One night I had a wondrous dream.
One set of footprints there was seen,
the footprints of my precious Lord,
but mine were not along the shore.
But then some stranger prints appeared
and I asked the Lord, "What have we here?
Those prints are large and round and neat,
but, Lord, they are too large for feet."
"My child," he said in sober tones,
"For miles I carried you alone.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
but you refused and made me wait."
"You disobeyed, you would not grow.
The walk of faith you would not know.
So I got tired, I got fed up,
and there I dropped you on your butt."
"Because in life there comes a time
when one must fight and one must climb,
when one must rise and take a stand
or leave their butt prints in the sand."
Sam Glen
Original Poem by Mary Stevenson
A Good Samaritan
You've broken down by the side of the road, and someone kind stops and helps fix your car. Or you're at the supermarket checkout and find you're just short of having the right money, and the person behind offers to make it up to the right amount. They're both good Samaritans, people who help out and maybe even rescue you, when you're having a hard time.The phrase goes back to a story Jesus told about a Jewish man who was robbed and beaten up, and then helped by a passing Samaritan. The story was shocking, because for Jewish people of the time, Samaritans were foreigners who were hated and distrusted. In Jesus' story, the people you think would be bound to help don't, and it's the despised foreigner who comes to the rescue...
A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. "Look after him," he said, "and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have."
Luke 10:30-35
A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. "Look after him," he said, "and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have."
Luke 10:30-35
Prayer of the Day
I have great difficulty throwing things away. It may be because I grew up just after the 2nd World War when things were hard to get. But whatever the reason, I hate to discard anything unless it's clearly broken beyond repair. If it's still usable - it stays.
Every now and again I will have a go at clearing out. Unfortunately I have to get really worked up to do it and every time I end up chucking out something I really need just one week later.
But it's not only my cupboards that are overflowing with stuff from a bygone age. My head is full that sort of thing too. Attitudes that made perfect sense 40 years ago, but really don't have any use now. Definitions that were relevant when I was young today are meaningless. And I am sure I'm not alone. Many of us, brought up to look on security and stability as a kind of holy grail, find it difficult to relate to a world where a job for life isn't so much a rare thing as a bad one. Brought up to value good manners and respect for others, we can have difficulty working out what they look like in the context of the informal and casual way people now relate to one another.
We all need to be willing to review our values and our attitudes from time to time and be brave enough to let go of those that we don't need any more so that we can concentrate on the things that are really important. There are times when change can be a good thing, But in clearing out we need to be careful that we don't throw away something we do actually need.
When we are struggling to keep up with and handle the changes going on around us it's especially comforting to be able to turn for reassurance to a God Who doesn't change. His values are eternal but even they need to be expressed in a way that reflects the age in which we live.
Lord, Use us to show Your love to the world and help us to clear out of our hearts and minds any attitudes, values and prejudices that get in Your way. Amen
George Craig - Radio 4
Every now and again I will have a go at clearing out. Unfortunately I have to get really worked up to do it and every time I end up chucking out something I really need just one week later.
But it's not only my cupboards that are overflowing with stuff from a bygone age. My head is full that sort of thing too. Attitudes that made perfect sense 40 years ago, but really don't have any use now. Definitions that were relevant when I was young today are meaningless. And I am sure I'm not alone. Many of us, brought up to look on security and stability as a kind of holy grail, find it difficult to relate to a world where a job for life isn't so much a rare thing as a bad one. Brought up to value good manners and respect for others, we can have difficulty working out what they look like in the context of the informal and casual way people now relate to one another.
We all need to be willing to review our values and our attitudes from time to time and be brave enough to let go of those that we don't need any more so that we can concentrate on the things that are really important. There are times when change can be a good thing, But in clearing out we need to be careful that we don't throw away something we do actually need.
When we are struggling to keep up with and handle the changes going on around us it's especially comforting to be able to turn for reassurance to a God Who doesn't change. His values are eternal but even they need to be expressed in a way that reflects the age in which we live.
Lord, Use us to show Your love to the world and help us to clear out of our hearts and minds any attitudes, values and prejudices that get in Your way. Amen
George Craig - Radio 4
FAFF - Walk and Picnic
What a beautiful day for a walk at Ashton Court with the dears, I mean deers.
The i scream man is always on hand.
Time to dust off the picnic set.
It was a lovely Saturday afternoon for a walk and picnic.
Malayalam Christian Song
Found on YouTube, really nice music!
Malayalam (/malayALam/) is the principal language of the South Indian state of Kerala and also of the Lakshadweep Islands (Laccadives) of the west coast of India.
Ashton Court 25th August - TOMORROW
Don't forget tomorrow's picnic! The weather is going to be perfect!
CS Lewis
"Safety and happiness can only come from individuals, classes, and nations being honest and fair and kind to each other."
The Human Race
I heard this yesterday on Radio 4 while driving to an immigration prison in Oxford, how appropriate:
I've just got back from holiday to a pile of mail that includes an invitation to a dinner on Friday organised by the Indo-Pakistan Friendship Society. It's to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the partition of the sub-continent to form the new states of India and Pakistan.
To me, it's a bit like a couple separated in a bitter and acrimonious divorce getting together to celebrate an anniversary of their parting. In this case the parting cost more than a million lives with millions more, including members of my own family, fleeing homes in which they had lived for generations. Previously friendly neighbours turned on each other in fear and politically induced hate. Overnight, Sikhs found that many of their holiest places of worship, including the birthplace of their founder Guru Nanak, were now in what seemed, an alien and hostile land.
On what might be termed the plus side, Britain found a convenient exit strategy to leave a difficult to govern sub continent, and ageing Congress and Muslim League politicians got the power they had long craved. As India's first Prime Minister, Pandit Nehru wrote in his memoirs, 'if we hadn't taken power at that time, we might not have had another opportunity in our lifetime'.
To me the partition of the sub continent was one of the most shameful peacetime acts of the 20th century whose reverberations are still being felt today, as are the fall outs from the arbitrary division of other lands in the cause of political expediency.
Even worse is the argument used to justify partitioning countries: that people of different religions cannot live peacefully together. The actual thrust of religious teachings is in the very opposite direction of showing respect to others. In the parable of the good Samaritan, Jesus reminded Jews of the goodness that can be found in neighbouring communities. The Sikh holy scriptures, the Guru Granth Sahib includes uplifting writings of Hindu and Muslim saints to illustrate the same truth, and Guru Gobind Singh taught that we should look beyond labels like Hindu or Muslim or Shia and Sunni to an understanding of the oneness of our human race.
The tragic lesson of history is that people of different faiths all too easily allow themselves to be manipulated by the power hungry or in the cause of political expediency. It's a lesson well worth remembering in looking at today's turmoil in Iraq and other parts of our suffering world.
Indarjit Singh from Radio 4 - Thought of the Day
I've just got back from holiday to a pile of mail that includes an invitation to a dinner on Friday organised by the Indo-Pakistan Friendship Society. It's to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the partition of the sub-continent to form the new states of India and Pakistan.
To me, it's a bit like a couple separated in a bitter and acrimonious divorce getting together to celebrate an anniversary of their parting. In this case the parting cost more than a million lives with millions more, including members of my own family, fleeing homes in which they had lived for generations. Previously friendly neighbours turned on each other in fear and politically induced hate. Overnight, Sikhs found that many of their holiest places of worship, including the birthplace of their founder Guru Nanak, were now in what seemed, an alien and hostile land.
On what might be termed the plus side, Britain found a convenient exit strategy to leave a difficult to govern sub continent, and ageing Congress and Muslim League politicians got the power they had long craved. As India's first Prime Minister, Pandit Nehru wrote in his memoirs, 'if we hadn't taken power at that time, we might not have had another opportunity in our lifetime'.
To me the partition of the sub continent was one of the most shameful peacetime acts of the 20th century whose reverberations are still being felt today, as are the fall outs from the arbitrary division of other lands in the cause of political expediency.
Even worse is the argument used to justify partitioning countries: that people of different religions cannot live peacefully together. The actual thrust of religious teachings is in the very opposite direction of showing respect to others. In the parable of the good Samaritan, Jesus reminded Jews of the goodness that can be found in neighbouring communities. The Sikh holy scriptures, the Guru Granth Sahib includes uplifting writings of Hindu and Muslim saints to illustrate the same truth, and Guru Gobind Singh taught that we should look beyond labels like Hindu or Muslim or Shia and Sunni to an understanding of the oneness of our human race.
The tragic lesson of history is that people of different faiths all too easily allow themselves to be manipulated by the power hungry or in the cause of political expediency. It's a lesson well worth remembering in looking at today's turmoil in Iraq and other parts of our suffering world.
Indarjit Singh from Radio 4 - Thought of the Day
Red Cross Founded 22 August
1864: Red Cross founded
The Geneva Convention of 1864 for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick of Armies in the Field is adopted by 12 nations meeting in Geneva. The agreement, advocated by Swiss humanitarian Jean-Henri Dunant, called for nonpartisan care to the sick and wounded in times of war, and provided for the neutrality of medical personnel. It also proposed the use of an international emblem to mark medical personnel and supplies. In honor of Dunant's nationality, a red cross on a white background--the Swiss flag in reverse--was chosen. In 1901, Dunant was awarded the first Nobel Peace Prize.
The Geneva Convention of 1864 for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick of Armies in the Field is adopted by 12 nations meeting in Geneva. The agreement, advocated by Swiss humanitarian Jean-Henri Dunant, called for nonpartisan care to the sick and wounded in times of war, and provided for the neutrality of medical personnel. It also proposed the use of an international emblem to mark medical personnel and supplies. In honor of Dunant's nationality, a red cross on a white background--the Swiss flag in reverse--was chosen. In 1901, Dunant was awarded the first Nobel Peace Prize.
Going the Extra Mile
"Going the extra mile" is when you've done something good, and then go out of your way to add something even better. You do something more, and maybe even surprise yourself.An important part of the teaching of Jesus was about responding to violence and coercion in a non-violent way. The Jewish people in Jesus' time lived under occupation – their country was under the control of the Roman army. Jesus talked about responding to evil with love and generosity, a message which is as radical and relevant today as it ever was...
If someone sues you for your shirt, give up your coat as well. If a soldier forces you to carry his pack one mile, carry it two miles. When people ask you for something, give it to them. When they want to borrow money, lend it to them.
Matthew 5:40-42
Exams
Prayers for those considering their options after receiving exam results
Heavenly Father,
At this time when we are standing at a crossroads in our lives,
We thank you that you love us
Whatever path we take our identity we assume.
Help us, wherever we can,
To follow in the footsteps of your son,
Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Heavenly Father,
At this time when we are standing at a crossroads in our lives,
We thank you that you love us
Whatever path we take our identity we assume.
Help us, wherever we can,
To follow in the footsteps of your son,
Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Ashton Court 25th August
11:00am at the Church for a walk and picnic at Ashton Court. Don't feed the Deer! but do feed the Dears!
Ashton Court Estate is unique locally, regionally and nationally. With over 1.6 million visitors annually, it is the UKs third busiest country park. It's Grade 2 registered landscape, with 850 acres of woodland and grassland, and Grade 1 listed mansion rank amongst the country's finest.
Ashton Court Estate was acquired by Bristol City Council as late as 1959, but the place has a long history. There is clear evidence of the ridged strips of Saxon fields, but with the coming of William the Conqueror the area was transferred into Norman ownership. In 1392 Thomas de Lyons was granted a licence to enclose his lands and make a park, the foundation of the modern one. During the 16th century Ashton Court was bought by John Smyth, a merchant from Small Street. He and his descendants gradually enlarged, rebuilt, remodelled and reconstructed various parts of the house. The result was Ashton Court Mansion, with all the grandiose trappings of Victorian wealth. In 1939, however, it was requisitioned by the War Office, used in turn as a Transit Camp, RAF HQ and American Army Command HQ. The last Smyth owner died in 1946 and for 13 years the house, already in disrepair, lay empty. Damp, dry rot, beetle attack and vandalism all played their part in further dilapidation.When the City Council bought the Estate it was realised that much expensive work would have to be carried out. But gradually considerable conservation and restoration has been achieved and is still continuing.
Ashton Court Estate is unique locally, regionally and nationally. With over 1.6 million visitors annually, it is the UKs third busiest country park. It's Grade 2 registered landscape, with 850 acres of woodland and grassland, and Grade 1 listed mansion rank amongst the country's finest.
Ashton Court Estate was acquired by Bristol City Council as late as 1959, but the place has a long history. There is clear evidence of the ridged strips of Saxon fields, but with the coming of William the Conqueror the area was transferred into Norman ownership. In 1392 Thomas de Lyons was granted a licence to enclose his lands and make a park, the foundation of the modern one. During the 16th century Ashton Court was bought by John Smyth, a merchant from Small Street. He and his descendants gradually enlarged, rebuilt, remodelled and reconstructed various parts of the house. The result was Ashton Court Mansion, with all the grandiose trappings of Victorian wealth. In 1939, however, it was requisitioned by the War Office, used in turn as a Transit Camp, RAF HQ and American Army Command HQ. The last Smyth owner died in 1946 and for 13 years the house, already in disrepair, lay empty. Damp, dry rot, beetle attack and vandalism all played their part in further dilapidation.When the City Council bought the Estate it was realised that much expensive work would have to be carried out. But gradually considerable conservation and restoration has been achieved and is still continuing.
Elvis Presley RIP 30 Years Today
"For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep doing" (Romans 7:19).
Philippians 2:14-16
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life -- in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.
Philippians 2:14-16
Philippians 2:14-16
Drunken Confession
A drunken man staggered in to a Catholic church and sat down in a confession box, saying nothing.The bewildered priest coughed to attract his attention, but still the man said nothing.The priest then knocked on the wall three times in a final attempt to get the man to speak.Finally, the drunk replied, "No use knockin', mate, there's no paper in this one either."
14th August - End of WWII
1945: World War II ends.Japan agrees to surrender to the Allies. The decision, which brought an end to the most costly war in human history, came after a momentous week that saw two U.S. atomic bombs dropped on Japan and a declaration of war by the Soviets. In the evening, 1,000 Japanese army officers attacked the imperial palace with the intention of seizing a recorded message of Emperor Hirohito announcing the surrender; the imperial guards repulsed them. The next day, Hirohito's speech, which asked his people to endure the unendurable, was played on national radio, and hundreds of millions of people around the world celebrated V-J Day. Victory over Japan.
Thought of the Day
I heard this on Radio 4 yesterday on my way to Chelmsford to dismantle the Scout Jamboree Camp, it made me think of my journey and thought I would add it here:
My flatmate at Oxford was a gentleman, who only lost his cool after I caught religion. 'I can take your lows Lionel' he said 'and even your highs when you dance on tables- but I can't take pious hypocrisy. Get another flatmate - I'm leaving!'
I sympathised- when you first catch religion a bit of you goes ahead of you and it takes years before the rest of you catches up. Its isn't hypocrisy just inconsistency because you're trying to live on two levels at once. A little religious knowledge can be as dangerous as politicised, or uncritical religion. The news from the worlds trouble spots is the evidence, the Holy Land is one example. And even in Britain pious people seem to listen less these days because complexity is worrying, and dismissing other points of view is easier than understanding them.
Why does religion go so wrong? I've pondered this each year, on my August summer holidays when I start to prepare for the Jewish new year. Religion goes wrong because of simple but basic avoidances. You grow up but your childhood religion doesn't so your religion dwindles into a fairy tale. Also as God is within you, to know him better you need to know yourself better too. But home truths are painful, so making God in your image and not you in his seems the easier option.
And religions can become neurotic just like you. Take megalomania when you know all the answers just like God and its just bad luck they don't work! 'You' of course includes 'me' for I've fallen into the same traps.
Now this is sad stuff but humour and humility are as effective as hours of penitence and kneework. Here's a story which deflates me when I get too big for my spiritual boots. A young clergyman, asks his teacher how to wow his congregation with his sermons. 'Drop into my services' said his teacher 'and you'll see.' Which the young clergyman does. 'For many years' announced his teacher from the pulpit 'I slept cuddling a woman who wasn't my wife.' There was a startled silence. 'It was my mother' shouted his teacher and his relieved congregation fell about with laughter. The next Sabbath the young clergyman retells the story to his congregation. 'For many years' he said dramatically 'I slept cuddling a woman who wasn't my wife.' There's a hush! The young clergyman pauses puzzled. 'Now I wonder who she was' he whispered weakly.
Well, there's a little laugh for you. What with foot and mouth, flooding, the falling stock exchange and my sad strictures I thought you'd need some to show you religion doesn't necessarily mean 'God bless misery!'
Rabbi Lionel Blue
My flatmate at Oxford was a gentleman, who only lost his cool after I caught religion. 'I can take your lows Lionel' he said 'and even your highs when you dance on tables- but I can't take pious hypocrisy. Get another flatmate - I'm leaving!'
I sympathised- when you first catch religion a bit of you goes ahead of you and it takes years before the rest of you catches up. Its isn't hypocrisy just inconsistency because you're trying to live on two levels at once. A little religious knowledge can be as dangerous as politicised, or uncritical religion. The news from the worlds trouble spots is the evidence, the Holy Land is one example. And even in Britain pious people seem to listen less these days because complexity is worrying, and dismissing other points of view is easier than understanding them.
Why does religion go so wrong? I've pondered this each year, on my August summer holidays when I start to prepare for the Jewish new year. Religion goes wrong because of simple but basic avoidances. You grow up but your childhood religion doesn't so your religion dwindles into a fairy tale. Also as God is within you, to know him better you need to know yourself better too. But home truths are painful, so making God in your image and not you in his seems the easier option.
And religions can become neurotic just like you. Take megalomania when you know all the answers just like God and its just bad luck they don't work! 'You' of course includes 'me' for I've fallen into the same traps.
Now this is sad stuff but humour and humility are as effective as hours of penitence and kneework. Here's a story which deflates me when I get too big for my spiritual boots. A young clergyman, asks his teacher how to wow his congregation with his sermons. 'Drop into my services' said his teacher 'and you'll see.' Which the young clergyman does. 'For many years' announced his teacher from the pulpit 'I slept cuddling a woman who wasn't my wife.' There was a startled silence. 'It was my mother' shouted his teacher and his relieved congregation fell about with laughter. The next Sabbath the young clergyman retells the story to his congregation. 'For many years' he said dramatically 'I slept cuddling a woman who wasn't my wife.' There's a hush! The young clergyman pauses puzzled. 'Now I wonder who she was' he whispered weakly.
Well, there's a little laugh for you. What with foot and mouth, flooding, the falling stock exchange and my sad strictures I thought you'd need some to show you religion doesn't necessarily mean 'God bless misery!'
Rabbi Lionel Blue
Matthew 22:37
Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."
Matthew 22:37
Matthew 22:37
Chinese Christians
Check out this article called Christianity Finds a Fulcrum in Asia. The author puts forth a number of stunning claims and predictions, including . . .
10,000 Chinese become Christians every day.
Chinese may comprise the world’s largest concentration of Christians by 2050.
China feels an enormous spiritual hunger caused in large measure by its new-found prosperity.
The massive migration of Chinese from the countryside to the large cities contributes to their openness to the gospel.
There are now more than 100 million Christians. That number could double by 2050.
Islam will have no answer when China Christians take the gospel “back to Jerusalem.”
The house church movement is the fastest growing part of the church in China.
Chinese Christians, having suffered enormous persecution, evangelize with passionate fervor.
Freedom of worship is the first precondition for democracy.
China’s house churches may become the leaven of democracy.
Time will tell about the accuracy of these predictions, but no one can deny that God is up to something big in China. One year from now the Summer Olympics will be underway in Beijing and the eyes of the world will be on China as never before. Would you join me in praying for the spread of the gospel in China, for the strengthening of the Chinese churches, and for those who are giving themselves to take the Good News to the world’s largest nation?
10,000 Chinese become Christians every day.
Chinese may comprise the world’s largest concentration of Christians by 2050.
China feels an enormous spiritual hunger caused in large measure by its new-found prosperity.
The massive migration of Chinese from the countryside to the large cities contributes to their openness to the gospel.
There are now more than 100 million Christians. That number could double by 2050.
Islam will have no answer when China Christians take the gospel “back to Jerusalem.”
The house church movement is the fastest growing part of the church in China.
Chinese Christians, having suffered enormous persecution, evangelize with passionate fervor.
Freedom of worship is the first precondition for democracy.
China’s house churches may become the leaven of democracy.
Time will tell about the accuracy of these predictions, but no one can deny that God is up to something big in China. One year from now the Summer Olympics will be underway in Beijing and the eyes of the world will be on China as never before. Would you join me in praying for the spread of the gospel in China, for the strengthening of the Chinese churches, and for those who are giving themselves to take the Good News to the world’s largest nation?
Acts 4:10-12
"Know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.' Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Acts 4:10-12
Acts 4:10-12
Falling on Stoney Ground
You've given it your best shot. You've tried reason, persuasion, warning... and even threats. None of it has worked. Your words have fallen on stony ground.Jesus used this farming image to describe people who receive his teaching in a rather shallow way. He said that his words are like seeds which seem to take root for a while, but quickly dry up and die. The phrase appears in a story he told known as the parable of the sower...
A sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Mark 4:3-9
A sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Mark 4:3-9
Steve Harvey introduces Jesus!
American Comic, Steve Harvey, introduces Jesus "Vegas Style!"
Very funny!
Thought for the Day
I recently visited a Young Offender Institution. I talked to older teenage lads about their life before custody, to which they would soon return. Even allowing for exaggeration, their stories were disturbing - families without fathers, abuse and violence, absences from school, gangs and drugs. I asked one of the prison officers - whose whole life had been in the Prison Service - what he thought was powerful enough to change the patterns of behaviour they described. His answer took me by surprise. I thought he might say, 'They need to learn basic educational and social skills', or, 'They need a job' - both of which are important. But, after pausing, he said, 'I only know two things that are that powerful: the love of a good woman and religion'. He had seen young men change because they wanted to keep the love of a girl who didn't want a boyfriend whose behaviour got him into trouble with the law. He had seen others change under the influence of a religious faith. I should add that he had no idea that I was a priest. Now, although I don't doubt the truth of what he said, it does present those who are concerned in any way with policy-making with a difficulty. There is no way that the Youth Justice Board or the Prison Service can supply either girlfriends or religion.
But perhaps the prison officer does remind us of something we easily forget in policy-making: the cruciality of people.
I went into two churches this week. One had large boards on either side of the altar on which were written the Ten Commandments. Thou shalt not do this and thou shalt not do that. The other was dominated by an icon of Christ. I am sure that the behaviour of Christian people can be influenced by recalling the commandments. But my guess would be that more critical in shaping the response of Christians to life's temptations is the haunting image of the suffering Christ. In a nutshell, if there is someone we admire, respect, love - we want to please them by behaving well.
We do need to get education and training right for these troubled and troublesome young men; but we also need to bring them into meaningful contact with people whom they can come to respect and trust. Some of those will be people doing their job; more will have to be mentors or volunteers - you and me perhaps.
This weekend, commentators have been telling the Prime Minister elect what new policies are needed to cure the nation's ills. He might care to reflect, though, on this. Politics can put right many things, but not the one thing needful: human nature. That requires something far more powerful - the love of a good woman, religious faith, a relationship of trust. Everything may be politics, but politics isn't everything.
Rev Dr Allan Billings - Radio 4
But perhaps the prison officer does remind us of something we easily forget in policy-making: the cruciality of people.
I went into two churches this week. One had large boards on either side of the altar on which were written the Ten Commandments. Thou shalt not do this and thou shalt not do that. The other was dominated by an icon of Christ. I am sure that the behaviour of Christian people can be influenced by recalling the commandments. But my guess would be that more critical in shaping the response of Christians to life's temptations is the haunting image of the suffering Christ. In a nutshell, if there is someone we admire, respect, love - we want to please them by behaving well.
We do need to get education and training right for these troubled and troublesome young men; but we also need to bring them into meaningful contact with people whom they can come to respect and trust. Some of those will be people doing their job; more will have to be mentors or volunteers - you and me perhaps.
This weekend, commentators have been telling the Prime Minister elect what new policies are needed to cure the nation's ills. He might care to reflect, though, on this. Politics can put right many things, but not the one thing needful: human nature. That requires something far more powerful - the love of a good woman, religious faith, a relationship of trust. Everything may be politics, but politics isn't everything.
Rev Dr Allan Billings - Radio 4
Proverbs 25: 28
Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.
Proverbs 25:28
Proverbs 25:28
St Francis of Assisi - Patron Saint of Animals
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
St. Francis was born at Assisi in 1182. After a care free youth, he turned his back on inherited wealth and committed himself to God. Like many early saints, he lived a very simple life of poverty, and in so doing, gained a reputation of being the friend of animals. He established the rule of St Francis, which exists today as the Order of St. Francis, or the Franciscans. He died in 1226, aged 44.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
St. Francis was born at Assisi in 1182. After a care free youth, he turned his back on inherited wealth and committed himself to God. Like many early saints, he lived a very simple life of poverty, and in so doing, gained a reputation of being the friend of animals. He established the rule of St Francis, which exists today as the Order of St. Francis, or the Franciscans. He died in 1226, aged 44.
Romans 12: 9-10
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Romans 12:9-10
Romans 12:9-10
Remember
Remember that you are probably the only copy of the Gospels that a non-Christian will ever see!
Jumble / Table Top Sale - Sat 11th Aug - 10-12
Church of the Nazarene Knowle Park Bristol, just down Broad Walk from the shopping centre 10- 12 - Great morning to shop and have a free cup of tea or coffee and some cake. Cake and goods donations warmly appreciated. Volunteers welcome!
6th August - On this Day
1945: Hiroshima bombed
On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay, a U.S. B-29 bomber, drops the first atomic weapon ever used in combat on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Within minutes, the massive blast and the firestorm it produced destroyed most of the city and killed an estimated 70,000 people, a third of Hiroshima's population. Three days later, the major coastal city of Nagasaki was hit, prompting Japan's surrender in World War II, bringing the most costly war in human history to an end. Both cities were rebuilt, but the horror of the world's only nuclear attacks remain to this day. By the end of 1945, a total of some 200,000 people had perished as a result of the bombings. Many of those who survived faced a future of disease and premature death.
Please pray for all those affected.
On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay, a U.S. B-29 bomber, drops the first atomic weapon ever used in combat on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Within minutes, the massive blast and the firestorm it produced destroyed most of the city and killed an estimated 70,000 people, a third of Hiroshima's population. Three days later, the major coastal city of Nagasaki was hit, prompting Japan's surrender in World War II, bringing the most costly war in human history to an end. Both cities were rebuilt, but the horror of the world's only nuclear attacks remain to this day. By the end of 1945, a total of some 200,000 people had perished as a result of the bombings. Many of those who survived faced a future of disease and premature death.
Please pray for all those affected.
CS Lewis
"This year, or this month, or, more likely, this very day, we have failed to practise ourselves the kind of behaviour we expect from other people."
Doubting Thomas
A doubting Thomas is someone who won't take what you say on trust. He or she has to see it for themselves before they believe what you're saying. But why a doubting Thomas? Why not a doubting Ian, or a doubting Beyoncé?Thomas was the name of one of Jesus' 12 disciples. According to the story, when Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared to all his disciples... except for Thomas, who was out at the time. When Thomas came back, the disciples told him in great excitement that they had seen Jesus, but Thomas (unsurprisingly) wasn't convinced. He wanted to see for himself, and so he has gone down in history as the epitome of doubt...
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
John 20:26-28
Corinthians
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:2
1 Corinthians 13:2
Intelligent Design
Intelligent Design is an intellectual movement that challenges Darwinism and its dependence on random/chaotic processes coupled with selection. If people are not alerted to the fact that Darwinism is less than sufficient, then other theories are wasting their time. They will never get a fair hearing.
Intelligent Design is also a scientific research program that investigates the effects of intelligent causes, which are effects of high specificity coupled with extremely small probabilities.
Now that was a mouthful. What do I mean by high specificity coupled with small probability? Think of the lottery. Someone always wins the lottery despite the long odds. So improbable things do indeed happen.
But let’s make this specific. Let’s say your sister wins the lottery. Now that is someone you specifically know; but again someone always wins the lottery so the fact that it’s your sister doesn’t warrant any special attention.
Now let’s make things a bit less probable and much more specific. Let’s say your sister wins the lottery not once but three weeks in a row. Now what are you thinking? Like most people you’re thinking something is not right. The same person doesn’t win the lottery three weeks in a row.
You suspect cheating. You suspect Intelligent Design. Someone with a clever mind is somehow manipulating the lottery.....
Thought for the Day - 2 August
Tomorrow it will be three months since the little girl Madeline McCann went missing in Portugal. Whatever - with the wisdom of hindsight - we may have thought about the circumstances of her disappearance, we can only sympathise now with her distressed family, not least because all parents must have experienced similar heart-stopping moments when a child was missed, however momentarily. There but for the grace of God can go any of us; including, of course, the holy family. For according to St Luke's Gospel, when Jesus was twelve, his parents once returned from a pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem and only realised he wasn't with them after a day's travelling.
Recounting that now brings to my mind a half-buried childhood memory. I was in Sunday School. The teacher read us this story. She wanted to make the point - which is St Luke's point - that Jesus, somewhat precociously, had lingered in the temple because he had to be about his heavenly Father's business. In other words, even as a boy, he knew who he was. This was all lost on me. At the age of seven, I was simply shaken by the fearful realisation that if the holy family could lose track of the son of God, my own family could certainly lose track of me. This was an epiphany: however loving your parents, life was not risk-free.
We are not told whether Joseph and Mary resorted to prayer, though this is what people of faith do when distressed. It is what Madeline's parents have done since their daughter disappeared. But a society that has strayed far from religion must find the practice of prayer puzzling. In public discussions the assumption always seems to be that believers look to prayer to bring about a particular eventuality.
Of course, in prayer we do share with God our concerns, and also, naturally, how we want things to turn out. But believers always pray, explicitly or implicitly - to quote the Lord's Prayer - 'thy will be done' - a recognition that prayer cannot guarantee outcome. Prayer is not a mechanism for getting God to do something he would not otherwise do. But it is an acknowledgment that whatever comes to pass, we are not cut off from the love of God. This is what the saints mean when they say - as the anchoress Julian of Norwich famously said - that all will be well. All will be well, not necessarily because what transpires will be as you desire it, but because you will be given through prayer the resources you need to see you through, to face whatever happens.
Our desire is that Madeleine will be restored to her family unharmed. In the meantime, her parents can know the peace that can come to troubled hearts through prayer. For whatever the outcome, when the world seems mad or bad, for those who pray, all will be well.
Rev Dr Allan Billings - Radio 4
Recounting that now brings to my mind a half-buried childhood memory. I was in Sunday School. The teacher read us this story. She wanted to make the point - which is St Luke's point - that Jesus, somewhat precociously, had lingered in the temple because he had to be about his heavenly Father's business. In other words, even as a boy, he knew who he was. This was all lost on me. At the age of seven, I was simply shaken by the fearful realisation that if the holy family could lose track of the son of God, my own family could certainly lose track of me. This was an epiphany: however loving your parents, life was not risk-free.
We are not told whether Joseph and Mary resorted to prayer, though this is what people of faith do when distressed. It is what Madeline's parents have done since their daughter disappeared. But a society that has strayed far from religion must find the practice of prayer puzzling. In public discussions the assumption always seems to be that believers look to prayer to bring about a particular eventuality.
Of course, in prayer we do share with God our concerns, and also, naturally, how we want things to turn out. But believers always pray, explicitly or implicitly - to quote the Lord's Prayer - 'thy will be done' - a recognition that prayer cannot guarantee outcome. Prayer is not a mechanism for getting God to do something he would not otherwise do. But it is an acknowledgment that whatever comes to pass, we are not cut off from the love of God. This is what the saints mean when they say - as the anchoress Julian of Norwich famously said - that all will be well. All will be well, not necessarily because what transpires will be as you desire it, but because you will be given through prayer the resources you need to see you through, to face whatever happens.
Our desire is that Madeleine will be restored to her family unharmed. In the meantime, her parents can know the peace that can come to troubled hearts through prayer. For whatever the outcome, when the world seems mad or bad, for those who pray, all will be well.
Rev Dr Allan Billings - Radio 4
Revelation 3:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:20
Revelation 3:20