Lent day 33 - creativity

Was at a craft fair yesterday.  It was quite a big one and there were all sorts of things on display.  People had been painting, felting, knitting, embroidering, making cards, jewellery, candles, soaps, taking photographs, doing calligraphy...... it was all very inspiring.   The craft fair was put on by a large church in Belfast which has a history of supporting the arts.  The money they raised was being sent to missions.  Quite a few of the stalls were selling things either made by, or in support of, overseas projects.   The stall next to me was selling lovely needlework made by ladies in India and all the profits went back to their business to help lift them out of poverty.  I love the fact that faith and creativity can combine to combat social inequality and injustice.

The arts have always had the power to lift people.  Not just out of poverty in a really practical way, but lift spirits and hearts.  I suppose I've always been creative - I come from a musical family and we were always good with words, telling stories and writing.   But I came to painting and other crafty stuff really late - I was in my 40s before it occurred to me to even have a go.

I have found the very act of making things to be both incredibly therapeutic - you really cant think about anything else when you are painting a picture - and satisfying.  It is really very wonderful to start with a blank page and end with something you have created which wasn't there before.   Imagine how God felt when He started with a swirling nothingness and began to create life.  You don't have to be good at it.  That's not the point.  Beauty really and honestly is in the eye of the beholder.  What you consider to be a daub or a scribble someone else is guaranteed to think is great.  Why?  Because art speaks in the same way God speaks.   It whispers to people's hearts in unique ways.  That is why two people looking at the same painting can react in utterly opposing ways.   It's why a canvas painted black can be considered a work of genius by some and a waste of time by others.  Or an unmade bed.  Or a shark in a tank.   Or your doodle on the back of an envelope  😊

There's something else about being creative...... it's like a conversation.  You can paint or draw or knit or decoupage or marble or bake in order to express how you are feeling, but then what you have made can connect with someone else to help them express how they are feeling.  And if you connect to God as you are creating then He gets to connect with people through your creativity.

I don't need to tell you how creative God is.  You just need to look around you.   But maybe I do need to tell you how creative you are.  You are made in the image of the one who paints the sunsets and made the flowers.  And if His spirit lives in you then you have access to every imagining and thought in the super creative mind of God.  What to do about that?  I think all you need to do is invite God to open you to the potential of being creative and then step back and see where He leads you.  You might be surprised where you end up.

     

Lent day 32 - feedback

I started a new job after Christmas - moving from volunteering for a local charity Via Wings, to working two and a half days a week in the office doing fundraising and marketing and stuff.   I'm enjoying the brain stretch and the new people and being back in an office team environment after many years.

Over the past couple of weeks I've heard a few things that have made me smile about how people who really don't know me very well perceive me.   I've been told that I'm a positive person.  That's nice.  I have been complimented on the fact that I can take critique and don't mind having my creative ideas tweaked and altered.  I have been thanked for smiling!!  And today I got laughed at because I threw a minor strop when my computer cable got caught in a pile of stuff and sent things flying down the hallway.  Apparently it is uncharacteristic of me to strop.   Ha!  If only they knew!!😁

If you remember a couple of weeks ago I talked about the funeral I was at and suggested that we all take time to tell people who mean alot to us exactly how they bless us?   Well, I decided to put my money where my mouth is and wrote a few cards to a few people listing the ways in which they bless me.   So far I've managed to deliver four of them secretly  ( I really don't want to be there when people read them)   All of them have blessed the recipients far and above the way I thought they might.  Sometimes people really really need to hear some positives.

We are really good at negative feedback in our culture.  We like a good moan and we are happy to write to the papers or give off on Facebook when someone upsets us.  But how often do we sing the praises of people who have gone the extra mile, been kind, done a really good job?   My friend John recently got dug out of a snowdrift by a passing Morrison's van driver who actually left, went for help and came back to him before heading off on his journey to deliver shopping in the snow. I suggested he should contact Morrisons and let them know.    Last year I stupidly left my handbag ( purse , camera, and all) in a hire car at Luton airport.  The guy on the phone was SO helpful, they got the bag and posted it back to me first class and didnt charge me for it.  The only thing they asked was would I leave positive feedback on their website.   I left glowing commendations and then received an email from the boss of Europcar in Luton thanking me and saying she was going to print my feedback and put it on the staff noticeboard because it was so nice for her staff to get praise.

It really doesn't take much to make someone's day.  Pointing out peoples strengths instead of their weaknesses, taking care to say thank you and mean it, recognising effort and being grateful for kindness, excellence and thoughtfulness.   Today I challenge you take notice of the people who are serving you and let them know that you appreciate it.  The person serving you coffee or in a shop, your boss at work, your spouse bringing you a cup of tea, your pastor or worship team or sound desk guy.... they all are mostly taken for granted.  Wouldnt it be nice to bless them today?

                                                               

Lent day 31 = blessing

I saw this yesterday and instantly found my spirit coming to a place of peace and gratitude.  So I thought I'd share it with you because it truly is a lovely way to start the day.  5mins long.  Enjoy

https://www.facebook.com/ContemplativeMonk/videos/1555970047785572/

Lent day 30 - fathers

On mother's day I was talking to a good friend of mine about my blog post on that self same subject and she happened to mention that her husband didn't like mother's day because he thought it was unfair that mothers got lots of fuss in church when fathers. who are every bit as important, are largely overlooked on their day.   And he is right isn't he?  Loads of churches make a big deal of mothers - in the church I was in that Sunday ( which wasn't my own church as I was helping out with worship somewhere else) I was handed a pot plant as I left.  I don't think I can recall many father's days when Dads have been given gifts on the way out.

So in these days of equality I think I had better redress the balance and write a post in praise of Dads.  :)

Dads are super important people.   We were designed to have fathers, because God is the ultimate Father and He longs to show us what He is like through the relationships He places in our lives.   I'm not sure I can adequately explain the difference between ' mothering' and 'fathering', but I believe there is a difference.  It has nothing to do with roles and characteristics.  I firmly believe that a Dad can change nappies and stay at home and look after babies just as a Mum can wrestle teenage boys to the floor and teach them to drive.  And both can bring an equal amount of love to a child.   Fathering  is a spiritual thing.   It is about inheritance and authority.  And about representing the heart of the Father in the family.

So to all you Dads out there - I salute you.

To the work worn, over committed, exhausted Dads who feel guilty at not spending enough time with the kids - thank you for all your hard work and dedication.  As long as they know you love them that will be enough .  Because love covers over a multitude of things that we can't cover ourselves.

To the Dads who are also Mums because they are caring on their own.  Bravo!  Well done, it must be super hard.  I pray you get the help you need and are able to take it when its offered.  I pray for friends and a social life and enough money to meet your needs.

To the Dads of boys and the Dads of girls, the the fathers of twins and triplets and those whose kids have difficulties and health needs : you have your hands full but you are doing a great job.  I pray that your marriages and relationships are strong and healthy and that you can enjoy every moment of being a parent to those precious ones.

To the men who have longed to be Fathers but can't be.  You can be overlooked and your pain can go unexpressed.  Please know that God sees you and understands.  There is peace and it is possible to find it.  Or to allow it to find you.  Fathering isnt only biological.  The church needs spiritual fathers and the world needs to know the expressions of a fathers heart reaching out in love and faithfulness

To the fathers who have lost their children, through separation and divorce, death or distance, estrangement or any other means - I am so sorry , it is very hard.  May you know the comfort of the Holy Spirit and the hope of the God of the prodigals.

To grandfathers who are enjoying parenting all over again at a distance - bless you for your wisdom and insight, for your care and your fun.  May your grandfathering bring you huge amounts of joy and may your family relationships strengthen and deepen over the years.

And to those of you who have had a difficult relationship with your own fathers - may God bless you so much that forgiveness and kindness and love flow out of you into the broken places.  May past hurts be erased and first steps of reconciliation be taken where at all possible

You men probably don't get told often enough how great you are.  Our boys and young men look up to so many of you and want to be who you are.  Our girls and young women watch how you treat your wives and sisters and mothers and friends and build their expectations for the future around the example you set.  In a world which sends out so many warped and mixed messages about identity and gender and roles and responsibilities you guys are the real deal.  It can't be easy.  Thank you for being you and holding true to the man God has called you to be.

May you get flowers on Father's day and all the appreciation you deserve .
                                                       

Lent day 29 - floods

On the principle of better late than never Im posting the blog at the eleventh hour ( literally) today.  Apologies.  I hit the ground running at half seven this morning and have only just stopped running now - Ive just had no time at all to sit and write this until now.   So here you have it.  I shall keep it short and sweet.

It rained today.  All day.  Quite hard.   By 5.30pm when I was taking Ben to his guitar lesson the river in the village was up to the top of the bridge and the fields were flooded.   The drive to the lesson takes us along the ridge of a hill where a small stream runs in the valley down to the left.   It is usually a thin ribbon of water meandering slowly through the farmland.  This afternoon  it just looked like an large inland lake had always been there.

I was thinking about how quickly land can flood.  Yesterday the sheep had grass on which to graze and after seven or eight hours of rain the fields are properly flooded .  And as that thought flitted across my brain so did this one.                                                                                                                     

The thing that struck me was the speed at which the waters can rise.  It is staggering - and of course it is why it is so difficult for people to plan for floods.  And why floods do so much damage.

Yesterday I was reading something Paul Cain had prophesied .  He said this

Seems good to me that you are going to see some things that will leave some of you without words for days, there is a resurgence of the fear of the Lord coming, and it will fall suddenly, unexpectedly and unannounced. A new day is coming, it is not an encore - this will be like no other .

This will be a hallmark of a huge wave of the Spirit that will sweep around the earth. It will be about holiness and purity of heart, and it is a waste of time telling folk to get ready. It will just come. Suddenly. A revival with a hallmark of tears, but also profound intimacy with the person of the Holy Spirit.

Suddenly.  That's the word.  Suddenly like a flood He will come and we will know His glory.

Come Holy Spirit!

Lent day 28 - rescuers

Over the past couple of weeks I have seen several television programmes or films about lifeboats for some reason.  I can't say that I give the work of the RNLI much thought on a daily basis, but watching a fly on the wall documentary about them the other day left me amazed and full of admiration.  Such brave and selfless individuals.  Quite literally dealing with life and death issues every day.

It must take a special sort of person to volunteer to do a job like that.  I suppose in some ways it is a bit like being a soldier..... when you sign up you know that you stand a fairly good chance of being in physical danger, being wounded or even killed.   Except that lifeboat crew dont get paid and soliders do.   Lifeboat crew all have jobs and do their rescue work in their spare time.  So do mountain rescuers.  And some lifeguards and coastguards.   It never ceases to amaze me that people will sacrifice their time and energy and put themselves in the way of danger in order to help and rescue complete strangers, many of whom have been stupid and selfishly got themselves into trouble.   And what about our amazing fire service?  I think going into the sea and going into a burning building hold equal amounts of dread and terror for me.  Im pretty sure I couldnt do it.  But thousands of brave and selfless people do.

We dont think about our emergency services until an emergency happens and we need them.  Then we expect them to be there for us,  possibly putting themselves in danger on our behalf.  We yell for rescue and it comes .   The butcher and the baker and the dressmaker drop everything and rush to our aid.   And lots of us think about God in the same way.  We don't pay too much attention until something happens and we realise we need some help. And like the lifeboat team,  Jesus, the angels and the Holy Spirit come to our rescue.  They don't have to do that for us, but they do.

One day I am going to have a new body and I really hope that I will also get a new brain and a new memory too.  In heaven I'm going to make sure I keep a look out for all those people who have bravely and selflessly dedicated their lives to risky rescues.  I suspect they might be sitting somewhere up front in seats marked ' Reserved - greater love has no man than this, that he lays down his life for his friends'  right next to Jesus, the author and perfector of the risky rescue :)

lent 27 Storms

Jonah Flees From the Lord

1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

4 Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.6 The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”

7 Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” 9 He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

10 This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)  11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”  12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”

13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.” 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.  17 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Everyone knows the story.  Hard to find something new to say about it.   But today as I read it again I was thinking about another boat.  Another storm.  Another man in a deep sleep whilst those sailing the boat were in a panic and sure they were going to die.     Funny how the Bible has threads running through it and how Jesus ties them all up so that there is one consistent narrative spanning the whole of human history.   The usual comparison between Jonah and Jesus is the three days thing.   Belly of the fish, days in the tomb, brought back to life etc etc.

But that's not what stands out to me today. 

Jonah and Jesus are both on a mission from God to tell people that they need to repent and turn to Him in order to be saved.  Jonah bottles out and runs, Jesus embraces the task in complete obedience.  They both end up in a storm though.   Jesus's obedience did not guarantee Him a smooth ride.  He faced exactly the same circumstances that Jonahs disobedience caused him.  That hardly seems fair does it?   I mean, you can understand that God is mad at Jonah for running away and not doing what he has been told to do.  A storm seems like a good way of dealing with Jonah - of getting his attention and then getting him back to the place he needed to be, repentant, ready to fulfill the calling.    But Jesus had done nothing wrong.  He wasnt running away.  He was faithfully carrying out God's purposes.  And He still ended up in a storm!

Sometimes we can look at what is going on around us and it just doesnt make sense.   We are sure we are doing what we are supposed to be doing.  We pray and read and fellowship.  We tithe and worship and confess our sins.  We put our trust in God and submit as far as we are able - yet we wake up one day up to our necks in water, about to drown, screeching for help surrounded by darkness......  it's not fair!

Jonah and Jesus react differently to the storms they face.   Jonah is instantly convicted of his sin.   He knows what this storm is all about.  At least he is decent enough to own up and volunteers to lose his life rather than see the ship go down with the loss of many.   That's a very noble response.  I wonder how Jonah is feeling at this point.  Wretched and terrified I would imagine.   Possibly he feels that death is a good way out of this terrible situation he has brought upon himself.   Poor Jonah.  I feel sorry for him.    Jesus, on the other hand, knows what His storm is about too.  Jesus knows that He has authority over the wind and the waves.  He knows He has an enemy who is trying to wipe Him out and that He has been given a task to complete which is not yet finished.  So He has no fear.  He has faith in His mission, in His Father and in His own authority.   He stands up and tells the storm to stop.  And it does. 

If you are in a storm at the moment how are you responding?   Is the storm there to show you that you are running away and that you need to get back on track with God?  Do you need to repent and turn around before you take other people down with you?    Or is your storm an attack of the enemy to try to divert you from the mission God has set before you?   Is it time to remind yourself about Gods promises to you and  His ability to keep those promises?  Is it time to stand in the authority God has given you in Jesus and speak to your storm?