Isn’t it?

It’s a promise to claim but if Father isn’t saying that to you directly then we should listen.
Are you confused yet? I Know I am a little bit. 🙂

What I mean is claim Psalm 91 when you need to go about your daily business and you need to be in the world during the pandemic but if Father is telling you something different then you need to listen to that also!

What I heard Father say was, we are now under Grace rather than Law as far as COVID restrictions are concerned.
I also heard, everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial.
(If you haven’t already, then read the last post to get the full picture.)

I definitely think Psalm 91 is a better message to be hearing.
Couldn’t you speak that to me instead, please Father… 🙂

Father is Father though!
Even when he tells us things we don’t want to hear, or when he tells us something different to how we would like it to be.

The real question then becomes, will we listen to him even when he speaks a message we don’t like?

Father is our Father and Loves us!
He has our best interests at heart!
We can trust him!

So, will we trust Him and follow his prompting?
As for me I will try to follow his leading.
I might not like it at times but it is the better way to go.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
John 10:27

Father,
Thank you that you are my Father, and that I am yours.
Thank you that we can be honest with you and speak all our thoughts to you.
Help me to hear you clearly and to know your voice and to follow you.
Thank you that you Love me and care for me.
Help us all to follow your ways.
Amen

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We are under Grace, not Law

Hopefully most Christians already know that we are under Grace and not Law.
After all we have been forgiven and accepted if we acknowledge that Jesus is Lord God (of our lives) and have asked for his forgiveness and ask him to lead us in the here and now with how we live with him.

So why am I writing about something which we all (hopefully) know about?

Well, I have a slightly different view point at this moment in time, as we approach July the 19th of 2021.

As this date approaches we know that COVID restrictions are going to be lifted, in the UK.
Please don’t give up reading at the mention of COVID, I am going somewhere with this.

As we enter into July the 19th I believe that we will be entering into a period of Grace (with regards to COVID restrictions) in place of the Law that we have been under.
We will be free to make our own choices as to how we conduct our affairs.
This is what it means to live under Grace.

The question then becomes, how will you conduct yourself when you are under Grace instead of Law?

The virus has not disappeared!
The only thig that is changing on the 19th is that the Law no longer requires that we act in a certain way.
We will have a freedom to act as we would like to.

Some think this is a mistake while others think it is good.
I am not here to ponder the rights and wrongs of the government policy but I do see clearly that what is currently happening in the world is a picture of how we are with God.

In the Old Testament the people of God were under Law.
Don’t do this, but do, do that.
As we have been told how to act under the COVID restrictions.

However under the New Testament we are now under Grace.
Everything is Permissible….However not everything is Beneficial.
That sounds a bit like 1 Corinthians 10:23 to me.

Do you see where I am going with this yet?

We will be free to make our own decisions with how we act whereas before we were told how to act.

What will we do with this freedom though?

Just because the Law no longer requires us to wear a mask and all the other things we had to do, does it mean that we can now stop doing all the actions which should help to protect us?

This is a definite yes/no answer.

We no longer have to do these things any longer…but will it be beneficial if we all suddenly stop doing all these things???

Unfortunately the virus is still out there.
It doesn’t care what the date is and is still going to make a number of people feel a bit ill (or a lot ill).

So how will we act, now we are under Grace instead of Law in regards to COVID?
Will we take hold of all the freedom being offered to us and try to go back to life as normal pre COVID, or will we try to use wisdom with how we act?

I see this as a huge picture of how we are with Father.

We are under Grace and as such are free to do, as we please to.
But how will you act with this freedom?

As 1 Corinthians 10:23 states, we are free to do anything but it doesn’t mean that anything is going to be good for us, not everything is beneficial. (Our actions have consequences.)

Under Grace we need to chose to do that which is good for us.

If we make good decisions then it will hopefully go well for us.

The Biggest hope we have is to see God, face to face one day!

Under the Grace which we have been given, we can choose to seek God now and as such come to a position of forgiveness with God and then have a confidence of being able to stand in his presence as those who have done wrong, but are forgiven!

Or under that same Grace we can choose to not seek him or his forgiveness and as such remain in the place of those who have done wrong, who are not forgiven.

Did you notice that in both groups we are those who have done wrong.
(I know, this can be a talking point all on it’s own.)

I stand with the group who seek Him and his forgiveness and as such I have this hope to see him face to face in Love.

The bible talks about much pain and suffering those who are not forgiven as all that is left is, Judgement for the unforgiven.

The Good News is that if you are reading this then you still have the Grace and time to seek him!

The question is how will you use this Grace and time that has been given to you?

Will you continue to believe that it doesn’t matter what you believe or that it’s all a load of nonsense and not worth looking into, only to face the consequences or will you ask for Father to show himself to you in the here and now?

A starting point can be to ask him, God, if you are there then show yourself to me.

Then try to seek him. No, I don’t mean go outside and see if he is hiding round the corner.
What I mean is, just try to be mindful about him.
If you seek him then he will find you! (It works better if you do this with all your heart, but he will take you just as you are now.)

Father,
Help us all to be more mindful of you, so that we all can see you that much better in the here and now.
Help us to use the Grace you have given us for our good.
To make good decisions which lead to life and good things for all.
Amen

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Can wanting perfection be a lie from the enemy?

This might on the face of it seem like a silly question.
After all, aren’t we meant to do our best for God?
So surely perfection should be a good goal to aim for…???

I do think that aiming for perfection is a good thing to do, but if we aim so intently and become target fixated then, can it become a lie from the enemy?

If we move to the position of “I don’t want to step out, move on, or act in any way until it’s just right” then we might be caught by a lie from the enemy.

You see the enemy wants us to do nothing.
He is happy for us to sit there and procrastinate.
Especially if he can keep us there indefinitely.
He wants to stop us from doing anything for God and will use anything to achieve this.
Even the lie of,

“It must be perfect before you do it.”

So does this mean we should give God our 2nd best?

By no means?
We should always try to do our best for God but we do need to be aware that we are not yet perfect and as such perfection might be out of our grasp for the moment.

We should always do and give our best to God but sometimes we might feel that our best isn’t good enough. It is at these times when the enemy will repeat his lie, “It MUST be perfect”.

It is at these times we must not listen to the lie but listen to God and give Him the best that we can, even if we think it isn’t enough.
We need to listen to God more than we listen to ourselves.

We may not see the whole picture, but we do have our part to play.
God does want us to do our part, however imperfect we may think it is.
He has this ability of taking our imperfect and making the perfect with it. We just need to be willing to do our part and step out, even if we think we are not quite ready yet.

God will take what we offer to Him and will help and guide us, if we will trust and follow Him, and His ways.

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The Blinking light.

There was a cyclist who had a red led light which he used on the back of his bike. It was one of those USB rechargeable ones. He would keep it charged up and then when he rode his bike he would set it to it’s blinking setting so that all the other road users would see him and know that he was there.

The cyclist was pleased with his light. It work well, keeping the cyclist safe on all those dark cold mornings.

The little blinking light knew none of this. It just did it’s task, without missing a beat.

However one day the little light became a bit despondent.
Why am I doing all this blinking?
I don’t see the point of it all.
Sure I like all that recharging, but all that cold and endless blinking is wearing me down.
Why am I bothering with all this?
Should I just stop and not give out my light anymore?

The cyclist, becoming aware of this spoke to the light.

Don’t give up!
I am well pleased with all your efforts.
You’ve served me well keeping me visible and safe on all those cold mornings. You could probably be called a life saver.
Please continue to shine your light and thus keep me safe.

Have you ever felt like the light did?

Why am I doing this?
How much longer should I keep going?
I just don’t see the point!

If you are doing what your meant to be doing then just stick with it. Sometimes we just don’t realise the difference we make.

You could possibly be a life saver without ever knowing it!
Never underestimated the power of your actions when they are done for Father.

Sometimes we might see the results but, sometimes we won’t until a later date. All we can do is to try and give Father our best and leave the “why” with him.

After all, won’t it be the best thing ever to hear him say to you, ….

“Well done good and faithful servant, I am well pleased with YOU.”

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Why is it that when you have troubles people can tend to tell you to rest up, and do nothing?

This might seem like a bit of a strange question but I have sometimes found myself asking this very question in times of trouble.

I understand people’s intentions when they have said such words to me. (Or taken away tasks which I was doing or was about to start doing.) They are trying to help me by giving me time to work things out.

The problem is that sometimes it might not be exactly what is needed at the time.

You might think that this is a strange thing to say, because if you are having troubles then surely having time to work things out is a good thing…..isn’t it…???

Sometimes the answer is yes, time is needed to work things out and having less to do can help the process but at other times the answer could be a resounding NO!

Sometimes, if you are having troubles then having something to do can be just the tonic the doctor ordered, as the saying goes. If this seems strange at face value to you then shall we look into it a bit further?

One of my first points of calls is the bible. So, what does the bible have to say about this?
One reference to rest which is probably well known is Matthew 11 vs 28

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Well does that sound like I have got this wrong then…??? The verse is telling me we can have rest. So, should I just put my feet up and take some time out when troubles come my way?

I wonder how many people would be putting their feet up if everybody chose to do this. ☺ 

I think we need to ask what is God’s rest?
I think part of the answer to that question is found in Matthew 11 vs 29-30

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Do we ever read vs 28 and ignore 29-30 ? The passage needs to be read as a whole though.

In 29-30 God does not say put your feet up and take it easy but instead says take my yoke upon you, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

He has work for us to do. It is a task which we can do. He will not overburden us, but (in this instance) he does not say do nothing. On the contrary he says get up and do something.

What that something is for each individual person is going to be different and individually right for each person. (Sorry but I can’t tell you what that something is, you’ll need to hear that from Father himself for the answer to that question.)

So can you now see where I’m coming from?
Why is it that when you are having troubles people can sometimes think they can help you by removing a burden?

Sometimes it might be just the thing that is needed for a short while but it might not be.
Sometimes it may be that the very thing we need is to be a blessing to someone else. Is there a phrase about it being more blessed to give than to receive..???

There is another time in the bible which comes to mind whilst thinking about this. It’s when an angel made breakfast for Elijah and then told him to sleep. It can be found in 1 kings 19 vs 4-8

In this instance Elijah is told to eat and sleep…..for a while. He is not told to eat and sleep indefinitely but only for a short while in order to strengthen him for the journey he is about to go on.

So, even when God tells us to take a break (which I’m sure he does at times), it’s not meant to be a permanent break. He still has a task or tasks for us to do.

So where have I got to, in all this meandering?
Sometimes you need to do less and sometimes you need to do more…. Well I’m glad we have sorted that one out then….?????

I think what I’m trying to say is that because someone is having trouble it doesn’t automatically mean that they need things to be taken away from them. It might be that they may need something taken away from them or they might just need someone to walk a little closer with them for a while. It might be that they need something added to them to help them along.

I think that part of the problem is that we like to think we know what is needed. We can go on previous experience of what worked in the past. If X, Y, and Z worked then, then we shall do that again now.

Not every situation is the same though. X, Y, and Z might be chucking a hand grenade into an already painful situation.

So, where do we go now then?

My only answer to that is to seek Father, to hear his voice and his direction.

It does mean we need to be able to hear his voice and follow his lead, even if it makes no sense to us. He has the answer to each and every situation. He is the one who knows when to stop and when to rest and he also knows when to stand up and move.

So when all is said and done, are we willing to hear and follow Father’s lead? It is the best way to go.

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How do you react when you are having a bad day?

Lets face it, we all have bad days from time to time.
We all can have days that leave you crying out AAARRRHHH!!!!!!!!

So how do you act or react when a bad day comes your way?

Do you scream out at anyone near you? (unfortunately those closest to us can bear the brunt of this.)
Do you go and hit something? (hopefully not breaking whatever it is your hitting, and most definitely hopefully not a person or pet.)

Or do you just crawl off to a quiet place to hide and wait for the day to end singing, The sun will come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, will be OK. (Just like the little girl with red cotton candy curls sings in a film.)

None of the above options really help us that much.
They may be a small release, but is there a better option?

I believe there is a better option.
Like all better options it’s not an easy one to put into practice but it can bring a release that goes to another level.
One that can bring in a victory.

So what is it I hear you say?

Seek the Lord your God and call on him to help you!

Simple really, isn’t it…???

Maybe not so simple when all you want to do is all of the above.
So How can you do it?

You could try the, singing a song idea.
No not the song mentioned above but a different one.

Incidentally, do you know who the true author of that song, “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow” is …???
I’m not talking about who wrote it but the one who inspired it…???

I believe it is the enemy himself, the deceiver, the father of lies.
Before you go off and call me whatever it is that’s in your mind right now, please, just give me a chance and I’ll explain.

What is the message of that song….???
Give up on today! Today is done! You have been beaten today, so just give up and try again tomorrow. (It sounds all the more convincing if you say the above with a bit of a growl in your tone of voice.)

The problem with singing that song today is that tomorrow still has troubles of its own to deal with, which will try to lead you to singing the same song over and over again.
A song of eternal defeat.

This is why I believe this song is a song from the enemy!

There is a different song you can try to sing in its place.

This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made, that the Lord has made.
I WILL rejoice, I WILL rejoice and be glad in it!, and be glad in it.
This is the day that the Lord has made.
I WILL rejoice and be glad in it!
This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made.

As I have said it can be a hard thing to put into practise, but it can bring about a victory. (Even if it is only in your heart and mind but this is where the victory has to come first).

There is an incidence in the bible where we can see this principle in action. Can you guess which part I’m thinking of….?

Well, I’m thinking of Paul and Silas when they were locked up in the inner cell of the prison, with feet fastened into stocks. And this was after having been stripped, beaten and flogged. Acts 16 vs 16-40

Well, they were having a VERY BAD day!
They were Roman Citizens and should not have been treated in such a way.

We may think we have human rights but they had Roman Rights!
They should have been protected by Rome!
We can see how they should have been protected in Acts 22 vs 25 when on another occasion when Paul was about to be flogged he asked
“Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t been found guilty?”
On that occasion Paul wasn’t flogged because of his Roman Citizen Rights.
But back in chapter 16 he had his rights abused.

He had every right to complain!
He could have said “I am a Roman Citizen, How Dare you treat me this way!”
But he didn’t. instead he (and Silas) looked to their citizenship in GOD!
He looked to a higher power.
Father in Heaven.

How did they look to their Father in heaven?
Well they were both were singing, even though they were beaten, battered and bruised.
They were singing even though they had had such a very bad day.

When I first read this passage I had a bit of a romantic view that God must have enabled Paul and Silas to worship after having such a bad day. After all, how else could they have done it? Surely God must have inspired them with power from on high…???

I now think that the reality is some what less dramatic. I now think that they were singing because they needed to. You see, I think they knew they needed to draw close to God and singing was the method they were using to do this.

This turned my thinking on it’s head.
They were singing because they needed to, not because they were inspired to by a power from on high. (How ordinary.)

What happened after they had been singing for a while?

They not only saw the victory in there hearts and minds but also in the reality of their situation.

There was an earthquake, the doors were opened and even the jailer and his house hold came to salvation. (You need to read Acts 16 vs 16-40 to get the whole account.)

This all happened because they made the decision to sing rather than complain.

The miracle happened after worshiping.

So can we do likewise?
When things don’t go our way instead of doing all the wrong things can we instead turn to God, using whatever method works for you to enter into his presence?
Can we try to seek His face, His help and His assistance?

It is the better option.

Father.
Help us to always look to you.
When times are good and also when times are not so good.
Help us to seek and trust you always.
Amen.

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Words have power!

We may have all heard those words before, but how true do we know it to be?
A good well placed word can have a great benefit to someone in need.
Like wise, a wrongly placed word can cause a great deal of pain.
So I think very much so, that words do, in fact have power.

OK, so now that I have stated the obvious, where am I now going with this?

Well my thoughts are kind of, if we know words have power, then how well do we use them?
Do we use them to build up, encourage and generally do good, or do we do the opposite?

How do we use words with ourselves as well as others?
Yes, the words we use with ourselves, can also have great power!
We can build ourselves up, or pull ourselves down with the words we use with ourselves.

If we say I can’t, then guess what, you probably won’t be able to.

If I feel as though I’m about to say “I can’t”, then I’ll endeavour to change it to ” I’m struggling.” Or “I need a bit of help with this”.

You shouldn’t deny the struggle. To do so is to stick your head in the sand. But we can try to change our perspective. We can try to change, we can’t to, we can overcome. (Anyone feel like singing a song…. we can overcome 🙂 )

After all doesn’t it say somewhere “I can do all thing’s through Christ who strengthens me”.

Or if we feel like a different song we can try, I get by, with a little help from my friends.
This leads me to what people can say to us when we are struggling.
The words people say to us at times of hardship, can very much so make a big difference too.
One of the phrases I really dislike to hear is “It must be so hard for you.” That phrase is normally given with such a sad look on people’s faces of, oh I do feel for you, and you have my sympathy.

It can just leave me feeling, ARRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!
It’s just NOT helpful!!

Please tell me, how is that phrase meant to help???
All it says to me is, “Life must be sooooo hard.  Why don’t you just sit down and have a pity party. “They are not words I need to hear when struggling with anything.
I know it’s not what people are trying to say, but it’s all I can hear when it’s said to me in times of struggle.

Again, I can only say, it doesn’t help me.
If you are feeling the urge to say that phrase, then please don’t.
Instead, try to say something along the lines of…I can see you’re struggling but you can overcome. Or, I can see things are a struggle, it’s at such times we need to dig deep or whatever Father puts on your heart in order to lift up or encourage the person who you see who is struggling.

If you can see someone who is struggling then you could even ask God, is there anything I can do to help?
You do need to endeavour to hear God if you do this.

It might be very tempting to ask the person who is struggling.
Please, tell me,  how can I help you?
Or, what can I do to help you?
Yes, I’ve had that happen to me in the past too.

I know, people have meant well. But at the time I was in a place where I didn’t know what I needed. I might, at a push, have been able to tell you of a want which I might like to have been met, but what I actually needed???

You see when you are struggling, you’re perspective can get a little bit (or a lot) skewed.
Your thinking can become a wee little bit wrong. You can end up becoming the silly one, in some ways.
So, do you really want to ask the silly one, what’s needed???
Trust me, it’s better to ask for Fathers advice in a situation like the above.

One thing you could ask Father is, “do you want me to walk this struggle with…..”If you do ask this question, then please listen to the answer. If Father says no, then listen to Him.

The wrong person trying to help can cause more problems than help. You’re motives might be good but if Father says no, then it’s best to listen.

We can all pray, even if it is from a distance.
If you are genuinely praying for someone, then you know what,  you could possibly be part of the solution. It’s not up to you to be the whole solution, but you could play you’re part. You could possibly even bring a word (from God), you know words do have power.

There might even be the crazy thing that Father asks you to do.
He can sometimes ask us to do the funniest of things. But if it is from Father, then who knows how it will help.
It all comes back to hearing his voice, and then following it. Do we hear his voice clear enough to be able to follow His prompting’s?

Father.
Please do help us all to hear you more clearly and then to have the courage to follow your promptings.
Amen

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Social Distancing is Difficult

Back to our meetings in the park.

Social distancing is difficult. We may all mean to try and keep our distance but it is just not normal.
So, how can we meet and still keep our distance?

We have found that it helps to set boundaries. (Literally)

Theses boundaries could be anything.
A picnic blanket, which you stay on (a towel makes a good blanket).
Off the top of my head, a jumper, coat or even a bag placed on the ground could be used as a marker to say, you stay on your side and I’ll stay on mine.

It all sounds a bit silly but in order to keep social distancing then something is needed.
We just have this tendency to want to group together and when social distancing is required then something needs to be done.

So What do we do?

We have chosen to do the slightly crazy.

We have a white electrical cable (a thin multi core cable, cheaply bought from Wilko) which is 6 meters long. In the middle of the cable there is some black insulation tape added (in order to show the middle point).
The middle point is then used as a corner so that when the cable is laid out on the ground it forms two edges of a box.
Another cable with the same set up is then placed opposite this and then we have a cross on the floor (+).
We then have four boundary lines down for four house holds to have there own space in.

It’s easier to do this if everyone brings their own cable themselves to the park.

We have now learnt to all keep our distance from the cable.
This wasn’t always the case as we still had the tendency to want to move up to the line instead of keeping our distance from it, (I told you social distancing is difficult.) 🙂

If we were still struggling with keeping our distance from the lines then we could always have two more cables and then make a expanded cross.
What I mean is we could all have our corner to sit in with a gap between each cable that is big enough so that we do keep apart from each other.

This is not a normal thing to be doing, but it does actually work.

Whilst we were in tier 4 restrictions we met as described above.
We all kind of thought, is today the day when we are told to move on or receive that fine we really don’t want.
The COVID marshals were in the park, but we still carried on as we had been.
A marshal did walk over to see what we were doing, as we were singing and praying at the time. (The BBC web site did say that religious assemblies were allowed), so there we were having a religious assembly in the park! No problem with that…is there…???
The marshal looked at what we were doing, stayed for a few minutes and then walked off. PHEW. 🙂

At the end, as we were leaving he came back and said to us that what we were doing was good.
We took this as we are OK to carry on, whilst in tier 4.

One of the things I have heard in church is “the worlds problems are the Churches opportunities”.

I know this may sound really silly and on a very trivial level but I do think that we as a church (of people), are demonstrating to all, how anybody could meet together during this time in a socially responsible manner.

Anyone could follow the steps we are taking and meet in a socially responsible way. You still need to keep your distance when coming together and leaving, but it can be done. We try to stagger when people leave. Arriving is a bit easier as we don’t all arrive at the same time and keeping distance is easier at the start, for some reason.

When lock down came we then had to stop meeting together.
For the first one which was only about 4 weeks we broke up to smaller groups of two house holds (I think that it was mostly just two people) who met for prayer walks and fellowship instead. It was only going to be 4 weeks or there about anyway.

For the lockdown which happened in the new year and went on a wee little bit longer, well something else had to done.
If you haven’t guessed it yet, that should be the next post which should hopefully go out soon.

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Tired of making Sparks?

I wasn’t planning on making this post but a picture came to me as I was going to work today, so I thought to just go with it.
I will return to our meetings in the park soon.

Anyhow, Tired of making Sparks?

Do you sometimes feel that you have these ideas that you try out, just to find that they seem to lead anywhere?
It’s like your trying desperately to start a fire, but all you see are the sparks of an idea.
You give it your all, but sparks are all that you see.
Then you reach the point where you can think enough is enough, and then it’s time to move on.

The picture I had was of one such person.

There were many sparks, but no fires.

The problem with many sparks but no fires is it can become very disheartening.
You can start to think,
What am I doing?
Why am I bothering?

In the picture, this was happening to the individual who was doing their best for God.

Father saw this and wanted to give some encouragement.
I believe the words Father wanted to say are as follows:

Well done good and faithful servant.
You’ve had all these sparks and have given them away freely.
You haven’t tried to keep them to yourself.
I am well pleased with you.
Do not worry about the fires that you haven’t seen.
It’s not yet time to see the fires that will come from the sparks that you send out. Some of the fires may be small but others will be bigger in due course. You will see the results one day.
Some of the sparks are starting sparks, some are feeding sparks but others could end up being igniting sparks!
You may or may not see the igniting sparks at the time, but you will in the end.
I Love you and am well pleased with you, so just carry on doing all that you are doing for me.
I am Well Pleased with you and one day we shall see all the results of your labours together.

I do hope that the above words are truly from Father and not just me.
But just imagine him saying them words to you, well done good and faithful servant.
When all is said and done, isn’t that going to be one of the greatest things he could say to us?

Father help us all to see what you want us to do.
Help us not to be too concerned about the results but just to be happy to play our part.
Seeing the results of something we have played a part in is always going to help us.
But even if we don’t see the results just yet, then please help us to not get disheartened.
Instead help us to know you are pleased with us, and continue to lead and guide us.
Please give us eyes and ears to see and hear you more clearly and a heart to follow you.
Amen