Giving Thanks

I recently returned from a great two weeks' holiday. The first week was spent near Honiton, in Devon, in a converted farm property. I sharing the holiday with not only my immediate family, but overall around 35 members of my wider family (4 sisters and a brother and their families). It was some gathering, following in the tradition of 5-yearly family holidays begun by my Dad when he retired in 1984! This family holiday was made rather poignant by the fact that only a week or so after the end of the holiday my brother, Phil, set off to begin a new job in New Zealand!

The second holiday week was spent in the tiny hamlet of Buckland in the Cotswolds (a rather smaller gathering this, with just Sue and I and our two daughters, Caz & Steph). I find the Cotswolds such a fascinating place to visit. Each village and town seems to have its own unique identity. And I love to browse the many antique centres and second hand bookshops. We did quite well with the weather, only one really wet day, which isn't bad for a fortnight in the UK, even if it is supposed to be summertime.

My overall feeling right now is one of thanksgiving. I am grateful for the opportunity to have a couple of weeks away from the normal routine, to relax, enjoy visiting new places, and recharge the batteries. I am also very thankful for the great family I belong to. Of course, we don't choose the family we are born into, but I couldn't have chosen a better one! So I say thank you to God for all the many ways he has blessed me.

"Thank You" are two very important words. I feel sure that they are not said often enough. After all, it costs nothing to say thank you, but it can mean an awful lot to the person to whom we speak the words. I try to make it a habit to say thank you as much as possible, and to let people know how much I appreciate them and what they do. It's not a bad habit to cultivate.

Where Mars got it right

One of my pet hates is TV adverts. It really annoys me when they seem to crop up every five minutes, and especially when the same old adverts are repeated time after time. I went round to watch some test match cricket at a friend's house a while ago (yes, it was on Sky, so most people couldn't watch it!) Every two overs there was an ad break, which kind of spoiled the match!

To be honest, some adverts are really inventive, and quite enjoyable the first few times. There are some which have become classics over the years. One which stands out in my memory is the old Mars bar advert, with the strapline, "A Mars A Day Helps You Work, Rest and Play."

I love my work, but I also look forward to times of "rest and play". I will shortly be going on holiday, and I'm really looking forward to it, especially as this year I will be spending it with more than 30 other members of my wider family! The fact is that when God created us, he created us to fit in with the rhythm of life. We are not machines which can run forever with no break; we were never made to be so. God created us with the rhythm of work and rest.

It's good to work, and it's good to rest. The problem comes when we get the two out of balance. It seems that many people are so stressed and pressurised at work that they have little time for anything or anyone else. On the other hand, we can be tempted to avoid work as much as possible, and that, too, can be bad for our health and wellbeing.

I guess that getting the right balance is the key. Work hard, put your best effort into it. But don't let it take over your life. Remember the old saying, "No one ever said on his deathbed, 'I wish I'd spent more time in the office'". Make sure that you get your rest times, time to switch off, to enjoy being with family and friends, or time for yourself. And don't forget the One who blessed you with the gift of life.

Blessed are the poor

I have just finished reading a remarkable book. I found it both greatly inspiring and deeply challenging. The book's title is "There Is Always Enough", and it was written by Rolland and Heidi Baker. Some years ago (1995) they felt God's call to move to Mozambique and serve the people of that country. Out of that grew Iris Ministries. The Iris Ministries website states that, "Iris Ministries has expanded to over 5,000 churches all over Mozambique and into neighboring countries. The disastrous flooding of 2000/2001 catalyzed an overwhelming hunger for the things of God in the refugee camps where we ministered, and the Gospel continues to spread like wildfire. We now care for almost 2,000 children at our centers, and our churches are taking in orphans as well. Jesus is revealing Himself through signs and wonders, visions and dreams, and we have never seen such a harvest before us. May the Lord of the harvest send us workers!"

So many aspects of the book were both challenging and thought-provoking. I was reminded, for example, that though we in this country may be suffering to some extent from the effects of the recession, we are, by the standards of Mozambique, immensely wealthy. Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world, and has suffered greatly in recent years from both war and natural disasters. The book chronicles the terrible floods which hit the country around the turn of the millennium, and the vast suffering which ensued. For many people, even the little they had was lost.

Of course there will have been those in the West who will have asked the question, "If there is a God, why did he allow such suffering to happen?" Only a fool would suggest there there are easy answers to such questions. Yet the book relates the amazing fact that at the time of the floods and devastation, there arose in the hearts of the people of Mozambique a deep hunger and thirst for God. Often when the Iris Ministries team took food and clothing supplies to those in great need, though the people were very grateful for the supplies, what they wanted even more was to hear about and experience the love of God!

Jesus said, "it is easier for a camel to get though the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God." The truth is that our material wealth and possessions can actually turn us away from God. But when, like many of the people of Mozambique, a person has almost nothing in terms of material possessions, it is easier for them to see where true and lasting wealth can be found - in God alone.

God and satnav

One of the privileges I have is being chaplain to Doncaster Rovers FC. I will soon be starting my third season with the Rovers, and it has been a real pleasure to see a football club from the inside, and get to know both the players and the other staff at the club.

I am a member of the sports chaplains organisation, SCORE. Every few months we have a regional meeting. A couple of weeks ago we had such a meeting at Valley Parade, the home of Bradford City FC. Having arrived safely, a few of us were extolling the virtues of satellite navigation systems. One of our number made a comment which I can wholeheartedly agree with, namely that his satnav had cut down considerably on the number of arguments he has with his wife in the car! I can think back to many times over the years when Sue and I got a bit hot under the collar when we were trying to work out a route.

The first satnav we owned had a rather shrill female voice. "She" reminded me of an old fashioned school teacher - very bossy. On those occasions when I failed to obey her instructions, she cried out "recalculating!" in a very accusing manner. I was almost made to feel as if I'd committed a grave offence which was causing her much inconvenience.

Our current satnav is much more gentle. I have selected the male voice, but I think it would be the same whichever the gender of the voice. With this satnav, when I make a mistake and don't follow his instructions, there is no accusing cry, he simply and quietly recalculates the route and provides the revised instructions.

One of my colleagues at the SCORE meeting pointed out how this reminds him of how God deals with us. God has a plan for our lives. However, there are times when we mess up, either by mistake or by deliberate disobedience, and travel down a wrong route. In those times, God doesn't shout at us or wag his finger in an accusing way. Rather, he is able to work even our wrongdoing for good. If we come back to him and admit the error of our ways, he gently and lovingly guides us back onto the right path, so that we can accomplish his purpose. What an amazing and gracious God we have!