An Alternative Harvest?

This is a copy of my church magazine article for October

In Psalm 65, the writer says to God: ‘You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with corn, for so you have ordained it ….you crown the year with your bounty…’

This is the time of year in which traditionally, we thank God for the harvest. We bring offerings of produce from the land and display them in our church building. We sing traditional hymns such as ‘We plough the fields and scatter, the good seed on the land’. We make an offering to help bring a harvest in another part of the world.

I love to do all of these things, but I wonder if the time has come to ring the changes? Personally, I have never ploughed the fields nor scattered seed in them. I do not regularly work the land and what I have tried to grow in the garden has rarely come to much. The supermarket where I buy produce (OK, usually where my wife buys it!) seems remote from the fields that are celebrated at harvest time.

Of course, I know that God provides for us, but it is rarely through our own sowing and reaping of crops. We work in churches, schools, hospitals, factories, shops, offices and the like. It seems strange to bring an offering at harvest time of things that we did not produce. Perhaps we should bring an offering of something that symbolizes what we do, through which we gain an income and by which the Lord provides? So the office worker might bring a piece of office equipment, the shop worker might bring a shopping basket, the factory worker might bring a product made (if practical), the doctor might bring a stethoscope, the teacher might bring a lesson plan and, yes, the minister might even bring a sermon! The retired person and the unemployed might bring a symbol of the ways in which they are able to serve. The children might bring an example of something they like to do – a story or a painting, perhaps. We can bring these as a reminder of the gifts and jobs that God has given us, and be reminded that we are called to offer them and ourselves back to Him. We can remember that this is our produce that provides for us the things that we need.

God is so good to us, and provides for us all that we need! Of course, I think we should still bring offerings of fruit and vegetables as signs of his providence. It’s just that I think there is so much more that we could and should bring in thanksgiving to Him.

Sharing Fame with the Vicar of Dibley!

OK. So I’m not at woman! I’m 6”4 rather than 5” nothing. I’m not a vicar but a Baptist minister. But like Geraldine Granger, I am a media star!

Yes, reader, the whole of page 98 of the April edition of Today’s Golfer is devoted to me! Actually, I’ve only just found out it was in there, but the photo is the evidence. Back in January, I responded to an offer which came via my golf club to a golfing clinic at Today’s golfer, which just happens to be in the city where I live and about two minutes from my home. Basically, I got a free half-hour lesson, picked up some useful tips from an ‘elite’ golf coach, and was photographed for the magazine. As if that wasn’t enough, my media career has continued. Singing with Lesley Garrett in July, and recording some jingles for TalkSport with the Male Voice Choir in August.

I remember Geraldine becoming rather too full of herself after her radio career took off. That’s unlikely to happen to me – unless, of course, Songs of Praise comes calling!

Fruit of the Spirit

I've just finished a sermon series in my church on the Fruit of the Spirit. You may well know that, 'the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law' (Galatians 5:22-23).

It never hurts to bribe a congregation with food, nor to give them an aid to memory, so each week I gave them a piece or more of fruit! I won't explain them all, but I wonder what you would have chosen for each characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit. Here are my choices:

• Love - Strawberries
• Joy - Mango
• Peace - Olives
• Patience - Oranges
• Kindness - Apples (Granny Smith's because Granny's are kind!)
• Goodness - Banana
• Faithfulness - Blackberries
• Gentleness - Peach
• Self-Control - Fruit Salad (a final CafeStyle worship, with many temptations requiring self-control!)

So that is the fruit of the Spirit! Now, surely there is a reference in the Bible to chocolate that I can use?

Breakdown Cover

So, should I swallow my pride and renew my breakdown cover with Aviva (see 'Appalling Service from Aviva' )?

In the next year, I am likely to be taking my car to Europe on two occasions, and the fact is that their quote is seriously cheaper than AA/RAC/Green Flag and even than their own cover via my Aviva car insurance policy (curiously, it would cost another £50 that way!). Money is money! And surely, I think, the service cannot be as bad if I am unfortunate enough to break down again?

We Christians talk about God giving people second chances when they mess up, and I'm inclined to the do the same for Aviva Breakdown (which uses RAC). In fact, I believe God gives multiple second chances to those who are penitent. Having said that, I don't think I'll do the same for Aviva if they mess up again....

Faith and Common Sense

I've been a bit quiet on the blogging front for the past few weeks. However, here's a brief quote I read and reflected upon during an early morning walk. It's from Oswald Chamber's 'My Utmost for His Highest' which happens to be a part of my iPhone Bible. The date was 30th August, and the verse was John 11:40 - 'Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"'

I'm not sure the verse totally fits the comment, but I found the latter very challenging.

• ‘Common sense is not faith and faith is not common sense. In fact, they are as different as the natural life and the spiritual. Can you trust Jesus Christ where your common sense cannot trust Him? Can you venture out with courage on the words of Jesus Christ, while the realities of your commonsense life continue to shout “It’s all a lie”?’

It made me wonder how much we put first the commonsense considerations of career progress, family and security, when God may have a different plan? It still does.

Hit the Ground Kneeling

This week, I have been reading ‘Hit the Ground Kneeling: Seeing Leadership Differently’ by Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Chelmsford.

As the title suggests, the book proposes that leadership most fruitfully begins from a place of contemplation and, for the Christian, prayer.

I am not good at taking time out to kneel before God, and to contemplate the role of pastor to which he has called me. When I do take a day retreat, I can easily feel guilty about all the other things I should be doing. So on this day, when I am on retreat, it’s been good to have the wisdom of this book. For now, I’ll share just a couple of snippets:

‘Being available must never be the defining characteristic of effective leadership.... The wise leader will make wise choices about how time is managed, giving first priority to that space for refreshment and discernment where decisions about the right use of the rest of the time can be profitably made’ (p17).

‘Many leaders rush around doing lots of things because they are seeking affirmation in the wrong place, trying to keep everyone happy rather than being engaged in the more noble vocation of making them holy, helping them become themselves’ (p22).

It’s good stuff, and there’s more where this came from. It’s well worth reading!

Oh, and Cottrell does recommend a day away every month, where Christian leaders can rekindle their first love. Amen to that! Now, all I need is to do it….

Revolution and Riots!

It seems like old news now, but we have recently returned from holiday in the peaceful land of Egypt to the restless world of the United Kingdom!

I have to say that there were times when we wondered if booking Egypt was such a good idea. If First Choice had let us transfer our deposits to another holiday without cost, we would have done so. They wouldn’t so we didn’t, and I’m glad. It was a fantastic holiday!

The Egyptian people were so pleased to see us. We were treated like royalty on our Nile Cruise, and almost as well at our other two hotels in Cairo and Luxor. Tahrir Square was peaceful, having been cleared of the few remaining protestors just a few days before. We understood why Thomson moved our Cairo Hotel from the Rameses Hilton, next the burnt out premises of Mubarak’s party. Day 1 of Mubarak’s trial was being watched avidly on TV as we popped into a local shop to buy provisions. We were driven by the courthouse where Mubarak was appearing, where all seemed peaceful, helped by the court being well outside Cairo and by a heavy army presence. All was quiet, not least because, sad to say, the usual tourist presence on which many in Egypt rely, was reduced to 10 or 20% of the usual trade. Meanwhile, we watched our hotel TVs with horror at the unrest and riots back home!

Life as a tourist from the UK is no experience of real life in Egypt. However, it is obvious that many in that country experience major poverty. I can understand why they should rebel against the increasingly dictatorial government of Mubarak and his family, who were feathering their own nest at the expense of the people. It’s a little harder to understand why the comparatively wealthy young people at home (even those who are unemployed) should take it out on whatever they can lay their hands upon.

Perhaps, like the Prince and the Pauper, we all need to change roles and experience how the other half lives? We might all be more grateful for what we have!