Some folk were definitely praying for this evening's concert at Gartree Prison. Our reduced choir members arrived after all the visitors had come through prison security and taken their seats. All were clearly nervous but we made a good start and the whole event went off without a hitch. Our final choir piece tonight was "God's Choir in the Sky" and brought it to an excellent end. So thanks for praying for us.
The impact of these choir concerts on everyone is significant. Most of those that come from outside are prison visitors and they always speak highly of these events. Prison staff on duty were helpful and appreciative. The prisoners in the audience find it a highlight - bear in mind all of these prisoners are doing very long sentences. But the main beneficiaries are the choir members who undoubtedly feel something of God's love through the practices and response of the audience. Some are already Christians. All will have gone back to a cell roughly 6ft by 8ft (one small room=bedroom, living room bathroom, toilet and dining room) feeling positive tonight.
All will have committed an horrendous crime in the past and each day they live in a context that reminds them. A life sentence is not as easy as sometimes parts of the media make out. Finding God's love and peace in such a context is very precious.
Anxiety among many farmers has been increasing what with bovine TB spreading and what looks like a poor harvest as far as corn and hay are concerned, which will put costs up for beef and dairy farmers at a time when beef prices are falling. We need to pray for the good work of the Farm Crisis Network.
Doreen worked hard helping me to get various postal mailings out over the last few days. I am also getting good feedback from those who have visited the new websites. If you have not already visited www.ruralmissionsolutions.org.uk and www.ruralevangelism.net please do so soon and leave your comments on the contact pages.
Tomorrow I have two appointments in London. I meet with a staff member of the URC at 11.00 and then with the Rural Evangelism Network Committee at 12.30. Sometimes God seems to make additional appointments on the trains. We shall see!
Wednesday 28 July 2010
Saturday 24 July 2010
Nose to the grindstone
I'm not sure of the origin of this phrase, but it explains why there has been no posting for the past two weeks.
At the heart of this busy time has been the building of two new websites that could (potentially) replace the existing website at www.ruralmissions.org.uk. This existing website is a specialist site primarily designed for churches. It has lots of built in facilities that made it ideal for the Rural Evangelism Network. It has been hosted by Rural Sunrise for the last few years and costs quite a lot of money. It was time we reviewed this.
A survey of REN members revealed that very few were using any of the special facilities for which we were paying, so I set about exploring alternatives. Please take a look at www.ruralevangelism.net and www.ruralmissionsolutions.org.uk to see the results of these labours. Both still need more work.
"Rural Mission Solutions" is the name under which I will be carrying out much of my ministry. It will replace the name "Rural Sunrise" over a period of time. Monica, my colleague in rural ministry has chosen to operate in the Charity name which is "Sunrise Ministries". While it is only the "working name" that is changing I hope to see the tailored mission aspect of my work becoming a greater focus. Right now we could do with four or five churches that would be interested in engaging with this process, and four or five people who would like to train as enablers.
Another aspect of work in the past two weeks was the Rural Evangelism Network mail-out. This time of year is also when annual subscriptions are due from our members. Collecting these is a complex process as some representatives of Churches and organisations pay direct, while other subscription invoices have to be referred through treasurers at a different address. Yet another dimension to this work was the opening of a new bank account for REN which involved shuttling papers between Leicestershire, Devon, Suffolk and West Sussex.
One of the elements of work undertaken by two of my colleagues in REN has been the production of a workbook for people involved in County Shows. The notes are downloadable from the REN website but I have also turned these into an A5 format hard copy workbook, which will be a resource on sale for a modest price from here.
The prison choir has been challenging over the last two weeks. Readers of these postings may remember that the authorities transferred several of our choir members to other prisons. A poster campaign to attract new members was launched but for some reason I do not understand the posters never went up around the prison. So we are left with a smaller choir and not all are able to attend the practice every week. The concert is next Wednesday (we usually have over 30 outside visitors and 20 inmates) and we are around 60% ready!
The International Congregational Fellowship had a telephone conference to move forward plans for the next International Conference which will be held at the Brunel University in 2013. My primary role is getting publicity started including a DVD.
Last Monday I visited St. Philip's Centre in Leicester. This is a national centre for inter-faith issues. The reason behind the visit was to explore with them the possibility of their developing a training course for Christians going into chaplaincy ministry where there is inevitably an inter-faith dimension. Many find this a challenging aspect but it is perfectly possible to maintain a Christian witness with integrity while operating in an inter-faith context. It was a useful visit and I have been pursuing this enquiry wearing two of my Congregational federation "hats". If interest for this course develops other Christian denominations would also have something of value available to them. Chaplaincy ministry is front-line mission work in the UK context today.
On the subject of courses, I have made an enquiry to Winchester University as to whether it will be possible to pick up my MPhil research degree with them. What started with Bangor University got interrupted by moving to the East Midlands, two house moves, and some employment changes, plus some accident/illness issues. In the meantime the department I was registered with at Bangor also underwent changes and is no longer an appropriate location for this work. The Congregational Federation's Training Course (on which I occasionally provide input) is validated by Winchester University. If they accept me (and if I can afford it) this could draw together various elements of my life and work. The research is into contemporary patterns of rural evangelism.
This coming week I am free from ministry on Sunday, but Doreen and I will be at Yelvertoft and Theddingworth churches through the day. Tuesday is our last choir practice before the concert on Wednesday evening. On Thursday I have a meeting with a staff member of the United Reformed Church at their offices in London followed by a REN Committee meeting at the same location. On Saturday I have a marriage blessing service at Hothorpe Hall (great opportunity to share the message of God's sacrificial love) and on Sunday 1st August I will conduct the morning meeting at Yelvertoft followed by conducting a service at a hospital in Market Harborough.
Now, where's that grindstone!
At the heart of this busy time has been the building of two new websites that could (potentially) replace the existing website at www.ruralmissions.org.uk. This existing website is a specialist site primarily designed for churches. It has lots of built in facilities that made it ideal for the Rural Evangelism Network. It has been hosted by Rural Sunrise for the last few years and costs quite a lot of money. It was time we reviewed this.
A survey of REN members revealed that very few were using any of the special facilities for which we were paying, so I set about exploring alternatives. Please take a look at www.ruralevangelism.net and www.ruralmissionsolutions.org.uk to see the results of these labours. Both still need more work.
"Rural Mission Solutions" is the name under which I will be carrying out much of my ministry. It will replace the name "Rural Sunrise" over a period of time. Monica, my colleague in rural ministry has chosen to operate in the Charity name which is "Sunrise Ministries". While it is only the "working name" that is changing I hope to see the tailored mission aspect of my work becoming a greater focus. Right now we could do with four or five churches that would be interested in engaging with this process, and four or five people who would like to train as enablers.
Another aspect of work in the past two weeks was the Rural Evangelism Network mail-out. This time of year is also when annual subscriptions are due from our members. Collecting these is a complex process as some representatives of Churches and organisations pay direct, while other subscription invoices have to be referred through treasurers at a different address. Yet another dimension to this work was the opening of a new bank account for REN which involved shuttling papers between Leicestershire, Devon, Suffolk and West Sussex.
One of the elements of work undertaken by two of my colleagues in REN has been the production of a workbook for people involved in County Shows. The notes are downloadable from the REN website but I have also turned these into an A5 format hard copy workbook, which will be a resource on sale for a modest price from here.
The prison choir has been challenging over the last two weeks. Readers of these postings may remember that the authorities transferred several of our choir members to other prisons. A poster campaign to attract new members was launched but for some reason I do not understand the posters never went up around the prison. So we are left with a smaller choir and not all are able to attend the practice every week. The concert is next Wednesday (we usually have over 30 outside visitors and 20 inmates) and we are around 60% ready!
The International Congregational Fellowship had a telephone conference to move forward plans for the next International Conference which will be held at the Brunel University in 2013. My primary role is getting publicity started including a DVD.
Last Monday I visited St. Philip's Centre in Leicester. This is a national centre for inter-faith issues. The reason behind the visit was to explore with them the possibility of their developing a training course for Christians going into chaplaincy ministry where there is inevitably an inter-faith dimension. Many find this a challenging aspect but it is perfectly possible to maintain a Christian witness with integrity while operating in an inter-faith context. It was a useful visit and I have been pursuing this enquiry wearing two of my Congregational federation "hats". If interest for this course develops other Christian denominations would also have something of value available to them. Chaplaincy ministry is front-line mission work in the UK context today.
On the subject of courses, I have made an enquiry to Winchester University as to whether it will be possible to pick up my MPhil research degree with them. What started with Bangor University got interrupted by moving to the East Midlands, two house moves, and some employment changes, plus some accident/illness issues. In the meantime the department I was registered with at Bangor also underwent changes and is no longer an appropriate location for this work. The Congregational Federation's Training Course (on which I occasionally provide input) is validated by Winchester University. If they accept me (and if I can afford it) this could draw together various elements of my life and work. The research is into contemporary patterns of rural evangelism.
This coming week I am free from ministry on Sunday, but Doreen and I will be at Yelvertoft and Theddingworth churches through the day. Tuesday is our last choir practice before the concert on Wednesday evening. On Thursday I have a meeting with a staff member of the United Reformed Church at their offices in London followed by a REN Committee meeting at the same location. On Saturday I have a marriage blessing service at Hothorpe Hall (great opportunity to share the message of God's sacrificial love) and on Sunday 1st August I will conduct the morning meeting at Yelvertoft followed by conducting a service at a hospital in Market Harborough.
Now, where's that grindstone!
Sunday 11 July 2010
The weekly report
It has been another busy week with various activities filling much of what might otherwise have been "private time". The coming week, by contrast has fewer commitments that will allow some free time, but also space to do a few office based jobs that have accumulated.
Last Sunday's special joy was having Leslie Freer, our Church Secretary, lead our morning meeting at Yelvertoft with me bringing ministry from God's Word and leading communion. This was the first time since I came to Yelvertoft that we have worked as a team in leading worship and it was a real joy to me. Our theme exploring how the Holy Spirit enriches relationships will be developed a little further this Sunday morning.
On Monday my car went to the local body shop for long awaited repairs after being struck by a lorry outside our home. What was expected to take two days was done in less than one. Then, after pointing out that a very small nick in the paintwork had been missed the mechanics mixed up enough paint not only to do this minor defect but also to carefully touch up a different part of the car while I was waiting.
It was my monthly visit to take Assembly at Lubenham Primary School which ended in my getting "high fives" from all the Year Six leavers. After this I had been invited to have an aortic aneurysm scan (part of this areas preventative provision to check for abnormalities) and was told I was "normal". Some might have a different opinion.
Tuesday was my weekly prison ministry. We have only three more practices before the concert and we are far from ready! On Wednesday I had an early start to travel to Rugby for a working breakfast with church leaders there. In the evening I sat with a young couple, Matthew and Sonya, preparing for their marriage. On Thursday, after a morning of office work, I set off for a working lunch in the village of Grandborough, Warwickshire where I met with the Diocesan Rural Officer and a newly appointed incumbent in one of the larger villages nearby. Thursday is my day for pastoral visits in and around Yelvertoft so that filled my afternoon and early evening.
On Friday there was a meeting of my local management committee and preparation for Saturday's "Rural Mission" event organised by the Diocese of Leicester where I was able to have a presence. So it was off early to Broughton Astley to set up my stall. And what a great day that proved to be. The Bishop of Shrewsbury (an old friend and formally part of the Rural Evangelism Network) was the main speaker and people crowded round by stall at times likes bees round a honey pot. The most encouraging aspect from my point of view was the high level of interest in the "No Ordinary Man" Project. For more pictures and audio files from this event go to http://sbg.dioceseofleicester.
Through this week I also set up three new websites, two of which are proposed to take the place of the existing website. The current website was set up to be interactive with a network of people doing rural mission putting their material on it and using it as a facility for shared administrative work within the Rural Evangelism Network. But few have taken up the opportunities this excellent facility offers and i have been largely left to manage it myself. So it has become like having a Rolls Royce when a Vauxhall Astra would be more than adequate. There is still work to be done but if you would like to see how this is progressing do take a look at www.ruralevangelism.net (the new REN website) and www.ruralmissionsolutions.org.uk (the new Rural Sunrise website). Both are still missing the "resources" pages.
This Week
We start with conducting two meetings today: Yelvertoft this morning and Theddingworth this evening.
On Tuesday I am taking a school assembly at Yelvertoft and then working in the prison.
A planned meeting for local rural church leaders on Wednesday will almost certainly be postponed.
On Thursday I have a telephone conference in the morning as I am involved in planning a major international conference for 2013. Then I expect to be in Yelvertoft for my weekly visits.
Between these activities there is work to be done on the new websites, a mail-out for the Rural Evangelism Network, and some very important papers to finish for the report being prepared for the House of Bishops of the Church of England on the pastoral care of those who have suffered sexual abuse.
Do please pray for us each day if you can. With some ingenuity you might be able to print this posting off. I value your prayers for Doreen, my wife, whose peripheral neuropathy makes walking very difficult.
A big THANK YOU for standing with us in prayer.
Last Sunday's special joy was having Leslie Freer, our Church Secretary, lead our morning meeting at Yelvertoft with me bringing ministry from God's Word and leading communion. This was the first time since I came to Yelvertoft that we have worked as a team in leading worship and it was a real joy to me. Our theme exploring how the Holy Spirit enriches relationships will be developed a little further this Sunday morning.
On Monday my car went to the local body shop for long awaited repairs after being struck by a lorry outside our home. What was expected to take two days was done in less than one. Then, after pointing out that a very small nick in the paintwork had been missed the mechanics mixed up enough paint not only to do this minor defect but also to carefully touch up a different part of the car while I was waiting.
It was my monthly visit to take Assembly at Lubenham Primary School which ended in my getting "high fives" from all the Year Six leavers. After this I had been invited to have an aortic aneurysm scan (part of this areas preventative provision to check for abnormalities) and was told I was "normal". Some might have a different opinion.
Tuesday was my weekly prison ministry. We have only three more practices before the concert and we are far from ready! On Wednesday I had an early start to travel to Rugby for a working breakfast with church leaders there. In the evening I sat with a young couple, Matthew and Sonya, preparing for their marriage. On Thursday, after a morning of office work, I set off for a working lunch in the village of Grandborough, Warwickshire where I met with the Diocesan Rural Officer and a newly appointed incumbent in one of the larger villages nearby. Thursday is my day for pastoral visits in and around Yelvertoft so that filled my afternoon and early evening.
Through this week I also set up three new websites, two of which are proposed to take the place of the existing website. The current website was set up to be interactive with a network of people doing rural mission putting their material on it and using it as a facility for shared administrative work within the Rural Evangelism Network. But few have taken up the opportunities this excellent facility offers and i have been largely left to manage it myself. So it has become like having a Rolls Royce when a Vauxhall Astra would be more than adequate. There is still work to be done but if you would like to see how this is progressing do take a look at www.ruralevangelism.net (the new REN website) and www.ruralmissionsolutions.org.uk (the new Rural Sunrise website). Both are still missing the "resources" pages.
This Week
We start with conducting two meetings today: Yelvertoft this morning and Theddingworth this evening.
On Tuesday I am taking a school assembly at Yelvertoft and then working in the prison.
A planned meeting for local rural church leaders on Wednesday will almost certainly be postponed.
On Thursday I have a telephone conference in the morning as I am involved in planning a major international conference for 2013. Then I expect to be in Yelvertoft for my weekly visits.
Between these activities there is work to be done on the new websites, a mail-out for the Rural Evangelism Network, and some very important papers to finish for the report being prepared for the House of Bishops of the Church of England on the pastoral care of those who have suffered sexual abuse.
Do please pray for us each day if you can. With some ingenuity you might be able to print this posting off. I value your prayers for Doreen, my wife, whose peripheral neuropathy makes walking very difficult.
A big THANK YOU for standing with us in prayer.
Saturday 10 July 2010
Giving out the wrong signals!
I was on my way back home after attending the Rural Mission Day organised by the Diocese of Leicester. It was still hot at around 4.30 this afternoon, not much short of 30 degrees. I used the country lanes to make my way back from Broughton Astley to Market Harborough - much of them quite narrow but not usually busy. As I reached one of the crossroads an expensive BMW convertible was stationery blocking the way. It looked as if the driver was gossiping on the phone. Annoyingly, he decided to go straight over where I wanted to go and to proceed at an unnecessarily slow speed as if I did not exist!
After a while he gave a clear hand signal to turn right. I could see a couple of houses with drives off the narrow lane so I dropped back to enable him to slow down for the turn. He passed the first driveway and then passed the other! I presumed he had mistaken the place and so dropped back at each entrance on the right until we came to the end of the lane. Meanwhile he had once again hand signalled to turn right but then failed to do so, while continuing at his leisurely pace. Now I could also see that the lady beside him was on the mobile phone.
Eventually, we came to Husbands Bosworth and the main road. We both turned left and he immediately gave a clear hand signal to turn right but drove past the turning! It was then that I realised that his hand signals were just gesticulation as he was talking to the woman in the seat next to him. I signalled right and put my foot down to pass the annoying man heedless of the fact that he was giving out misleading signals.
As I muttered about affluent road hogs in their posh cars who didn't care about other road users, I imagined him saying, "I didn't get where I am today by worrying what other people might think"! And I suspect I am right about that. But I was also thinking about how easily Christians and churches give out the wrong and often misleading signals because we are too wrapped up in what we are doing to imagine what impact we are having on others travelling the same "road".
It is as well to remember that someone may well be watching us, and be careful what signals we might heedlessly be giving to others!
After a while he gave a clear hand signal to turn right. I could see a couple of houses with drives off the narrow lane so I dropped back to enable him to slow down for the turn. He passed the first driveway and then passed the other! I presumed he had mistaken the place and so dropped back at each entrance on the right until we came to the end of the lane. Meanwhile he had once again hand signalled to turn right but then failed to do so, while continuing at his leisurely pace. Now I could also see that the lady beside him was on the mobile phone.
Eventually, we came to Husbands Bosworth and the main road. We both turned left and he immediately gave a clear hand signal to turn right but drove past the turning! It was then that I realised that his hand signals were just gesticulation as he was talking to the woman in the seat next to him. I signalled right and put my foot down to pass the annoying man heedless of the fact that he was giving out misleading signals.
As I muttered about affluent road hogs in their posh cars who didn't care about other road users, I imagined him saying, "I didn't get where I am today by worrying what other people might think"! And I suspect I am right about that. But I was also thinking about how easily Christians and churches give out the wrong and often misleading signals because we are too wrapped up in what we are doing to imagine what impact we are having on others travelling the same "road".
It is as well to remember that someone may well be watching us, and be careful what signals we might heedlessly be giving to others!
Sunday 4 July 2010
The week ahead
Why not print this posting off and keep it with your Bible so you can pray with us each day. You could paste it into Word in order to do so.
Once again I want to begin by thanking you for your prayers over the past few days. There have been so many answers to your prayers. It has been encouraging to sense how God has spoken to people through ministry and one to one conversations in all kinds of situations including HMP Gartree, the Salvation Army Training College, various activities at the offices of the Congregational Federation, and local churches.
This morning's meeting at Yelvertoft was partly led by Leslie, our Church Secretary. It was a real blessing to me to hear her and for us to work as a team in a slightly different way. We continued looking at the work of the Holy Spirit and picked up on the theme of relationships. I've just acquired a website for the church and will post the notes. Look out for www.yelvertoftchurch.org.uk.
This evening we shared in a tenth anniversary of the opening of the excellent facilities of the Congregational Centre in Market Harborough. Lots of good gospel stuff included!
This week includes....
Monday 5th July
My car finally goes for post accident repairs so I am without it for a couple of days.
13.00 School Assembly at Lubenham, Leics. Still following the theme of the Lord's Prayer and specifically, "Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory" we have the story of the sending out of the seventy two. So, what does it mean to be a disciple? I'll enjoy this one.
Followed by a routine scan at the medical centre.
Tuesday 6th July
HMP Gartree today. We have just four weeks until our next concert and we need about eight weeks of practices! Pray for the informal discussions that follow the practices.
Wednesday 7th July
Meeting with Matthew and Sonya this evening to discuss the service of blessing following their civil marriage at Hothorpe Hall. These are special times in the lives of these couples and it is a privilege to have an open door to introduce them to the love of God and the possibilities of a relationship with him.
Thursday 8th July
Church Leaders lunch in Rugby and a day of pastoral visiting in Yelvertoft.
Friday 9th July
Lunch time meeting with members of the local Rural Sunrise Management Committee. Please pray for the members of this team who are so supportive of the work that Doreen and I do from Market Harborough locally and across the country. Pray for wisdom in the decisions made today.
Saturday 10th July
Attending (and possibly exhibiting) at a diocesan rural day for Leicester Diocese.
Sunday 11th July
Yelvertoft Congregational Church. Theme: the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
In addition to the above each day will be busy with all kinds of ministry and/or mission administration. In a busy life I need to make space to be still and have quality time with God and also with Doreen. Pray for our physical, spiritual and general health (Doreen still has significant mobility problems) and for all our needs to be met - especially the need to find people who will share the vision and work with us.
Thanks.
Once again I want to begin by thanking you for your prayers over the past few days. There have been so many answers to your prayers. It has been encouraging to sense how God has spoken to people through ministry and one to one conversations in all kinds of situations including HMP Gartree, the Salvation Army Training College, various activities at the offices of the Congregational Federation, and local churches.
This morning's meeting at Yelvertoft was partly led by Leslie, our Church Secretary. It was a real blessing to me to hear her and for us to work as a team in a slightly different way. We continued looking at the work of the Holy Spirit and picked up on the theme of relationships. I've just acquired a website for the church and will post the notes. Look out for www.yelvertoftchurch.org.uk.
This evening we shared in a tenth anniversary of the opening of the excellent facilities of the Congregational Centre in Market Harborough. Lots of good gospel stuff included!
This week includes....
Monday 5th July
My car finally goes for post accident repairs so I am without it for a couple of days.
13.00 School Assembly at Lubenham, Leics. Still following the theme of the Lord's Prayer and specifically, "Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory" we have the story of the sending out of the seventy two. So, what does it mean to be a disciple? I'll enjoy this one.
Followed by a routine scan at the medical centre.
Tuesday 6th July
HMP Gartree today. We have just four weeks until our next concert and we need about eight weeks of practices! Pray for the informal discussions that follow the practices.
Wednesday 7th July
Meeting with Matthew and Sonya this evening to discuss the service of blessing following their civil marriage at Hothorpe Hall. These are special times in the lives of these couples and it is a privilege to have an open door to introduce them to the love of God and the possibilities of a relationship with him.
Thursday 8th July
Church Leaders lunch in Rugby and a day of pastoral visiting in Yelvertoft.
Friday 9th July
Lunch time meeting with members of the local Rural Sunrise Management Committee. Please pray for the members of this team who are so supportive of the work that Doreen and I do from Market Harborough locally and across the country. Pray for wisdom in the decisions made today.
Saturday 10th July
Attending (and possibly exhibiting) at a diocesan rural day for Leicester Diocese.
Sunday 11th July
Yelvertoft Congregational Church. Theme: the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
In addition to the above each day will be busy with all kinds of ministry and/or mission administration. In a busy life I need to make space to be still and have quality time with God and also with Doreen. Pray for our physical, spiritual and general health (Doreen still has significant mobility problems) and for all our needs to be met - especially the need to find people who will share the vision and work with us.
Thanks.
Perfect Timing - Part 2
Her name was Jenny (I later learned), a middle aged Afro-Caribbean lady already seated on the train from Nottingham and heading back to London and home. I slid into one of the seats opposite and cast an eye over the cover of the paperback lying unopened in front of her. The title, "Hearing the Voice of God", intrigued me and I wondered whether it was a Christian book or just a catchy title for something secular.
"May I read the blurb on the back of the book?" I asked, having already stated that the title was intriguing. She slid it across to me and I noted immediately that the three commendations on the back cover were from Christian leaders I have had contact with in the past. Before long we were talking like long lost friends and I discovered that Jenny was a member of a Pentecostal church in London and had been in Nottingham for a seminar. I had just spent the last couple of days with fellow members of the Congregational Federation's Pastoral Care Board running the vocations weekend for students and others wishing to go on the Federation's role of ministries. That had turned out to be exceedingly encouraging (there is so much good stuff happening in the CF these days).
After a while I asked if she would mind if I made a couple of phone calls. She found her place in the book and our conversation ceased. But a little while later she put the book down in order to drink some fruit juice. It was my opportunity to pick up on the topic of the book. We talked together excitedly about the way in which the Bible is a living book rather than a collection of texts. We then illustrated this from our experiences, especially noting how the Holy Spirit often applies specific passages when they are relevant in our life. We must have filled at least 20 minutes with animated discussion.
While we were only discussing the Bible to encourage each other and to share our enjoyment of both a living relationship with God through Christ and especially how God speaks relevantly into our lives, others sitting around us could easily have overheard our joyful discussion if they wished. But that was not our motives. As we neared Market Harborough I drew the conversation to a close and slipped a visiting card across the table saying "I'd value your prayers". But as I bade farewell and moved towards the carriage door I saw that a man on the opposite side of the carriage and one seat away was reading a small Koran.
Was he, I wondered, immersing himself in the Arabic text to block out our conversation, which he must have overheard. How was it that of all the people that I could have sat with on that train, Jenny and I had been brought together and celebrated a common love of Jesus and God's incredible word? Was it another case of perfect timing? Just in case, will you please pray for the Muslim gentleman who for several minutes in his life had a doorway of revelation open to him? I hope you will.
"May I read the blurb on the back of the book?" I asked, having already stated that the title was intriguing. She slid it across to me and I noted immediately that the three commendations on the back cover were from Christian leaders I have had contact with in the past. Before long we were talking like long lost friends and I discovered that Jenny was a member of a Pentecostal church in London and had been in Nottingham for a seminar. I had just spent the last couple of days with fellow members of the Congregational Federation's Pastoral Care Board running the vocations weekend for students and others wishing to go on the Federation's role of ministries. That had turned out to be exceedingly encouraging (there is so much good stuff happening in the CF these days).
After a while I asked if she would mind if I made a couple of phone calls. She found her place in the book and our conversation ceased. But a little while later she put the book down in order to drink some fruit juice. It was my opportunity to pick up on the topic of the book. We talked together excitedly about the way in which the Bible is a living book rather than a collection of texts. We then illustrated this from our experiences, especially noting how the Holy Spirit often applies specific passages when they are relevant in our life. We must have filled at least 20 minutes with animated discussion.
While we were only discussing the Bible to encourage each other and to share our enjoyment of both a living relationship with God through Christ and especially how God speaks relevantly into our lives, others sitting around us could easily have overheard our joyful discussion if they wished. But that was not our motives. As we neared Market Harborough I drew the conversation to a close and slipped a visiting card across the table saying "I'd value your prayers". But as I bade farewell and moved towards the carriage door I saw that a man on the opposite side of the carriage and one seat away was reading a small Koran.
Was he, I wondered, immersing himself in the Arabic text to block out our conversation, which he must have overheard. How was it that of all the people that I could have sat with on that train, Jenny and I had been brought together and celebrated a common love of Jesus and God's incredible word? Was it another case of perfect timing? Just in case, will you please pray for the Muslim gentleman who for several minutes in his life had a doorway of revelation open to him? I hope you will.
Friday 2 July 2010
Perfect timing!
The man sitting opposite me looked up from his laptop computer at 6.41 pm and looked out of the train window. Then he closed it down, rose to his feet, removed a case from the luggage rack and packed his laptop away. I smiled and said "Perfect timing!". "Yes", he replied, "I practice it every day". With that he bade me farewell and made his way towards the far door of the carriage while I rose and made my way to the door that was nearer to my seat. A moment later an announcement told us we were approaching Market Harborough Station. At 6.43pm we both stepped onto the platform.
I had seen the man in the morning catching the 6.53am to London, though I suspect he had not noticed me. Throughout both trips he had worked solidly for just over an hour on his laptop. I imagined what life must be like for this man who I judged to be in his early sixties. Five days a week his working day is at least 12 hours long, the same routine day after day, and totally absorbing. I imagined what happened the moment he sat in an easy chair in the evening and closed his eyes... just for a minute!
Perfect timing certainly described his arrival at the stations both ways, and his almost automated departure at the end of the return journey. But was it perfect timing as far as his life was concerned. Was there time for family and friends? Was there time for God?
As far as I was concerned it had been another long day and I wasn't sure that I had the energy to do a little more work that evening. It was Thursday and I had been teaching Salvation Army Cadets (Officers still in training) at their College in Denmark Hill. The day before I had spent in Nottingham helping to interview applicants for a key senior post in the Congregational Federation. The next day it would be back to Nottingham for two days sharing in vocational interviews for those advancing in their studies, some with hopes that this would lead to ministry in one of the churches.
It all fitted nicely into the diary, (apart from the bits that could not be squeezed in). Perfect timing?
I had seen the man in the morning catching the 6.53am to London, though I suspect he had not noticed me. Throughout both trips he had worked solidly for just over an hour on his laptop. I imagined what life must be like for this man who I judged to be in his early sixties. Five days a week his working day is at least 12 hours long, the same routine day after day, and totally absorbing. I imagined what happened the moment he sat in an easy chair in the evening and closed his eyes... just for a minute!
Perfect timing certainly described his arrival at the stations both ways, and his almost automated departure at the end of the return journey. But was it perfect timing as far as his life was concerned. Was there time for family and friends? Was there time for God?
As far as I was concerned it had been another long day and I wasn't sure that I had the energy to do a little more work that evening. It was Thursday and I had been teaching Salvation Army Cadets (Officers still in training) at their College in Denmark Hill. The day before I had spent in Nottingham helping to interview applicants for a key senior post in the Congregational Federation. The next day it would be back to Nottingham for two days sharing in vocational interviews for those advancing in their studies, some with hopes that this would lead to ministry in one of the churches.
It all fitted nicely into the diary, (apart from the bits that could not be squeezed in). Perfect timing?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
