When words are not enough

This week we have probably all watched the devastation caused by earthquakes.  What could we possibly say to a man who has just lost all his loved ones, his home, his treasured possessions and his means of making a living?  He stands and weeps.  All he possesses in the world are the dusty and torn clothing he is wearing.  He has survived an earthquake but lost everything he held dear

What could we say to the woman whose daughter was killed by a Russian missile strike on the hospital where she was being cared for, and another missile has blasted her home into rubble?

What could we say to comfort the young woman thrown into a miserable jail for not wearing the right head covering, or savagely beaten by the police who should have been there to protect her?

What could I say to the young woman, repeatedly raped by her minister in the pulipit and on the font of the church where she worshipped each week?

What could the young Christian solicitor say to his wife as he sat next to her hospital bed after she had lost both her legs after a bus, swerving in a traffic accident, had pinned her to a wall and taken the life of their only little child?

Sometimes, God steps in.  On recovering consciousness after the operation, she told her husband how the Lord had come to her and already told her what had happened. 

Sometimes words just are not enough.  All the situations I have described are real tragedies, several of which I have come across during my years in ministry.  There are times in the life of a pastor when words are not enough.

Just such an occasion occurred this week when an email I received from a Christian friend and colleague in ministry told how he had received three lots of bad news in a few days, one being that he had no more than a year to live.  What could I say!

At the same time, another Christian friend, who knew nothing of my friend who had been told he was terminally ill, sent a link to a song I had never heard before.  It is called “In the Eye of the Storm”.  It contains the words:

When the test comes in and the doctor says

I've only got a few months left

It's like a bitter pill I'm swallowing

I can barely take a breath

In the eye of the storm

You remain in control

And in the middle of the war

You guard my soul

You alone are the anchor

When my sails are torn

Your love surrounds me

In the eye of the storm

Sometimes, God steps in!

Ryan Stevenson, the author of the song, might have used the term, “eye of the storm” incorrectly but, if so, that does not matter.  We know what he meant.  On land, the eye of the hurricane is the moment of calm in the centre of the whirling powerful winds.  At sea, the same moment of calm is accompanied by buffeting waves coming from all directions. Sometimes, a moment of calm in the midst of a storm is a prelude to more trials.

I think that it's a great song, and it was almost uncanny that the lyrics include getting bad news from a doctor.  You can listen to it by clicking the link below.  It ends with the words of Psalm 23 being spoken.

This week, I watched the scenes from Turkey and Syria on my TV.  I have been speechless and my soul has groaned as I have tried to pray.  Sometimes that is all we can do

JB Phillips translated Romans 8:26-27. “... we do not know how to pray worthily as sons of God, but his Spirit within us is actually praying for us in those agonising longings which never find words. And God who knows the heart’s secrets understands, of course, the Spirit’s intention as he prays for those who love God.”  Perhaps our best prayers are said when words are not enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2FqFLKisys&list=RDX2FqFLKisys&start_radio=1

Barry - 10th February 2023

Rev Barry Osborne

Founder and CEO

A Reason for Our Hope

 A Reason for Our Hope

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…” (1 Peter 3:15)

This is a verse of scripture that has always intrigued me.  Peter’s letter was written to Christians who had been scattered under persecution.  What, I wonder, might be the context in which they might be asked to explain the reason for their hope?  Most communities in those days probably would have been small enough for a stranger to be noticed.  Since the reason for their arrival would soon be known, Peter presumes that there is every possibility that the curiosity of their new neighbours will be aroused.  While that might not be the same in our context, the issue of being ready to articulate something about our faith remains as important today wherever we live.

It is also interesting that Peter presumes that it is “their hope” that will be the focus of curiosity.  This is the fifth time that Peter has used this wod.  In his first reference (1 Peter 1:3) he refers to regeneration into a living hope through the resurrection of Christ.  Because Jesus rose from the dead, he demonstrated his Messiahship and divine nature, but this also gives us the expectation that one day we too will rise and live with him forever.  It was such an expectation, or hope, that enabled early Christians to endure persecution.

This then is the reason for their hope, as is also explained in 1 Peter  1:13 and 21. The other reference Peter makes about hope was to talk about the character of Christian wives.  While some find such veres as (1Peter 3:5) controversial it does bring home to us all that people will make judgements about our faith by how we relate and behave towards one another.  It was also for this reason that Peter writes about the manner in which we explain our hope, or our faith in Christ  (see verse 16).

I am occasionally asked why I moved from Sussex to the East Midlands.  An easy and simple answer would be to state that it was to do with my work, but the real reason is that  I believed that God was calling me here.  The real reason for that is because Jesus Christ gave his life for me, I have felt it right to surrender my life to do his will.  There is absolutely no reason why I should be embarrassed or afraid to tell people that.

While it is unlikely that anyone in the general culture of the UK would ever ask about your hope in God, it ought not to be unusual or surprising if they asked something about the way we behave.  For example, “I notice you never use bad language, why is that?”  But this begs the question whether our lives are attractively and noticeably different from the way others behave.  I emphasise the word “attractively”.  This is another point that Peter makes.  Our response should be with gentleness and respect.

One way by which I try to bring God and Jesus into the conversation is to make reference to the fact that I go to church.  For example, I might be able to say, “Someone made a similar remark at church last Sunday!”  When new people move into the street I offer to give them the names of good local churches if they are interested.  Just such a comment provoked my most recent new neighbour to reveal that she was also a Christian.  Now the neighbour we have between us has two neighbours praying for him!

Times may have changed since Peter wrote his letter, but human needs remain the same.  People in the communities in which we live, shop and work, are deeply loved by a God who gave his life for their salvation.  Helping them to discover that kove and a personal relationship with God is the best thing we could ever do for them.  So, let's make sure that there is something attractive about how we live, and then be ready to explain it with gentleness and respect.  Where we live, and the communities in which we move are God’s gift to us, and an opportunity for sharing good news.  Let’s “be prepared”.

Barry Osborne 18the September 2021

Amazing Words! Faith brings light into darkness

Amazing Words!
It must have been the darkest time of their lives.  For several days their brother's health had worsened.  There was no hospital to which he could go.  In desperation they had sent a message to their friend to get here as soon as he could.  He, they knew, had extraordinary powers and could heal the sick.  He would be sure to come when he got the message.  What they were not to know when the message was sent that it would be too late.  Their friend could never have got there in time.

Now it felt as if their hearts had been torn out.  Friends uttered kind words and offered sympathy, but nothing could chase away the darkness that had descended on their lives as they laid their brothers remains to rest in the garden tomb.  But now word had reached them that he had come. He was here, and people were saying that if only he had been here, their brother would have been alive.  It was Martha who went out to meet him, unable to rest at home with her weeping sister, and needing to see his face, to hear him speak, even to just know that he was with them in this dreadful darkness.

She found herself echoing what others were saying, and what she knew wee;  "If you had been here my brother would not have died..."  There was no recrimination in those words.  She knew that if it had been possible, he would have been there.  Then came those absolutely amazing words from her lips.  "But I know that even now, God will give you whatever you ask."

"WHATEVER"!  Did she actually believe that?  Whatever?  Could she have imagined what would take place in a few moments?  Her amazing friend spoke of life after this life but, more than that, that he was the source of eternal life.  Quietly she affirmed her faith in him, still not knowing what would follow.

In the darkest moments of our lives, it is easy to dwell on the "If only..." moments.  Her sister, in her grief, seemed to be stuck in that limited imagination.  "If only you had been here my brother would not have died".  But Martha was looking up and looking forward, refusing to allow disappointment to cloud her vision of what still could be.  "But even now" are truly amazing words.  It has always seemed a paradox that the sister who chose to sit at the feet of Jesus listening to his words, is not the woman of faith at this time.  But it is not about what we hear or read that make the difference.  It is about what we believe.

So it was that, after tears had been shed,a call rang out for the dead to rise again, and Lazarus came out from the grave in which he had lain for four days.

For many people in the world today, the darkest moments have come as their loved ones have been lost.  I too, have experienced loss as my beloved Doreen has passed into the presence of the Savior she loved and served.  45 years of marriage brought to an end by the ravages of Alzheimer's Disease.  A few years before it had become apparent that the person with whom I had fallen in love had faded as the disease took its relentless toll.  But I had determined that if the woman I had fallen in love with was no longer available, then I would deliberately learn to love the woman I still lived with.  And so I did, in the good moments and the bad.  And towards the end, the woman I fell in love with some 46 years before returned to me, as if risen from the dead.  Moments of deep affection and words of deep love repeatedly passed one from the other.

And now I have my "Even now..." moment.  For me, the passion to help other people find salvation in Christ, to know him as Saviour and friend, has been rekindled as I think of the thousands passing into eternity without the hope that burns in my heart, leaving behind grieving loved ones without that "Even now" comfort.  As millions of Christians rise to the challenge of being good neighbours to friends in need, I pray that somehow, God will help us to share something of our faith that can look through the darkest days to a better and more glorious future.  People need to hear the good news.  They need Jesus!  There is an amazing opportunity for us to be God's instrument to bring hope to replace despair.  We need wisdom and courage to find and use the appropriate words, but we must never let the opportunity slip.

And in your dark moments, may you so trust in Jesus that you can say with confidence,"Even now..."

Please join us online at 8.00 (BST) this Easter Sunday Morning when Gordon Banks and I will be leading some Easter thoughts and worship.  You need to register in advance.  TO DO THIS PLEASE CLICK THIS LINK NOW.

God bless you.  Stay safe.

Barry
Rev Barry Osborne
CEO,Rural Mission Solutions

SPLLING THE BLESSING

I was recently asked to speak at a Lent Lunch.  The text on which I was asked to speak is Romans 15:13. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  As I pondered on the text and started to plan the outline for the talk, I was surprised that I had not thought deeply about is previously.

The outline was easy, and the talk went well.  I began by speaking about the nature of Christian hope.  I explained that this is not about wishful thinking, or the kind of optimism Mr Micawber exercised (“Something will turn up”).  It is about something not yet experienced but about which we can be confident.  I suggested that since hope is more commonly used for wishful thinking or uncertainty, we could do with a better English word to express what it means for Christians.  For me it is about eager anticipation.

The second point that the text suggested to me is, ‘the source of our hope’.  Paul prays that the God of hope would fill them with peace and joy and cause their hope to overflow.  It seems to me that he is stating that our hope as Christians comes from God.  But is God the source of our hope, or the object of our hope.  The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament, keen to encourage confidence talks about “two immutable (unchangeable) things” (Hebrews 6:18).  As Christians, our hope is based on the promises God has made to us.  His promises will never fail, and he supports this with his own unchanging nature.

Some people worry that their faith is not strong enough.  But the real issue is not the strength of our faith but where we place our faith.  If you are trying to skate on ice that is paper thin, you can believe as hard as you like but you will still get wet!  You would do far better to tentatively trust yourself to ice that is many inches thick.

Trusting promises is not something new to most of us.  We often visit shops where we exchange a small piece of paper for a basket load of shopping.  Of course, it would be ridiculous if we thought a piece of paper was of equal value to a basket of shopping.  It is not the value of the paper, or even the quality of the printing that that gives it value.  It is the words “I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of £20” and the signature of the Governor of the Bank of England.  We put our trust in the person making the promise, backed up by the resources of the Bank of England.

But what particularly grabbed my attention in this verse from Romans 15:13 were the words “fill” and “overflow”. Paul prays that as the Christians in Rome placed their trust in the one who has given us precious promises of eternal life with him in glory, that they would find God filling them with joy and peace. Note that he adds the word “all” to that joy and peace.  No doubt we could all do with a little more joy and peace, but what is on offer is a total or absolute experience of it!  I don’t want to settle for less.

These blessings come from our trusting in God.  In a world that casts dark shadows across our lives from time to time, we can experience joy and peace instead of dread and anxiety, simply by trusting in an unchanging God and his unchanging promises. But note, there is one more thing to experience.

Paul’s prayer, or his aspiration for the Christians in Rome, was that their hope in God would be an overflowing experience.  The hope, peace and joy available from the God of hope, does not come by the glassful, nor even the bottle full, not even on draught.  It comes from everlasting source that is God himself.  The Greek word used here means to have something in abundance – above and beyond.  It means much more than is needed.

So intrigued was I with this concept that I looked to see where else overflowing was mentioned in the epistles in the New International Version of the Bible. Remans 5:15 speaks of grace that overflows. 2Corinthians 4:15 speaks of an experience of grace that cause overflowing thanksgiving.  2Corinthians 8:2 speaks of overflowing joy during severe trials.  There are two other references to overflowing thankfulness. 1Thessalonians 3:12 speaks of our love for one another and everyone else, increasing and overflowing.

I have personal experiences of overflowing.  You may be aware that I have an inherited problem of what is called an essential tremor.  My hands shake: sometimes slightly, sometimes more noticeably.  Under stress, or in cold weather, or having carried anything heavy it is very noticeable.  At such times, if I have a cup of coffee in my hands, it is as well not to stand too close!  I usually ask for cups not to be filled as this will reduce the risk of spillages.

Imagine a church where every Christian was so filled to overflowing with hope and consequential joy and peace, that it was constantly spilled, so that the overflow touched the lives of others around.  Are you filled and overflowing?  Who, then, is feeling the effect of your overflowing by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.  God grant that we may be so filled and overflowing that increasing numbers experience the splashes!  Let’s be spilling the blessing and not spoiling the blessing.  Amen?

Barry Osborne - 03 March 2018

From the Diary

Despite the cold, snow and icy weather of the past few days I have been able to get out and bout and share God’s word in schools and various meeting.  We give thanks for the privilege of bring God’s word to others, and for the obvious blessing it has brought.

Please pray for safe travelling and God’s blessing on his precious word over the coming days this week.

We rejoice that someone has shown interest in developing some aspects of our vision for ministry to and with young people.  Please pray for Gordon Banks and me as we meet this Wednesday with Joy to explore this further.

Please pray for the Churches Group for Evangelization meeting in London on Thursday.  Unfortunately, I have had to send my apologies this week because of personal circumstances.  I will miss the fellowship with good friends who share my passion for evangelism, and I pray that it will prove very helpful.  They will bring me up to date afterwards with what God is doing across the churches.

Hope or Despair

Yesterday evening, on my way to a shop in the centre of the market town where I live, I was entertained by a chorus of bird song, blackbirds and thrushes among them, just as dusk was settling.  Despite the surrounding and increasing gloom their delightful songs filled the air.  As I left the shop I tried to draw the attention of a man waiting for his wife to the brilliant music filling the air.  He listened for a moment, shrugged his shoulders and returned to his former rather gloomy state.  I wondered if the birds knew something he did not!

My day started, as it often does, with my listening to a current affairs programme on the radio.  Item after item seemed to present a list of things we should be worried about.  Doctors who make mistakes, hospitals that are overflowing and underfunded, police who fail to provide appropriate evidence, financial uncertainties, disturbing tweets from the White House, the threat of cyber attack on our infrastructure, more stories of sexual abuse and, of course, the shadow of Brexit!  The words “concerning” and more correctly “worrying” occurred several times.

Was, I wondered, the media reflecting the gloom, or was it the consequence of the disturbing habit of producing someone ready to pour scorn and criticise anything good that is happening.  If I may employ the contrary line to a well known Christian song, “Where there is hope in life, let me bring despair!”

All of this puts me in mind of Paul’s letter to the Christians in Philippi.  At the time of writing we are informed that he is imprisoned.  He refers to his chains, but whether these are actual or a metaphor for the restrictions he was under, we cannot be sure.  I note that when referring to the opposition he faced, Paul reveals that they too are suffering.  The circumstances are far from ideal, it would seem.  Yet the tone of this letter is upbeat.  He encourages his readers to rejoice and keep rejoicing.  He tells them not to worry about the circumstances, not to be anxious about anything.

I remember hearing a conference speaker refer to people who respond to the question “How are you?” by saying, “Alright under the circumstances!”  He went on to point out that Christians should recognise that we live their lives with Jesus Christ in God.  Consequently, since we are reigning with him we cannot be UNDER the circumstances.

Of course, there is a world of difference between living in denial and living by faith.  The former is psychologically dangerous.  The facts need to be faced.  The latter is liberating as it points beyond on reality to another reality where we have a loving heavenly Father, a wonderful Saviour and the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit.   Even the psalmist took himself to task saying, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.”  (Psalm 42:5). How much more should we who have come to know Jesus Christ, be people of hope in times of despair?

Peter, also writing to Christians who had suffered for the sake of Christ, writes about being ready to give a reason for the hope that they have.  Like the birdsong breaking through the falling gloom of evening, our lives and attitudes should shine through the depressing and worrying circumstances of the world in which we live.  This also brings with it the challenge of living above whatever unfortunate circumstances may be affecting us at this time.  We cannot deny the pain, but our confidence in the character and promises of God are able to lift us up, for he will never fail us.

I commend to you the words of Anna L Waring’s hymn, ‘In heavenly love abiding’.  You could almost preach a sermon on every line of this hymn.  It assures us of the depth and constancy of God’s love which never changes.  Even in the darkest storm there is no room for dismay.  In the final verse she writes, “My hope I cannot measure, my path to life is free.  My Saviour has my treasure, and he will walk with me”.

As I have written these words I have left playing in the background a recording of bird song, like that which I enjoyed yesterday evening.  I know that the song they sang as the day ended and the darkness fell, would have been repeated this morning as the first light of day broke over the horizon.  In Psalm 92 the psalmist talks about proclaiming God’s love in the morning and his faithfulness at night.  As he says, it is good to praise the Lord and make music to his name.

Maybe some of us also know what the birds have something to sing about!  Let’s sing it as loudly and as continuously as they manage to do from dawn to dusk.

Barry – 27 January 2018.

From the Diary

The past two weeks have kept me busy, but I still have not found sufficient time to complete the two important writings: one on developing appropriate strategies for mission and the other on a safeguarding topic.  Please keep praying about time management.  Often, urgent matters are brought to my attention through phone calls and email, sometimes every day!  I stress that I am always available to anyone who might need help or advice, so I need wisdom every day.

Among various ministry activities, it was delightful to take the morning meeting at Yelvertoft (my last pastorate) last Sunday, school assemblies have been well received, and the series of Bible studies in Ephesians I am writing and leading in prison have proved exciting.  God is at work in the prison in wonderful ways.

This Sunday (28^th January) I shall take the morning meeting for Welford Congregational Church, Northants.  After this, Doreen and I will be travelling to Kent for the rest of the week.  Hopefully it will be a rest, but I will be teaching at the Salvation Army College in London on one day and undertaking some business in Hastings on another day.

One of our current concerns is to find someone who will undertake some of our activities to support and encourage children’s ministry in rural churches.  We have been exploring several possibilities, and the role is advertised on our website at www,ruralmissionsolutions.org.uk  Please pray that we will find the right person or people to share in this important ministry.

Facing a Different Future

Some have described it as a ‘wind of change’; others have spoken of an ‘earthquake’.  What is indisputable is that, in the UK, we are facing a different future.  For Christians this means trying to understand the times and spirit of the age and then to live out our faith and bring god’s word into the situation in ways that are relevant.  Christians are meant to be prophetic both in how we live what we say.  Of course, these are early days following a major change, so we should be careful and prayerful as we seek to engage in the ‘double listening’ essential for Christian witness.

Since the referendum my thoughts have turned to two Old Testament characters and one prophetic passage that has been subject to misunderstanding.

The first character from the Hebrew Scriptures is Joseph.  At the age of 17 he seemed to be confident about his future.  But events changed and he successively found himself rejected by his brothers, the object of a murderous plot, sold into slavery, taken to a foreign country with an alien culture, falsely accused of rape, thrown into prison, and forgotten by a friend.  All that probably by the time he was 29.  He could have become an angry young man.  He could have been bitter and resentful.  But he chose instead to serve others within the context into which he found himself thrown.  As such he showed himself to be the better man.

The second character is Daniel. Bible commentators seem to agree that he was a young man when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and took captives to Babylon.  They went, not as tourists but as slaves, forced to live in an alien country with an ungodly and alien faith and philosophy. He too could have been bitter and resentful, kicking against the circumstances forced upon him.  But instead, like Joseph, he rose to the occasion and chose to serve others and to serve well.  Neither Joseph nor Daniel compromised on their personal faith but maintained integrity with who they work within God’s purposes.  For Daniel, that meant taking a risk with his life and facing the possibility of being eaten alive by lions.

Whatever, the world in which we might have wanted to live, this is the world in which we are living.  Like Joseph and Daniel, we need to be strong in faith, and be the best kind of Christians we can be in these times, even if we find some aspects rather alien.

The prophetic passage on my mind is in Jeremiah 29.  Verse 11 has become a favourite of many, but there is a bad habit of taking it out of context.  False prophets at the time were making all kinds of promises of better things just around the corner. How welcome those misleading words would have been.  People who had thought God had abandoned them to their enemies would have welcomed the suggestion that the situation would soon be reversed.  It would have been light at the end of the tunnel.  But it was untrue.

The unwelcome words of Jeremiah 29 were that deliverance was not around the corner.  They were going to be in captivity for many years; time to settle down, build houses, raise families, marry off your children and enjoy grandchildren.  It is against that background – and only against that background that God declares that he still has plans for them.  There is future and hope, but not just yet.  Not only must they endure their present situation but more than that they must “seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jeremiah 29: 5-7)

I do not believe that God works within the political life of nations in the same way that he did under the Old Covenant.  But I do believe that we, as Christians, are called to be blessing to others and we should pray for them that they will prosper.  We should pray for God's blessing on our own nation and for what we will become. But we must also pray for God's blessing on those from whom we will be separating politically.  Both at home and abroad there are some who feel hurt and concerned about the future.  Our actions affect others.  Whether or not you chose the course on which we are now set, God expects us to discover how he would want us to behave and live out prophetic lives for his glory.  No room there for either pride or sour grapes.

Facing My Different Future

I am excited by the change I face this week.  While my first calling was as an evangelist, God has graciously added gifts and ministries over the years. My first experience in pastoral ministry began in 1966 following a church-planting mission in Kent.  In 1968 I was called to a joint pastoral ministry in Hastings where I served for 21 years.  After a short break I was called to the church in Herstmonceux, which I served for just over 14 years.  That was an incredible experience as we put into practice the principles behind developing tailored mission strategies.  The after another short break I was called to Theddingworth and Yelvertoft.  I discovered that I had misunderstood the expectations of the Theddingworth church and so resigned from there but have continued at Yelvertoft to the present.  It has been a good journey.

However, this week my ministry in pastoral leadership at Yelvertoft comes to an end and I pass the baton onto Jim Lyon, who I believe will do a good work.  But the opportunities to teach from scripture on a regular basis, and engage pastorally with church members and the wider community have come to an end.  I will certainly miss it.

The reason for my retiring from Yelvertoft is partly because I felt they would be better served by someone younger, but also a desire to put time and energy into promoting evangelism in the rural areas of the UK.  There is much to be done and with some 10,000,000 people living there (including over 1.5 million children, our vision remains to help rural churches engage in appropriate, effective and sustainable strategies that share the good news of Jesus, help people discover a saving faith, grow in discipleship and share in God’s mission.

Retirement from the pastorate at Yelvertoft will mean a significant drop in income, but Doreen and I are not in personal need.  But I am an unashamed advocate for the ministry in which we are engaged with others.  Fifty years ago (almost to the day) I entered full time ministry supported by a network of 36 people who gave two shillings and sixpence a week (12.5p) to support me and who saved up small change in boxes to cover ministry costs.  These days ‘crowdfunding’ has been an exciting way of helping to establish new businesses and provide employment for thousands of people. 

200 people giving just £1 per week (or equivalent) would help to ensure our operational costs are met.  Some churches we serve are able to contribute but as many of the churches we serve are small, we offer our work free of charge. Praise & Prayer News goes out to over 300 people each week.  We highly vale the prayer support that this raises. We are also very grateful for those who are able to support us financially, though this is less than 10% of the recipients.

If you think you can help to keep us serving others you will find information below as to how you can donate or set up a standing order.

Doreen Facing a Different Future

Less than two months ago, my wife was diagnosed with cancer.  Four weeks ago she underwent radical surgery.  Pathology examination of surrounding tissue and blood vessels showed no spread.  In the past week she has resumed most of the routine domestic work and tells me that she is grateful to be free from the restrictions imposed by her carer (me) following her operation.  We give thanks, but are acutely mindful of, and praying for, so many friends who are going through similar circumstances battling cancer.  Thank you for the enormous number of loving messages over recent weeks.

From the Diary

Gordon Banks and I led an online seminar on Summer Mission Ideas which, according to those who attended, proved very helpful.  On this occasion we managed to record the session (lasts 45 minutes) and you can see this on the Rural Mission Solutions website by clicking this link.  It is also available on YouTube.

The take-up on the opportunity to attend these helpful webinars is disappointing.  We will be exploring what the reason for this might be.  From our perspective we are offering for free a high value educational opportunity from which churches and people can benefit from the comfort of their homes.  Please pray as we seek to grow the audience base.  We have room for 100 people each session.

Since the last Praise & Prayer mentioned about greater availability following my retirement from pastoral responsibilities, we have received several request from churches. We can travel and as we enter this new phase of ministry there is space in my diary if I can be of service to you.

Pray for Katrina as I work with her re-launching the children’s and families’ ministry of Rural Mission Solutions.  The first few months are bound to be challenging.  You can read more about Katrina on the Rural Mission Solutions website.

The week’s diary includes: Monday School Assembly; Tuesday Hospital check-up for Doreen, my regular work in prison, and travel to Swansea; Wednesday and Thursday Chairing the Congregational Federation’s InterChurch Board meetings in Swansea; Friday meeting with lawyers in Eastbourne.

Another colleague, Canon Elizabeth Ingram, and I value your prayers for a complicated and confidential matter in which we carry a responsibility as trustees of a Will.  Successive trustees since 1979 have found this challenging and we are hoping to make some changes for the benefit of all concerned.  Not all the changes we have proposed have been welcomed.  Please pray that reason and common sense will prevail.  I have to prepare a legal report and will value your prayers.

Please pray for the Friends of Obambo team.  While neither our ministry nor I are now actively involved in this ministry we began around 1995, we have good friends who are seeking to ensure that excellent work done by my former colleague, Monica Cook, continues appropriately.  They are faced with a difficult situation to manage following her death.  I believe they will be writing to their supporters in the near future.

I am deeply grateful for the prayers that support our service for the Lord.  Thank you.

Barry

Never a Good Time for Bad News

The following was written on Boxing Day 2014; the day that news broke that City Link had gone into administration with the apparent consequential loss of employment for many. In some situations hope is not enough.

For 2,727 men and women this Christmas has brought bad news with the closure of City Link and the loss of their jobs.  Probably, their CEO, David Smith, and Board members will be feeling pretty rotten for some time to come. The company has clearly been struggling from time.  In 2013 Rentokil sold the business to Better Capital for £1 with the hope that some £40 million was going to be invested.  Just a few months ago a number of key people were added to the Board of Directors in a rescue attempt.  It looks as if the firm has been running on optimism since 2007.  Having twice been in a similar management situation I can imagine the painful gut wrenching decision making that has been taking place behind the scene - including the decision of when to break the news to the men and women whose lives have now been shattered.

During the Thatcher years things looked good for some time.  In the town where I lived at that time I had responsibility for a small Christian bookshop that was far from adequate for serving the many local growing churches.  A through business appraisal was undertaken before deciding to love to new and larger premises in a good location.  Although the rent was expensive it was expected that growth in business should bring us into profit within two years of trading.  In the first year of trading customer numbers and sales far exceeded the predictions.  But the second year saw customer numbers increase but sales actually decline.  It was the first indication of the recession that hit the town hard at the end of the eighties and early nineties.

I invested long hours and £6,000 of my own money (almost everything I had) to try to keep the business afloat.  But the independent actions of a new Board member resulted in the loss of a major customer and we were left with no option other than to put the shop into administration.  A plan which involved the establishing of a smaller Christian bookshop and a relatively good settlement for suppliers, sweetened the bitterness of the situation.  But even that was spoiled by the action of one creditor, leaving several smaller suppliers in difficulties.

While the loss of that business was the result of three situations beyond my control it still took several years for me to get over the negative feelings it generated.

Some years later I was asked to help rescue a privately owned academic institution.  The education provided by this college was both unique and excellent.  Unfortunately, it appeared that inadequate business management had led to the crisis in which it found itself.  
The Board of Directors, which by then included me, took several radical steps, cutting operational costs, redirecting capital, and had succeeded in what would have been an effective plan that would have reinvigorated the College.  It began to turn around and light was clearly visible at the end of the tunnel.  The final piece of the puzzle involved some adjustment to staff salaries in hope that redundancies could be avoided. Sadly, a senior academic staff member convinced the owner of the College to act against the decision of the Board and instead to invest more personal money she could not afford to support his alternative plan.

Inevitably, the Board members resigned, the company was liquidated a few years later and the owner lost her investment.  Instead of experiencing some temporary reduction of salaries, the staff all lost their jobs.

Fortunately most enterprises in which I have been involved have not suffered bad news such as on these occasions.  But we live in a world where bad things happen - sometimes as the consequences of our own failings, and sometimes because of the actions of others. In the business world, hope alone is no guarantee of a good outcome.

It appears that City Link has been failing for some years in a business sector that has become increasingly competitive.  No doubt the Board members have been doing all they could do avoid the bad news that has come out this Christmas.  I expect that  all in the firm have been hoping for a better outcome. It is probable that, to some extent, hope that things will get better will have been shattered by circumstances beyond their control.

How well this resonates with the story Jesus told of a farmer who, having experienced and exceptionally good year of business, made plans to sit back and enjoy a comfortable life for years to come.  (See Luke 12:13-21.) But there was a major unforeseen factor beyond his control that would take place within a few hours.  In his situation the final outcome would have been better for him if he had given his surplus goods to feed the hungry and help the poor.

It will not just be the 2,720 employees of City Link that will feel emotional pain, suffer financial loss, and possibly other long term problems.  Other businesses will be affected.  Other family members will be affected.  I pray that, wherever possible, churches will be ready to give emotional support to those who are the casualties of this bad news.  I pray too that hope will not be entirely abandoned, but rather that it will be put into that which is always absolutely certain: the character and promises of God.

A fork in her hand!

Here in the East Midlands of England we have had snow but not as bad as some other parts of the country.  The first heavy snowfall started in the East Midlands but we were on the southern edge.  However, as temperatures stayed low the snow has stayed around, periodically added to.  However, we were able to get into the village last Sunday and again on Thursday for a Bible Discussion Group.  This week we explored 1 Corinthians chapter 15 where Paul addresses the hope of the resurrection and life after life.  Paul starts by emphasising that the resurrection of Jesus, witnessed by many, was at the heart of the gospel he had preached and they had received.

His first argument is that if Christ rose from the dead then we can be sure of resurrection.  If there is no such thing as resurrection then that would mean Christ had not risen from the dead and we have an empty gospel.  "But now is Christ risen from the dead".  Later her addresses the nature of resurrection and draws on two illustrations.  The first of these is living plants.  What grows from the ground differs absolutely from what was planted as a seed.  The second is the spiritual  character of Christ, compared to the earthly character of Adam.  So what will rise up to spend eternity with God will differ from what is laid in the grave or cremated.  It will be like Christ.

While I enjoy many contemporary worship songs and prefer to use contemporary language, I love the theological and spiritual depth of many more traditional hymns.  The words of 1 Corinthians 15 are clearly the inspiration behind the Cardinal John Newman's wonderful hymn, Praise to the Holiest in the Height.  take a few moments to dwell on these words.

Praise to the Holiest in the height,

And in the depth be praise;

In all His words most wonderful,

Most sure in all His ways.

O loving wisdom of our God!

When all was sin and shame,

A second Adam to the fight

And to the rescue came.

O wisest love! that flesh and blood,

Which did in Adam fail,

Should strive afresh against the foe,

Should strive and should prevail.

And that a higher gift than grace

Should flesh and blood refine,

God’s Presence and His very Self,

And Essence all divine.

O generous love! that He, who smote,

In Man for man the foe,

The double agony in Man

For man should undergo.

And in the garden secretly,

And on the Cross on high,

Should teach His brethren, and inspire

To suffer and to die.

Praise to the Holiest in the height,

And in the depth be praise;

In all His words most wonderful,

Most sure in all His ways.

It is recorded that when William Gladstone, a great Prime Minister of the UK, laid dying he often went over these wonderful words, relishing the truth that inspired them.  This then reminded me about the funeral service of a woman who lay in an open casket (coffin) with a cutlery fork in her hand.  As people filed past to bid their last farewell they were perplexed to see the fork.

In his message the pastor of the church explained that this was a special request the woman had made.  She had told him,  "In all my years of attending church socials and pot-luck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'keep your fork.' It was my favourite part because I  knew that something better was coming..like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance! So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?' Then I want you to tell them: 'Keep Your Fork..The best is yet to come'".

What a wonderful hope we have!  It's a sure and certain hope!

During the morning meeting last Sunday my mobile phone rang. I thought I had switched it off.  When I saw the number I realised it might be important and asked the congregation if I could take the call.  It was to tell me that Joe had died that morning.  Joe is a farmer who lived next to our Chapel.  He has been ill for some time and I have visited him several times both at home and in hospital.  I'm glad his long battle is over, and delight in the memories of our chats and times of prayer.  Once, in hospital, he asked me to sing "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?".  As I raised my voice (unfortunately in the wrong key) there and then, Joe joined in the song.  "Were you there when he rose up from the grave?  Sometimes it causes me to tremble!"  Thanks be to God who gives us the victory!

This week

Sunday 27th  - 10.45 Yelvertoft Congregational Church.  In the afternoon I set off fro Brecon, Wales.

Monday 28th - "Mission to the Margins", a one day rural mission conference for the Baptist Union of Wales.  the most important item for prayer is that those who attend go away and build on what they have learnt.  I travel back home to the East Midlands that evening.

Tuesday 29th - 10.30 School Assembly, Yelvertoft.  I took the school assembly in Lubenham last Friday and really felt God was at work as we explored with the children the generosity of God.  Their interaction and attention was wonderful.

In the afternoon I expect to be in HMP Gartree.  Please pray for the chaplaincy team there and for all who seek to minister something of the love and word of God in our prisons.

SPECIAL WEEKEND ACTIVITIES

On Friday 1st Doreen, who has proved such a wonderful wife and partner in mission, celebrates her 80th birthday.  Normally birthdays pass without much note.  But on this occasion I have three days of surprises.  

On Saturday 2nd I have arranged a surprise lunchtime party also in Market Harborough and have invited anyone who wishes to do so to join us.  If you wish to have details of when and where this is being held please email me at barry@ruralmissions.org.uk.

All this is being kept secret so please don't let her know about these arrangements.  

Thank you for your support and prayers.

Barry

Easter puts an end to the doldrums

I find myself today (Saturday) wondering how the twelve and other close disciples felt as the fact of the crucifixion had sunk in but before the resurrection.  Despite Jesus having pointed to life beyond his death they would have felt a sense of finality - the end to their three year adventure; the end to all they had hoped.  There is no biblical evidence for anything other than despair and confusion.  I am sure none of them could possibly have imagined what was to take place the next day.

There have been unsettling times in my life, and probably also in yours.  An unexpected end to four phases of ministry have taken place during the long years of service for Jesus.  My inclination is to go for the long haul, so God has at times had to prise my fingers off that to which I held so firmly.  I have always found this a painful experience; letting go does not come easily.  Each time there has been a deep sense of loss.  But in each case what seemed like an end has led to something new and splendid: a kind of resurrection.

It is all too easy to drift into a mood of hopelessness and impossibility because of loss.  But the fact of the resurrection should inspire us always to believe that there is something better ahead, whatever life might be throwing at us now (not that there is a problem in my own life at the present).

When I was a young Christian in my teens someone older advised me to live as if Jesus died yesterday, rose today and is coming back tomorrow.  I have found that truly motivating.  I don't know who might have been the first to say this but I'm certainly glad it was passed on to me and I have done my best to pass it on to others.  I hope that this Easter we will all get excited by the incredible event when Jesus walked from his tomb.  The resurrection became a fundamental aspect of the gospel that was shared both with Jews and Gentiles.  Easter should fire us up to spread the good news.  I hope you'll find someone among your family and friends who needs to hear the good news and will hear it from you this week.

The past week
Much of the past week has had to be spent clearing out our spare bedroom ready for a guest from the USA.  I had accumulated paper from as far back as the mid 1980s.  Among the many boxes and piles there were some treasures found but I've tried to be radical and feel better for the clear-out.  I would have rather been doing many other urgent things but some times you just have to take out time to clear rubbish from our lives.

The much awaited Prison Concert took place on Wednesday.  After the practise on Tuesday I felt we were perhaps 55% ready but we experienced an "It'll be all right on the night" the following day.  We had a good attendance, a great atmosphere, and the lads made me proud.  They also embarrassed me with a standing ovation afterwards.  Thank you for your prayers.

The week ahead
We will start the week celebrating the risen Christ.

On Monday I collect the Rev'd Dr Rick Hartley (a colleague from the USA) from Birmingham Airport.  Rick will be leading the Bible Studies at the Leaders Conference I have helped to organised.

Tuesday to Friday Doreen and I will be at the Leaders Conference.  I will be responsible for various aspects and will be speaking at the opening session on the Tuesday.  The theme of the conference is partnership in mission and on each day we will be exploring the possibilities and challenges of engaging in partnerships of various kinds.  Please pray that the Lord will make this a time of blessing and refreshing as well as informative.

Saturday Rick will still be with us so we have organised an opportunity for Congregational churches in Leicestershire to meet up for an evening of informal fellowship, praise and worship, with Rick speaking.

Sunday 15th Rick is our guest at Yelvertoft.  I will lead the morning meeting and he will speak.  After lunch we take him back to Birmingham.

Back to today
I was intrigued to note John 20:10 recently.  It would be easy to read more into this simple statement about going back to their homes than perhaps John intended.  In much the same way people have speculated about John 21:2&3 where Peter announces he is going fishing.  Both passages could be understood as implying a sense of lost hope.  When we lose our hope and find ourselves stuck with the 'day after crucifixion' emotions it is easy to slip back into the old and comfortable ways.

I hope that, like me, you are eagerly looking forward to the focus on the resurrection and the assurance of redemption and the hope of life everlasting that it brings.  Hallelujah!  He IS risen!

Barry