Beauty is more than skin deep

Most Monday to Thursday mornings I spend in the Church Office at Priory. When I arrived on Tuesday I headed, as usual, for the kitchen (making a coffee is always a priority on my arrival!) The kitchen was already a hive of activity, as a number of people were busy preparing for Restawhile, our shoppers coffee service which takes place each market day morning. I was somewhat surprised to discover on my arrival that I seemed to be the topic of conversation. Was it Sunday morning's sermon they were discussing? Perhaps some other element of my work as Minister of the church?

I was soon to learn that the topic under discussion was in fact my recent haircut! For many years now my lovely wife, Sue, has cut my hair (and saved me a small fortune in the process). My hair tends to grow rather quickly, and I find that once it gets beyond a certain length it becomes rather difficult to control. With this in mind I had asked Sue to cut it quite short, and that's exactly what she did! Although I have had one or two favourable comments on the new length, on the whole most people don't really appreciate it. Such is life, and anyway it will grow again very soon.

As I reflect on all this, I have been thinking about how often we judge people on the basis of outward appearances. We tend to make assumptions about people by what they are wearing or what they look like. And in the modern media age, looks and appearance seem to be everything. But is a person's outward appearance really what matters?

There is a story on the Bible about the prophet Samuel who is instructed by God to anoint a new king for Israel. Samuel visits a man called Jesse who lives in Bethlehem, and when Samuel sees Jesse's son Eliab, a tall, handsome, strapping fellow, he immediately thinks that he's found the man to be king. But God says to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16v7). God doesn't judge by outward appearances and neither should we!

The remarkable "Young Ones"

BBC TV recently showed a remarkable series of 3 documentary programmes entitled The Young Ones, featuring six well-loved celebrities in their 70s and 80s spending a week living as though it were the year 1975. The six people concerned were Liz Smith, Sylvia Syms, Dickie Bird, Lionel Blair, Kenneth Kendall and Derek Jameson. They were brought together in a large house which was set out as if it was in the year 1975. The idea was to take the celebrities back to a time when they were in their heyday. By bringing back the memories of those times, the expectation was that “the body will follow where the mind has gone.”

A number of the celebrities were rather sceptical about the whole idea, and doubted that the week would lead to any significant physical or other improvements. They were each put through a number of tests prior to the week (physical and mental), which were repeated at the end of the week. I found the whole series absolutely fascinating. I had my own doubts, but was astounded to see how quickly each of the six very began to show improvements in their physical capabilities, some remarkably so. If you haven't seen the series, I strongly recommend that you do so while it's still available on BBC iPlayer!

One of the elements of the programme which particularly spoke to me was how the six were placed in an environment which was designed to present challenges for all of them. It was through meeting and often overcoming the challenges that they grew in confidence. Mention was made in the first episode of an experiment with rats. It was said that where rats were placed in an environment which was stimulating and difficult they lived, on average, 33% longer!

Speaking personally, I know that there have been times in my life when I have done my best to avoid difficulties and challenges! Yet the facts seem to suggest that actually facing them is, in the long term, good for us. And I begin to wonder whether part of the answer to the question “why does God allow us to go through hard times” has to do with the fact that he knows that by facing the hard times we can actually grow stronger. Whether that's right or not, the programme has certainly given me much food for thought as I contemplate the future and advancing years!

Not much of a welcome

A few months ago I received in the post two vouchers entitling the bearer to attend, free of charge, a day's play at Headingley, the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club. There were only certain days during the cricket season when the vouchers were valid. Because of various other commitments, I hadn't been able to take advantage of the offer until yesterday. In fact, yesterday was the final day on which I could use the voucher, so I took the opportunity to travel up to Headingley along with Eric, a friend from church. I have been reflecting on our experience of the day...

When we arrived at the ground we showed our tickets and went through the turnstiles. Metal barriers prevented entrance to the first large stand we came to. It was clear that we were not allowed to use that stand, but no explanation was apparent, and no directions were given to where we should go. We walked along that stand and found another stand where we were able to sit; we chose a spot underneath an overhanging balcony, as rain had been forecast!

Play had been due to start at 10.30am but when that time arrived there was no sign of the players. A little while later we heard the voice of the pa announcer. No word of welcome, no explanation as to why the match was late in starting. If you have ever heard the current West Ham United FC manager, Avram Grant, give an interview, you might be surprised to learn that the pa announcer at Headingley made even Avram sound enthusiastic! After a while, the announcer told us that lunches would be available at a certain part of the ground, but no directions were given for the benefit of the uninitiated.

After a while Eric offered to go for a cup of coffee for us. He asked a steward for directions, but the steward seemed uncertain. Eric ended up having to do a complete tour of the ground in search of the elusive refreshments stand!

The capacity of the Headingley ground is around 17,000. There was probably just a few 100 people there yesterday. I often hear cricket officials bemoan the low attendances at county cricket matches. I have to say that if the level of welcome we received (NOT) yesterday is a measure of the normal situation, I am not surprised. Everything was geared towards the long-term cricket lover who knows their way around. The first time visitor was ignored - maybe they don't expect first time visitors!

Sunday 26 September is "Back-to-Church-Sunday"; Christians around the country are being encouraged to invite friends, neighbours, family etc to come with them to church. I think it's a potentially great idea (apparently some 80,000 people did take up the invitation last year), but, having reflected on my Headingley experience, I am sure that if we are to invite people to our churches, we need to be absolutely sure that we are ready to welcome them properly when they come!

And I should say, finally, that despite the total lack of welcome we received at Headingley, it was still a great experience. There's nothing quite like enjoying a good day at the cricket!

Reflections on reflections

I have for many years had great difficulty in trying to buy my wife Sue gifts for birthdays and Christmas which she really appreciates. It seems to become more of a struggle with each passing year. On occasions my attempts have clearly been abject failures. This year, I decided to buy Sue a subscription to the National Trust. Last week we were in (on?) Anglesey for a week's holiday, and decided to make use of our membership by visiting the National Trust properties in the area. During the week we more than paid for the year's membership!

Our favourite site was Plas Newydd house and gardens. The house is situated on the bank of the Menai Straight and has magnificent views of Snowdonia. The weather was lovely and sunny during our visit, and as well as the amazing views, it was a haven of peace and tranquility.

Another place which I had looked forward to visiting was Bodnant Garden, which covers some 80 acres. Although late August was probably not the time to see the garden at its colourful best, nevertheless we still enjoyed wandering through the various parts of the garden. I particularly enjoyed the lower part of the garden which has a stream running through. There was also a pool, with some beautiful reflections. I did take some photos (one of which is above), although photos never seem to recapture the full beauty of the actual scene!

I have always been fascinated by reflections. On a clear, still day, it can be difficult to tell from a photo which is the reality and which is the reflection. I have been thinking about how this relates to the Christian life, the life of following Jesus. God's desire for those of us who follow Jesus is that we should grow daily to be more like Jesus, and to reflect his character in our lives. How sad it is when those of us who claim to follow Jesus live lives which seem so far removed from the life of Jesus. The divided and hurting world in which we live desperately needs men and women who will reflect the Christlike life of love and compassion. As the songs says, "Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me"