The Bible comes to life

The Bible is a book that some enthuse over because it speaks to them on a regular basis. It seems to me that one's relationship with the Bible is dependant in large part on what mood you are in as you read. Today I was in a very receptive mood. And for the first time in yonks verses have been leaping off the page and addressing my precise situation.

For example, ever since I began this blog I have been trying to engage with the questions raised by Richard Dawkins in The God Delusion. Some of my responses are recorded in the blog. Though I have come up with counter-arguments which are more-or-less logical, none of them are watertight, and I have not been able to shake off a tiny niggling doubt - "What if Dawkins is right?" Today God gave me a command which I intend to follow. In the words of Colossians 2:8...

See to it that no-one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human traditioin and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

The Lord taketh away

It was several years ago that the Lord gaveth. We were amongst the millions who benefited from the demutualisation of the Bradford and Bingley building society. We were suddenly shareholders. In recent times with share prices plummeting I have not been worried. Our assorted shares are long term investments and I don't mind if they are worth less now providing that their value increases again some time in the future. Unfortunately the news of the nationalisation of the said building society means the shares are not so much worth less as worthless.

I can't complain. We've been receiving small dividends over the years from these shares. We didn't earn them in the first place, they were a free gift out of nowhere. And now they're gone again. That's life. The one thing I need to do to maintain my calm composure is never to calculate how much money we would have received if we had sold the shares before all these financial problems began.

A cure for boredom

I've just returned from our annual Street Pastors commissioning service. The attendance was low and we only commissioned one person - unlike two years ago when the whole team was commissioned. (Here is a photo of us when we first set out onto the streets.)

But several elements of the service hit home to me. One was when Les Isaac, tonight's preacher and one of the key people behind the Street Pastor movement, said that sometimes his Christian life had been boring. "Tell me about it," I said to myself. The same routine, the same concerns, the same frustrations, the same endless efforts to get on top of paperwork, the same guilt about the amount of time I spend on trivia. But the good news is that it doesn't have to be like that.

I was excited by two things. One is that Jesus is clearly at work calling people (even if only one) to continue this vital ministry. I had a sense in the service of the bigger picture. There is a kingdom in which Jesus is the Lord, and although I am part of it, his work doesn't depend exclusively on me. Another exciting moment was the realisation that my call is to love people. Obvious I know. Trite I know. But it hit home with renewed force. I am actually blessed in having lots of opportunities to love people - through Street Pastors, through family life, through Methodist ministry. These opportunities should fill me with excitement. And as of now, they do.

On the way home I was listening to the album Leftoverture by Kansas. The music was perfect for my upbeat mood. And given my keenness to make a difference in people's lives, the following words seemed especially germane.


But there's too many empty lives my friend
And we just can't let them waste away.
For this life is a precious thing my friend
And we just can't wait another day.

Treating children like mini adults

One of the concerns raised at the school governors meeting last night was the way parents talked in the presence of their children. Either the subject matter or the foul language was sometimes hugely inappropriate for children under 10. The parents at the meeting were more passionate about this than I was. Partly because I don't hang around the school gates to hear what is being said, but partly because of my easy-going approach to life. On reflection this is a case for getting steamed up.

Children are not adults. They shouldn't be subjected to the full range of sex, violence and bad language that I seem to take in my stride these days. If they grow up in a household where such things are normal and not hidden, then no wonder they act and speak the same themselves.

Our church is in the process of appointing a family worker. The above thoughts remind me of the vital reasons behind this appointment. It is not to make the existing congregation feel better because the age profile of the church is lowered. It is not even to ensure a future for our particular church. It is because the church has something to offer to families and to growing children. We have a message to share and an example to show which will make a difference to people's lives, especially during those formative years.

When is a door not a door?

When it's a jar.

This was one of the first riddles I ever heard way back when I was a little bitty boy. It comes to mind because we found this morning that our front door had been left slightly ajar all night. (I know who was the last person home last night, but I'm not naming names.)

Fortunately the dog didn't exit and no burglar entered. Thanks be to God! Why thank God? Well, I wouldn't go as far as to say that God sent an angel to stand guard and keep the eyes of any villainous passers-by from noticing the ajarness of the door. But neither do I believe that God himself didn't notice and wasn't interested. God provides for our needs in a whole range of ways, and most often by gentle subtlety rather than by dramatic intervention. Maybe one day a slip up like this will have bad consequences and I will have to say "thank you, God, for teaching us we need to be more careful" but as far as last night goes - "Thank you, God, for your protection and for keeping us safe."

Getting high on God

I've just read the last verse of the first letter of John - "Precious children, don't get high on anything but God". This is how Rob Lacey puts it in his Street Bible. It may be a very loose translation of the NIV "Dear children, keep yourself from idols", but something about it hit home.

I have no fears on one score. I don't get high on non-God things. My trouble is that I don't get high on God either. I just don't get high full stop. I'm happy enough. I enjoy life. In fact I have a really good life for which I am jolly grateful. But where's the buzz? Where are those moments of being caught up into seventh heaven which I recall from my youth?

Perhaps it's just middle-age. Perhaps it's having settled into a routine with no major challenges or expectations. Perhaps I'm making a fuss about nothing. Yes, that seems the most likely. Now I think of it there are still moments when I'm swept away by the beauty of creation, or the marvels of science, or the intimacy of a loving wife - and all these things are gifts of God. Perhaps my whole life is lived so far above sea level that being on a high is relatively normal for me. Now that the mists have cleared, I think I can see a few peaks ahead of me even on today's journey let alone further in the future. Onwards and upwards!

• OUTCOME: No moments of intense joy but plenty of warm satisfaction. Being able to listen to a colleague share his troubles gave me the sense of being in the right place at the right time. It also underlined my gratitude for God's many blessings.