God in Everything

Thanks to Roger Johnson for this:

I’ve just returned from a staff meeting where the opening devotions centred upon the theme ‘God in Everything’. People shared how they had experienced God in the simple, everyday things of life. We reflected upon our journey to the meeting and the way in which we had been surprised by a special moment in which God’s presence came upon us unexpectedly.

For some it was a smile shared with a complete stranger at the petrol station or when walking in the street - for another it was a sudden flash of sunlight on a desolate landscape – for another it was sad news being received in a gentle and warm manner.

Many books have been written about the way God has shown up at the most unexpected moments – a time of depression, a time of bereavement or a similar time of struggle when we felt that God was distant. It’s not that God plays ‘hide and seek’ with us but rather that our expectation of God’s presence is too closely tied up with good times and not difficult times. The Bible is full of divine encounters which happened when people were at a low ebb – Elijah in the cave, Job assailed by disasters, Simon Peter after the resurrection beside the Sea of Galilee – you can probably add many more.

Sometimes God breaks in to our lives in strange incidents which only become meaningful months or years later. I remember when I was a very young Christian that I was in a Christian bookshop in Cambridge. As I browsed the shelves I knocked a book on the floor. As I stooped down to pick it up, although I knew nothing about it, I felt compelled to buy it. The book was ‘The Imitation of Christ’ by Thomas à Kempis. It was only later as I started to benefit from these ancient meditations that I realised I was treading a well-worn path.

As some of us will be winding down for a summer break, perhaps this is a time to ask God to reveal himself to us in new ways which will energise us when we return in September. The photo at the top of this bulletin* is a reminder of the beauty, harmony and intricacy of nature – something which, if only we take the time to observe, is rich with revelations of God’s nature. Jesus was constantly pointing people to natural things around them when explaining the truth about the Kingdom of God – a man sowing seeds, yeast in the bread, mustard seeds, birds of the air and so forth. Indeed he helped us to realise that the Kingdom of God, rather than being ‘otherworldly’ can be experienced in the ‘here and now’.

Stephen Cottrell in his recent book ‘Do nothing to change your life’ advocates regularly switching off and doing nothing for three minutes in order to experience God’s presence in your life. He stood on a London station giving out egg-timers to help people to do this.

There’s no better time than on holiday to practice the discipline of seeking God in the unexpected and everyday moments of life.

*the photo is mine, not Roger's, and shows part of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path West of Cardigan

Driven to Distraction?

Youngest daughter is currently learning how to drive. I hope she passes her test sooner rather than later !!

Teresa Clarke finally passed her driving test this week - after 27 years. It was the thirteenth test she had taken, after a total of 450 hours of tuition, at a cost of £15,000. Naturally, she was delighted; or, as her relieved driving instructor put it, 'she went absolutely bananas.' Well, wouldn't you, after 27 years?

Truth is that many of us would have given up long before. However, despite all the setbacks she encountered, Mrs Clarke insists that she, 'never wanted to give up learning to drive.' The primary reason why her success is newsworthy is because such perseverance is a rare thing in our 'instant society'.

Perseverance, of course, is the hallmark of true discipleship (Luke 9:62). However, in seeking to demonstrate the relevance of the Gospel to contemporary culture, we need to be careful not to create the impression that culture is the authority that authenticates the Gospel. Rather, as those believing in the divine authority of Scripture, we should seek to help people view culture through the lens of a biblical worldview, in order that they see things for what they really are.

In the case of Mrs Clarke this means celebrating her achievement for what it is - perseverance in passing her driving test - but steering clear of the temptation to interpret it as what it is not - an object lesson in persevering in discipleship. We don't need Mrs Clarke passing her driving test to teach us to persevere in discipleship - Jesus does that in the Bible. However, Mrs Clarke is an example of the difference a commitment to a biblical worldview makes in everyday life.

Mrs Clarke, you see, is a committed Christian, and it is in this context that her perseverance in learning to drive should be understood. 'I'm looking forward to taking people to church, to not having to ask my husband to take me shopping and to going to see my daughters', she commented after passing her test. Her perseverance in learning to drive was motivated by a desire to serve others, relieve them of their burdens, and be a blessing to them. These are thoroughly biblical values - testimony that Mrs Clarke's faith has informed her thinking as regards what's worth persevering with in life. In our 'instant society' she refused to 'conform to the pattern of this world', but was 'transformed by the renewing of [her] mind' (Romans 12:2).
What do our ongoing commitments say about our perseverance in the faith?
Nigel Hopper (LICC)

Take it to the Streets

On Wednesday Church Leaders from Scunthorpe met with Les Isaac, founder of 'Street Pastors' in the UK.
Arrangements are under way to train and introduce Street Pastors in Scunthorpe, probably on Friday and Saturday nights, maybe as soon as Christmas.
Watch this space for more info.

Today I got this article from LICC (Godincidence!)

Being a policeman is not an easy task. Take the other night, for example; the PC visiting the youth group I help out with had the unenviable task of giving a talk on police policy for stopping and searching young people. A fairly routine PR exercise for the boys in blue, but in this instance the speaker knew not only that many of the youths had first hand experience of being stopped and searched, but also that it was he who had carried out those searches.

Talk about making yourself vulnerable to criticism.

And, of course, this wasn't just a routine chat. In the light of 17 deaths due to knife crime in the capital alone this year, stop and searches will become more frequent; so improved dialogue between young people and the police is an extremely positive step.

But there is another solution to seeing crime on our streets reduced: flip-flops.

This is the story of a Christian woman who carries flip-flops around in her handbag. She has done so ever since meeting an inebriated young woman on the streets at pub and club turnout time (when the potential for violence is at its highest), who'd lost those fancy, but ever so flimsy high heels she was wearing. So the Christian woman resolved that whenever she went out at night in future, she would take a supply of flip-flops, to help revellers in a similar state get home safely.

Of course, this woman wasn't alone; she was part of one of the many Street Pastor teams that are rising up around the country. These teams - coalitions from churches - man the pavements outside bars and clubs, and take care of those minor incidents that swallow up so much police time. Like making sure vulnerable, single women get home safely, and that rows don't escalate into fights, and calling an ambulance when it's absolutely necessary.

This isn't about random acts of kindness; it's about intentional kingdom living (Matthew 25:31-40). This is living out God's rule of compassion and mercy on the streets, and giving hope to paramedics and police, as well as the punters in the pubs.

It's fantastic that police forces are keen to dialogue with churches and youth groups. But, as the Street Pastor initiative has been doing, let us be equally keen to initiate talks, and bring rescue to our violent streets, by seeking to actively serve those who serve us so willingly.

Jason Gardner