a year later .. on loss and finding

I find myself in a reflective mood. My blog was a year old this week, and also this week, God has been speaking into my life and the life of friends. Some are dealing with hard times and some dealing with moments of deep joy or inspiration. It makes me realise that nearly always our hearts are pulled in two or more directions.And there are regrets too! For a few years I had the privilege of being in active ministry of diakonia in a parish, that taught me something of the truth of St Paul's words "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." Romans12.15.NIV - some days the two experiences could be had within what seemed like a few seconds of each other as people arrived at the door. It makes me realise that God holds both the pain and joy of human life in his heart at the same time. The extremes of our lives and our loves are all exposed and known to him. His unquenchable love holds us close.

Chatting yesterday on the phone with a good friend I found myself saying again "God has been saying a lot to me since I moved to Ipswich, but I honestly think the truth is really that I have started listening to him again and that before I came here I had stopped listening." This led to a whole conversation.

Our God is super abundant! Sustaining and maintaining the universe each day by his powerful word. His continuing love is there for each one of us whether we choose to turn to him, or ignore, or disbelieve in him. God knows the very ebb and the very flood of our tides of our enthusiasm. And the riverlets in between.

So a review of the first year!

The call (read)

The most unusual "Stag" or "Bucks" weekend in the history of mankind! (House of Prayer) and (Iona)

Marriage! Yep I got married to an amazing woman

Two Mini Series

* Live by the Spirit
* Live by the Spirit - Prayer
* Live by the Spirit - Time Spent in the Word
* Live by the Spirit - Asking
* Live by the Spirit - Give Up Judging
* Live by the Spirit - Forgive
* Live by the Spirit - Our Father

* Guide Us Lord
* The Plan for Your Life
* The Plan for Your Life (2) Listen
* Take Action to Change

The tipping point - 2 blogs nobody challenged
* Tipping Point and Year of Grace - maybe they  were too Catholic!

Writing these have helped me to grow in faith, at times it has felt like being in a tumbler drier "for the Lord" and at others, in a washing machine with a block of cement. But the Lord hasn't finished with me yet! So you will hear more from me. What did I lose and what did I find? I lost a bit of my iniquity and found a spiritual inheritance.

He has his "Child Ipswich" in his sights! The dew of the Holy Spirit is awaiting his command to fall on this place. Listen you have understanding!

May the peace of Christ be present in your hearts, may he lift your soul, may you learn what it is to shelter in the shadow of his wings. Amen

Amos

I have been spending a bit of time with the prophet Amos lately. A prophet who could, in many ways, be speaking to our generation. A while back I took one of his passages and rewrote it into modern equivalents...

"Listen to this you who trample the needy and try to suppress the poor people of the world, you who say next month we will make a fast buck on the stock exchange. With insider dealing we will buy low and sell high, swindling the shareholders and the market. Also at the same time we can exploit the world labour market and pay pitifully low wages to people from another country who make shoes for us and then sell them here for seventy quid. If we are smart we can even sell the off - cuts to the fools. But Amos says I will swear by the pride of Jacob, God will not forget anything that you do! "

He challenges me to think again about God's attitude to the poor. The Psalm very clearly says "the Lord hears the cry of the poor, blessed be his name."

The pharisee within us might say that the poor are always with us. And use that as a comfort blanket so that we do nothing. But God's love should break through that and challenge us to "hunger and thirst for justice" and to be an advocate for the poor, who are unable to pay for their own food let alone their own advocate.
In modern Britain the politicians are quietly busy dismantling the work of the social reformers. Some of this might be justified. After all we have books to balance and bankers to satisfy. But we need to be careful that we don't make it all a money equation. The soul of the country needs to be invested in too. What is Britain known for these days? In our gentleman's clubs are we known only as "heroes of the wine bottle" - should we be better than this?

It seems that more of the poor sleep on our streets in modern Britain. Is that how we want to be known?

Dear Lord, help me to realise the harvest that my own actions will have on other people. Call me away from being insular and into a love relationship with God. Sow the seeds of peace in my life. Amen.

Can the Holy Spirit move you?

Can the Holy Spirit move you? Oh wow oh yes! Without the Holy Spirit my life would be drab. It is the main animator of my life in Christ.

I wonder did anyone see the discussion of this on The Big Questions on BBC1 Sunday 6th January? It was good to see a friend Michelle Moran there on the telly with two other Christians with experience. They were all from different Christian backgrounds but the one and same Spirit of God had moved them.

It was an interesting, thought provoking discussion but annoying because participants are never allowed to finish their points. This comment applies to both sides! If there are sides on a question about truth like this.

To me it is a spiritual reality or spiritual dynamic that God will allow his Holy Spirit to "move" you.. In fact much of the motive power of the Christian church comes from the working of the Spirit. It is the author of all healing and the secret ingredient of all evangelisation. The inspirer of the ordinary person just as much as the prophets, evangelists, teachers, servants "of the Lord" - also the same Spirit must I think have inspired the various Jewish Old Testament authors. Breathing God's truth into scripture.

- It inspired King David's dance of praise when his Mrs told him off.

- Moses got the ten commandments through listening to God's grace working.

- Paul wrote the chapter on love (1 Corinthians 13) under the influence.

-Pentecost day itself!

Oh my! Thank you God for sending your Holy Spirit daily into our lives. Thank you for your loving kindness, so great, so lovely, so tender, so heart warming. Thank you for changing my heart from stone to flesh through the Holy Spirit.

This same Holy Spirit can be renewed in your life for the asking. When we call on the Lord times of spiritual strength are possible. Equipping us for our daily lives.

For reflection:

John 14:15-17, 19-21 GNT

"If you love me, you will obey my commandments.  I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, who will stay with you forever.  He is the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God. The world cannot receive him, because it cannot see him or know him. But you know him, because he remains with you and is in you.
In a little while the world will see me no more, but you will see me; and because I live, you also will live.  When that day comes, you will know that I am in my Father and that you are in me, just as I am in you.
"Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. My Father will love those who love me; I too will love them and reveal myself to them."

The bird feeder

I was sitting yesterday eating my breakfast and watching the birds coming to the bird feeder. It was quite funny to watch their behaviour. The younger or smaller birds won't feed while the bigger ones are around. Although they might try a quick and sneaky peck while the bigger bird isn't facing them. Even the bigger birds have their own order. The female blackbird gives way to her mate. If the collared doves are around all the other birds vanish. I don't know if this is learned behaviour on the birds part or whether it is instinctive. So far I haven't noticed birds pecking each other at the feeder. The suet treats and other beneficence come from Debs and she is happy for any birds that want to, to just help them selves.

My thoughts then drifted off into human life. I was thinking that sometimes I hold back from doing things because someone I perceive as better is around and I think they should go first as they are better. Sometimes I hold back because of the throng. In families there can be a definite feeding order. And the youngest can be fed first. My friend Veronica told me that at parties sometimes, when the food might not be enough, the word might go out from her mum "family hold back" - that meant the visitors had to be allowed to grab the grub first.

In God's Kingdom things work differently in my experience. Everything is available for everyone. God has no favourites and his abundant blessing is available in full measure to whoever wants to come to the feeder. No one is better than anyone else. All welcome! We need to turn off our inner voice that says someone better than me should go first. And to understand that in Christ Jesus we are all made worthy. Our inheritance is there waiting for us as soon as we realise it.

Dear Lord, help me to accept your invitation for my life to be transformed. Amen